Giant Steps School To Close In Southport

FAIRFIELD, CT — A Southport school for students with special needs will close Tuesday, citing the “insurmountable circumstances” of the coronavirus pandemic.

Giant Steps School serves children and adults with learning and development disorders by offering educational, recreational and therapeutic programming and supporting related research. The school, at 309 Barberry Road, opened 27 years ago and was developed by the nonprofit American Institute for Neuro-Integrative Development.

“After seeking the advice of numerous experts, we faced the unfortunate task of determining that nothing could be done to prevent the shuttering of our school as we know it,” the school’s Board of Directors said in a prepared statement.

The coronavirus, which is associated with more than 4,300 Connecticut deaths since March, took students out of the classroom this spring, with schools switching to remote learning in an effort to prevent transmission.

Gov. Ned Lamont last week released a back-to-school plan that mandates mask use for students and staff in almost all instances, with the goal being to have a learning experience that is as close to normal as possible. Giant Steps modeled multiple scenarios, but none met the school’s strict safety standards, according to the board's statement.

“Protecting the health and safety of our students and their families as well as our dedicated staff was — as always — at the center of this heartbreaking choice,” the statement said.

Giant Steps had 42 students during the most recent school year and anticipated 40 students in the fall, according to Executive Director Darci LaBash.

“In almost three decades, something unique and special was cultivated that transcended education: the school’s community was truly a family,” the statement said.

In an email, LaBash said there are other private schools in the area, which offer different models of service.

“Some offer more therapies than others,” she said.