The district is expecting guidance from the Connecticut Department of Public Health that identifies the thresholds for low, moderate, and high transmission Covid-19 transmission risk.

In the event of low transmission risk, the buses will run at full capacity. As part of the reopening plan, the district will communicate expectations and train students on transportation protocol. The training will articulate the requirement that passengers wear masks during transit, prior to boarding the bus, and until they are completely off the bus. Students will be expected to load the bus from the back row to the front row, and then unload the bus in a controlled manner from the front row to the back row. Bus capacity will be carefully monitored and, when feasible, students will be expected to spread out and occupy empty seats to the maximum extent possible. Family members will be seated together and, if feasible, non-family members will be spaced six feet apart utilizing alternating diagonal seating. Buses will be sanitized at the end of each school day.

If the transmission risk is elevated, all protocols established in the low transmission risk will continue to be implemented, and where feasible the district will operate buses at reduced capacity. We expect that if transmission rates are elevated, the district will move to the hybrid model. In the hybrid model, student capacity in the district will be reduced by 50%, which will reduce demand for transportation by fifty percent.

If transmission rates are high risk, the district will move to the distance learning model, which will eliminate the need for transportation. The district will consult with state and local health officials in the event of elevated transmission risk. Transportation will be a central consideration in all decisions relative to moving from full, in-person instruction to the hybrid (reduced 50% capacity), and, if necessary, to distance learning.