Coronavirus 2021
Ingrid Taylar Flickr School Bus in Mirror

Superintendent to Parents: School Buses Will Run as Normal on Monday

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Darien Schools Superintendent Alan Addley told parents in a 3 p.m. email Sunday that they should expect school buses to be running normally on Monday — because the drivers all got their vaccines or are getting tested, as mandated. “The drivers for Darien’s bus company, First Student, have complied with the executive order to be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing and we are not anticipating a disruption to bus transportation tomorrow,” Addley wrote. Addley noted that there have been news reports that drivers in some districts might not be showing up for work Monday because they’ve refused to either get the vaccine or the tests, as mandated by an executive order from Gov. Ned Lamont. Across the state, about 350 bus drivers are expected not to report for work Monday morning, according to a Friday report by WTNH-TV news. The Hartford Courant says only about 200 in Connecticut are expected not to show up.

Coronavirus 2021
COVID-19 Coronavirus

Where Darien Stands on New COVID-19 Rules: First Selectman’s Update

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The town government won’t impose indoor mask mandates for businesses and other places in town (although they’re already required in Town Hall), First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said in part of her CodeRED update to residents late Thursday afternoon about COVID-19 rules in Darien. Anyone who is immunocompromised and had the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines can get booster shots now, the first selectman said. “You must be at least 8 months from receipt of the last shot in your initial vaccine series. Boosters for the general public are anticipated to be available by the end of September. Plans for offering local booster clinics is underway.”

Healthy Living
Metro-North New Haven Line MTA Metropolitan Transit Authority An M8 car on the tracks

Commuter Advocates to the Governor: Metro-North Needs to Enforce Mask Rules

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The lives of thousands of daily passengers on Metro-North are being jeopardized by the railroad’s refusal to enforce federal and state safety rules requiring face masks, according to the Connecticut Commuter Action Group and the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council in a joint announcement. Here’s most of the news release from the two groups:
Writing to Governor Lamont, the leaders of the independent CT Commuter Action Group and state-created CT Commuter Rail Council appealed to the Governor to safeguard passenger safety by having authorities issue citations to those refusing to wear masks. “Metro-North says it wants passengers to come back to the trains but their refusal to issue a single ticket to mask scofflaws says the opposite,” said Jim Cameron of the CT Commuter Action Group. [Cameron is a Darien resident.]
“Metro North clearly needs to do a better job with mask enforcement if they wish to motivate and convince riders that rail transportation is safe to use.  The Commuter Council continues to make that request however nothing seems to change.” noted Jim Gildea, chairman of the state-created CT Commuter Council. Both advocates called on the Connecticut Department of Transportation to require Metro-North, the state’s vendor, to enforce the  masking rules.  To date, not a single citation has been issued to offenders by MTA Police, despite the rise in cases of the COVID  Delta Variant.

Education
Darien Public Schools

Superintendent: Board of Ed to Discuss COVID Regulations Tuesday — What the Plan Says

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The Board of Education, at its meeting Tuesday night, will discuss a proposed plan for COVID-19 regulations in Darien schools when they reopen for the upcoming school year, and members of the public can tell the board what they think about the plan. In a message to parents on Friday, Schools Superintendent Alan Addley described highlights of the district’s plan, called the “Safe Return Plan” or “SRP.” The plan follows mandates and guidelines already sent out by the state government, along with recommendations from the federal government, Addley said. Those mandates and guidelines often change, he said, especially now in response to the Delta variant. “Preparations are well underway to welcome all of our students back to school in the fall,” the superintendent said. Remote learning will only take place with students in quarantine, he said.

