Concerned

For Our Youth

To the Editor:

As a citizen of Newtown, I am concerned about the future of our youth here. My first concern started when my young son had Speech Services at the Reed Intermediate School. The speech pathologist and students had to sit in 4-foot cubicles when they received instructions, in a shared room with special needs children.

Then the next concern came when my other son was at Hawley School. The old part of the school has inadequate heating and no air-conditioning, or cafeteria. Soon I found out that all the elementary schools had special concerns that would have to be addressed in the next few years. And now the middle school kids need a place to go after school and the high school has to be put on probation for changes to happen.

I contacted Julia Wasserman, state representative for our area, and she referred me to the proper democratic channels to express my concerns. It seems many parents go through this process, but are they really heard?

I believe we need to address these needs in our community now for our children, and plan more adequately for the future. There are many projects going on in our community and they are important, but at the risk of our children and teens. The old and the new of Newtown need to come together to make Newtown a better place for everyone to enjoy growing up in, especially the children who are the future of Newtown.

Gina Luquette

44 Farrell Road, Newtown                                            March 14, 2007