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As more school districts consider cell phone restrictions, Waterbury rolls out new policy

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As more school districts consider cell phone restrictions, Waterbury rolls out new policy


More school leaders are considering restricting cell phones in the classroom.

It comes after the state recently urged districts to come up with rules for the devices.

Students in Waterbury are already joining the list of communities where access to cell phones is limited, and it seems to have been met with mixed reaction.

“There’s benefits, but there’s there’s ups and downs,” Imaje Pitt, a Kenney High sophomore, said.

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Students in Waterbury began the new year with a new policy that requires cell phones to be locked up in a pouch for the day at the middle and high schools.

“Nobody was OK with it. Like at all. Everyone was like, ‘No, I don’t want to put my phone in this,’” Jayleyah Harris, a Kennedy High sophomore, said.

Students were missing the devices and everything they use them for, but they were also seeing the positives like not having the distraction in class and connecting with others.

“To see people who were like interacting with each other where they were like, I don’t know. People were making new friends,” Pitt said.

There’s also a learning curve for parents, according to the interim superintendent.

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“It’s kind of reteaching parents how to contact their child during the school day, which is through the main office,” Dr. Darren Schwartz, the Waterbury Public Schools interim superintendent, said.

“The reality is that also, you know, texting and using the phone during a real emergency actually could be putting their child in danger. And so removing that opportunity for students is actually going to make them safer in many cases,” he continued.

Waterbury joins districts around the state finding ways to limit access, including in Hartford and Ellington. Now, it appears other communities are taking action.

This comes after Governor Lamont last week urged schools statewide to come up with rules to restrict the use in classrooms to help improve learning and mental wellbeing.

“I think at this point virtually every board in the state has started a conversation or will be doing so,” Patrice McCarthy, Connecticut Association of Boards of Education executive director, said.

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Those talks can take a while and it’s suggested everyone gets involved. Potential solutions can range from pouches to just leaving a cell phone in a designated area in class.



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Connecticut

Serious crash in downtown Stamford causes road closure

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Serious crash in downtown Stamford causes road closure


A serious car crash closed a busy road in downtown Stamford on Monday night.

The police department said Washington Boulevard is closed at the intersection with Bridge Street because of a serious crash.

Drivers are being asked to stay away from the area.

No additional information was immediately available.

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Immigration advocates vow to fight Trump deportation plans

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Immigration advocates vow to fight Trump deportation plans


Immigration advocates say they’ve already been preparing for President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to ramp up deportations once he returns to the White House.

“We anticipate that they’re going to be very quick, very rapid, very massive efforts to grab as many people as possible and deport them,” National Immigration Law Center President Kica Matos said during a rally outside the Capitol on Monday.

Matos said hers and other organizations began considering possible actions earlier this year in case Trump won.

Now, Trump is promising to deliver on his campaign pledge, taking to his Truth Social platform earlier in the morning to confirm he plans to declare a national emergency.

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He also intends to try and use the military to support his deportation effort, his post confirmed.

Advocates said they’re trying to assume undocumented immigrants in Connecticut that their organizations will offer support.

“If families have to be separated, it defeats the point completely because people are trying to get to the United States to be with their families,” said Tabitha Sookdeo, executive director of CT Students For a Dream.

Sookdeo said her family came from Guyana when she was a teenager and her grandmother, who was a U.S. citizen, was trying to help them also get permanent legal status.

Her grandmother died during the process, though, leaving Sookdeo’s family in limbo.

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“Immigration is pretty complicated,” she said.

Democrats, meanwhile, said they won’t support federal deportation efforts.

Attorney General William Tong (D) pointed to the state’s Trust Act, which bars local and state agencies from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement efforts.

“Connecticut is going to care for our immigrant families and immigrant neighbors and friends,” Tong said.

There are some exceptions, including when an undocumented immigrant is convicted of a Class A or Class B felony. Tong wouldn’t say if that means Connecticut has to notify federal authorities of such a conviction.

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“I’m not going to issue a legal opinion on the fly from this podium,” Tong said.

Connecticut Republicans were critical of Democrats, though, saying their policies don’t reflect what voters want.

Rep. Vincent Candelora (R-Minority Leader) said Connecticut spends too much money supporting undocumented immigrants, including with Medicaid, education and other assistance.

He also said voters are worried about public safety.

“It’s really out of step, I think, with what the residents and America wants, and that is, you know, safe borders, public safety and we have to get the cost of immigration under control,” Candelora said.

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$25,000 Winning Lottery Ticket Claimed By Bridgeport Resident

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,000 Winning Lottery Ticket Claimed By Bridgeport Resident


BRIDGEPORT, CT — An unnamed Bridgeport resident is $25,000 richer this week after claiming a winning lottery ticket purchased in Norwalk, the Connecticut Lottery announced.

On Wednesday, the person claimed a winning 200X ticket that was bought at East Avenue Citgo on East Avenue.

The Connecticut Lottery publishes partial winner information as public record, according to officials.

The game, which costs $20 per ticket, began in February, and as of Monday, one grand prize of $1 million remained unclaimed.

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More than 2.5 million game tickets have been printed, and the overall odds of winning are 1 in 3.21.



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