1/3 Students Chronically Absent

What's the concise explanation for why all of the rich suburban districts and private schools throughout Connected opened full-time, 5 days a week, but New Haven didn't open for a single day?

anonymous: The concise answer is that private schools and suburban schools put students and parents first. NHPS put the interests of faculty and staff first. Note, many suburban distracts, such as Branford, only ever opened in a hybrid model, never full-time. I don't believe Hopkins Grammar School ever opened full-time, only hybrid. (Hopkins may be one of the bests endowed day schools in the country, thanks to Malone.) In contrast, All Saints Academy opened full-time, and is still full-time for those not in quarantine. Private schools relay heavily on tuition dollars to exist, and parents won't pay $4500 (for All Saints) to $70/$80K (for Choate Rosemary Hall) for students to "learn" remotely. Google "Dalton School" to see what happens when a private schools goes remote-only. A better question would be why comparable systems, like Bridgeport, Waterbury, and Hartford, all opened at least in hybrid form, when NHPS never opened at all. All those systems face the same pressures NHPS does, yet found it within themselves to at least open in a hybrid model.

Anonymous-According to what Dr. Tracey stated last night in the Zoom update to parents, the schools are closed per the Health Director. According to the Mayor's Zoom press conference last week, of which the Health Director and the city Public Health nurse were present, the statement was made that viral spread couldn't be traced back to schools.
The Mayor really had nothing to say except that it's been really hard on the teachers.
So, a complete lack of leadership and conflicting messaging gets us to the current situation. The remote instruction is awful, and I don't blame 9th graders for checking out. They are old enough to know when their time is being wasted, and aware enough to know no one else in the state is acting as foolish as New Haven.

Sorry for the multiple post, but just had an idea.

All NHPS high school student should just refuse to log back in after the winter break. All of them. They can "self teach" themselves by reading a lot and venturing out of their homes to see what the rest of the world is doing, with a mask on of course.

anonymous - not sure what your agenda is but .... it's not all of the "rich suburbs", it is also all urban districts as well...and it's not all "private schools throughout CT" open full time either, many are hybrid including Hopkins and others.

NHPS is the only district not open, as far as I know, and that was at the suggestion of the state.

I hope that the New Haven Promise scholarship criteria will be adjusted to accommodate the reality of this year's attendance records. 90% attendance is really difficult for many to achieve this year.

JohnTulin: In no way did the state suggest that NHPS keep its schools closed. Lamont has consistently said that the purpose of his business closures is to limit spread so that schools can remain open. New Haven's BoE voted to keep its schools closed, but was under the impression that the ultimate decision would be made by SDE at an upcoming meeting. While SDE did not order NHPS to open, it did not buy into any of the reasons the BoE used to justify continued closure. SDE said it had inspected several schools NHPS had identified as problematic, but found all in working order and ready to open. It indicated technical and financial support would be provided for opening. Cardona said social distancing would be easy in a hybrid model, given that about half of students indicated a preference for 100% remote, so actual classroom attendance would be only 25%. If you listened to the meeting, the state said, "We think you should open hybrid, but we will not order you to do so." BTW, in CT, no one under the age of 20 has died of CoViD-19 since schools reopened. As NHPS family states, there has been close to no evidence of school based spread anywhere in the world. Bond has been out of sync with the public health establishment, punishing businesses, pushing an over-reliance on masks (just one line in what should be defense in depth). Fauci has said schools should be open so long as the positivity rate is under 10%.

Thanks-- NHPS Family-- for encouraging students not to come to school. No one cares about the 2/3's who are there every day. No one compares this absenteeism to past in person data-- thatcontext would make too much sense for those attacking NHPS. The New Haven district put health of students and staff first. Other districts put the wishes of parents to be relieved of their children first.

This is a sad, pitiful story - and predictable from the very beginning. The NHPS BOE and the teachers/parents who demanded this foolishness failed these kids and set them back a year or more. And nobody will be held accountable.

I hope that the New Haven Promise scholarship criteria will be adjusted to accommodate the reality of this year's attendance records. 90% attendance is really difficult for many to achieve this year.

Is the criteria really that low, 90%?

Difficult to log in from home?

