Connecticut mayor Ken Nelson Jr. under fire for comments about school district’s special needs students
A Connecticut mayor is facing backlash after making disparaging remarks about his school district’s special needs students during Monday’s city council meeting, according to reports.
Enfield Mayor Ken Nelson Jr. said at an April 15 meeting that members of the Enfield Chapter Standing Up for Racial Justice that the district’s data for the 2022-2023 school year will increase the number of students of color. This sparked outrage over the fact that it suggested there was an imbalance.Students with disabilities were arrested or suspended from school. NBC Connecticut reported.
“I don’t care if they’re white, black, green or orange, because they could be a danger to other students at school,” Nelson said at the end of the public comment portion of the meeting. If so, it deserves suspension.”
“That also applies to special needs,” the Republican continued. “Unfortunately, special needs has gotten too out of control in this country. If a child who needed a spanking at age 2 doesn’t listen when they’re 16, now… I need special support.”
The mayor’s comments irritated many parents in the area, who expressed their concerns about the mayor’s comments online.
“I was really, really concerned and very upset. Especially as a parent of a child with special needs, it’s really hard to hear that,” Enfield School District parent Daniel Girard said. he told the magazine.
The mayor told the Post that his comments were “solely in response to rank-and-file council members’ accusations that the city’s school board and police department are targeting specific groups and classes of people who have been arrested in the past. It’s based on that,” he said. Enfield School System. ”
The mayor said this at the council meeting on April 15th.
Citing information from the Enfield Board of Education, he said 50% of the district’s students are classified as special needs students.
“I think it’s unrealistic that students who are receiving free or reduced lunch would be put in the same group as kids who really have special needs,” he says.
“We are diluting the definition of special needs, and parents of children who actually need services are being sidelined or forced to fight to get what their children need. I think Enfield students don’t have to be afraid of other students,” Nelson said.
He added: “If someone can come up with data that shows that certain groups are indeed being targeted, I’ll be the first to address this and fix it, but until someone comes forward with that statistics, it’s… “It’s just a baseless accusation,” he added.
Girard told NBC Connecticut that he spoke with Nelson on Wednesday, heard his concerns and voiced his own. She said she told him it was difficult to obtain special needs designations such as an individualized education plan for her daughter.
“I just hope he thinks about it seriously because the decisions and comments he makes going forward will have a huge impact on how the town views him,” Girard said.
The newspaper has reached out to Enfield Schools Superintendent Christopher Drezek for comment.
Enfield is a town of approximately 42,000 people located in northern Connecticut near the Massachusetts border.
Connecticut mayor Ken Nelson Jr. under fire for comments about school district’s special needs students
A Connecticut mayor is facing backlash after making disparaging remarks about his school district’s special needs students during Monday’s city council meeting, according to reports.
Enfield Mayor Ken Nelson Jr. said at an April 15 meeting that members of the Enfield Chapter Standing Up for Racial Justice that the district’s data for the 2022-2023 school year will increase the number of students of color. This sparked outrage over the fact that it suggested there was an imbalance.Students with disabilities were arrested or suspended from school. NBC Connecticut reported.
“I don’t care if they’re white, black, green or orange, because they could be a danger to other students at school,” Nelson said at the end of the public comment portion of the meeting. If so, it deserves suspension.”
“That also applies to special needs,” the Republican continued. “Unfortunately, special needs has gotten too out of control in this country. If a child who needed a spanking at age 2 doesn’t listen when they’re 16, now… I need special support.”
The mayor’s comments irritated many parents in the area, who expressed their concerns about the mayor’s comments online.
“I was really, really concerned and very upset. Especially as a parent of a child with special needs, it’s really hard to hear that,” Enfield School District parent Daniel Girard said. he told the magazine.
The mayor told the Post that his comments were “solely in response to rank-and-file council members’ accusations that the city’s school board and police department are targeting specific groups and classes of people who have been arrested in the past. It’s based on that,” he said. Enfield School System. ”
Citing information from the Enfield Board of Education, he said 50% of the district’s students are classified as special needs students.
“I think it’s unrealistic that students who are receiving free or reduced lunch would be put in the same group as kids who really have special needs,” he says.
“We are diluting the definition of special needs, and parents of children who actually need services are being sidelined or forced to fight to get what their children need. I think Enfield students don’t have to be afraid of other students,” Nelson said.
He added: “If someone can come up with data that shows that certain groups are indeed being targeted, I’ll be the first to address this and fix it, but until someone comes forward with that statistics, it’s… “It’s just a baseless accusation,” he added.
Girard told NBC Connecticut that he spoke with Nelson on Wednesday, heard his concerns and voiced his own. She said she told him it was difficult to obtain special needs designations such as an individualized education plan for her daughter.
“I just hope he thinks about it seriously because the decisions and comments he makes going forward will have a huge impact on how the town views him,” Girard said.
The newspaper has reached out to Enfield Schools Superintendent Christopher Drezek for comment.
Enfield is a town of approximately 42,000 people located in northern Connecticut near the Massachusetts border.
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