Parents and teachers raise concerns about staffing, building safety and an OSHA complaint at Nathan Hale and other schools

Parents, a local teachers' union leader and other community members told the New Haven Board of Education on Feb. 12 that teacher vacancies, inconsistent substitutes and building operations failures have left students behind and raised safety concerns at Nathan Hale Elementary and other schools.

"For the past 2 Mondays in a row, staff, students, employees, families have showed up to our school buildings with icy lots, snow covered walkways, 50-degree classrooms, no hot water, and lack of paper products in our buildings," said Leslie Plateau, who identified herself as president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers. Plateau said the union filed an OSHA complaint focused on two large high schools where members are concerned about health and safety.

Parent Kathy Gonzalez described a second-grade classroom at Nathan Hale that lacked a permanent teacher at the start of the school year, leaving students with multiple substitutes and, by the second marking period, poor or regressive academic growth in that class. "How can we bring those students where they need to be without a certified teacher?" Gonzalez asked the board.

Parent Kenil McLennan echoed concerns about slow hiring and limited administrative capacity at Nathan Hale. McLennan said he was told administrators' hands were tied on some hiring matters and asked the board for greater visibility and support for principals, arguing the delays have direct consequences for student learning.

Board members and district leaders acknowledged the complaints during the meeting. Superintendent Dr. John Negron (presented in the transcript as Doctor Negron) and other staff have been reporting on snow removal and facility issues separately; the union and parents tied day-to-day building conditions to broader staffing and procurement problems.

What the board recorded as formal action at the meeting did not include a vote on the OSHA complaint or an immediate staffing remedy. The personnel report — which included announcements of two retirements and other routine staffing items — was approved by board vote during the meeting. Retirements noted in the personnel report included John Aquavira, a developmental reading teacher retiring June 30 after 34 years, and Rosemary Russo, a special education teacher retiring March 3 after 37 years.

Why it matters: Parents and educators said hiring delays and chronic facility shortcomings are harming instruction and contributing to inequitable outcomes between classrooms. The union urged the board to ensure funds and administrative attention are targeted to repairs, staffing stability and contractual issues that affect school operations.

Next steps: The union said it will continue to follow state-level advocacy on special-education funding and to press district leadership for faster hiring and clearer communication. The OSHA complaint remains under review; the board did not report a public response at the meeting.