City councilwoman pushes back on school-closing language, cites safety concerns

City Councilwoman Maria Ferrer told the Bridgeport School District ad hoc committee that Edison and Beardsley schools "will not be closing" and accused the district of failing to follow its own school-closing policy.

"Edison and Beardsley School will not be closing," Ferrer said during the public-comment period, adding that she had helped organize a lawsuit that previously forced the district to withdraw a closure attempt. Ferrer said she and community members have identified what she described as multiple errors in the plan's handling of grade spans, building ages and enrollment calculations and said those problems must be addressed before the district moves forward.

Ferrer also raised safety objections to proposed attendance maps that would require students to cross Boston Avenue, a state highway. "Every time you see a purple dot on Boston Avenue, it's in the top 25, top 50 most dangerous injury-prone intersections in the city," she said, urging the committee to avoid plans that would force young children to walk across that road.

District staff did not present a formal school-closure proposal at this meeting; staff characterized the master plan as informational and said any formal actions would be taken by the board through established processes. Ferrer said she already has a plaintiff from Beardsley and is seeking a plaintiff from Edison if the district moves toward closures.

Ferrer framed her remarks as a request for accurate data, redistricting that takes neighborhood safety into account and adherence to the board's school-closing policy. The committee did not take a vote on closures at the meeting.