Schools
Slowly, Carefully, Ridgefield Students Return To Real Classrooms
Some grades will be back in school, full-time, starting next week.
RIDGEFIELD, CT — Gradually, Ridgefield students are returning to real-world classrooms, full-time.
Superintendent Susie Da Silva laid out the updates to the school district's reopening plan in a letter to parents on Tuesday.
Students in grades K-2 are back in class everyday beginning Tuesday, as planned, and grades 3-5 will start full-time on Oct. 5. PreK will continue with its full reopening, half days. Four days per week for morning classes, and five days per week for afternoon classes.
Grades 6-8 will continue "cohorting," with half of the students in school at any given time, while the remainder learn from home. Students with individualized education programs, students receiving multi-tier system of support intervention services, and those receiving English learner services will be offered the option of returning fully, five days/week.
The plan for Ridgefield High School students has not changed. They will keep the hybrid attendance model at least through the end of the quarter.
"Assessment of social distancing at the high school is currently taking place and will be discussed at a future Board of Education meeting in October," Da Silva said.
Another change is the district now requiring parents of students who are opting to participate fully remotely to make their selection for this option for the entire quarter (secondary) or trimester (elementary).
"The reason for this change is to limit the disruption to faculty and students," Da Silva said.
District officials arrived at the new, New Normal after consultation with the Ridgefield Public Health Director Ed Briggs, Dr. James Ahern, the district's medical advisor and nursing coordinator Aaron Crook.
