One teacher asked to have a support person for one of her students in crisis. Another asked for meetings with Student Services to help develop an individualized education program for a student who needed support in order to grow socially, emotionally, and academically. One needed adequate staffing for therapeutic students in order to teach in a safe environment.
They were all given the same response from the Student Services Director Paula Donnelly and Assistant Director Emily Dean: Ignore their behaviors and “just teach.”
Those were the stories told over and over again at the School Committee’s most recent meeting, where dozens of educators packed the High School library, standing in solidarity with each other and once again calling for the removal of Donnelly and Dean from their positions.
On Dec. 6, four educators at Glover School were placed on administrative leave by Interim Superintendent Theresa McGuinness after an incident involving one or more dysregulated students.
In response, the Marblehead Educators Association claimed that the district has failed to adequately support its staff with resources and proper training in order to provide a safe learning and teaching environment, claiming that the event at Glover was not an isolated incident.
Instead, the district has created a “culture of fear,” according to a statement from the MEA, which included a vote of no confidence in Donnelly and Dean from 97% of its members.
Multiple teachers from the district shared their struggles with special-education students and the response from administration, some of whom began to break down in tears.
“I am here in support of all of your children who see their teachers being hit and kicked and punched. Who see their classmates being aggressive and come back day after day with no support. I am here for your children whose education is being interrupted because we have no support and we are told to ‘just teach,’” Brown School teacher Cara Herendeen said, fighting back tears.
In her statement, Herendeen said that she was part of a team developing an IEP for one of her students. She claimed that Donnelly and Dean met in private with each team member, instructing them to not recommend specific services to the student.
Kathryn Homan, a teacher at Coffin Elementary, said that one of her students had gone more than two months without a legally required paraprofessional.
When inquiring about when the student would receive support, she was allegedly told to “be patient.”
“Both Ms. Donnelly and Ms. Dean have little regard for the safety of our educators and students,” Homan said. “They have not fulfilled or followed the responsibilities of their leadership positions. Instead, they have used backdoor approaches to special education.”
Homan claimed that the approaches used include “not following IEP plans, removing teachers from meetings about their students, and failing to provide students with the required services by law.”
After each statement, educators in attendance each raised a “We Stand Together” sign to the committee and other administrators present, including McGuinness.
Glover School teacher Jane Sullivan presented a statement that she said she had written before the incident at Glover took place, attempting to provide evidence that the issue is not new.
“I was committed to composing this statement because I saw my colleagues at Glover suffering as I have,” Sullivan said.
She continued her statement by claiming that the issue is systemic and teachers are the ones paying the price.
“Marblehead teachers are being blamed for the lack of communication, planning, staffing, and safety protocols,” Sullivan said. “My colleagues and I deserve better, our students deserve better. It’s time to trust teachers’ professional judgment.”
An investigation into the performance of Donnelly and Dean in relation to the accusations made by teachers has been opened by McGuinness. However, in her statement announcing the investigation, McGuinness said she did not believe there was reason at that time to remove them.
“We are definitely amidst challenging times in the district that necessitate frequent and effective communication. At the same time, we are problem solving together and committed to continuously improving the district,” McGuinness said later in the meeting.
“I do respect the MEA deeply and tonight is important, and hard, and I hear you,” McGuinness added.
The committee met in executive session after its public session to “discuss complaints raised by the Marblehead Education Association” regarding its vote of no confidence in Student Services leadership made on Dec. 14.