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East Haven board rescinds local bullying policy and adopts state-mandated Connecticut school climate policy
Summary
The East Haven Board of Education voted to rescind Policy 5131.911 (Bullying Prevention and Intervention) and adopt the state-mandated Connecticut School Climate Policy (5131.911) after waiving the reading. Board members said the change is required by the state and not open to local modification.
The East Haven Board of Education voted to rescind Policy 5131.911, Bullying Prevention and Intervention, and to adopt the state-mandated Connecticut School Climate Policy 5131.911 during its regular meeting. The board waived the formal reading of the new policy before voting.
The new policy is mandated by the state and, according to a district staff member, cannot be amended locally. The staff member said the state policy requires a district-level school climate coordinator, a school climate specialist at every school, annual training for appointed staff, school-level climate committees, regular surveys and improvement plans, and an explicit outline for restorative practices. "We are required to have a district level school climate coordinator," the staff member said during the meeting.
Board members said the state policy largely consolidates provisions already in local practice. The staff member told the board the language in the district's previous bullying-prevention policy appeared repetitive with the state document, which prompted the recommendation to rescind the older local policy and adopt the state language as provided.
At the vote, the board recorded the roll call: Miss DePalma: yes; Miss DeLongo: no (on the COO and HR votes earlier, but for this policy adoption the board voted yes); Mr. Hennessy: yes; Miss Putney: yes; Miss Santiago: yes; Mr. Stacy: yes; Dr. DeLucia: yes. The motion to adopt the Connecticut School Climate Policy passed by vote of 7–0.
The board also voted separately to rescind the older bullying prevention and intervention policy (Policy 5131.911) before adopting the state policy. Board members emphasized that the adoption was procedural because the new language was mandatory under state guidance.
District administrators said they will implement required elements (coordinator assignment, trainings, committee formation and the mandated surveys) and that minor local policy housekeeping will continue over the summer to align local references with the state-required language. No fiscal impact beyond existing staff assignments was specified during the meeting.
The board said it waived additional local discussion because the policy is mandated by the state. The board did not open the newly adopted policy to local amendment during the meeting.
