COVID-19, Education James Bairaktaris COVID-19, Education James Bairaktaris

Superintendent: 3 New COVID-19 Cases in 3 Schools 

Last Evening’s Press Release

Dear Westport Families and Staff,

In our efforts to remain transparent with reports of positive Covid-19 cases associated with our schools, we will continue to provide these updates as information is confirmed. As of the time I am writing to you this evening we have 3 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19. The reports came from the following schools:

  • Saugatuck Elementary School - 1

  • Bedford Middle School - 1

  • Staples High School - 1

Those impacted have been notified by school and District officials. As a reminder, families are asked to report positive of COVID-19 cases of students using our reporting voicemail or email regardless of whether the students are in remote or hybrid models of instruction. Please follow this link for more information on reporting.

Additionally, we want to remind families that students with pending Covid-19 tests should not return to school until receiving negative results. This approach is critical in helping us continue minimizing the potential for transmission in our schools.

Respectfully,

Thomas Scarice

Superintendent of Schools

Read More
Good News Only, COVID-19 James Bairaktaris Good News Only, COVID-19 James Bairaktaris

Full COVID-19 Vaccine Schedule Published; Teenagers Able to Register by May

Published Schedule for Vaccine Registrations by Age:

  • March 1: Ages 55 to 64, school staff and teachers, professional childcare providers

  • March 22: Ages 45 to 54

  • April 12: Ages 35 to 44

  • May 3: Ages 16 to 34

Press Release, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont

Governor Lamont Announces Connecticut Will Continue Age-Based Approach To COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility; Educators and Childcare Providers To Have Dedicated Clinics in March

In an effort to ensure that Connecticut continues taking the most equitable and efficient approach to quickly administering the COVID-19 vaccine to as many people as possible, Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the state will continue with an age-based approach to expanding eligibility to the vaccine, explaining that other previously considered scenarios proved overly complex and confusing, would potentially exacerbate inequities in vaccine distribution, and slow down the process of providing it to Connecticut residents.

Age is one of the strongest factors contributing to COVID-19 deaths, with 96 percent of COVID-19 deaths in Connecticut occurring in people over the age of 55.

To provide clarity and predictability, the governor today announced a schedule for age-based eligibility for the next several months. By laying out a clear timeline for eligibility for the vaccine, the strategy allows everyone in the state, including essential workers and those with chronic conditions, to know when they will be able to schedule an appointment. The planned schedule is as follows:

  • March 1, 2021: Expands to age group 55 to 64

  • March 22, 2021: Expands to age group 45 to 54

  • April 12, 2021: Expands to age group 35 to 44

  • May 3, 2021: Expands to age group 16 to 34

To further ensure equitable allocation of the vaccine, Governor Lamont also announced that he is directing the Connecticut Department of Public Health to set numerical targets and work with vaccine providers to ensure that vaccines are administered to people living in the highest-risk communities in proportion to their population. These targets and the associated strategies will be announced in the coming days.

In addition to the age-based eligibility, preK-12 school staff and teachers, and professional childcare providers will be eligible to receive the vaccine in March at dedicated clinics that will be set up specifically for those sectors. Educators and childcare professionals will soon receive information from their school administrators and employers on when their dedicated clinics will be provided.

Connecticut has been using a phased approach to its COVID-19 vaccine program because of the very limited supply of the vaccine that it has been receiving from the federal government. The program initially began in December with healthcare providers and medical first responders, and then expanded in January to include all individuals over the age of 75 and certain congregate settings, followed by those over the age of 65 in mid-February. All previously eligible individuals and settings will continue to be eligible after March 1.

“In a perfect world, we would have enough doses of the vaccine to get it to all 3.6 million people in Connecticut right now, however each state is being given a very limited supply, which is why we must take this phased approach,” Governor Lamont said. “Connecticut’s healthcare providers have been doing an amazing job getting the vaccine to people as quickly as they can, and using age as the only qualifying factor is one of the reasons why they’ve had success so far. The last thing we want to do is complicate the process for them and cause delays that slow things down and exacerbate issues regarding equitable access. A vaccination program of this magnitude is unprecedented in recent times, and I appreciate everyone’s understanding of the fluid nature of this situation. My goal is to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible, and I believe this is the best path to meeting that challenge.”

