Hamden schools go remote, Bridgeport schools closed Monday

HAMDEN, Conn. (AP) - Public schools in Hamden will switch to all-remote learning until at least mid-January after a vote by the Board of Education.

The New Haven Register reports that the board voted Saturday to move to fully remote learning as of Nov. 23.

“No answer is perfect,” Mayor Curt Balzano Leng said on Twitter. “So many factors. But this was the right action.”

The earliest students will return to in-person learning is Jan. 19.

There are about 5,400 students enrolled in Hamden’s eight elementary schools, one middle school and one high school.

Tiffany Cofrin, who said she is both a teacher and parent, wrote in comments submitted to the board that teachers want what is best for Hamden’s children. “I want my kid in school too,” Cofrin wrote, “but not if her health and well being are at stake.”

In Bridgeport, Superintendent Michael Testani said Sunday that schools will be closed Monday after a high number of teachers were exposed to COVID-19 at non-school gatherings. He said a decision will be made whether to reopen on Tuesday if circumstances improve.

Bridgeport schools are slated to switch to all-remote learning on Nov. 23.