CT Coronavirus School Closures

CONNECTICUT — Coronavirus cases have caused some issues across Connecticut schools as the school year gets underway.

Some school districts have opted to close a school to in-person learning after a single case. Others have had multiple cases and have kept schools opened.

New Haven Public Schools will be fully remote for at least the first 10 weeks of school. Danbury Public Schools planned to start the school year with hybrid learning, but a spike in cases in the city forced the school district to temporarily go remote.

Generally, schools don't need to close after one case, especially at the K-8 level where cohorting keeps groups of students isolated throughout the day, Gov. Ned Lamont said. There have been some instances at smaller schools where a person who tested positive for the virus interacted with people across grade levels, which could then necessitate a closure.

There have been around 48 positive coronavirus cases among students and 27 among staff in K-12 public schools as of Sept. 17, according to state COO Josh Geballe. Those figures include students and staff who haven't set foot inside a building. The entire public school community numbers around 600,000 between students, teachers and other staff members.

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Below is a list of some coronavirus-related school news in Connecticut:

Week of Sept. 21

Somers

Somers Elementary School will be shut down for two weeks after there were three recorded positive coronavirus cases over a nine-day period.

Weston

Schools in Weston shifted to remote learning Sept. 21 after a student tested positive for the coronavirus. More information is expected later Monday as health officials conduct contact tracing.

Colchester

Colchester Elementary School will be on remote learning for two weeks due to a staff shortage. Three staff members at the school tested positive for the virus, according to Fox 61.

Fairfield

A student at Fairfield Ludlowe High School tested positive for the virus. Students and staff don't need to quarantine and the school will remain open.

Prior to Sept. 21

Bristol

Bristol Eastern High School was closed through Sept. 18, according to WTNH.

Waterbury

Kennedy High School was closed Sept. 17 and 18 due to two students testing positive for the virus, according to NBC Connecticut.

Trumbull

Hillcrest Middle School will be closed through September after around 70 people had to be quarantined for possible coronavirus exposure.

Bridgeport

Jettie S. Tisdale School was closed Sept. 14 after a staff member tested positive, according to NBC Connecticut.

East Hartford High School

The high school was closed Sept. 14 and 15 after a student tested positive, according to the Hartford Courant.

Hartford

There were positive cases at two schools. Both remain open for in-person learning, according to WTNH.

Killingly

Killingly High School is doing remote learning Sept. 14 after a student tested positive, according to the Norwich Bulletin.

Manchester

Manchester Middle Academy closed Sept. 18 for a deep cleaning. A student reported being in close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.

Naugatuck

Naugatuck High School dismissed students early Sept. 9 after a student tested positive. In-person classes resumed the following Monday.

New Milford

Schools were closed for two days after a school community member tested positive. The individual was asymptomatic.

Shelton

Two community members at Elizabeth Shelton School tested positive last week, but the school will remain open.

Southington

A member of the school community at John F. Kennedy Middle School tested positive for the virus. Quarantine measures and contact tracing were performed.

Stamford

Stillmeadow Elementary School was closed for a day due to a positive case.

Stratford

Second Hill Lane Elementary had remote classes due to a positive case and a probable case at the school among staff members.

Wallingford

Dag Hammarskjold Middle School in Wallingford was closed until at least through Sept. 16 after a person associated with the school tested positive.

Westbrook

Westbrook High School was closed for a couple of days after a person at the school tested positive. The school will be deep cleaned and contact tracing will be performed.

West Haven High School

The school was closed for two days after a student tested positive for the virus.

Westport

Coleytown Elementary School and Stepping Stones Preschool closed for a day.

Wilton

A student at Wilton High School tested positive for the virus and is recovering at home. Contact tracers reached out to people who had close contact with the student; they were told to self-quarantine for 14 days. School administrators contacted classmates who didn't have close contact.

Windsor Locks

A high school community member tested positive for the virus and was last in school on the first day of classes Sept. 8. As of Sept. 15 there were no additional reports of community members with COVID-19 symptoms. Anyone within close contact of the person for more than 15 minutes has been contacted or will be contacted by contact tracers.