Misinformation on social media plagues more than elections. It can disrupt school communities, too.
Take it from the superintendent of the Morris School District.
At Monday’s virtual school board meeting, Mackey Pendergrast had a message for parents of children enrolled in all-virtual instruction during the pandemic:
Relax. He’s not about to march your kids back into the classroom. That’s a “Facebook fiction,” according to Pendergrast.
“If you see something on social media, your first response should be: It’s probably wrong. We’ve been very visible with our thinking, and will continue to do that,” he said.
Pendergrast addressed rumors during a two-and-a-half hour session that included discussion about $1.9 million in federal CARES Act relief to the district, introduction of an anti-racism policy, a primer on the role of school boards, and tributes to late board member Marie Fornaro.
PARENTS SPLIT OVER PANDEMIC INSTRUCTION
The superintendent said he’s fielded emails from about two dozen parents of elementary school-aged children who are doing remote learning. The parents voiced concerns he’s being pressured to bring their kids back into schools, he said.
That “couldn’t be further from the truth,” Pendergrast said.
“There is no big decision we’re weighing here…I don’t even have that authority to do that, if I wanted to. That’s the governor of New Jersey, who has stated that there can be all-remote options” for students during this health emergency.
Other parents pushed on Monday for a return to full-day in-person elementary instruction.
Speaking via Zoom, several of them blamed their children’s academic- and emotional difficulties on distance learning and shortened classroom stints without the usual childhood social interactions.
Young pupils are doing well in reading, writing and math, countered Pendergrast, advising anyone whose child is struggling to contact school officials for help. District elementary schools have remained open five days a week, although those days are truncated.
Everyone wishes academic routines could return to normal, Pendergrast acknowledged. In the meantime, “our goal to make sure all our students have consistent, meaningful learning experiences every single day.”
Frelinghuysen Middle School and Morristown High School have operated on hybrid schedules since the 10-school district reopened in September. Special arrangements may be made for some students from those schools to resume full time classroom attendance, Pendergrast said.
Although the state’s decision not to prioritize teachers for COVID-19 vaccinations–as New York and Pennsylvania have done–is “extremely disappointing,” Pendergrast expressed cautious optimism for a gradual return to normalcy.
He said the district’s COVID numbers are at their lowest point in many weeks — 18 active cases and 137 quarantines. Even if new strains of the virus cause a springtime spike in infections statewide, levels still will be lower than those seen in December and January, according to projections he cited from the University of Washington.
Nearly 300 individuals in the district have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since September. Two members of the district community have died since the pandemic began in March.
As for the CARES Act money, Pendergrast said he’s exploring how best to use it. An upcoming parent survey may give guidance.
The regional district serves 5,700 students from Morristown, Morris Township and (high school only) Morris Plains.
IN OTHER BUSINESS
- The board introduced an anti-racism policy, for “establishing a healthy community where the goal of discourse is to elevate understanding of complex social justice topics through the highest quality dialogue marked by listening, civility, and kindness and not zero-sum debates designed to establish putative winners and losers.” Board President Melissa Spiotta called it an important step towards a “never-ending goal”; Pendergrast described it as a values statement to guide future actions.
- Charlene Peterson of the New Jersey School Boards Association told members their role is to act as a team, supporting the superintendent to “advance student achievement.” The board’s job “is not to run the schools,” Peterson said, “but to make sure they’re well run.”
- The district awaits word from the state on whether standardized testing will be scrapped this year because of the pandemic, Pendergrast said.
- Students may be allowed to bicycle to schools, according to board member Linda Murphy. Lifting that ban is among transportation issues for review by the district’s director of operations — a new position authorized Monday.
- Some sports may resume in the spring–if the district can find other schools to play, Murphy added.
- Pendergrast endorsed a parent’s pitch for lighting Morristown High School athletic fields.
‘A REAL GEM’
Marie Fornaro also was remembered fondly. The former board member, who stepped down in 2012, died earlier this month. She was 73.
“Marie was a real gem,” said Spiotta, who came to know Fornaro through the League of Women Voters.
Longtime member Ann Rhines said Fornaro showed her the ropes when she was elected. Nancy Bangiola described her late colleague as “the original cheerleader for the Morris School District.
“She was loyal to the core, and absolutely all about the kids in everything that she did,” Bangiola said.
Board member Susan Pedalino cited a quote from Fornaro’s obituary.
“She said…her motto was, ‘What’s best for the kids.’ And that just stayed with me,” said Pedalino, who was elected in 2019. “It really struck me as something that we can all live by as a board member.”
