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Date: 8/18/2020
CHICOPEE – The decision made by the Chicopee School Committee to bring students back to the classroom with a hybrid model has spurred controversy and confusion.
At least one member of the school committee as well as the president of the Chicopee Education Association (CEA) have commented on the plan and the meeting conducted on Aug. 12.
In a written statement sent to Reminder Publishing on Aug. 14, Laura Demakis, the president of CEA, said, “ The Chicopee Education Association would like to say publicly that we are appalled at the duplicity that has taken place in Chicopee that could affect the lives of every one of my members, the children, the families, the entire community.
“The city of Chicopee has been labeled in the moderate risk category and is surrounded by towns in the high risk category. While our membership has made it clear that we want to return to the classroom, it is only appropriate to do so when it is safe for students and staff.
“On Wednesday, the School Committee voted down a full remote plan and approved a plan that neither they nor the public understand. The plan sent out yesterday by the superintendent is the one plan even DESE agreed should not be chosen when your city is in our risk category – it was the full in plan that was in the original presentation.
“None of the agreed upon terms that were discussed at the school committee meeting or in an 11th hour meeting with the CEA, mayor and superintendent were included.
“The terms of teacher choice to work remote based on their comfort level, Chicopee educators teaching all remote students, as well as others, which included combining the CEA and district plan, working together to determine the rest of the phase in were NOT included in the plan rolled out yesterday by the superintendent. Furthermore, my members opting to go remote are being told they may not be able to do that.
“Our membership, parents, and students are confused and outraged. We agreed to a plan so people would have a choice. Educators would have a choice, families would have a choice. I agreed to terms of a plan that would save my members’ jobs. I agreed to a plan that would combine the CEA terms of their proposal with the district proposal and include details of return that would ensure safety of everyone.
“The CEA has been asking since May to work together on return plans, especially remote learning plans, to be sure that they would be as comprehensive for the students as possible and keep people as safe as possible.
“I call on the school committee and the mayor to re-evaluate their decision and do the right thing for the sake of our students and our lives and to demand that the promises made are kept.”
Committee member abstained
Veteran School Committee member and retired teacher David Barsalou told Reminder Publishing on Aug. 12 that he abstained from the vote because he was “initially promised no teacher would be forced into the classroom.”
Barsalou said that prior to the meeting he had a conversation with Mayor John Vieau and Superintendent Lynn Clark. he said the proposal they described was not what was proposed during the meeting.
“It was not the same plan,” he asserted.
Barsalou said there were enough votes at the previous meeting to approve a fully remote plan. That decision was postponed with the approval of a motion to determine a plan on Aug. 12.
Barsalou was also critical of how the remote participation by some committee members such as himself was handled with microphones being silenced.
He noted that in his nearly 16 years on the committee, this was the “most important” decision the committee was asked to make.
The Aug. 16 Facebook Post
School Superintendent Lynn Clark posted the following on Aug. 16:
“As I sit here and try to ponder what has happened over the last four days, I decided it was best to not look in the rear view mirror.
“I can tell you what I do know – that there is confusion that can easily be cleared up. After all, this is confusing, it is not school as any of us have known it to be.
“School administrators across the Commonwealth have been charged with creating multiple plans. School committees have been charged with selecting a plan to move their districts forward.
“Chicopee’s School Committee approved a type of hybrid plan, which satisfies DESE’s guidelines, whereby approximately 10 percent of students would return to school buildings on Sept. 15 while the remaining 90 percent would engage in remote learning. This is far fewer students than many surrounding districts who have chosen to proceed with a more traditional hybrid plan where up to 50 percent of students could return to school buildings each day.
“Chicopee chose to use the six-foot social distancing, as opposed to the three-foot minimum required, as a result this limits the total amount of student capacity but is in the best interest of the health and safety for students and staff.
