We want to thank you for your continued support and understanding as we return to Granby’s schools with safety, equity and academic excellence for our students and staff. We opened our schools on Sept. 1, in a transitional entry with 84 percent of the students attending. We utilized a “maroon” or “gold” designation to attend in-person on an every-other-day schedule. This allowed for a reduced number of students in the building each day while routines and relationships were being established. Students and staff did a tremendous job during this transitional period after not being physically in school since March. Currently, 16 percent of our students are attending school remotely with either a designated classroom teacher or classes being live streamed. Simply stated, students and staff are doing an incredible job adjusting to these new ways of learning.
I have visited all of the schools several times since the start of the school year and it is so good to see students and staff back in the buildings, engaged and settling into routines. I have been impressed by their ability to wear masks and comply with new ways of operating within the buildings.
Members of the community may be asking how we determine whether students attend school in person, on a hybrid schedule or fully remote? The answer is not an easy one. We rely heavily on current State data, guidance from the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Farmington Valley Health District in making any decisions. Current state data around rates of COVID-19 transmission is available on the Stronger Together Webpage under “Current CT Data Metrics.”
At this time, when you combine the data with our Learning Models Chart, one can see that rates in the Farmington Valley (1.4), Hartford County (3.9), and state as a whole (3.2), were well within the 0-10/100,000 new cases on a seven-day rolling average for full in-person learning.Less than 10/100,000 correlates with a full in-person return to school. On Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, we welcomed back our PK-5 students and grade 6-12 students on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020.
In the event of a confirmed COVID-19 case within the school community, we will notify members of the school district. More specific information will be shared with those who are close contacts of the case, and less specific for those not considered close contacts of the case.
Thank you to the Granby community for supporting our work during this most difficult time. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns at 860-844-5260 and follow me on Twitter @GranbySuper.