Board of Education

Board of Ed Poised To Remove ‘DEI’ from School District’s Goals and Objectives

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In a series of proposed changes that has generated wide community discussion, the Board of Education is poised this week to replace language around diversity, equity and inclusion or “DEI” in the school district’s goals. Board members agreed at their most recent meeting that the following sentences rightly should be added to a draft version of the goals that the elected body has been discussing since July:
NCPS [New Canaan Public Schools] will strive to deepen students’ understanding of a range of differences among people. NCPS will work to foster empathy and respect for all and to celebrate the unique and varied contributions each of us makes. Yet the Board of Ed is divided on a third proposed sentence for the goals:
In this regard, NCPS will seek independent expertise, research and develop next steps to advance this initiative. Four Board members—Secretary Dan Bennett, Julie Toal, Hugo Alves and Phil Hogan—objected to the word ‘expertise,’ saying they were against hiring an outside consultant to assess New Canaan Public Schools and make recommendations. 

They stopped short of saying that New Canaan’s lack of diversity is not a problem for the public schools.

Around Town

Q&A: Sunday’s Juneteenth Celebration with S.T.A.R.

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Stand Together Against Racism, or S.T.A.R., is hosting a Juneteenth celebration from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society lawn. The event is sponsored by the Historical Society as well as Bankwell, New Canaan Library and NewCanaanite.com. We put some questions to S.T.A.R. founder and town resident Fatou Niang ahead of the celebration. Here’s our exchange. New Canaanite: What prompted your organization, S.T.A.R., to plan for a Juneteenth event this year?

Around Town

S.T.A.R. and NewCanaanite.com Partner to Celebrate Black History Month 

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(New Canaan, Conn.) – January 26, 2022. Stand Together Against Racism (S.T.A.R) is honored to partner with the New Canaanite in celebrating Black History Month beginning Feb. 1, 2022. As Black History Month kicks off on Tuesday, S.T.A.R. and local news site NewCanaanite.com are partnering to bring readers daily profiles of prominent Black leaders, past and present. S.T.A.R.’s website and social media feeds and the NewCanaanite’s website will spotlight Black public figures who have made an impact on the world across several fields, shattering barriers and paving the way for future generations.

Board of Education

Board of Ed Candidates Debate Curriculum Development 

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Candidates for the Board of Education this week debated whether changes should be made to the process through which curriculum long has been developed and approved for New Canaan Public Schools. As it is, a team of educators led by the superintendent—known as the Curriculum Leadership Council or “CLC”—draft, continuously review, update and approve curriculum so that New Canaan’s schools are meeting educational standards set by agencies such as the Connecticut Department of Education. The Board of Ed receives regular presentations on curriculum—a practice that has slowed amid the COVID-19 pandemic—and in cases of large-scale changes to those standards, the school board dedicates even more time at its meetings to corresponding decisions such as new classes or updates to the district’s goals and objectives. While Republican candidates for the Board of Ed said they’re not advocating for public meetings of the CLC (such as through appointment of a school board member to it), they called during Tuesday night’s League of Women Voters debate for the ability to weigh in on its development earlier and with greater detail and frequency than the elected body currently does. “I think that what we are pushing for is more oversight, more balanced thoughtful oversight at periodic stages,” GOP candidate Dan Bennett said during the debate, held at Town Hall.

Around Town

Podcast: Board of Ed Candidate Fatou Niang 

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This week on 0684-Radi0, our free podcast (subscribe here in the iTunes Store), we talk to Board of Education candidate Fatou Niang. The Democrat is one of eight candidates seeking a four-year term on the school board Nov. 2. There are five four-year terms up for election. There also is a two-person race for a two-year term on the Board of Ed. 

Here are recent episodes of 0684-Radi0:

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