Home Care In Cheshire, CT

CHESHIRE, CT (WFSB) - Parents in Cheshire said they’re concerned about the school bus situation in the district.

The first day of school for Cheshire Public Schools was slated for Aug. 21, and some parents said they did not know if their child can take the bus.

In neighborhoods less than a mile away from elementary schools, most families have always had the chance to put their child on the bus if they wanted to.

Back in June, parents received a note from the district which said that might not be the case for the 2025-2025 school year.

Superintendent Jeff Solan said they don’t have to provide a bus to families that are less than a mile away from their school.

Solan said for the last few years, parents have been filling out forms asking for that transportation, and Cheshire has provided it.

“I would say it was a better than 90 percent chance that if you were a walker who applied for an available seat, we could accommodate you with a stop,” Solan said. “It’s clearly not that way at this point, and I think that’s been a frustration point for some people.”

More housing in the area has led to an increase in elementary school enrollment.

Solan said he can’t guarantee a spot for the children whom the district technically doesn’t have to serve.

He said they’ve thought about adding more buses to their fleet, but that would come with a price tag of several hundred thousand dollars.

“That’s why we are trying to be really conscious of that. We know we could hire multiple teachers for the cost of a bus,” Solan said.

Solan said there are two new elementary schools on the way in Cheshire, and that should help the situation.

Those schools were set to open next year.

Solan said that it is a waiting game.

He said the district will need to see just how many students actually use the buses in the first few weeks of school before they will be able to let families know if there is an open position.

CHESHIRE, CT (WFSB) - Cell phones can be a big distraction inside and outside of the classroom.

In Cheshire this year, there’s a book club happening to encourage students, and parents to think twice about how much they’re using their phone.

It came just in time for going back to school.

Superintendent Jeff Solan invited the whole community, including parents, to join.

The most recent book it read was How to Break Up with Your Cell Phone.

“How do you develop a better relationship from your cell phone and get from it what you need,” Solan commented.

Last year, nearly 200 people here read The Anxious Generation together.

Solan said it got everyone on the same page.

“It’s an opportunity for us to have a common language and common conversation, and ironically as I was saying the cell phones have us more connected, but less connected, and this is an opportunity for us to establish real personal connections,” he said. “So it’s been a great experience.”

How to Break Up with Your Cell Phone helps readers come up with a 30-day breakup plan.

“The cell phone is an incredible resource but it’s also a distraction and a time draw and can be very helpful to self-esteem when they’re constantly comparing themselves to others or fear of missing out on things,” Solan said.

Solan said Cheshire now has a stronger enforcement of its cell phone rules in school and has seen use dramatically decline during the school day.

He said he’s hoping the book can help everyone to make a change.

“I think I’m the biggest, ‘practice what you preach,’ right?” said Lauren Grenier, a parent. “I’m hoping to spend a little less time [on it, like at] the dinner table. We consider that a safe space, but I’m on my phone a lot, so it would be great to take something away for me too.”

“I think the better relationship kids can develop with their phone, the better off they’re going to be not just academically, but personally,” Solan said. “And we really focus on the whole child here. Academic success is important, but it is only one part of it. We graduate people not transcripts.”

There are also some questions people can all ask themselves to help figure out if they need to break up with their phones, such as “do you lose track of time?” and “do you feel reluctant to be without it?”

Cheshire's town council voted unanimously to not go through with a proposal that would sell off 58 acres of public land off Birch Drive.

CHESHIRE, Conn. — Cheshire's town council voted unanimously Tuesday to not go through with a proposal involving a cold storage facility that would sell off 58 acres of public land off Birch Drive.

Jim Jinks, Cheshire vice chair, said he had never seen a town come together for a decision like the community did Tuesday.

“Over the past four to six weeks, we haven’t heard from a single person saying they support this project, not one,” Jinks said. “In my six years on the council, there hasn’t been a major decision like this where the will of voters was so unequivocally and overwhelmingly on one side."

People packed the council chambers in Cheshire to make their voices heard over the proposal from developer 3 Squared LLC.

Staci Miller, whose family is from Cheshire, built a home with her husband in the area where the proposed cold storage facility would be built.

She said the proposal's environmental impact would have meant a lifestyle change for her family.

“We can’t guarantee our water wouldn’t be compromised and that’s why we’re here tonight, because we’re so concerned about the safety of all of our community,” Miller said.

Town resident John Lounsbury said it simply didn’t make sense adding the facility so close to people’s homes.

“It's in the neighborhood where my kids play, it's where my family is, it's where I want to grow up and I want to be here for the rest of my life," he said. "Having a cold storage facility 300 feet from my house? It doesn’t make sense with those trucks going, the people there, it just is not a safe environment.”

Kalin Coutinho, who has lived on Birch Drive her whole life, said the proposal would have changed everything about her street.

“Having a storage unit in our backwoods, which is 400 feet from our neighbors’ houses, where our kids play manhunt, ride their bikes, they live like kids do and taking this away from them would be terrible," she said.

Many people at Tuesday's town hall meeting mentioned the traffic and noise concerns that facility would bring to the area as well.

