Public Hearing on Social Workers' Fate to Be Held

A public hearing on the fate of school social workers will be held on Wednesday, reports the Hartford Courant.

The hearing will take place at 7 p.m. in the Avon High School auditorium. The agenda has not been set yet, but it is possible that some action on the issue might take place that night.

The social workers would be replaced by school psychologists, but parents and students feel social workers provide crucial services that psychologists do not.

The board has not renewed the contracts of the social workers, and the intent is to increase the number of school psychologists from the five to eight. The social workers could be rehired if the board changes its mind.

Residents have strongly opposed the plan to eliminate the social workers’ positions from the schools, and even circulated a petition on the issue.

A petition demanding a hearing on the plan was given to the board of education and a review confirmed that enough residents signed it to compel a hearing.

For more, visit Courant.com.