Hartford’s Adult Education program will be relocated to this fall and some people don’t approve of the plan.
Currently located at 110 Washington Street, the Adult Education program is scheduled to be relocated to 85 Edwards Street, to the Global Communications Academy this fall. According to a school system spokesman, this is a move that was approved by the Board of Education in 2017.
“It was part of a very large, comprehensive, strategic plan to position the district for the future,” said John Fergus, Director of Communications, Hartford Public Schools.
However the Global Communications Academy PTO and The Hartford Police Athletic League, which is located adjacent to the school and works with the students, are concerned.
“There’s a reason that we background check any adults who work with children,” said David Jorgensen, Chairman of the Board, Hartford Police Athletic League. “Now we’re looking at having a couple hundred unchecked, unscreened adults from an adult education program basically being inserted in the middle of this campus.”
In a flyer sent to parents and staff members, the PTO questions the safety of the move and urged parents and school staff to attend tonight’s Board of Education Meeting.
“We are for education,” said Global Communications Academy PTO President Tamara Morgan.
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That’s the whole reason we are here because we want everybody to have an opportunity to have the best education possible but we want to make sure we don’t sacrifice the education of our children 50:26
The current program at 110 Washington Street co-exists with the Renzulli Academy, for 4th thru 8th grade students and Hartford Public Schools says this new location will have a similar dynamic.
“They will be in the same building but they are separated,” explained Fergus. “They are not walking next to each other in the hallway, using the classrooms interchangeably. They’re distinct spaces.”
Fergus explains the Adult Education program currently has an enrollment of over 500 people with an estimated 100 being over 62 years old.
“They’re older people that are coming back to, to learn a new language if they’ve recently moved here or get a GED for their HS program,” said Fergus.
People we spoke with who oppose the idea, emphasize they are not against the idea of Adult Education but would like to find a way to conduct it without mixing juvenile students with adults.
“Nobody is against adult education,” said Jorgensen. “We’re all for it but we’re for children being safe and there’s a reason why children are not typically educated right alongside adults.”
