Three criteria will guide planning and decision making. Please note that public health is first. We cannot move on the final two criteria if we are not assured of success with the public health priority.

First and foremost, public health requirements will determine what is possible for opening schools. We will base our decisions on this central question: to what extent can the health of students, families, staff and the general population be safeguarded while opening schools? We will make sure we have the capacity to implement and monitor health and safety measures. In particular, we need to be confident that all members of the BPS community (staff, contractors, and families) are trained, supported and ready. The district also will need the financial capacity to afford required health and safety measures.

Second, what is the effect on Student Learning? We will constantly ask two related questions. To what extent is student learning negatively affected and inequities expanded when schools are closed? To what extent can Distance Learning mitigate negative effects and inequities? The brevity of these questions belies how much attention they will receive in our analysis, planning and implementation.

Third, we will consider the economic hardship on families. We will ask, to what extent does school closure contribute to loss of income and unemployment in Bridgeport?