"Silent Majority" Rallies in Support of Teachers, Administration and BOE at October 19 Meeting

The tone of the October 19 meeting of the Board of Education was a big departure from the tenor of the October 5, 2020.

At the October 5 meeting, parents were sharply critical of the district’s hybrid schedule and asked how and when students could return to more in person learning. At this week’s meeting, students and parents rallied in support of teachers, the administration and the Board of Education, a few calling themselves “the silent majority.”

Perhaps in response to parent’s concerns about unstructured time and synchronous learning hours, on October 15, SHS Principal Ken Bonamo announced that teachers would begin to experiment with live-streaming classes to the students in the cohorts at home. If implemented on a permanent basis, this will allow teachers to move more quickly through the material as they would not have to repeat lessons on consecutive days to cohort a and cohort b.

However, this announcement raised new alarms and brought many students to the Board of Education meeting to express concerns about excessive hours of screen time, Zoom fatigue, vision problems and mental health issues. The students were concerned that if they had more time online, they would not have enough time to complete the asynchronous assignments.

The public comments session opened with a statement from the President of the Scarsdale Teacher’s Association David Wixted who noted that STA officers do not typically make statements but cited “extraordinary times” with “tremendous stress to us all.” He assured parents, the Board and the administration that “the educators of this district are doing everything possible to provide excellent educational experiences to students in this time of pandemic.”

About COVID he said, “Any reading of the news makes clear we will again confront a surge of the virus’s spread. Indeed, the events of the past weekend demonstrate how close the threat of the virus remains. Rightly, this district has asserted as a priority the health and safety of all working within its schools, students and educators alike.”

Discussing the agreement made this summer on the current hybrid plan he said, “with an eye on the coming school year, and through ongoing deliberation among the professional educators collaborating with stakeholder groups, over the summer the district devised a series of plans for school restart. These discussions unfolded while we awaited directives from Albany. These deliberations were challenging and contentious because priorities were often in conflict. Over the summer, the STA, concerned with the well-being of students and faculty, argued for a commitment to remote learning.”

“This district’s faculty has been and remains committed to answering the question of how to make instruction come alive in the minds of students. Let there be no doubt about this. The educators of this school district have dedicated themselves to planning meaningful and coherent learning experiences within unfamiliar modalities.

However, Wixted said, “Since the start of the pandemic in March, the teachers of the school district have tuned into the broadcasts of Board meetings. They know in these exceptional times, listening to the tenor of the community’s conversations with the Board is important. In recent weeks, teachers, especially at the secondary level, have heard increasing criticisms for what is being provided along with calls for the ‘live streaming’ of classes. They have heard speakers defining the education offered by Scarsdale teachers as being ‘less than’ that found at other school districts-- that teacher efforts can be defined through classroom hour counts and opportunities for students to live stream.”

He continued, “I mostly worry that the practice will place additional strain upon teachers now required to engage three audiences at once-- the students in the room, the students learning remotely, and the off cohort students. I worry that the practice of live streaming will diminish the educational experience everyone receives.”

He concluded, “When I came to Scarsdale thirty years ago, I remember being struck by the degree to which the professional educators-- teachers and administrators-- were trusted to make the decisions about what is in the educational interest of students. There was faith that the instruction provided to students was grounded on sound pedagogical principles, and that we could be relied upon to provide the learning opportunities students needed. Over the years, at the heart of this extraordinary district has been this spirit of trust.”

(Read his full statement here.)

Before public comments could begin, the Board passed a resolution to limit public comments to 3 minutes as they have been having difficulty completing their work due to the length of the public comments.

When Board President Pam Fuehrer announced public comments, speaker ran to the stage to line-up. She asked them to maintain social distance and to allow the students to speak first. Many students spoke about the change to allow cross-streaming to the at home cohort from high school classes.

The students expressed concern about the increased number of hours they would be on Zoom, the strain on their eyes and the risk to their mental health. The co-editors of the high school publication Maroon, Leah Breakstone and Ariel Weinsaft, reviewed the 550 responses they received to a student survey.

They reported that 64.1% already spend 6 hours on screen each day under the current model and 87% do not feel that live-streaming will improve their education. 86.5% believe it will have detrimental effects on their health and well-being and 94% are not in favor of the new learning model.

