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Hi there,

I need a favor from you. I'd appreciate if you could email me back asap.

Thanks

Luzselenia

No child should live in a household without utilities. The Center’s April utility clinics are scheduled as follows:

April 23, 2019: Hartford: Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, 282 Washington Street – 1:30 – 4:00 p.m.

April 29, 2019: New Britain: YWCA – 19 Franklin Square – 1:00 -4:00 p.m.

Flyers describing the events are attached. Everyone is welcome. Please circulate to anyone whom you feel would benefit. Please contact me if you have any questions. 

[More ...]

Hello all,
I am interested in talking to any counsel who have dealt with Rule 8-10 and DCF’s claim that it only applies to criminal matters and not child protection. The language of the Rule says criminal and juvenile. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has argued this issue. Thank you.
Jennifer 

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We would like to share with you our Medical-Legal Partnership Project's quarterly newsletter. If you would like to receive these newsletters in the future, please click on the green "subscribe" link below. Enjoy!

[https://default.salsalabs.org/api/organization/f0be7cc4-b164-4797-b91e-1a1dc915dffa/logo/data]

Medical Legal Partnership News
Pediatric Advocacy: Support for Children with Disabilities

[https://default.salsalabs.org/1f4ed985-ae92-4318-9725-e207766599c1/bdc6fe59-3ddb-4312-b730-6cc570863423.jpg]

MLPP Fall 2018 Newsletter

Director's Message

Enhancing Support and Independence for Children with Disabilities
By Jay Sicklick, CCA Deputy Director & MLP Director 

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CCA’s fall utility clinic is taking place tomorrow, October 26 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford. Utility companies, CRT, 211INFOLINE and community providers will be on sight to provide assistance. Please circulate the flyer below. Walk in’s are well. Please call me if you have any questions. 

[More ...]

CCA's fall utility clinic will be held on Friday, October 26, 2018 between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. in the Gengras Auditorium, St. Francis Hospital, Hartford. Utility companies and community agencies will be on site to assist clients in obtaining affordable electric and gas payment arrangements. Voter registration will also be available. Please circulate the attached flyer to whomever you feel would benefit. For questions please call me at (860) 545-8581. 

[More ...]

Stable living conditions help to stabilize families. The Center's utility clinics provide support and advice to assist families avoid utility termination.
The flyer describing the two clinics are attached. Everyone is welcome.
Please forward the information to anyone whom you feel would benefit. If you have any questions please contact me.

Bonnie

Bonnie B. Roswig
Senior Staff Attorney
Medical/Legal Partnership Project
Center for Children's Advocacy
(860) 545-8581kids 

[More ...]

I'm out of the office until Monday, Oct. 16. Please send e-mails that need immediate attention to [log in to unmask]

[https://default.salsalabs.org/api/organization/f0be7cc4-b164-4797-b91e-1a1dc915dffa/logo/data]

Medical-Legal Partnership Newsletter - Fall 2017

[https://default.salsalabs.org/0e866958-1066-4af0-b061-765c30e636e3/f08793cf-c81f-447e-9388-4172e6c95d69.jpg]

Director's Message

Jay Sicklick, Esq<https://default.salsalabs.org/T27608a53-b635-4aad-a303-883749749893/b7ebc53e-b329-4adb-acd2-cdb5a661517d>.

Welcome to the Fall issue of our Medical-Legal Partnership newsletter. In this edition, we focus on educational success - how a medical-legal partnership can team with clinicians and families to enhance educational outcomes for students with disabilities.

Over seventeen years ago, the first case our newly forged Medical-Legal Partnership handled at Connecticut Children's Medical Center involved a chronically ill child whose parents could not access educational services from their local school district. The pediatric primary care provider had attended numerous planning and placement team meetings (PPT) advocating 

[More ...]

Just a reminder that the Center's next seminar/webinar is coming up on October 31 from 2 pm - 3:30 pm. There are links below to register for either the webinar or the on-site seminar. We hope you will join us.

Chemical Strait Jackets: Are Children in State Care Over-Medicated?

October 31, 2017 from 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm 

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AFCAMP is hosting a youth led summit, I-LEAD, on Saturday, October 7th, from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
at the Chrysalis Training & Education Center, 255 Homestead Ave, Hartford, CT.

Registration is FREE and breakfast and lunch are provided. Please see flyer attached.

Register here: http://afcampyouthsummit.eventbrite.org

Need more information? Contact: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>

Marisa M. Halm, Esq.
Director, TeamChild Juvenile Justice Project
860-570-5327 ext. 228
860-566-0764 (cell)
Hartford - Bridgeport - New Haven
[cid:image003.jpg@01D33796.48125760]<http://www.cca-ct.org/> 

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Please remove my email from your list. Thank you

A recent spate of serious juvenile crime, including a string of car thefts in which offenders fled police at high speeds and the slaying of an innocent 63-year-old man in Hartford, represent one of the most serious and brazen outbreaks in years. The spree led to assertions from top state law enforcement officials that laws adding 17-year-olds to juvenile court, and making it harder to lock-up juveniles or transfer them to adult court, have made Connecticut more dangerous. 

[More ...]

Posted on behalf of Alice Rosenthal, JD:

Please be aware that as of February 3, 2017, a new HUD rule was implemented requiring each public housing agency administering public housing to implement a smoke-free policy. The purpose of the rule is to improve indoor air quality in public housing and to benefit the health of public housing residents, visitors and staff with the goal to improve health outcomes. 

[More ...]

Please forward to your networks

Center for Children's Advocacy seminar/webinar presentation

Chemical Strait Jackets: Are children in state care over-medicated?

October 31 from 2pm - 3:30pm

Sara Bartosz, Deputy Director of Litigation Strategy
Children's Rights, New York, NY

[cid:image003.jpg@01D332D6.F3C10620]

Attorney Bartosz leads the team that filed the Missouri class action M.B. v. Tidball<http://www.childrensrights.org/class_action/m-b-v-tidball/>, psychotropic medication oversight litigation, on June 12, 2017. 

[More ...]

Good Morning,

I hope that everyone is ready for the fall with fairs, apple picking, corn mazes, and football. I am happy to report that I am the new chair for the CBA Child Welfare and Juvenile Law Section. I would like to thank Karen Damboise for her service as last year's chair. 

[More ...]

The Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality and the National Black Women's Justice Institute released a toolkit on improving interactions between girls of color and School Resource Officers. The report is based on research conducted with girls of color and officers in school.

See the full report and toolkit here:
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/news/press-releases/be-her-resource.cfm 

[More ...]

Center for Children's Advocacy Presents

Chemical Strait Jackets
Are Children in State Care Over-Medicated?

October 31, 2017 from 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
UConn Law School, Starr Hall, Davis Courtroom

Sara Bartosz, Deputy Director of Litigation Strategy, Children's Rights, New York

[cid:image001.jpg@01D32B05.FCA44050]

Attorney Bartosz leads the team that recently filed the
Missouri psychotropic medication oversight litigation M.B. v. Tidball<http://www.childrensrights.org/class_action/m-b-v-tidball/>, 

[More ...]

By Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, CT Mirror, September 8, 2017
What kind of education should the hundreds of students who are expelled each year from Connecticut's public schools receive?

" That's long been up to local educators to determine. That's about to change soon - courtesy of a new state law mandating that the State Board of Education set standards by Aug. 15. A lawsuit against the state that documented what expelled students were getting - or not getting - also helped.... 

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No abstract is available available for this message. [Read Message ...]

Register Now<https://default.salsalabs.org/T2f98bf06-4ab2-42b2-b762-33b5db1283d1/58737fda-5629-4183-8d7c-122f3e7fe9f2>

The Center for Children’s Advocacy is pleased to announce upcoming dates for New Haven, CT sessions of our popular seminar series:

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)

Training CT Attorneys for Pro-Bono Representation of Immigrant Children

SIJS protects undocumented children who have been abandoned, abused or neglected, allowing them to regularize their immigration status. Legal representation is critical to prevent undocumented children from being returned to a threatening, frightening existence. 

[More ...]

The Center for Children’s Advocacy is pleased to announce the dates for new sessions of our popular seminar series:

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)

Training CT Attorneys for Pro-Bono Representation of Immigrant Children

Commentary
Credit Recovery May Be Flawed, But It's Fixable
Eliminating this path to graduation would do more harm than good
By Monique Darrisaw-Akil
August 29, 2017
There has been a recent focus on the Los Angeles Unified School District's high school graduation rates, which have reached an all-time high that many attribute to the district's reliance on credit recovery. Credit recovery has gotten a bad rap for reducing the quality and rigor of education. Some believe that when schools use credit recovery and online makeup courses that students are actually being robbed of their right to learn.
Despite the hyperbole, 

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"Kids start lagging behind academically, having social stress, anxiety, depression....With the new administration and all the threats for deportation that are so vivid and so real, and all the rhetoric that's going around, the anxiety escalates to a point that can be very paralyzing for some of these kids, who don't want to go to school, or who go to school and sit in there and still worry about their families." 

[More ...]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/22/opinion/poor-neighborhoods-black-parents-child-services.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0

Eline's children feared going to sleep in the closet of their studio apartment, but it was the only place they would be safe from the rats. Covered in blankets from neck to toe, Eline would keep an eye on the kitchen entrance and followed the sounds of the rodents rummaging in the cupboards. 

[More ...]

"A spike in local school based arrests and a budget crisis that threatens to strip the city school district of what little counseling support it has does not bode well for those attempting to break the School to Prison pipeline. Still, a panel of warriors trying to stop the large scale incarceration of students of color offered a room filled with educators, school board hopefuls and lawmakers their best thinking on the struggle and may just have picked up some foot soldiers...." 

[More ...]

http://www.naacp.org/latest/naacp-task-force-quality-education-report/

At the October 2016 NAACP Board of Directors Meeting, the Board created the 12-member Charter School Task Force. After the November General Election, based upon the United States President-Elect’s campaign promise to expand privatization of public education, the officers were concerned that the 1954 Brown versus Board of Education victory that promised a quality education for all was at risk. As a result, the NAACP Board of Directors expanded the Task Force work to include protection of quality public education for all inner-city children. Thus, the Task for was renamed to be the Task Force on Quality Education. 

[More ...]

The following notice from the Housing Choice Voucher Program - City of Hartford Department of Development Services ... notices available in English and Spanish: http://www.cthcvp.org/

The City of Hartford, Department of Development Services announces that it will be opening their Housing Choice Voucher waiting list for households who meet the Chronically Homeless Preference. The voucher program offers rent subsidies to households who meet the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) eligibility guidelines. 

[More ...]

On Behalf Of Sarah Eagan, Child Advocate

In 2014, following a series of student suicides, Stamford Public Schools began looking at ways they could better support students' behavioral health and well being.

They contacted the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut (CHDI) to help review the district's strengths and areas of concern and began building a trauma-informed model for school mental health that is resulting in better outcomes for students. 

[More ...]

A 12-Week social media anti-trafficking awareness campaign from Love 146, directed at youth and their caregivers, which has posts raising awareness about the risks of those luring youth for the purpose of trafficking and exploitation.

Please share with youth, parents and with anyone doing children and youth focused work within your networks. 

[More ...]

SAVE THE DATE!

The Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance is hosting a forum called Voice and Choice for Girls in the CT Juvenile Justice System. Please join them on September 6, 2017 at the Capitol from 9 a.m. - 12 noon. More information can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_YtgtOqHjQiV6a83mGBxSNQJtaXgFzsly4CLnuLghH4/pub

Also see flyer attached.

