A popular tradition drawing thousands of costumed youngsters and parents, many visiting from out of town, to enjoy Halloween festivities along Main Street in the Borough is off for 2020 after health and municipal officials determined the risk of COVID-19 transmission is just too great. Officials, however, are still inviting Halloween revelers to a series of other local activities, most of which are brand new this year.

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal, Health District Director Donna Culbert, and Parks & Rec Director Amy Mangold struggled over the decision this week, and arrived at the decision late Wednesday, October 7. Shortly after, the town released this statement to The Newtown Bee:

“Due to health concerns, town officials have consulted with many of the residents on Main Street and regretfully there will not be Halloween on Main Street for this year. However, this does not mean that Halloween is altogether canceled as there will be ways for children and families to enjoy the season.”

The announcement came as Newtown and the state posted its latest count of coronavirus cases and deaths. As of October 7, Newtown had registered 307 positive virus cases, resulting in 45 deaths.

And as of October 6 at 8:30 pm, the total of COVID-19 cases reported among Connecticut residents was 59,364, including 56,958 laboratory-confirmed and 2,406 probable cases. One hundred thirty-eight patients were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 at the time and there were 4,522 COVID-19-associated deaths reported.

In view of the transmission risks posed by large gatherings and guidelines on outdoor activities posted by Governor Ned Lamont’s executive orders, Newtown officials are asking parents and guardians to coordinate festivities in their own neighborhoods following safe guidelines outlined by the CDC and state Department of Public Health (links below). In addition, the following are events are planned:

Spooktacular Family Fun Event — Join Parks and Recreation for a spooky event filled with games, themed DJ music, and activities for the whole family on Saturday, October 24, 11 am-1 pm at Dickinson Town Park. All participants must register in advance. There will be a limit of 100 people. All will follow CDC guidelines, masks must be worm, and social distancing will be required. Visit newtown-ct.gov/parks-recreation for details.

Scarecrow Contest 2020 — Newtown Parks and Recreation is inviting individuals, families, businesses, sports teams, and other organizations to participate in this event being held at Fairfield Hills over the month of October. Read full details about the contest here, or call 203-270-4340 or visit newtown-ct.gov/parks-recreation.

Spooktacular Drive Thru — Newtown Community Center is hosting a Halloween experience on wheels: a 10 minute drive thru ending with a surprise for each vehicle. The event will run Fridays, October 23 and 30, from 7 to 9 pm, and on Halloween, October 31, from 2 to 7 pm. For information and to register, visit newtowncommunitycenter.org or call 203-270-4349.

Pumpkin Painting/Haunted Gingerbread Houses — Head to Newtown Community Center for a Pumpkin Painting Party on Saturday, October 17, from 1 to 3 pm, and Haunted Gingerbread House making on Sunday, October 18, from 1 to 3 pm. Each event will be held outside at the Community Center. For information and to register, visit newtowncommunitycenter.org or call 203-270-4349.

To read the CDC’s Halloween advisory, CLICK HERE

Lamont stressed that while the state is not enacting any new rules specific to Halloween, he is strongly encouraging Connecticut residents who are planning to participate in traditional holiday activities to review the guidance and take the advised precautions seriously in order to limit further spread of the virus.

To read the state guidance CLICK HERE

Travel Advisory Update

The regional travel advisory among Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York that directs incoming travelers from states with a significant community spread of COVID-19 to self-quarantine for a 14-day period was updated today: New Mexico has been added to the list of impacted locations that meet the metrics to qualify, and no states or territories were removed from the list.

The requirement to quarantine applies to any person traveling into Connecticut from a state with a positive case rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents, or higher than a ten percent test positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average. It also applies to any person arriving into Connecticut from a country for which the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice.

Anyone arriving to Connecticut from any of the impacted locations is required to fill out a travel health form upon their arrival. The form can be filled out online at ct.gov/travelform.

CEA Teacher Survey

Persistent inequities have not only been exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic but exacerbated by it, highlighting the tremendous lack of equity in student learning opportunities and critical resources that jeopardize the safety of students and teachers according to a new CEA COVID-19 School Equity Survey.

Nearly 2,000 teachers who participated cited huge inequities between school districts, especially those in the state’s Alliance Districts, the 33 lowest-performing districts in Connecticut.

The survey highlighted safety issues as well as the lack of student learning opportunities, resources, and supplies necessary for student learning.

Survey highlights include:

*Air ventilation is a major problem in all schools, but it is more severe in Alliance Districts, with 78 percent of those teachers saying their buildings and classrooms are not properly ventilated, compared with 66 percent of teachers in non-Alliance Districts.

*Less than half (49 percent) of teachers in Alliance Districts said their classrooms are cleaned and disinfected daily, compared with 64 percent of teachers in non-Alliance Districts.

*Three-quarters of Alliance District teachers and 64 percent of teachers in other districts are not confident that aggressive contact tracing measures are in place in their schools.

*Nearly half (48 percent) of Alliance District teachers and 38 percent of non-Alliance District teachers are not provided with adequate personal protective equipment.

*More than one in five teachers (21 percent) in non-Alliance District said students are not receiving the accommodations identified in their IEPs; that number jumps to 33 percent in Alliance Districts.

Disparities Continue

When it comes to access to resources and supplies, the disparities continue.

*Sixty-one percent of Alliance Districts and 41 percent of other districts have no effective strategies being implemented to engage students who are absent or disengaged. Nearly three-quarters of teachers (71 percent in Alliance Districts and 72 percent in non-Alliance Districts) have not been provided with student engagement strategies, and more than half (57 percent and 56 percent, respectively) have not received adequate professional development in remote teaching tools and strategies.

*Forty-eight percent of Alliance District teachers and a quarter of all of teachers in other districts say students don’t have the school resources and supplies to ensure they can fully access the curriculum.

*More than half (57 percent) of Alliance District teachers are not receiving the services and supplies for distance learning that enable them to perform their jobs efficiently, compared with 41 percent of teachers in non-Alliance Districts.

*More than one-quarter (26 percent) of Alliance District teachers (14 percent of teachers in other districts) say students don’t have the computer devices they need.

*More than one-third (35 percent) of Alliance District teachers (14 percent of teachers in other districts) report that their students don’t have access to the internet.