Bridgeport Public Schools

To:            BPS Community 
Date:         September 19, 2020
Subject:    In-Person/Remote Learning

Hello Bridgeport Public School Families,

As we conclude our first full week of school, I want to thank everyone for their patience during the transition back to school during this challenging time. In order to maintain the health and safety of all students and staff and provide for a consistent and meaningful delivery of instruction to all students, no students will be allowed to change from remote learning to in-person learning after September 30, 2020. Parents will have another opportunity to change their choice in December prior to the winter break.  Those changes will then take place when we return from the vacation week on January 2, 2021. All decisions will then become final for the rest of the school year.

Please be aware that if we have more and more students returning to in-person learning, adjustments may need to be made to the school schedule. We have tried to maintain as close to a full 5-day schedule as possible for all students in our elementary and middle grades. In some classes, we have had to rotate students out one day a week to maintain a safe number of students in the classroom in order to maintain proper distancing. I know this has caused some inconveniences for some families; however, the only other alternative will be to move to a hybrid model. We are trying to avoid moving to a hybrid schedule because of the added challenges this will present for many families. Please be aware that BPS may need to make those decisions later in the year if our in-person numbers grow.

Please know that we will continue to make every effort to accommodate the needs of all our families while maintaining the highest health and safety standards within our schools.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Testani