Sunapee Middle-High is a relatively small school -- enrollment 251 -- with enough computers on hand to make sure every student grades 6 and up went home with one when remote learning began last spring. In a parent survey sent out by the district at the end of March, more than 99% of respondents said that their student had access to the technology they needed for remote learning.

But to make sure that teachers were focusing their energy on engaging with students, Moynihan told teachers that the attendance policies would be relaxed. “Typically we’re taking attendance at 8 AM every day,” he said. “But during COVID, we just asked our teachers and students to engage with each other. As long as a student engaged in class at some point during the week, we counted them as present.”