Press Release, Westport Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Scarice 

Dear Westport Families,

As our community mourns the tragic loss of one of our beloved students and her mother, I want to provide assurance that the school district is actively working to support those closest to this unspeakable loss.  A plan for mental health and grief counselors is being developed for those most impacted. 

In order to appropriately end the school year, while simultaneously addressing the profound grief in the Coleytown Elementary School community, Monday June 21 will not be a student day.  Coleytown Elementary School and Stepping Stones Preschool students will not report to school Monday June 21 as a scheduled school day. 

However, parents can expect to be provided information by CES Principal, Janna Sirowich, and SSP Director, Lynda Codeghini, on an opportunity for students to visit their classrooms and teachers on Monday June 21 for one last time, and to collect their belongings as they depart for summer. 

Details of this opportunity will be shared later today by building administration, yet I can share that there will be a defined window of time for visits.  I want to assure parents that there will be no discussion of the recent tragedy while students visit their teachers and collect their belongings.  We will have staff staged across the entire school to help facilitate this opportunity for your child. This will be a drop off event and should take no longer than approximately 30 minutes.  Again, details will be forthcoming from building administration.

Finally, parents will be provided additional resources on how to speak with your child, and whether or not it is age-appropriate to do so.  Members of our team are ready to support our families, faculty and staff. 

I want to thank the school community for the respect given to our faculty, staff and all first responders as we heal and support each other, and move to support all of those most impacted by this tragedy.

Respectfully,

Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools

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