A Connecticut mayor is facing backlash after making disparaging comments about the school district’s special needs students during a council meeting Monday, according to a report.
Enfield Mayor Ken Nelson Jr. sparked outrage when he responded to a member of the Enfield chapter of Standing up for Racial Justice, who noted at the April 15 meeting that data from the district in the 2022-2023 school year suggested a disproportionate number of students of color. and students with disabilities were arrested or suspended, NBC Connecticut reported.
“I don’t care if they’re white, black, green or orange, if they threaten to harm another student in the school, they deserve to be suspended,” Nelson said at the end of the game. public comments from the meeting.
“It also falls for special needs,” the Republican continued. “Unfortunately, special needs has gotten so out of control in this country that any child who needed a spanking at age 2, at age 16 and won’t listen, now has special needs.”
The mayor’s comments angered many parents in the community, who expressed disagreement with his statements online.
“I was really, really worried and deeply upset. That’s something that’s really hard to hear, especially as a parent of a child with special needs,” Enfield School District parent Danielle Girard told the news outlet.
The mayor told the Post that his remarks “were based solely on accusations presented at the council meeting by a member of the public that our school board and police department are targeting certain groups and categories of people with the arrests that have took place in the Enfield school system.
He said 50 percent of the district’s students are classified as having special needs, citing the Enfield school board.
“I find it unrealistic that students on free or reduced lunch are grouped with kids who actually have special needs,” he said.
“I think we are narrowing the definition of special needs and parents of children who actually need services are being pushed aside or having to fight to get what their children need. Enfield students should not be afraid of other students,” Nelson said.
He added that “if someone can produce data that shows that a certain group is actually being targeted, I will be the first to address this and correct it, but until someone produces these statistics, this is just an unfounded accusation.
Girard told NBC Connecticut that she spoke with Nelson on Wednesday to hear his concerns and express her own. She told him it was difficult to get a special needs designation, like her daughter’s individualized education plan.
“I just hope that the decisions he makes and the comments he makes going forward, he really thinks about it because it really impacts how the city looks at him,” Girard said.
The Post reached out to Enfield Schools Superintendent Christopher Drezek for comment.
Enfield is a town of approximately 42,000 people located in northern Connecticut, near the Massachusetts border.
New York Post
