The Stamford Education Association (SEA) is asking all the teachers among the district to wear black January 12, 2022 to acknowledge safety issues in Stamford schools.  

SEA President Diane Phanos wrote a January 10 email to all Stamford teachers, saying, “I am writing to ask that you stand together with your colleagues and wear black on Wednesday, January 12, to bring attention to the fact that our schools are not as safe as they should be.”  

The “blackout” event is part of a statewide effort sponsored by the Board of Education Union Coalition, which represents over 60,000 educators and non-certified education public school personnel across the state and includes members in several labor federations and their affiliated unions. It is intended to be a joint event for all of Connecticut’s schools’ staff, including educators, paraeducators, bus drivers and monitors, support staff, custodians, cafeteria workers, resource officers, and others.

“Since returning from the holiday break to the rampant spikes in COVID throughout our schools, the coalition has been speaking out about your concerns, including a failure to distribute the promised N95 masks and home test kits, staff shortages, and the need for flexibility in allowing for short-term remote learning. We need every member of school communities across Connecticut to stand together to amplify the call for safe learning and teaching environments in our schools,” the email said.

As of the publication of this article, school officials did not respond to requests for comment.