Emotionally Charged Public Hearing Held in Avon

Editor’s note: We published this story earlier in the week, but here it is again in case you missed it.

The recent public hearing regarding school social workers was emotionally charged, reports the Hartford Courant.

Four dozen Avon residents spoke at the three hour long meeting on July 1.

At the end of it all, the Board of Education failed to reverse the school district’s plan to replace the town’s school social workers with three school psychologists. The board did not move to vote on the plan, nor are there currently any formal plans to discuss it further.

However, if the planned changes do not work, they will be re-examined in the future.

While board members defended the decision, those opposed to the decision expressed concern that contrary to literature provided by the board, a school psychologist does not fulfill all the functions of social workers.

The speakers used personal anecdotes, speculations about the district’s hidden financial agendas, and calls for empirical data to critique the plan.

For more, visit Courant.com.