Hello! This is the beginning of my Boston School Committee thread. I would like to start by thanking my mutuals for the validation they will give me as I scream my anxieties into the void.
Lorna Rivera pushed back on no student rep one exam school committee. Quoc Tran pushed back on vagueness of how group will correct inequity issues. Michael Loconto pushed back on both push backs.
Loconto: the Globe is inaccurate, schools will not decide for themselves. "We are moving forward as a district no matter what we select."
Locanto: start of school remains September 10th. This is a draft plan that we are moving forward with. Following guidance of DESE and public health conditions. School committee does not vote on what model we choose--that's for the superintendent to decide.
Loconto: collective bargaining is ongoing. Super is at the table with all 12 unions. [Note: at least two unions have said that meeting hasn't been happening enough at this point]
Cassellius shouts out the district's work with the Nurses' Faculty Senate, while the Nurses' Faculty Senate reported a week ago that they had not been included in planning.
Cassellius: "I'm really pleased with the amount of feedback we are getting. This all hinges on a safety first frame. We will not moving forward with a plan of in-person if we do not think it is safe to."
Whether we should reopen is one debate. ANOTHER debate is whether the hybrid plan as proposed is at all conceivable for effective instruction (i.e., simultaneously teaching remote and virtual students in potentially four cohorts in the rooms we work in). Respond to them each.
Tammy Pust is up. Says the draft was released yesterday but the draft itself says school committee got the draft July 22nd. Once again points out that we'll do 6ft (vs state's 3ft) and highlights that busing is limit number 1.
THE FACTS. "We will continue to change this draft... you will see another draft at the end of this week or Monday"
Pust: All parents are being contacted and asked if they want to opt-out (this is state mandated). They will also be asked if they will use bus transportation. [Personal note: what if a family doesn't respond, as the majority of families didn't respond in the last survey?]
Note: teachers will potentially have four groups of students, which will make planning very involved--some students I will see two days, someone more than two, some not at all. Will make materials very complicated.
Tammy Pust says that "no one will be in the buildings on Wednesdays," which Casselius pointedly would not commit to when asked last week at a community meeting if teachers would be at home on Wednesdays.
"You and everyone in the public who is listening to this presentation who has questions, ideas, expertise, please send anything that would positively contribute to [email protected]"
Lorna Rivera: "it said testing will not be required. As a social scientist and member of the city's equity taskforce, I don't understand that recommendation." Pust: you could test, but you couldn't get the results. Public guidance universally does not require temp checks.
Pust: goal is to make a mobile testing vehicle to go to schools to test students (Though just said that results wouldn't be available quick enough so...?)
Pust: we are discussing whether teachers will be in the school but expect they will be in the building. They will be collaborating together. Note: she JUST said "no one" would be in the building so teachers are now no one.
The concept of me being in school on Wednesdays to collaborate with staff is WILD because I'M STILL SUPPOSED TO BE TEACHING ON WEDNESDAYS!!!
Rivera: I fully support a remote planning for all.
Hardin Coleman: "I don't want to open up that can of worms [about assessments]." Fair, though we did spend the beginning of the meeting talking about the most beloved and protected test of BPS.
Hardin: How will we know if it's working?
Cassellius: Because the indicators will tell us whether students are on track... Will be rolling out Panorama as a mandatory new program. "A system of accountability that we have not had before"
Hardin: "How do we assess students for mastery? Continued grade scope and sequence may not be working for us [in general, definitely not in a pandemic]" Cassellius: we have developed a standards based and competency based measures
Jeri Robinson: who is going to help us make sure that our buildings are really ready so teachers and families feel comfortable? Cassellius: "we have a bunch of new custodians... the health checker, the nurse protocols... we'll be counting on our teachers to enforce mask wearing."
Cassellius says, again, that "it takes a village. If the soap dispenser is empty, it's going to take everyone to put soap in the dispenser." Just a reminder: The closest sink to my classroom is as far away as it could be. Will the village also be providing the hand sanitizer?
Day in the Life in Hopscotch in an Inclusion classroom by Cassellius: 3rd grade. Gather children [can't do that] for morning meeting. Then a taped math lesson I did on the weekend. Then in Zoom small groups or pair share. Large group in Zoom then a break from screens
[Continued] for a sing along. Then more of a break and have lunch/snack and go outside and do play or an outdoor activity. Then come back as a whole group and another directed lesson. Good time for push in support. Then a few hours to work on a project.
