Norwalk parents, staff urge district to keep NECC classrooms together amid proposed move to elementary schools

Parents, staff and union leaders at the Norwalk Board of Education meeting on Jan. 14 urged the district to keep the Norwalk Early Childhood Center (NECC) classrooms together at 11 Allen Road, saying moving preschool special-education classrooms into multiple elementary schools would harm students and families.

The most direct plea came from Jason Christopher, who introduced himself as speaking on behalf of NECC and said his daughter attends the program: “Keeping NECC at 11 Allen Road with its 6 classrooms intact is in the best interest of students, families, and staff,” he said, asking that two additional pre-K classrooms be placed elsewhere rather than splitting NECC.

Union and parent speakers amplified those concerns. Lynn Moore, who identified herself as president of NASA and president of the Board of Education Coalition of UNITS, said administrators notified employees by email about June terminations and asked the board to adopt “humane and respectful practices when making personnel changes related to budget cuts,” including in-person notification with union representation.

Multiple parents described NECC as a centralized site that houses therapy services, specialized playground equipment and coordinated staff,…