Norwich schools shifting to remote learning during regional COVID-19 spike
Norwich — Norwich Public Schools will shift to fully remote learning through Feb. 1, as COVID-19 positive cases, exposure and the need to quarantine have left city schools short staffed, Superintendent Kristen Stringfellow said.
Norwich Free Academy will remain in remote learning at least through next week.
Norwich and surrounding towns are in a current COVID-19 spike, in part attributed to holiday gatherings. During the two-week period from Dec. 27 through Jan. 9, the 11-town Uncas Health District had 1,380 new cases, including 608 in Norwich and 252 in Montville and 62 new cases in Bozrah. Norwich had a positivity rate of 111 cases per 100,000 population and 12.7% rate of positive test cases.
“With all of the close contact quarantining because of exposure outside of school,” Stringfellow wrote to staff and families, “we have had a very hard time staffing our schools this week, and next week looks even more unstable. Unfortunately, I need to move us to a remote learning model until February 1st for staffing reasons.”
The announcement follows similar decisions in other districts in the region.
Norwich city offices have remained closed to the public except by appointment. City Manager John Salomone said Friday that COVID-19 is “permeating in a lot of departments now.” He said he will decide on Tuesday whether to ask more employees to work from home during the spike.
Both the school system and city officials are planning for staff vaccinations in the state’s Phase 1b for front-line workers. Vaccinations are not yet scheduled for city and school staffs.
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