Schools

Special Education Staffing Decisions on Hold Until Public Meeting

BOE has agreed to suspend talks with teachers over reassignments until public meeting.

No decision will be made regarding the reassignment or firing of special education teachers in North Haven's public schools until after a public meeting on June 21.

First Selectman Michael Freda discussed the matter with Superintendent Robert Cronin today after receiving numerous emails and calls on the matter from concerned parents.

"We decided that rather than make any decisions right away, the Board of Education should hold a public meeting to present information to residents and talk about their plan going forward," Freda said this evening.

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According to the First Selectman, the public will have a chance to comment during the meeting.

While a location for the session has not yet been finalized, Freda recommended that the meeting be held in the High School's auditorium to accommodate the potentially sizable turnout. The location is expected to be announced sometime tomorrow.

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Freda also indicated that the suggestion to reassign or remove teachers was a product of Dr. Cronin's research on the school system following his arrival in the district.

A Focused Monitoring Report on North Haven's special education program conducted in April identified several areas for improvement within the department. It did not, however, explicitly suggest the downsizing of special education staff.

The First Selectman does not have authority to overrule Board of Education decisions, and Mr. Freda will not be able to directly influence the final outcome of the staffing question.


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