GLASTONBURY, Conn. — Following a digital meeting with the state epidemiologist who warned about new COVID variants, some school superintendents are telling parents to prepare for the possibility of more closures. The news comes as Connecticut’s second COVID curve is dipping downward, but the experts say the highly contagious COVID variants may form a new curve by March.
A letter to parents from New Britain Superintendent Nancy Serra warns, “positive cases of COVID-19 among our students, families and staff continue to rise, and the State Department of Public Health has warned new COVID strains are on the horizon.” Glastonbury Superintendent Alan Bookman said, "This is another wrinkle that we must deal with...We're not going to put our staff and students in harm's way."
But state COVID communications coordinator Maura Fitzgerald softened the tone, telling FOX61 that Dr. Cartter, “did not advise that people or schools in Connecticut prepare for a shutdown here or make any assertions about what impact there may or may not be here in Connecticut.” She said Dr. Cartter was explaining what steps other countries have taken where the new strain has become dominant.
Dr. Cartter has not made many media appearances since the beginning of the pandemic when he said that 70% of the Connecticut population may become infected with the Coronavirus. There has also been internal turmoil at DPH with regard to messaging and communication. The state also lost its Commissioner of Education, Miguel Cardona, to the Biden administration. Cardona was a staunch supporter of keeping the schools open.
At his COVID daily briefing on Thursday, Gov. Ned Lamont said, "I’m fairly confident that if we continue our flow of vaccines and if they continue to up the ante, we’re going to be having school in March." He cited the CDC and added, "Schools are not a driver of transmission."
But the labor unions aren’t so sure. Don Williams, the Executive Director of the Connecticut Education Association said, "If we want any possibility of keeping schools open, we need to make sure that teachers and school staff are protected with vaccines."
This week another 1060 Connecticut students tested positive for COVID. That's a 17% week over week increase for students doing in-person learning. 299 staff were also stricken with the virus this week. The CEA says that data doesn't tell the whole story. "We know that because testing isn’t happening in schools except for those exhibiting symptoms we don’t really have a handle on the extent of the infection rate," said Williams.
Districts are now trying to buy more and better masks, increase distance wherever possible, and ventilate their rooms while they wait to get vaccinated. "We want a poll in each district and find out among school staff who is in (for the vaccine) and who is out but we anticipate that percentage to be very high," remarked Williams, who said those polls should be completed within the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, concerns continue to be raised about the pandemic's impact on education. Data shows that attendance drops for remote learners and social and emotional development may be stunted in addition to academics. "All along, teachers have maintained that in-class education is of course the best," said Williams. "I know that parents want their children in schools. Teachers do too," added Bookman.
Bookman also called on the state to postpone standardized testing. He said schools should be focused on educating and not measuring benchmarks in the middle of a pandemic.