Avon Theater 2021
Avon Theatre Film Center

Avon Theatre Announces Free One-Year Memberships If You Get Vaccinated in August

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In the spirit of encouraging the entire community to stay safe, the Avon Theatre in Stamford is offering a limited special offer to anyone getting a COVID-19 vaccine in August or who already has been vaccinated in the month of August. — an announcement from Avon Theater in Stamford

Anyone stepping up to get a Covid-19 shot between August 1 and August 31 will be eligible for these perks:

Moviegoers presenting proof of August vaccination at the Avon Box Office will receive a FREE MEMBERSHIP for one person (Individual/Student/Senior) for one year. Current Avon Members who present proof of an August vaccine will receive a FREE MEDIUM POPCORN with each movie ticket they purchase throughout the month of August. The benefits of Avon membership include discounts on movie tickets all year, one free movie admission ticket upon joining, as well as invitations to members-only screenings. To take advantage of this special offer, please visit the box office.

Darien Health Department 2021
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West Nile Virus Again Found in Mosquitoes in Darien, Health Department Announces

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Mosquitos with West Nile Virus have been found in Darien for the first time this year, the Darien Health Department announced Tuesday. The virus has been found in Darien mosquitoes every summer over the past 10 years. The virus was found in tests done by the state Public Health Department’s Mosquito Management Program and reported to the town Health Department. Between the time mosquitos are collected in the two trap locations in town, it takes about a week for the test results to come in, the announcement said. Along with West Nile virus, the mosquitos are also tested for Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEE) and Zika. The mosquito trapping and testing program, coordinated by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), began in June and continues through October.

Healthy Living
Metro-North New Haven Line MTA Metropolitan Transit Authority An M8 car on the tracks

Cameron: Metro-North Doesn’t Give Citations to Riders Violating Masking Rules

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Despite promises to keep their passengers safe during the pandemic, data from Metro-North Police shows that not a single citation was issued to violators of the facemask rule on the commuter railroad in the last nine months. — an announcement from The Commuter Action Group

“Kudos to CTExaminer.com reporter Brendan Crowley for his FOI request for this
data, filed in late May,” said Jim Cameron of The Commuter Action Group. “As an advocate for riders’ interest I’ve heard almost daily reports of unmasked riders on trains… reported details to the railroad and seen no action taken. This data confirms their ‘safety measures’ were a sham.”

As the CTExaminer reported today:

Transit workers have issued 38 summons for refusing to wear a mask on
public transit since MTA instituted fines on Sept. 14, 2020 — that number
includes riders on New York City subways and buses, and the Long Island
Railroad Since the beginning of 2020, MTA reported that it had issued 772
citations on Metro-North trains, but none for failing to wear masks.

Community Organizations
Charlie Sherman Charles Sherman

How Four Area People with Disabilities Work and Live on Their Own, With Help

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How many of us have dreamed of having our own home? How many want that home located in our home town, where we know people, we know the shopkeepers and the street signs, and where people know our name? — an announcement from STAR, Inc., Lighting the Way

For many adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), that’s not only their dream, it’s their reality, thanks to a program from the state Department of Developmental Disabilities called Individualized Home Supports. Here’s how several people in Darien and nearby communities were helped by the program:
Charlie, at Whole Foods in Darien
There is hardly a customer at Whole Foods in Darien who is an unfamiliar face to Charlie, who has worked there for over six years. In a job that makes him beam with pride, he says: “Everybody knows me […] I get to be outside on my own helping and greeting people, not a lot of bosses, and I just do what I gotta do!”

To get to work each day, Charlie walks from his apartment in his hometown of Norwalk to the East Norwalk Metro North station, where he boards the local train to Darien.

Community Organizations

Abilis Expands Special Needs Services in Darien With Four Programs This Year, More Expected

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Abilis, a nonprofit that serves people with special needs and their families, will be expanding programs and services in Darien, starting with four programs in the areas of job training, life skills, employment and housing. — an announcement from Abilis

Abilis is now accepting applications for two programs: Abilis LEAP Transitions Program, which helps people acquire life skills, as well as Project SEARCH, a 10-month internship at the Darien YMCA to provide job training. Two other programs are still in the works: Sometime later this year Abilis will open Darien Library Café. Later this summer and early fall, the organization will run the supportive living program for 12 new, large studio apartments on East Lane, as part of the Corbin District project. “Having these four initial Abilis programs, and more to come, in the Darien community, will only strengthen our ability to help more individuals with disabilities or special needs,” said Amy Montimurro, CEO and president of Abilis.

