STATE OF CONNECTICUT
OFFICE OF THE CHILD ADVOCATE
18-20 TRINITY STREET, HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT 06106

Sarah Healy Eagan, J.D.
Child Advocate
June 13, 2019
Honorable Michael Passero
Mayor
City of New London
Dr. Manuel Rivera
President
Board of Education
New London Public Schools
Dr. Cynthia Ritchie
Superintendent
New London Public Schools
Dear Mayor Passero, Dr. Rivera and Dr. Ritchie,
The purpose of this letter is to apprise you that the Office of the Child Advocate is engaged in a
preliminary review of child welfare concerns received by this office and that were raised in conjunction
with the recent arrests of certain employees of the New London Public School District. As part of
this preliminary review, the OCA has also been in communication with Mayor Passero about any
assistance this office can provide him in its role as an independent investigative and advocacy
organization for vulnerable children. The OCA is still developing a framework for a fuller review and
consultation, and upon completion of such framework I will reach out to you and other stakeholders
forthwith to discuss the scope of OCA’s activities and learn more from you about matters affecting
the safety and wellbeing of students in the District and steps the District and the Board of Education
are taking to resolve community concerns.
Please know that such a review falls within the jurisdiction of OCA to “review complaints of persons
concerning the actions of any state or municipal agency providing services to children through funds
provided by the state” and “[e]valuate the delivery of services to children by state agencies and those
entities that provide services through funds provided by the state.” See Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-13l. To
fulfill that mandate Connecticut law grants the Child Advocate unfettered “access to, including the

 right to inspect and copy, any records necessary to carry out the responsibilities of the Child
Advocate.” Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-13m(a).
Please let me know if you have any initial questions and/or concerns regarding this communication.
Thank you and we look forward to future discussions about these shared and important concerns.

Sincerely,
Sarah Eagan
Child Advocate, State of Connecticut

Cc:

Kevin Roy, Esq.
Jeanne Milstein