YEAR IN REVIEW 2023 - SEPTEMBER

SEPTEMBER 2023

Chris Kostad, who has worked for the Shelton Police Department since 2002, will be the city's new police chief starting in November.

The city in early September announced that Kostad will replace Carole Beason, who recently announced her intention to retire. She has served in that position since January 2021.

Kostad is currently serving as a captain, a position he has held since 2021. He has also served in the department as a corporal, sergeant and lieutenant. A news release from the city states that as captain, Kostad manages the department's daily operations, including hiring, staffing and training for all police department employees. He is also the department's accreditation manager and coordinator of this year's re-accreditation process.

"It is a true honor to become police chief after 18 years of service with the City of Shelton," Kostad said in the news release. "I look forward to continuing to provide excellent police service to the community and provide a safe environment for everyone to live, work and play."

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In a "re-review" of eight books already approved by the district but flagged by some parents as offensive, the Shelton School Board on Sept. 26 voted to remove two of the books of concern from the grades 7-12 reading curriculum: "Like a Love Story" and "Looking for Alaska."

During board meetings the past four months, some parents and guardians complained about the content in eight of the 150 literature books for grades seven through 12 that were recommended by the district's Instructional Materials Committee and then approved by the school board on June 27. Other parents, guardians and teachers have defended the books, saying the critics have isolated excerpts from their context in books that resonate with the experience and interests of students and encourages them to read.

The vote to remove the two books from the reading curriculum for juniors and seniors was 4-1, with board member Sandy Tarzwell abstaining. The other six books that were flagged by parents but remain in the curriculum are "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell, "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jady Nelson, "Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo, "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater," "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas, and a graphic novel depiction of Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World."