HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION OF THE SOUTHBURY TRAINING SCHOOL
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Say "No" to the Closing of
Southbury Training School

Bill Could Advance Plan to Close STS, State-Run I/DD Facilities

The CT Senate has passed S.B. 1088 – An Act Concerning Services for Individuals with Intellectual Disability – on a 25-10 bipartisan vote. The bill will require DDS Commissioner Morna Murray to develop a plan by December 15, 2015 for closing Southbury Training School and all state-run facilities for I/DD individuals.

The bill awaits action in the House of Representatives and would require the signature of Governor Malloy.


Should S.B. 1088 (read the bill) pass the state legislature, the DDS commissioner, through consultation with key stakeholders, and in consideration of the Messier vs. Southbury Training School settlement agreement, will develop and implement a plan that will include:

A timeline for closing STS and state-run facilities                       serving  I/DD Individuals

How residents will be transitioned into                            community-based settings                        

How DDS plans to meet the needs of all I/DD individuals requiring services

What the future uses will be for these properties and         facilities once closed

Staff for facilities and homes in community-based settings

An analysis of short-term and long-term costs and savings related to the plan

What resources will be needed to implement the plan

Progress reports submitted not later than May 15, 2016 and  December 15, 2016

This bill does not consider the needs of the severely disabled and elderly residents of STS and the residents of the regional centers and does nothing to benefit the 2,000 I/DD individuals waiting for residential placement.

 
If an honest and accurate analysis is performed, the cost to move this population will be found to be high and the move would require many many years.  Moving all of these individuals into the community would also worsen the waiting list crisis in Connecticut.

Closing STS is not a solution. STS supporters in Connecticut are encouraged to contact their representatives immediately to urge a “No” vote for this bill.

Now is the time to tell legislators your story and to tell them why you choose STS.


We ask that you take action in support of STS by writing letters to your local newspapers and to the Hartford Courant, (see the Courant’s guidelines for submissions)

Please read our Op-Ed in The Hartford Courant:
Using Southbury Training School is Only Real Solution
for guidance in the telling of your story.

Read Testimony Presented by STS Advocates to the Public Health Committee Urging a "No" Vote on S.B. 1088

Be assured that if a plan to close STS and the regional centers is adopted, we will vigorously oppose it in court.

And please contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.



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Copyright © 2020 Home and School Association of STS
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Membership/Donate
  • Contact Us
  • Take Action
  • STS or the Community
  • Media Roundup
  • Olmstead
  • National Organizations
    • VOR
    • Together for Choice
    • National Council on Severe Autism
  • STS History