Letter to the Editors: Concerned Parent still has unanswered questions regarding DEAL Program closure

The following letter was submitted to the Eye by Bielefield Elementary parent Jane Majewski, the mother who started the recent online petition concerning alleged mismanagement on the part of three administrators of the BOE administration overseeing Pupil Services and Special Education Services. It should be considered as an opinion piece; the verification of any facts & responsibility of claims made rests solely on the author. This letter, and others submitted by readers, are posted as a courtesy to readers,a and not necessarily the opinion of the team of regular bloggers or blog editors of the MiddletownEye.

Recently there has been much conversation about the closing of the DEAL program housed at Lawrence School and its possible impact on the current issues being faced at Farm Hill School.

At the last Board of Education meeting Dr. Frechette cited a report from the Connecticut State Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education, that covered a March 20 -24 monitoring site visit. As a result of that visit, Middletown was told that it "...needed to decrease the number of students in all disability categories who spend time in segregated settings as defined as students who are educated with their nondisabled peers." The report went on to say "This plan is to support the increase of students being appropriately educated in the district and within the general education environment that have otherwise been sent out of district or educated in separate classes due to behavioral needs or cognitive disabilities."

This is in direct contrast to the Cambridge report posted on the Lawrence School website. Within this report one sees a very different perspective to that of the BOE Administrators claim that they needed to disband the program. Allow me to highlight some of the statements on this report.

"In addition to its own regular student population the school provides education and support for 30 students in the Daily Experiences/Activities for Living Program (DEAL). These students would otherwise be placed out of district because of their significant learning and emotional needs. This is a district wide program that serves all 8 elementary schools in Middletown and which provides students with strategies to enable them to return to regular education, classrooms in their own schools."

"What the School Does Well.
The excellent behavior management strategies that are consistently demonstrated by staff ensure that the school is a calm and safe environment where students behave well, forge excellent relationships and learn the difference between right and wrong.

The school provides well for all students but particularly for those in the DEAL program to enable them to return to regular education, classrooms in their own schools. The learning difficulties experienced by students include autism, neurological impairments, emotional disturbance, intellectual disabilities and medical fragility".

At the recent Board of Education meeting Ted Radzka stated there was an increase in budget needs due to (amongst other things) an increase in cost to out of district placements and magnet school placements.

This is the reason why I became vocal about the issues facing Farm Hill. As a parent of a child in the DEAL program I was not told the DEAL program was being closed. It was just done. This is the lack of communication that parents are frustrated with. The conflict between the contradicting statements of the Cambridge report and the Administration is what leaves parents without a sense of trust.

Allow me to connect some dots. The DEAL program was closed. The children became ICM students at Farm Hill and Bielefield. The recommendations of Izzy Greenberg for redistricting (and closing of DEAL was under this) was not implemented. Farm Hill school did not have the staffing or resources to ensure a safe transition of this redistricting. Now, we have a divided confused community. As a direct result, children that would have been sent to DEAL are being sent out of town (farther away from our community) and the cost is increasing. More parents are applying to magnet schools for their mainstream children (myself included), cost is increasing.

No one is able to tell me where the ICM children's home schools would be. This is due to confidential laws that protect the children. The same administrators who fight to protect confidentiality of their clients have not fought to keep them safe and in an appropriate environment.

Why was DEAL really closed?
Why cant it be brought back?
If it worked (excellantly according to the cambridge report, staff and parents) why not keep it? It saves the taxpayers money and provides a nurturing and safe learning environment for all of our children

Jane Majewski

Meanwhile during the BOE Meeting....

Meanwhile, at the new Comcast studio in Cromwell, while the BOE meeting was going on Tuesday, two Middletown mothers were guests on the cable access show "The Edge" hosted by Jonathan Pulino and guest co-hosted by Councilwoman Debra Kleckowski filling in for regular host William Wilson. Jane Majewski, mother of two children attending Middletown public schools, one with autism, and organizer of the online petition written about previously in the Eye, calling for the termination of the three administrators in charge of special education services for Middletown because of what she calls their negligence in failure to address the needs of her son by elimination of the DEAL program. The DEAL program was a program made up of special classes taught by teachers trained to handle children with various learning and behavioral disabilities that was housed at Lawrence Elementary to serve all Middletown elementary aged special needs students.

Large Crowd Disappointed at Board of Ed Meeting

It was standing room only at Tuesday night's regular Board of Education meeting. Much of the standing was done by the five media camera crews and a handful of print journalists who also attended the meeting. The mood in the room was rather tense, and the crowd was prone to several instances of loudly spoken comments in response to something said by one of the board members.

