Board of Education

Board of Ed Elects Officers in 5-4 Votes

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A divided Board of Education on Monday voted 5-4 three times in electing its chair, vice chair and secretary. Current Chair Hugo Alves was re-elected to a second year in the post. In nominating him, Board of Ed member Erica Schwedel said he has “led our Board with steadiness and dedication” over the past year, ensuring that “we all stayed focused on what is best for our students.”

“He has developed strong working relationships with the administration and staff, serving as a critical bridge to the Board,” Schwedel said during the meeting, held in the Wagner Room at New Canaan High School. “He developed trust among Board members and fostered an environment of listening and collaborating.”

Alves also “dedicated significant time to representing the Board of Ed by speaking to groups such as other town bodies at countless budget meetings, our teachers at Convocation, and parents and students at graduation. In addition to serving as chair of the Board, and a member of the executive committee, Hugo also participates in meetings for all four of our Board committees.

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District To Roll Out ‘Phone-Free’ Policy at Saxe Middle School

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Saxe Middle School soon will see students locking electronic devices—including cell phones, smartwatches and tablets—kept in a locking pouch system throughout the day as part of an updated policy on the electronics’ use, district officials say. The “Phone-Free Schools” initiative at Saxe is expected to launch around mid-September, once the pouches are in hand, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi. “We’re looking at some of the implementation as a design thinking challenge,” he said during a special Board of Education meeting, held Aug. 26 in the Wagner Room at New Canaan High School and via videoconference. “How do you create a system that best enables students to lock and unlock their pouches as they’re coming and going during the day?” Luizzi continued.

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School Security Update: SROs at Elementary Schools, Doors, Pedestrian Safety

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Each of New Canaan’s three elementary schools will have a dedicated police officer on campus when the academic year starts this week, the superintendent of schools said Monday night. In addition to expanding the number of School Resource Officers or “SROs” from two (New Canaan High School and Saxe Middle School) to five, the district is upgrading its radios, security of school building doors and pedestrian safety at NCHS, Dr. Bryan Luizzi said during a special Board of Education meeting. New Canaan Police Officers Ron Bentley (East School), Nicole Vartuli (South) and Shane Gibson (West) will join Officers Jeff Deak (NCHS) and Matt Blank (Saxe) to fill out the SRO roster, Luizzi said during the meeting, held at NCHS and via videoconference. “It’s really a great team,” he said. “They will work very well with our campus monitors—they’ll work great with our staff, with our principals.

Board of Education

‘Kind and Supportive of Others’ Success’: Board of Ed Remembers Toby Woods

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The Board of Education on Monday night remembered 2023 New Canaan High School graduate Toby Woods, who died Feb. 21. Board of Ed Chair Hugo Alves led the elected body in a moment of silence at the start of its regular meeting. “I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the tragic loss of one of our former students, Toby Woods,” Alves said during the meeting, held in the Wagner Room at NCHS. “This loss has deeply impacted us all and our thoughts and prayers are with Toby’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time,” Alves continued.

Abby Dymond

Residents Call on BOE To Find Sustainable Solutions in School Cafeterias

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Town residents during Monday’s Board of Education meeting called on the public schools to pursue more sustainable ways of serving food and discarding food waste. Margot Bright Thorsheim, a board member and secretary of Planet New Canaan, said that the district ranks among the best in the nation “primarily due to our financial resources, and the vision of the people on this Board and in our administration and its faculty.”

“However, many believe that one educational component is missing in this town, and I would also like to advocate for greener schools in the New Canaan district,” Bright Thorsheim told members of the Board of Ed during their regular meeting, held in the Wagner Room at New Canaan High School. “We have yet to show our youth some basic principles of caring for their home and the planet that their children will inherit,” she continued. “Even while we as parents teach our kids to be environmentally respectful, they are going to school and learning that we live in a disposable economy where convenience rules the day, regardless of the long-term cost. And even though we know what is wrong, we have used disposable cafeteria supplies for decades and throw away all of our food waste.