East Haven board adopts one‑year kindergarten early‑entry waiver for 2026–27

The East Haven Board of Education voted to adopt policy 5112.01 to permit a limited early‑entry kindergarten waiver for the 2026–27 school year, with a structured screening and application deadline.

District presenters said the Connecticut General Assembly’s March emergency legislation altered the kindergarten waiver timeline and that local boards would have oversight for an additional year before the state returns to a strict five‑by‑September‑1 requirement for future school years. Staff recommended a one‑year protocol for families whose children turn five after the September 1 cutoff, and reported a wait list of 14 confirmed families expressing interest.

Under the recommended process, families would submit requests by July 24 so screening could occur during the week of July 27–31, with family notification by August 3. The screening would include assessments of social‑emotional maturity, communication and language skills, physical and cognitive development, and foundational literacy development; the district added foundational literacy to the screening rubric to better align with pre‑K and kindergarten standards.

Board members moved to waive the second reading and then to approve policy 5112.01 for 2026–27; both motions passed on unanimous roll‑call votes recorded in the meeting minutes. Staff emphasized that the waiver is a time‑limited local response to state changes, and that future school years will require students to be five by Sept. 1 under state law.