The only reason they heard in favor of it was, “We have the least live instruction in the county and we could possibly get through more of the curriculum.” However they received 330 responses against it. They said learning quality will diminish significantly, it will be unproductive for the class and teacher as the teacher’s attention will be divided and that the plan does not have their well-being in mind.

Many students followed suit with pleas not to live stream. They had many comments about live streaming and agreed they did not want cross cohort streamed classes. They said it was difficult to see and hear the teachers, that more screen time could cause eye strain, blurred vision and myopia and that they needed their free mornings to complete their schoolwork. They were worried about their mental health and also questioned how the decision was made.

Many parents also attended the meeting with a mixed range of comments.

Jonathan Coevary, father of a high school freshman and senior gave a blistering criticism of the administration and the Board of Education saying there were in a state of “paralysis.” He questioned the need for focus groups, saying “Our kids are being shafted…. Since when do you have the authority to delegate your authority to the outcome of a focus group? The super majority wants in person learning which is a fundamental right and not subject to the whims of focus groups and irrational panic… Do you think everyone is here because they enjoy being involved with the school board? No, they are here because you are in over your head. You don’t know what you are doing and this has immediate consequences for our children. Enough already. To be blunt – you are not picked for this moment and you are ill suited for this moment and I am here frankly to call for your resignations.”

Sheryl Felton was “grateful for the education you have provided under unprecedented circumstances… the small classes have been wonderful – a true educational gift. My daughter is learning to use time management skills and on Wednesdays she enjoys meeting with teachers through tutorials. I have spoken to many who feel the same way. I feel we are the majority and have not been heard.”

Lisa Copeland said, “I haven’t come before the Board before because I am satisfied. The plan makes sense and of course it needs tweaks.” About the teachers, she said, “it breaks my heart to hear how hard it has been for them. Many people feel the way I do. Call us the silent majority.”

Theresa Maldonado, a physician expressed concern about children’s mental health and warned about “depression from screen time, reduced physical activity and interrupted sleep patterns.” She said, “Attending school via zoom all day is isolating and lonely. … why are we so focused on the quantity covered when we are living through a pandemic?

Diane Gurden highlighted the need for more in person instruction. She said, “We have only 20% in person learning… everything that is remote is 80%. That’s our challenge.

Kim Liebowitz, also a doctor, asked the Board to assign a medical advisory board that includes an epidemiologist. She said the district needs this board to set a testing protocol and volunteered the many doctors in the community to participate. She said, “I like the live streaming for my kids…. They need more structure.”

Roger Neustadt commended the few students who stayed to listen to what everyone had to say. He warned the students who had used social media to gather signatures against live streaming that they had included people from outside the community.
He said, “I wonder if you know what you are opposing…. It’s not a choice between livestreaming and in person. If live-streaming increases, asynchronous work should decrease. How will juniors taking pre-calculous be ready for calculous next year?
Livestreaming is being done across the country… Let teachers make independent decisions to try what may work for their students. Trust the teachers. Let them try new things in an untested time.”

Rachel Arenstein said “I was disturbed by the tone and vehement demands at previous meetings. It is not a perfect time. Teachers are creative and have adapted to childrens’ schedules. I would like to see us give the teachers time to adapt.”

Allison Kahner said, “I hear a reaction to a change – and it’s fear. If live-streaming had been rolled out from the beginning this reaction would not be occurring. Asynchronous work can be adjusted. If the asynchronous work decreases there will be time for livestreaming. It seems to be an effective compromise.”

Sarah Hopkins said, “staying at home comes at a cost. … fewer kids are going to be identified for needing services, fewer kids are going to read and write… the mental health risks are huge. Elementary school children need more in person learning. We need COVID testing in the schools. Why has it not been entertained here? We’ve done lice checks, scoliosis, flu shots – we can consider COVID testing. Also the board should hold their meetings via zoom so elementary school parents can speak as well.”

Lori Weiser who is an orthopedic surgeon said, “This is a horrible disease. I want to thank the teachers and the administrators. I am sure you are all doing your best under these trying circumstances. I am here to make sure that a vocal minority does not steamroll over everyone. Back seat drivers should stay in the back with their mouths closed. I would hate it if someone told me how to do my job.”