“The school committee and I, at the suggestion of the local public health department, agreed to lengthen the time between the phases of the plan to three weeks rather than two. In addition, the plan provides that the district will move to the next phase only if the health metrics support such a decision. At no point in time, during this plan, will Chicopee students be “all in,” especially in light of the fact that approximately 30 percent of parents have chosen for their students to engage in remote learning on and approximately 10 percent of students and some programs are scheduled for two in person days per week.
“On Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020, an overview of plan dates was sent out so that families could begin to make arrangements for their families.
“What we are hearing from families and students is that they are upset and frustrated that students may not be able to return to school for weeks or even months under this plan. For that, I apologize. I honestly do. But please know that,
“On Dec. 1, if metrics allow the phases to move ahead, approximately 3,000 students will be in the schools, full enrollment is 6,700. A complete plan with final additional details and protocols will be sent out. A draft had already been sent out about two weeks ago.
“All parents can choose the remote option for their child/ children.
“Yes, there is a mask protocol in the plan.
“Yes, we have enough PPE (for 12 weeks) and then a reorder would happen.
“Seniors, we apologize – fingers crossed, your second semester will be everything you have dreamed of.
“Yes, all students start remote on Sept. 15th if their grade level does not start in phase 1.
“Yes, remote learning has a schedule with periods of live learning and prerecorded.
“Yes, we are prepared for remote teaching and believe it will be stronger than in the spring.
“Yes, we have taken survey results from staff, families and students and have entered them into our plan.
“We understand that it is impossible to meet everyone’s needs under the current circumstances but we are committed to trying our best.
“Teachers have been told that if they wish to assist us in starting up the process because they feel comfortable, to please email me. In no way, am I trying to divide anyone. We have heard the union during our meetings when they state that they are fearful or some may have health conditions. Also, I believe it is in the best interest of students to have staff members who are healthy and comfortable in front of them.
“Is that concept a little out of the box – yes. Could it last forever? No. But it can help us start to see students for in person learning. This would assist us with those students that are transitioning to a new building and those students who need specific services that are difficult to duplicate remotely.
“The school committee and administration remain committed to continuing dialogue with the CEA and have started formal negotiations concerning implementation of this plan. I am happy to report that during our meetings we have had over 25 tentative agreements to the CEA proposal. We also had many areas of common ground in the very first meeting.
“Our comprehensive plan will come out of draft form soon.
“I can assure you that we will work together on refinements to achieve the goal of returning students to in-person learning in as safe a manner as possible for students, their families, and the staff of the Chicopee Public Schools.
“Please be on the lookout for a virtual town hall meeting this week. Also, be on the lookout for Zoom meetings with your child’s principal starting the week of Aug. 24th.
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For your understanding and patience in this process. Be kind to parents that choose what is best for them, be kind to staff, be kind to administrators and be kind to each other. Kindness matters.”
The Aug. 12 meeting
After more than five hours of discussion the Chicopee School Committee voted to begin the year with a hybrid model that differs from other districts in the area.
The committee’s decision was postponed during their previous meeting on Aug. 5 after two and a half hours of discussion, and resumed discussion on Aug. 12. The first hour of the meeting began with the public input. The first two individuals, one of whom is a high school senior, who spoke during the public portion of the meeting expressed concerns with completely remote learning, citing students’ lack of participation during the last few months of the 2019-2020 school year.
Another student, Tim Wagner, stepped forward, favoring in-person learning for Career and Technical Education (CTE) students. Wagner began by expressing his frustration that, despite him voicing his concerns at the previous meeting, the school committee had not discussed the needs of CTE students. He again emphasized the process in which students choose which trade to focus on for the remainder of their high school years would be nearly impossible to do remotely.
"There are too many limitations to remote learning, especially for a program like the one offered at Comp. So I urge the committee to consider my words and adopt in-person learning alternatives for all career tech students for the 2020-2021 school year as other districts with similar programs have done,” he said.