Marisa M. Halm, Esq.
Director, TeamChild Juvenile Justice Project
860-570-5327 ext. 288
860-566-0764 (cell)
Hartford - Bridgeport - New Haven
[cid:image001.jpg@01D306C5.E3742500]<http://www.cca-ct.org/> 

[More ...]

People of all races see black children as less innocent, more adultlike and more responsible for their actions than their white peers. In turn, normal childhood behavior, like disobedience, tantrums and back talk, is seen as a criminal threat when black kids do it. Social scientists have found that this misperception causes black children to be "pushed out, overpoliced and underprotected," according to a report by the legal scholar Kimberlé W. Crenshaw. That's why we must create a future in which children of color are not disproportionately caught up in the criminal justice system, a world in which a black 

[More ...]

The bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law in December 2015, replacing No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The passage of ESSA turned control of the country's K-12 education system back over to the states, giving local legislatures more flexibility surrounding decisions about standards, assessments and other accountability measures. Since Congress passed ESSA, states have been busy writing their own accountability plans which have to be submitted for approval from the federal Department of Education no later than September 2017. 

[More ...]

Youth Represent (New York) and STRIVE International Select CCA Attorney Marisa Halm for Hartford Youth Reentry Fellowship

A new initiative to support justice-involved youth will provide advice and legal assistance in Hartford, Baltimore and New Orleans. The Center for Children's Advocacy has been selected for the fellowship awarded in Hartford, CT, with the award going to CCA attorney Marisa Halm. Attorney Halm will provide direct legal representation, and Youth Represent will provide support to collect data and monitor results. 

[More ...]

American Bar Association launches National Homeless Youth Legal Network

American Bar Association
June 26, 2017

In an effort to increase legal services for this vulnerable population, the ABA Commission on Homelessness & Poverty, Commission on Youth at Risk, and Section of Litigation Children's Rights Litigation Committee announced the official launch of the ABA Homeless Youth Legal Network. HYLN is designed to serve homeless youth, service providers and attorneys seeking technical assistance. 

[More ...]

P.A. 17-119 (effective Oct. 1, 2017) allows counsel for the child in child protection matters to gain access to their clients' records immediately upon appointment.
The new language is underlined below.

(2) (A) A child shall be represented by counsel knowledgeable about representing such children who shall be assigned to represent the child by the office of Chief Public Defender, or appointed by the court if there is an immediate need for the appointment of counsel during a court proceeding. If the child's parent or guardian has been accused by a competent witness of abusing the child, or of causing 

[More ...]

I'm out of the office until Wednesday, July 5. Please send e-mails that need immediate attention to [log in to unmask]

Very important lessons that must be taken from the Michelle Carter case in Massachusetts with respect to youth and their use of technology and participation in online activity.

http://todaysmama.com/2017/06/michelle-carter-conviction-means-kids/

Leon Smith, Esq.
Director, Racial Justice Project
Center for Children's Advocacy
211 State Street, 4th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203)335-0719 (p)
(203)330-9580 (f)
https://cca-ct.org<https://cca-ct.org/>
Hartford - Bridgeport - New Haven
[cid:image001.jpg@01D2EA89.A8887520]<http://www.cca-ct.org/>

News12 New Jersey Coverage of LogistCare Issues<http://newjersey.news12.com/story/35648200/kiyc-logisticare-medical-transport-frustrations> (June 12, 2017)
including interview with Center for Children's Advocacy attorney Bonnie Roswig, who has been a steadfast and successful advocate to change CT's provider.
NJ has similar problems with LogistiCare transportation!

CT Picks New Provider of Medical Rides for Medicaid Patients
Hartford Courant
June 2, 2017
In a move aimed at improving the quality of medical rides to sick children and adults on Medicaid, the state has begun negotiations with an Arizona-based contractor to take over a program that has been the subject of complaints from lawmakers and patient advocates. Problems with 

[More ...]

http://povertylaw.org/clearinghouse/article/reentry

Also for a livestream that addresses prividing legal representation on various reentry issues:

https://youtu.be/FpHDEuWwR4Q

Leon Smith, Esq.
Director, Racial Justice Project
Center for Children's Advocacy
211 State Street, 4th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203)335-0719 (p)
(203)330-9580 (f)
https://cca-ct.org<https://cca-ct.org/>
Hartford - Bridgeport - New Haven
[cid:image001.jpg@01D2E446.5051FDC0]<http://www.cca-ct.org/>

Center for Children's Advocacy presents
Issues and Resources: Help for Immigrant Children in Connecticut

Immigration relief options, education, access to medical care, DCF policy and responsibilities, community services -
all are critical to allow hope for a child's successful and self-reliant future.

Introductions and Moderator
Edwin Colon, JD
Director, Immigrant Children's Justice Project, Center for Children's Advocacy 

[More ...]

"Districts around the country are looking for ways to keep young children with behavior problems in class"

http://hechingerreport.org/kicked-out-of-kindergarten/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_campaign=3cbf69ec4d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_06_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a4f3e0748b-3cbf69ec4d-322498185

Shereffia Francis
Administrative Assistant
[cid:image001.jpg@01D2DEB9.0F6FB1E0]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, 4th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203)335-0719 (p)
(203)330-9580 (f)
www.cca-ct.org<http://www.cca-ct.org>

Issues and Resources: Help for Immigrant Children in Connecticut
Immigration relief options, education, access to medical care, DCF policy and responsibilities, community services - all are critical to allow hope for a child's successful and self-reliant future.
June 29, 1 pm - 3 pm
Bridgeport Public Library, North Branch
3455 Madison Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06606 

[More ...]

Center for Children's Advocacy Senior Staff Attorney Bonnie Roswig has worked for years to improve the state's medical transportation for low income families. On June 2, 2017, Connecticut announced the selection of a new provider.
State Picks New Provider of Medical Rides for Medicaid Patients
Hartford Courant
June 2, 2017
In a move aimed at improving the quality of medical rides to sick children and adults on Medicaid, the state has begun negotiations with an Arizona-based contractor to take over a program that has been the subject of complaints from lawmakers and patient advocates. Problems with the current transportation broker, 

[More ...]

Center for Children's Advocacy Seminar Series presents
Serving the Needs of Connecticut's Immigrant Children
June 29 from 1 pm - 3 pm
North Branch, Bridgeport Public Library
3455 Madison Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06606

Immigration Relief Options
Education
Access to Medical care
DCF Policy and Responsibilities
Community Services
All are critical to allow hope for a child's safe, successful, self-reliant future. 

[More ...]

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/05/30/524554109/when-schools-meet-trauma-with-understanding-not-discipline

Leon Smith, Esq.
Director, Racial Justice Project
Center for Children's Advocacy
211 State Street, 4th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203)335-0719 (p)
(203)330-9580 (f)
https://cca-ct.org<https://cca-ct.org/>
Hartford - Bridgeport - New Haven
[cid:image001.jpg@01D2D938.10E2CA20]<http://www.cca-ct.org/>

"Little has been done to desegregate neighborhoods because we think it is the result of private prejudice instead of explicit government policy. That is a myth".

Fascinating article on how discriminatory housing policies impact everything from educational equality to the tone of policing.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/16/segregation-us-neighborhoods-reasons?CMP=share_btn_tw

Leon Smith, Esq.
Director, Racial Justice Project
Center for Children's Advocacy
211 State Street, 4th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203)335-0719 (p)
(203)330-9580 (f)
https://cca-ct.org<https://cca-ct.org/>
Hartford - Bridgeport - New Haven
[cid:image001.jpg@01D2D3BD.49D12A50]<http://www.cca-ct.org/>

http://www.courant.com/opinion/op-ed/hc-op-eagan-ct-young-students-suspended-0521-20170518-story.html

We know better.

This month, the State Department of Education presented data to the State Board of Education showing that 1,674 children in preschool through Grade 2 were suspended in the last school year - 1,674 small children.

This despite 2015 legislation that outlaws out-of-school suspensions for children in preschool through Grade 2, except for "conduct of a violent or sexual nature that endangers persons." 

[More ...]

Please forward to your networks. Thank you.
Case Manager, Mobile Legal Office
The Center for Children's Advocacy seeks an experienced, organized Case Manager for our Mobile Legal Office. The Mobile Legal Office, a professional law office in a customized van, visits community sites in Hartford to provide legal services to homeless youth. The position is for 12-15 hours/week.
The Case Manager provides community outreach and case management to youth who are homeless and agencies working with these youth.
Responsibilities include driving the Mobile Legal Office, connecting with youth and agencies serving homeless youth in the Hartford area to increase awareness 

[More ...]

To all:

I pass along the following announcement from the FDA and the CDC regarding possible false test results for children who may be exposed to lead. The working below is from our colleagues at the National Health Law Project ... The state Department of Social Services has already indicated that re-testing younger children who might have received test results that could be inaccurate should be re-tested and that re-test will be covered under the Medicaid program as "medically necessary." The links to the FDA and CDC are below: 

[More ...]

Development and Communications Assistant

The Center for Children's Advocacy seeks a full time Development and Communications Assistant with database management experience.

This position supports donor management and cultivation activities, communications and social media strategies, event planning and execution, and is responsible to:
o Enter donor information into database, manage database and generate reports as requested.
o Assume responsibility for annual report mailing, annual appeal and other mailings.
o Compose template and draft personalized letters to donors.
o Create sponsorship packages for major fundraisers.
o Support management of event logistics.
o Communicate activities to present and potential donors.
o Manage mailings 

[More ...]

The Greater Hartford Regional School Choice initial lottery results are complete. Login to your account here for the results:

http://www.choiceeducation.org/

Marisa Mascolo Halm, Esq.
Director, TeamChild Juvenile Justice Project
Center for Children's Advocacy
[cid:image001.jpg@01D2C774.EBFEE510]
Mailing address: 65 Elizabeth Street, Hartford, CT 06105
Fax: (860) 570-5256
Email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>

This message is intended for the use of the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information which is privileged, confidential, and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying 

[More ...]

State board members 'outraged' by number of young students suspended

By: Jacqueline Rabe Thomas | May 3, 2017

Public schools in Connecticut suspended or expelled 1,674 students in preschool to Grade 2 during the last school year - despite state law limiting such discipline to students who are sexually or physically violent, bring a firearm to school or distribute drugs. Most of those disciplined where black or Hispanic, and nearly one-quarter of youngsters who are disabled or have a learning disability were removed from class. While the number of young students who received out-of-school suspensions was cut nearly in half 

[More ...]

Would you share this with your networks? Thank you.

Development and Communications Assistant<cca-ct.org/employment-opportunities/>
The Center for Children's Advocacy seeks a full time Development and Communications Assistant with database management experience. This position supports donor management and cultivation activities, communications efforts and social media strategies, event planning and execution, and works directly with the Center's Director of Development and the Communications Director. 

[More ...]

Spring Utility Clinic - Help for Vulnerable Clients:

A reminder that the Center for Children's Advocacy's Spring Utility Clinics are coming up in Hartford on May 5, 2017 and in New Haven on May 11, 2017. Attendees will meet with pro bono volunteers and with utility companies' representatives with the goal of avoiding utility termination and lowering utility bills. Other social sevices providers will be on site to provide other assistance and support. 

[More ...]

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Center for Children's Advocacy
Twenty Years Strong!

Just 14 More Days to
Join Our Anniversary Celebration!
May 9, 2017 from 5:30 - 8:00 pm
Infinity Hall, Hartford

2017 Champion of Children Awards
will be presented to

William Aseltyne
Sr. VP, General Counsel, Chief of Staff, CEO
Yale New Haven Hospital/Health System

Robyn Porter
Connecticut State Representative

We hope you'll be with us!

