Schooling of Dying Man’s Children Turns Political in East Haven

EAST HAVEN, CT - The issue over whether a dying father’s children should be able to attend school together at East Haven Academy has turned political.

This coming Wednesday night a special meeting of the Board of Education has been called at which a decision made last week to not allow Brian Savo’s kids too attend the same school may be reversed.

In advance of that meeting, Democratic Town Committee Chairman Marc Conte has released a statement on Facebook, putting the blame for the situation squarely on the shoulders of Republican Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr.

Here is what Conte posted on Monday on his Facebook page:

“As the Democratic Town Chairman and in lieu of recent developments surrounding the case of Brian Savo and his family, I am compelled to publicly express my feelings as things have come to light that are truly bothering me.

“It is my understanding that Mayor Maturo was made aware of the situation of Mr. Savo's cry for help for his children and the Academy school given his terminal condition and did nothing to help. Further,he did not even have the common decency to even contact Mr. Savo himself but instead chose to assign various staff members to deliver his empty message of inaction.

“This all transpired when it was a Republican controlled Board of Education to whom he could have easily reached out to. Now, as he has done on other occasions, Maturo will play the "I have nothing to do with the Board of Ed" card and that it is out of his hands.

Rubbish! As the leader of his party, he has asserted his influence in the past to the Board such as the time when he wanted the Town's Finance Director Paul Rizza to hold the same position simultaneously and have control over those finances. A true conflict if there ever was one.

“Those chickens are now coming home to roost as serious and quite possibly illegal issues regarding gross over charges for health insurance payments from the Board to the Town initiated by Rizza have now surfaced to the tune of eight million dollars. Maturo has shown his true colors of having no compassion.

“This is done under the guise of having no influence over his Board members unlike the time when he had no problem trying to influence his members of the Planning and Zoning commission to bury a project he personally disliked and subsequently asking for the resignations for those who didn't adhere to his will. I will be at the next Board of Education meeting to show my support for Mr. Savo. How about you Joe will you be there or are too preoccupied with your pending sexual harassment case and helping yourself to care?

With all my respect and deepest concern for Brian Savo and family.”

Marc Conte.

Maturo’s press aide, Joe Coppola responded to Conte’s comments.

The mayor will not comment on the Democratic Town Committee Chairman’s allegations, Coppola said.

However, to put this in perspective, the Board of Education Chairwoman, and Co-Chairman are members of the Democratic Party, Coppola added.

In addition, the majority of the members of the Board of Education are members of the Democratic Party, Coppola added.

“It is up to Chairwomen and the Board to render a decision,” Coppola said.

Coppola added: Mayor Maturo stated that he knows Mr. Savo and has a lot of compassion for him, his family and those who struggle with ALS. The Mayor has participated in many of Mr. Savo’s walk-a-thons at Light House Park showing his support. Also, the Mayor has appointed Mr. Savo to serve on the American Disabilities Act Commission for Town of East Haven.

“The Mayor hopes that the Board of Education makes the right decision at their next meeting scheduled for Wednesday, July 18, 2018,” Coppola added.

Brian Savo has a dying wish that his children could attend school together so they can comfort one another as he continues to die. Savo has been heroically battling ALS for the past nine years, and he tearfully pleaded last week with the Board of Education to honor his dying request.

He was turned down then; but on Wednesday night the board took a second vote and this time honored Savo’s request.

At last week’s meeting, Savo said: "Since my daughter's 3 both of them have been going down to Washington, D.C. to fight for patient's rights and to fight for me. Well I'm here to fight for them. If any of you are parents, you'd be doing the same exact thing," Savo said while becoming emotionally distraught during the school board meeting.”

At the meeting Savo pleaded with board members to do the right thing. Savo, 42, a life-long East Haven resident, said his wife was six months pregnant with their second-child when he was diagnosed with ALS.

He said his children wake up with him everyday and he asked school officials if they understood what it's like to not be able to get out of bed and have his two children, ages 11 and 9, and his wife get him out of bed, dress and feed him.

Two days after last week’s meeting, Michelle A. DeLucia, chairperson of the board, issued a statement that in 2010, “the Board adopted a lottery system for admission to East Haven Academy. As adopted, the lottery system does not make provision for exceptions under any circumstances. Since that time, the Administration has faithfully implemented the lottery system for admission to East Haven Academy, and no exceptions have been granted.”

“Speaking as an individual Board member, I believe that an exception in this case is warranted, but a decision must be made by the full Board. When the Board addresses Mr. Savo's request, I will be recommending that the Board establish a Committee to review the lottery policy at East Haven Academy and to recommend to the Board standards for making hardship exceptions to the policy in the future," DeLucia’s statement concluded.