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April 9, 2020

Scholastic plans to close Danbury facility, lay off workers

IMAGE | Scholastic.com
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

School book fair and publishing giant Scholastic Inc. has informed state officials that it plans to close its Danbury facility and lay off 87 employees.

The state Department of Labor was made aware of the decision on Tuesday, under a federal Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice. 

Donna Millilo, senior human resources manager for Scholastic, indicated in a letter to the state that the company plans to close the facility, at 90 Old Sherman Turnpike, on or around May 31.

The widespread closing of schools, where Scholastic’s book fairs typically are held, has had a negative impact on the company, according to the notice.

Millilo cited the “unforeseeable, dramatic and significant downturn in business and revenue caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) natural disaster and the resulting public health emergency,” in the notice.

The shuttering of schools around the country because of the virus is “significantly impacting the company’s ability to operate,” the notice states.

School closings have meant cancelled book fairs and reduced book orders, according to Millilo.

The company made the “difficult decision” to close the Danbury facility this past week. The last day of employment for the impacted employees will be June 5, or within two weeks afterward, the notice states. Some of the Danbury-based employees had already been furloughed as of March 23. 

Anne Sparkman, a spokesperson with Scholastic’s corporate communications office, issued the following statement via email on Thursday:  "Scholastic is permanently closing its operations at the Danbury facility, effective May 31, 2020. The affected employees were notified of this decision earlier to give them as much time as possible to pursue other opportunities within and outside of our company. We are supporting them with severance pay, benefits continuation, and outplacement services."

The international company is celebrating its centennial anniversary this October. It publishes and distributes children’s books, and also provides literacy curriculum. According to its website, it exports to 165 countries and makes books available to children through book clubs, book fairs, libraries, retail stores and online.

Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.

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