Click for Tickets<https://default.salsalabs.org/T339ea278-5091-4c4e-b991-9186d810a7a1/58737fda-5629-4183-8d7c-122f3e7fe9f2> 

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Advocacy Groups and Bridgeport Schools Clash over Language Services
CT Post
April 24, 2017
In Our Language Please (see full report attached) includes a survey of 113 parents on behalf of 146 of some 3,400 English Language Learners in the district and calls for more to be done to communicate with parents.
"This is a violation of civil rights laws," said Edwin Colon, an attorney for the Center for Children's Advocacy.
Click here to read full story: read story<https://cca-ct.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ct-post-ec-ell-report-4-24-17.pdf>
Or paste this link into your browser: https://cca-ct.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ct-post-ec-ell-report-4-24-17.pdf 

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https://cca-ct.org/embattled-company-receives-7-4m-contract-extension-provide-medical-rides/

...staff additions should have been made in 2012, at the start of the four-year contract, said Bonnie Roswig, a lawyer with the Center for Children's Advocacy. It was Roswig's documentation of complaints from parents and patients that prompted U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly, the ranking federal prosecutor in Connecticut, to open an investigation last year into possible discriminatory acts by the company. 

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Spring Utility Clinic - Help for Vulnerable Clients

No family should be without heat or lights. The Center for Children's Advocacy's Spring Utility Clinics will be held in Hartford on May 5, 2017 and in New Haven on May 11, 2017. Attendees will meet with pro bono volunteers and with utility companies' representatives with the goal of avoiding utility termination and lowering utility bills. Other social agency providers will be on site to provide other assistance and support. 

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CT Mirror: "Early intervention is the key:" Identifying trauma in young children

https://ctmirror.org/2017/03/30/early-intervention-is-the-key-identifying-trauma-in-young-children/

Kathryn Scheinberg Meyer, Esq.
Director, SpeakUp Initiatives

[cid:image001.jpg@01D2AC7B.DCF00CC0]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604 (203)335-0719
2074 Park Street, Hartford, CT 06105 (860)570-5327

A new federal audit released Tuesday said the state's child-protection agency struggles to accurately assess risky households, and was inconsistent when it comes to effectively interviewing child victims or vetting the fitness of relatives to serve as foster parents.

The review also said the Department of Children and Families was hampered by a shortage of traditional, or "stranger" foster-care families, and that, as a result, too many children were experiencing multiple foster-care placements. 

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Friends, the fight for racial justice in CT needs us right now.
It's Friday afternoon, it's gray, rainy and ugly outside. But the Center for Children's Advocacy needs your help.

We will be submitting written testimony in support of this Bill to expand the law so that officers in CT must collect racial profiling data on pedestrian stops, not just traffic stops. We have heard countless stories over the years of our young people being stopped for no reason while walking home and of our young people getting ticketed for jaywalking. We know this is because our young people are 

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Because this is a time of great risk and uncertainty for immigrants in Connecticut, Connecticut Legal Services has launched a FREE Immigrant Legal Advice Hotline.
=> 800-798-0671
The line is staffed M-F 9-5; a message can be left anytime requesting help.
Low-income immigrants living in Connecticut will receive
* free screening and advice regarding legal rights,
* information about how to protect yourself and your family if you are detained,
* and other assistance.
Immigrants of higher income will receive referral to appropriate resources.
For more information, see www.ctlegal.org/ImmigrantRightsHotline<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ctlegal.org%2FImmigrantRightsHotline&data=02%7C01%7Cwnieves%40ccc.commnet.edu%7Cfb6ef8cf60ea481254db08d46f9855d8%7C679df878277a496aac8dd99e58606dd9%7C0%7C0%7C636256147435753956&sdata=88fpqpEQHawAi3uqnfH2amYelrEnNs8YxnIwBIJo0eo%3D&reserved=0>

Help pass Raised Bill No. HB 7307 - An Act Concerning Racial Profiling

Racial profiling data is currently collected on traffic stops made by police.

But what about racial profiling that takes place during pedestrian stops on the street?

Collecting data only on traffic stops creates an predominantly adult-oriented view of potential racial profiling, omitting any stops that impact a youth under 16 or someone who does not drive. Studies show that repeated stops by law enforcement can have an intense and damaging impact on the mental health of youths. 

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Have you purchased tickets to this year's Spring for Kids event?
It's our 20th Anniversary celebration and we hope to see you there!

We will also be honoring two 2017 Champion of Children Recipients:

William Aseltyne
Senior VP, General Counsel, Chief of Staff
Yale New Haven Hospital/Yale New Haven Health System

Robyn Porter
Connecticut State Representative

Click the link below to purchase tickets and learn more about Spring for Kids:
https://ccact.salsalabs.org/springforkids2017/index.html 

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The landmark Sheff v. O'Neill lawsuit is rightfully lauded for forcing the state to offer Hartford's children of color options they didn't have before it was filed in 1989. Today, nearly half of Hartford's students attend high-quality integrated schools.

But more than half don't.

read editorial<http://www.kidscounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Courant-editorial-Sheff-Mar-19-2017.pdf>
Hartford Courant, March 19, 2017

"It's inexcusable that we're allowing the conditions in the neighborhood schools to endure - it's just wrong," said Martha Stone, one of the civil-rights lawyers who brought the Sheff v. O'Neill desegregation lawsuit a generation ago. 

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NEW Program ANNOUNCEMENT
Community Partners in Action announces the opening of the RisE Program (Recovery is Empowering).

RisE is a substance abuse treatment program for 12 boys ages 12-18 with a defined Substance Use Disorder that meets American Society of Addiction Medicine criteria for Residential Treatment. RisE provides up to 45 days of residential treatment in a safe and empowering environment
that fosters recovery. 

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With college application season upon us, the Education Commission of the States has released a 50 state review of tuition assistance programs for youth pursuing postsecondary education. To date, only 28 states have some sort of financial aid programs specifically targeted for foster youth - 20 states with a tuition waiver program and eight states with a scholarship or grant program. See below for the policy brief and an interactive data visualization which breaks this information down by state. 

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Center for Children's Advocacy executive director Martha Stone Co-Authored an Op-ed in Hartford Courant on Ensuring Students Get Integrated Education

Sheff Case: Big Gains, No Time To Let Down

DENNIS PARKER, DEUEL ROSS, MARTHA STONE

Hartford Courant Op-Ed March 16, 2017

The plaintiffs in the Sheff v. O'Neill school desegregation case are more frustrated than anyone that a significant number of Hartford students of color remain in highly segregated, low-performing schools. We are now more than two decades past the Connecticut Supreme Court ruling that, as a result of racial and ethnic isolation in Hartford's schools, "[e]very passing day denies 

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REMINDER AND CHANGE OF VENUE - Important Panel Conversation
[http://r20.rs6.net/on.jsp?ca=87656eee-5599-4163-b22e-49b8d7c67a6d&a=1126399128657&r=3&c=601ad470-c21d-11e6-b07c-d4ae52806905&ch=619e8e40-c21d-11e6-b080-d4ae52806905]

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REMINDER
Moving from Institutions to Community-based Treatment in
Juvenile Justice
Thursday, March 16th, 10 a.m. - Noon
CHANGE OF VENUE
North Lobby, 1st floor of The State Capitol
210 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT

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You are invited to attend a special briefing on building comprehensive community-based services and supports for children and families involved in the juvenile justice system. 

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http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/archives/entry/op-ed_confronting_the_scheme_to_gamble_with_connecticut_special_education_f/

Leon Smith, Esq.
Director, Racial Justice Project
[cid:image001.jpg@01D29D77.C21300A0]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, 4th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203)335-0719 (p)
(203)330-9580 (f)

[cid:image002.jpg@01D29D77.C21300A0]<https://cca.salsalabs.org/playforkids/index.html>

Below are two interesting articles about juvenile justice reform.

A study found that states that raise the age see cost savings, less recidivism.
https://ctmirror.org/2017/03/12/states-that-raise-the-age-see-less-recidivism-cost-savings-jpi-report-says/

Abby Anderson, CT Juvenile Justice Alliance commentary on juvenile justice reforms.
https://ctviewpoints.org/2017/03/13/connecticut-getting-smart-on-juvenile-justice/

And in case you missed it, here is the press release from the Governor's office regarding legislation on young adult offenders.
http://portal.ct.gov/en/Office-of-the-Governor/Press-Room/Press-Releases/2017/03-2017/Gov-Malloy-Introduces-Legislation-to-Prevent-the-States-Adult-Prisons-from-Becoming-Crime-Schools 

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Camp Erin is a free weekend camp for children and teens who are grieving the death of a significant person in their lives. Campers participate in fun, traditional camp activities combined with grief education and emotional support, led by expert bereavement professionals and trained volunteers.

All of this is free of charge for all families. 

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This daylong event will explore the issues raised in the recent CCJEF v. Rell ruling related to special education in Connecticut. Panel sessions will be held related to: the CCJEF v. Rell case and ruling; innovative and equitable service delivery models; and innovative and equitable funding methods for special education. The main objectives will be to initiate a dialogue about the key issues raised in the ruling and to identify possible solutions that benefit special education services in the state. This event has been made possible through the support of the Klebanoff Institute<http://www.howardklebanoff.com/KlebanoffInstitute/KlebanoffInstitute.htm>. 

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In a report just released today, The Hidden Cost of California's Harsh School Discipline, authored by Russell W. Rumberger and Daniel J. Losen of the Civil Rights Project, the authors followed a single cohort of California 10th grade students through high school for three years to develop the study. They discovered that students who were suspended had only a 60 percent graduation rate, far below the 83 percent graduation rate for non-suspended students. Researchers then controlled for other common predictors of dropping out of high school to isolate the unique effect of school suspensions. They concluded that suspensions alone result 

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Save the Date
Moving from Institutions to Community-based Treatment in
Juvenile Justice
Thursday, March 16th, 10 a.m. - Noon
Legislative Office Building, Hearing Room 2C
300 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT

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You are invited to attend a special briefing on building comprehensive community-based services and supports for children and families involved in the juvenile justice system. National experts Marc Schindler, Shaena Fazal and John Dixon will participate in an informational panel and discussion that will focus on: 

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Rally for Unity and Resilience March 12 in Bridgeport, CT <https://www.facebook.com/events/1890899737822671/>

Featured Speakers:
Senator Richard Blumenthal
Reverend Cass Shaw, President and CEO of the The Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport
Rabbi Evan Schultz, Congregation B'nai Israel
Imam Nasif Muhammad
Daniel Trust from the Daniel Trust Foundation
Akhbar Radjab

On Sunday, March 12th, The International Institute of Connecticut, Inc. (IICONN) alongside the Greater Bridgeport community
will come together at the Bessemer Center Social Hall to honor and demonstrate our continued support for immigrants and refugees
who have resettled in Bridgeport. We stand together in unity with immigrants and refugees in 

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Please note that the magnet application deadline for the Open Choice program, the Hartford host magnets, and the CREC magnets is Tuesday, February 28.
See attachment for places where families can get information and application assistance.

Also, Saturday is a Regional School Choice Fair at Conard High School in West Hartford from 10am - 1pm. All programs and schools will be represented.

Important Pro Bono Training Opportunity

Legal Representation of Undocumented Minors in Connecticut Probate Courts
Obtaining Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Findings

This is an extremely critical time for undocumented youth.

Critical Need for Legal Representation
In response to the growing need for representation in our courts, the Center for Children's Advocacy is training
Connecticut attorneys to provide effective representation to prevent undocumented children from being returned to a threatening existence. 

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Due to inclement weather this event has been postponed.

On Feb 9, 2017, at 1:20 PM, Bonnie Berk <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:

The Center for Children's Advocacy has joined with the International Institute of Connecticut (IICONN) and their faith-based partners to co-sponsor a Rally for Unity & Resilience, which will take place Sunday at 3pm at The Klein Memorial Auditorium in Bridgeport. It will be followed by a brief march and candlelight vigil on the steps of a church that is being converted into an Islamic Center. 

