Superintendent, Board Of Ed Chair Address George Floyd Death

WESTPORT, CT — During Monday night's Board of Education meeting in Westport, Interim Schools Superintendent David Abbey and Board of Education Chair Candice Savin both made statements addressing George Floyd's death in Minneapolis and how the school district is handling the matter.

The Floyd killing has sparked protests around the country, some of which have turned violent, and resulted in widespread property damage and looting of businesses.

A peaceful protest was held in Westport on Monday, in which some downtown streets temporarily were closed as protesters marched with signs supporting Black Lives Matter.

Over the weekend, First Selectman Jim Marpe and Police Chief Foti Koskinas issued a joint statement reiterating Westport's commitment to fair policing policies.

In Connecticut, the protests largely have been peaceful, garnering praise from Gov. Ned Lamont.

Floyd, who was 46 and black, died during an arrest last week, in which a white officer, Derek Chauvin, positioned his knee on Floyd's throat. Floyd could be heard on video saying that he couldn't breathe, and people at the scene could be heard begging the officer to get off of him.

Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, but three other officers at the scene who did not intervene have not been charged. All four officers have been fired from the Minneapolis department.

Below are the statements from Savin, first, and Abbey:

Before we move on to announcements, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge this very somber and unsettling moment in our nation. Many of us are feeling outraged at the inequality that has been laid bare by the pandemic, frustrated and ashamed at the continual loop of racial injustices, fearful of the future, and disappointed by our institutions and leaders.

It is easy to give into cynicism, anger or even despair. One thing we can do, as a community and as individuals, is to soldier on with our civic duty to self-govern and to educate our children. And that is what we will do here tonight. Here, our duty is to educate our children, to equip them with the skills and knowledge necessary to understand and negotiate a complex world, and to teach them empathy and activism. While we each grapple with how we can take personal responsibility for healing our country, we can have enormous gratitude for our professional educators, our public employees, and the unpaid volunteers who under all circumstances continue to do this important work.

— Westport Board of Education Chair Candice Savin

The death of George Floyd, while in the custody of four Minneapolis Police officers, has shocked our world. This awful and tragic event has reverberated across the country, and impacted many cities and towns – including Westport.

This morning social studies coordinator Lauren Francese, in sending teaching materials to social studies teachers in grades 6-12 wrote, “Not teaching about this moment, in this moment, sends the wrong message to students about its importance.” I have no doubt that our teachers will address this critical and complex event with their students.

On a district basis, we will be discussing, as an administrative team, how to teach about this moment in developmentally appropriate ways.

Mr. Floyd’s death, and subsequent events, are easily accessible through television and social media. As they process these events, students might struggle with a range of emotions – depending upon such factors as their personalities and life experiences. Please know that if any student feels the need, our counselors, psychologists, and social workers are available to help.

This past winter, through professional development, we learned about the importance of being an anti-racist and how to go about becoming a more inclusive district, where all are valued. Events like this speak to the need of redoubling our efforts. As a district, in order to become truly anti-racist, we have much work to do; however, I am confident that we have the students, staff and community support in order to do so – even as we struggle together to make sense of this troubling time.

— David Abbey, Interim Superintendent