The Superintendent's inability to answer any of the specific questions posed to him regarding the use of "time out" rooms at Farm Hill Elementary School seriously disappointed and/or angered the parents in the audience. The agenda was re-arranged to allow the Superintendent to present his report on Farm Hill immediately following the adoption of the agenda (view the report here, look for the Talking Points, Farm Hill School link). Most of the Superintendent's report contained information that had been shared with parents at the Farm Hill PTA meeting on January 12th (coverage of that meeting can be found here). Upon the conclusion of the update, BOE Chairman Gene Nocera commented that due to on-going investigations, the board's discussion of what was happening at Farm Hill would be limited to the Superintendent's Report. Nocera did promise, however, that a full public discussion would follow the conclusion of all investigations. [Author's note: this statement was not well received by the audience.]

Middletown Mother Begins Online Petition: No Confidence in Special Ed. Dept. Admins

Letter submitted to the Eye Editors from a mother of a child receiving special education services in the Middletown Public School system:

To the Editor:

I have created a petition addressed to Mayor Daniel T. Drew, the Common Council and Board of Education members which seeks the terminations of Ann Perzan, Laurie Slade and Mindy Otis of Middletown's Department of Pupil Services and Special Education.

The three administrators have consistently failed the students in this town and their families. They have violated the rights of children with disabilities by not providing them access to services that they need to learn in a non-restrictive environment. They have not included parents in the process of changes that directly impact the children with special needs, their families and the mainstream community.

They have not provided their staff with infrastructure needed to implement learning. They have failed to keep special needs children, their staff and the community safe. The evidence of this is their recent decision to disband the DEAL program housed at Lawrence School and place special needs children into the community without infrastructure to ensure that the children are safe; that the staff are trained properly to deliver services; and that communication and training were conducted to the general population and staffing.

As the leaders of the Special Education Department, this is unacceptable behavior and their actions prove they are not competent in their positions and need to be removed immediately.

We have lost confidence in their ability to provide a nurturing environment that ensures our special needs children are being educated in a safe, legal and least restrictive environment.

Jane Flanders Majewski, Middletown

http://www.change.org/petitions/middletown-connecticut-residents-seek-change

Superintendent Outlines Farm Hill Support Plan

An addition to the agenda at Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting allowed Superintendent Michael Frechette to update the board on the resources being put into play at Farm Hill Elementary School to address "behavioral issues" in the school.

Frechette had originally planned to meet with the Farm Hill PTA and faculty and staff first before updating the board, but the media frenzy and BOE member interest caused the front office to "drop everything and prepare this report for tonight's meeting." Click here to be linked to the report posted on the Superintendent's website (it's called Farm Hill Support Plan).

The plan outlines the additional staff Farm Hill will be receiving as well as the creation of a Climate Committee "to facilitate and establish [an] action plan to address building needs." The plan also outlines specific action steps, identifies who is responsible for those steps, and what student groups those action steps apply to. For example, the immediate response to inappropriate language and physical aggression will be an In School Suspension and it will be implemented by the Building Sub/Student Manager Coordinator.

Dr. Donn Sottolano, Director of the ACES Behavior Services Center (ACES stands for Area Cooperative Educational Services and exists "to improve public education through high quality, cost-effective programs and services"), was also scheduled today to meet with the Farm Hill grade levels for "collaborative conversations with regard to children at risk." One could speculate that this meeting might be one way the school tries to identify why there are "issues" and how they can be properly addressed.

The Farm Hill PTA meeting this evening is a regularly scheduled PTA meeting that just happened to be planned for this week. It was not called specially for the purpose of discussing a new support plan, and PTA officers plan to have a normal meeting with normal business on the agenda. "This meeting has been planned since the beginning of the year, and we usually have about ten people at each meeting, so that's what we would regularly expect, " commented one PTA officer.

Superintendent Frechette told the BOE that he plans to meet with Farm Hill's faculty and staff tomorrow. When asked by BOE member Ed McKeon for a "history of this issue without confidential specifics," Frechette answered that he had been working with the Farm Hill principal for almost two years now, through the re-districting process, and more specifically at the beginning of this year as new staff was added. Dr. Frechette went on to add that plan had been finalized even before Christmas, and that the coordination of additional state and other agency involvement had taken time to come together.

Several board members asked if re-districting was a root cause of Farm Hill's immediate issues, and Assistant Superintendent Barbara Senges replied that if the implication was that moving a special needs program to Farm Hill was the problem, then no, it wasn't re-districting that's at fault. "Frankly, the majority of the behavioral problems at Farm Hill aren't kids in the special needs program," Senges explained.