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The Center for Children's Advocacy has joined with the International Institute of Connecticut (IICONN) and their faith-based partners to co-sponsor a Rally for Unity & Resilience, which will take place Sunday at 3pm at The Klein Memorial Auditorium in Bridgeport. It will be followed by a brief march and candlelight vigil on the steps of a church that is being converted into an Islamic Center. 

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Free Webinar tomorrow, February 3

Center for Children's Advocacy attorney Edwin Colon

will join a CFGC panel to discuss

Immigrant Youth: Fear and Anxiety in Post-Election America

The webinar is free, from 12:30 - 1:30 pm tomorrow, Feb 3.

Click here<http://www.imissioninstitute.org/cfgcwebinar/> to register.

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Immigrant youth and families have heightened fears of deportation, even for those who have a legal right to be in this country. 

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[cid:image001.jpg@01D27AFF.02439B80]
Teens and the Dangers of Sexting
Like other online content, texts and images do not go away.
There are legal consequences, and youth are vulnerable.
There are emotional, educational and long-term career consequences.
There is enormous trauma for adolescents whose privacy is violated.
The issues are complex, the images are permanent, the consequences are real.
Possible consequences include charges of child pornography 

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Register Now for Center for Children’s Advocacy Important Seminar February 15

Teens and the Dangers of Sexting
Like other online content, these texts and images do not go away.

[cid:image001.jpg@01D2718A.BD909380]

There are legal consequences, and youth are vulnerable.
There are emotional, educational and long-term career consequences.
There is enormous trauma for adolescents whose privacy is violated.
Developmental trauma complicates psychological, social and academic/career difficulties. 

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Under Pressure, State Moves to Better Protect Sick Children

Hartford Courant
Josh Kovner
January 5, 2017

Let Down by State Program, Families Struggle to Get Rides for Medically Challenged Children

The state's overseer of nonemergency medical rides for sick children, following a federal complaint, news coverage and repeated demands from advocates, has again ordered the company holding the $26 million transport contract do something it has always been required to do: Enforce the rule that says children with cancer, respiratory diseases, and other illnesses that undermine their immune system, don't have to ride in the taxi with strangers. . . 

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Information for New Britain Project Based housing has been posted on the Conn. Housing Choice Voucher Program website. Information can be found here: http://www.cthcvp.org/. A description is below:

The Housing Authority of the City of New Britain (Authority), in partnership with Pennrose, is continuing to accept pre-applications until Friday, December 30, 2016, from persons who are interested in leasing one-bedroom or two-bedroom, project-based voucher apartments at The Jefferson.
In order to be eligible, the household's head, co-head, spouse, or sole member MUST BE AT LEAST 62 YEARS OF AGE, the household must require a one-bedroom or two-bedroom unit, and household 

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"The wishlists of the children - some as young as two, all spending Christmas locked up by thr US government - bear the same core plea: 'To get out of here'..."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/21/us-immigration-detention-center-christmas-santa-wish-list?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+USA+-+morning+briefing+2016&utm_term=205228&subid=9545534&CMP=ema_a-morning-briefing_b-morning-briefing_c-US_d-1

Sent via my Samsung Galaxy, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone

I'm out of the office until Wednesday, Dec. 28. Please send e-mails that need immediate attention to [log in to unmask]

Yesterday, Governor Malloy held a Roundtable Discussion with Meriden Public Schools and other stakeholders to talk about a pilot program implemented in Meriden where high school students learned about the legal rights of students experiencing homeless during an advisory period. Through a series of short videos and discussion guides, students and teachers heard about the prevalence of youth homelessness, the legal rights of students experiencing homelessness and what steps to take for assistance. 

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"Connecticut is one of only four states<http://ctschoolfinance.org/reports/improving-sped> with no system for funding all of its special education students."

There is "a new model for funding special education, called the Special Education Predictable Cost Cooperative<http://ctschoolfinance.org/our-solutions/special-education> (the Co-op)."

http://ctviewpoints.org/2016/12/16/a-practical-solution-to-funding-special-ed-in-ct/

Leon Smith, Esq.
Director, Racial Justice Project
[cid:image001.jpg@01D25AD2.EF8EF080]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, 4th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203)335-0719 (p)
(203)330-9580 (f)

State Shifts Residential Costs For Intellectually Disabled Children To Local School Systems

Hartford Courant
December 16, 2016

If a residential placement is appropriate, the duty to pay for it remains with the school districts even if a long-time funding source backs out, said Bonnie Roswig, a lawyer for the Center for Children's Advocacy in Hartford. . . 

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Feds: Condo Must Allow Disabled Student’s Bus on Property

Hartford Courant
December 16, 2016

The mother of a teenager with medical and behavioral disabilities knew something was wrong when the board at her condo complex on the Berlin Turnpike voted to ban school buses from coming on the property.

She called a children’s rights lawyer, Bonnie Roswig, who told the condo association that she was pretty sure the feds would consider the door-to-door arrangement to be a reasonable accommodation – the pivotal phrase in
fair-housing and disability laws. Roswig, of the Center for Children’s Advocacy in Hartford, was right. 

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"Addressing the truancy problem isn't just about getting kids to go to school and fill a seat. It's about improving their grades, equipping them for their future and getting them to the finish line - graduation," said Hector Glynn, The Village vice president of programs.

The Truancy Prevention Project is a partnership between The Village, the Center for Children's Advocacy, the Connecticut Judicial Branch, and Hartford Public Schools. 

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Volunteers Needed to Help Count Connecticut's Homeless<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2016-12-08/disabilities/volunteers-needed-to-help-count-connecticuts-homeless/a55299-1>

[http://w.sharethis.com/images/share-classic.gif]<http://www.sharethis.com/share?url=%5bhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.publicnewsservice.org%2F2016-12-08%2Fdisabilities%2Fvolunteers-needed-to-help-count-connecticuts-homeless%2Fa55299-1%5d&title=%5bVolunteers+Needed+to+Help+Count+Connecticut%27s+Homeless%5d&summary=%5bHARTFORD%2C+Conn.+%26%238211%3B+Volunteers+are+needed+to+help+with+the+annual+census+of+homelessness+in+Connecticut+next+month.+%0A%0AOn+Jan.+24%2C+people+will+fan+%5d&img=%5bhttp://www.newsservice.org/getimage.php?p=c2dpZD01NTI5OSZzaWQ9MQ==%5d&pageInfo=%7B%22hostname%22%3A%22%5bwww.publicnewsservice.org%5d%22%2C%22publisher%22%3A%22%5bur-9c40321a-160c-a11-b148-3c072ea2aa1e%5d%22%7D>[http://www.publicnewsservice.org/images/newbody/printicon_s.jpg]<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/print.php?key=55299-1>

December 8, 2016 - Andrea Sears, Public News Service (CT)

Play Audio in Browser Window<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/mp3.php?f=rss-55299-1.mp3>
[http://www.newsservice.org/getimage.php?p=c2dpZD01NTI5OSZzaWQ9MSZ0aHVtYndpZHRoPTI4MA==]<http://www.newsservice.org/getimage.php?p=c2dpZD01NTI5OSZzaWQ9MQ==>

The 2016 census showed a 20 percent decline in the chronically homeless in Connecticut. (Matthew Woitunski/Wikimedia Commons)

HARTFORD, [http://www.publicnewsservice.org/articlepx.gif?key=55299-1] Conn. – Volunteers are needed to help with the annual census of homelessness in Connecticut next month. 

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"The state of education in some towns is alarming... Everyone agrees that crushing socio-economic circumstances handicap many of the students."

http://ctmirror.org/2016/12/07/troubled-schools-on-trial-when-poverty-permeates-the-classroom/

Leon Smith, Esq.
Director, Racial Justice Project
[cid:image001.jpg@01D2508F.32E1A600]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, 4th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203)335-0719 (p)
(203)330-9580 (f)

"In the first days after the 2016 presidential election, the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance project administered an online survey to K-12 educators from across the country. Over 10,000 teachers, counselors, administrators and others who work in schools have responded. The survey data indicate that the results of the election are having a profoundly negative impact on schools and students. Ninety percent of educators report that school climate has been negatively affected, and most of them believe it will have a long-lasting impact. A full 80 percent describe heightened anxiety and concern on the part of students worried about 

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"I wanted to be able to put myself in a position to continue to bring stability and continuity to the district and continue some of the great work that is currently under way in Bridgeport Public Schools<http://www.ctpost.com/search/?action=search&channel=local&inlineLink=1&searchindex=gsa&query=%22Bridgeport+Public+Schools%22>," Johnson told the board. "I believe in the work we are doing."

http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Bridgeport-names-new-interim-schools-chief-10760204.php

Leon Smith, Esq.
Director, Racial Justice Project
[cid:image001.jpg@01D24FCD.BB374FE0]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, 4th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203)335-0719 (p)
(203)330-9580 (f)

"Black students get a chance they deserve. Or black students get shortchanged by semi-private schools that drain traditional public schools of needed money. Those two views were on display as the national debate over charter schools - and their impact on communities of color - roared into New Haven."
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/naacp1/#.WETu6w6Xn0Q.facebook

Leon Smith, Esq.
Director, Racial Justice Project
[cid:image001.jpg@01D24EE8.56E800B0]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, 4th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203)335-0719 (p)
(203)330-9580 (f)

Please see below for two free services.

Document assistance from GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD):

GLAD has a new project that will provide a free lawyer to transgender people (including children) who want to do a name change or gender marker change on ANY document, state or federal including passports, social security, birth, certificates, driver’s license and beyond. All they need to do is to fill out the form at www.glad.org/ID<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.glad.org_ID&d=CwMFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=cA3T-zK0M5bpJsqb6-CAGuyWUckn9YoPJTnau8XaYbU&m=N8m_pU_u8CF5r6k5u8xXOuVKHQTThMS3o9WqzVzIQ5Q&s=67y8Sq-i_oEApQMETuPMArsoKXIIoysmJ338oLr5qEk&e=> and they will be contacted by an attorney fully trained to represent them from start to finish. 

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Under New Rules, State Says More Hartford Students Attend Integrated Schools

Kathleen Megan and Matthew Kauffman

Hartford Courant
December 1, 2016

State officials said Thursday that 49 percent of Hartford minority students are in integrated schools this fall, surpassing the target of 47.5 percent set by a court agreement in the Sheff vs. O'Neill desegration case. "The latest numbers show that more Hartford students than ever before are attending school in diverse settings," State Education Commissioner Dianna Wentzell said, "a testament to the hard work of all partners and a clear sign that we are making good on our promise 

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From an attorney who has taken this training: "The Center for Children's Advocacy is offering training in Hartford in January and February to represent children who are seeking special immigrant juvenile status because they are victims of abandonment, abuse or neglect. The training is excellent and CCA lawyers also provide ongoing supervision. These cases are far less time-consuming than the average asylum application and the needs of the clients are compelling, even more so now than before." 

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Dear Colleagues,

Today, The U.S. Department of Education announced the release of new guides and resources to help justice-involved youth transition back to traditional school settings. The resources include a guide written for incarcerated youth; a newly updated transition toolkit and resource guide for practitioners in juvenile justice facilities; a document detailing education programs in juvenile justice facilities from the most recent Civil Rights Data Collection; and a website that provides technical assistance to support youth with disabilities with transitioning out of juvenile justice facilities. 

