Middletown Mourning Loss Of Respected School System Administrator

MIDDLETOWN, CT — The education community in Middletown this week is mourning the shocking loss of a beloved administrator.

Stacey McCann, Middletown's assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, was found dead in her Windsor home Monday, authorities said. The Office Of The Chief Medical Examiner said there was no criminal element to her death.

Emotions were running high in the school community.

"In times like these, words often fall short of capturing the depth of our collective grief.," Middletown Superintendent of Schools Alberto Vazquez Matos said in a letter distributed Tuesday. "Dr. McCann was an extraordinary educator whose passion for her work was both inspiring and contagious. She began each day with seemingly boundless energy and a conviction that all students can and will succeed."

McCann often told the community, "We are in service of schools," Matos said.

"This wasn’t just a phrase for Dr. McCann. Rather, it was a guiding principle that shaped her work," he said. "She encouraged all of us to step out of our offices and into our schools, where the real work of teaching and learning unfolds each and every day. Her leadership was rooted in presence, connection, and purpose. More than a colleague, Dr. McCann was a friend, a fierce advocate, and a believer in all that is good and possible. Her loss will be felt across our community, in different ways and for a long time to come."

Matos added, "As we face this loss together, let us honor Dr. McCann's memory by turning our focus to the students, our shared purpose and greatest inspiration. They are what bring us together, drive us forward, and embody the very hope and possibility that Dr. McCann championed."

In the coming days, school officials "will share information about memorial services and opportunities to honor Dr. McCann’s life and legacy," Matos said.

"For now, I ask that you keep her family in your thoughts and continue the important work she was so passionate about," he added.

McCann came to the Middletown school district 2022 and worked with curriculum directors, principals, assistant principals and other supervisors in grades pre-K through high school, according to her hiring announcement.

She had been an educator for 25 years.