The Ugly Duckling: A Commentary on Education and Community

I attended Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting as a community reporter, but my heart as a parent suffered the most. I'm not a Farm Hill parent, so I have no direct knowledge of what has happened there. My children left the Middletown school system in 2009 for private school, so I don't even have a direct connection to a Middletown school in general. What I do have, though, is one of "those" children. My oldest is in 6th grade, and he has been "difficult" since he was born: 20 minute naps as an infant, tantrums as a two-year-old because we weren't driving "the right way," meltdowns over schoolwork, you name it we've had it. He doesn't have a learning disability, he doesn't have ADHD, he doesn't have any diagnosable "problem," but he does have a low threshold for frustration, he's impulsive, and he's got a flaming, instantaneous temper when things don't go his way. His outbursts can be so consuming and violent that I've wondered if one day I'll have to worry about my safety.

So let's consider his environment: he's very white, upper-middle class, has happily married and well-educated parents, great healthcare, mom at home full time, dad very involved in parenting, active church involvement, nice home with all the extras in a good neighborhood, attends private school, involved in sports and other activities including music, gets to travel, lacks for nothing and yet, he's a nightmare to be around when he loses it.

We've seen doctors, psychologists, and counselors. We've had teacher meetings, administrator meetings and any other meeting you can think of. We've drafted plans, talked about consequences, implemented plans and consequences, yelled, grounded, taken stuff away, canceled family events, talked about medication (but without a specific diagnosis, meds aren't an option), etc. He goes to bed by 8pm and doesn't watch TV or play video games during the week, and that's been his schedule for at least the last 3 or 4 years. We've thrown significant time and resources at "solving" his problems, and yet nothing has worked to prevent his meltdowns, not even under a specific doctor's recommended care.

In second grade, he had issues with the long-term sub when his regular teacher had a knee replacement. In third grade he was in trouble every day for doing something the teacher didn't like, and then he got mad a recess one day and punched one of his best friends. Then we started seeing someone for anger management and put him in private school for fourth grade. We paid full tuition, knowing it was our responsibility to provide him with the best possible environment. It was better for a little while, but then he had issues "getting along" with his classmates. In fifth grade, it seemed like he had finally settled in. Mind you, it wasn't his schoolwork that was the problem. He's very smart and completes his homework effortlessly if he feels like it. He could do without any kind of writing, but he is more than competent at it if forced to work on it long enough. He had a few bumpy moments with his two teachers, but seemed to be getting the hang of it finally.

Here's the point of my story: right before the February break last year, his teacher mentions to me as I'm leaving school for vacation that there have been some issues at recess, but that the teachers were handling it. He doesn't explain, I'm in a hurry to get out the door. The day we returned from vacation, I'm asked to a meeting between the teachers and an administrator about an upcoming parent meeting for the entire 5th grade (about 23 kids). I'm told that a group of kids have been treating my son unfairly, that there are all kinds of issues in 5th grade about how the kids were treating each other. All the parents will be meeting with a hired outside counselor to talk things over. So my husband and I go to that meeting, only to have it get hijacked by a small group of very angry parents with a specific grievance against our son. I was told, in front of a room full of about 40 parents, that "our school has been a great place until your kid showed up and ruined our lives...."

If you can imagine what I felt at that moment - shock, disbelief, anger at not being told anything about what was going on, amazement that not one parent called me in the WEEKS of supposed goings on, frustration that my child might have really screwed it up this time, etc. - then you can imagine a piece of what it was like to be in the BOE meeting on Tuesday. There was genuine anger, frustration, and horror. There was also a lot of uncertainty, missing details, emotion, speculation, and basic lashing out, and here's why my personal experiences as a parent are relevant. Let's not forget that the other side of this story is the child who struggles and the parent who has to watch it over and over and over again. I'm not concluding that parents are excused from parenting or that children shouldn't be held accountable for their actions, I'm saying that there are many moving pieces in play, and we all need to take a moment and consider what they are before we pass judgment on anyone.

Hans Christian Anderson wrote the story, The Ugly Duckling, in 1844. I've always known the basic story, but I hadn't actually read it for myself until yesterday. Take a moment to read it for yourself in the original telling. (click here)

The basic moral of the story is of course that you can't be something you're not. If you're not a duck, you can't be one no matter how hard you try. We all get that, I think. Then I thought about how the story applies to public education generally, and the Middletown Public School system specifically. It occurred to me that maybe we're still trying to turn swans into ducks when we ought to be focusing on the quality of the water in the pond.

Every child is unique and special. Even in a family with the same parents, children can be similar and yet completely different. On the scale of a large city with multiple schools, then, these differences are magnified infinitely. We're no longer talking about ducks and swans, for there are frogs, fish, bugs, snakes, geese, beavers, otters, turtles, herons, snails, water lilies, cattails, and all the other creatures and plants that would live in or use a pond. A healthy pond needs all these creatures for the eco-system to function properly. A turtle can't tell a goose to leave because the goose honks loudly, and any nature lover can tell you the havoc wreaked on the system when one species dominates in a way it shouldn't (think invasive non-native species).

