Darien parents, students and alumni urge board to keep IDEA gifted program; board votes to retain program

Hundreds of Darien residents, current and former students and teachers pressed the Darien Board of Education during public comment to preserve the district's IDEA gifted-and-talented program, culminating in a board decision to keep the program in its current form as the district continues budget deliberations.

The meeting featured more than an hour of public comment focused on IDEA and related staffing proposals. Dozens of speakers described personal, academic and mental-health benefits they attribute to the program and warned that eliminating or replacing it with an “inclusive” model would harm students and make Darien less attractive to families.

"I stand in support of funding for the IDEA program," said Dr. Margaret Rague, a Darien resident and parent, during public comment. Several students also spoke: "IDEA truly means a lot to me," said Parker Harrison, a sixth-grade IDEA student. Former students and alumni described long-term effects: Alex Hager, an alum now working as a public radio reporter, told the board that IDEA "was a bridge" that led him to a career in journalism.

The audience included parents and teachers who described practical concerns about related budget proposals: proposed cuts would reduce instructional…