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Let Down By State Program, Families Struggle To Get Rides For Medically Challenged Children

Hartford Courant - December 2, 2016
Josh Kovner

The U.S. Department of Justice, in receipt of a formal complaint against Logisticare and DSS from the Center for Children's Advocacy in Hartford, has opened a case file on the company's performance. 

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Many thanks to the generous volunteers and agencies who made the Center's fall "Keep the Power On" utility clinic such a huge success. Over 70 families, whose households included over 100 children, will have access to heat and light security over the coming winter months.

Many thanks to The Aetna legal department, the law firms of Pullman & Comley and Locke Lord, as well as law students from Yale for providing pro bono assistance to our families. Thank you to our community partners, who included St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Bridgeport Hospital, Operation Fuel, Community Resource Team, ABCD of 

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Children who experience excessive stress face immediate and lifelong problems with learning, behavior, and physical and mental health.

http://on.freep.com/2gecRPb

Sent via my Samsung Galaxy, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone

In light of multiple events involving students of color in Connecticut being subjected to racist taunts in school since the election, the need to build and reinforce tolerance in schools in greater than ever.

http://blackyouthproject.com/facing-race-building-for-racial-justice-in-schools-post-election/

Imagining a World Where No Child Goes to Prison
By Abby Anderson

Op-Ed from CT News Junkie
November 7, 2016

"We are going to close the Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CJTS), and that is going to say a lot about our state....

...Some youth do need to be in a locked facility for public safety's sake. But it need not be a prison.... 

[More ...]

See below for information sessions on the 2017-18 Open Choice process hosted by the Village for Families & Children

It's hard to believe that it's already time for families to complete the 2017-2018 Regional School Choice Office (RSCO) Lottery Applications. Applications can be submitted starting Tuesday, November 1st and until Tuesday, February 28th. The Village is once again a Satellite Site to assist families with completing and/or answering questions during this time frame. I'm excited to coordinate The Village's efforts to support the families we serve in accessing quality education in Hartford and the greater Hartford area.
There will be 

[More ...]

Attorney Leon Smith, director of the Center for Children's Advocacy's Racial Justice Project . . . walked the attendees through mock interactions with police . . .

Hartford Courant
Nov 4, 2016

Hartford Residents Hear Advice From Connecticut ACLU On Encounters With Police
Vinny Vella

Thursday was a night full of questions for residents of the North End. 

[More ...]

University of St. Joseph’s MSW CEC program is hosting a screening of NEWTOWN,
a film that chronicles the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting of schoolchildren in American History.

After the screening, a panel discussion will take place with Newtown Providers Treating Trauma.

November 9, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

1678 Asylum Ave, West Hartford, CT 06117 

[More ...]

Approximately 7,651 children are abused or neglected each year in Connecticut. Many children suffer in silence because they do not know where to turn for help. CCA helped draft PA 16-188, which mandates posting of the DCF Careline number and internet address in schools to assist children and youth suffering from sexual and physical abuse and neglect by informing them about assistance available and how to access it. Schools must post the information in a conspicuous location and in various languages that are appropriate to the school's population. 

[More ...]

A complaint filed last month with DSS by the Center for Children's Advocacy is typical of the issues that have plagued (LogistiCare non-emergency medical transport) service, advocates said.

A child with cancer was ready to go to the hospital for a chemotherapy appointment. The child and the parents waited two hours for the cab to arrive. The parents had the form, created by Logisticare, that bore the doctor's signature saying the child was too medically compromised ... according to Bonnie Roswig, a lawyer with the Center for Children's Advocacy. 

[More ...]

Please see information below from Connecticut State Department of Education, Office of Student Supports & Organizational Effectiveness

Just a reminder, the Center for Children's Advocacy will be hosting the third and final Keep the Power On fall utility clinic on November 9 from 9-12pm at Bridgeport Hospital. Please see details below.

Keep the Power On Utility Clinic in Bridgeport on November 9
Please see English and Spanish flyers attached and share with your networks. 

[More ...]

There are many issues with Medicaid transportation provided by Logisticare. The attached flyers (for patients and for providers) contain information about patient and provider rights under the program.
Please share the documents with whomever you feel would benefit. If you have issues with the program or you need additional information please contact me. 

[More ...]

Development and Communications Associate

The Center for Children's Advocacy is seeking full time support for the Center's Development Director and Communications Director.

RESPONSIBILITIES include:

* Database management and analytics
* Events management support
* Seminar and webinar support
* Coordination of donor communications
* Maintenance of development/communications calendar
* Social media communications
* Publications inventory and distribution

Position also provides administrative support, records procurement and data entry for the Center's juvenile justice project; and general telephone support for four hours each day. 

[More ...]

> On Oct 24, 2016, at 2:55 PM, Bonnie Berk <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Let's not repeat one of the biggest policy disasters in American history. . .
>
> Restorative justice programs that guide young people to take responsibility for their actions, make amends to the community and address the root causes of their behavior have proved successful . . .
>
> read letter to editorial board <http://www.kidscounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ctlAWtRIB10-24-16.pdf>
> Martha Stone and Leon Smith
>
>
>
> Bonnie Berk
> Communications Director
> 860-570-5327
> Hartford – Bridgeport – New Haven
>
> <image001.jpg> <http://www.kidscounsel.org/>

Apologies for any cross or multiple postings but this is an important investigative report.

To Whom It May Concern:

Greetings. I am no longer serving on the child protection panel. Please kindly remove me from your listerv.

Thank you,

Hardy

Sent from my iPhone

No abstract is available available for this message. [Read Message ...]

Let's not repeat one of the biggest policy disasters in American history. . .

Restorative justice programs that guide young people to take responsibility for their actions, make amends to the community and address the root causes of their behavior have proved successful . . .

read letter to editorial board<http://www.kidscounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ctlAWtRIB10-24-16.pdf>
Martha Stone and Leon Smith 

[More ...]

Children's rights lawyer Martha Stone and other advocates have said that for the $545,000 annual cost of confining one boy at the training school, the state could fashion an individual treatment plan for each of those youths and be more successful. Parole officers over the last year have pointed to an increasing recidivism rate at CJTS and said many boys who have passed through there are graduating to the adult prison system. 

[More ...]

The Center's utility clinic is this afternoon at St. Francis Hospital. The clinic works to assist families avoid heat and electric service termination. Applications for Operation Fuel and Energy Assistance will be taken on site. The Regional School Choice Office representative will be available to assist with applications for the magnet school lottery. Other agencies will also be available to assist with basic needs.
Flyers in Spanish and in English are attached. Registration is not required. Please call me if you need additional information. 

[More ...]

Center for Children's Advocacy Medical-Legal Partnership
Keep the Power On Utility Clinic in Bridgeport Nov 9
Please see English and Spanish flyers attached and share with your networks.
The Center's Utility Clinics help low-income families keep the power on.
Families meet with volunteers to

* Discuss utility bill problems

* Get budget counseling

* Find out about special utility programs 

[More ...]

The Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, a Farmington-based nonprofit, is leading an initiative to train child care providers and others who work with young children to recognize signs of trauma – and to expand the availability of services to help. It’s funded by a $2 million grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 

[More ...]

No child should live in a household without heat or lights. Attached are flyers for the Center's fall utility clinics in the Hartford area (10/19 - West Indian Social Club; 10/24 - St. Francis Hospital). Attendees will receive assistance with negotiating utility bills as well as budget counseling. Community agencies will be on site to provide additional support. Please forward the information to interested colleagues. Everyone is welcome.
Please contact me if you need additional information. 

[More ...]

"A recent study from Northwestern University suggests that the stress of racial discrimination may partly explain the persistent gaps in academic performance between some nonwhite students, mainly black and Latino youth, and their white counterparts. The team of researchers found that the physiological response to race-based stressors-be it perceived racial prejudice, or the drive to outperform negative stereotypes-leads the body to pump out more stress hormones in adolescents from traditionally marginalized groups. This biological reaction to race-based stress is compounded by the psychological response to discrimination or the coping mechanisms youngsters develop to lessen the distress. What emerges is a 

[More ...]

Ten years have gone by, but Lisa Vincent and her son, Jose, flash back to their goodbye with fresh anguish and faltering voices. He is 21 now, but the 11-year-old boy .. easily re-surfaces, all anger and confusion.

"I didn't understand. I was under the assumption I was going back to her," Jose says. "I felt that whole 'she gave up on me like everyone else did.' Now, I realize it wasn't her. It was the system." 

[More ...]

Part Time Administrative Assistant - Bridgeport Office

The Center for Children's Advocacy seeks experienced, organized secretarial and administrative support for our Bridgeport office.

Responsibilities include managing incoming calls from active and potential clients, providing referral information to callers, filing, copying, word processing, maintaining supplies and equipment, scheduling, and courier services.

Position is responsible for maintaining open/closed case files and entering data into Legal Files. 

[More ...]

Connecticut Legal Services has a new online tool to help youth determine if they can have a juvenile record erased.

ErasURecord.ctlegal.org<http://www.erasurecord.ctlegal.org/>

Juvenile records can be a barrier to employment, college, housing or the military. The new website helps youth with a juvenile record determine if they can get their record erased.

Contacts:

Nadine Nevins, Managing Attorney, Connecticut Legal Services, 203-212-5505, [log in to unmask]
Tom Long, V.P. Communications and Development, The WorkPlace, 203-610-8528, [log in to unmask]

The West Hartford Housing authority is accepting applications for a project based Section 8 program ... for 55 and older heads of households. The applications must be filled out on-line and are available at http://www.cthcvp.org/. Applications are accepted on a first-come first served basis. Please refer to the pre-application instructions for further details. 

[More ...]

OP-ED | Judge's Ruling Would Leave My Daughter Without An Educational Opportunity

by Sarah Eagan | Sep 26, 2016 5:30am

http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/archives/entry/op-ed_judges_ruling_would_leave_my_daughter_without_an_educational_opportun/

A paper came from my daughter's Kindergarten the other day with a list of questions. What motivates me? (Meaning the kindergartener, not the mom). What are my favorite activities? What am I good at? What do I need to work on? 

[More ...]

The Center for Children's Advocacy is pleased to share The Connecticut Law Tribune's announcement of the winners for their 2016 New Leaders in the Law contest.

Applicants were judged in four categories, including development of the law, advocacy/community contributions, service to the bar, and peer/public recognition.

Congratulations, Zoe Stout!

read story<http://www.kidscounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/ZS-CT-Law-Trib-9-21-16.pdf>

Bonnie Berk
Communications Director
860-570-5327
Hartford - Bridgeport - New Haven 

[More ...]

A case from our neighbors in Massachusetts shows the critical importance of comprehensive racial profiling data and the impact that it can have on the law.

"Citing Boston police data<http://bpdnews.com/news/2014/10/8/boston-police-commissioner-announces-field-interrogation-and-observation-fio-study-results> and a 2014 report by the ACLU of Massachusetts<https://aclum.org/our-work/aclum-issues/racial-justice/ending-racist-stop-and-frisk/#read> that found blacks were disproportionately stopped by the city's police<http://www.wbur.org/news/2014/10/08/aclu-boston-police-encounters>, the state's highest court on Tuesday threw out the...conviction.... 

[More ...]

Hi to all:

The Center for Children's Advocacy is excited to announce that the fifth edition of our Adolescent Health Care: Legal Rights of Teens(c) book is now available. The newest edition contains updates on all relevant areas of the law regarding adolescent healthcare (reproductive rights, access to mental health and substance abuse treatment), as well as the legal issues surrounding the HPV vaccination, the right to refuse vaccinations, expedited partner therapy treatment for STI's, and emergency contraception. In addition, the new edition adds new and updated sections on bullying in schools, the "mature minor doctrine" and domestic minor sex 

[More ...]

