For Immediate Release

September 29, 2014

Contact: (203) 443-3203
info@ctparentsunion.org
twitter:@CTParentsUnion


Connecticut Parents File Lawsuit Seeking Injunction of the Appointment of
Meriden Federation of Teachers President to the State Board of Education


Game On! This is the new rallying cry of fed up Connecticut parents who recently filed a lawsuit
seeking an injunction against the quid pro quo appointment of Erin D. Benham, President of the
Meriden Federation of Teachers and Executive Committee Vice President of the Connecticut
American Federation of Teachers to the State Board of Education.

The lawsuit HHD-CV14-5038194-S SAMUEL, GWENDOLYN Et Al v. MALLOY, DANNEL P. Et Al,
allege in their complaint that the appointment of the AFT Connecticut local president is clearly a
conflict of interest because of appearances of graft and quid pro quo for the teachers union's
contributions to Governor Malloy's re-election campaign. According to the complaint, before the
appointment, the teachers union contributed $10,000 to Governor Malloys campaign via the
Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee and $250,000 to support Governor Malloy
through the new Political Action Committee, Connecticut Forward PAC which raises concerns of
graft and quid-pro quo. The Democratic Governors Association also donated $1.25 million to the
Connecticut Forward PAC.

http://civilinquiry.jud.ct.gov/CaseDetail/PublicCaseDetail.aspx?DocketNo=HHDCV145038194S

Parents across the state of Connecticut, led by the independent and grassroots Connecticut
Parents Union, introduced a Parent Empowerment bill which became law that allows parents
legal power to help improve low performing schools. The state of Connecticut has refused to
enforce the law leaving almost 200,000 kids trapped in low performing schools without legal
remedy to protect their constitutional educational rights. In 2010, the number of low
performing schools identified by the state as not having met adequate yearly progress in reading
and math on a whole school level was one hundred and eighty-four (184) and as of April 17,
2013, the state has identified three hundred and fifty (350) schools as not having met adequate
yearly progress in reading and math on a whole school level which translates close to 200,000
students, majority of color, English Language Learners, those with disabilities and special needs,
and or those children eligible for free/reduced lunch, attending low performing and/or unsafe
schools in need of improvement.
2010 list of failing schools http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/circ/circ10-11/c3.pdf
2013 list of failing schools http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/deps/sgc/listofsgcschools.pdf


The AFT Connecticut has a documented history of opposing parents, especially parents of color,
special need parents and impoverished families, as they advocate and exercise their legal power
to ensure their kids have access to safe and high quality schools. One example of aggressive
opposition was by AFT CT holding national trainings on How to Diffuse Connecticut Parent
Trigger with language such as Kill Mode.
http://rishawnbiddle.org/outsidereports/aft_parentpower_guide.pdf

Instead of holding ineffective teachers accountable for their failure to educate our children,
Governor Malloy, with support of elected officials (by their silence), appoints a teachers union
president to the State Board of Education, playing political games to secure votes during the
November 4th Governor's race.

Parent leaders throughout the state support these Connecticut Parents and are outraged that
Connecticut Governor Malloy and others (by their silence) would play political games with the
constitutional rights and futures of hundreds of thousands of students, mostly of color, low
income, special needs.

Mother of two, Plaintiff Gwen Samuel said: The fox cannot impartially guard the hen house
by virtue of their need to survive, just as teachers union presidents or representatives cannot
impartially sit on the Connecticut State Board of Education because of their need to survive with
minimal teacher accountability. Educators are public servants, paid by the state, regardless of
performance. Furthermore, teacher unions have huge pocketbooks full of membership dues
which pour millions of dollars, year after year, into the campaigns of those running for public
office- sounds more like a recipe for quid pro quo. As a result, every day parents cannot get a
fair voice, on behalf of their children, at the education policy table with such a teacher union
membership and financial monopoly.

Great Grandmother, Plaintiff Lynda Faye Wilson said: "I have not heard of one state where
a teachers union president is on the State Board of Education. The State Board of Education
must be composed of impartial parties to protect the educational rights of ALL children within
the state. It is common sense that the teacher union AFT Connecticut cannot be perceived as
impartial when you contribute super large bucks to the Governor's campaign. It goes without
saying, all this money will control the education policy of children and influence voting

Mother of three, Plaintiff ShKeia Dickerson said: "I am filing this lawsuit because
ineffective teachers are a part of the education problems we have in Connecticut schools. I
graduated high school, 12 years ago, as a functioning illiterate because I wasn't given the proper
education I needed and deserved by some of my teachers and the educational system as a
whole. Over the years, because of my love of words and poems, for the most part, I taught
myself to read. I still struggle to do basic math. I dont want my kids to go through the same
things in school that I went through of not being properly educated by a great teacher.

Connecticut parents will not allow our children's education and futures to be sacrificed for
political ambitions by any elected official.

It is time to put the education and futures of Connecticut's school children first.


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