Potentially opportunities for place based learning. It's really going to take the creativity from our teachers.
To highlight, Super's plan requires me to tape lessons on the weekend; have outdoor space large enough for all; use place-based learning; co-teach with specialty teachers. --> All of this feels absurd to me.
Loconto calls for brevity because we've been meeting for 100 minutes and haven't reached the 96 public testimonies. Michael O'Neill calls for longevity for many valid, thoughtful reasons.
Michael O'Neill thanks people (especially teachers) for reaching out and personalized messaging, saying they "helped us to learn." Tonight is the most positive I have ever felt about school committee members on the whole.
Michael O'Neill references all the money we spent on 21st Century furniture for collaboration and flexibility in students. And I really want him to know that I hate all of the 21st Century furniture.
O'Neill: How many sample classrooms have you set up? Pust: Six or eight. O'Neill: How many classrooms do we have in the district? Pust: It is not 5,000. O'Neill: Have we ordered 5,000 cameras? 5,000 set ups?
Cassellius: we have 4 or 5 thousand cameras ready to ship from a vendor. They'll be on hold until Tuesday, when the vendor will send them to someone else. Waiting for working group's recommendations. They're portable.
O'Neill wants us to film every aspect of a day so people can see what the average day will look like, including buses. I'm in.
O'Neill says that 21 out of the 25 largest districts nationwide have decided to start remote. Also mentioned that Dr. Birx is worried about Boston.
We are not going to hide behind Trump's threats of federal funding cuts to justify a hybrid plan. We are not doing that in Boston. I will not even tolerate that discussion.
Alexandra Oliver'Davila: "I thought I was clear on what was happening on Wednesdays but I'm not. What is happening with teachers on Wednesdays?" SAME
"Students will be learning on Wednesdays. That means teachers will be teaching." Still unclear whether we will be in the building and if we'll have to "leave our classroom because they're cleaning it right now." ????????
Hello there is a hashtag that I have posted a gross amount of tweets not using. #BPSchat: because whenever possible, the chat function is turned off in Boston.
While the district discusses all of the reopening meetings coming up: https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/Page/8260  (one in Mandarin, one in Spanish, and one in English on Saturday) #bpschat
General public comment is about to begin! We have 96 coming up!!! I am so thrilled to be part of a community. Comments will be short and then truncated as time goes on. I am going to tweet less to amplify their voices.
FOUR CITY COUNCILORS TESTIFYING!! Thank you @juliaforboston (she's also in a student panel right now with @MsMcGlonesClass), @wutrain, @AnnissaForBos, and @RicardoNArroyo!
Councilor Michelle Wu @wutrain says that Brenda Cassellius is the only constituent she's heard that thinks the hopscotch model can be successful. #BPSchat
Councilor @RicardoNArroyo says that the plan will result in an outbreak, which will cause systemic racist harm to our community. Thank you for pledging to advocate for and fight with us!
Now up: @JessJTang of @BTU66. Staff wants to go back, SAFELY. Has been trying to meet since March to make a plan. Disagree with feasibility of timeline and simil-teaching models. Until we have national action, "we will all be in grave danger." Taskforces are good, but recent.
"Students put their trust in us to keep them safe and we absolutely must do so." @JessJTang
Student perspective >>>

#BPSchat
Upside of Zoom committee meetings: civic engagement
Downside: tech issues
@AvashiaNeema offers a masterclass, as always. The McCormack has developed an amazing, engaged group of advocates that uplifts and centers youth voice at every turn.
!!! The timer was visible for half a second. The timer is my favorite member of the school committee because I always know where it stands and it's clear and incontrovertible who it's responsible to.
