We-Ha.com welcomes Letters to the Editor from the public, including endorsements. Letters submitted by political candidates will be considered for publication up to 14 days prior to an election and most will be published within 48 hours of receipt. Letters that contain personal attacks or include profanity of any type will not be published. Rebuttals to letters should be submitted as a separate document, and commenting on letters will no longer be permitted. Please provide your full name and town, as well as your phone number at the end of the letter. Phone numbers will not be published but are required in case verification is needed. Please submit letters to [email protected].

To the Editor,

I am writing in response to the recent letter by Board of Education candidate, Miriam Bleich.

I agree that WHPS needs to be more transparent when it comes to special education. It was extremely difficult to find out which programs were available for my daughter and how to access them.  This needs to change.

However, I disagree with Bleich’s assertion that WHPS focuses on ideology at the expense of education. In my view, teaching about diversity, equity and inclusion is an integral part of the education our children deserve to receive. Students are required to take traditional American history for three years – in elementary, middle, and high school – and yet classes covering the experiences of under-represented groups, such as Indigenous Americans, African Americans, immigrants, or LGBTQ+ communities, to mention but a few, are available only as electives, if at all. This is a disservice to the students in our public schools.

I urge West Hartford Public Schools to increase funding for, and support of, diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom and beyond.

Signed,

Judy Wyman
West Hartford