New Fairfield Board of Education’s February 15 virtual meeting had over 200 participants, many of whom were eager to hear the vote on masks in the district’s schools. Following suit with neighboring districts, NFPS students will be allowed to opt to wear masks beginning on Monday, February 28.
The town’s Health Director Mr. Tim Simpkins provided guidance on the issue of masks in the schools, saying “I’ve been a proponent of masks all along. I think they’ve been an effective mitigation measure against COVID” and he reiterated that the Center for Disease Control still recommends masks for school-aged children. However, “we’re going to have to transition from a pandemic phase to an endemic phase,” he said, “honestly, I think we’re at this point now, so I would support the board making masks optional.” He pointed to steeply declining case rates combined with a largely vaccinated population for further rationale on his recommendation. He did issue the caveat that if things changed drastically, the topic can be revisited.
Board Chair Mr. Dominic Cipollone reflected that the town boards have “never had a time such as now where emotions are running so high in regards to public health.” He mentioned the stack of emails and letters that the school board has received on the issue of masks, both polite and some that he said could have used “edits for rudeness.” He did commend the public for speaking up in numbers regarding their thoughts on the issue.
Board members voted unanimously for making masks optional, but stressed that there should be a plan for how to handle masking after returning from quarantine, for how to gauge spread after the elimination of contact tracing, and other scenarios and they are anxious for state guidance. They also encouraged acceptance of choice, regardless of whether you are or are not wearing masks.
In addressing the issue of tough standardized testing results, Assistant Superintendent Ms. Julie Luby emphasized that the priority this year is to “stay focused on all of the things that matter…writing and math, as well as social emotional well being.” She walked the board through national trends,which include the news that students are still being impacted by the closures of 2020 and, in general, are continuing to learn more slowly than they did pre-pandemic. Sadly, kids who were below level and struggled pre-pandemic are moving significantly slower and so the gap is getting wider.
Luby highlighted local areas of strength, such as evidence that students at Consolidated and Meeting House Hill School are progressing, though at a slower rate. At the secondary level, the Middle School continues to focus on improving math performance, while at the high school it was noted that PSAT scores were much lower, with Luby pointing out that the average English score is “significantly lower than where it’s been.” She went on to say that the math is lower, but not as big of a drop as English. However, the high school level math grades have been a struggle for many years, well before the pandemic. Overall, she explained that there are effective interventions in place to address individual student needs.
Community members spoke in public comment for nearly an hour, many expressing their thoughts on the issue of masking. Several parents referenced an ongoing issue with students needing to cross Gillotti Road in walking home after New Fairfield Middle School is released and explained that the situation has become increasingly dangerous when exiting from the new driveway. They asked for support from the district in providing a monitored crosswalk.
The next regular New Fairfield Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 3, 7:00 p.m.
By Sarah Opdahl