Heard on the Curb: Board of Education Candidates
By Mike Dorfsman
As parents focused on the upcoming school year, Democratic Board of Education candidates, Josh Kaye and Lauren Connolly Nussbaum, took to neighborhood streets, going door-to-door to hear what New Canaan parents had to say about New Canaan schools, their children’s education and any concerns they had. According to candidates Lauren Connolly Nussbaum and Josh Kaye, the parents they met were overwhelmingly positive at all levels about the education their children are receiving from the first days of kindergarten through high school graduation.
Supporting Student Emotional Health
While uniformly appreciative of the quality of education their children are receiving in New Canaan, they heard parents voice concerns about the pressure students felt to achieve, to get into top colleges, all of which imposes a layer of stress. The parent of a young child spoke of how kids feel they need to be excellent, to be on a fast track when it comes to colleges and advanced placement. The college acceptance experience heightens the stress, as students stay up late studying, concerned about the need to achieve.
In response, Nussbaum and Kaye said as school board members, and as parents themselves, those concerns would have their attention. “It’s vitally important to us that we provide a supportive and opportunity-rich environment to ensure that students are challenged academically, feel that they belong in the school and can enjoy and benefit from a full range of sports, arts and clubs,” they said.
For them, Kaye and Nussbaum said, their aim is to enable each student to find their place. “It may be playing on a sports team, working on a school musical or drama, playing an instrument, participating in a STEM challenge, joining the Model UN team or, even starting their own club,” they said.
“Our bottom line,” they emphasized, “is to foster a school environment where school children feel safe, where they feel secure and supported. That’s the foundation we want to build upon for New Canaan public school students to be their best selves and learn.”