High school goes remote again, blames student misbehavior

A Connecticut high school that recently resumed full in-person learning for the first time since the onset of the pandemic sent students home temporarily for remote learning, blaming issues with misbehavior.

New Britain High School, in suburban Hartford, is “hitting the refresh button” and will restart the school year, Principal Damon Pearce wrote in a letter late Tuesday to students and families.

Pearce initially said instruction would be done remotely through the end of this week, but the district later notified parents that students would be welcome back Thursday for a half-day. A meeting was planned later Wednesday with the mayor and district leaders.

Vilmaris Diaz said the switch left her daughter, a junior at the high school, in disbelief. Diaz said that her daughter much prefers in-person learning and that the change left families, including hers, scrambling to rework their schedules.

“I'm assuming the behavior we are dealing with may be slightly worse than what we've had in the past because of the pandemic, and kids' adjustments, but I don’t think it was a reason for us to attempt to go remote for three days," Diaz said.

Mayor Erin Stewart said she was told the school made its decision because of difficulties controlling student behavior, particularly vandalism and fighting.

“I’m disappointed in this decision, it’s not fair to the majority of students who behave respectfully and want to be in school to learn,” Stewart, a Republican, said in a Facebook post. She said rule breakers should face consequences, including removal from school, and she offered the assistance of the New Britain police.

As students return to schools after a year and a half of learning disrupted by the pandemic, many districts have reported issues with behavior, including vandalism...