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School responses in Connecticut to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

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Responses by state

As students returned to school for the 2021-2022 school year, states set a variety of policies on education and the COVID-19 pandemic, including how schools should open to in-person instruction and whether students and staff would be required to wear masks. By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, about 66% of students nationwide were in states that left closure decisions to schools or districts, 33% were in states with state-ordered in-person instruction, and 1% were in states with state-ordered regional school closures.[1][2] All 50 states closed schools to in-person instruction at some point during the 2019-2020 school year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

This article summarizes responses to the coronavirus in Connecticut schools in the academic years ending in 2020, 2021, and 2022. You will find:


Ballotpedia’s coverage of COVID-19 includes how federal, state, and local governments are responding, and how those responses are influencing election rules and operations, political campaigns, the economy, schools, and more.

This page is updated monthly, but our email is always open. We encourage you to share updates from local officials, policymakers, and campaigns in your community at editor@ballotpedia.org.


Timeline by school year

Below is a list of major events involving schools in Connnecticut during the coronavirus pandemic between 2019 and 2022, including school closings and openings, mask requirements, and the release of statewide operating guidance. Know of something we missed? Click here to email us and let us know.

2021-2022 school year

  • Feb. 28, 2022: Connecticut's school mask requirement ended. Gov. Ned Lamont (D) made the announcement on Feb. 7.[3]
  • Feb. 7, 2022: Gov. Ned Lamont (D) announced he intended to end the statewide school mask requirement on Feb. 28.[3]
  • Sept. 9, 2021: At the beginning of the school year, Burbio, a school data aggregator, reported one in-person schooling disruption in Connecticut.[4][5]
  • Aug. 19, 2021: Gov. Ned Lamont (D) issued an executive order requiring all state employees, staff in childcare facilities, and staff in pre-K through 12 schools to have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine by Sept. 27 or receive regular coronavirus testing.[6]


2020-2021 school year

  • June 29, 2021: At the end of the school year, Burbio reported most schools were in-person in Connecticut .[7][8]
  • Sept. 10, 2020: At the beginning of the school year, Burbio reported about half of schools were in-person in Connecticut .[9][10]
  • August 31, 2020: Connecticut schools were allowed to reopen for in-person instruction. Schools in the state were initially closed on March 16.[11]
  • July 30, 2020: Gov. Ned Lamont (D) said school districts would be able to choose between a fully in-person and hybrid plan without requiring state approval. Districts that wanted to use a fully remote model needed to apply for an exemption from the state Department of Education.[12]
  • June 25, 2020: Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona said that his department was proposing all schools reopen to students in the fall. Cardona said that students and staff would be required to wear masks while inside school buildings.[13]
  • June 11, 2020: Lamont said that he expected schools in the state to reopen for classes in the fall.[14]


2019-2020 school year

  • May 5, 2020: Lamont announced that schools would remain closed to in-person instruction for the rest of the academic year. Prior to the announcement, schools were closed through May 20.[15]
  • April 9, 2020: Lamont announced that the statewide school closure, scheduled to end April 20, was extended through May 20.[16]
  • March 23, 2020: Lamont announced that the statewide school closure, scheduled to end March 31, was extended through April 20.[17]
  • March 15, 2020: Lamont issued an executive order closing all schools in the state from March 16 to March 31.[18]

Mask and vaccine requirements in the 2021-2022 school year

Mask requirements in schools

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

As of August 1, 2022, no states had school mask requirements in effect. Forty-two states left mask requirements in schools up to local authorities. Seven states banned school mask requirements.

The table below shows statewide school mask requirement laws and orders in states with school mask requirements or school mask requirement bans in place at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.