Most importantly, any use of the pond creates ripples. Fish swim below the surface, a flock of geese makes all kinds of noise and waves when landing collectively, and tree frogs just talk incessantly when they have something to say. So "correct" use of the pond isn't about not disturbing the surface or the peace, it's about the pond's ability to meet the needs of the creature using it. Animals will stay when their needs are met and they will move on when they need something else. Plants will thrive or die off, and the cycle continues on.

Our pond metaphor gets tricky when you consider the outside forces that can alter how a pond functions. A nearby industrial plant that pollutes the water stream forces the ecosystem to handle a threat it wasn't designed for. A massive storm or even a new housing development could rearrange the terrain and alter drainage into or out of the pond. The inhabitants of the pond have no control over these outside events, but they suffer all the consequences of an altered environment with no ability to change their circumstances. It's also possible that the altered environment brings new users (for better or for worse), and a frog couldn't argue that a beaver couldn't use the pond because beavers had never been there before.

So, if we all agree that education is a principal foundation for our American way of life, and we have chosen the public school system as the primary method to convert principal into deed, we must all use the same perspective to evaluate how the system functions.

There is a huge ripple in the pond over at Farm Hill Elementary School right now, but why? Is it a functional ripple, meaning the system is being used as it should be? Or, is it a warning from one user of the system to all other users that danger is close and everyone had better pay attention? If the latter, what is the source of the danger? Is it a direct threat, meaning one participant to another (think heron to fish), or an indirect threat, meaning a force that will alter the basic make-up of the environment (think acid rain or even a drought)?

My pond metaphor ceases to be useful at the point we have to consider the safety of each child in the school environment. Obviously heron are entitled to eat, and they like fish and frogs, and that's not so good for the fish and frogs, but that's how it goes for nature. So, moving on, let's consider what we as a community can say and do from here.

1. Get the facts. The warning call sounded, so let's check it out. Assistant Superintendent Barbara Senges told me personally that every complaint or accusation mentioned at Tuesday night's meeting will get checked out. I heard several BOE members say something similar, and we have to trust all of them to do their jobs and give them the time to sort it out. There are many sides to this story - teachers, administrators, the kids who were involved, the kids who weren't involved, parents who are involved, parents who aren't involved, and so on.

2. Tell the truth. For everyone in this town as well as this situation specifically, honesty is an absolute requirement. If you made a mistake, own it, admit it, and then fix it. If a program isn't working the way it was designed to, say so and then make it better. There is no such thing as a perfect parent or teacher or administrator or child. Some of my most spectacular failures as a parent have come at the same time I've been trying to get my child "under control" for his own failure to keep it together. If I were to continue to apply the same failing method while blaming him for the problem, I'd be ignoring my duty as a parent to know and love and guide my child for the person he is instead of the person I wished he was. I'm not saying I'm now perfect, I'm saying I get it intellectually and I still fail to execute it the way I think and know I should, and so I have to keep trying.

3. Think before you speak, and then act with grace and mercy. Humans are emotional creatures, and threats to our children are probably the number one reason for instant, emotional response. That's OK and that's how we're wired. We also live in a community and depend on each other for friendship, support, economic prosperity and safety. If you act and speak without measure, you damage these relationships in the most profound ways. In my personal experience, those angry parents ended up not having the full story (they only knew what their children had told them), and their assumptions and actions shattered our small school community. In the end, everyone shared a piece of the problem, my child included, and resolution could only be possible when everyone recognized what was wrong and worked together to make it right. Honestly, that didn't completely happen and I would say that it's not 100% better. That doesn't give me the right to be rude to people or to fail to hold my child accountable for his mistakes, and it also doesn't mean that we shouldn't even try to make improvements because we can't be 100% successful in solving problems. Building community is a process that doesn't end, and if you expect or deserve certain things from your community, your community expects and deserves those same things from you.

4. Say I'm sorry. No ifs, ands or buts...just I'm sorry. Those are powerful words and they work magic to deflate an angry, heated atmosphere. Those words are most effective from people in positions of authority, even if said individuals had no direct responsibility for what happened. "I'm sorry" also works between parents and children, and parents and parents, and children and children. You don't even have to be sorry for doing something to someone else, you could be sorry for not noticing their struggle or sorry that they're struggling at all.

5. Be a friend. This is a deliberate action, and it can be hard and uncomfortable. It can also be rewarding, exciting, funny, joyful, and the most fun of your life! Look for someone to be a friend to, and don't assume he or she doesn't like you because they didn't ask you first. Stand up for someone you see being mistreated, and ask questions when you don't understand a situation you witness.

