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Discussion on the right to equal education, Sheff v. O’Neill court case, and Glastonbury’s participation in the Open Choice program. < Back Opening Doors for Open Choice Past Event Who: Speakers: Elizabeth Horton Sheff, Martha Stone, Tracy-Ann Johnson When: May 11, 2022 at 11:00:00 PM Where: Virtual Zoom Webinar Discussion on the right to equal education, Sheff v. O’Neill court case, and Glastonbury’s participation in the Open Choice program. Register The Glastonbury nonprofit TALK (Truth in Action with Love & Kindness) invites the public to “Opening Doors for Open Choice: Glastonbury and the Sheff Civil Rights Settlement,” a free Zoom webinar on Wednesday, May 11, at 7 p.m. Presented in collaboration with Welles-Turner Memorial Library, this community conversation will cover the constitutional right to equal, integrated education, and the Sheff v. O’Neill recently settled lawsuit on Connecticut’s failure to meet its constitutional obligation. It also will focus on Glastonbury’s participation in the Open Choice program, which enables urban students to attend public schools in suburban districts, and suburban and rural students to attend public schools in urban areas. Speakers will include Elizabeth Horton Sheff, Sheff Movement Co-Chair and plaintiff in the landmark civil rights lawsuit; Martha Stone, Co-Counsel for the Sheff case from its inception through recent settlement; and Tracy-Ann Johnson, parent of a Glastonbury Open Choice student and member of Glastonbury’s former Racial Justice and Equity Commission. Sheff will share how she and her then 10-year-old son, Milo, and the nine other plaintiff families, joined together in 1989 to sue Connecticut over the disparities in education available to Hartford vs. suburban public school students. She will explain why the Sheff case and movement continue to be vitally important today, and will describe the role of the magnet and Open Choice programs in helping to ensure access to equal education opportunities. Stone will explain the state constitutional protections at the heart of the Sheff lawsuit, and provide an overview of the case’s three-decade trajectory in the courts. Johnson will discuss why she decided to send her child to a Glastonbury public school through the Open Choice program, and will describe her own and other families’ experiences with the program. Registration is required. Visit https://tinyurl.com/y2hrp5zk to register Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back March 2018 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: March 17, 2018 at 2:00:00 PM Previous Next

Implicit Bias Training < Back June 2019 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: Implicit Bias Training Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: June 15, 2019 at 2:00:00 PM The Kirwan Institute for the study of race and ethnicity, located at the Ohio State University, defines implicit bias as “attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. These biases, which encompass both favorable and unfavorable assessments, are activated involuntarily and without an individual’s awareness or intentional control.” During our meeting Jessica Pepin will lead attendees on a journey of self-exploration and honest conversation around implicit bias; most particularity how such affects students, parents, and teachers in our public school education system. Below is a link to the 2017 Kirwan Institute report on implicit bias. This report addresses implicit bias, as researched and identified, with regard to criminal justice; health; education; housing, and neighborhood dynamics. We encourage you to review this report before the training. This meeting is open to the public – all are welcome. STATE OF THE SCIENCE – Kirwan Institute 2017 Implicit Bias Review Previous Next

Team presentation by Farmington High School's Social Justice Club. < Back July 2022 Meeting Who: What: Team presentation by Farmington High School's Social Justice Club. Where: Virtual: Via Zoom When: July 16, 2022 at 2:00:00 PM Meeting Agenda Welcome Brief presentation on SBATs Introduction of speakers Farmington High School Social Justice Club presentation Announcements and closing Download Meeting Material Social Justice & Safe Spaces at FHS .pdf Download PDF • 8.18MB July Public Meeting - SBAT, CBAT .pdf Download PDF • 121KB Previous Next

We'll discuss Sheff Movement updates and be joined by the Director of Community Engagement for the School and State Finance Project, Erika Haynes < Back May 2022 Meeting Who: Speaker: Erika Haynes What: We'll discuss Sheff Movement updates and be joined by the Director of Community Engagement for the School and State Finance Project, Erika Haynes Where: Virtual: Via Zoom When: May 21, 2022 at 2:00:00 PM Meeting Agenda Welcome Introduction of Speaker: Erika Haynes, director of community engagement for the School and State Finance Project School and State Finance Project Sheff Movement Updates Download Meeting Materials 2022 Legislative Session Summary.pptx .pdf Download PDF • 573KB Previous Next

We will discuss the Wintonbury Early Childhood and Global Experience Magnet Schools. Plus, end of school year updates and previews of exciting work ahead for summer and 2022-2023 with our School-based and Community-based Advocacy Teams.. < Back June 2022 Meeting Who: Speakers: Principal Samantha Straker, Principal Jeff Bernabe of Bloomfield Magnet Schools What: We will discuss the Wintonbury Early Childhood and Global Experience Magnet Schools. Plus, end of school year updates and previews of exciting work ahead for summer and 2022-2023 with our School-based and Community-based Advocacy Teams.. Where: Virtual: Via Zoom When: June 18, 2022 at 2:00:00 PM Meeting Agenda: 1. Bloomfield Magnet Schools Guest Speakers: Principal Samantha Straker Wintonbury Early Childhood Magnet School (PK 3-4) Principal Jeff Bernabe Global Experience Magnet School (Grades 6-12) 2. End of school year updates and previews of exciting work ahead for summer and 2022 - 2023 with our School-based and Community-based advocacy teams, building youth voice and leadership in the movement. 3. Juneteenth Acknowledgement Download Meeting Materials GEMS - Presentation, Information Session - SMC, June. 2022.pptx .pdf Download PDF • 11.33MB Previous Next

