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NATURE
CURRENT EVENTS
Coyotes in Steer Swamp
Is there such a thing as a ‘math person’?
Celebrate the first day of spring
Page 6
IN THIS ISSUE
MHS HEADLIGHT
NONPROFIT ORG PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MARBLEHEAD, MA PERMIT NO. 25
Page 15
Page 11
NEWS FOR PEOPLE, NOT FOR PROFIT.
TM
March 13, 2024
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VOLUME 2, ISSUE NO. 16
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MARBLEHEADCURRENT.ORG
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ON SOCIAL @MHDCURRENT
SCHOOLS
Teachers union launches petition after student restraint ‘wrongdoing’ found BY LEIGH BLANDER Dozens of Marblehead teachers, carrying signs that read “We Stand Together,” packed a School Committee meeting on March 7 to support four Glover School educators placed on paid leave in December after a student restraint crisis. The day before, interim Superintendent Theresa McGuinness had announced that two reports on a Nov. 20 restraint identified “wrongdoing” and “neglect of the student” by educators. During the School Committee meeting, the teachers union released an online letter and petition, which charges the Marblehead Public Schools leadership with “failing to provide our students and educators with a safe learning and working environment” and
CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER
Dozens of Marblehead teachers came to show their support for four colleagues at the Glover School who have been suspended with pay since December.
suggests that the administration “seems poised to use our colleagues as scapegoats rather than taking responsibility for its own failures.”
The petition , signed by more than 875 people by March 11, makes four demands: “1. Immediate reinstatement of the four Glover educators
2. Transparency with families and community members regarding the number of disruptions to student learning caused by restraints
and “holds-in-place” of other students due to student dysregulation in the schools. 3. A fully-funded budget that provides the level of services and resources our students and staff need to learn and work safely. 4. A partnership with leadership and the MEA to develop the systems and protocols necessary to ensure safety for everyone in our school community.” “Educators and staff have been injured, students are at risk, and learning is routinely disrupted,” MEA Co-president Jonathan Heller said at the School Committee meeting. “Too often, our educators and staff are asked to bring student behavior under control without the needed support. Currently, our schools lack sufficient staffing and best SCHOOLS, P. A2
Head-ing to a Garden party MHS boys hockey skates to first state final in 13 years after defeating Shawsheen
Marblehead senior Cam Waldman controls the puck while pressured by Shawsheen senior captain Liam Milne. The Magicians play in the state fInal at the TD Garden on St. Patrick’s Day.
COMPLETE COVERAGE IN SPORTS, PAGE 9
COURTESY PHOTOS
Marblehead junior James Caeran and Marblehead sophomore Avin Rodovsky battle for a loose puck along with Shawsheen junior Larry Cullity.
PANDEMIC
Four years later, leaders reflect on COVID’s impact BY LEIGH BLANDER Four years ago today, on March 13, 2020, Marblehead students left school as a deadly pandemic began to shut down the world and change lives forever. They didn’t return to classrooms for months. On this anniversary, the Current spoke with education, service, business and faith leaders around town, asking them to reflect on how COVID affected Marblehead and whether those effects are still being felt today. “The impact on our town was huge, first adjusting to
BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW
COURTESY PHOTO / CDC
the lockdown and the closing of schools,” said Board of Health Chair Helaine Hazlett. “The businesses which were determined non-essential were closed for several months. The markets and pharmacies were essential and had to conduct their business while protecting their employees and customers.”
The BOH moved its monthly meetings to weekly ones to deal with the ever-changing information coming from the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health. “The Board of Health was learning in real time, continually sharing the information with the citizens of Marblehead as decisions were received regarding masking, vaccines and other precautions to protect against the virus,” Hazlett said. Hazlett added the town also did its best to address the mental health crisis triggered by the pandemic, creating the Mental Health Task Force in early
2021. The group of volunteer therapists, psychologists, nurses and educators still holds programs and workshops, and its website (marbleheadcares.org) lists resources. Education Arguably, COVID’s biggest impact was on the town’s schools, including staff, more than 2,500 students and their families. “Our students and staff had to adjust in so many ways,” said Assistant Superintendent Julia Ferreira. “From hybrid and virtual learning to coming back into schools staying 6 feet apart and wearing masks. Safety is
always a number one priority for us.” When asked what lessons the district learned during COVID, Ferreira answered, “The pandemic forced us to educate students through new methods. I am so grateful for our amazing teachers who learned new ways to engage our learners to help prevent significant learning loss.” School Committee Chair Sarah Fox emphasized other important lessons. “COVID really woke everyone up to how important socialemotional health is,” she said. COVID, P. A7