Hundreds of foster children have been waiting months for court hearings that were suspended because of the pandemic.
Martha Stone
Posted inHealth
Connecticut’s most vulnerable children even more at risk during coronavirus crisis
The state typically receives 126 child abuse and neglect reports each day. That number fell in one week to 39.
Posted inEducation
State settles school desegregation case
The agreement in the Sheff vs. O’Neill case dedicates 600 of the 1,000 new magnet school seats to children who attend segregated Hartford schools.
Posted inJustice
After 22 years, educating incarcerated youth still a challenge
The state started trying to improve education in juvenile detention in 1993. It’s still trying.
Posted inGovernment
Federal monitor’s report reflects continuing concerns about DCF, but progress being made
A lawyer for the plaintiffs is optimistic because the agency has made progress in its hiring and caseload goals.
Posted inHealth
As DCF’s Katz bows out, the risky world of child protection awaits new administration
Joette Katz, who served under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for eight years, is resigning next month after what is believed to be one of the longest tenures leading a state child-protection agency in the nation. But it wasn’t always easy. Despite Malloy’s loyalty to her, Katz’s abrasive personality, refusal to back down from controversial decisions, and her decision to march the child protection agency in a new and sometimes perilous direction, resulted in a rocky eight years.
Posted inEducation
School choice lottery a mystery for parents as desegregation efforts stall
The confusion surrounding who wins the lottery – or doesn’t – has fueled displeasure and distrust among many Hartford residents concerned that the vast network of magnet schools has created a two-tiered education system where thousands of struggling city students are stuck in underperforming neighborhood schools.
Posted inEducation
Student suspensions can add to a downward spiral, data suggest
Students need to be at school to learn, but new state data show that many children expelled or suspended because they act out are among those likely to miss the most school and perform less well academically. “”Suspensions and expulsions may exacerbate academic deterioration,” reads a presentation prepared for the State Board of Education.
Posted inEducation
Expert: Progress made, more needed at jails for young offenders
An expert’s review of DCF’s locked facilities for juvenile offenders highlights the successes of a juvenile justice system that incarcerates fewer youth than 10 years ago, but also raises questions about the adequacy of mental health services provided for at-risk youths both in and outside of jail.
Posted inEducation
Giving young offenders 2nd chance means system-wide reform
With a goal of reducing the number of young offenders incarcerated by 20 percent in three years, Connecticut will need to both prevent youths from entering the juvenile justice system and make sure they don’t return when they leave. Second of two articles.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Connecticut’s children deserve a second chance, too
The Connecticut Juvenile Training School in Middletown. During its special session, the legislature will consider the governor’s Second Chance proposal, which aims to make sure that a minor criminal offense does not forever bar a person from success. Policymakers should take the opportunity of the special session to extend second chances to children as well. […]
Posted inEducation
Op-Ed: For Josh’s sake and Jane’s, can DCF listen to others?
The Connecticut Department of Children and Families should stop and listen to experts within and beyond our borders who are offering the help that Connecticut’s children need.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Op-Ed: For Josh’s sake and Jane’s, can DCF listen to others?
The Connecticut Department of Children and Families should stop and listen to experts within and beyond our borders who are offering the help that Connecticut’s children need.
Posted inEducation
Questions (and answers) about CT’s new girls’ incarceration unit
“There are girls that really very easily can fill these 10 beds,” said Joette Katz, commissioner of the state Department of Children and Families.