Parents and Students Welcome First Lady Jill Biden to Connecticut and Invite Her to #GetSchooled

MERIDEN, Conn., March 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, March 3, Jill Biden will be making her inaugural trip to Connecticut as First Lady. She is a teacher, a mother, and America's First Lady, and the people of Connecticut have a message for her: Our kids are depending on you. Dr. Biden is coming to visit Meriden, Conn., the hometown of the new Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona.  She will also be joined by Secretary Cardona. Parents from across the state hope their visit will draw national draw attention to the urgent needs of students in Connecticut.

"The COVID pandemic created unprecedented circumstances for our schools and we need an unprecedented response," said Gwen Samuel, president and founder, Connecticut Parents Union. "We want everyone to see that our babies are being left out in the cold, and they deserve better. It's time to step up our game and put these children first. The learning loss and unmet funding needs have created a crisis. That's why parents representing all types of public schools in the state – charter, district, and magnet – are coming together to ask for support from the First Lady and Secretary Cardona."

What:  Parents, students and advocates from across the state erected an outdoor classroom in Meriden. First Lady Jill Biden is encouraged to stop by on her visit to hear from working families about how she can help students and here and across the nation.

When:  11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Where:  412 W Main Street -- Parking lot near Ben Franklin Elementary School, which is located at 426 W Main St, Meriden, CT 06451

Also follow on Twitter: #GetSchooled

Who:  The following spokespersons are available for comment:

• Gwen Samuel, president and founder, Connecticut Parents Union
• Greer James, parent of a student at Achievement First Public Charter School
• Maria Cordero, grandparent of a student from Meriden School District

About Connecticut Parents Union

The Connecticut Parents Union (CTPU), a membership organization whereby parents, guardians and families are connected with the educational resources and support system necessary to protect their children's educational rights thus ensuring that neither race, zip-code nor socio-economic status is a predictor of a child's success.

About Public Charter Schools

Public charter schools are independent, public, and tuition-free schools that are given the freedom to be more innovative while being held accountable for advancing student achievement. Since 2010, many research studies have found that students in charter schools do better in school than their traditional school peers. For example, one study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that charter schools do a better job teaching low-income students, minority students, and students who are still learning English than traditional schools. Separate studies by the Center on Reinventing Public Education and Mathematica Policy Research have found that charter school students are more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, stay in college and have higher earnings in early adulthood.

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SOURCE National Alliance for Public Charter Schools