“We have been in the COVID-19 marathon for approaching a year and now our race becomes a sprint to beat the variants of COVID-19 that are now circulating in the state and elsewhere and to return to a sense of normalcy for ourselves, our families and our communities,” Connecticut Acting Public Health Commissioner Dr. Deidre Gifford, who also serves as co-chair of the Governor’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group, said. “The Department of Public Health is committed to an equitable vaccination program. Sticking with an age-based vaccine rollout allows our vaccine providers to get as many shots as possible as quickly and equitably as possible into the arms of Connecticut residents, and vaccinating our education and childcare workforce will get our children back in the classroom this school year.”

“Ensuring communities of color have access to vaccines is one of the most important and impactful ways we will get this pandemic behind us,” Dr. Reginald Eadie, president & CEO of Trinity Health New England and co-chair of the Governor’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group, said. “Using age as an eligibility criterion makes it clear to all of our residents, especially those who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, that the vaccine is here, it’s available, and provides for an easier registration process to actually receive the vaccine. Education is important when it comes to addressing vaccine hesitancy, but we must also have a simple process to make sure those who need the vaccine receive the vaccine. This new timeline not only informs residents of when they can anticipate they will be eligible to be vaccinated, but it also provides vaccinators direction on when and where to target their own outreach and education efforts.”

“Equitable access to vaccine for our communities that have been hardest hit by COVID-19 has always been the priority of the allocation subcommittee,” Nichelle Mullins, president and CEO of Charter Oak Health Center, and Zita Lazzarini, associate professor of public health sciences at UConn Health, both of whom serve as the co-chairs of the allocation subcommittee of the Governor’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group, said in a joint statement. “We agree with the governor’s approach and, while not ideal, we understand that a continuation of the age-based system simplifies the requirements for vaccination. We also applaud the state’s commitment to set tangible benchmarks for providers to vaccinate residents living in Connecticut’s cities and municipalities with large underserved and high-risk populations. These benchmarks are intended as affirmative steps to increase equity in access to vaccines and to remediate inequities that have accrued so far.”

Connecticut Business and Industry Association president and CEO Chris DiPentima said that while essential employers had spent time and resources preparing for the vaccine rollout based on the initial guidance, he understood the need to pivot. “We cannot rebuild our economy and recover from the pandemic without first addressing the public health crisis,” he said. “This new approach allows for more workers across Connecticut to get vaccinated in a short period of time, and it eliminates potentially complicated rules, making it easier and more equitable for everyone to receive their vaccination. It is critical that we vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as possible.”

All eligible individuals in Connecticut are required to make an appointment in advance of receiving the vaccine. Residents aged 55 to 64 should not attempt to make an appointment now – they will not be able to schedule one until the program expands to their age group on March 1.

To locate vaccination clinics, individuals should visit ct.gov/covidvaccine and enter their zip code. From there, users will be shown the nearest available clinics and provided with specific directions on how to make an appointment at each one, including over the internet and over the telephone.

Those who do not have access to the internet can call Connecticut’s Vaccine Appointment Assist Line at 877-918-2224. The line is open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Read More
COVID-19, Education James Bairaktaris COVID-19, Education James Bairaktaris

Superintendent: Vaccines for School Staff Begin March 1st; 4 New COVID-19 Cases in 4 Schools 

Press Release

Good morning Westport Families and Staff,

Just before the holidays I spoke of the breakthroughs that were just over the horizon, reasons to be optimistic as we endure this season and the pandemic.  Today, I could not be more enthusiastic to share that Governor Lamont will make an announcement that will continue to support our work as we aim to provide as much in-person schooling for our students as possible.

At his 4:00 p.m. press conference today, Governor Lamont will announce that effective March 1st, 2021, COVID-19 vaccination appointments will be opening up for school staff, which includes any staff that work in school buildings and /or interact with students.  The month of March will be focused on the task of vaccinating these school personnel and childcare providers throughout Connecticut.

A great deal of work has been done by a number of people in our school community to advocate for the vaccination of school personnel.  We are most appreciative of these voices as they have finally been heard. Today, we are on the doorstep as we endeavor to have all school personnel vaccinated in the month of March.  

While the news of vaccinating school personnel is wonderful, we will continue with our efforts of keeping the community updated with new cases of COVID-19. The community and regional rates have dropped dramatically over the past month, coinciding perfectly with our efforts to provide full in-person schooling K-8 and increased access at Staples High School beginning on March 1.  