Jessie Timberger thanked the board and cabinet members and the teachers. She said, “Communications have improved and they are appreciated. I know we are all being asked to do unsustainable things. One teacher met with my child three times in person and 14 times on zoom. Is there any plan to increase the schedule for high schoolers – such as two days at SMS or split days at the elementary school. I know how difficult this is.”

In the second public comments section Stephanie Israel said, “The rollout of livestreaming was done on an ad hoc basis. Before the announcement was made the district failed to develop a protocol for synchronous and asynchronous learning. This was done without proper enhancements to microphones. We are not setting up livestreaming for success. Please strive for better communication and structure.
I feel we are only addressing our most senior learners. We need more livestreaming for the littlest learners. The student’s expectation that the plan rolled out in September would be static is not realistic. A one size fits all solution will not work for our community.”

Focus Groups and Surveys

In his opening statement, Superintendent Hagerman explained that the Tristate Consortium is conducting independent focus groups to illicit feedback on communications, curriculum, instruction and assessment. Building level committees are developing surveys for faculty, students, teachers and administrators to get feedback from each stakeholder group. Through these surveys the district will be able to assess the hybrid learning program by level. He hopes for a high response rate so that the district can consider the full communities experience with the hybrid model to date. The data will give the district information on where they should further focus their efforts for future improvements.

Restart Notes

Eric Rauschenbach provided a recap of the one-day school closing at Quaker Ridge, and the positive COVID case following the PSAT exam at Scarsdale High School. About the quarantine after the PSAT test, Dr. Hagerman said that the students who took the test were all Scarsdale students and they were separated by cohort.

In response to audience questions about COVID testing, Rauschenbach said that public schools cannot force students to take COVID tests. He said voluntary testing was cost prohibitive. Board member Ron Schulhof said if cost was the reason the district is not testing, he would like there to be further discussion. Rauschenbach said he would get more information.

Discussing the quarantine, Rauschenbach explained, “Sometimes the Department of Health changes course if they find out they had the wrong information. But if there is a positive case or travel to affected states, 14 days are required -- a full 14 days of quarantine. This is not something that the district determines.”

Board member Amber Yusuf asked what was planned for the elementary schools; if it was taking 1.5 hours to clean the schools between cohorts and if some of the larger spaces could be used to accommodate more students. Stuart Mattey said the one and half hours was required for cleaning. Rauschenbach said these items were under review and Dr. Hagerman said that enrichment blocks on Wednesdays were also being discussed for elementary school students. On November 16, students who had chosen all virtual learning will have the choice of whether or not to return to in person school and that will affect the class sizes.

Assistant Superintendent Andrew Patrick said that the district has a matrix of factors and conditions, that if met, would allow more students to return to school. These include spacing, furniture, ventilation, lunch facilities and more. They are working through these questions.

Patrick reassured the group that livestreaming was in a “period of exploration of synchronous home cohort engagement.” He said, “During the next two weeks middle and high school teachers will try at least one from a range of strategies of engaging their home cohort students simultaneously to in person learning.”

Patrick continued, “There are legitimate concerns along with some fear about how this will disrupt what is in place. We are approaching this with authenticity and an inquiry orientation and there will be both formal and informal feedback channels to gage these experiences. The faculty and administration will establish norms for how best to engage the at home cohort that takes the feedback into account.” (Read more about cross streaming here.)

Board member Carl Finger asked the cabinet to think about how to better explain their decision-making process to the community. He feels that many cannot see the discussion and process behind decisions like the one to experiment with livestreaming. Rauschenbach agreed, saying “Sometimes it’s hard to figure out the right information to share without sending out something that looks like a doctoral dissertation. Patrick added, “We all have so much more to do than we did before COVID, that it’s sometimes hard to think about communications.”

Athletics

Athletic Director Ray Pappalardi reported that this week the coaches brought the two cohorts together to form teams. The Junior Varsity teams finalized their rosters and the competitive season has begun. He said, “We are pre-registering families who attend games so we have their information for contact tracing.”