Finally, we have to trust the system to work. Parents and schools are supposed to be allies, not enemies. It's not "us" against "them" (well, sometimes our kids think it is, but that's a different "us" and "them"!). Individuals can make mistakes and we should insist on accountability, but we have to work together, not against each other. There's no room for egos or personal agendas. This is our town, our money, our schools, and our kids. Call the other parent and get the whole story if your child complains about another child. If you have an issue you can't work out with the teacher or the principal, file a complaint or make an appointment with the Assistant Superintendent and the Superintendent. Go to a Board of Education meeting and stay the whole time, not just for the public comment time. Focus on what you can do to make sure the pond is clean and healthy, even if you can't do as much as someone else can, and together we can ensure all our children have the best possible environment to grow up in.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Mahr,

EYE reporter and mother of 3 living in Middletown

P.S. About my "ugly duckling" sixth grader...he's in middle school now and they change classes and teachers every period. He has gym twice a week, sports practice during school twice a week, and practice after school twice a week. He's not only having a better year, he's rocking everything he does, and he's doing it without parental intervention, without a doctor's supervision, and without medication. He's had remarkable improvement in his behavior at home. He hasn't had one issue at school, and it's the same kids, same parents, same everything as the last two very difficult years. Maturity might be some of it, perhaps our continual efforts have finally accomplished something, maybe the possibility of a cell phone for awesome grades through eighth grade might be a factor, or just maybe it could be as simple as the fact that his school schedule no longer has him sitting in the same place with the same kids for long periods of time. Just maybe this continual motion helps reset his frustration tolerance every 50 minutes or so, and that's all he needs to function "successfully." Is he now a "perfect" child and my parenting challenges are over? Hah! We haven't even introduced hormones yet, so I know there's no chance I'm off the hook. But, I have had a stunning insight into what makes my child tick, and I now see the last several years in a completely different light. I so desperately wanted a duck, and my son is not a duck for sure. Interestingly, though, I think his ugly behavior is mostly the result of the basic assumption that he was a duck and needed to learn like one. When that restriction was lifted, we are now better able to see him for who he really is.

Board of Education Passes 2012-2013 Budget

At tonight's Board of Education meeting, the 2012-2013 proposed budget of $74, 161, 155 passed with only one dissenting vote. Board Member Ryan Kennedy voted against the budget, saying he had heard from many residents who simply cannot afford for taxes to go up in this budget cycle. Kennedy did say that he does support the new math curriculum proposed by the budget, but that he can't at this time support an increased budget overall.

Click here for a link to the proposed budget, then select the link that reads "Superintendent's Recommended Budget for FY 2012-2012. The proposed budget represents a 4.82% increase over last year's budget. However, Budget Chairman Ted Raczka called it a "roll-over budget," meaning that other than contractual increases, budget amounts remain at the same level as last year. Raczka was also quick to add that the budget is a work in progress, and that he hopes members of the public will follow the process and advocate for a budget that meets the needs of Middletown students. BOE Chairman Gene Nocera commented that this year and next would be a difficult budget cycle and that he hoped to navigate the next two years with great concern for preventing staff lay-offs: "That would disastrous for our district and our programs," Nocera added.

Recent events at Farm Hill Elementary School completely overshadowed this evening's budget vote. Fourteen different parents and/or concerned Middletown residents spoke to the board about behavioral issues at Farm Hill. Over and over parents commented about the lack of information about what was happening while expressing a combined frustration at the perceived lack of resources or ability to handle behavioral problems. Superintendent Michael Frechette presented a report to the BOE about what resources have been available to Farm Hill and what new resources are coming as part of an expanded plan on how to address the concerns raised. At Farm Hill's upcoming Thursday (1/12/12) PTA meeting, Dr. Frechette will be meeting with the PTA to explain what is happening. Frechette will hold a similar meeting with Farm Hill teachers and staff on Friday (1/13/12). This EYE reporter was also told that several BOE members plan to attend the PTA meeting as well.

Additional information will be available as this week progresses, so check back for an update on this topic.

Farm Hill Elementary School PTA President Raises Concerns Over Behavior Management Policies

The EYE obtained a copy of the following letter from Farm Hill Elementary School PTA President, Apryl Dudley, to Mayor Drew. The letter, dated January 6th, raises serious concerns about student behavior and how it has been addressed. Superintendent Michael Frechette's response, sent this morning to Board of Ed members and the Farm Hill Principal, follows. It does not appear that the Superintendent has any plans to share with the Board of Ed at tomorrow night's regular meeting at 7pm in the Common Council Chambers at City Hall.

