In the issuance of new guidelines and in a press conference on Tuesday, Gov. Ned Lamont sent the message that he and his administration are committed to keeping schools open for in-class learning. It is the right approach.

Yet the reality is that the disruptions caused by the ongoing pandemic, recently aggravated by the extremely contagious omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, will continue. Schools are seeing high absentee rates. More classes are being led by substitute teachers. It all detracts from the education students are receiving.

Despite best intentions, several state school systems, including Stonington, did not open Monday when the holiday break was supposed to end. School officials said the latest viral surge had too eroded the availability of staff, teachers and bus drivers to allow them to reopen. The goal should be to get those schools back in operation as soon as possible.

The early pandemic experience showed that remote learning was ineffective, with students lower on the socio-economic ladder particularly falling behind, widening an existing educational gap. The Lamont administration has made the right move in essentially taking the remote-learning option off the table and focusing on how schools can most safely and effectively operate. A local school board could opt for remote learning, but it would not count toward the 180-days-of-schooling requirement.

With a lot of catch-up work needed, schools seemed to be on the road to something close to normality during the opening semester of the school year. Then omicron arrived. It breaks through vaccine protection, but the evidence continues to show the fully vaccinated, and particularly the boosted, are far less likely to get severely ill.

Last week the Lamont administration released new suggested protocols for schools to better navigate the changing situation. They reflect changing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. The recommendations make sense. So too does the administration's willingness to keep adjusting.

In-school contract tracing is deemphasized under the new recommendations. With more students vaccinated and with the effectiveness of mask-wearing demonstrated, it makes no sense to devote a lot of resources to track down every student who may have had an encounter with an infected student and make them all stay home, too.

According to the criteria, individuals who test positive for COVID-19 should isolate at home for at least five days, longer if symptoms develop and persist. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals who are notified that they have had a close contact with an individual who has confirmed or suspected COVID-19 should also test and quarantine at home for five days.

But fully vaccinated students and staff without symptoms should "continue with in-person learning," the state guidance states, and get COVID tested about five days after the exposure.

Making enough testing available has become a major challenge, as evidenced by long lines of cars driven by those seeking test kits, many leaving frustrated when those kits run short of the demand. The success or failure of the administration's recommended approach to keeping schools open will rest in large part on its ability to assure staff and students have the access to testing necessary.

If the experience elsewhere prevails in the U.S. — a significant "if" — the omicron outbreak will peak in the next few weeks. Meanwhile schools, and society generally, must push through it as best and carefully as they can.

Misinformation and fear only make matters worse. That is why we applaud efforts such as that of state Sen. Heather Somers, R-18th District, who will host a virtual forum on Thursday at 7 p.m. that will allow the public to directly ask medical experts questions about the virus and the omicron variant. Find information about the event at https://bit.ly/3FZhAwU

While the pandemic inflicted a large death rate on the elderly, it has taken a different toll on the young. Many children have fallen far behind in school and will have difficulty ever catching up. Children and teens are experiencing unprecedented levels of mental health problems and suicide attempts have risen sharply. Some children have acted out violently.

The education, emotional support, socialization, mental health services — and some sense of normalcy — that schools provide are the best antidotes available for what ails our children. The challenge of keeping schools operating is daunting, but every effort must be made to meet it.

If only moving past this interminable crisis was as easy as turning our calendars to a new year.

The Day editorial board meets with political, business and community leaders to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Timothy Dwyer, Executive Editor Izaskun E. Larraneta, Owen Poole, copy editor, and Lisa McGinley, retired deputy managing editor. The board operates independently from The Day newsroom.