Mask requirement orders
State Ban or requirement? Type of order Date lifted or altered
Arizona Ban Legislative action N/A
Arkansas Ban Legislative action Sept. 30, 2021 - Suspended by court action
California Requirement California Department of Public Health order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Connecticut Requirement Executive order Feb. 28, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Delaware Requirement Executive order March 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Florida Ban Executive order N/A[19]
Georgia Ban Legislative action N/A
Hawaii Requirement Executive order Aug. 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Illinois Requirement Illinois Department of Public Health order Feb. 4, 2022 - Suspended by court action[20]
Iowa Ban Legislative action May 16, 2022 - Reinstated by court action[21]
Kentucky Requirement Kentucky Board of Education order Sept. 9, 2021 - Suspended by state law
Louisiana Requirement Executive order Feb. 16, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[22]
Maryland Requirement Maryland State Board of Education order March 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[23]
Massachusetts Requirement Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education order Feb. 28, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[24]
Nevada Requirement Executive order Feb. 10, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New Jersey Requirement Executive order March 7, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New Mexico Requirement New Mexico Public Education Department order Feb. 17, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New York Requirement Executive order March 3, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Oklahoma Ban Executive order N/A
Oregon Requirement Oregon Health Authority and Department of Education order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Pennsylvania Requirement Pennsylvania Department of Health order Dec. 10, 2021 - Suspended by court action
Rhode Island Requirement Executive order March 4, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
South Carolina Ban Legislative action Sept. 28, 2021 - Temporarily suspended by court action
Tennessee Ban Executive order Dec. 10, 2021 - Suspended by court action
Texas Ban Executive order N/A[25]
Utah Ban Legislative action N/A
Virginia Ban Legislative action N/A
Washington Requirement Washington State Department of Public Health order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action

School mask requirements over time

School mask bans over time


Teacher and school employee vaccine requirements

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

Seven states had issued a statewide requirement for K-12 teachers and staff to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or receive regular coronavirus testing during the 2021-2022 school year. The table below shows teacher and staff vaccine requirement laws and orders in states that issued such policies during the 2021-2022 school year.

Vaccine requirement orders
State Testing instead of vaccination allowed? Type of order Date effective
California Yes California Department of Public Health order Oct. 15, 2021
Connecticut No Executive order Sept. 27, 2021
Delaware Yes Executive order Nov. 1, 2021
Illinois Yes Executive order Issued: Sept. 19, 2021
Suspended by court action on Feb. 4, 2022
New Jersey Yes Executive order Oct. 18, 2021
New York Yes Executive order Sept. 19, 2021
Oregon No Executive order Oct. 18, 2021
Washington No Executive order Oct. 18, 2021


Student vaccine requirements

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

On Oct. 1, 2021, California was the first state to announce a vaccine requirement for eligible students. Louisiana also announced a vaccine requirement for eligible students on Dec. 14, but then announced the state would be removing the coronavirus vaccine from the list of required immunizations in schools on May 18, 2022.

School reopenings and closures (2020-2021 academic year)

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2020-2021 academic year

Initial school year operating plan

See also: Documenting America's Path to Recovery: August 4, 2020

Connecticut released an initial operating plan for the 2020-2021 school year on June 25, 2020. An analysis of this plan appeared in our Documenting America's Path to Recovery newsletter on August 4. The sections below include an analysis of the plan, the details of the plan, and reactions from officials to the plan.

On June 25, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) and Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona announced “Adapt, Advance, Achieve: Connecticut’s Plan to Learn and Grow Together,” a reopening framework centered around six guiding principles and a series of operational considerations. The plan includes a mixture of requirements and optional guidance based on best practices. The plan was last updated on Aug. 3.

Lamont said, “While we’ve made good strides to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in Connecticut, the virus hasn’t gone away and we need to do what we can to keep students and staff safe while also doing our best to provide our young people with access to an education that prepares them for the future. Working with public health and medical experts, and with the support of our educators, we are preparing a number of steps that protect the health and safety of everyone who makes contact with our school system.”

According to EdWeek, Connecticut schools typically start the last week in August. The Connecticut State Department of Education asks districts to plan for all students to return to classrooms this fall so long as public health continued to support the state’s school reopening model.

On March 15, Lamont first ordered schools closed to in-person instruction from March 16 to March 31. He extended the closures on March 23 and April 9, before closing schools to in-person instruction for the remainder of the academic year on May 5.

