Superintendent of Schools Dr Lorrie Rodrigue told the Board of Education at its September 15 meeting that with the 2020-21 school year underway, “for the most part, things are going fairly well.”

“I honestly think our teachers and administrators have really knocked this out of the park,” said Rodrigue, regarding in-classroom and online learning, “and those are not my words. Those are the words of a parent who caught me at the community center and told me so.”

Parents have also been sending her e-mails or pulling her aside when she has been around town.

“Nothing is perfect, and by no means is that what I am suggesting,” Rodrigue said. “But the ability to plan has really made a big difference. Following our re-entry plan, I think that was significant in keeping students interactive.”

Multiple teaching positions have been filled with new hires since the start of the school year, she continued, “But all in all, we have really done well considering there are so many positions out there across many districts in Connecticut, and I think the principals have done an outstanding job filling the positions that we have had open.”

The district’s free summer lunch program through Whitsons Culinary Group, the district’s food service provider, will be extended for students through December 31, according to Rodrigue.

Regarding in-school lunches, Rodrigue said she heard no complaints when she made her rounds of the schools. Only cold lunches are currently being served to minimize crowding around hot lunches.

COVID-19 Update

Referring to a letter she sent to parents and district staff earlier in the day, Rodrigue said later in the meeting that the district has had a second case of someone testing positive for COVID-19 since the start of the school year.

The affected person “has had no connection to any building at all this year and is not currently in school,” Rodrigue shared in her letter. “However, the individual did have limited contact with a small group outdoors after school, which warranted contact tracing through the office of the Director of Health in partnership with Newtown Public Schools.

“Anyone who is considered a ‘close contact’ with this person would have been contacted or will be contacted by school or local health officials and provided with instructions on the appropriate steps to take,” the letter continued. “We have not received any other reports of students or staff members experiencing illnesses with symptoms resembling those of COVID-19.”

Rodrigue told the board members, “Our health indicators are still positive in the schools.” Using the current hybrid school model, she said, has been helpful toward lowering the risk of infection.

The district is also utilizing technology already in the public schools while waiting for more Chromebooks to arrive.

Rodrigue also said she has been working with Director of Business Tanja Vadas — who was named to the position following the recent retirement of Ron Bienkowski — to track COVID-19-related expenses, like those presented to the Board of Finance the previous night at its meeting.

Those expenses were also discussed at the September 15 school board meeting, with school board members saying after discussion they planned to attend a September 16 Legislative Council meeting and write a letter to the Legislative Council to inquire about what process the school board can follow in order to access surplus funds from the 2019-20 fiscal year that were brought up for a vote at the Board of Finance meeting. Board members and the superintendent expressed being disheartened by the process, and some, like Board of Education Vice Chair Dan Delia, shared disappointment at the outcome. More information about the Board of Finance meeting is available in a related story in this week’s paper.

Also at the September 15 meeting, the Board of Education heard an overview from Sustainable Energy Commission member Allen Adriani and Newtown Public Works Director Fred Hurley of projects that have been completed in the district over the years. The presentation included examples of completed projects and ideas for projects the board can add to its Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) in the future.

The school board also approved the Monthly Financial Report for August. The report highlighted some emergency repairs — like a $17,322 repair project for outdoor chillers at Reed Intermediate School, a $16,876 project to replace a school intercom at Reed, and a $6,750 repair project on a pipe at Head O’ Meadow Elementary School.