Weekly Message from the Superintendent

Dear SPS Community: 

When you read this message, we will be wrapping up our first week of the 2026-27 school year. Over the last four days, I have visited most of our schools and programs. Overall, I have been pleased with what I would describe as a smooth start to the new school year. 

On Tuesday morning, I had the pleasure of visiting Westover Magnet School on its first day as an official K-8 program. Principal Keriann Maxelix and I greeted students and visited several classrooms in the middle school wing. Hearst Media interviewed Ms. Maxelix and me as part of a roundup of opening days across the state. You can view photos from Westover and see video of our remarks here (gift link).

I also would like to acknowledge the staff, students, and families at Westhill High School and Roxbury Elementary School for their patience and flexibility as we begin the school year with active construction projects on both campuses. The construction has necessitated significant changes in car rider drop off and pickup as well as bus transportation, and we continue to make modifications to improve efficiency. I also would like to thank our partners at the Stamford Police Department for providing additional personnel this week to help manage traffic around these schools. 

As anyone driving around Stamford knows, our 164 school buses are on the roads for a good portion of the day. Most of our buses complete three routes each morning and three routes each afternoon to transport thousands of students to and from their schools. Additional buses are on the road later in the day transporting students home from athletic practices and other after school activities.

With so many buses on the road, I urge families to keep in mind that there will be residual delays in bus service during the first few weeks of school as drivers get used to their routes and as our transportation team modifies routes based on ridership or road conditions. I also urge everyone on the roads to obey Connecticut State Law by stopping for school buses displaying red flashing lights. 

The transportation office has published updated bus routes for each school. You can view the updated routes in ParentSquare (AM / PM) or online here. 

I would also like to take a moment to address the critical importance of regular school attendance. Attending school every day is one of the most important predictors of academic success. Students cannot succeed in school if they are not there. I am asking every family to prioritize school attendance. Students are in school for only 181 days a year, and they attend classes for only 6 hours per day. Please ensure that your child is at school every day, on time, and ready to learn.  

In an effort to support regular school attendance and the timely reporting of student absences, we will begin using ParentSquare to notify parents when their child is marked with an unexcused absence. Notifications will be sent once per day to families with students in Grades K-8 and following each of the four academic blocks in the high schools. These notifications will begin on Monday, August 31 for K-8 and on Tuesday, September 8 for the high schools. 

ParentSquare also enables parents to proactively report their child’s absences. If you know your child is going to be out of school due to illness, medical appointments, college visits, or any other reason, you can use ParentSquare to report the absence directly to your school's attendance office. Please consider using this service to ensure school personnel can properly code your child’s absences.

Next week, I will begin making unscheduled visits to our schools and programs. These informal drop-ins will give me an opportunity to experience our schools as they operate each day, without staff feeling the need to prepare for or “host” a visit from the Superintendent. My goal is to see our schools in action, spend time with students and staff, and develop a deeper understanding of the teaching, learning, and day-to-day experiences taking place across our district.  

Thank you for reading, and thank you for being an important part of the Stamford Public Schools community. 

Sincerely, 

Adrian B. Talley, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

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