Healthy Living
COVID-19 Coronavirus purple from CDC tweet https://twitter.com/CDCemergency/status/1251888407418191872

First Selectman: With Pandemic in Retreat, Town Pulls Back on Various COVID-19 Measures

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Darien’s regular vaccine clinic is closing on June 3. If you’re vaccinated, you don’t need a mask when you’re in Town Hall. Town boards and commissions will shift to in-person meetings in June. First Selectman Jayme Stevenson made these points — each of them reflecting a pandemic threat that’s shrunk in this town — in her regular Code Red message Thursday night. As if to underline the theme, she said this will be her last regular update.

Community Mindfulness Project 2021
Emotional Support shown in Oslo Statue Pixabay pic no restrictions on use

For Caregivers, an Online Presentation About Caring For Yourself

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In a webinar Tuesday morning, Community Mindfulness Project will share simple techniques that people who care for others can use to support themselves emotionally as they do that caregiving. — an announcement from Darien Library

When we witness the struggles or pain of others, the pain centers in our brain light up as if we were experiencing that same pain. This can be very depleting. When we convert empathy (the witnessing and taking on of another’s pain) into compassion, we trigger a physiological response that actually helps us to feel more resilient and resourced. As they say on an airplane, it’s important to put your own oxygen mask on before helping others.

Coronavirus 2021
COVID-19 blue Coronavirus blue

Superintendent: Masks Still Mandatory in School Buildings, But Not Outdoors on School Grounds

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Students must wear masks in school buildings for the rest of the school year, as state and federal guidelines state, Darien Superintendent of Schools Alan Addley told parents and staff in an email late Friday afternoon. But students and staff are allowed to go maskless outside on school grounds, he said. Addley wrote (boldface in original): “[E]ffective immediately, masks are no longer required for staff and students while outdoors or on school grounds. Masks will still be required to be worn on buses.  For all other events taking place outdoors and on school property, masks are no longer required, regardless of vaccination status.” Addley made clear that the school district is following “updated guidance” from the CDC, state Department of Public Health and state Department of Education on the in-door rule.

Coronavirus 2021
COVID-19 Coronavirus vaccine shot

Darien COVID-19 Updates: More Good News, Hardly Any Bad News

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Two thirds of Darien residents eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines have received at least one dose, and the town positivity rate for the coronavirus is 0.019%, First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said in her regular pandemic update message on Thursday. In a separate Darien COVID-19 update, this one for families of students, school district Nursing Director Alicia Casucci had an important tip for parents taking their children to the Lord & Taylor vaccine site: You only need to register once, even if the people at the vaccine site tell you otherwise. Here are the full texts of the two messages:
First Selectman’s Update
(From a 5:56 p.m. email)

Good evening. This is First Selectman Jayme Stevenson with a COVID-19 update for Thursday, May 20. Another very positive week for our town.

Environment

Rid Your Home of Toxic Waste: Darien Household Hazardous Waste Day Comes on June 5

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The Darien Department of Public Works is organizing the town’s annual Household Hazardous Waste Day to be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, June 5 at the Noroton Heights Train Station. — This article is based on an announcement from the Darien Department of Public Works

The event gives you an opportunity to get rid of toxic, sometimes poisonous household items you don’t want that could be a hazard to you and your family members, especially children. And it lets you do it in a safe way that doesn’t hurt the environment, making it a better alternative to putting it in the trash, which would go to an incinerator that puts it into the air; flushing it down the toilet, which sends it to Long Island Sound; or pouring into the soil on your property. If you’re going to the drop-off site on the train station’s south parking lot (nearest the tracks leading away from New York City), you need to use the entrance at Hollow Tree Ridge Road. After driving through and dropping off your items, you leave the station using Ledge Road, near Post 53.