By Cherry Dumaual

NEW FAIRFIELD – In his Chairman’s Report at the May 15th New Fairfield Board of Education (BOE) regular meeting via Zoom, BOE Chair Dominic Cipollone expressed appreciation for teachers and support staff, acknowledging the increasing challenges they face. He noted social media’s negative effects on students, in some cases.

“We value your work, and we will continue to do so. And please keep doing what you’re doing,” said Chair Cipollone. Addressing parents, he added, “Parents. Talk to your kids. Get them off TikTok, engage them in the real world.” He encouraged monitoring and supervising appropriate behaviors, emphasizing the need to “do our best at home and in schools.”

Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Craw echoed those concerns in his report, referencing a previous BOE meeting discussion on social media and mental health. He introduced the idea of launching a “One Book, One Community” reading program this summer.

“I really appreciated the board’s discussion around social media, electronic devices, and referencing the book The Anxious Generation and the mental health crisis that we deal with,” said Dr. Craw.

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, is a best-selling, award-winning book that explores the collapse of youth mental health in the age of smartphones and social media. The book offers a plan for a healthier, freer childhood and is widely considered essential reading for parents.

Dr. Craw explained that while past generations confronted issues like cigarette use, today’s students face increasing anxiety and other mental health challenges, many of them driven by digital habits. He emphasized the importance of raising awareness throughout the community so the BOE, parents, and local leaders can encourage responsible smartphone and social media use.

Using The Anxious Generation as the centerpiece of the One Book, One Community program, he said, could help spark conversations about technology’s role in student anxiety. The goal is to promote interaction among students, encourage putting devices aside, and build awareness of mental health issues tied to digital use.

Additional ways the program could support student well-being include:

Promoting community-wide dialogue about mental health challenges

Providing a shared reading experience that fosters face-to-face interactions

Offering insights into digital wellness and the impact of social media

Creating opportunities for students, parents, and educators to discuss technology’s effects on mental health

Building on the superintendent’s remarks, Chair Cipollone added, “If we really get behind the book and do it in a positive way, it would be great if the community at large participates in it.” He also suggested the possibility of securing support from local businesses to help purchase the book. “We really can get everyone involved in supporting our young people, keeping them safe from the negatives of social media…. Social media has a lot of good components, but for some reason, they want to rear their ugly head from time to time.”

Dr. Craw also reported encouraging news on school attendance. “I am very pleased to say that we are holding the improvements that we reported mid-year. We’re at a 96.4% attendance rate after three quarters…. That is a significant increase. I couldn’t be more proud of the staff and being able to address this…with the teachers union in particular, that was extremely helpful.”

He noted that the U.S. Department of Education defines chronic absenteeism as 10 or more absences, and that the district has seen a reduction in that number. “So kudos to everyone, and much appreciated,” he said.

As for student attendance, Dr. Craw reported that the district has maintained the gains made last year in grades K through 8. “It’s good to see we’re at least holding and, hopefully, we’ll be in the right trajectory going forward…we’ll have the final numbers at the end of the year.”

During the public participation, two mothers spoke up. The first is requesting two key actions from the school board: 1) Timely and transparent communication – She urged the administration to implement a policy requiring clear, factual communication with parents within 12 hours of any serious incident at school. This would give parents the necessary information to make informed decisions about sending their children back to school. 2) Stricter weapons policy – She asked the board to revise the current policy on weapons in schools to establish a firm, zero-tolerance approach with clear, consistent consequences.  Her concern is that ambiguity in the current policy could lead to repeat or copycat incidents without sufficient deterrents.

The other public participant asked the board to consider adding a future agenda item that addresses how resident commentary—whether shared during meetings or submitted between them—is acknowledged and followed up. She requested that comments submitted should be treated with the same level of consideration and relevance.

Board member Susan Huwer followed up with a suggestion that the board establish a process for ensuring community concerns are not only responded to, but also that the board is updated on how those concerns were addressed. While it’s understood that questions may not be answered during meetings due to agenda constraints, residents—and board members—would benefit from knowing what steps were taken in response.

The next regular meeting of the New Fairfield Board of Education is scheduled for Thursday, June 5, at 7 p.m.