Good morning! Here is my take on last night’s BOE meeting. Backing up, you may have seen an extensive list of questions regarding safety and reopening of schools that I had posted and asked for others to contribute to. Thank you for adding questions I hadn’t thought of! These questions were questions the district could have and should have been answering since the summer in my opinion. I personally had already asked several of them to several people (BOE meetings and phone calls and emails with admin) but I could not get concrete answers to many of them. I had emailed the questions Monday night to the BOE and the administration since I thought it would be unfair to “dump” them on them at the meeting itself. I added in my email that I would print everyone a copy since there were many questions and it is easier to have them on paper. I got no response or even acknowledgment of anyone receiving my email. When I got to the meeting I asked if an administrator could give a copy to the board members and was told no. I persisted and was shot down. It was fine but I was frustrated that I wasted all of my printer ink and paper. Literally minutes later, a phone notification led me to the list of questions and the answers on the district site and social media. Fantastic, they could have just told me that they answered them but I am glad that they took the time.
There were fewer members of the public present and the BOE went through the normal motions. Mr.McFarland gave a report on winter sports, reviewing the NJSIAA guidelines and stating some sports may be staggered/start later and there are limits to the number of people participating/attending the events. The board then went into executive for 45 minutes-an hour, I lost track of time. They quickly voted on agenda items upon return then Mr. Kanauss gave a summary of all the district has done to prepare for reopening. The list was extensive: PPE for staff-masks, shields, gloves, plexiglass for secretaries and many items for bus/bus drivers, wipes, gallons of sanitizer, portable computers for remote teachers (I think that’s what he said), special sanitizing equipment for custodians, grants for more chrome books and air purifiers for every classroom, etc. It was a long list! The district will also continue to bus students to daycares through June to help families and the district will provide emergency district daycare for staff who qualify under Families First Corona Virus Response Act. I thought these were wonderful additions to the preparations list. Mr. Dietz reviewed some of the list and stated that he was grateful to the board for approving all of the items requested. It was also stated that the middle school would be operating on a block schedule so the periods will be longer than 23 minutes. This was all part of the New Business on the agenda.
Next, several the board members expressed their deep appreciation and gratitude to the administration for all of their hard work in preparing to reopen the schools. Some of the takeaways: one BOE member stated a member of the public expressed how her district was open and has since closed their high school, basically summarizing he is happy Deptford took the time they needed. Another member stated that they had planned and reassessed and that students, teachers, staff, and administration were always central to their planning. (That is my summation and not verbatim). The rest of the members that spoke were basically repeating each other’s praises.
I’m going to end with my thoughts and feelings. I sensed some animosity for posting the list of questions. It is hard for me to understand the frustration towards staff and parents regarding the safety and logistics of reopening schools. If these questions were already addressed and communication was more frequent WE wouldn’t need to ask. The next thing that stood out to me was the fact that at the last few meetings when dozens of members of the public attended, the board spoke without microphones and many in the cafeteria couldn’t hear what was being said. Last night, after the long executive, there were only 2 members of the public remaining and they used the microphone to present the new business. Just odd….we could hear them just fine because the room was pretty much empty. In terms of the comments made, I noted in my public comment that focusing on students, staff, teachers and administration was exactly why I sent the questions. They failed to include PARENTS in their planning, from the Return to School committee to the lack of communication along the way. I literally told them, “I am not here with questions as a gotcha, I am genuinely concerned about safety and need to understand the logistics”. A few board members were previously very against reopening. Now, all seem onboard. I was left feeling like the HEPA filters are the salvation. I am hoping the member who referenced the other district opening and then closing their high school does not believe that having air purifiers will eliminate all Covid cases. In summary, it seems the reopening was delayed because all PPE, HEPA filters, and the rest of the necessary items were not secured or hadn’t arrived yet and now mostly have. My hope is that whether your children return to hybrid or stay remote, the learning is consistent and less frustrating. I hope the teachers have the tools they need and feel safe. This is a hard time for everyone. Please VOTE!
Stacy Gray For Board Of Education 