Old Saybrook superintendent outlines plan to implement literacy recommendations as parents demand immediate action

Old Saybrook Superintendent Chris outlined the district's plan to implement Dr. Gabriel's independent literacy review at a special Board of Education meeting July 9, saying the district will phase in recommendations, hire literacy specialists and provide monthly implementation updates.

Chris said the board received the clean copy of Dr. Gabriel's report on June 12 and that administrators have been working since to assemble a timeline and staffing plan. "We are going to implement all the Dr. Gabriel recommendations," he said, adding the challenge is how quickly the district can do it given summer staffing and the need to involve teachers in curriculum writing.

The superintendent described two roles the district plans to emphasize: "integrationists," who will provide small‑group instruction and coach teachers, and a certified literacy coach, who will focus on professional learning, curriculum writing and family engagement. He also said the district plans to rebuild curriculum documents and create consistent MTSS entry, exit and monitoring processes.

Board members and the superintendent said the district would solicit teacher feedback before finalizing materials. Chris said some assessment results are currently under state embargo and cannot be released publicly immediately, but that district administrators have access to those data and will use them to guide fall planning.

Parents at the meeting repeatedly pressed for faster, concrete steps for students already far behind. Ashley, a parent who identified herself during public comment, said her son has been identified with dyslexia and has an IEP but "year after year I watched him struggle," and she demanded two immediate actions with deadlines: require that teachers providing literacy intervention for students with dyslexia be certified in structured literacy programs such as Orton‑Gillingham or the Wilson Reading Program and supply a 30‑day staffing plan showing how that requirement will be met. She told the board to "set a written timeline for action no later than the next board meeting with implementation beginning immediately and full compliance by September." (Ashley, Parent)

Several parents and residents described paying hundreds of dollars a month for private tutoring after the district could not provide services and asked what the district would do now to protect the most vulnerable students. One parent said the district had "lost two really awesome" intervention staff and questioned why the administration had not earlier prioritized professional development and staffing.

Multiple commenters called for an immediate outside audit of special‑education programs rather than a later timetable. Chris acknowledged Dr. Gabriel had recommended a broader review of special education and said the administration is working to scope that audit fairly and gather input from all schools in the district before finalizing the audit's scope.

Several parents urged the board to meet more frequently over the summer to oversee implementation. In response, board members proposed scheduling a special meeting within a month and discussed meeting every two weeks until the start of the school year to review concrete deliverables.

The meeting concluded after board members moved to adjourn; members agreed to schedule follow‑up meetings and the chair said the administration's implementation plan and further details would be provided to the board and made available to the public as they are ready.

What happens next: the board and administration said they will provide regular monthly updates on implementation progress and student outcomes, and they discussed arranging an earlier special meeting to report specific staffing and curriculum steps. Parents at the meeting requested written actions with deadlines within 24–72 hours and signaled they will monitor progress closely.