Danbury sets summer school schedule, cellphone rules and DHS West bus plan for next school year

The Danbury Board of Education reviewed operational plans for summer 2025 and the 2025‑26 school year, including summer school schedules, changes to student cellphone rules, a Voice‑over‑IP phone upgrade and transportation arrangements for students moving to Danbury High School West Campus.

District staff said regular summer school will run June 30–July 17, Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.; Extended School Year (ESY) programming will run June 30–July 31, Monday–Thursday, 8 a.m.–1 p.m., and DHS recovery programming will run June 30–July 24. The city will operate summer programs in district buildings July 7–Aug. 8, 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

Officials described a technology upgrade to move phone service from analog copper lines to VoIP; staff said the change should resolve school phone problems (phones cutting out or not ringing) though it will not solve cellular reception issues. The district will also buy additional lockable phone/storage containers for classrooms to support new K‑8 cellphone restrictions and high‑school limits. The new K–8 rule requires phones to be out of sight (in backpacks or lockers); high‑school students may use phones only under adult supervision during lunch.

The board also discussed the DHS West Campus occupancy and transportation plan for fall: the campus will primarily receive 10th and 11th graders and a subset of C.N.A. pathway juniors and seniors; most 12th graders will remain on the main DHS campus. The district expects roughly 800–850 students to move between campuses and said the change will require about 19 additional full buses and 4–5 minibuses for routes. Staff provided planned drop and start times: Westside Middle School drop 7:10 a.m., start 7:25 a.m.; DHS West Campus drop 6:55 a.m., start 7:10 a.m. Staff said they will monitor runs and adjust routes as needed to keep ride times reasonable.