Safe Return to In-Person Instruction - 2021/2022

District Administration

David J. Petrone, Ed.D., Superintendent
Michele Mullaly, Director of Teaching and Learning
Beth Giller, Ed.D., Director of Pupil and Staff Support Services

Coventry Public Schools has worked to develop a re-entry plan for the 2021-2022 school following federal and state guidelines. As a part of our plan, we will work to make sure we keep all stakeholders informed in a timely fashion, utilizing this website, SchoolMessenger communications and our district social media accounts.

Connecticut State Department of Education Plan

Adapt, Advance, Achieve: Connecticut's Plan to Learn and Grow Together - Fall 2021: Updated Guidance for the Use of Mitigation Strategies in Connecticut's PreK-12 Schools

Governor Lamont's Press Release - Mandatory Vaccinations for State Employees, Childcare, and School Staff

2021 District Re-Entry Plans

CPS Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan

HEEC 2021-2022 Safety Plan for Operations

Superintendent Open Door Sessions 2021-2022

Open communication is a key component for true collaboration and as such, we invite you to keep informed about education in our town by attending any of the Superintendent Open Door meetings this school year.

All of these information gatherings will be held in the Administration Building Conference Room at 1700 Main Street.

2021-2022 School Year Meetings

First Semester

Friday, September 10, 2021 at 10:30 AM
Thursday, November 11, 2021 at 4:30 PM

Priority Areas
Main Operational Considerations

Priority Areas

The Coventry Public Schools and the Coventry Board of Education have identified priority areas that must be in place to reopen:

	Safety - Safeguarding the health and safety of all students, staff, and families in returning to school is the highest priority. The physical environment embodies public health regulations and guidelines to enable the implementation of safety protocols outlined in the plan. Our approach includes modifications to operations and procedures that include changes to physical spaces and sanitation, and incorporates training and practices to ensure safety throughout the school day.
	Wellness - In light of the unusual circumstances created by the pandemic, setting the conditions for a safe and supportive learning environment that promotes all students’ academic, social, and emotional well being is imperative. Coventry Public Schools focuses on addressing the varying needs of our students, identifying the resources and supports that foster the social and emotional well being of students, and partnering with parents and families to support students’ successful transition back to school. Assisting students in developing the positive relationships with teachers and peers that set them up for success and instructing them in strategies related to their own resilience is at the center of our approach to wellness and social and emotional learning.
	Equity - Practices and approaches in our plan are designed to ensure equitable access of all students in Coventry Public Schools to teaching and learning, allowing us to overcome any barriers to learning that increased during the pandemic. Equity in education is a measure of achievement, fairness, and opportunity in education. It is important that we ensure practices and pedagogy in all aspects of our public schooling that provide the means and support for all of our students to access high quality instruction.
	Continuous improvement - Coventry Public Schools remains committed to a continuous cycle of school improvement, using data to inform our visioning and focusing on collaborative inquiry to continue to refine our use of best practices. During our experience with distance learning in 2020, we identified many promising innovative practices which we are incorporating into in-person instruction. Ideas related to lesson design and blended learning have expanded our pedagogical approaches.
	Design principles for high quality teaching and learning - Design Principles for High Quality Teaching and Learning Coventry Public Schools focuses on a model of high quality instruction, centered on research based instructional strategies proven to have a direct impact on student learning and high student achievement. In the upcoming school year Coventry Public Schools (CPS) will continue to provide access to high quality curriculum with a focus on high priority content standards and approaches that will enable teachers to address student skill gaps and accelerate learning with on grade level curriculum.

Main Operational Considerations

In alignment with State of Connecticut guidance, all planning efforts are guided by these six principles:

Safeguarding the health & safety of students and staff;
Allowing all students the opportunity to return into the classrooms full time starting in the fall;
Monitoring the school populations and, when necessary, potentially cancelling classes in the future to appropriately contain COVID-19 spread;
Emphasizing equity, access, and support to the students and communities who are emerging from this historic disruption;
Fostering strong two-way communication with partners such as families, educators and staff; and
Factoring into decisions about reopening the challenges to the physical safety and social-emotional well-being of our students when they are not in school