Context

Connecticut is a Democratic trifecta. The governor is a Democrat, and Democrats have majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. The state became a Democratic trifecta in 2011.

The following tables show public education statistics in Connecticut, including a rank comparing it to the other 49 states. Rank one is the highest number of each figure, rank 50 is the lowest. All data comes from the Common Core of Data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics.

Connecticut school metrics
Category Figure Rank
Per pupil spending (16-17) $21,628 2
Number of students (18-19) 514,698 30
Number of teachers (Fall 2016) 42,343 26
Number of public schools (18-19) 1,023 35
Student:teacher ratio (18-19) 12.3 45
Percent qualifying for free/reduced lunch (16-17) 35.7% 48


Connecticut school revenue
Category Figure Rank
Total revenue $11,376,740,000 18
Federal revenue percent 4.2% 49
State revenue percent 41% 37
Local revenue percent 54.8% 8

Details

District reopening plans

All Local Education Agencies (LEAs), including charter schools, were required to submit reopening plans to the Connecticut State Department of Education by July 24. The State Department of Education said while it would not approve the plans, it would hold on to the plans in case schools required technical assistance.

The guidance states:

“

While the guiding principles of this document will require all LEAs to approach this with a certain level of consistency, LEAs retain discretion in implementing the approach to full time reopening. School boards are encouraged to develop local teams and secure input from all members of the community regarding the complex approach to resuming classes in the fall. The CSDE will stand ready to provide technical support and anticipates that this document will be followed by ongoing support documents, resources, and a variety of templates to assist local planning.[26]

”

In-person, hybrid, and online learning

The plan says schools should plan to return students to classrooms in the fall, so long as the public health data supports doing so.

“

LEAs should plan to have all students, in all districts, return to schoolhouses for fulltime instruction at the beginning of 2020–2021, so long as public health data continues to support this model. This model will be supported with more intensive mitigation strategies and specific monitoring, containment and class cancellation plans. In addition to full-time instruction plans as indicated above, LEAs must be prepared to modify their plans to support a partial reopening or to allow for scaling back at a future date if the public health data changes.[26]

”

The plan also says schools should: “Plan for educational opportunities to be primarily in-person, but allow for students and parents to choose not to participate based upon individual considerations.”

The plan includes a tiered system for helping schools determine which education model to adopt. The “Low”, “Moderate,” and “High” tiers correspond to the spread of COVID-19 in an area.

In the “Low” category, schools can operate “up to 100% capacity, students/staff with underlying medical conditions should consider restrictions and blended/remote learning." Buses can operate “up to full capacity with bus monitors recommended, facial coverings in place during transit, controlled loading/unloading of riders.”

In the “Medium” category, schools can operate “at reduced capacity, with more reliance on hybrid model, blended/remote learning, prioritize access to school building for students who need the more learning support, including but not limited to those receiving special education, ELs or limited access due to devices or connectivity issues.” Buses can operate at “reduced capacity with bus monitors strongly recommended, facial coverings in place during transit, controlled loading/unloading of riders, spaced seating between unrelated riders.” The plan also calls for indoor extracurricular activities to be suspended.

In the “High” category, schools are “closed, 100% remote learning, bus transportation suspended, extracurricular activities, including sports, should be suspended.”

The plan requires schools to do the following:

“
  • Develop a plan for school class cancellations and reopening to be implemented in the event that the superintendent, their designee, or state government suspends or cancels in-school classes for some or all participants.
  • Assume that any decision about school closure, reopening, or cancellation of school events will be made in coordination/collaboration with local health officials, and with the advice of the school medical advisor (if any) and school nurse supervisor.
  • Prioritize ongoing educational opportunities when drafting the plan for shutdown. Materials for continuity of learning must be made available to allow for school sessions to continue remotely

[26]

”

Mask requirements

The plan requires staff and students to wear face coverings when inside school buildings and provides suggestions for communicating those policies.

