In an e-newsletter to the school community today, Bethel Superintendent of Schools Christine Carver provided information about COVID-19, the District's breakfast and lunch programs, and end of year activities.
COVID-19 Update:
The district continues to work closely with the Department of Public Health, Office of First Selectman and Bethel Emergency Management Operations. We meet at least twice a week to coordinate operations for the residents of Bethel, to ensure implementation of mitigation measures, to coordinate communications and to troubleshoot issues. We participate in a significant amount of conference calls with the Governor, Commissioner of Education, the Department of Public Health, and Centers for Disease Control. All of the experts indicate that it will get worse before it gets better and that we will likely see a surge in the second week of April. This makes it all the more important to follow social distancing guidelines and prevention strategies issued by the CDC. Even after a “surge,” all the experts agree that communities need to be cautious about potential re-exposure by assuming business as usual too quickly.
Distance Learning:
First, we want to recognize the outstanding work that has been implemented by our teachers and support staff in continuing learning for our students. That being said, distance learning is not the same type of learning that occurs in the classroom. It requires a different set of skills from our teachers and students. Many of you have asked, “Why can’t teachers just do virtual lessons like the students are in school?” It is an equity, logistics, and access issue, for both the teachers and the students.
Like many of you, our teachers are working remotely with a family to manage. Just like many parents, they do not have access to childcare, which requires them to adjust their schedules. Being “live” all day is not realistic. It is also highly likely that some of our teachers and staff will contract COVID-19 and be unable to work, that is why you see teachers planning and implementing lessons together. In addition, we know that all of our students do not have access to their devices during the day because of family situations, parent work schedules, and/or child care issues and could not participate in the live lessons.
Moreover, we understand the impact of social isolation on our students' emotional wellbeing. Many teachers are starting to pull small groups, offer “office hours”, and conduct social check-ins with their class, while at Bethel High School, various teachers are also offering some live classes. We understand that this is not ideal and that students are feeling isolated. We will try to expand those opportunities, but I would also encourage you as families to connect using technology. Set your children up with “virtual play dates”.
If your child is struggling with the academic content, feels overwhelmed, or needs more “face time”, please communicate your concerns to your child’s teacher and we will problem-solve with you to provide additional support for your child.
The Bethel Public Schools has taken advantage of a federal grant to provide breakfast and lunch to any student enrolled in our schools. This program is open to any student enrolled in the schools and their siblings (under the age of 18). We operate Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Berry School. For each pick up, you can receive meals for 2 days. This will give families meals for 6 days per week. We will continue to implement this program following the Department of Public Health and CDC protocols. Please note, as the health situation evolves our pick up protocols and distribution may be changed and adjusted.
Policy/Regulation Update:
Graduation Requirements/Graduation - End of Year Activities: The district regulation on graduation requirements has been updated to include distance learning. Regulation 6146, Graduation Requirements. This will ensure that all work in our current distance learning program will be counted towards graduation requirements. A number of people have asked, “What is the status of graduation? End of the year activities?” The honest answer is we do not know.
If school resumes and we are able to hold the ceremony, it likely will be held at Bethel High School. We would not want to enter into a contract with WCSU, potentially losing a significant amount of money, just to cancel the event. The rest of the end of the year activities such as the prom, scholarship night, the military ball, etc. are all dependent on guidance from the Governor’s office. You should anticipate that they likely will need to be cancelled or modified based on Public Health guidelines. We recognize that it is very upsetting to our students, especially our seniors, but it is out of our control and in the best interest of public health. We continue to be hopeful that we will be able to celebrate our seniors.
View the complete newsletter => Bethel Public Schools Newsletter 4-3-20