Windsor School Officials Apologize for Timing of Mural Removal

WINDSOR, CT — The Windsor Public Schools administration has issued a statement regarding the recent controversial removal of a mural inside the Oliver Ellsworth School on Kennedy Road.

The mural, which was created in 2009 by a former substitute art teacher, was designed to illustrate important events of that time, including the election of Barack Obama as the nation's first African-American president.

Last Tuesday - Election Day - the mural was painted over in preparation for a new display to be showcased in that spot. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Craig Cooke said the painting work was done that day because school was not in session and students would not be exposed to any potential environmental hazards from the paint.

A backlash from some parents prompted the school system to post a message on the district's web site, www.windsorct.org.

Over Cooke's name, the message reads:

"Last week, a mural depicting events that occurred during a group of students’ time at Oliver Ellsworth School was painted over. The mural was originally painted in the Spring of 2009. At the center of the mural was a silhouette of President Barack Obama, signifying his taking office as the first black President in our nation’s history. The timing for the replacement of this mural could not have been worse and we offer our sincere apologies for this mistake.

As a district we are looking at options to memorialize the mural in its original location. We intend to place a large canvas or photograph of the mural at Oliver Ellsworth. A plaque naming the artist and an explanation of the mural would also be displayed. While we considered having the mural repainted by the original artist, we would not be able to match its design, which included student signatures.

Furthermore, as a district we will now have procedures in place to ensure that artwork/murals intended to be more permanent in nature are not painted over without a formal process."

By early Wednesday afternoon, Cooke had not yet returned a message from Patch seeking further comment.

Photo courtesy of Windsor Public Schools