Despite Wayne County Public School Interim Superintendent Dr. James Merrill making it clear that he and his team were not prepared to offer a clear path forward for a Plan B school reopening decision to be made during Monday’s Board of Education meeting, the board, in a 5-2 vote that wasn’t even on the agenda, adopted the hybrid back to school model anyway.
In fact, most members of the Wayne County Board of Education said they came to the meeting knowing which plan they were going to choose — with or without survey results, testimony from health experts and answers to questions one Central Office leader said were keeping her “up at night.”
Before that vote was called, the board listened to Tamara Berman-Ishee outline the district’s work on Plan B, including challenges and concerns that go along with that choice.
The assistant superintendent for teaching and learning also discussed findings gleaned from a committee formed to discuss the Plan B option. That gathering included teachers, community members and stakeholders.
The bottom line, she said, is that there are many, many concerns that go along with a Plan B reopening, and Central Office staff are working to come up with workable solutions for each one.
But to get to an opening, and to get it right, is a challenge, and one that will likely evolve as the district gets children back in school, Berman-Ishee said.
She mentioned a growing number of districts that had opted to start their respective school years with Plan C to “ease into Plan B later.”
“I think part of the reason that’s happening is that’s there so much to work out to be able to effectively do Plan B. It’s not as easy as the bullet points I put in front of you,” she told the board.
At the conclusion of her comments, Berman-Ishee outlined for the board just a few of the yet-unanswered concerns that are facing the district.
“So, I wanted to go through a short list of my questions to you. You’re not going to answer these now. We’re not going to figure any of this out right now,” she said. “But this is part of what the difficulty is in making Plan B happen on a very short timeline and why I think more and more of these districts are going and moving to open, at least, in Plan C.”
They included:
• Remote learning: “The decision about which day of the week is going to be the remote-only day has been tossed around a lot. People want to know, ‘Why is it Wednesday? Why isn’t it Friday? Why isn’t it Monday? Why are K-8 doing it and the high school kids are doing it the same way even though their schedules are different?’ And there’s a whole lot to that to be discussed and figured out.”
• Cleaning and the remote day: “Looking at that all-remote day, what does it look like? Where will the teachers be on the remote day while the sanitation crews are in the building trying to fumigate or whatever it is they have to do? Can they be in the building while those buildings are being cleaned?”
• Teacher workdays: “What does the length of the face-to-face day look like in Plan B? I don’t think we can reasonably expect teachers to teach a full academic … day with children all day and then eat a snack and teach a remote day all night. That’s unreasonable. Our teachers have, what, a seven-and-a-half-hour day? They work a seven-and-a-half-hour day. We can’t ask them to work a 12-hour day. So that means, potentially, shortening the instructional day. But you can’t shorten it so much that it becomes not a useful day. It’s going to take longer to bus kids in, to do health screenings when they get there, feed them breakfast and lunch in their classrooms. If we shorten the day on top of that too much, then why did we bother to have them come in face to face? … We haven’t figured that out.”
• What will teachers do with their children: “We talked about teachers being able to have their younger children participate in four-day a week face to face because teachers and staff are working for us, but what is that age span? In the draft, it says kindergarten to fifth or sixth grade, but we’ve heard back from teachers who’ve said, ‘I’m not comfortable leaving my seventh- or eighth-grader at home all day long four days a week alone while I’m at work.”
• Can they bring their children to school: “On the remote day, where are teachers’ kids and staff members kids on the remote day? If teachers and staff are in the buildings working, are they allowed to bring their children with them and look after their own children or do we create some place where the kids would go and our instructional assistants are watching them? We don’t know.”
• Do we have enough teachers for virtual academy: “We have questions about staffing the remote program. We need to have enough of a teacher match to do the number of students who are interested in doing that program?” Note: Thus far, with more than a week until the registration deadline, more than 2,100 students are enrolled in the district’s Virtual Academy.
• Where will virtual teachers be based: “Our expectations for our virtual program teachers, where are they working? If they’re coming to buildings, we have to have space in buildings, but if we’re simultaneously doing Plan B, which means our buildings and classrooms are full with teachers and Plan B face-to-face students, where are those virtual teachers going to be working? We don’t have an endless amount of classroom space.”
• Mask rules and enforcement: “Then there are all the mask rules. Who’s in charge of that? Are there going to be penalties for a non-E.C., non-special needs child who refuses to wear a mask? What happens to that child? What happens to a teacher who takes off their mask? What’s the expectation?”