For Kids, Anxiety About School Can Feel Like 'Being Chased By A Lion'

Every morning, Mia and Chris tape a red or a green piece of paper to their front door. It's a signal for their son's bus driver. Green, pick him up. Red, keep driving.

On this morning, at 6, it's not looking good. 

[More ...]

Event Info
Sept 22 at 6:30 pm in Manchester.

Exclusive, one-night only screening of SOLD, a young girl's triumph to escape the world of sex trafficking. After the film, Q&A panel about resources and ways to get involved in the fight to stop human trafficking in Connecticut.

www.tugg.com/events/sold-b2xy
Event Program
Introduction
Movie presentation of Sold
Based on the international bestselling novel by Patricia McCormick, and inspired by true accounts, SOLD tells the story of 13 year-old Lakshmi, who is trafficked from her peaceful, rural village in Nepal to work in a brothel called Happiness House in Kolkata, India. Through one 

[More ...]

In Connecticut, a Wealth Gap Divides Neighboring Schools

Fairfield and Bridgeport sit side by side and spend more per student than the national average, but the quality of the education they offer is worlds apart.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/12/nyregion/in-connecticut-a-wealth-gap-divides-neighboring-schools.html?mwrsm=Email

Court Orders State to Make Sweeping Reforms in Schools in CCJEF Case
By Daniela Altimari<http://www.courant.com/hc-bio-daniela-altimari-staff.html#nt=byline>, Contact Reporter<mailto:[log in to unmask]:%20%22Court%20Orders%20State%20to%20Make%20Sweeping%20Reforms%20in%20Schools%22>, Hartford Courant, September 7, 2016

HARTFORD - In a sweeping ruling Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher declared that "Connecticut is defaulting on its constitutional duty" to fairly educate the state's poorest children and ordered the state to come up with a new funding formula for public education.... 

[More ...]

Free and Fun!
[https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/9a4e08aa001/5bfa6e1a-5e94-4d51-9c2a-3ca92c841419.jpg]

Wednesday, September 14 at 5:30 pm
Join us for Trivia Games at
Infinity Music Hall & Bistro<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=bqdecpyab.0.0.jfzbivcab.0&id=preview&r=3&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.infinityhall.com%2FDrivingDirections%2Finfinity-hall-hartford-hartford-ct%2F>

You could win Yankees/Red Sox tickets with roundtrip limo!
or All About Hartford prize package that includes an overnight at the Marriott Downtown, two tickets to Infinity Music Hall, two passes to the Wadsworth Atheneum and more... 

[More ...]

Preschool Suspensions Not OK with Connecticut

The Center for Children's Advocacy was instrumental in writing and helping achieve passage of Connecticut Law Prohibiting Out-Of-School Suspensions and Expulsions for Very Young Children<http://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/ACT/PA/2015PA-00096-R00SB-01053-PA.htm>. Public Act 15-96 prohibits most out-of-school suspensions and expulsions for students enrolled in a preschool program or in kindergarten through grade two. 

[More ...]

NPR released a story yesterday that highlights the work being done in Connecticut by some of our partners in our collective efforts to abolish suspensions for our youngest learners.

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/09/05/490226345/preschool-suspensions-really-happen-and-thats-not-okay-with-connecticut

Kathryn Scheinberg Meyer, Esq.
Director, SpeakUp Initiatives

[cid:image001.jpg@01D2083B.74EF05C0]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604 (203)335-0719
2074 Park Street, Hartford, CT 06105 (860)570-5327

http://www.courant.com/education/hc-chronic-absenteeism-0825-20160829-story.html

Hartford Courant:

For years, school attendance supervisors like Joe Vaverchak in New Britain focused on what percentage of kids showed up each day.

But then Vaverchak learned that while some schools in his districts had high overall attendance rates - as high as 96 percent - there were pockets of students with high rates of repeated absences. 

[More ...]

http://qz.com/770021/jailed-kids-are-the-forgotten-victims-of-americas-mass-incarceration-crisis/

For the past several years, the Connecticut Juvenile Training School<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.youthfirstinitiative.org_the54000_facilities-2D276&d=DQMGaQ&c=RAhzPLrCAq19eJdrcQiUVEwFYoMRqGDAXQ_puw5tYjg&r=Et5YdIyy-C0W2BTIH62ehqB-arbKzolU7qDKR2mCSoY&m=T34YDnlx60cZcSQtN5zzMfdZOIsLnce6I6wk8GHDt5w&s=iWLiWQHhd-FcyQ-iet1Ls057OMPIi-a0knNEtebSreg&e=>, Connecticut's largest youth prison, has been under multiple investigations<http://www.ct.gov/oca/cwp/view.asp?a=1301&Q=271112&ocaNav=%7C> by the Office of the Child Advocate for excessive use of isolation, overuse of restraints, inadequate suicide prevention, lack of appropriate staff support and training, inadequate and harmful crisis management, and scant available information on quality, public safety outcomes, and oversight. Last year, the Child Advocate's office released video of staff members conducting face-down restraints<http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-video-restraints-juvenile-0915-20150915-story.html> on young people at the training school-which are illegal in Connecticut schools and treatment centers. 

[More ...]

The Department of Justice has announced that they will train all of their law enforcement agents and prosecutors to recognize and address implicit bias.
The announcement of the initiative is attached and more information can be found of www.doj.gov<http://www.doj.gov>.

Bonnie

Bonnie B. Roswig
Senior Staff Attorney
Medical/Legal Partnership Project
Center for Children's Advocacy
(860) 545-8581

**Connecticut Children's Confidentiality Notice**
This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, or an employee 

[More ...]

The Center for Children's Advocacy and Greater Hartford Legal Aid filed a federal complaint that accuses Connecticut's Technical High School System of consistently discriminating against students with disabilities, denying them admission.

Read story<http://www.kidscounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/CT-post-tech-complaint-8-25-16.pdf>

Below please find a link to the press release and lawsuit that the Department of Justice has filed against the state of Georgia for their practice of segregating students with mental and behavioral health disabilities in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

* The Justice Department announced that it has filed a lawsuit against the state of Georgia alleging that its treatment and segregation of students with disabilities in the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS) Program violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, 

[More ...]

CT Mirror
August 22, 2016

... provision of little education to some of the district's most educationally needy students... It cannot be overlooked that the New Visions Program also fails to provide an adequate education to general education students."

The state's decision followed a random review of 30 student records and meetings with staff. It was prompted by a complaint from four students represented by attorneys with Greater Hartford Legal Aid and the Center for Children's Advocacy. 

[More ...]

Hartford's New Visions Special Ed Program Sounds Like 'A Complete Waste'
"New Visions has a principal, classrooms and teachers but it is not a school," the state said in its report dated Wednesday. "New Visions is, in essence, a 2-hour guided study hall..."

"...their rights (are) violated and nothing is being done. IThis decision is very powerful and we hope the recommendations will be followed," said Attorney Marisa Halm, with the Center for Children's Advocacy. 

[More ...]

It’s Children Against Federal Lawyers in Immigration Court

Since October 2004, more than half of children who did not have lawyers were deported, while only one in 10 children who had lawyers were sent back.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/21/us/in-immigration-court-children-must-serve-as-their-own-lawyers.html?mwrsm=Email

http://ctmirror.org/2016/08/18/leaders-struggle-with-next-steps-in-desegregating-schools/

The Hartford School Board voted to "demagnetize" Hartford's Journalism and Media Academy.

Martha Stone said Hartford officials had not consulted Sheff plaintiffs on the proposal to demagnetize Journalism and Media Academy. "It's a premature decision," she said...

Stone also expressed alarm over the board's pointed tone in its resolution, which she considered "needlessly inflammatory." 

[More ...]

An interesting model to support homeless students.

"Instead of moving from one school to another, Oregon's Community Transitional School lets homeless students remain in class as they find somewhere to live."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/16/homeless-school-portland-oregon-community-transitional?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+USA+-+morning+briefing+2016&utm_term=186261&subid=9545534&CMP=ema_a-morning-briefing_b-morning-briefing_c-US_d-1

Leon Smith, Esq.
Director, Racial Justice Project
[cid:image001.jpg@01D1F7BA.B525B4E0]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, 4th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203)335-0719 (p)
(203)330-9580 (f)

The report may be titled "Plan for the Closure of the Connecticut Juvenile Training School," but the state's child welfare agency provides few details on how the controversial jail for young offenders will be shut down, and even allows for the possibility that it never does.
Stone, a member of the state's Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight Committee, said she is frustrated. "It's more like an outline than a plan. It doesn't really provide detail ...
read story<http://www.kidscounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/ct-mirror-8-16-16.pdf>

New Social Security Policy Benefits Youth Leaving Foster Care

Online Toolkit Now Available to Immediately Assist Families

A new policy from the Social Security Administration (SSA) went into effect on August 1st to allow foster youth of all ages with disabilities to apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits six months before they leave care. This policy will remain in effect for one year, after which SSA will evaluate its success and make any necessary modifications. 

[More ...]

SSI for Youth Transitioning out of Foster Care A TOOLKIT FOR ADVOCATES

"We know that foster youth with disabilities face a tremendous uphill battle as they prepare for adulthood and independence," said Karen Lindell, an attorney at Juvenile Law Center.

space

New Social Security Policy Benefits Youth Leaving Foster Care

Online Toolkit Now Available to Immediately Assist Families 

[More ...]

If you're in Hartford tonight, please join us for a tour and tasting at the Hartford Flavor Company.

Info below, or email [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>.
Hope you can join us.

Hartford Flavor Company, <https:[log in to unmask],-72.7726107,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x89e6534974f740bf:0x3b125006597ac68b!2m2!1d-72.7025708!2d41.7600191> 30 Arbor Street

[cid:image001.jpg@01D1F3CD.178962E0]

A bipartisan group of more than two-dozen state lawmakers and legislative staffers embarked on an 18-month journey to study some of the world's top-performing school systems, including those in Finland, Hong Kong, Japan, Ontario, Poland, Shanghai, Singapore and Taiwan. Today that group, the National Conference of State Legislatures<http://www.ncsl.org/>, released its findings, titled No Time to Lose: How to Build a World-Class Education System State by State.
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/08/09/488214332/the-best-schools-in-the-world-do-this-why-dont-we 

[More ...]

The Center's mobile legal office will be making the following stops in Stamford and Bridgeport during the month of August:

Make the Road Connecticut, 850 State Street, Bridgeport, on Wednesday, August 10th from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.

International Institute of Connecticut, 34 Woodland Avenue, Stamford, on Wednesday, August 10th from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm . 

[More ...]

"...the chief architects of American policing are not police departments; they're courts. The movement for police reform should be joined by an equally ambitious movement for court reform."

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/27/beyond-black-lives-matter-police-reform-legal-action

Leon Smith, Esq.
Director, Racial Justice Project
[cid:image001.jpg@01D1E8C4.0A9CB050]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, 4th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203)335-0719 (p)
(203)330-9580 (f)

"...young people of color... felt that people in their neighborhoods did not trust police and felt that they were stopped for no good reason. This lack of trust between law enforcement and communities of color was found to make communities less safe..."

Read the full Op-Ed below by Center for Children's Advocacy's Racial Justice Project Director, Attorney Leon Smith... 

[More ...]

Please see below: Free legal help for youth with a criminal record who are living in select North Hartford neighborhoods.

[cid:image002.png@01D1E746.5DF06E60]

Stacey Violante Cote, Esq., MSW
Director, Teen Legal Advocacy Project

[cid:image005.jpg@01D1E745.B3171890]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
Hartford . Bridgeport . New Haven
Mailing address: 65 Elizabeth Street, Hartford, CT 06105
Office: 860-570-5327 Cell: 860-566-0462 Fax:860-570-5256

[cid:image006.jpg@01D1E745.B3171890]
Legal help for teens at speakupteens.org<http://www.speakupteens.org/>

This message is intended for the use of the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information which is privileged, confidential, and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended 

[More ...]