That said, since my last communication on Thursday, February 18, 2021, the District received 4 new positive reports of COVID-19 associated with our schools.The reports came from the following schools:

  • Long Lots Elementary School - 1

  • Saugatuck Elementary School - 1

  • Bedford Middle School - 1

  • Staples High School - 1

As a reminder, families are asked to report positive of COVID-19 cases of students using our reporting voicemail or email regardless of whether the students are in remote or hybrid models of instruction. Please follow this link for more information on reporting.

Additionally, we want to remind families that students with pending Covid-19 tests should not return to school until receiving negative results. This approach is critical in helping us continue minimizing the potential for transmission in our schools.

 

Respectfully,

Thomas Scarice

Superintendent of Schools

Read More
COVID-19 James Bairaktaris COVID-19 James Bairaktaris

Sunday COVID-19 Summary: Westport Still Trending Down with Similar Amounts of Tests

This summary includes the total cases, deaths, vaccines, and current hospitalizations in our town, county, and state.

The State does not publish any data on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday - so this summary does not include any information collected on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

Data from the past three days will be published cumulatively in tomorrow evening’s daily update.

All data comes from Connecticut Open Data portal. Numbers as of 02/19/21:

Westport:

  • 1,358 1,331 positive or probable cases (total) +27 from last week

  • 21 deaths (total) +1 from last week

  • 45,811 tests (total) +1,688 from last week

Fairfield County:

  • 78,181 positive or probable cases (total) +1,670 from last week

  • 2,027 Deaths (total) +41 from last week

  • 154 currently hospitalized; -40 from last week (as of 02/19/21)

Connecticut:

  • 273,101 positive or probable cases +5,764 from last week(total)

  • 7,523 deaths + 142 from last week (total)

  • 535 currently hospitalized - 139 from last week (as of 02/19/21)

State Daily Test Positivity:

  • 2.58% of COVID-19 tests administered came back positive (on 02/19/21)

  • UP from 2.22% on 02/12/21

Westport Vaccines:

Data Current as of: 02/16/2021

All Ages
Total Population: 28,491
Total First Doses: 3,607 +849 from last week
Total First Dose Coverage: 12.66% +2.96% from last week

The next update will be published tomorrow evening, and will include all data identified on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of this weekend.

Read More
COVID-19, Education James Bairaktaris COVID-19, Education James Bairaktaris

Superintendent: Protect our Schools and Obey Law if Returning from Vacation 

Staples High School was a low priority for snow clearing crews today as the District remains on Winter Recess until this upcoming Monday.

Quarantine Guidelines for Westport Students & Families

  • New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island are exempt from this advisory, and do not require quarantine or COVID-19 testing.

  • Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and all other states or countries are not exempt. If you visited any non-exempt state for more than 24 hours within the past 10 days:

    • All students and families must fill out the State Travel Health Form regardless of COVID-19 testing.

    • All students and families must quarantine when they return home to Connecticut, and must remain in quarantine for ten days since last contact with the affected State.

    • Quarantine may be left if a rapid or PCR COVID-19 test was administered, and returned negative. The test can be administered up to 72 hours before returning to the Connecticut, or anytime thereafter. Results must be submitted to the Commissioner of Public Health .

  • Failure to quarantine, receive COVID-19 testing, and/or submit accurate State Travel Forms will result in a $500 civil penalty per violation (per family member, and/or per time leaving quarantine)

  • All positive COVID-19 cases for Westport Public Schools students or staff (virtual or in-person learnings) must be reported to the District by email or phone.

  • Anonymous reporting of people not adhering to the Connecticut Travel Advisory can be submitted online here. 

Press Release:

Dear Westport Families and Staff,

As we head into the final weekend of the winter break I want to remind everyone of Governor Lamont's Executive order 9S, an order regarding travel. Students and staff returning from travel to anywhere other than New Jersey, New York or Rhode Island, where they have stayed longer than 24 hours, are required by law to follow  this executive order. Please see the link below for specific information including a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. (For your convenience the FAQ’s are also included in this email.)

We want to remind families to continue reporting positive COVID-19 cases of students using our reporting voicemail or email regardless of whether the students are in remote or hybrid models of instruction. Please follow this link for more information on reporting.

As noted last week, the travel guidance linked and outlined below is important information as the winter break draws to a close, but it remains critical for families and staff to remember that smaller social gatherings with family and friends have an equal, if not greater potential, for transmission of COVID-19 if mask wearing and other critical mitigation measures aren’t followed.

Thank you again for your help in following this guidance. Enjoy the weekend, and we look forward to seeing everyone next week!

Respectfully,

 

Thomas Scarice

Superintendent of Schools

Read More