Though COVID-19 virus hasn’t spread among staff and students while they’re in New Canaan Public Schools buildings, a surge in new cases and transmission outside of school—such as through sports and social gatherings—could soon lead to a return to a “hybrid” model, where students are e-learning from home half of the week, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi.
The district opened the school year Aug. 31 under that type of model, and carefully phased students back into full in-person learning by grades and levels.
New Canaan like other towns is seeing significant community spread and “the indicators are trending, and accelerating, in the wrong direction,” Luizzi said in a lengthy email sent Wednesday to school families.
“And if the trend continues, unfortunately, we should all expect changes in our schools, our communities, and our daily lives,” he said.
“[I]f current trends continue, we may have to reduce population density by returning to hybrid learning,” Luizzi said in the email. “If that’s the case, we anticipate beginning with the high school only, and continuing to monitor and adjust as more data becomes available. Any change will be communicated as soon as possible to our entire school community. No decision has been made at this point, but I want to share our current thinking to help everyone to be prepared.”
As of Wednesday, according to NCPS’s continuously updated operations plan during COVID-19, “Charting Our Course,” a total of 13 students district-wide were in isolation after testing positive for the virus, while 356 were in quarantine due to “close contact” (within six feet for 15 minutes or more) with a positive case.
Luizzi noted that “one significant source of community spread continues to be social gatherings,” while “we are also seeing spread through participation in youth sports. “
“Anyone participating in sports should be aware that, if a positive case of COVID-19 is diagnosed on the team or on an opposing team, then the entire team is required to quarantine for a 14-day period,” he said in the email. “Currently, several teams at NCHS are quarantining due to this requirement, which has contributed to the significant jump in our quarantine numbers since Friday.”
The wider community also is seeing rapidly increasing numbers. According to data tracked by the Connecticut Department of Public Health, New Canaan as of Wednesday had 295 confirmed positive cases—up from 257 five days ago.
Luizzi in his email underscored rules such as travel restriction to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and spelled out what it means to be in quarantine. He added that the district is seeking to strengthen its own successful mitigation strategies for those in school buildings.
“In this regard, we are modifying our expectations for face coverings,” Luizzi said.
Though “neck gaiters” are popular with many, “they are, unfortunately, not as protective as other face coverings that are readily available.”
“Therefore, beginning next week, we are requiring that all students and staff wear, at a minimum, cloth masks while in school,” Luizzi said. “If this causes any difficulty, we will gladly provide an appropriate, disposable mask to any student or staff member who needs one.”
“We may not have a map through this pandemic, but we do have a compass,” he said. “And our true north keeps us oriented as we make each decision, step by step, focused upon the health, safety, and well-being of our entire school community. We will have some challenging decisions to make in the days and weeks ahead, and we stand ready to do so guided by our values, bolstered by the support of our community, and confident in the knowledge that our work as educators, teaching the next generation, is the most important work on the planet.”