January 6, 2012

To: Honorable Mayor, Dan Drew

CC: Michael J. Frechette, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools; Barbara R. Senges, Associate Superintendent; Ann Perzan, Director of Pupil Services and Special Education; Gene P. Nocera, BOE Chair; Sheila C. Daniels, Vice-Chair; Ed McKeon, Secretary; William G. Grady, Ava M. Hart, Ryan Kennedy, Cheryl A. P. McClellan, Mitchell Wynn, Theodore V. Raczka, Patricia Girard Principle-Farm Hill and “The many concerned Farm Hill Parents”

Hello,

My name is Apryl Dudley and I have been involved in the Farm Hill PTA since my children started Kindergarten five years ago. I was PTA vice president from 2008-2010 and currently President from 2010-2012.

I am writing you with some concerns I have and concerns I have been hearing from other parents. I am a very involved parent at Farm Hill School. As the president of the PTA, I feel I am in a very difficult position. I have had many parents calling me telling me they are ready to call the media, police and DCF in an attempt to help our children. I would like to see corrective measures taken before our community is publicly humiliated by the media. I see and hear a lot of what is going on in our school.

My fear is that a child is going to get severely hurt and hope for a response and a resolution. In October, word got out about two rooms that were created for our "behavior students" who can't control their anger. Parents and students refer to them as "Scream Rooms". We were told they are alternative learning environments by administration. They are small rooms with concrete walls. When a child can't be controlled they are brought to this room. Staff members stand outside the door until the child cools down, then they are let out. Three parents called me after they witnessed two staff members holding a door shut from one of these rooms with a child on the other side as they kicked and screamed uncontrollably. There is something unsettling, knowing that a child is hitting their head against walls and urinating everywhere, then only to be let out and put back in classrooms with our children.

During these events, depending on which room the child is in, it becomes a disruption to all classrooms surrounding it. Some classrooms/grades are made to stop their lesson and either read or color to try to ignore the blood curdling screams and even take their books and pencils into a different location in the school. Many times both of these rooms are being used at the same time which leaves no option to find a quiet spot to learn. I myself have witnessed children being restrained both inside and outside of the school and carried into these "Rooms". My children come home weekly, “sometimes multiple times in a week”, discussing the incidents that occurred in school that day.

These outbursts are disrupting the entire school. Is Farm Hill the only school in the district with the ICM department? With CMT's coming up, how are other children going to be able to perform well, when they are pretty much guaranteed to hear these outbursts? Farm Hill failed last year, what is going to happen this year?

Many students, and I assume staff, are afraid of these children. The disrespect and language to our staff and students by these children is disgusting. I myself have been told these children can't help it. I find that VERY hard to believe and unacceptable. These students have negatively affected the learning enviourment and regularly intimidate other students. This must stop and it is the BOE’s obligation to take corrective measures ASAP to make this stop.

Good students are getting an "I don't care attitude". They see these behavioral students being rewarding if they have a good hour and the all the rest of the student body are expected to behave at all times.

An issue I have, and other parents have voiced to me as well, is the lack of communication and information to parents at our school. I understand privacy laws, but there is no reason why parents shouldn't be made aware of the issues that go on in our school. Why can’t parents be told that our school was selected to house the ICM children who have serious behavior issues. These children require restraining from trained staff and sometimes must be transported out by ambulance. Forwarding general information on to parents would save a lot of gossip and help answer questions.

Right now the families at Farm Hill are basically kept in the dark. Our children are coming home asking why the police were at school again today, or why were there stretchers in the hallway. What are we parents supposed to say? We, as parents can only assume. When we ask, we are told it can't be discussed. Still leaving the questions of what happened and are our children safe?

Currently, approximately 20-25 families have pulled their children out of our school since September because of these ongoing major issues and have sent them to private school. Many more families do not plan on returning next September. Do you as a Board of Ed really want to have all of our good families leave this school? Or worse yet, I have heard people wanting to move out of Middletown for a better learning environment. What kind of statement does this make to potential new residents/taxpayers?

I feel another reason our school is so out of control is because of a lack of resources. McDonough School for example, has more resources than all the elementary schools put together. They have funded programs that come in to help staff and students. Wesleyan students also come in and volunteer to run after school programs and many more. Why hasn't Farm Hill been given the proper resources we need? Is it a budget issue? Wesleyan students tutor for free. I know this for a fact because I have utilized them to assist my child for additional educational benefits.

This ongoing situation is not only affecting our children but surely must have a negative effect on our teachers. The moral at our school is at its worst. Our children are unhappy. It is also embarrassing to be at an event not involving school and hear people talk about how bad things are at Farm Hill School. I used to be proud to say I was a Farm Hill Parent and find myself now not admitting it. Please help our children in our school.