Hartford Courant, July 21, 2016
By Josh Kovner
The state's child-protection agency has been struggling with its mandate from the governor to close the state's 16-year-old juvenile jail in Middletown, a $50-million-a-year, high-security compound that was built with 250 cells. The state has never filled it to capacity. There are now about 48 boys confined there.
Officials with the Department of Children and Families told the juvenile justice council Thursday that they will have a final report to the panel by Sept. 15 on the replacement of the Connecticut Juvenile Training School ....
"When will we get the plan?" asked 

[More ...]

Hartford Courant, July 21, 2016
By Josh Konover
The state's child-protection agency has been struggling with its mandate from the governor to close the state's 16-year-old juvenile jail in Middletown, a $50-million-a-year, high-security compound that was built with 250 cells. The state has never filled it to capacity. There are now about 48 boys confined there.
Officials with the Department of Children and Families told the juvenile justice council Thursday that they will have a final report to the panel by Sept. 15 on the replacement of the Connecticut Juvenile Training School ....
"When will we get the plan?" asked 

[More ...]

Despite Law, Many Young Children Still Suspended

Kathleen Megan, Hartford Courant, July 17, 2016

A year after a new law designed to clamp down on the use of out-of-school suspension, a preliminary review of four of the state's biggest cities shows suspension is down, but continues at an alarmingly high rate . . . 

[More ...]

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/speced/2016/07/state_special_education_rankings.html?cmp=eml-eb-popweek+07152016

Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia need some degree of support in meeting the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, according to the U.S. Department of Education's most recent evaluation of state performance<http://www2.ed.gov/fund/data/report/idea/ideafactsheet-determinations-2016.pdf>.

For the third year in a row, the Education Department evaluated states on the academic outcomes of students 3-21 with disabilities-so-called "results" data-in addition to how well the states met the rules and regulations spelled out in the IDEA. 

[More ...]

BRIDGEPORT — The district is still not providing adequate and timely plans and services for its most vulnerable students, a year-long state investigation has concluded.

Prompted by a complaint filed a year ago on behalf eight students receiving special education by the Center for Children’s Advocacy, the state probe found that while the issues raised by those students have been settled or withdrawn, there remains systematic concerns in how the district complies with both state and federal special education mandates. 

[More ...]

Just over 20 years ago, on July 9, 1996, the state Supreme Court found that the school systems in Hartford and surrounding suburbs were unconstitutionally segregated. And although much progress has been made, the state has a long way to go.

Implementing a satisfactory plan to desegregate Hartford's schools has been a significant and expensive challenge for the state since the landmark Sheff v. O'Neill lawsuit was settled in 2003. More than a decade and $2 billion later, nearly half of Hartford's 21,000 students have access to schools where at least 25 percent of the student body is non-minority. 

[More ...]

http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Racial-inequality-starts-early-in-preschool-8376858.php

Kathryn Scheinberg Meyer, Esq.
Director, SpeakUp Initiatives

[cid:image001.jpg@01D1DDD5.51916270]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604 (203)335-0719
2074 Park Street, Hartford, CT 06105 (860)570-5327

http://ctmirror.org/2016/07/14/juvenile-justice-in-ct-whats-left-after-all-the-cuts/

Juvenile Justice in CT: What's left after all the cuts? <https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=http://ctmirror.org/2016/07/14/juvenile-justice-in-ct-whats-left-after-all-the-cuts/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTA4NTY5ODExMDc0MDcwMTc5NzUyGmQ5ZmVjNjMxOWZiM2NjZmE6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNHG5oM7CHIvmiqc1JCyWczvYsJ8qg>
The CT Mirror
For boys struggling with drug abuse and enmeshed in Connecticut's juvenile justice system, the New Choices program in Hamden is one of the last ...

[http://pschousing.org/files/email-images/psc-masthead.gif]<http://t.congressweb.com/l/?AXZHJDKWLTIYBVU>

The Partnership is a co-sponsor of the CT Housing Coalition's Annual Conference.
Don't forget to mark your calendars for this event!

[https://www.congressplus.com/userfiles/135/2016_CHC_SavetheDate_AnnualConference.jpg]

Visit us at www.pschousing.org<http://t.congressweb.com/l/?AXZHJDKWLTGFOHF>

The Lyceum
227 Lawrence Street
Hartford, CT 06106
p. 860-244-0066
f. 860-247-4320
[http://pschousing.org/files/email-images/s-Facebook.gif]<http://t.congressweb.com/l/?AXZHJDKWLTSMUZZ>[http://pschousing.org/files/email-images/s-Twitter.gif]<http://t.congressweb.com/l/?AXZHJDKWLTOXHBG>[http://pschousing.org/files/email-images/s-Youtube.gif]<http://t.congressweb.com/l/?AXZHJDKWLTZEZOC>[http://pschousing.org/files/email-images/s-LinkedIn.gif]<http://t.congressweb.com/l/?AXZHJDKWLTTQEEH>

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND REQUEST FOR PUBLIC COMMENT REGARDING

CONNECTICUT'S PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY SYSTEM FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Public Act 16-66 requires Governor Malloy, no later than July 1, 2017, to designate a nonprofit entity to be Connecticut's Protection and Advocacy (P&A) system that will replace the Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, which will be abolished by law on July 1, 2017. Public Act 16-66 also requires the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) to issue a Request for Information to solicit information from nonprofit entities as to their capacity to be Connecticut's P&A system. 

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http://ctmirror.org/2016/07/07/feds-spending-on-ct-jails-grew-faster-than-on-education/

Kathryn Scheinberg Meyer, Esq.
Director, SpeakUp Initiatives

[cid:image001.jpg@01D1DB70.8804C890]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604 (203)335-0719
2074 Park Street, Hartford, CT 06105 (860)570-5327

[http://files.ctctcdn.com/31e4a892301/5ba91e1d-f80b-491a-bf6b-2a4cb0828c15.png]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ifUpI0nB4ce1wGRWDVQOnFsKi-w5fbALm_BR0T-RA_zgwWVJy9rr8884oGSI2TYbWxQAP-Wrbi3BRI-Ed68TMMq8gKKi1MG3Mzhq5pAn18D9oZglMekBDirp7TeTpgAVc-hrsRKqFnFugJdXdNzgu5kEbERyG7_Vi4f8TD7G6RU=&c=mWcolEfX8OaG1DkLsfLFQ8AXkIc2CC9fVyxWS1JQU1KN46d3jDpkvg==&ch=3FFRMfPuZKdcF3WjVxIkbncCBt6a3Ma_uNsRwK-XATAPSoZnIzi6XQ==>

Collaborating for Change:
Coming Together to Address the Intersection of Juvenile Justice and Youth Homelessness

Each year, an estimated 380,000 children below the age of 18 are alone, without their families or a place to call home. Many of these children will come into contact with the juvenile justice system. Interviews with 654 runaway and homeless youth revealed that nearly 44 percent had stayed in a jail, prison, or juvenile detention facility, and nearly 78 percent had at least one previous interaction with law enforcement. 

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http://www.courant.com/community/east-hartford/hc-connecticut-virtual-academy-helps-foster-children-0624-20160623-story.html

Leon Smith, Esq.
Director, Racial Justice Project
[cid:image001.jpg@01D1CE17.714D0E20]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, 4th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203)335-0719 (p)
(203)330-9580 (f)

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/06/20/482472535/why-preschool-suspensions-still-happen-and-how-to-stop-them?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20160620

This article ties together two of our seminar topics in the past year: Suspending Our Students: New CT Law and Schools' Responsibilities<http://www.kidscounsel.org/event/ban-on-suspension-for-young-students-new-law-and-what-schools-should-be-doing/> (concerning Public Act 15-96 which bans suspensions in preK through grade 2, with one exception) and the impact of Implicit Bias (Confronting and Countering Implicit Bias<http://www.kidscounsel.org/event/implicit-bias-and-connecticut-youth/>) on those discipline decisions. 

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Time for adult responsibility at Connecticut Juvenile Training School

BY MARC SCHINDLER
Justice Policy Institute, Executive Director

Connecticut Mirror Op-Ed
Found at:
http://ctviewpoints.org/2016/06/22/time-for-adult-responsibility-at-connecticut-juvenile-training-school/

When I ran a juvenile corrections agency, I had ultimate responsibility for what happened in our facilities for confined youth. It was our job to keep young people safe and help them get on the right track. A critical part of this was to effectively prepare staff to work with challenging young people and to create a culture of respect within the facility - for youth and staff. If something went wrong, we sat down as a 

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The Center for Children's Advocacy is hiring. Please share with your networks. Thank you.

Paralegal - Part-time for CCA Medical-Legal Partnership Project

The Center for Children's Advocacy Medical-Legal Partnership Project (MLPP) has an opening for a part-time paralegal position to assist project attorneys in our New Haven and Hartford offices. The MLPP improves health outcomes for poor children who are patients at partner health institutions in Connecticut (Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital, and the Hospital of Central Connecticut). 

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http://wnpr.org/post/number-homeless-students-soars-how-schools-can-serve-them-better#stream/0

Kathryn Scheinberg Meyer, Esq.
Director, SpeakUp Initiatives

[cid:image001.jpg@01D1CAD6.AAF8A8D0]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604 (203)335-0719
2074 Park Street, Hartford, CT 06105 (860)570-5327

Below are links to two PBS NewsHour segments dealing with race:

1. The daunting struggle to diversify elite public high schools: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/the-daunting-struggle-to-diversify-elite-public-high-schools/

2. Racial bias in the Oakland Police Department: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/study-slams-troubled-oakland-police-department-for-racial-bias/

Conn. Judicial Branch Announces Closure of Four Court Facilities

Read more: http://www.ctlawtribune.com/id=1202760008724/Conn-Judicial-Branch-Announces-Closure-of-Four-Court-Facilities#ixzz4BaHEEX4G

MICHELLE TUCCITTO SULLO, The Connecticut Law Tribune

June 14, 2016 |

The state Judicial Branch has announced what it is describing as a "first round" of courthouse closures deemed necessary to help account for a $77 million reduction in the court system's budget for the upcoming 2016-17 fiscal year. 

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"As she did when the last agreement was signed 16 months ago, Martha Stone said Friday she hoped the next round of negotiations will produce creative, long-term approaches to improving educational quality for Hartford school children... 'We all need to tackle this differently and look at it as an opportunity, not as a burden,' she said." 

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New! Transition Bill of Rights for Parents of Students Receiving Special Education Services (http://www.cpacinc.org/2016/05/new-transition-bill-of-rights-for-parents-of-students-receiving-special-education-services/)

May 20th, 2016

Through legislation that went into effect on July 1, 2015, the Connecticut State Department of Education (CT SDE) was required to create a bill of rights for parents of children receiving special education services which informs them of their rights regarding transition planning and includes resources available through the CT SDE. As a result, the Transition Bill of Rights for Parents of Students Receiving Special Education Services was developed. The bill of rights will be provided by school districts to parents, guardians, and 

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Budget Cuts Wipe Out Educational Advocacy Programs For At-Risk Youth

By Josh Kovner, Hartford Courant

Hartford - 'Judicial officials said Tuesday that budget cuts have wiped out a program that helped hundreds of at-risk teenagers and juvenile offenders return to, or catch up in, school - a service that advocates say was highly effective in keeping kids out of juvenile jail. 