Re: McCormack field land grab. How can you argue with the logic of waiting to figure out the 7-12 model before giving away land? Laura Carroll, of Harbor Point group: "It's like saying I'm building the garage but I don't know where the house will be." #BPSchat
Netta Brownell: "Learning loss won't kill [students], COVID can." #BPSchat
Boston School Committee, if you show the video of the timer (my best friend, I'm biased), then people can see and hear that they are running low on time. It's not audible or visible currently. #bpschat
Samantha Laney: "Students are human beings that display age-appropriate behavior. What will happen when all age-appropriate behaviors are deemed unsafe?" #BPSchat
Would LOVE a public place that collects school committee testimonies to be read widely and quoted accurately! @BTU66
Edith Bazile: Teachers are dedicated professionals, not contortionists... The plan cannot lead without equity and transparency without input from all committed stakeholders. #BPSchat
Edith Bazile calls for visible participants, unlocked chat box for varied participation, equitable time enforcement, language interpretation!!, answering of public questions, transcripts #BPSchat #AlloftheAbove
I can't fit all of MC Flores' testimony into a tweet but it is INCREDIBLE. Highly recommend a listen. I also can't find her twitter handle but girl, way to go!!!
Heads up, it's @clanghoff1!! Absolutely one of the best follows I've ever made on twitter (I actively regret it's the only way I know her). Glad someone is refreshing our memories about the attempted closure of the McCormack, too. #BPSchat
First video of the night! Also first translated statement. It's very frustrating that through all our advancements, both of these things are in short supply. #BPSchat
Iris Diaz (paraphrased): When are you going to start deep cleaning schools? Because I haven't seen it. It's not fair to put children, families, and teachers at risk. I hope for an opening that is just and dignified. #BPSchat
Tarina Harrison: The presence of cleaning supplies is not a guarantee of safety. No one can tell the difference between a cold, the flu, and COVID. #BPSchat
I am incensed that we do not offer translation or ASL interpretation on school committee meetings and ashamed that it is only now occurring to me. One language content is deeply inequitable community engagement. #BPSchat
Kade Crockford, Director of ACLU's Technology for Liberty program: nearly 1 in 3 homes lack broadband in several, large neighborhoods in Boston. Will district do outreach? Advocate for Congressional efforts to increase awareness? #BPSchat
Kade Crockford: Google owns Chromebooks and Google has been repeatedly, and recently, sued for not respecting student privacy. ACLU will work with district. #BPSchat
I will not use hybrid and hopscotch but instead "worse than remote learning." @TMaher25 #BPSchat
@TMaher25 thank you for advocating for the timer's visibility and also a smart framing: how will we feel about this decision in 20 years?
Brief pause in @MattRuggiero8's live tweeting efforts so he can testify. I like to refer to Matt as offering dissertation level thinking and pay close attention whenever I hear or read his statements.
Sarah Kroesser Nichols: even with a massive pool of substitutes*, they won't have expertise, relationships, or connections specific to the setting, which will cause more difficulty for students #bpschat

*note: we do not have a massive pool of substitutes in normal times
I am exhausted but honored to witness so many amazing speakers and advocates and thrilled that school committee members have to hear from each and every one of them.
I call @iTeachOwls my other half in the BTU. I will follow her where ever she leads.
Chantei Alves @iTeachOwls: I am required by law and vow as a special educator to give my students the "least restrictive environment." Hybrid model, aka "worse than remote" is the "most restrictive environment." Remote learning is the best option. #BPSchat
. @RussWeissIrwin : if we open schools, some people--my students, their families, my neighbors will die. Russ always knows how to walk and chew gum and advocates for cash relief for families! #BPSchat
Someone who never fails to fire me up, @MelanieFaye1: Let us plan! Let us make contact with families and get on the same page. Let's be creative. Get the most children to engage learning and human connection #BPSchat
Jasen Lambright: one door and one window will not solve the issue of Coronavirus. I don't see my child not touching another person, and sitting still, and paying attention to her teacher. Children and teachers are responsible for cleaning their own desks.
Jasen Lambright: I need you to do better, I need you to go back into that draft... You can do better. #BPSchat
I would like you all to know that Jasen's kids are some of my favorite people on the planet and all of his comments are fair. Also he is that funny in every conversation.