Video About Hybrid Experience

In order to give the board and community a look into how hybrid learning is going, the district produced a video about the hybrid model, which you can watch here. It includes interviews with a group of teachers talking about their experiences the first few weeks of school. Here are a few comments from the film:

Fourth grade teacher Shoshana Cooper discussed how she modified the curriculum to emphasize the fundamentals, major concepts and big ideas and worked on home assignments to give kids opportunities to practice what we did in the classroom.

First grade teacher Lisa Pomerantz said, “Kids adapt to change. They find it fun and exciting.”

Middle School Science Teacher Benjamin Drexel showed how he divided the work into two-week sections. He said, “Students work on their own and come to class to discuss what they have learned.”

A kindergarten teacher shared, “Kids came in ready to learn.” A virtual second grade teacher said, “We hold onto what we are passionate about teaching. We are doing this through Zoom. In my class, we have students from three different schools. It’s a different way to plan. I have to think broadly.”

Middle School Science teacher Talya Holtzer said, “As a science teacher, the biggest challenge is to figure out how students can do labs at home. We are using materials students can find at home to do experiments at home.”

Tenth grade special education teacher Meghan Mead said, “We have to send home engaging and authentic work and train the students to get in touch if they need help…. Students are forced to grow and teachers are forced to look at different ways to teach.”

Shoshanna Cooper added, “This has allowed teachers across the district to collaborate. It has pushed us to be better teachers. It has forced the students to be more independent.

Board member Karen Ceske thanked the teachers for the video and Ron Schulhof said, “I though the video humanizes the way the work goes on.” Carl Finger said, “Several of the teachers said we know what the students need to be ready for the next grade. We are planning to be sure that they are ready.”

Financial Report

Stuart Mattey provided a report on district finances. It was interesting to note that as of June 30, 2020, the fund balance was $4.4 million higher than June 30, 2019. Expenditures for the 2019/20 school year were $5.2mm less than the budget. As a result, the district finished the year with $6.95mm in the unassigned fund balance, which is about $400,000 more than the 4% maximum permitted by state law. Mattey said these excess funds were used for COVID related expenses to open the schools in September.

Title IX Regulations

The Board reviewed proposed changes to the district’s Title IX regulations based upon regulations issued by the US Department of Education. These changes “reflect input of a group of actively engaged students from Scarsdale High School.

Here is a summary of the changes, The entire document can be reviewed here:

Standard of evidence:

Preponderance of the Evidence (rather than clear and convincing evidence—under the new regulations it needs to be the same for both student and employee respondents)

Determination of Responsibility:

Question and Answer method (rather than a live hearing with cross examination—as a reminder the complainant and the respondent are permitted to have advisors who could be attorneys for each phase of the Title IX grievance process)

Key Players:

Title IX Coordinator(s) who is/are appointed by the Board and empowered to organize a team of administrators to carry out the District’s responsibilities under Title IX including: Investigator(s), Decision Maker(s), Facilitator(s) for Informal Resolution when a formal complaint is filed, and Appeals Decision Maker(s).
Impacted Policies:
Policy 0100 (Equal Opportunity) and Policy 5020 (Equal Educational Opportunities) do not require any changes.

Policy 5300 (Code of Conduct) it is recommend that the following is added to “Regulation 2 –Procedures for Addressing Harassment and Discrimination”:

In the ‘Administrators will’ section add the following:

2. Incidents that may violate Title IX will be addressed by the Complaint Officer and the Title IX team in accordance with the law.

3. Incidents that do not rise to the level of a Title IX investigation for whatever reason may still be addressed by other parts of the Code of Conduct and the District’s sexual harassment policy.”

Environmental Testing

Stuart Mattey also provided an environmental testing update:

Indoor Air Quality testing was done in August by WSP and the district took care of all the issues that were identified at the time However, the district does not have the reports yet because the company’s servers went down. These reports established baseline numbers. The company will recreate the reports.

Water testing was done this summer and will be done from now on in August of every year. This year the water testing showed the presence of legionella. The district shut down water fountains and replaced all water fountains with UV filtered watering stations. All the buildings were treated for legionella. The ultraviolet light also takes care of lead. The district will test for lead at the end of the school year.

Watch the meeting here: