A Need For Fair Play And Common Decency

To the Editor:

We were blindsided by the Sandy Hook Elementary School administration last week when we got a call saying our child’s ABA therapist no longer worked for the Newtown Public School system. The therapist had worked with our son six hours a day for the last three months. No official reason was given to us, other than an improper match of skill sets. So suddenly, a person my child had worked well with all this time, a person we had successfully established a rapport with and were very pleased with, and a person who had worked in the Newtown Public School system for 12 years, no longer had a skill set to match a job task. After numerous conversations with many people, we presume petty, interpersonal problems that could have been resolved led to this loss.

Our 6-year-old child with special needs lost a person who actualized his potential and who gave us hope for his future development. We as parents lost trust with teachers and administrators. The person who had the skill set to work for 12 years in this town with some of our most challenging students, lost a job, along with health benefits and a pension. Furthermore, the town lost a dedicated person who over the years made a difference in the lives of many children.

Now, we all have to start all over, facing the possibility this may very well happen again. We should expect the administration in our public school system to be sensitive, first and foremost, to the students who bear the brunt of their decisions. And, we should also expect our public school system to demonstrate fair play and common decency to the valuable people who work so hard with our children.

Gary and Stephanie Argraves

59 Great Quarter Road, Sandy Hook                    December 7, 2005