Thursday, July 16, 2020
www.plainvillecitizen.com
Volume 19, Number 23
COLUMBUS CONTROVERY
Virtual meeting on statue draws substantial response By Jesse Buchanan Record-Journal staff
School year ‘will be marked with innovation and commitment’ The Connecticut State Board of Education met on Tuesday, July 14 to discuss the reopening of state schools. The following is an Executive Summary from Dr. Miguel A. Cardona, Commissioner of Education.
SOUTHINGTON – Dozens of residents spoke for and against a Christopher Columbus statue during a public hearing Monday night. Renewed controversy over public statues led town leaders to hold the hearing via video conference. In addition to nearly 150 people who took part in the meeting by phone or computer, Town Council Chairwoman Victoria Triano said more than 120 sent in letters on the topic. Christopher Columbus statues outside the Meriden City The council unanimously approved the placement of a Hall, left, and outside the John Weichsel Municipal Center in Southington. Columbus bust in front of the Municipal Center on Speakers during the public ed atrocities mentioned in North Main Street in 2015. When the bust was set to be hearing addressed the ques- Columbus’ diary perpetrated against natives of the erected two years later, some tion of whether to move the statue and other cultural isCaribbean. Walking by the town residents protestsu e s. statue on the way to governed. Italian-American social ment offices gives her “a clubs paid for the monuDorie Conlon Perugini said feeling of not being welment. she has Puerto Rican ancescomed and oppression.” As of press time, the council tors and that the Columbus statue doesn’t represent anyhad taken no action on the thing “good” to her. She citstatue. See Statue, A5
has forced us to further focus on the inequalities that still exist within our system and to begin to address them with renewed fidelity.
We now look forward to the 2020-2021 school year, a year that will be marked with innovation and comIntroduction mitment. It will be our It has been 100 years since most important year as educational, public educators. And to guide health, and governmental our work, the CSDE has leaders have had to grapreleased Adapt, Advance, ple with the challenges we Achieve: Connecticut’s are facing today, and have Plan to Learn and Grow been facing for the last Together. This document several months. When the serves as a roadmap for effects of the pandemic districts to start planning required that schools their school year. across Connecticut cancel Background in-school classes during March, it took moments to On March 15, 2020, Govrealize that education in ernor Lamont issued ExConnecticut would be for- ecutive Order 7C, calling ever changed. for schools to cancel inperson classes to protect Connecticut has long the State from the spread been focused on providing all students with equi- of COVID-19. That order triggered widespread ty and excellence in education, and this pandemic
See School, A4
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