The plan requires the following:

“
  • Adopt policies requiring use of face coverings for all students and staff when they are inside the school building, with certain exceptions listed below.
    • For anyone who has trouble breathing, or anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance, face coverings and masks should not be required, per CDC guidance.
  • Be prepared to provide a mask to any student or staff member who does not have one.[26]
 ”

Other suggestions include:

“
  • Teach and reinforce use of cloth face coverings.
  • Set clear guidelines regarding limited exceptions to use of face coverings when other mitigating practices are in place, such as:
    • For students, while eating, drinking, during PE, or when students are outside, and effectively practicing social distancing and any other possible mitigants. Exceptions may also be necessary for certain special education students or other special populations
    • For teachers and staff, while teaching so long as they are properly socially distancing or remaining static behind a physical barrier as described herein, while eating, drinking, or when outside and effectively practicing social distancing and any other possible mitigants.[26]
 ”

In-person health recommendations and requirements

The plan requires the following for classroom layout:

“
  • Maximize social distancing between student workstations, achieving 6 feet when feasible, when determining the classroom layout. Desks should face in the same direction (rather than facing each other), or students should sit on only one side of tables, spaced apart.
  • Where necessary, assess other space that may be repurposed for instruction in the school, in municipal or other community space, or if the school will require additional modular space.
  • Maximize space between the teacher and students due to the risk of increased droplets from teachers during instruction. If a teacher removes face covering or mask during instruction, spacing should be increased beyond six feet. For teachers who stay seated, a physical barrier may be an effective option.[26]
 ”

The plan encourages schools to sort students into stable cohorts.

“
  • Implement the key strategy of establishing stable cohorts within the school population, when feasible. Placing students in cohorts is strongly encouraged for grades K–8, and encouraged where feasible for grades 9–12.
  • Assign classroom groups with teams of teachers and support personnel, and as much as possible restrict mixing between teams.
  • When possible, have teachers of specific academic content areas rotate, instead of student groups.
  • Where schools have different entrances, assign cohorts a specific entry and exit that remains consistent day-to-day. Consider similar design for assignment of restrooms, classrooms, and outside space where it is possible to restrict primary use to a single cohort, or consistent group of cohorts.[26]
 ”

Transportation and busing requirements and restrictions

The plan includes the following recommendations for preparation:

“
  • Consider gathering data from families to properly plan for resuming classes in the fall, including an assessment of the number students expected to attend, and whether parents or guardians plan to transport their children.
  • Consult with municipal leaders, including public safety officials, to assess the approach if the school determines parents/guardian transportation is an option, including whether the school can safely accommodate the traffic, and whether local streets will be impacted.
  • Understand that parents or guardians generally cannot be compelled to transport their children if they choose not to, in which case the LEA maintains responsibility for transporting the student.
  • Include all transportation providers, including public and contracted bus company representatives where applicable, in planning a return to service.[26]
 ”

The plan includes the following recommendations for pick up/drop off:

“
  • Assess if a staggered arrival and drop off, properly communicated, will enhance safety protocols in place.
  • Plan vehicle flow and logistics particularly if there are more family transport vehicles.
  • Consider arrival/departure procedures that limit unnecessary entrance of parents and guardians into the building.[26]
 ”

Responses

On June 25, Connecticut Education Association (CEA) President Jeff Leake and AFT Connecticut Vice President Mary Yordon released a statement in response to Lamont’s reopening plan:

“

Governor Lamont’s plan, released today, is short on specifics and doesn’t address some of the most pressing issues associated with reopening our buildings this fall. The new plan raises many concerns and leaves dozens of unanswered questions regarding how schools will operate in a COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) world. Simply directing district officials to follow generic CDC (Centers for Disease Control) recommendations, without customizing requirements for the realities of our school settings, is insufficient for a safe statewide reopening.[26]

”

Map of school closures

The map below shows the status of school reopenings and closures at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year.

As of July 8, 2021, the status of school closures and reopenings was as follows:

  • Two states (Delaware, Hawaii) and Washington, D.C. had state-ordered regional school closures, required closures for certain grade levels, or allowed hybrid instruction only.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 410,896 students (0.81% of students nationwide)
  • Thirteen states had state-ordered in-person instruction.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 15,697,460 students (30.96% of students nationwide)
  • One state (Arizona) had state-ordered in-person instruction for certain grades.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 1,152,586 students (2.27% of students nationwide)
  • Thirty-four states left decisions to schools or districts.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 33,449,499 students (65.96% of students nationwide)



School reopenings and closures (2019-2020 academic year)

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2019-2020 academic year


The map below shows the status of school reopenings and closures at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year.

  • States closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year: 48
  • Number of public school students in states closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year: 50,261,464


The chart below shows the first date schools in a state were closed to in-person instruction during the 2019-2020 academic year, divided by the political party of the governor.

School responses by state

To read about school responses to the coronavirus pandemic in other states, click one of the following links below:

General resources

The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Number of operating public schools and districts, student membership, teachers, and pupil/teacher ratio, by state or jurisdiction: School year 2019–20," accessed September 10, 2021
  2. ↑ EducationWeek, "Map: Where Were Schools Required to Be Open for the 2020-21 School Year?," June 14, 2021
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Connecticut Office of the Governor, "Governor Lamont Announces Plan To Eliminate Statewide School Mask Requirement, Allow These Decisions To Be Determined at the Local Level," February 7, 2022
  4. ↑ To read more about Burbio's school disruption tracking, click here
  5. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed August 27, 2021
  6. ↑ Connecticut Office of the Governor, "Governor Lamont Announces State Employees, Childcare, and School Staff Will Be Required To Get Vaccinated for COVID-19," August 19, 2021
  7. ↑ Burbio rated Connecticut's in-person index at 95. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  8. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 6, 2021
  9. ↑ Burbio rated Connecticut's in-person index between 40-60. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  10. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 6, 2021
  11. ↑ Hartford Courant, "Connecticut schools reopen today with masks, hand sanitizer and social distancing; 76% of families opt for in-person learning," August 31, 2020
  12. ↑ Patch, "Lamont Gives More Clarity On School Reopening Options," July 30, 2020
  13. ↑ ABC 7, "Reopen Connecticut: State plans for full-time, in-school education in the fall," June 25, 2020
  14. ↑ Patch, "Students Expected To Return To School In Fall: Lamont," June 11, 2020
  15. ↑ NBC Connecticut, " Governor Cancels In-Person Classes for the Rest of the School Year," May 5, 2020
  16. ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Gov. Lamont: Schools will stay closed for coronavirus until at least May 20," April 9, 2020
  17. ↑ WHDH, "Connecticut public schools closed until at least April 20," March 23, 2020
  18. ↑ CT Post, "Lamont closes all CT schools until at least March 31," March 15, 2020
  19. ↑ On Sept. 2, 2021 the ban was temporarily suspended by court action. An appeals court upheld the ban on Sept. 10.
  20. ↑ Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) ended the statewide school mask requirement on Feb. 28, 2022.
  21. ↑ On Sept. 13, 2021 the ban was temporarily suspended by court action for all schools. On Jan. 25, 2022, the ban was partially reinstated.
  22. ↑ Oct. 26, 2021 - School districts could be exempt from the school mask requirement if they followed CDC quarantine guidance
  23. ↑ Dec. 7, 2021 - School districts could be exempt from the school mask requirement if they met one of the three following criteria: 1) the county vaccination rate was 80% or higher, 2) 80% of school staff and students were vaccinated, or 3) COVID-19 transmission in the county was considered moderate or low for 14 straight days.
  24. ↑ Oct. 1 - Schools could become exempt from the school mask requirement when at least 80% of students were vaccinated
  25. ↑ On Nov. 10, 2021 the ban was suspended by court action. An appeals court upheld the ban on Dec. 1.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 26.5 26.6 26.7 26.8 26.9 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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