MARBLEHEAD, MA — The Marblehead Education Association said its membership took a vote of “no confidence” in two district student services leaders for what the union calls their inability “to secure safe and healthy learning environments in our schools” following a student restraint incident and subsequent staff paid leave suspensions at Glover Elementary School.
The union said in a statement to Patch that 97 percent of 260 teachers, paras and tutors endorsed a statement sent to Interim Superintendent Theresa McGuinness calling for the removal of Student Services Director Paula Donnelly and Associate Director of Student Services Emily Dean for what MEA Co-Presidents Jonathan Heller and Sally Shevory because of their belief that “working conditions are unacceptable for all of us and that members of our union are being unfairly punished because of the inability of Dr. Paula Donnelly and Emily Dean to do their jobs.”
Patch reached out to McGuinness, who MEA leadership said was presented with the letter on Thursday morning, on Thursday afternoon and did not immediately hear back regarding a request for comment on the vote and statement.
The “no confidence” vote comes a week after the union charged that Glover Elementary School represents an unsafe environment for students and staff and said it will pursue “all possible legal remedies” after four staff members were placed on leave following the restraint of a student.
In a letter sent to the Marblehead School Committee and provided to Patch last week, the union said the staff members were “put on administrative leave unfairly” and that it “stands in solidarity with the affected families and students during this difficult time.”
McGuinness addressed the incident during last Thursday night’s School Committee meeting,
saying that the district had secured the services of an outside, third-party provider, who is an attorney who specializes in education policy for a review of the incident and the district’s policies and procedures when it comes to student restraint.
She said she met with the Glover staff both last Wednesday and Thursday and allowed that “I have to tell you that (Thursday) felt a lot better in terms of us moving through these challenges together.”
But the MEA said in their statement on Thursday that the inability of district student services leadership to “craft and administer effective policies has placed students and staff at risk and has created unfair working conditions for educators and inadequate learning conditions for students.”
The MEA said it is seeking educator input to improve the working and learning conditions in Marblehead schools and that the handling of the student restraint at Glover that led to four educators being placed on leave is “indicative of a larger systemic problem regarding the district’s inadequate approach to maintaining student and staff safety.”
“Donnelly and Dean have repeatedly mishandled situations that have placed students and staff at risk of physical harm and that have led to instances of students and staff being injured,” the MEA statement said. “Educators are left feeling unsupported and uncertain when it comes to addressing a significant problem facing our schools.
“Specifically, the MEA must be involved in the district’s work toward improvements in building level and district-wide communication; increased access to high-quality professional development; consistent application of systems and structures; and an overhaul of the professional culture which is currently undermining staff and fostering a culture of fear.”
“Student mental health is a top priority and requires a more thoughtful and thorough response than the ones we have experienced over the past three years.”
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
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