Back to school in COVID-19s ‘new normal’ in Connecticut. Here’s what you need to know. – Hartford Courant

Educators in Connecticut are hoping for the most normal return to learning since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, but say pandemic-related challenges continue to impact public school districts.

Before the first day, heres what students and families can expect for the 2022-2023 school year:

For the first time in nearly 15 years, Connecticuts steady enrollment decline was interrupted by a slight increase in the student population during the 2021-2022 school year, but a recovery to pre-pandemic numbers remains a ways away.

Connecticut public schools experienced a steep enrollment decline at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2006, enrollment loss has fluctuated from a low of 0.5% to a high of 1.2%. During the 2020-2021 period, statewide public school enrollment dropped by 2.8%, losing 14,750 pupils and ending the year with a student population of approximately 513,000 statewide.

White students accounted for 93% of the enrollment drop, despite representing about 50% of the total public school population.

The 2021-2022 school year saw a meager boost in numbers, gaining 536 more students than the previous year.

Data collection for 2022-2023 will determine whether the upward trend will continue.

As the statewide shortage of school bus drivers continues, transportation providers say they are looking to extend route consolidation efforts which can potentially result in longer and more crowded bus rides for some students.

There still is a pretty serious shortage. Its not as bad as it was last year, but every single company in the state still has open bus driver positions that we are looking to fill, said Jean Cronin, the executive director of the Connecticut School Transportation Association.

[Connecticut faces school bus drivers shortage; drivers needed at every location in the state]

Cronin said anyone interested in becoming a bus driver should apply with their local company. Openings remain for drivers and substitutes facilitating school transportation and transit for field trips and sport games.

Im encouraging parents to be patient with their school districts and their school bus companies for those situations where we do not have as many drivers as wed like, Cronin said. If the school bus route is a little bit longer or it takes your child a little longer to get to and from school, we please ask that you just be patient and work with us.

Roadway safety also is a key concern. Cronin said that with the start of the new school year, motorists should budget additional time to get to their morning or afternoon destinations.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation recommends that students and parents use caution when crossing the street or approaching the bus. Students are advised to avoid bus blind spots where they cannot see the driver. The DOT also suggests that students increase their visibility with bright or reflective colors on their clothes or backpack. Additional DOT recommendations can be found at https://bit.ly/3ApLzg4.

Connecticuts teacher shortage continues to impact the educational landscape, hitting low-income and urban districts the hardest.

As of Friday, the Connecticut Regional Education Applicant Placement Program reported nearly 1,500 classroom teacher openings. Other districts advertised hundreds more vacant positions on their individual posting sites.

After a school year marked by reported unprecedented levels of staff burnout, teachers in Connecticut hope that better days are ahead in 2022-2023.

Educators are refreshed and energized for the new challenges ahead, and we must all work together to support our dedicated professionals, so that our children have the highly qualified teachers they deserve today, tomorrow and in the future, said Connecticut Education Association President Kate Dias in a back-to-school statement for the CSDE 2022-23 School Year Kick Off held this month.

But at the same event, Jan Hochadel, the president of the Connecticut branch of the American Federation of Teachers, demanded that public school stakeholders further their support for teachers, paraeducators and staff by addressing the teacher respect issue a problem that U.S. Education Department Secretary Miguel Cardona publicly recognized as a cause in nationwide teacher shortages.

No one wants a successful academic and social-emotional experience for Connecticuts students more than our member teachers, paraeducators and school-related personnel. They know firsthand how important that will be after two and half years of disrupted learning and are ready to rise to the occasion, Hochadel said. As union leaders, we are prepared to support them every step of the way.

Hartford Superintendent of Schools Leslie Torres-Rodriguez said that the district had vacancies in 14% of all positions, despite having hired 190 new teachers since the start of the hiring season.

Torres-Rodriguez also noted the importance of attendance in her back-to-school message to parents. In the 2020-21 school year, 44.4% of Hartford students were chronically absent, a nearly 75% increase from pre-pandemic levels, according to data from the state Department of Education.

Start the year off right and make attendance a priority from day one. Children who miss two days of school per month are five times more likely to fall behind in reading, writing and math, the note to parents said. While some absences may be unavoidable, limiting your childs absences puts them on the path to future academic success.

The federal free meal program that kept students fed during the pandemic expired at the close of the 2021-2022 year, but, thanks to a $30 million state grant, the majority of students in Connecticut will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch for now.

The states new free meal program will last only as long as its funding.

Some food service directors estimate that the money will last their districts through December, but changing demand and popularity of free meals keep the programs end date in flux.

Families with an annual income that meets the federal threshold for free or reduced-price meals are encouraged to fill out an application with their district as soon as possible. Eligibility for the USDA Child Nutrition Program by household size and income can be found at https://bit.ly/3Cy3inZ.

In addition to ensuring that students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals dont pay once district funds run out, applying for USDA Child Nutrition Programs at the start of the school year can extend the life of free meal offerings for all students.

Connecticuts free meal grant supplements free and reduced-price meal reimbursements from the federal government. More students signed up for free and reduced-price lunch means more federal funding, which helps the state grant last longer.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health, state Department of Education and Office of Early Childhood have recommended an optional Test-Mask-Go strategy as a way to minimize school year interruptions.

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Under the recommendations, students and staff with mild respiratory disease symptoms can continue to participate in-person if they test negative for COVID-19, wear a mask, are fever-free and have not lived with anyone who has had COVID-19 in the past two weeks.

Connecticut will distribute approximately 5 million individual COVID-19 test kits to the states school districts. A supply of personal protective equipment also will be available for districts to order, free-of-charge.

In an effort to continue in-person learning, the DPH recommends that students and staff remain up-to-date on their COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccines.

Approximately 45% of children under age 15 in Connecticut have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the most recent DPH data.

We continue to drive home the message that all the tools are in place to combat this virus. Our toolbox includes vaccines, first and second boosters, Test to Treat locations, therapeutics, self-tests and state-supported testing, said DPH Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani in a statement released by the CSDE.

Our key strategies for the school year include starting healthy with vaccination, maximizing in-person learning with symptom awareness and at-home testing, and using available prevention tools, primarily the CDC Community Levels Map.

Alison Cross can be reached at across@courant.com.

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Back to school in COVID-19s 'new normal' in Connecticut. Here's what you need to know. - Hartford Courant