To: Matthew Poland, Hartford Board of Education Chairman, Lori Hudson, Hartford Board of Education Vice Chair, Cherita McIntye, Hartford Board of Education Second Vice Chair, Robert Cotto Jr., Hartford Board of Education Secretary, Pedro Se...

Say no to another Achievement First elementary school in Hartford.

Don't close a Hartford public elementary school and replace it with an Achievement First charter school!

Why is this important?

Unlike public schools, Achievement First Charter Schools gets to cherry pick which students they serve. They don't admit very many special needs students, or students who are learning English as a secondary language. Recently, it was also revealed that they were suspending huge numbers of elementary school students. In a state Department of Education report, Achievement First Hartford Academy elementary school ranked at the very top of the list of student suspensions. In one year, they suspended 32% of their students in pre-k through fifth grade. They also reported 114 suspensions of students under the age of 6.

Now, Achievement First wants to open another elementary school in Hartford. Not only will this take money out of Hartford's public school budget, but it would also likely mean closing down an existing public elementary school. This is unacceptable. We need public schools that teach all our students, not just some of them. Tell the Hartford Board of Education not to let Achievement First open another elementary school.