Attorney Representing Ellington Teacher Chided By Superintendent

ELLINGTON, CT — A story published late Wednesday afternoon online and Thursday morning in a daily newspaper, concerning the case of a Windermere School teacher fighting termination proceedings, draw sharp criticism from Ellington Superintendent of Schools Scott Nicol, who said the story "shared limited and selective information."

In a letter sent Thursday to members of the school district, Nicol also expressed disappointment that Andrew Houlding, an attorney representing veteran teacher Maura Klesczewski, "chose to contact the media prior to the start of" a public hearing on the matter in the Ellington High School cafeteria Wednesday.

Klesczewski, a kindergarten teacher with more than two decades of service in the Ellington school system, has a severe asthma condition, which prompted her last summer to request limited physical contact with others in view of the coronavirus pandemic. Nicol said she was among a group of teachers designated to provide online instruction from empty classrooms, according to the Hartford Courant article.

Houlding told the paper his client "repeatedly faced technical glitches while trying to teach her kindergarteners virtually," resulting in Klesczewski having to endure numerous encounters with staff members.

Klesczewski was on paid leave from mid-September through December, then used her accrued paid sick leave through February. She then requested an unpaid leave of absence through the remainder of the school year, writing, "My hope is that the vaccine will be proven to be safe for me to get. When that happens, I’ll be so happy to return to my teaching position for the 2021-2022 school year."

After her request was denied and a termination letter sent, "she agreed to a release and settlement agreement that included her resignation, in consideration for the board providing unpaid leave for the rest of the 2020-2021 school year and stopping the termination process," according to the article. She later rescinded her signature on that agreement.

The Courant article was published online at 4:57 p.m. Wednesday, just minutes before the 5 p.m. start time of the hearing.

Here is Nicol's full letter to the community:

"Dear Ellington Family -

"Yesterday evening, the Hartford Courant ran an article about an ongoing personnel matter within the Ellington Public Schools. While the Ellington Public Schools cannot comment about the specifics of an ongoing personnel matter, the characterizations within the article merit a response.

"The Ellington Public Schools has been consistently flexible and compassionate in dealing with personnel situations during the pandemic. We worked with staff—including Ms. Klesczewski—to understand their individual situations and provide flexibility while also adhering to the provisions of our contractual agreements, state and federal law, and pandemic-related protections.

"Our work to provide individual support to our employees was accomplished in the context of achieving our mission as an educational institution under the challenging circumstances of the past year: to provide the best possible educational experience for the children and families of Ellington.

"We appreciate the hundreds of our staff members that came to work in order to provide excellent educational opportunities both in-person and virtually. We appreciate the custodial staff who worked tirelessly to provide a safe school environment. We appreciate the teachers and paraprofessionals who found ways to adapt their practices to meet the demands of the moment. We thank them all for their dedication to the families of Ellington.

"It is unfortunate that Attorney Houlding, who is not part of the Connecticut Education Association or local union affiliate that is no longer representing Ms. Klesczewski, chose to contact the media prior to the start of the hearing and shared limited and selective information.

"The Ellington Public Schools will continue its efforts to meet the needs of our students and families while providing a safe and enjoyable work environment for our staff."

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