A Matter Of Safety

To the Editor:

I received enough signatures for my petition of the Board of Education from the town’s electorate, hitting the one percent mark, per the CGA rules. [Links: www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/legal/workshop_package.pdf; www.cga.ct.gov/2011/pub/chap170.htm#Sec10-238.htm; www.cga.ct.gov/2010/rpt/2010-R-0480.htm.] Verification by the town clerk’s office will be next and then I will present my petition to the BOE. The BOE will have up to three weeks after receiving my petition to hold a public hearing on the subject in question, namely why the school administration refused our accommodation of safer neighborhood bus stops to avoid illegally backing the bus up at an intersection and moving the older students away from another unsafe location and a perilous walk to and from the bus stops due to road conditions and safety issues we raised in our initial petition and emails.

The CT SDE’s sample transportation policy includes examples of hazards, many of which exist on our road. Further, the law is quite explicit that the BOE and school district holds the burden of proof that our children are not eligible for our accommodation requests, and the administration’s fight against our request has cost the Newtown taxpayers in excess of $42,000, per the superintendent disclosure at the last BOE meeting. Thank you for all of your support. I will let you know how it all goes.

Sincerely,

Susan McGuinness Getzinger

Littlebrook Lane, Newtown                                    November 9, 2011