Another resident, who previously worked as a paraprofessional in the district, brought up that surrounding school districts were struggling to get a hold of enough personal protective equipment (PPE). “Will we have enough,” she asked. Additionally, the same resident questioned how schools would be able to conduct important safety drills, such as fire drills and lockdowns, while following social distancing protocols.
Other residents, teachers, students and parents took turns voicing their concerns. Concerns included accommodations for special needs students, teacher safety, student safety, student learning progress, and the social emotional needs of students and teachers. While there was support for each of the three proposed plans, a large number of those who spoke said they would feel safest if Chicopee Public Schools began the academic year with remote learning.
Last to speak was president of the Chicopee Educators Association (CEA) Laura Demakis. She said she appreciated Mayor John Vieau’s “insistence” that the needs of the staff would be accommodated. However, she said she came to speak to the committee “to be clear about the educator’s intent on starting remote.”
“Our intent has not, and has never been, to go full remote full time. We know better than anybody, anybody that some of our students were not successful in the spring model of remote learning,” she said. “We know that many of our members were not utilized to the extent they should be, or could have been. That was not remote learning, that was crisis teaching.”
Demakis said that teachers wanted students in front of them, and they agreed with the phased in model approach presented by Superintendent Lynn Clark. This, she said, would get students who would benefit from in-person learning the most back in front of teachers. “It’s never been about not having our students in front of us, it’s just been about keeping them safe,” she said.
She said it was not about whether or not to be in front of students, but instead, “how to be in front of our students.”
“Whether online or in person, they need a school day that is consistent, that has interaction, that counts on the experience of an educator that knows what the student needs by the expression on their face, knowing their IEP, reading their body language, by making constant observations and assessments,” she said. Demakis said educators have been changing direction “on a dime,” adapting and excelling for years. However, she said, “We reject any idea of an online platform as an educator for our students. Whether online or in person, or pivoting between the two, students need their Chicopee educators. Our goal has always been to get all students the equitable education they deserve via online or in person.”
After the school committee passed minutes of previous meetings and approved warrants for bills, Clarke presented the district’s reopening plan, including newly released metrics by Gov. Charlie Baker. Currently, she said Chicopee is in the yellow category, meaning on average the city is seeing between four and eight cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people. Based on this information, the metrics recommend the school adopt a hybrid or remote plan to begin the school year.
She then touched on what plans other districts in Western Massachusetts had adopted to begin the school year. Clarke said she felt as though seeing what other districts were doing “was important.” However, those watching the stream via Facebook livestream pointed out that West Springfield had been identified in her presentation as adopting a hybrid plan when they had, in fact, voted to begin remote learning to begin the year.
Clarke said she was calling the presented plan “A Plan Forward.” She said in a meeting that took place that day, everyone in attendance agreed that “we need to be in, in some slow, staggered phase in approach.” Additionally, Clarke said the committee had discussed “the hybrid in its true definition,” meaning students would attend school for two days and then learn remotely for three days. Typically in the hybrid model, some students are in the building for two days, one day is used for cleaning and then a new group of students come in to learn in-person for the remaining two days of the school week.
However, she said Chicopee’s Health Director, Lisa Sanders, pointed out that children would be touching the same surfaces and “there’s a lot of people in and out of the same space.” Clarke said under the presented hybrid plan students in specific special education programs, vulnerable students and students in certain district programs would begin full in person learning on Sept. 15. Other students would begin remote learning.
Two weeks later, on Sept. 21 students in pre-k and grades one, six and nine would begin full in-person learning. Then, on Oct. 5, grades two, three, seven and 10 would join for in-person learning, with fourth graders beginning full in-person learning on Oct. 19. Fifth, eighth, 11th and 12th graders, however, would remain remote and only enter the building for tutoring, counseling and/or other services as needed.
Clarke said the district was “down close to 600 students,” and “between Tuesday and Thursday we lost an additional 40.” Additionally, she noted the absence of juniors and seniors returning to school and said they’d be willing to do “is do the hybrid once that time came for those students.” However, she did not say specifically when that would be.
