"At this time we have no plans in place for this program since many school people were assured that the program would not be implemented this year since no funds were made available to cover the costs," said Interim Superintendent Bill Papallo in an e-mail to NorwalkNet. "There is a session of the legislature next week when this issue will be addressed once again. It is our hope that if the program is to be implemented they send money or suspend implementations until funds are made available to cover the costs."
Republican legislators are the ones pressing the delay of a law requiring in school suspensions.
Last Thursday, Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield and House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk held a press conference at the capitol to urge the Democratic-majority to suspend an unfunded mandate to require in school suspensions because municipalities are struggling with their budgets. The General Assembly will be reconvening this week to iron out the details of the state's recently passed budget.
The requirement for in-school suspension has been controversial. The legislation was passed in 2007 as Connecticut Public Act 07-66 and signed into law by Gov. Jodi Rell. Originally slated to go into effect July 1, 2008 the implementation date was delayed to July 1, 2009 after school superintendents across the state protested that the new law was going to require additional staff and supervision of students in in-school suspension programs in most districts. Bills were put forth before the legislature again this Spring to further postpone the implementation but they did not pass.
In July, Dr. Sal Corda, then Norwalk's Superintendent, wrote a letter to the legislature requesting a suspension of law. At the time, NorwalkNet ran a story with more background on the law.
However, Carolyn Maznec Dugas
While rumors abounded regarding a possible further postponement of the implementation date, no legislation was passed during this past legislative year or during any special session, nor is there any legislation pending that would change the implementation date. The time has come, effective as of July 1, 2009, for implementation of that law. School districts are to implement the new rules for the 2009-2010 year. School districts are required to have in school suspension programs in place that are functional for the coming school year. Remember that each school does not have to have an individual in school suspension location and that a district wide location would be acceptable.Brian Lockhart, a politics reporter for the Connecticut Post, wrote a blog entry about this topic in which he interviewed Rep. Cafero.
“This is the wrong time to implement it,” Cafero told reporters, citing the estimated costs to cash-strapped cities ($600 annually for Bridgeport, $360,000 to $600,000 annually for Stamford and $250,000 annually for Norwalk).While Cafero wants to delay the implementation of the law, he is in favor of it.
“I did vote for the bill,” Cafero said. “Sometimes it is easier and cheaper to just say (to students) ‘get out for ten days and we don’t have to educate you’. I’m not so sure that is the best policy.”According to statistics published by the State Dept. of Education there were 1,165 students suspended or expelled in Norwalk during the 2007-2008 school year resulting in an incidence rate of 10.85%. The State of Connecticut's average incident rate was 10.06%.
What do you think about the new law?
Let's see what happens this week when the issue goes in front of the General Assembly. I'll keep you posted.
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Does anyone know the consequences for failing to meet the requirements of this law?
ReplyDeleteThis is another unfunded mandate from our friends in Hartford. I can understand why people want students to stay in school and don't want to see them at home unsupervised, but in school suspensions are a joke. Anyone who thinks that giving students a packet of worksheets and sending them to a suspension room constitutes 'education' has been smoking funny cigarettes. It is just a place to warehouse them.
ReplyDeleteStudents who assault other students, hit teachers, are openly defiant, and seriously disrupt the educational environment NEED CONSEQUENCES. Sometimes suspension is the only thing that gets parents' attention.
The law allows out-of-school suspension for acts of violence, drugs, weapon possession and other extreme offenses.
ReplyDeleteI just wonder about the parents who wouldn't be at all fazed by their child getting an out-of-school suspension. There are parents out there who don't take what the schools say seriously at all, are in denial, think that their child is unjustifiably being singled out, picked on, etc. Would those kids just be allowed to roam the streets during the school day, getting into more mischief?
ReplyDelete