Mayoral candidates Democrat Lauren Garrett and Republican Ron Gambardella shared their opposing viewpoints on diversity, segregation and security in Hamden schools.
A hot-button issue revolves around the current state of national public education is the teaching of critical race theory in the classroom. Gambardella said he wants to hear from both sides, those who are in favor and against it, to be convinced which is right or wrong.
“I’m neutral on the issue so what I need to know is how parents feel about it,” Gambardella said. “So again, bring them together in a respectful manner and then come up with a recommendation for it.”
Garrett said while the student population at schools is diverse, the teachers aren’t. As mayor, Garrett wants to diversify educators, work toward a more culturally responsive curriculum and take bias out of discipline.
“We see that we have higher instances of Black and brown students getting expelled and suspended, and when kids aren’t in the classroom learning, we’re missing out on giving that child the opportunities that they need,” Garrett said.
Gambardella said it’s important for parents to feel comfortable enough to send their kids to school. When it comes to safety and security in school, Hamden High School was under a stay-in-place order last week because a student was found with a handgun.
During the incident, Gambardella said there was an officer in the school to help de-escalate the situation. He said it was “imperative.”
“Safety and security is, by far, one of the greatest responsibilities of any administration,” Gambardella said. “And that’s what I tend to do.”
However, Gambardella said he understands that there are people who against having a police presence in schools, so he said he would find an approach that makes people feel safe and comfortable at the same time.
“Maybe we put people in plain clothes,” Gambardella said. “They look just like a teacher — they can’t tell the difference between a teacher and somebody patrolling the building for safety and security.”
For Garrett, she said the town should provide more mental health support for students instead of increasing police presence in schools.
“I’ve got two kids in Hamden High and it’s important to me that our students feel safe and get the support that they need,” Garrett said. “Our students are asking for mental health support, so we need to increase our outreach there and firm up those supports.”
Because Hamden schools implemented a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to weapons possession, Garrett said it’s “terrible” that the student made the “life-altering” choice that would get them expelled.
“That student is now going to be missing out on a good education structure and mental health support that you find in schools,” Garrett said. “I hope that student gets the help that he or she needs. But we’ve got to keep our students safe.”
Both candidates agree that education is one of their top commitments when they take office. Gambardella said he wants to hear more about it from parents and interested parties before making any decision regarding education.
“Education is clearly a top priority,” Gambardella said. “It’s a key item in our budget and we spend a lot of money on it. So, yes, I need to pay attention to it.”
For the Democratic candidate, Garrett said she has a “wonderful” slate of candidates for the town’s Board of Education that include university professors, a former corrections worker and a current college student. Garrett said she will support the board as a mayor.
“I think our entire slate is really going to do a brilliant job of addressing these issues, and they need support from the mayor’s office,” Garrett said. “In the past, we’ve not really had a mayor who has had very much direct interaction with the Board of Education, (but) I’m very happy to provide that.”