Saybrook’s Right to Read

08/27/2026

08/13/2026

Last week, the literacy coach position appeared on the staff directory section of the district website. We posted that the person filling it does not hold the 097 certification, the credential Dr. Gabriel’s report said was needed for that role, the person who coaches and supports teachers on how to teach reading.

Today, a new hire appeared on the district website: a literacy interventionist who holds the 097.

She was not hired as the literacy coach. A literacy interventionist works directly with students, not teachers.

The literacy coach position was filled first. We checked the state’s official certification records. The individual hired for the position does not hold the 097.

We’ll be reaching out to the district for clarity, and we encourage them to communicate these new roles to the community.

08/11/2026

**Here's a district that keeps skipping steps. And every time, those steps land them exactly where they wanted to be.**

For years, parents have said ARC isn't structured literacy. For years, the district ignored it. Finally, they agreed to bring in an outside evaluator. It felt like a win.

Then the details came out.

The district spent $14,000 in taxpayer money on an evaluator who doesn't have structured literacy credentials. They never put the position out to bid. ARC's alignment to structured literacy didn't end up being a piece of the evaluator's report. Instead, she said the district's issues went deeper, and that structural and systemic problems needed to be addressed first.

One of her recommendations was to hire a literacy coach with a 097 certification. That was an unbudgeted cost, posted at $58,000 to $100,000.

Did they do it? Looks like it. A new literacy coach quietly appeared on the district's website. But it appears this hire does not have a literacy background, credentials, or the required 097 certification.

Credentials matter. Certifications matter. Process matters.

This is bigger than money wasted. It raises a harder question: is this how they get the people they want in place?

Here's what's next. The evaluator also recommended a full audit of special education. The superintendent confirmed the district has already met with one organization to conduct it, and plans to meet with more in the coming weeks. But meeting with organizations informally isn't the same as putting the job out to bid.

Audits of special education systems are expensive. This one deserves to be done right.

Saybrook's Right to Read is calling on the Board of Education. Get involved in hiring the organization to audit special education. Make sure it goes to bid. Make sure that organization has the right certifications and credentials. Make sure it's unbiased. We're done watching taxpayer money get wasted on outcomes that were already decided.

08/11/2026

https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/parent-group-registry

We are official! First Parents of Reading Justice group in CT!

08/10/2026

Thank you Brett Tingley! You are a force and an inspiration to us 📚✊

08/08/2026

A title tells you what someone is called. A credential tells you what they’re trained to do. Know the difference before the announcement.🔍✔️📚

07/24/2026

There is a difference between being tired from building something beautiful and being tired from maintaining something that is broken

07/20/2026

One California district spent 8 years and $1.5M fighting a family over a problem worth an estimated $10K — instead of just doing right by the student. A similar story is unfolding in Old Saybrook right now. Swipe through. 👉

07/17/2026

This is one of the main reasons we started our organization, Saybrook’s Right to Read. Both of us have seen an ugly side of this world, where some people and companies prey on a vulnerable population who are desperately trying to get their children help.

Our group is a volunteer organization, and no one involved benefits financially. We are here to provide knowledge, awareness, and support to families, all at no cost, because we have walked and are still walking this same journey with our own children.

This year our efforts turned more toward getting the district to follow best practice. We will keep working toward potential collaboration, but we are also moving toward offering free professional development for families so they can best support their children.

Thank you for being part of our organization this year, whether that meant liking or sharing a post, engaging in productive discourse, or just offering encouragement when the hill seemed insurmountable.

And thank you to Brett Tingley for being an inspiration of the power parents can have.

07/15/2026

Appreciative of the support!

“When parents with children currently in the system raise concerns, they bring an essential urgency and a direct stake in the consequences of board decisions. To treat that advocacy as an inconvenience rather than an asset is a profound mistake. I commend the parents who organized and are fighting for better results.”



://ctexaminer.com/2026/07/14/making-way-in-local-government-for-new-and-independent-voices/?fbclid=IwZnRzaATES2VwZG9mA2ZkaWQWUKn-3A8hA8-KvfrkfK3sXGaCZnQsyWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR7hRIqemLTFePg8-4A3GLiPx_2kC7OUkgY2b5nCvjOEvkvnfp4kcEN6-tV0YA_aem_D60zKRIBAYGaiokBD7pRAw

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