New Southington 'Social Justice Coalition' Meets; Sessions Closed

SOUTHINGTON, CT — The Southington Public Schools Coalition for Social Justice met for the first time on Tuesday in a closed-door session.

The Coalition consists of:

• Students
• Parents
• Representatives from community agencies and town departments
• Representatives from the Capital Region Education Council
• Teachers and support staff from the Southington Public Schools
• A representative from the Board of Education and Town Council and
• members of the administration.

The Southington Public School District has engaged in a multi-year partnership with the State Education Resource Center to facilitate the work of the coalition.

The general focus of the coalition will be to engage in "professional learning that advances cultural responsiveness and racial equity as leverage points for action driven outcomes through community engagement and support," education officials said.

They added, "School leaders, educators, students, parents and other community members will engage in intentional and actionable professional learning that will guide and support
equitable reflection, problem solving and decision-making."

The first year of the coalition will focus on an "in-depth examination of the scope, sequence, and implementation of the district’s philosophies, policies, structures and practices."

The meetings are closed to the public and media.

Education officials said reports on "the activities of the coalition" will be provided to the Board of Education and to the "Southington Public School Community" via "the standard communication vehicles."