Question - What will happen to all those students that have opted out (chronically absent) of their remote learning responsibilities? Will they be retained or pushed forward, if and when school returns to a normal school year? Hopefully, next year.

Dear Owen@large--- To answer your question--- NHPS will promote everyone; as they do every year. This year is no different from any other year in the district. Is everybody happy???

"The New Haven district put health of students and staff first."

Have you attended the recent BOE meetings in towns like Manchester, Greenwich, West Hartford, Westbrook, Woodbridge, Cheshire, Torrington, Old Saybrook, East Haven, Norwalk, which are open full-time at least for grades K-4 if not for all grades K-12? The health concerns that come up at those meetings are depression and anxiety.

I know this comment will not be well received but I'm going to say it anyway. Until each NH parent is willing to put in the time and effort to be sure their children attend school and take their education seriously, the suburbs will continue to fight a regional school system. The parents in the suburbs want to know that their student will not need to waste time waiting for urban children to catch up academically. They want to be sure that each day that their children attend school is a valuable learning opportunity and not wasted while their urban peers catch up on what they missed when they didn't attend class last week.

I understand that sometimes the life of a NH family can be difficult. Too many kids to chase after, an hourly job that cannot be done remotely, maybe a single parent household. And I agree that in person education is better - especially in an environment when internet can be limited and not every child has an adequate at-home learning environment. But this situation will not change unless the community makes education a priority and this does not mean spending more money. More money will not get these children out of bed and fed in the moring, will not get them into the school building (or online in today's world), will not make them do their homework. Only parents and a community who think education is important will do that.

Note that I have not said this is about race - its is not. There are plenty of parents of many races who have successfully managed to get their children educated. It is time for todays urban community to become responsible members of society and do the same.

If you want an integrated school system thoughout CT, the suburban parents need to know that their children's education will not be sacrificed but enhanced by this action.

GoodGawd, BetsyBird.

Dear BetseyBird--- it's better to know how people really think and feel. That is the first step to coming to conversation and finding solutions. Anyone who wishes to silence you or your opinion is in the wrong. I 'm glad the NHI didn't try to block this because it is important. Don't be sorry for telling it as you see it. I don't agree with all of what you said but I am defending your right to make this a real conversation! Carry on!

BetsyBird... Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I imagine many people feel similarly but are afraid to say so. Even the most liberal and generous people draw the line when it comes to their kids, and especially their children's education.

New Haven has spent several decades and several billion dollars trying to figure out what is wrong with the NHPS system. As you rightfully say, life in New Haven is hard and many kids start with a big disadvantage. But look to the family and family structure to figure out why many kids dont make it. Education starts at home.

I wish you @betsybird could know the pride of seeing your NHPS graduate read such a comment and know to her bones all that is missing. The slice of lives that are minimized so clearly. What is missed, first of all, the whole, beautiful, and yes, complicated lives of young people growing up in New Haven. Integration with suburbs is defined in your terms as a loss for the "waste" that "urban" kids bring. Integration to support segregation. But no, it IS about race. But not the way you've defined it. It's about a whiteness that says exactly what you've said, and the whiteness that follows to back it up. It's about the whiteness that prioritizes resources, protecting the precious, keeping them from the "waste." Suburban schools don't lose resources if they don't address whiteness, after all. New Haven has its issues, no doubt, but raising kids with empathy is the consequence of staying with the complexities, and doing what you can to make it work a little better WITH the families in New Haven. I wouldn't trade that for suburban resources. Sitting in classes in colleges in the area, the contrast is stark. Young people growing up here might have some catching up to do in some math and english, but they are well equipped to consider all the systemic issues that get in the way of a life of well-being. They don't take that for granted. They are so much more equipped to care about one another, and they are wise. It has not been easy, but it has to be considered that there might be a lot set aside when children are protected from such learning. Blaming families flattens the issues and dehumanizes the people who need us to know what systems are in the way of healthy families. Blaming schools flattens the issues and distracts us from listening. In listening, the learning becomes more about how my privilege might need to be looked at, so that I can see how my efforts get in the way of another's. Standing back and pointing fingers is not the way through.

