State Board representative warns of federal ESSER clawback; special-education bills and Title VI certification contested

Miss Rickard, the board's State Board of Education representative, told the Stratford Board that on March 28 the federal government issued a clawback of ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds that led several districts to lose money; Connecticut officials have submitted another waiver request and the state is pursuing that process with the U.S. Department of Education.

Rickard said Connecticut lost about $7 million in the initial clawback and that almost two dozen districts were affected; the state requested additional waivers and a federal decision was pending at the time of her remarks. She said the state was pursuing a process to certify compliance where required and that Connecticut's Department of Education has notified the U.S. Department that the state believes existing assurances (from the consolidated state plan) already meet the federal request. She also noted that the National Education Association (NEA) filed suit challenging the U.S. Department's request and that a federal court issued an injunction that applies to NEA districts while the litigation proceeds.

Rickard and other speakers flagged a major special-education package —…