I have included these additional facts that have been brought to my attention as parental issues for student and staff safety concerns and questionable acceptance policies by the BOE.

1) The police department had to be called at least once, each week since school started

2) Desks are being flipped, chairs are being thrown and equipment is being damaged. - DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY

3) Staff members are being injured by students. - ABUSE

4) An ICM student allegedly put a belt around her neck during class. - Attempted Suicide/Attention

5) The same student punched a fellow student in the face, giving her a black eye. - Assault

6) Children in their fit of rage, rip down fellow classmates work with no consequence.

I am available to discuss any and all issues within this letter. Many concern parents are waiting to hear from you and are already calling me as their President of the PTA for any resolution to these issues I have raised. I know of no misinformation provided above and can only hope the BOE shares enough concerns to move forward to immediate changes.

Sincerely,

________________________

Apryl Dudley

PTA President

Superintendent Michael Frechette's response to this letter (and incidently, it was not addressed to Apryl Dudley - she wasn't even on the initial email response):

Good Morning,

Thank you very much for your email with regard to concerns at Farm Hill. Central Office has been meeting with Pat throughout the fall to address issues as they have arisen.

Concurrently, we have been putting together a comprehensive plan to proactively address the issues at Farm Hill. Recently, we have formalized our action plan for Farm Hill which will be articulated to the faculty and staff on Friday, January 13th with Central Office in attendance.

Point of clarification -- many issues at Farm Hill are not the result of the Special Education population, rather, general education students, which is why the plan we have developed is comprehensive in order to address the entire population.

A significant part of this plan is a School-Parent Compact which will involve the PTA, State Department of Education, Central Office, and Farm Hill Staff.

Subsequent to the faculty and staff meeting on Friday, January 13th the plan will be shared with the PTA. However, to allay concerns recently expressed by parents, I have spoken with several parents and indicated that a plan will be forthcoming to address safety issues at Farm Hill.

Teachers and staff members have been meeting with Central Office to share their point-of-view of the issues at Farm Hill. Their input was used in the formulation of the final plan.

I will share this plan with the BOE in writing after the faculty, staff, and CO meet on Friday, January 13th and provide a report at the January 24th regular BOE meeting.

Michael

Michael J. Frechette, Ph.D.

Rumors: Part 2

The Middletown EYE previously investigated a rumor circling the school district about the availability of paper for copying (see previous article). After a number of comments posted to that article, I spoke again with Superintendent Michael Frechette, via phone interview this morning, about allegations that Lawrence and Farm Hill Elementary Schools (in particular) are out of paper.

According to Dr. Frechette, a paper shortage "is not an issue." The Superintendent confirmed that he has checked with several principals and the district's business manager, and he could not find any evidence of teachers having to buy their own paper to make copies.

Frechette did say that Middletown schools do encourage donations of various supplies, but not because the school's basic needs aren't meet. He also said that the schools are trying to be more conscious of WHAT is being copied so paper isn't wasted. In the end, the Superintendent commented that he "just doesn't know where this information is coming from" because he can't find a problem anywhere.

From my own personal viewpoint, I suppose it's possible that the administrative effort to make better choices about what gets copied was interpreted as a ban on copying, but then again, I'm not a teacher or a principal and I can't say for sure who said what to whom.

I did ask Dr. Frechette specifically about the two parents who reported that they received a letters stating that homework was affected by the paper shortage, but he had no knowledge of such a letter. This of course doesn't mean said letter doesn't exist, but without a copy of it myself, I can't do much more than accept what he's said.

There is a regular Board of Education meeting tonight at 7pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The public is allowed 3 minutes per person to speak to the Board on matters concerning education in Middletown, so feel free to present contradictory evidence if you have it. Yours truly will be there to cover the meeting for the EYE, and I'd love to see the mystery homework letter if a copy of it exists...

Dems Show Support for Mental Health and Developmental Education

The symbolism was irresistible.

On the one hand, our Republican governor, desperate to deliver a balanced budget in the face of a $8 billion deficit, expresses the need to cut funding for Family Resource Centers at elementary schools in Connecticut, and to close Riverview Hospital, the only Connecticut State Hospital which treats children and teens with severe mental health issues.

On the other hand, Democratic legislators anxious to pass their own version of a budget which replaces draconian cuts with new taxes on millionaires, coming to the rescue of the children and families who use Family Resource Centers and the families whose children suffer from debilitating mental health issues.

On Wednesday, Democratic legislators, including Speaker of the House Chris Donovan, and State Representatives Joe Serra and Matt Lesser met with doctors, staff and administrators of Riverview Hospital, then caravaned across town to Farm Hill Elementary School and addressed a roomful of parents, kids, teachers, Family Resource Center staff and school administrators.

