Staples students started a petition that has since received over 360 signatures to reinstate Teen Awareness Group advisor and student outreach counselor Ed Milton after he was released by the Town of Westport.

Students both involved and not involved in TAG attended the Board of Education (BOE) meeting on Oct. 7. Many spoke and told their stories in an attempt to convince the Board to bring Milton back to Staples.
“A lot of [students] didn’t get closure; he was just gone,” executive member of TAG Ali Feder ’20 said. “It’s like having a therapist and all of a sudden you can’t see your therapist ever again… You build a trust…It’s not about replacing it. It’s about having a support system that was built into the school system and now it’s gone.”

Students first gathered at the BOE meeting Sept. 23 where co-president of TAG spoke to inform the Board of how Milton impacted the lives of many Staples students.

“[Milton] was like a guidance counselor that wasn’t required to report anything you say…” Hood said. “He was just a person to talk to and that’s why people liked him so much…He was like a friend to talk to in school.”

Before taking matters to the BOE and the Town of Westport, students passed around the online petition through social media.

“Anybody who signed the petition is doing what’s best for the student body as a whole,” Hood said. “I think people really need to think non-selfishly and compassionately about the students out there who need him.”

Milton was dismissed by the Town of Westport earlier this school year. His office has been locked since the first few days of classes.

“If [you] never had the privilege to share a moment with Ed [Milton] he was a massive source of help for many people” Sam Seideman ’21 said. “Every signature helps those people and gives others the chance to share a moment with him.”