MARBLEHEAD, MA — Dozens of Marblehead teachers, parents and teachers packed an emotional Thursday night School Committee to voice their concerns about school safety and lack of support from student services administration as part of an ongoing dispute between staff and district leadership on what the Marblehead Educators Association have called “dysregulated students” causing fear and disruption.
The teachers union last week took a vote of “no confidence” in the student services leaders for what the union said was their inability “to secure safe and healthy learning environments in our schools” following a student restraint incident and subsequent staff paid leave suspensions of four faculty members at the Glover Elementary School two weeks ago.
The union said 97 percent of the district’s 260 teachers, paras and tutors voted in favor of the “no
confidence” vote and statement sent to Interim Superintendent Theresa McGuinness calling for the dismissal of Students Services Director Paula Donnelly and Associate Director of Student Services Emily Dean.
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MEA Co-Presidents Jonathan Heller and Sally Shevory told Patch on Monday that McGuinness denied their request to remove the directors.
Those who spoke in public comment on Thursday told of repeated cases of students roaming the hallways unsupervised and causing both destruction and physical harm at schools across the district and directives they received from the administration to “just teach” or “ignore it” when they raised concerns.
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Those attending the meeting raised signs reading “We Stand Together” with the MEA in support of the no-confidence vote after each speaker.
“I want to thank everyone who spoke,” School Committee Chair Sarah Fox said on Thursday. “It was very hard and very emotional. I will say that while purview dictates what actions this committee can and cannot take and what actions we can weigh in on, I don’t want anybody to misconstrue that for a lack of empathy, understanding or support.
“I do thank you all very, very much for coming here. I was watching all of your faces as you spoke and I know that this was difficult.”
McGuinness said during the superintendent’s report at the meeting that she would “reassess as new information becomes available to me as it has this evening.”
“Regarding the MEA’s declaration of no confidence in district students services leadership,” McGuinness said, “as I have stated we are definitely amidst challenging times in the district that necessitate frequent and effective communication. While at the same time, we are problem-solving together and committed to continuously improving the district.
“I respect the MEA deeply and tonight is important and hard. And I hear you. … I look forward to working and learning specific concerns — most of which I have learned this evening.”
McGuinness reiterated that a third-party investigation is being conducted into the restraint incident, the staff response and the district’s policies and procedures when it comes to discipline and any use of restraint.
The Marblehead School Committee went into executive session to discuss the Marblehead Educators Association’s letter of complaint to the Committee over the suspensions, safety at Glover and other district schools, and their request for the removal of the student services administrators about one hour into the meeting and did not return into open session.
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
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