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Full Testimony

Good morning,

My name is Luis Ortiz, Director of Community Engagement & Family Partnerships with ConnCAN. I’m proud to stand here as part of a coalition committed to improving outcomes for students across Connecticut. I’m here because I believe something simple but powerful: every child deserves access to an equitable, high-quality education. And for that to happen, students must be in the classroom — connected to learning, connected to teachers, and connected to opportunity.

Across our state, too many students are removed from school for non-violent behavior — not because they are a danger, but because despite legislative efforts our current system still relies on exclusion instead of support. When students are pushed out of classrooms, they lose valuable instruction, fall behind academically, and often experience lasting harm to their trust in school and in themselves. Suspensions are linked to lower attendance, declining academic performance, and reduced likelihood of graduating on time.

This is not just a discipline issue. It is an education issue.

And when some groups of students lose more classroom time than others, opportunity gaps grow wider. In Connecticut, Black and Latino students, students with disabilities, and other historically underserved groups are suspended at disproportionately high rates — disparities that begin early and often intensify over time.

If we are serious about educational equity, we must also be serious about protecting learning time.

The proposal before us does not remove accountability or compromise safety. It preserves suspension for situations involving real violence or immediate risk of harm, while ensuring that non-violent behavior is addressed with evidence-based supports that keep students connected to school. Because true school safety is not created through removal — it is built through strong relationships, clear expectations, and meaningful support for students and educators alike.

We also know the long-term stakes. Students who are excluded from school are more likely to drop out, face mental health challenges, and encounter the justice system later in life. These outcomes carry real human costs for families and real economic costs for our communities and our state.

Keeping students engaged in learning is not only the right thing to do — it is the smart thing to do.

Connecticut has always believed in the power of education to open doors and change lives.

Every day in our schools, there are young people who just need a real chance — a chance to stay connected, to keep learning, and to believe their future still matters.

Our responsibility is to build systems that keep that door open, not close it. To keep students where opportunity lives — in the classroom, learning and growing.

Because the truth is simple:

You cannot deliver a high-quality education to an empty desk.

Thank you.

Watch Luis’s Testimony