KILLINGLY, Conn. — Connecticut's State Board of Education (CSDE) has opened an investigation after they've determined a complaint filed against the Killingly Board of Education was "substantial."
The CSDE said that on April 5, they had received a complaint by an attorney on behalf of Killingly residents.
The basis of the complaint, according to CSDE, was that the Killingly BOE failed to provide services and support necessary to help students cope with social, emotional, and mental health needs.
The complaint continues to allege that Killingly school officials have refused to address a critical educational need that has been documented.
Last month, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) released a report that found roughly two-thirds of 1,000 schools statewide lacked on-site medical health centers.
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The CSDE said Killingly resident's complaint is based on a survey released by Support and Engaging Resources for Action and Change (SERAC). CSDE said SERAC surveyed 477 students and found nearly 15% of them had "admitted to having made a suicide plan", and just over 28% had thoughts of harming themselves.
The survey also reportedly found that there had been around 500 incidents where students were emotionally unable to stay in class and needed to access immediate counseling.
CSDE officials said that based on the review of the complaint, it was deemed "substantial." Officials said it's not a conclusion of the complaints against the Killingly BOE, but that it now faces further investigation.
CSDE said the investigation is into whether the Killingly BOE is "providing a safe school setting" for its students.
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Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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