And those are just a few of the questions, Berman-Ishee said.
“It keeps me up at night. It’s probably not going to keep you up at night, but I believe that’s why we’re seeing more and more districts open the year with Plan C,” she said. “We’re tasked with figuring all of that and much more out. That’s going to be a hard ask.”
There were other concerns noted, too.
Like a question about the mask mandate — and whether students with special needs would be exempt from having to wear a face covering.
Board attorney Richard Schwartz said that as it stands right now, any child in the school building must have a mask on.
That could be problematic for Exceptional Children or others who have health conditions that make wearing a face mask difficult if not impossible.
Exceptions, Schwartz said, would have to be addressed “on a case-by-case basis.”
Board members also asked about surveys conducted in the district asking parents and teachers about their thoughts on reopening plans.
Dr. Yvette Mason, assistant superintendent for human resources, said the district has heard from about 1,700 of its 2,753 employees. But when asked about the results, Mason said she did not know the breakdown of how many of those respondents were teachers and which schools were represented.
She did say, however, that 50.9 percent of the respondents said they would not apply for a Virtual Academy teaching position, which is being planned, under Gov. Roy Cooper’s mandate, for those families who choose not to send their children back to school. It was noted that more than 2,100 students have already been registered for that remote option with more than a week left before registration closes.
Board member Len Henderson, who ultimately voted against the motion to choose Plan B, asked that the board hear from other experts — including health professionals — before taking its final vote, which was set for next week.
But after chairman Chris West began the discussion about dates to access the additional information and tried to arrange a July 29 vote, board vice chairman Jennifer Strickland insisted that a vote be cast Monday — partially because she was not available the last week of the month and wanted to have a say in the reopening plan and also because, she said, it was time to make a decision.
Strickland had already told the board that she would not be sending her children back to school under Plan C, which is remote learning, saying she couldn’t “have my high-schoolers preparing for college with what we have put out there.”
She also said that the district needed to get “these students back in the classroom as soon as possible.”
But when she called for the vote, and announced that she was voting for Plan B and that nothing was going to change her mind, she added that she was prepared to accept delays or changes based on whatever Central Office staff found as it continued to put its Plan B guidelines together.
She added that she did not need any more information, rejecting Henderson’s call for visits from health professionals and the county regarding broadband availability across the county.
“I am ready to make this decision today,” Strickland said.
She added that the school board needs to consider more than just the educational needs of the students, agreeing with fellow board member Ven Faulk, who read a letter he received from a local pediatrician outlining concerns about children’s health in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pediatrician, whom Faulk did not name, stated that consequences of the shutdown for children included 9- to 15-year-olds responsible for watching their siblings; weight gains of as much as 30 pounds; anxiety and depression; and increases in risk-taking behavior.
The pediatrician also said that she was having trouble dealing with online learning — and facing a learning curve of her own, especially after a long day at work.
It is a concern for many Wayne County families, and it is a concern for his own children, Faulk said, who are upset at the prospect of not returning to school.
“I believe that our children need to be present in the classroom this fall,” Faulk told the board
Strickland emphasized that making a choice now would allow the district to move forward on ironing out details — specifically how many students and teachers would be returning under the Plan B model.
“For every mother and father and guardian out there, we’ve now said we’re going under Plan B, now you decide what’s right for your family. Is it right for your family to go under virtual? Great. We’re going to put the teachers in place to make it happen. If you’re an educator and you can’t come to the building because you are honestly fearful or your honest health is at risk, we’re going to pair you up with that virtual academy. Let’s make that decision and move forward.”
And Strickland said she knew there would be fallout from the vote, just like there was when the district decided to change the graduation plan.
“Decisions have to be made and they’re not always pretty. It reminds me very much of the graduation decision. I was accused of wanting people to die. No. I want you to be an adult and make the decision that’s right for your life. And if you can do something or you can’t do something, you make a decision and you tell us so we can make decisions.”
Board member Wade Leatham, who announced during the meeting that he had contracted and recovered from COVID-19, and was out for nearly 30 days because of it, agreed with Strickland.
“We could information ourselves to death here,” he said.
He said that pushing the decision farther and farther down the road would make it more difficult for families.
“The entire community needs time to prepare,” he said.
Leatham also said “science says COVID is not affecting children” the same way it is affecting adults.
He added that WCPS officials and the board need to think about more than just the virus.
“I am thinking about the kids, not just the COVID situation,” he said.
Board member Dr. Joe Democko also indicated that he would be voting for Plan B.
“I say we get back to school,” he said, adding that visits from the officials Henderson asked for were not necessary.
“They are going to have to give me some real information to change my mind,” he said.
Board member Pat Burden spoke up, however, adding that while she was leaning toward Plan B, that she felt that Henderson’s questions should be answered and that everyone should “feel comfortable” with the decision.
She said she voted against the motion to approve Plan B because of the push, and last-minute change to vote when she came under the impression Monday was just about having a discussion. (Note: The board had to modify the meeting agenda to allow for the vote.)
Board members noted that despite the vote, plans could still change based on additional information, but choosing Plan B Monday was a “starting point” and they felt the need to give Central Office a goal to meet.
Wow, so the people that will ultimately deal with the issues everyday get out voted by the people who make decisions based on what their voters want but yet cant be bothered to do their jobs when it counted in regards to holding the wcps central office accountable for the money, positions, or any of the other issues they had under the previous 2 regimes. That makes perfect sense. It is basically sayin “I dont care what you think, I dont care about your safety, I dont care about your situations, all I know is that my voters want things to be this way, so that’s what they are gonna get!” “And now that we have made this unilateral decision, yall figure out how to make it work!” Way to go BOE, nice job! You please the voters and throw the staff right under the bus. These actions just proved it is all political, and if that be the case, then in the coming elections, we should let them know how we feel by cleaning house and putting our kids first. Trust me, there is no right or wrong in this, only bad and worse, and right now, the board has made a bad situation worse by forcing a decision on the folks who have to work it everyday. That is totally brilliant because if it fails, which odds are, it will, the board can say, it wasnt us, the staff couldnt make it work, we did our part, blame them.
As an educator, I will not sign a liability waiver!!!! If I or anyone I love suffers because Mrs. Strickland wants HER kids begin in school, Wayne County Schools will.be held responsible. What reasonable person thinks the custodial staff, that cannot keep restrooms clean, can disinfect????
During the entire meeting, all Mrs Strickland considered was what she wants —my children, I won’t be here –etc. It is clear she was not considering anything else. Since she is so smart, !maybe she should go tell the expert scientist how to handle the crisis. Or just piss away another $5 million and send your kids to private school? It was obvious her children were all that mattered.
Is Mr Faulk offering free funerals to the staff and students who perish because of this decision?
Hasn’t this board done enough damage to Wayne County?? We are waiting on.answers on where our money went.
Well, guess what? She still has her kids attending the ONLINE K-12 Academy according to her social media. So send your kids to school buildings and teachers go to work, but her kids will still be learning online. Interesting.
It’s time that this entire board be REMOVED FROM OFFICE, and replaced with individuals who 1) have a clue about educational matters, not to mention finances; and 2) can see things from a collective perspective (it’s not all about YOU, Jennifer Strickland), and 3) actually analyze data that might be helpful (but please be careful not to “over information yourselves to death”).
You all knew this could be an issue way back in April/May/June – maybe you should have been thinking about this back THEN instead of taking your beach vacations, and trying to cover up all the financial mismanagement activities of Mr. Dunsmore. LOCK HIM UP!
Let us pay a man $20,000 + and not take his advice. Sounds intelligent to me!!!
