East Haven board approves wildlife management and feeding guidelines with minor edit

The East Haven Board of Education approved Policy 3517.4, Wildlife Management and Feeding Guidelines, adopting the optional policy with a targeted edit to its rehabilitation exemption.

Board members and staff discussed recurring instances of ducks and other animals returning to school courtyards because people feed them. A district staff member explained that feeding attracts wildlife and may leave hatchlings trapped in courtyards; staff also cited secondary problems such as attracting rodents.

The board debated a sentence in the draft policy that exempted rehabilitation activities only if they did not involve feeding wildlife on school grounds. After discussion, the board agreed to strike the clause and leave the exemption to read that wildlife rehabilitation activities are exempt when conducted by licensed professionals. A board member asked about disciplinary consequences for staff who violate the rule; administrators said standard disciplinary processes (warning then progressive discipline) would apply for staff violations.

At the vote the roll call was: Miss DePalma: yes; Miss DeLongo: yes; Mr. Hennessy: yes; Miss Putney: yes; Miss Santiago: no; Mr. Stacy: yes; Dr. DeLucia: yes. The motion passed 6–1.

Administrators clarified that the policy is optional (not mandated by the state) and is intended to provide protocols where schools regularly encounter wildlife on campus. They said instructional or supervised classroom activities involving animals (for example, a lesson raising butterflies) remain permitted under the policy when part of an instructional activity.

The board directed staff to finalize the final text with the agreed strike and to return the adopted policy to the district policy repository; no additional funding was requested.