Good morning. Connecticut educators and legislators are calling for improved air quality in schools. A group of advocates led by State Senator Julie Kushner on Tuesday, requested a 10-year extensionof the School Indoor Air Quality Working Group.
The group inspects schools’ heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. One hundred schools have received air quality upgrades since 2022, but 930 schools still use poor or deteriorating air quality systems. Poor ventilation can put students and educators at risk of respiratory illnesses.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we are hearing:
Levittown teen arrested for carrying a BB gun in school. Division Avenue High School was put on temporary hold on Tuesday while Nassau County Police investigated the incident. It’s unknown what the student has been charged with. No students or staff were harmed.
Connecticut Airport Authority Director will retire next year. Kevin Dillion will retire in January 2025 after 12 years in the position. He has worked in the aviation industry for almost 50 years. During Dillon’s tenure, nonstop flight destinations from state airports have increased by over 35%. He expanded Bradley International Airport by completing a ground transportation center and $250 million worth of improvements. It’s unknown who will replace Dillion.
$9.3 million in federal dollars will connect a New Haven scenic trail to Massachusetts. The project would connect the 84-mile-long Farmington Canal Heritage Trail to the city’s 25-mile-long Shoreline Greenway. City Engineer Giovanni Zinn expects to complete the design later this year. Once permits and bids are approved, Zinn said the project should be complete within two years.
Chronic absenteeism persists in Connecticut schools. Over 99,000 Connecticut students in grades K-12 were chronically absent last school year. That is 20% of the state’s total grade school population. According to a report from the state Department of Education, 47% of students absent were students of color. However, the absentee rate decreased by 3.7% from the 2021-2022 school year.
State lawmakers blast New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Department of Veteran Services for not disbursing about $3.4 million the state already has in its coffers. The donated funds are supposed to pay for things like veterans cemeteries, homeless assistance and nursing facilities like the Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook. Some funds have been disbursed, according to the commissioner of veterans services, but it’s not clear exactly how much or why it’s taking so long.
SCSU interim president sued for discrimination. Southern Connecticut State University’s Dwayne Smith has been sued twice for discrimination. Former Harris-Stowe University professor Beverly Buck Brennan sued Smith and the university. She said she was racially discriminated against in a hostile work environment. The university denied the allegations, and Smith was later dropped from the case. Brennan was awarded $750,000. This is the second time Smith was sued and later dropped from a discrimination case involving Harris-Stowe.
Suffolk Tulips Festival expands to Riverhead. The festival has long been held at Waterdrinker Farm in Manorville. Over 2 million tulips are expected to bloom in both locations. The festival will be open from April 15 to May 3.
