As COVID-19 Cases Rise, Staff Say Connecticut Schools At Risk

A file photo features a sign displayed at a union protest in Hartford aimed at amplifying the voices of educators and support personnel concerned about their safety in the classroom. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public)

Kristen Record, a physics teacher at Bunnell High School in Stratford, says a lot of her students are bailing on school.

“I sometimes will go through an entire day, and I will only see five students in person,” Record said. “All of my other students have chosen to be on distance learning because they think it’s safer for them to be at home.”

Stratford is a red-alert COVID-19 hot spot, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Hamden is too.

“For the second time in a week, our high school had to be closed because we didn’t have enough staff members, and we also had to close our middle school one day because of staffing issues,” said Diane Marinaro, president of the Hamden Education Association. “I see this as a continuing trend — it’s no one’s fault; it’s just the reality of the situation.”

Although COVID-19 infections are on the rise in Connecticut schools, state officials say it still makes sense to keep them open.

But now, some teachers are speaking out. While some districts have gone fully remote, teachers in other districts wonder how bad it has to get in order for theirs to follow.

Read the rest of the story at WNPR’s website.