Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How will you ensure that the room and zoom approach is fair and equitable for distance learners?

A. Although true equity may not be attainable, we continue to strive for this. The state has mandated that families be provided with an option for voluntary remote learning. We have committed to keeping our remote learners included and engaged, as much as we can given the limitations of remote learning. We believe that striving for equity means that our very qualified staff will continue to serve as our student's teachers and service providers, and that live instruction, when possible, is more equitable than providing self-guided learning activities. Our commitment to equity means keeping our students well-connected to our school community, including their teachers and peers.

Fair does not mean equal -- fair means everyone gets their needs met. We are providing an in-person experience for those who can access that and a remote option for those who are not able to access that. By definition they will be different, but we are striving to keep them as similar and connected as possible.

Q. What are the expectations for students who are remote learners?

A. Students are expected to: be on the computer for direct instruction from the teacher, submit daily assignments, meet due dates as the in-person classroom, have their cameras on, be dressed appropriately and be actively engaged during scheduled synchronous instruction.

Q. What are the expectations for parents of remote learners?

A. Caregivers are expected to: supervise and support student attendance as well as engagement, follow the schedule for synchronous instruction in order to ensure access to daily lessons and check emails daily for communication and feedback.

Q. What is the procedure if I want my child to start attending in-person instruction?

A. Contact the school principal and allow a few days to arrange for the transition.

Q. What percent of students are attending in-person?

A. Overall, 82% of students are attending in-person. That average represents a range per school of 73% attending in-person at Consolidated, up to 86% attending in-person at the High School.

Q. Why don't we have a class of just remote learners with a dedicated remote learning teacher?

A. That wasn't a viable option for us, given the need to have a spot for every child to return to in-person learning. If all of the remote students were in classes with dedicated remote learning teachers, they would not have the option to return to in-person instruction. This is both disallowed and undesirable to us. The only way to make that work would have been to hire on approximately two more teachers per grade level, which is not feasible.

Q. It doesn't seem like the district is committed to Remote Learning. Why not?

A. We are new to Remote Learning - it's not what we're in the business of - and we are eager to do the best we can for all of our students. We have expectations from the state that we must adhere to, that drive many aspects of our model. We have enthusiastic teachers and dedicated administrators who've been working non-stop to provide a quality program for all of NF's children. There has been no lack of care and concern put into any aspect of our planning; we are completely committed to making Remote Learning a success. To that end, we will be putting a Remote Learning Liaison in place shortly.

Q. Why can't we pick and choose which parts of the day we'd like our children to participate in? I can do some of it myself.

A. The Connecticut State Department of Education has issued guidance that directs our decisions. The CSDE requires that our remote learning model includes a full school day schedule (approximately 6.5 hours, including lunch) that includes age-appropriate engagement expectations for students; live daily contact between teachers and students; and direct instruction, independent student work, and opportunity for questions and feedback. Half of the instructional day should be synchronous. Further, new instruction must be delivered by appropriately certified educators. Here is the most relevant document from the State: Addendum 12.

Q. Why are elementary "specials" asynchronous and why can't my children participate along with their class?

A. The decision to make specials asynchronous was largely done in response to concerns raised this summer about the amount of time our younger students would have to sit at the computer. Asynchronous specials created a natural break in the day to get our younger students away from the computer. We will reevaluate that later this month, once students have had full days of school for a bit. We are absolutely open to changing it once we've had a chance to see how the academic portion of the day works out.

Q. Why is there so much down time for my RL? We do a lot of waiting while students transition and wash hands, etc.

A. In the beginning of the school year, there are always routines and expectations to be learned and practiced. That is magnified this year. As we settle into our "new normal" we will be able to do these things more quickly. Also, classroom transitions and breaks are intended to be breaks for our RL students to take a computer break and get up and move around.