Fairfield School Coronavirus Policies Adjusted By Board Of Ed

FAIRFIELD, CT — Short-term remote learning and access to school buildings were contentious topics Tuesday when the Fairfield Board of Education met to approve changes to a slew of coronavirus-related policies before students head back to class next week.

The main purpose for the changes, all of which passed either unanimously or with a majority in favor, was to update the policies to align with the timeline of a pandemic executive order by Gov. Ned Lamont, which is set to expire Sept. 30. Details of the policies spurred spirited debate at several points throughout the meeting, and additional policy work is expected from the board in the coming weeks.

“I think that we should let school start and see what the first week of school brings,” Chair Christine Vitale said. “We will take it from there.”

Several board members were dissatisfied with the explanation Superintendent Mike Cummings gave of the district’s approach to short-term remote learning for the new school year, which he detailed amid a discussion of the attendance policy for students in health department-directed isolation or quarantine.

Those students will be given lessons prepared in advance and instructional support, according to Cummings. If their schoolwork is completed, students will be considered in attendance. The district is in the process of hiring support staff and long-term substitute teachers to provide learning assistance in a virtual setting.

The option of live-streaming classes presents difficulties to staff, Cummings said, adding school officials believe the planned measures are appropriate given that isolation or quarantine will typically last a total of seven days.

“We’re not really talking about the difficulties for the students,” board member Bonnie Rotelli said. “Some of these students should be able to access these classes and we certainly have the ability to do it.”

Board member Jennifer Jacobsen questioned what she felt was a relatively last-minute plan for short-term remote learning.

“Why wasn’t this done in, like, July?” she said.

Cummings cited absent and inconsistent direction from state authorities as the cause of the delay.

“We are going to fix it,” he said. “Where we are on Monday is not where we’re going to wind up.”

Other topics Tuesday included the need for the district to consistently follow policies related to facility use by community groups and visitor access to school buildings.

Regarding parent access to schools, Cummings noted that varied class and building sizes could present challenges to consistently applying policies across district schools.

“Why can’t certain principals make it work when others can?” Vice Chair Nick Aysseh said. “We need to call them to make this equitable and make it consistent.”

Regarding outside groups, the district is looking to reopen its facilities to recreational uses in the after-school hours, assuming organizations comply with district pandemic protocols. The policy for facility use by outside groups was not consistently applied in the previous school year, Aysseh said.

“It is something, obviously, that’s going to have to be monitored,” he said.

Jacobsen expressed concern about the potential for inequities to arise in terms of how the policy is applied. Cummings offered some reassurance.

“There’s a lot of back and forth and conversation and engagement,” he said. “The spirit of the staff is to make things happen when we can make things happen.”