Statewide Events

Friday, February 20 - CT Education Committee Public Hearing

10 a.m. Room 1E of the Legislative Office Building LOB Location and Parking

Register to Speak, Submit Written Testimony, Attend in Person or via Zoom, Watch on YouTubeLive Reference H.B. No. 5149 - AN ACT CONCERNING PHONE-FREE SCHOOLS when signing up to speak or submitting testimony. Registration to speak will close on Thursday February 19th, 2026 at 3:00 P.M.

Parent testimony is GREAT and definitely makes an impact. What would be especially powerful:

• A parent who USED to think kids should have phones at school, but changed their mind

• A middle school or high school educator who can say “Off and away doesn’t work. I spend more time policing phones than teaching.”

• A special education educator who has seen the damage phones have caused, even when devices were written into IEPs

• School counselors who have watched the shift from the pre-phone era to today and seen the social, emotional and mental health impacts firsthand

If that is you, or someone you know, now is the time to speak. Zoom Information to Follow When Available

Region 4 Events

Note: All Region 4 Board of Ed Meetings in February and March are characterized on the calendar as “Budget Workshops”

An email to your local Region 4 board members asking that they include a line item in their 2026-27 budget to address Bell-to-Bell implementation costs would go a long way (template here). Spreadsheet of Board Member names and emails is available here.

February 3        Deep River BOE, Budget Wkshp 1

February 4        Chester BOE, Budget Wkshp 1

February 10     Essex BOE, Budget Wkshp 2

February 12    Region 4 BOE, Budget Wkshp 2

February 18    Deep River BOE, Budget Wkshp 2

February 19    Chester BOE, Budget Wkshp 2

February 26     Supervisory District & JOINT BOE (Possible Vote on 2026-27 SD Budget)

March 3          Region 4 BOE, Budget Wkshp 3

March 5          Region 4 BOE, Possible Vote on 2026-27 R4 budget

March 10       Essex BOE, Budget Wkshp 3

March 12 Essex BOE, Possible Vote on 2026-27 budget

March 17 Deep River BOE, Budget Wkshp 3

March 19 Deep River BOE, Possible Vote on 2026-27 budget

March 24 Chester BOE, Budget Wkshp 3

March 26 Chester BOE, Possible Vote on 2026-27 budget