Kaye Paddyfote is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at . Follow her on and.

MORE NEWS:

Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at .

HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS

Download the FOX61 News APP

Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.

Stream Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.

Students returned to Norton School in Cheshire, marking the start of a new academic year with excitement over a soon-to-be new building.

CHESHIRE, Conn. — Students returned to class Thursday at Norton School, marking the start of a new academic year in Cheshire. Teachers and parents were excited about being back — and looking forward to the school’s future in a new building currently under construction.

“So excited to be back. Everybody's back in the groove, excited to be here — especially PE, what I do, we get in there and we have a lot of fun,” said Joseph Almeida, a physical education teacher at Norton School.

Students in kindergarten through sixth grade lined up outside the school, many with parents and friends accompanying them. Among them were Elga and Mathew Costello, who had just dropped off their son.

“Very excited, nervous. The ability to watch him go into the school, start a new year — it's something that feels great as parents,” Mathew Costello said.

“We love this school. He's so excited. He's so excited to see his friends, see what friends are in his class — so yeah, we're very excited for him,” Elga Costello said.

Teachers and staff greeted students at the door. Many of them are returning from years of experience. Fran Hauser, a fifth-grade teacher who has worked at Norton for 32 years, said the first day of school is always special.

“It's nice to get to know the kids when they come in the door. They're happy, they're excited. It presents an energy to the room and to see where they are going to grow throughout the year,” Hauser said.

The 2025–26 school year began slightly earlier than in previous years to accommodate construction timelines, which include the new Norton School building.

“We had to make this summer a little bit shorter so that we could make next summer a little bit longer in order to make the move into the new building,” said Assistant Principal Kathy Carlucci.

The new school is being built directly behind the current 70-year-old structure, which will be demolished to make way for new parking and field space.

“Right now, we're about 425 students. Our projections will be about 650,” Principal Jodie Roden said, noting that the upgraded facility will offer more space and modern amenities.

Almeida is particularly enthusiastic about the new gym.

“So excited for a new building. They have a projector that's interactive — so I project something against the wall, and let's say we're doing throwing and there's a target you can throw the ball. It'll pop the target on the wall, and it can track maybe a point or a score or something like that. So it's all interactive,” he said.

Parents said they appreciate how the school involved students in the building process.

“They did a really good job with getting the kids involved. They were able to sign their name last year on a beam, so they're very excited for it as well. It's change, and you know, certain things needed to be upgraded. It's such a blessing to have a new school here,” Elga Costello said.

The new building is expected to be ready for the 2026–27 school year. In the meantime, daily progress continues on-site, and the excitement among students, staff and parents is building right along with it.

Joe Monte is a Multi-Skilled Journalist for FOX61 News. He can be reached at . Follow him on for more.

Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at

HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS

Download the FOX61 News APP

Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.

Stream Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.

Rising enrollment in elementary schools means bus transportation is limited for students within walking distance, which is under a mile.

CHESHIRE, Conn. —

Some Cheshire parents are learning that their child’s seat on the school bus is no longer guaranteed this year.

Jeffery Solan, superintendent at Cheshire Public Schools, said rising enrollment in elementary schools means bus transportation is limited for students within walking distance. Students outside of the walking distance, however, will still receive a seat.

“This enrollment growth is impacting the availability of open seats for people who live in the walking zone to be able to get an extra seat that’s available on a regularly scheduled bus,” Solan said.

Cheshire buses serve K–6 students who live more than one mile away and 7–12 students more than one and a half miles away. Families who live under a mile are classified as walking distance.

In June, some parents within walking distance were told by the district that their children may not be granted a seat on the bus this year.

"Those available seats may not be guaranteed the same way they have been in the past,” Solan said. “We’ve been holding off that decision until after school starts to make sure we can guarantee a seat for everybody who lives outside of the walking area.”

Solan said families can file an “Available Seat” petition, which has been around for a decade and helps accommodate those walking distance students with bus transportation. The district said that spots are no longer guaranteed and instead the school district will assess what neighborhoods would benefit the most from bus transportation.

"We do guarantee some petitions,” Solan said. “It depends on where you live, what the bus situation looks like in that area. There are certainly neighborhoods where we don’t feel comfortable yet saying there will definitely be an opening here.”

Solan said there has been mixed responses from parents about the decision. He said some parents have been understanding, while others are expressing discomfort with facing the reality of their kids walking to school.

“Most middle school families feel much more comfortable having their child walk than an elementary family may feel,” Solan said. “Sometimes they bring up legitimate concerns about traffic or something. At this point, even though we’re not guaranteeing seats, it’s more so of a ‘wait and see.'”

Two new larger elementary schools are already under construction to help with the spike in enrollment, but they won’t be ready until the fall of 2026. Until then, parents will have to find alternative ways to get their kids to class.

The district said they will continue monitoring ridership to see if more seats can open up, but until those two new schools are built, these transportation woes could stick around for at least another school year.

MORE EDUCATION NEWS:

Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at .

HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS

Download the FOX61 News APP

Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.

Stream Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.