Press Release

Good afternoon,

I hope that everyone had a restful weekend.  The weather looks to be taking a turn and we are in store for some beautiful spring days ahead.

Here are some updates for the school community regarding:

• an asynchronous day on April 9,

• travel guidance in advance of the April break,

• efforts to vaccinate the school community, and

• End of year activities.

Asynchronous Day Friday April 9

Our vaccination efforts continue this week with our final staff clinic on Thursday April 8.  It was not possible for the Westport/Weston Health District to accommodate a clinic on Friday April 9, which was a preference given the prevalence of side effects following the second shot.  That said, we have monitored the impact of side effects across the state in various school districts.  In addition, we administered a voluntary survey of those staff members who received their second shot last week.  Out of approximately 250 staff members vaccinated last week, 214 participated in the survey.  The results of the survey are consistent with what we have observed across the state.  92% of participants indicated that they experienced side effects, most of which would have prevented staff members from performing their normal responsibilities the following day.  As a result, Friday April 9 will be completely asynchronous for all students and staff PreK-12.  

Travel Guidance

Although Governor Lamont’s Executive Order regarding travel is no longer in effect, the Department of Public Health (DPH) is recommending that all Connecticut residents follow the CDC Guidelines for Travelers.  Due to the expiration of the Governor’s Executive Order, this is no longer a mandate, only a recommendation.

Students and staff traveling over the April vacation are asked to follow the guidelines below, which are consistent with the expectations that have been previously communicated.

• While traveling, please continue to utilize all appropriate mitigation strategies (including mask wearing, distancing, symptom recognition, hand washing, etc.) regardless of whether they are mandated at your destination.

• Before travel, review the current DPH and CDC recommendations for travel during COVID-19 and be sure to plan sufficient time for any necessary actions.

• Before returning to school after travel, we are asking everyone to:

• Get tested with a viral test after returning to Connecticut and stay out of school until you receive a negative test back from the laboratory.

• Be aware of and closely self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms during and after your trip, especially for the 14 days after returning.

• Immediately quarantine if anyone with you on your trip tests positive after returning to Connecticut.

• Be prepared to immediately quarantine if/when symptoms appear, always and at any time.

International travelers should be aware of the additional COVID-19 Travel Recommendations by Destination prior to departure:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/map-and-travel-notices.html.   Additionally, you may find these Frequently Asked Questions helpful:   https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/faqs.html.

Any student traveling overnight to participate in an athletic tournament must quarantine for a minimum of 7-days upon returning to Connecticut, even with a negative COVID-19 test result.  Additionally, any student not testing must quarantine for a full 10 days upon returning from an overnight out-of-state tournament.  These expectations come directly from the DPH document, “Updated Guidance for the Operation of Interscholastic, Youth and other Amateur Sport Activities during the COVID-19 Pandemic” (https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DPH/Communications/Covid19/DPH-Youth-and-Amateur-Sports-COVID19_UPDATED_Jan_2021_Final_v23.pdf)    

Efforts to Vaccinate the School Community

As we conclude our second, and final, round of vaccinations for our faculty and staff this week, we turn our efforts to supporting parents in vaccinating our 16+ student population.  At this point in the year nearly two-thirds of our high school population is 16+.  Currently, only the Pfizer vaccine has received emergency approval for administration to children ages 16+. This is not the vaccine that has been distributed to our local health district.  However, there are options in our region to advance this effort.

According to Amy Taylor, Vice President, Western Region Community Health Center, there might be clinics in the region that will be dedicated to local students.  This information is evolving and we expect to possibly have more specificity just prior to the April break.  Stay tuned!!

End of the Year Activities

School districts across the state are awaiting guidance from the DPH regarding end of the year activities, including graduation, proms, etc.  It is likely that we will continue to be encouraged to favor outdoor activities with universal mask wearing and social distancing.  Once the DPH document is released, the district will move from “save the date” to planning specifics of our end of year activities, knowing that any event can change in a moment’s notice until the pandemic is behind us.  More to come on this topic.

Please continue to report any cases over the break to our hotline as we intend to stay on top of our reporting procedures and data as we have with prior vacation periods.

Thank you for all of the support and patience this year,

Thomas Scarice

Superintendent of Schools