The rallies were designed to show Democratic support for these two programs and institutions, both conveniently represented in Middletown.

At Farm Hill, Matt Lesser introduced his colleagues.

"The governor has proposed cutting the Family Resource Centers," Lesser said. "And we think it's a terrible mistake."

"I come from a family of educators," Joe Serra added. "So I know the value of starting education early."

Family Resource Center advocates and participants explained how the centers act as a transitional program for families and children, especially for those individuals who might not otherwise develop a mutually-supportive relationship with schools.

After the meeting Lesser explained that valuable programs like these should not be on the chopping block, even though the legislator and the governor are locked in a protracted, and difficult set of budget negotiations.

"At the end of the day, we'll have to raise taxes," Lesser admitted. "But I think it's unconscionable that the governor asked us to close the Family Resource Centers. If you say we'll have to raise taxes for Connecticut residents who make more than a million dollars to keep the Family Resource Centers open, then that's how it will have to be. We've made our own set of cuts, and have gotten $70 million in concessions from state unions. But some cuts just don't work."

Democratic Budget Road Show To Roll Through Middletown Today

From the office of the House Speaker

Speaker Donovan House Majority Leader Denise Merrill, Rep. Lesser Will Visit Middletown Sites Where Cuts Will Be Felt: Children’s Hospital & School

WHO: House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden), House Majority Leader Denise Merrill (D-Mansfield), State Rep. Matt Lesser (D-Middletown), local and community leaders

WHAT: News conference and tour highlighting impacts of Governor’s proposed budget cuts on Riverview Hospital and Farm Hill School

WHERE: Middletown, Riverview Hospital

WHEN: Wednesday, June 24

11:00 a.m. Riverview Hospital 915 River Road

12:00 p.m. Farm Hill School 390 Ridge Road

Rally at Farm Hill in Support of Family Resource Centers

Parents, teachers and school administrators will meet with State Representative Matt Lesser and other officials at noon on Wednesday June 24 at Farm Hill School in support of Family Resource Centers at local schools.

The Family Resource Centers are on the chopping block in Governor Jodi Rell's proposed budget.

Family Resource Centers at Macdonough and Farm Hill Schools have several goals aimed at fostering a healthy relationship between schools and families. Those goals include

• To provide a supportive environment at school where parent involvement is encouraged.
• To build and nurture school-home partnerships that support family literacy possibilities
• To articulate strategies designed to expand upon a family's strengths in creating language and literacy rich environments for their young children.
• To increase children's readiness for school entrance.
• To provide Information and Referral that help parents know where to turn in the community to find specific help.
• To provide parenting workshops and specific meetings on topics requested by parents and/or teachers.
• Offer to students a range of recreational and educational opportunities that support positive relationships with peers and adults.
• To increase availability of high-quality child -care (preschool and /or school-age before-and-after school).
• To enhance student achievement

Science Fair Big News at Farm Hill

I was standing amidst the dozens of display boards at the Farm Hill Elementary School Science Fair Tuesday wondering if I had lost my instinct for a good story.

First I learned from another parent that the fair had been taped earlier in the day and was a featured news story on WFSB's (Channel 3) evening news. Then I spotted the Hartford Courant's Melissia Pionzio taking down names (her coverage will appear in Sunday's Courant). Either it was a very slow news day, or I was blind to something very important going on.

I started snapping photos, searching for the groundbreaking science display. There were electric battery potatoes and citrus, displays about UFO's, pollution, and several models of the solar system, there was a yogurt maker, a sun clock, a description of the seasons, and there were many volcanoes.

One volcano display in particular caught my attention, and the attention of many a science fair observer. This volcano was as handsome as the others, but the display was priceless. Instead of dwelling on the science of molten lava and flowing magma, this display, created by a precocious fourth-grader, decided to spill the truth about the pain, effort, setbacks and ultimate triumph of creating a science fair display on one's own. The display was complete with a chart demonstrating lost time, wasted money and discarded modelling clay.


Many a parent stopped and smiled knowingly at the description, understanding that this young student had come closer to the intersection of truth in art and science, than many of the other carefully created (the hand of a parent was evident in most), displays.

Here then, unedited is the charming truth about creating one volcano:

How Do Volcanoes Blow Lava/Magma ????

I had two problem's or three. One was that my volcano broke about ten times. Two was that my brother sat on it. Three my mother put it in the garbage. My dad was sick so he barely helped me. My brother left with my mom witch is so unfair. He needed to help me. So the result were that I had to buy new clay on the 20th. But I needed to bring it in on the 20th so I finish it in time. I finish in the morning. So the end was that my Dad had to bring me to school.

A true lesson in life.