Written by Vuong Truong |

Director of Special Services Mrs. Janet Brisson oversees special services for the entire Clinton Public School District. She will be retiring from the Clinton Schools on June 30th after 26 years as Director. She has enjoyed being a teacher and a school administrator for 43 years!  She will be taking the summer off to vacation with her husband and family in Maine.  In the fall, she will work part-time as a consultant to school districts.

Mrs. Janet Brisson is very nice and a good boss. She is also knowledgeable about education. English Language Learner Teacher Ms. Gonzalez met Mrs. Brisson 7 years ago. When Mrs. Brisson met Ms. Gonzalez, they talked about what Ms. Gonzalez expected for her job. The job that Ms. Gonzalez accepted was brand new.  The administration did not know if the position offered to Ms. Gonzalez should be a part of full time position.  Mrs. Brisson was helpful and patient during this confusing time. She gave a suggestion to the administration that the position should be full time. Ms. Gonzalez will go to Mrs. Brisson’s  retirement party on June 10th.

According to Special Education Teacher Joanne Cozzolino, Mrs. Janet Brisson has  been Special Services Director in Clinton for 26 years, guiding special education teachers, making certain that the Special Education laws are upheld by the district, overseeing the PPT (Planning and Placement Team Meeting) process and creating guidelines on how to be effective when dealing with parents. Mrs. Cozzolino said, “Mrs. Brisson is an excellent communicator, who handles difficult situations with ease.”  Mrs. Brisson recruited Mrs. Cozzolino 11 years ago from the Foundation High School in Milford.

Throughout her time in Clinton as special services director, Mrs. Brisson has seen many changes.  Special education has gone from being small group instruction to a more inclusive environment specialized for the individual students.  Supervisor of Special Services Kelly Enoch will assume the role of Special Services Director when Mrs. Brisson retires at the end of June.  For more information on Mrs. Brisson’s retirement, read the article in The Day: One Says “Goodbye”, Another “Hello.”