Sanders said at the time of the meeting, the city of Chicopee had 39 active cases COVID-19. She said out of the 39 cases, however, 17 of the cases were in a cluster “in a private facility.” In total, the city has seen 575 cases of COVID, and out of that number 40 cases had been in individuals ranging from two days old to 19-years-old. Sanders said furthermore, out of the 40 people only nine had been under the age of five-years-old.
Sanders said while they were “trending well” in Chicopee, she “didn’t know what the following weeks will bring.” A statement was from Chicopee school physician Dr. Amy Pelletier was then read. Pelletier said she thought the phased in plan “was fantastic,” but moving forward would be dependent on health metrics.
Committee member, MaryBeth Pniak - Costello asked Sanders what she would recommend. Sanders said she would recommend the hybrid plan, but suggested that each phase have three weeks between the addition of new students to in-person learning rather than the two week intervals originally proposed in Clarke’s plan.
She said this was due to the two-week incubation period that has been seen with COVID-19. “But what if someone starts showing symptoms on that 14th day? You just want to have almost a grace period. A week where they can get their testing, there’s lab work sent to the health department, so an extra week - like a buffer week,” she said. “I think 14 is kind of cutting it close.”
Vieau said he’d received a phone call from Lt. Gov. Karen Politio earlier in the week. He said despite Chicopee being in the yellow category, Polito told him the “numbers in Chicopee look great” and they were “trending in the right direction.” Vieau said if you don’t account for the cluster in a private facility, “we end up with 1.9 average new cases for the past 15 days.”
Additionally, Vieau emphasized that each parent, student and teacher would have the option to choose to teach or learn remotely. “We want every teacher who chooses to come back in the classroom setting to feel comfortable and safe. There’s no way I would want one student in front of any teacher that is not comfortable and feeling anxiety,” he said. “That’s not at all what we’re talking about. Every single teacher, every single parent, every single student, they will have that choice.”
Committee member David Schyrver was the first to express his hesitation to send students back to school right away. Instead he said he made a motion to have students begin the year with 45 days of remote learning before in-person learning began. Costello then asked Clarke to explain the Chicopee Virtual Academy for parents who may not understand what it was. Clarke explained that was for those who were choosing remote already and were not comfortable sending their children to school. She said the students would still have a normal school day and be taught by Chicopee educators.
Costello questioned if there was a cleaning schedule in place should students return to in-person learning. It was explained that all touchable surfaces would be sanitized two times a day. Additionally, 40 electrostatic sprayers were purchased for the district’s maintenance and janitorial staff, which will be used to spray disinfectant throughout the building on a regular schedule. Also being implemented for safety will be sanitizer stations in every classroom and at the entrance of the building.
Ultimately the committee came back to Schryver’s motion to begin the school year with remote learning for 45 days with specific populations of students such as special education and CTE students beginning in-person learning on Sept. 15. However committee members Jim Tanhauser and David Barsalou said they did not believe the committee should be voting on a plan that is “not one of the three plans that have been on the table for months now.”
After some discussion, Tanhauser asked Schryver to rescind his motion and vote on the full remote option proposed originally, so the committee could “assess where the remote learning opinion is prior to getting to yours.” Schryver agreed and rescinded his emotion. Immediately following, Tanhauser made a motion to vote on the remote learning planning plan proposed originally. Tanhauser’s motion was defeated.
Committee member Doug Girard then made a motion to vote on the hybrid learning plan as proposed by Clarke, which included bringing in students for in-person learning in phases. However, Girard asked that there be three weeks in between phases rather than the original two weeks planned by Clarke.
However, there seemed to be a significant amount of confusion at the end of the meeting regarding which plan was being voted on and how they differed. Barsalou ,while abstaining during the vote, made note of the confusion and said, “This is a convoluted mess.” Ultimately, the motion was passed with a vote of eight to yes with one abstention.