Ross Kochman, teacher: I want to work but need my [high risk] wife to be alive. My only option is to take an FMLA, when I cannot work remotely. That doesn't make sense to me. Please allow for health waivers to allow teachers to work remotely. Better yet, start remotely. #BPSchat
Anne Mosley: I'm learning more about this draft from statements. This isn't in the news. I was all for hybrid but now [after this meeting], my child first. I need to think about her safety. Let us go back remotely and perfect the draft. #BPSchat
Michelle Carroll: What number of deaths would you be comfortable with? Are you ready to look at families eyes and apologize for deaths you could've prevented? #BPSchat
I think Michelle Carroll hypothesized that at projected rates, 83 children would die if we reopen. Did I catch that right? #BPSchat
Nancy Lessin has consistently been testifying as an expert in occupational health, mother of a BPS teacher, and grandmother of BPS students. She's pointing out inconsistencies between CDC and Cassellius guidance. Also the unreliability the CDC has had. She always brings reciepts!
Mike, re: McCormack: We need more community engagement to determine what this space becomes. It's just that simple. We need to represent all stakeholders. Restarting the process is the fair thing to do, the right thing to do. #BPSchat
David REEP: I don't know how I can trust this committee if they move this [McCormack] proposal forward. People are dying, holding onto jobs, holding onto rent... Children are pleading with you to keep their grass. #BPSchat
Michelle Caine: I was shocked by the fact that equity and relationships [are core values]... that science is driving this decision. We don't have to return to physical buildings. These are choices you are making. #BPSchat
Adina Schecter: Would we take a field away from a white, suburban school? [No, we would not. They would probably get a new one.] #BPSchat
If this is your first time hearing Jonathan Haines point out that our schools are unsafe, I have about a dozen news reports to send your way. #BPSchat
I should name, as there are some people who've never met me before, that I am incredibly biased and am not tweeting both sides. #NotPlayingHopscotch #OnlyWhenItsSafe
Also I am 100% in favor of the McCormack keeping their field. I'm not the only one biased, as Tricia Chapple, BCG employee, got a longer extension than the average BTU speaker (or a couple city councilors!). #BPSchat
I have not seen one answer to this question. WHERE are before/after/beyond school programs going to be? Because every school I've worked in has had some on site, which does not limit numbers in the building. #BPSchat
OMG VIDEO IS BACK for the first time in literally hours.
We've had a number of out of school time organizations testifying in a bloc. I am unclear on the intention of these testimonies but like that two made a point of saying they were touched by the proceeding testimonies. They seem to just be raising awareness of their importance?
Oh! They're asking for a seat at the table around reopening. Is it the five hours of listening, the hard seltzer, or were they just less direct about their ask?
The downside of the video being back is I can no longer see the names of testifiers. There is no way I will catch most of their names so apologies now. Also Zoom restarted twice.
Allison Doherty: we told you for decades that WREC needed to be fixed. You didn't. Now there's a pandemic, and problems we've pointed out to you are an issue to reopening. #BPSchat
Remind me the next time I testify to school committee to a) not thank them for letting me speak and b) apologize for going over time. They're such niceties and I don't want to be nice. #BPSchat
So many of the arguments in favor of the field house register to me as reasons for the McCormack to keep the land. #BPSchat
Liz... how many testimonies have we had so far? I gotta say it's INCREDIBLE how many people who signed up are still signed on #BPSchat
Testimonies or people I know strategically place to keep me engaged. @fractalsevrywhr, I believe, advocates for students 24 hours a day. There's a rumor she sleeps but I don't believe it.
How do I support students virtually? It took concerted effort to manage the Zoom chat during remote learning @fractalsevrywhr #BPSchat
Last group of speakers!! Credit where credit is due (a small amount though): everyone is still getting two minutes. I've seen Loconto cut time way earlier in the night in my short history of school committee meetings.
And after three hours and thirty-one minutes, public testimony is over. #BPSchat
Apparently there's like, a meeting after this? I usually peace out after the people I care about are done talking. #mostlykidding #BPSchat
Grants are all approved #BPSchat
Now onto the discussion and then vote for the McCormack field. This conversation predates several members of the committee. #BPSchat
Can attest to the Dever Lake. Absolute massive drainage issue. Unclear on why we're now discussing it. #BPSchat
"This is a difficult issue for me" is School Committee code for "I have heard a lot of valid criticisms from an engaged community but will still vote against them." #BPSchat
[Rob Consalvo has entered the chat]
Since it's come back up, Dever Lake is--if memory serves correctly--the parking lot for the Dever and McCormack and also where buses turn around. It's not just empty space.
