School Reopening Battle In Montclair: Parents, Teachers Dig In – Patch.com

MONTCLAIR, NJ — NOTE: This article has been updated with a statement from Montclair School Superintendent Jonathan Ponds.

Many Montclair public school students will return soon for in-person classes, their parents say. But whether teachers will be there to meet them remains a question to be answered.

Montclair was one of several school districts in Essex County that started the school year with all-online classes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, officials have repeatedly hit the brakes on their plans to reopen for a hybrid model, which would include a mix of in-person and remote learning.

Parents have bemoaned the delays, claiming their children’s rights to a fair education are suffering as a result. But educators and other staff members are pushing back, saying that a return to classrooms is still too risky.

The district was moving full steam towards another set of reopening dates. Teachers were due back on Jan. 19. PreK-5 students were due to start the hybrid model on Jan. 25. And students in grades 6 to 12 were set return for their hybrid, in-person schedule on Feb. 8.

Then on Friday, that plan changed yet again.

According to Superintendent Jonathan Ponds:

“It is with deep regret that I inform you that I am unable to properly staff our schools for in-person, hybrid teaching and learning on January 25, 2021. As a result, I cannot open our buildings to students as planned. My team and I will be meeting with the Montclair Education Association (MEA) along with a third-party mediator this weekend to facilitate an agreement. We are also working in consultation with our legal counsel.”

Ponds called the decision “disheartening.”

All students in all grades will remain fully remote during this time, continuing to follow their original remote schedules. They will participate in live, synchronous teaching and learning until personnel and staffing issues are resolved, he said.

“We will communicate as soon as possible when in-person learning can begin, and we will continue to provide weekly updates,” Ponds added.

TEACHERS UNION: ‘HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELL-BEING’

Members of the local teachers union, the Montclair Education Association (MEA), have been sounding the call about the risks of returning to classrooms over the past weeks.

In addition to teachers, the MEA also represents other Montclair Public School District employees, including paraprofessionals, nurses, secretaries, operational aides, certified support staff, custodians and building/grounds staff.

Last week, the union released a statement calling for school administrators to put the brakes on the plan to reopen. They wrote:

“The health, safety and well-being of our students, families, staff, and community at large must be our top priority. Over the past week, we have watched the infection rate of COVID-19 rise with each passing day. As the numbers rise in our community, our members’ confidence in our buildings’ readiness has fallen. There are earnest concerns over the district’s lack of communication and clarity over the decision to go back into the buildings on January 19.”

Considering that state officials recently announced teachers and educators are next in line for the vaccine eligibility list in New Jersey, it makes sense to wait it out and give them an extra feeling of safety, the MEA added.

“Our goal is to never be adversarial but instead to always be advocates … advocates for our staff, educators, students, to not return to buildings until the numbers are mitigated and steady enough for all to do so,” President Petal Robertson said.

Some union members put in a show of solidarity on Tuesday, declining to show up and choosing to continue working online.

The “overwhelming majority” of elementary school teachers voted to stay remote, while middle and high school teachers haven’t made any decision yet, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Education Association told Montclair Local.

MONTCLAIR PARENTS: ‘INFRINGING ON OUR KIDS’ RIGHTS’

Meanwhile, a growing chorus of parents in Montclair have been pressuring school officials to reopen, rallying in Edgemont Park and other locations in December.

Some said they were having trouble juggling work schedules with helping their kids navigate online classes and stay on task. Other parents, including the mother of a child with special needs, said that distance learning was making their kids fall behind.

Cathy Patullo, who has a child in the local school system, told Patch that one of the biggest problems during the COVID-19 pandemic has been “anxiety.”

“We live in a condo and don’t have any outdoor space,” Patullo said, adding that her daughter has seen her opportunities for exercise and activity plummet.

It’s tough enough being an only child during a pandemic. But not being able to meet with her friends or teachers just makes the situation worse, Patullo said.

“She hits a wall where she gets overwhelmed, doesn’t want to do her homework or classwork,” Patullo said.

Patullo isn’t alone, according to members of local advocacy group Montclair Families Advocating for In-Person Learning (FAIL).

During the meeting of the Montclair Board Of Education on Wednesday, dozens of parents blasted the delayed return to classrooms and said it’s infringing on their children’s constitutional right to an equitable education.

Some Montclair FAIL members released a joint statement about their concerns:

“[We are] very disappointed by the recent actions of the MEA and their campaign to keep our schools shuttered. 400 districts throughout NJ are open – either hybrid or full time right now, including our neighboring district of Maplewood.

“The American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement on January 5 stating ‘Children absolutely need to return to in-school learning for their healthy development and well-being’ and that ‘the guidance presents new research findings that schools have not been a significant driver of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in their communities when they take safety precautions.

“The pushback from the MEA is disrupting [our children’s] learning abilities. It is [our] understanding that staff did not show up for PD days at school yesterday. Meanwhile [our children] learned asynchronously, which consisted of 2 seesaw assignments that took 10 minutes to complete. And today [our children’s] teachers instructed from home, not at school as planned, on a ‘hybrid’ learning schedule, in which [our children’s] days ended two hours earlier than normal.

“The MEA’s attempt to delay in-person learning is infringing on [our children’s] constitutional right to an equitable education. [We] should have a choice to send [our children] to school when our state government is saying it’s safe.

“[Our] goal, similar to Petal Robinson’s, is never to be adversarial but to advocate for the best interests of Montclair students. If the re-opening date gets pushed back again, it will be close to one year that Montclair students have not physically been in school. Non- unionized workers are going to the YMCA and the Wally Choice Center in Glenfield Park every day to help facilitate learning for many Montclair students. If these learning centers are open, why aren’t our schools?

“Montclair students don’t have a union or special interest group to lobby on their behalf. [We] know you have our student’s best interests at heart, which is why [we are] asking you to please hold the MEA accountable for their actions, should they choose to prioritize politics over education.”

A pair of online petitions calling for in-person classes have each garnered hundreds of signatures. Read them at the links below:

Not all Montclair parents have been eager to bring their kids back to schools, however. An online petition to “Keep Montclair students and staff safe, continue remote learning” has gained almost 1,000 signatures as of Tuesday.

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