Blog

Feb. 25, 2022

Chairwoman Linehan, Chairman Anwar, Chairwoman Daugherty Abrams, Chairman Steinberg, Senator Kelly, Representative Dauphinais, Senator Somers, Senator Hwang, Representative Petit and members of the Committee. My name is Andrew Feinstein and I am the Legislative Chair of Special Education Equity for Kids in Connecticut (SEEK), a statewide organization of parents, providers, attorneys and advocates working for excellent education for students with disabilities.

Feb. 17, 2022

Senator McCrory, Representative Felipe, Senator Somers, Representative McCarty, Members of the Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee, my name is Andrew Feinstein and I am the Legislative Chair of Special Education Equity for Kids in Connecticut (SEEK), a statewide organization of parents, providers, attorneys and advocates working for excellent education for students with disabilities.

Sept. 9, 2021

What a missed opportunity! We could have made the 2021-22 school year the time to fix our underachieving public education system. We could have utilized the wisdom we gained from a year of remote and hybrid learning to rethink how we deliver education. We could have made our schools work for kids, rather than having our kids work to support our failed education model.

July 1, 2021

The Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan document accurately reflects the requirements of the Connecticut’s American Rescue Plan Act Guidance, issued by the State Department of Education on June 3, 2021, https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Digest/2020-21/ARPESSERGuidance.pdf. Unfortunately, the Safe Return document provides little beyond a recitation of the state requirements (which are, in turn, little more than a restatement of the federal requirements).

June 1, 2021

Yes, after neverending masking and zooming and sanitizing, the 2020-2021 School year is almost over! However, don't start singing “no more pencils, and no more books” because school’s in for summer!

April 15, 2021

At a time when most states are substantially increasing education funding to remediate the educational loss occasioned by COVID-19 school closures and distance learning, Connecticut is going backwards. While most states recognize that federal stimulus funds, through the CARES Act, through the CRRSA Act, and now through the American Rescue Plan, were passed to supplement, not supplant, state funds, Connecticut is using that money to backfill its obligations.

April 15, 2021

The undersigned are organizations dedicated to equity in the education of underserved populations, including students of color, students with disabilities, rural students, and students living in poverty. We write because under the American Rescue Plan (ARP), signed by President Biden last week, Connecticut's schools are about to receive more than a billion dollars. That money needs to be spent wisely. To do so requires strong legislative action.

April 15, 2021

Special Education Equity for Kids in Connecticut (SEEK) is a statewide organization of parents, providers, attorneys and advocates working for high-quality education and civil rights for students with disabilities. We appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today on H.B. 6667. I am here to speak in favor of Section 11.

Feb. 9, 2021

We cannot have effective social emotional learning is an atmosphere of fear, in an ethos of rejection, in a school acting like a law enforcement agency. Yet, in our effort to make schools safe, we have made them appear less safe. In our striving to minimize disruptions to learning, schools have become fundamentally disruptive. In our desire to end racism, schools have become a mechanism to preserve the caste system in America.

Feb. 2, 2021

What follows is a section-by-section appraisal of those of the 30 recommendation areas contained in the Blueprint that fall within SEEK's mission. We ask you to consider modifying your recommendations in accordance with these suggestions.