Superintendent’s Attorney Requests Review of City by State NAACP

The Attorney for Superintendent of Schools Michael Conn3r has written to  Scot Esdaile, President of the Connecticut NAACP, to request its involvement in an investigation of how the city has handled the investigation of allegations made against Conner and other leaders in the schools administration. 

Attorney Thompson suggests that members of the Common Council are motivated by disagreements over the vision and direction of education, not by the anonymous complaints, "Some city officials despite having no authority over this matter has sought to inject themselves into this process in such a way as to possibly impede the Board of Education’s investigation and to castigate Dr. Conner’s character and reputation."

Thompson goes on to say about city officials, "Some of [their] recent statements imply that Dr. Conner is not worthy of due process..." 

The letter suggests that the Middlesex County NAACP Branch does not have the independence necessary to conduct an investigation of the potential racial implications of the city's actions. The Middlesex County NAACP is headed by Faith Jackson, who works for the city as Director of Equal Opportunity & Diversity Management.

The full text of the letter is below the break.

November 17, 2021 

Scot X. Esdaile, President

Connecticut State Conference of the NAACP
2074 Park Street, 2nd Floor
Hartford, CT 06106

Re:  Legal Redress Request To Investigate City Of Middleton, Connecticut  

Dear Mr. Esdaile

I am writing on behalf of Dr. Michael Conner the Superintendent of Public School in Middleton, Connecticut, and a recent recipient of the Connecticut State Conference of the NAACP’s distinction as one of the “100 Most Influential Blacks in the State of Connecticut.”  As a point of background, I served for four years as the President of the Loudoun County NAACP in Virginia and a member of the Executive Board of the Virginia State Conference NAACP.

As you may or may not be aware Dr. Conner is currently out on extended sick leave from his position with the Board of Education. The Board of Education has brought in an outside law firm to investigate a series of anonymous claims made against the leadership of the Middleton Public Schools. Dr. Conner welcomes this investigation and believes that when it is concluded the allegations will be just that, allegations.

However, the terminus of this request to the State NAACP involves the actions of the City of Middleton. Some city officials despite having no authority over this matter has sought to inject themselves into this process in such a way as to possibly impede the Board of Education’s investigation and to castigate Dr. Conner’s character and reputation. The City official’s actions and statements in many ways mirror the larger debate and struggle in this country over the involvement of African Americans and our history in the education of our children. Some of these recent statements imply that Dr. Conner is not worthy of due process and are seemingly calling for more summary remedies in violation of Dr. Conner and other school official’s rights.   

We believe that actions and statements by several members of the City of Middleton’s Common Council are motivated by factors other than the anonymous complaints and instead are targeted at the vision and direction of education Dr. Conner and the Board of Education has taken the Middleton Public Schools, including the renaming of schools. Because of the potential racial implications and the fact that the local NAACP Branch may lack the capability and independence to conduct a legal redress investigation of the City of Middleton; Dr. Conner is requesting that the State NAACP get involved and investigate the actions of the City of Middleton to ensure that fairness and not more sullen motivations carry the day in Middletown.   

We appreciate your timely response to this request. The State NAACP has recognized the contributions Dr. Conner has made to the State of Connecticut. An NAACP inquiry would hopefully bring fairness and balance to this process. If you have a form to fill out to initiate a formal request to investigate or if require any additional information from Dr. Conner, please do not hesitate to contact me.  

Phillip E. Thompson, Esq.