I watched this meeting live yesterday-the board swung wildly like a drunken sailor from one issue to the next with no one in charge. Strickland bullied the board to make a decision that wasn’t even on the agenda because she couldn’t be there next week and her mind was made up. Yes, this is a difficult decision that needs to be made as soon as reasonably possible so people can plan. Everyone will not be happy. However, to choose the most expensive, most labor intensive option with barely 4 weeks to implement shows just how out of touch this board is with how education works in the real world. I retired from education in this county and I know from whence I speak. Teachers want to be back in schools–we all want normalcy, but it isn’t here. Asking teachers to return to classrooms with so little time and preparation is ridiculous, and our board has NO IDEA how that works. Think of the myriad of issues that have yet to be addressed-Teacher planning periods, movement through the hallways in a high school, ( a real plan, not just signage.) Equipment that must be used/shared in elementary schools such as manipulatives, respecting the privacy of pre-teen and teenagers in restrooms, yet making sure they observe protocols.- Who is going on potty patrol? How do teachers use equipment such as copiers, paper cutters, Ellison machines, the telephone-what if someone forgets to wipe it down for the next person/or perhaps doesn’t do a very good job because of time restraints–do we think that won’t happen? Yet the resounding message is “we must get our kids back in schools.” What about the ADULTS who have to go back to school? No one on the board speaks on their behalf. We all know the survey results will not be heeded, because the board would never want the community to know how teachers really feel. Who is going to do the temp taking when students get on school buses and go in the school building? Drivers? Teachers? Who is going to escort the kids who are sick to…where? The office? The nurse’s office? Most nurses’ offices in this county are very small and would not accommodate more than 2 kids and one adult at social distancing guidelines. Who is going to keep teenagers whose hormones are raging apart in high school classrooms? If you think they are going to heed mask rules, you are fooling yourselves. This county won’t enforce dress code rules, tardy rules, PDA rules, seating rules on a bus, behavior rules in general. Why are we magically going to be able to enforce a rule that students will despise more than any other? Tell them their lives are at risk? Yep, that has worked so well with underage drinking, smoking, sexual behaviors…. The problem is you are asking teachers to return to a very abnormal environment with very normal students who will behave in predictable ways–and there will be no additional help from the community, the board, the building administration because “the kids are back in schools.” Teachers who are financially able to should retire, retrain, or remove themselves from this selfish, short-sighted, bumbling school system. I did it years ago, not because I wanted to retire, but because in this place, in this county, education has no value. This decision by our board proves that.
I was wondering – what is the legality of how it played out yesterday? I have seen every other school board have their superintendent present them with his suggestion on the matter. Then they vote on his suggestion. The WCPS never even gave our superintendent a chance to make a suggestion – they voted on their own ideas. How is that legal?
I feel bad for Mr. Merrill, I really feel like he came out here in the hopes of helping us get our district in order. And the board just treated him with blatant disregard. I am sure he now knows exactly why we are in such sad shape as a district. Imagine getting paid all that money and find out you’re working for a bunch of adult aged-children!
So the board pushed forward the decision on school opening based on ONE member’s plans to be out of town?! The decision is too important to rush into, even if it means delaying the start of school. Is forcing a liability waiver even legal?
Yes, one board member rushes through this decision so that her vacation isn’t disturbed and then goes on to announce after the meeting that her own kids, who just can’t do remote learning, won’t even be part of WCPS next year because she’s enrolling them in the state’s online public school. Thanks to all those Rosewood folks for this dumpster fire!
WCPS is a true circus! I wake up daily and read the foolishness that is WCPS. What can we do to get rid of the board? I know we can vote them out but the damage they are doing now is ridiculous!
It is obvious that at least 5 of the 7 board members don’t care about anyone but themselves. One look at the survey to parents, guardians, teachers and stakeholders would have shown that the overwhelming majority is for Plan C. But clearly, counting on a board who managed to ignore a $5m shortfall to make a reasonable decision is a mistake. Vote them out!
And by the way: here is the survey:
(Well hidden in the website)
https://my.thoughtexchange.com/#416826557/hub
Seems WCPS found an experienced, intelligent Superintendent to help WCPS out of its mess and then When in a predicament, WCPS doesn’t even listen to him. Seems the board is bullying him just like prior. They haphazardly made a decision yesterday because it inconveniences their own agenda. Even the Leadership team was frustrated. There was absolutely no consideration at all for the safety of staff members. I, also, will not sign anything allowing WCPS to not be responsible for my death. Sadly, it’s going to take someone to die for them to realize this is a pandemic and sorry as a parent, you were inconvenienced. Once it happens, don’t bother sending flowers.
So larger counties like Wake & Cumberland chose C while Wayne County chose B. Wouldn’t it be more logical to choose C until a proper plan could be developed? Wait, I forgot we are depending on WCPS BOE to use logic. Strickland pushed a vote because she was going to be unavailable. What is going on in this school system?
When does the inconsiderate foolishness stop?? It’s obvious surveys and data don’t mean anything…..it’s bad enough staff are being rushed back into an unsafe environment and now you’ve added another piece….Canvas. It’s unprofessional to receive an email that basically says-here you go…… learn it now (on your own/on your summer break)…….ridiculous! Now because the adults who guide the decisions for ALL of WC’s children and ALL of WC’s staff got funky with the money Google Classroom is out. I must learn a new platform to teach from and oh yeah…my children must learn a new platform to learn from!! Not only the one’s in my home but those I teach who struggled or possibly finally got the hang of using Google Classroom over the past months. Again as a teacher and parent I can’t be expected or expect my children’s teachers to become experts in less than a month. The funny part is we swore by GC just months ago…… and I was actually becoming comfortable facilitating learning. Everyday it’s something different….all these “important” people that don’t even “have a dog in the fight” constantly putting the physical and mental health of the real warriors in jeopardy.