Connecticut State Department of Education Update < Back December 2022 Meeting Who: Robin Cecere, State Department of Education What: Connecticut State Department of Education Update Where: Virtual: Via Zoom When: December 17, 2022 at 3:00:00 PM Meeting Agenda Welcome Robin Cecere, Director of School Choice Sheff Movement Updates Announcements & Closing RSVP for Meeting Here Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back July 2015 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: July 18, 2015 at 2:00:00 PM Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back March 2016 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: March 26, 2016 at 2:00:00 PM Previous Next

MEDIA COVERAGE HARTFORD COURANT April 3, 2022 UConn Law honors John Brittain, original Sheff lawyer, 33 years after school desegregation suit was filed SMC NOTES: Elizabeth Horton Sheff quoted: “Thank you for 33 years of teachable moments,” said Elizabeth Horton Sheff, lead plaintiff in the Sheff v. O’Neill case. “[Brittain] is the type of person who, if you ask him a question, he’s going to give you a lecture.” "Friends, colleagues and former students of John Brittain gathered Thursday evening at the UConn School of Law to celebrate the achievements of the longtime professor who focused closely on education and equity." Read Article by Seamus McAvoy CONNECTICUT MIRROR February 17, 2022 As CT seeks to desegregate schools, suburban districts are slow to help SMC NOTES: "This year, it was Darien’s school board rejecting a plan that would have enrolled 16 Norwalk kindergarteners throughout its elementary schools. The wealthy suburban districts surrounding Danbury decided earlier this year they wouldn’t be opening their classrooms, either." Read Article by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas WSHU PUBLIC RADIO February 3, 2022 After 33 years in the Connecticut courts, a Hartford school integration lawsuit reaches a settlement SMC NOTES: "Tom Kuser speaks with two attorneys attached to the [Sheff] case, Martha Stone, a former lead attorney in the original lawsuit and the founder and Director of the Center for Children's Advocacy at the University of Connecticut, and Scott Garosshen, a lead plaintiff’s attorney and an Associate with Horton, Dowd, Bartschi & Levesque." Listen by By Tom Kuser HARTFORD COURANT January 19, 2022 Settlement that would end 30-year Sheff v. O’Neill desegregation case promises to create space at magnet and suburban schools for all Hartford students SMC NOTES: Elizabeth Horton Sheff quoted: “Unlike in other parts of the nation, the end of court oversight is not going to mean a rollback of all the gains we have made in these 30 years.” "A Hartford Superior Court judge granted preliminary approval Thursday to a sweeping agreement that would create spaces at magnet and suburban schools for all Hartford students who want them and bring an end to the Sheff v. O’Neill case." Read Article by Seamus McAvoy CT PUBLIC RADIO October 23, 2018 With Sheff Back in Court, A Look At School Integration In Hartford SMC NOTES: Featuring Interim Executive Director Rachel (Gary) Martin, along with Jacqueline Rabe Thomas and LaShawn Robinson "In the 1996 landmark Sheff v. O’Neill case, the Connecticut Supreme Court found that minority students in Hartford's public schools 'suffered daily' due to racial and economic segregation." Listen & Read by Lucy Nalpathanchil and Carmen Baskauf HARTFORD COURANT May 30, 2014 Being Milo Sheff Was Worth It: 25 Years After Sheff v. O’Neill Desegregation Case, Lead Plaintiff Reflects On What He Helped Accomplish — And What He Learned Along The Way SMC NOTES: "We need the essence of Sheff v. O’Neill now, more than ever — the meaning, the schools, the teachers and parents who care, interactions with respect and courtesy between children and families of all races, tongues and ages. As a nation, we need this." Read Op-Ed by Milo Sheff

About the Case ABOUT THE CASE In 1989, when her son, Milo, was a fourth grade student at Annie Fisher Elementary School in Hartford, Elizabeth Horton Sheff joined with ten other families and began a long and arduous journey to redress the inequity between the level of education provided to students in Hartford public schools and that available to children in surrounding suburban districts. This journey has become known around the State of Connecticut, and throughout the United States, as Sheff vs. O’Neill –a landmark civil rights effort that seeks to prepare all children to live and prosper in an increasingly diverse, globally connected world. The plaintiffs in this case continue to advocate for the State of Connecticut to uphold the constitutional rights of children in Hartford schools. The original Sheff plaintiff families were: Milo Sheff, an African-American child residing in Hartford Wildaliz, Pedro, and Eva Bermudez, Latino children residing in Hartford Oskar and Waleska Melendez, Latino children residing in Glastonbury Martin Hamilton, an African-American child residing in Hartford Janelle Hughley, an African-American child residing in Hartford Neiima Best, an African-American child residing in Hartford Lisa Laboy, a Latino child residing in Hartford David and Michael Harrington, white children residing in Hartford Rachel and Joseph Leach, white children residing in West Hartford Erica and Tasha Connolly, white children residing in Hartford Michael and Dawn Perez, Latino children residing in Hartford To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

SMC Updates < Back November 2015 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: Metropolitan Learning Center - 1551 Blue Hills Avenue Bloomfield, CT 06002 When: November 14, 2015 at 3:00:00 PM We’ll host November’s meeting at the Metropolitan Learning Center, the site of the Regional School Choice Office (RSCO) Fair. Click here for more information. Previous Next