Daily Five: Groton School Board Votes on Redistricting Plan Tonight

1.  Today is Monday, Jan. 7. The National Weather Service predicts sunny skies and a high temperature of 41 degrees. Tonight will be clear with a low of 29 degrees.

2.  The Groton Board of Education will hold a special meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday in the Town Hall Annex and will vote on the redistricting plan for students. The plan outlined by a consultant last month would move 370 children, or about 18 percent of students in kindergarten through grade 4. Its goal is to even out school populations to reduce crowding and correct a racial imbalance to bring the district into compliance with state law.

3.  The Groton Town Council also holds its joint meeting with the Board of Education at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in the Town Hall Annex. The group is expected to discuss, among other topics, the appointment of a task force that would develop a plan for the future of Groton Public Schools. The plan would outline items such as renovations and construction of new buildings.

4.  The Groton Town Police Department sent four officers to Newtown on Christmas Eve day to help with patrols, because Newtown officers had been working around the clock on the school shooting investigation and on funerals for the victims. The request for help was posted by the Connecticut Police Chief’s Association.

5.  The Connecticut Citizens Defense League, a grass roots gun rights group, issued a statement on Saturday speaking out against a proposal to make public the names of people who own guns in Connecticut.

League President Scott Wilson said he believes “logic and reason will ultimately prevail“ in the debate. He said, “. . . Essentially public knowledge of who owns or may carry firearms also points out who does not own firearms. A criminal market would be created for two types of criminals, those who like to steal firearms for sale on the streets, and for those that like to commit various crimes against unarmed persons, which would be seen as easy and helpless targets. This has to make sense to anyone".