News

Parents Advocate for Later School Start Times Before Board of Ed

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Citing multiple medical organizations that say sleep deprivation causes a slew of health problems in children and adolescents, parents on Monday night told district officials that they’re eager to weigh in on an open question, now facing New Canaan Public Schools, about whether to start later in the morning. Karen Willett, a parent of 11- and 6-year-old boys at Saxe Middle School and West School, told members of the Board of Education at their regular meeting that the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the CDC have all issued policy statements “about the negative impact of early start times on student mental and physical health.”

“We realize that the decision on start times cannot be made in a vacuum,” Willett said at the meeting, held in the Wagner Room at New Canaan High School

“As in every other district that has successfully changed start times, there are cost complications and logistical issues to be resolved. However, as we go through the process of addressing the difficulties, let’s also stay focused on the reason we are addressing this topic in the first place. Because that extra hour of sleep every day will help improve the mental and physical health of thousands of our children. In one of his budget presentations, [Superintendent of Schools] Dr. [Bryan] Luizzi said he often gets questions during the budgeting cycle from the finance people—and I’m paraphrasing here—‘What expenses can be deferred?’ and ‘What can be done later?’ and his response in regard to the student-impacting expenses, if we know a program is needed, we owe it to the current cohort of children to implement as soon as possible, because they will not be able to benefit from it if we defer it.

Around Town

‘You Will Walk Out with a Game Plan’: Panel Discussion on ‘Building Family Resilience’ To Be Held Feb. 8 at Town Hall

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Most everyone is affected in some way by problematic behaviors such as substance use or abuse, anxiety or depression, according to one local expert, and adolescence is in and of itself a period of developing an identity. During that time, adolescents move away from their parents as guides to who they are “and look more to their peers for that feedback and developing their role,” according to Tracey Masella, manager of the adolescent transitional living program at Silver Hill Hospital. “That creates a lot of dissonance in a family. Some parents are not ready for that and often, adolescents in this process of identity formation will try out a lot of behaviors that are risky, to see what fits. It’s a time of great confusion for families as they try to navigate their kids moving away from them—as they have to do, and should do—but sometimes that creates a lot of stress and anxiety.”

As part of a panel to be held next Wednesday, Masella will offer tools and strategies for parents and adolescents seeking to get through this difficult period.

Around Town

‘We Are a Place That Can Receive People’: Despite Executive Order, Nonprofit ‘NC Welcomes’ Readies for Refugee Family

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For Cindy Stewart, a New Canaan resident for 11 years, recent changes in the United States’ immigration policies are an opportunity to teach her teenage children lessons in democracy. Chief among those is “to make their own voices heard,” according to Stewart. “I feel like it’s important for us to model that for them and to show them to stand up for what we believe in and I want to support our view for what this nation is all about, and this is part of our process,” Stewart said Sunday afternoon from Morrill Hall at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, moments after signing up for the ‘Welcome’ and ‘Transportation’ committees of a newly formed New Canaan group seeking to help resettle a refugee family. “We talk a lot at home over the dinner table about the political situation in Syria.

News

Letter: Glass House ‘Asking for Permission To Do Its Job For Our Benefit’

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Dear Editor,

The Glass House has asked Town for permission to operate in a way that allows it to fulfill its mission. They want to maintain their structures and grounds, which are constantly in need of attention. They want to offer tours to New Canaan schoolchildren. They want to host VIP events to fund their work. Under current restrictions, none of this is really possible.

News
Injecting heroin

‘It Could Be Their Kid’: Opioid Epidemic Panel Set for Next Wednesday

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Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said authorities know there’s heroin in New Canaan, though it isn’t clear just how widespread abuse of the opioid is. One priority of the New Canaan Police Department in 2016 is to reduce the availability of narcotics (and alcohol, to underage people) in town, and that effort will come through enforcement as well as education, according to the chief. “We know for certain that multiple people that grew up here, were educated here and have moved to other places have overdosed on heroin and died in the past couple of years,” Krolikowski said. “So that is our focus and our big concern.”

As it is for the entire community. Next week, a venerable nonprofit organization is taking the lead to open up the often touchy subject of opioid use and abuse to the wider community.