Welcome to the party everyone! This board and these type of decisions by them is what is Edgewood school parents have been fighting against going on three years.
Unfortunately, now all school parents have been dragged in to the WCPS board’s quagmire.
No, they don’t care about your opinion, they’ll do what they want and you’ll have to deal with it.
Future educators beware. Wayne County Public Schools has a hostile, uncaring work environment. Our school administrators try to intervene. However, they cannot overshadow the pure disregard for employees or decently shown by the board. Every year it gets worse. Every year good teachers leave. This year teachers may be dying to leave.
I just don’t understand what it will take for the WCPS BOE to actually listen to the public. They have been sitting in their position way too long. Isn’t it obvious they can’t be trusted to represent the students or staff for Wayne County?
What a shame that the BOE made such a quick vote! It should be “all hands on deck” at this time with a BOE priority in working with the WCPS Leadership Team to make the best plan decision for the safety of families, their children and school personnel on the “front line”. The Governor, today in his briefing, mentioned that districts should work with Plan B and Plan C to come up with a plan that would be best for their district.
Correction: Wake and Cumberland districts are not just accepting a Virtual Plan C or a Plan that is either or, a combination. These districts are being cautious by starting everyone online (Cumberland for 6 weeks, Wake for two weeks) then beginning to transitioning to in- person classes depending on resources and NC Covid trends.
Wake’s plan is being called a Plan B Transition Plan. ” All students start online August 17. The first two weeks is an orientation, meet and greet opportunities and distribute supplies. District prioritizes Pre-K and Special Education Program students who will return to person to person in class on September 8. Other students will transition to in-person classes relying on “the science and resourcing along with NC Covid trends”. The district hopes to get the rest of the students back in school as soon as they can since over half of Wake’s students have signed up for Virtual Instruction.” See http://www.wral.com for more info.
Bottom line……the WCPS BOE vote was not thought out and rushed due to one member not being present next week.
The damage being done by this board is going to take a very long time to undo. One would think a board member would plan her personal time around board meetings, rather than the other way around. The majority doesn’t seem to give a flip about the opinions or expertise of the public, the educators or the experts they hired. Every day I wonder “What will they do next?” Unfortunately, it will be up to the newcomers who replace them FINALLY to correct all the unnecessary problems this group continues to create.
I know that there are a lot of emotions with this decision. I also know that a lot of people worked hard to provide feedback to the board, that some have argued was in vain. Regardless, this decision was a tough decision to have to make. There are risks to students, staff, families, and communities under the Plan B option. When students start getting sick, the risk of exposure to the school will be difficult to truly contain. The results could be tragic.
However, the Plan C option does not account for learning disparities among ESL and EC students. It does not address technology inequities among low income families, and parents who work 2nd & 3rd shifts. Neither option addresses what to do with underage children who are not in school on certain days or weeks, who cannot stay home alone or with a relative.
The reality is that there really is not a clean-cut solution to schools reopening. There are too many disadvantages and risks to all plans to open school. Despite the partially hostile nature of this past meeting, a decision had to be made because staff members return to school in 2.5 weeks, and students the week after. Schools need to make preparations. Parents and students need to prepare.
I know that there are a lot of suspicions and questions for the board and district leaders over the county’s financial situation. In time, the truth will be uncovered. Unfortunately, the truth will not fix the deficit. Name calling, pointing fingers, harassing board members & WCPS leaders, bickering at board meetings, threatening legal action, etc. will not fix the deficit or provide a solution to making either Plan B or C a successful means to opening our schools.
I have gathered from this article that the intent was to partially report the results of the board meeting, partially bash board members and WCPS leaders, and partially express the concerns of teachers and families. But, I am only left disappointed as a a member of the community and as an educator because the content and comments offer no positive resolutions, just insults and blame.
We could offer the wisdom of Soloman and this board would not listen. There is no way anyone who listens to sound advice would mismanage $5,000,000. Their credibility is shot. Their usefulness is over.
What exactly can we do about this? Re-election is a must but just seems they can do much more harm before then.