Dear joshmoejo--- listening is needed but it appears that those who disagree must listen to you; not the other way around. Someone was being honest and apparently some folks don't want honesty-- you want submission to your way of thinking. The rest are trying to get the best for their children and they have determined that urban schools are not for them. Is that OK??? Are they allowed to think for themselves?

@ Ms. Bird. Ty. You said it in clear concise language and then u hit the nail on the head. I have seen so many NH parents deflect responsibility for their kids onto the system, the teachers (who r often at fault), their jobs, the economy, their race, how hard they hv it and when that failed there was always Covid.
I raised my daughter alone from the age of 10. It was hard, very hard. At times terrifying.
But, from day one she was and is my responsibility. I support her, protect her, challenge her, fight with her and fight for her.
Until NH parents put aside their selfishness and selfish pursuits, and realize how precious these kids are, there will be no resolution.
Today my daughter is a very talented full time head teacher who specalizes in art at a private school. I could not be more proud.
To Joslow. a good portion of what you wrote makes not one bit of sense. Then you sell people short by assuming different races need accomodation and or are incapable of achieving. Stop it. No one is less than merely because of their race. Dont insult me.

@joshmoejo yes - seeing the crime rate in NH I can see the empathy that these students have for each other and their fellow citizens. Are there young students in NH that any parent would be happy to have sit in a classroom with their children? Absolutely! But these generally come from a household where education and respect for others is held in high regard. Is this the general rule in most inner cities? No. Should suburban parents place the education of their children on hold so that NH children can catch up "in some math and english"? We probably disagree here.

All I'm saying is that the community needs to come together and support the parents in an attempt to improve the education of their children. Thomas Jefferson is generally quoted as saying that a well informed electorate is a prerequisite to democracy. I want and need all children to be well educated so that they can take control of our democracy, get good jobs, and become contributing members of society. Hoping you want the same.

Is remote learning ideal? No, it's not. But as a teacher when parents come right out and say to me that schools should open back up because 'I need a break' or 'I am tired of having him/her home everyday', or 'I'm not a teacher' doesn't make me feel as if the quality of their child's education is always the first concern; comments such as these tell me that some essentially see school as childcare.

And teachers are really trying...but parents need to do their part, too. If this was a regular school year, students would have homework that includes reading each night, practicing math facts, vocabulary words/sight words, etc. I'm not asking parents to teach their child - that's my job and that is what I'm doing when I am on live with your children. All I'm asking of parents is spend some time each evening reviewing the material as you would do if I sent it home as homework each day if I was teaching your child in person.

And back to the spread of Covid in schools - until every child and staff member in a school is tested regularly, no one can prove that the virus isn't spread in schools - there could be asymptomatic cases. It's easy to say that the cases appearing in schools were due to community spread...it's easy to change the metrics used to fit the agenda. Just look how many times the guidelines and recommendations for schools have changed since August! Every time the positivity rate increased, the metrics used were changed (such as using a 14 day avg vs a 7 day avg). If it was so safe, then why did the metrics have to change? And there is no consistency from one district to the next in terms of quarantining and contact tracing. I still think New Haven made the right choice.

And maybe this article should report whether or not the chronically absent students are the same ones who are chronically absent during a regular, in person school year.

Education has to be the number one priority for everyone involved - the teachers, the administrators, the Mayor, the BOE, the taxpayers, but most of all the PARENTS! Being sure they get an education is the most important thing we can do to change the problems and disparities in society. KIds dont generally know better, but the parents must! The students have no chance to get ahead if they arent in school! Period. We are dooming our children if we give excuses and go the politically correct route.

The BOE's leadership on Covid has been as dismal as Mayor Elicker who sowed fear and intimidation to force citizens and businesses to be compliant. Elicker has been a bully with claims of executive power, without data or science, closed beaches, parks, parking spaces and open space - and has been actively advocating to shut down all our restaurants in New Haven.

This school board's sorry leadership reflects Elicker. These kids should have always gone to school. Their chance of a infection was always low, continues to be low and those in red state see it best. Their schools opened on time and remain open to this day with parents making the choice - online learning in person.

I have zero tolerance for teachers who ironically work in blue states, and always and forever moan, cry over this pandemic. Our kids in this city - a third of them if not more, willl lose an entire year of education. They were behind before - now, there's no hope they'll catch up.

Dear Noteworthy-