Parents, teachers say Nathan Hale second-grade class lacked permanent certified teacher; ask board for timeline and oversight

Multiple parents and union leaders told the New Haven Board of Education on March 3 that a second‑grade classroom at Nathan Hale Elementary lacked a permanent certified teacher for weeks after the school year began, and they demanded a clear timeline and board oversight for academic supports the district pledged earlier that day.

Speakers urged immediate, sustained intervention. Leslie Blounteau, a Nathan Hale teacher, parent and president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers, said the vacancy and related staff moves came amid a national threat to education funding and stressed local mobilization; she called for community action and asked board members to attend a March 4 march in support of public schools.

Parents described a months‑long breakdown in instruction and follow‑up. “This last‑minute vacancy and lack of urgency caused our second graders to fall behind,” Kathy Gonzalez told the board, reading a timeline that showed repeated parent outreach beginning in August and a formal hire not occurring until late September. Morgan McLennan said her child’s classroom had been “shuffled around between substitutes” and described the situation as “uncertainty and equity and blatant disregard for the educational rights of my child.”

Several parents said interventions announced at a meeting earlier that day by district staff and the school’s principal had not been accompanied by concrete start dates or named implementers. Gonzalez asked the board “to monitor this situation, be present in the school building, follow‑up with staff who have committed to helping our second graders catch up, and most importantly, ensure that something like this never happens again.”

Other parents reported behavior and safety problems they linked to the staffing instability. Paul Gonzales said his daughter had been “hit with a chair” and described days when “learning is impossible because the class is so dysregulated without a teacher.” Anne Marie Moquin said her daughter received the first homework packet in February and a letter suggesting summer school was needed — five months into the year — and called that “insulting.” Kim Steele, who identified herself as the child’s grandmother, said the lack of instruction had “crushed” students’ confidence.

Union leaders also testified. Hyclos Williams, presenting as president of the Power Professional Union Local 3429, backed the parents’ concerns and linked staffing and pay issues to morale and turnover: “Our working condition are the students’ learning condition,” he said, urging support for a local legislative measure he named as “power bill number 7010” that he said would assist with insurance cost share and pension.

District staff and administrators were named during public comment as having proposed supports earlier in the day; parents repeatedly asked when those supports would start and who would implement them. Parents and speakers made two types of requests to the board: (1) a written timeline with start dates and assigned staff for the academic support described that morning, and (2) board presence and follow‑up at the school to ensure agreed measures are implemented and monitored.

No formal board action on Nathan Hale staffing was recorded in the meeting minutes for March 3. The board proceeded to regular business after public comment; parents asked the board to treat their remarks as a standing oversight item and to report back with implementation dates.

The board did not vote on a specific remedy or require an immediate report during the meeting, but multiple speakers said administrators had promised steps earlier in the day and asked for the board to hold the district to those commitments.

The board will consider public comment and any formal staff reports in subsequent meetings; parents asked for follow‑up updates in writing and for a public timeline showing when tutoring, push‑ins and other supports will begin and how the district will measure progress.