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CT Mirror: "State: Complaints about charter schools to be handled differently"

http://ctmirror.org/2016/06/03/state-complaints-about-charter-schools-to-be-handled-differently/

Kathryn Scheinberg Meyer, Esq.
Director, SpeakUp Initiatives

[cid:image001.jpg@01D1BFD8.202DAB00]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604 (203)335-0719
2074 Park Street, Hartford, CT 06105 (860)570-5327

News and Announcements from The Civil Rights Project

Is this email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser<http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=f274b80ab18a788fbc2a3dc33&id=1d4202b78d&e=2b1f25d587>.

[https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f274b80ab18a788fbc2a3dc33/images/20d276d2-bb33-4be0-855e-aaabe1505902.jpg]<http://ucla.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f274b80ab18a788fbc2a3dc33&id=ae0c8114f5&e=2b1f25d587>

June 2, 2016

Contact Annette Majerowicz: 847-977-4434

UCLA STUDY FINDS SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS COST TAXPAYERS BILLIONS
Suspensions Lead to More Dropouts, Reduced Tax Revenues

Total Cost of 10th Grade Suspensions Exceed $35 Billion

LOS ANGELES - A groundbreaking research study<http://ucla.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f274b80ab18a788fbc2a3dc33&id=1ce5c3802c&e=2b1f25d587> released today shows that the overuse of harsh school discipline practices is not only harming student achievement, but also is costing taxpayers billions of dollars. 

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NPR: "What One District's Data Mining Did For Chronic Absence"
See the link below for a story about Grand Rapids, Michigan, and how they reduced their rate of chronic absence by almost 50%.

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/05/30/477506418/what-one-districts-data-mining-did-for-chronic-absence

Kathryn Scheinberg Meyer, Esq.
Director, SpeakUp Initiatives

[cid:image001.jpg@01D1BCCE.6485F300]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604 (203)335-0719
2074 Park Street, Hartford, CT 06105 (860)570-5327

Hello all,
Wondering if a hospital automatically does a referral to DCF when a minor has a child? The minor child is 15 and will turn 16 next month. She is due sometime in October. I have had several cases involving pregnant minors and the referrals were from the hospital. I wanted to find out whether there is a mandatory Referral from the hospital or is it discretionary? Thanks in advance for any responses.
Jennifer 

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The Center for Children's Advocacy Seminar Series presents

Confronting and Countering Implicit Bias

June 15, 9:15 - 11:30 am
UConn School of Law, Hartford
Starr Hall, Davis Courtroom

Welcome and Introductions
Leon Smith, JD
Director, Racial Justice Project, Center for Children's Advocacy

National Perspective
Bobby Constantino, JD
Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice, St. Joseph's College, Brooklyn, New York
Founder, Model Gun Violence Prevention Program
Hannah Benton, JD
National Center for Youth Law, Oakland, CA
Michael Harris, JD
National Center for Youth Law, Oakland, CA 

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[http://center.serve.org/nche/images/listserv/listserv-header.gif]

The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) operates the U.S. Department of Education's technical assistance and information center for the federal Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Program. NCHE is based at The SERVE Center at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). NCHE hosts this moderated Homeless Education Listserv to allow administrators, educators, advocates, and service providers not affiliated with NCHE to share information and ideas on meeting the educational needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness. NCHE also uses this listserv to communicate with the field. The ideas on this listserv do not necessarily reflect 

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The Connecticut House and Senate unanimously passed the bill introduced by the Center and New Haven Legal Assistance that mandates that an RFP be issued for the next Medicaid transportation contract. Jon Lender's column in the Sunday Hartford Courant (see below) notes the continuing abysmal level of performance by the current contractor, the Center's complaint to the Justice Department and the issues around the bidding process.
If you have any questions please let me know. 

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Article in The Atlantic fully illustrates the gap between rich and poor school districts in Connecticut.

"For 50 years, Bassick High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut has been neglected and underfunded-despite being just a few miles from extreme wealth."

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/05/why-is-a-high-school-in-one-of-americas-richest-counties-still-failing/484871/

Leon Smith, Esq.
Director, Racial Justice Project
[cid:image001.jpg@01D1BBED.22464990]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, 4th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203)335-0719 (p)
(203)330-9580 (f)

Over 150 children will have their utilities protected based on the success of this spring's Keep the Power On utility clinics. Clinics for families facing termination of their lights and heat were held in conjunction with our clinical partners at Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Yale New Haven Hospital and The Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain. Pro Bono volunteers from the Aetna Legal Department, Pullman & Comley, LLC, Murtha, Culina, LLP and the University of Connecticut and Yale Law Schools provided counseling and support for participating clients. Families were also able to obtain additional services from Community Resource Team 

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Please see the link below for two notices from the town of Windsor. The first is for senior housing - project based (55 and older). the second is a notice for the opening of the Windsor Section 8 wait list ...

JS

Nearly 30 percent of juveniles arrested today are girls or young women, and their share of arrests, detainment, and court cases has steadily increased over the past two decades. Girls of color and those living in poverty are increasingly over-represented in this trend. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) released a Policy Guide on Girls in the Juvenile Justice System to educate states, tribes and local communities about efforts to improve responses to girls and young women in-or at risk of entering-the system. 

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BROWN AT 62: SCHOOL SEGREGATION BY RACE, POVERTY AND STATE
Date Published: May 16, 2016
This research brief shows how intensifying segregation interacts with a dramatic increase in concentrated poverty in our schools, escalating the educational harm.

For Immediate Release, May 16, 2016
Los Angeles--The Civil Rights Project today reported on the dramatic increase of double segregation by both race and poverty for the nation's schools. The 62nd anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision arrives without any major policy initiatives to mitigate the spread of deepening segregation following a serious of negative Supreme Court decisions. The new 

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Over the last five years, dozens of camps and programs have rejected children with diabetes even though it's a violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act, according to federal law officers, children's rights lawyers and diabetes educators.

. . . (this is) discriminatory and illegal, said lawyer Bonnie Roswig of the Center for Children's Advocacy in Hartford. 

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Please Join Us
Center for Children's Advocacy Webinar Seminar Series Presents
Serving the Needs of New Arrivals: Undocumented and Refugee Children in New Haven

June 10, 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Welcome and Introductions
Edwin D. Colón, JD, MSW
Attorney, Teen Legal Advocacy Project, Center for Children's Advocacy

Legal Advocacy Strategies to Access, Education, Health, Mental Health Services 

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On Friday, in a "dear colleague" letter to school districts across the country, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education made clear the obligations schools have to support transgender students under Title IX. The letter states that gender identity is included under Title IX protections and provides guidance that educators must respond immediately to harassment, honor students' gender identity, and allow students to participate in all aspects of school consistent with their gender identity. 

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Please Join Us
Center for Children's Advocacy Seminar Series Presents
Confronting and Countering Implicit Bias

June 15, 9:15 am - 11:15 am
UConn School of Law, Starr Hall, Davis Courtroom, Hartford, CT

Welcome and Introductions
Leon Smith, JD
Director, Racial Justice Project, Center for Children's Advocacy

National Perspective

Bobby Constantino
Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice, St. Joseph's College, Brooklyn, New York
Founder, Model Gun Violence Prevention Program 

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Please see press release below from CSCU President Mark Ojakian regarding a scholarship opportunity for undocumented students in Connecticut.

statement from CSCU PRESIDENT MARK OJAKIAN on NEW scholarship program for undocumented students

(May 10, 2016) Today, Mark E. Ojakian, President of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities joined Governor Dannel P. Malloy to announce a new scholarship program for undocumented students also known as DREAMers. In partnership with The Dream.US, undocumented students can apply for scholarships of up to $20,000 per year for out-of- state and $7,250 per year for in-state to earn a bachelor's degree from Eastern Connecticut State 

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Yale Pediatric Ethics Program Presents

Cassandra C. Revisited: The Ethical Implications of Minor Decision Making in the Healthcare Context

Presentation by Jay Sicklick, JD
Deputy Director, Center for Children's Advocacy and Director, Medical-Legal Partnership Project

The topic for Yale Pediatric Ethics Program's next evening seminar is one that you may be familiar with ... Connecticut's "Cassandra C." case, regarding a teenage girl whose refusal of recommended treatment for Hodgkin's Disease was supported by her mother but overruled by the court. The discussion is very timely, as this unfortunate young woman is once again in the news. 

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The essential role that mentors can play in the educational success of disengaged students.

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/10/29/447241580/for-at-risk-kids-mentors-provide-far-more-than-just-homework-help

Leon Smith, Esq.
Director, Racial Justice Project
[cid:image001.jpg@01D1A6CD.F8F7F040]<http://www.kidscounsel.org/>
211 State Street, 4th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203)335-0719 (p)
(203)330-9580 (f)

An excellent overview of juvenile justice reform efforts and what is currently pending in Connecticut in today's CT Mirror...

Juvenile justice reform in CT: 5 things to know
By: Jacqueline Rabe Thomas<http://ctmirror.org/author/jrabe/> | May 5, 2016V

On Wednesday, the state Senate gave final approval to an omnibus bill that aims to sever the so-called school-to-prison pipeline and overhaul how youth are handled when they do enter the juvenile justice system. And when legislators reconvene next week, Democratic leaders say they plan to pass legislation that would adjudicate accused offenders as old as 20 in the state's juvenile justice system. In 

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The New Britain Housing authority is opening up a wait list as described below and available at the following link http://www.cthcvp.org/ :

[cid:image003.png@01D1A52F.5C4692F0]
For some reason - you cannot use Chrome to open the PDF notice on the website, try Internet Explorer.

JS

The Center for Children's Advocacy will be holding two more utility clinics this spring. Below are details about the clinics and attached are flyers in English and in Spanish about each clinic.

Clients will get assistance with negotiating utility bills as well as assistance with budget counseling. Community agencies will be on site to provide services and support. All clients are welcome. P lease forward these flyers to interested clients and colleagues. 

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Continuing Progress on the Path to Eliminating Expulsion and Suspensions from Early Childhood Settings
See Report Below.

[cid:image003.jpg@01D19BF5.85DF1EE0]
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (eagle) logo, Administration for Children and Families logo and Early Childhood Development logo. Below logos are 9 photos of children

Continuing Progress on the Path to Eliminating Expulsion and Suspensions from Early Childhood Settings 

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[cid:image006.png@01D1A074.CD642D40]

The child will turn 18yo in three-four weeks and has a voluntary services
case with DCF. The guardian (a relative) refuses to house the child, the
child is presently in a shelter, and DCF is saying that it is arranging for
the child to transition to DMHAS services for housing (etc.) once she turns
eighteen. I am the outpatient therapist. My question: can DCF transition a
child to DMHAS who is not a ward of the state, or do the guardian's rights
have to be terminated first, with a subsequent petition for DCF to take
custody, so that at the 

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[https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/b6fd825d001/d85afbb8-a713-4717-87b8-3242efbd58ec.jpg]

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Save the date!
May 26, State Capitol, Hartford

A Shared Sentence:
Incarceration of Caregivers and its Impact on Connecticut's Children

Did you know that....

* 1 in 14 children in the U.S. have had a parent they lived with go to prison?
* 36,000 children in the state of Connecticut report ever having an incarcerated parent?
* 54% of Connecticut's incarcerated population are caregivers?
* Having a parent in prison is recognized as an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), but is distinguished from other ACE's due to its unique combination of trauma, stigma, and shame?
* Studies have shown 

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Just a reminder that CCA's spring utility clinic will take place this coming Friday at Connecticut Children's Medical Center. Clients will get assistance with negotiating utility bills as well as budget counseling. Community agencies will be on site to provide services and support.
All clients are welcome - the clinic is not limited to Hartford residents. Please forward these flyers to interested colleagues.
Please contact me if you need additional information. 

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