Good morning. A committee representing Staples High School in Westport will not ban three books criticized by parents for “pornographic” imagery and representing LGBTQ characters.
The books — "This Book is Gay" by Juno Dawson, "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe, and "Flamer" by Mike Curato — explore gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experiences. Committee members voted unanimously to keep the books after determining they cause no harm to students and can provide LGTBQ students with stories that they can identify with. The school superintendent is expected to have an alternative proposal on April 17.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we are hearing:
The Suffolk County Legislature passed the measure to increase tax rates on local hotel stays. The 2.5% tax increase is intended to fund the county’s cultural and historical agencies and to fund infrastructure needed to begin construction on a convention center in Ronkonkoma. The tax is expected to increase annual revenue from $11 million to $20 million.
Connecticut’s chief state attorney dropped nearly 2,000 cannabis possession cases. This was due to the state legalizing the use of cannabis and creating an adult-use recreational market in 2021. According to Hearst Connecticut Media, the state attorney’s office reviewed over 4,000 total drug possession cases individually to best determine which charges should be dropped.
Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim has introduced his next $628 million budget. The spending plan is in addition to $17 million from pandemic aid, according to Hearst Connecticut Media. About $2 million would be dedicated to supporting local public schools while $500,000 would be used to create a scholarship called Bridgeport Promise. The City Council started to review this proposed plan on Wednesday before determining a final vote in May.
Yale University accepted 2,275 students for its class of 2027 — from a pool of over 50,000 applicants, the largest admissions pool in the college’s history. Yale’s freshman applicant pool has increased by 50% since 2020, due in part by the college adopting a test-optional policy since the pandemic began. Students for the class of 2027 reportedly come from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, four U.S. territories, and 78 countries.
Connecticut legislators introduced a bill banning single-use polystyrene foam trays, containers and cups in schools and restaurants. Styrofoam is non-biodegradable and can take up to 500 years to decompose, which can pollute oceans and landfills. If approved, the bill would prohibit the use of foam products starting in July 2024 and set a 2025 deadline for schools to phase out foam products. Violators of this policy may face fines up to $1,000.
Southern Connecticut State University named Housatonic Community College CEO Dr. Dwayne Smith as interim president. Smith was appointed to this position after previous university president Joe Bertolino announced he will step down at the end of the semester to become president of Stockton University in New Jersey. Smith previously worked in education for 40 years as an administrator and faculty member at Avila University, Park University, University of Missouri-Columbia and Truman State University.
A school field trip to see the Bridgeport Islanders was canceled on Tuesday. The Classical Studies Magnet Academy’s annual Healthy Hockey School-Day Game trip was canceled due to emerging threats against the school and students. Officials are working with the Bridgeport Police Department to investigate the threats while the trip is rescheduled for a later date.
Women's health advocates in Connecticut are sounding the alarm of rising maternal mortalities amidst declining reproductive freedoms across the country. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) has requested $146 million to be transferred to the Safe Motherhood and Infant Health Program to prevent more maternal deaths. According to the CDC, 1,205 women died from maternal causes in 2021, a near 40% increase from 2020.
Senior members of the Lamont administration met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to discuss President Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda this week. Investing in America is a tour of the Biden administration across the country to observe how these historic investments helped unleash a manufacturing boom, rebuild infrastructure, lowered costs for hardworking families, and created jobs that don’t require a four-year degree.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong wants to make it easier for LGBTQ people to donate blood and plasma. Tong joined with 22 other state attorneys general to support a proposal on Monday. Current policy recommends prohibiting homosexual and bisexual men from donating until three months after their most recent sexual encounter even if they took safe precautions to limit the spread of STIs. The new policy would replace this recommendation with a risk-based analysis for all donors regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
