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Parent urges Wethersfield schools to expand neurodiversity‑affirming staff training for twice‑exceptional students
Summary
A parent urged the school board to require in‑depth, neurodiversity‑affirming professional development to support twice‑exceptional students, saying current practices too often treat neurodivergent behavior as willful misbehavior and result in exclusionary discipline.
Megan Glenovsky, a Wethersfield parent, used public comment at the April 22 board meeting to ask the Wethersfield School District to invest in neurodiversity‑affirming professional development for staff to better support twice‑exceptional students (students both autistic and gifted).
Glenovsky told the board, “We need training that helps staff understand how autism and giftedness intersect, recognize the difference between behavior that is willful and behavior that is communicative, [and] move away from exclusionary discipline and towards inclusive strengths‑based responses.” She argued that when educators view behavior through a deficit lens, neurodivergent students who “melt down” or “blur[t] out answers” are often punished rather than supported.
Glenovsky cited autism expert Dr. Barry Prizant and the National Education Association’s guidance on twice‑exceptional learners to support her recommendations. She urged the district to provide “real, in‑depth, neurodiversity‑affirming professional development that empowers adults to see the full picture of these students” and to change discipline practices that can exacerbate trauma.
Board members acknowledged the comment and later in the meeting Board member Liz (surname not specified on the record) requested an update from Superintendent Emmett and Assistant Superintendent Distoli on current staff professional development for neurodiversity; the superintendent said he would follow up. The board’s student services and human resources committees have upcoming meetings where staff training and professional development priorities can be addressed.
Why it matters: Glenovsky said twice‑exceptional students can appear typical at first glance yet still need explicit supports; she described exclusionary discipline as a preventable harm that better training could reduce. The parent’s request for district‑wide professional development dovetails with board interest in restorative practices and student support programs the district has discussed in prior meetings.
