Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Money
  • Election 2020
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Money
    Election 2020
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Over 14,000 sign petition calling for governor to close schools unless safety recommendations are met

  • Education
  • by Adria Watson
  • December 10, 2020
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

screen shot of Facebook event page

The lead photo of a Facebook page organizing a ‘Car Caravan for a Safe and Fully-Funded Back to School’ at the state Capitol during the summer.

Leaders from the state’s largest education unions gathered outside the state Capitol on Thursday to call on Gov. Ned Lamont to close schools until mid-January unless the recommended safety precautions they’ve laid out are met.

They delivered a petition, which was assigned by more than 14,000 Connecticut educators, school employees and community members. It called for the implementation of statewide safety mandates included in their “Safe and Successful Schools Now” report and transparency from the state in the way it reports and responds to positive COVID-19 cases in schools.

Union leaders also expressed concerns about Connecticut’s recent rise in positive COVID-19 cases. As of Wednesday, the state’s seven-day positivity rate was about 7%, and all but nine towns were in so-called “red zones,” where the positive case rate exceeds 15 per 100,000 residents.

“To put it mildly, I’m afraid for the next week,” said Jeff Leake, president of the Connecticut Education Association. “With surging infection rates and vaccines for the general public not available until after the new year, the state must shift to full-time remote learning until at least mid-January to ensure that in-person learning is a safe strategy for our students and our teachers, not an experiment, not a gamble.”

The state Department of Education released a statement about the petition and list of demands Thursday. It said the department will meet with union leaders and representatives to discuss what they’re asking for and “make recommendations for continuous improvement.”

“The health and safety of our students, educators and staff is and has always been our primary consideration as we work to address the educational crisis that has resulted from this pandemic,” said state Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona in the statement.

The debate over whether Connecticut schools should reopen has been going on for some time. At the start of the school year, unions presented a list of safety procedures and asked for schools to close until those were met and mandatory protocols were in place.

The governor has continued to leave school reopening and closing decisions up to districts. He and Cardona have also stressed throughout the school year that they want to keep schools open for in-person learning for as long as they can.

According to state data, 43.7% of the districts in Connecticut were operating under a fully remote learning model for the week of Nov. 30-Dec. 4. This in part is due to teacher shortages and an increase in COVID-19 cases in schools, although the state has said transmission is far more likely in communities outside of schools.

Additionally, October attendance data shows students learning remotely were missing twice as many days as those learning in person.

While the education unions and their members say they understand the value of in-person learning and eventually want to return to that setting, they  want balanced or equal safety measures for educators, school staff and students.

“We all want to be in schools with our students, in the school buses, in the cafeteria, in the playgrounds and classrooms,” said Mary Yordon, president of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 1727 and Vice President of the American Federation of Teachers Connecticut (AFTCT). “We want that without unnecessarily high risks to ourselves and to our families. We want to know that our needs as employees are considered as well as the needs of our students in the schools.”

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adria Watson Adria comes to CT Mirror from California: she grew up in Oakland, graduated from Sacramento State where she was co-news editor of the student newspaper, and worked as a part-time reporter at CalMatters (the California version of CT Mirror). Most recently Adria interned at The Marshall Project, a national nonprofit news organization that reports on criminal justice issues. Adria is one of CT Mirror’s Report For America Corps Members.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
COVID deaths and infections in CT nursing homes decline as more residents are vaccinated
by Dave Altimari

There were 85 deaths in nursing homes and 312 residents infected during the week ending Jan. 12.

CT formally expands next group of COVID vaccines to those age 65 and up
by Jenna Carlesso

The state will announce a tiered approach prioritizing each population in that phase, beginning with people 75 and older.

State launches database showing FAFSA financial aid form completion rate
by Adria Watson

The FAFSA form is critical for students who might receive financial aid for college.

Advisory group: People aged 65 to 74, those with underlying conditions should be part of next phase for COVID vaccine
by Jenna Carlesso

News about expanding the vaccine came the same day Connecticut's daily positivity rate jumped to 10.7%, the highest since spring.

Superintendents association calls on state to increase funding for CT schools
by Adria Watson and Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

A coalition of superintendents is asking for a 2.5% annual increase in state spending for public schools.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Evidence not clear that Trump incited Capitol destruction
by Alan Calandro

Defending President Donald Trump is not popular and I have no interest in writing this other than adherence to truth. Recognizing the truth (if we can find it, which is not always possible of course) should make us be able to come together around that and move on with a common understanding.

Opinion Securing our nuclear legacy: An open letter to President-elect Joe Biden
by Erik Assadourian

Dear President-elect Biden: As you noted in a tweet shortly after protestors stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, “Today is a reminder, a painful one, that democracy is fragile.” Indeed it is. And so are nation-states.

Opinion Last votes of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others
by Gary A. Franks

Finally, the election season is over. The historic elections we saw in this cycle were intriguing. The runoff elections for the U.S. Senate in Georgia put a cap on the campaign season. For many people this could be described as a COVID-19 election. I would argue that this was an election influenced by a pandemic but determined by the killing of unarmed Black people with no adequate justice for the Black community.

Opinion Not just environmental problem; Killingly plant is a great target
by Joel Gordes

In 1990, I was one of five legislators to introduce the first climate change legislation that became PA 90-219, An Act Considering Climate Change, the most popular bill of that session. Back then I considered climate change a national security issue… and I still do.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO