Returning to Class in the Fall: How Can Connecticut's Public Schools Adapt?

Connecticut’s State Department of Education has just issued its “Adapt, Advance, Achieve” guidance on the reopening of schools in the fall.  Simply put, there are many decisions to make for our schools, with very little time.  Attorneys Melinda Kaufmann, Mark Sommaruga and Zachary Schurin from Pullman & Comley’s School Law Practice provided a legal overview and practical advice on the following issues:

• What options do public schools have this fall for providing programming?
• What must schools do, at a minimum, to provide safe, in-person programming for students and employees, and what is feasible?
• What are the legal risks/complications that schools face if and when they open up this fall?

We explored the ability to reconcile the provision of robust in-person learning with the need to comply with health and safety guidelines (including social distancing, PPE protocols, “clean” buildings, and effectively addressing COVID-19 cases in the schools), all taking place in the context of a maze of employee and student legal protections, and of course, ever scarce resources.

Watch a full recording of the video here.