If 1st priority is for Dever-McCormack students, give them priority to the field house and free memberships. But you aren't going to do that. And that's what shows that your priority is actually the powers that be behind Boys and Girls Club and insider groups. #BPSchat
OMG I do not believe you in saying that you will engage the students and staff with remaining open space. You didn't engage them properly in the last TWO YEARS!! #BPSchat
Michael O'Neill asks to write first priority in the lease to DMC, then BPS schools. Consalve and Loconto: "we could do that" BUT WILL YOU? #BPSchat
So, BPS owns the land. If a building gets built, who owns that? If BPS cancels the lease, what happens? Boys and Girls Club picks up the building and moves it...? #BPSchat
Rivera: I do not suggest the transfer of this lease. We need a solid plan for the McCormack school. #BPSchat
Tran: I would go along with Mr. Consalvo #BPSchat (Voting has been moved up to discussion)
Robinson: I love the plan, I love the idea of the plan. I'm concerned about the process. We are hearing from the same voices as we did two years ago about not being heard in the process. #BPSchat
Robinson: when would the McCormack become a 7-12? Cassellius: all 7-12 high schools via BuildBPS at least another year away before discussion, depending on COVID #BPSchat
Robinson: Is there a way to make sure we have the needs of the development of the high school before we go into the development of the extra land? [Yes, there is. Will your vote reflect that?]
Robinson: I keep hearing you say the school will have access. But I haven't heard you say that the school will have priority access... Shouldn't we fully vet for the high school's needs instead of asking them to share space with another program? #BPSchat
A trend: when Loconto answers questions of other committee members, he takes the side of the district (i.e., mayor) and you can bet that the vote'll go that way. Another: committee members ask questions assuming a positive vote and they tip their hands. #BPSchat
WHY IS LOCONTO RESPONDING? How is it at all justified to have the chair take a side? #BPSchat
NON PROFITS AREN'T PUBLIC ENTITIES
"They're building this for our benefit." NO. If a non-profit built something for the benefit of a school IT WOULD BE CONTROLLED BY THE SCHOOL #BPSchat
You failed at one community planning process. You don't get to just punt it to another community planning process and claim equity and responsiveness. #BPSchat
Robinson is asking how the McCormack community feels since the mayor's 200 million has been put on the table. Cassellius says she's talked to people and they're excited. "They want to be part of the process and felt they weren't"
THE MCCORMACK HAS BEEN VERY CLEAR THEY DO NOT SEE IT AS A WIN-WIN. THEY DO NOT LIKE THE FIELD HOUSE. AM I IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE
Oliver-Davila: I want a guarantee to Dever-McCormack and Harbor Point communities. #BPSchat
Who's going to enforce this priority? There's no mechanism for something like that in BPS. The School Committee is NEVER going to go to BGC and say "McCormack has said they aren't getting access, we're going to cancel your lease." It's phrasing to absolve you of responsibility.
O'Neill feels confident that BC High and UMass Boston will be partners. Why not get a commitment from them first? "This is how we do partnerships in the city" [we are at the mercy of other organizations to give us things] #BPSchat
Instead of trusting other organizations to partner with us why don't we, I don't know, not give up BPS land? #BPSchat
Abstain: Coleman, Tran
No: Rivera, Robinson
Yes: O'Neill, Oliver-Davila, Loconto

Motion passes 3-2, after Loconto corrects Sullivan that majority does not factor in abstentions #BPSchat
Of course, recording votes doesn't matter because the people have no voice on the school committee. That's why today, and every day, is a good day to demand an elected school committee like everyone else. #BPSchat #ElectedSchoolCommitteeNOW
I've been told that it's time for my home office (and classroom!) to once more turn into my bedroom. This has been my longest school committee meeting so far and my first time live tweeting in earnest. As always: power to the people. #BPSchat
As a white, young, educated, and able person, my privilege gives me tons of access to school committee meetings and online discussion. I‘m made a $1/tweet donation to @The_City_School and hope everyone who read this thread centers Black and brown voices in their BPS activism 💕
You can follow @MsWaterMallon.
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