By Jarret Liotta
The Board of Education tonight gave unanimous approval to Superintendent of Schools Colleen Palmer’s plan to move Coleytown Middle School (CMS) students to Bedford Middle and Staples High Schools for about a month while the CMS is investigated for toxicity.
On the spot: Principals James D’Amico of Staples (l) and Adam Rosen of Bedford Middle School explained how their schools would accommodate the CMS students and staff. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com
A range of opinions and emotions were expressed by parents at a special meeting, the second in two days, from CMS parents who praised the plan, to Bedford parents who expressed opposition, to one CMS father who vehemently claimed the school officials had “abandoned” the children by failing to act sooner and had shattered trust.
CMS was shut down this week following extensive complaints of illness among staff and students. Questions remain whether mold growth is impacting its environment, or whether remediation practices themselves could be affecting air quality or causing symptoms that have included dizziness, nausea, itching and headaches.
“This is a trust issue,” said Harris Falk, who was declared “out of order” and cut off while he was addressing the board.
“This is a trust issue,” said Harris Falk, who was declared “out of order” and cut off while he was addressing the board.
“These kids have been abandoned … They were left in a moldy school. We abandoned them … You knew in the summer it wasn’t ready and you put them in anyway,” he said.
Falk also accused the board of holding a secret meeting following Thursday night’s informational session at BMS, which drew more than 100 parents, along with at least a dozen CMS staff members, to hear about the issue.
“Perhaps you should have announced that,” Falk said. “We can’t trust you anymore.”
Board member Elaine Whitney explained that it was a “non-meeting” about negotiating strategy and was permitted by law.
Parent Harris Falk was cut off by the Board of Education after he chastised them for abandoning the children, indicating that they could not be trusted. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com
Other parents were skeptical of the solution itself, including Jackie McCaffrey, whose kids attend CMS.
“None of us are happy, (but) do we really think this is the best place to put our kids?” she said, noting many online posts and even videos expressing a contention that the arrival of CMS staff and students will adversely impact students at the host schools.
“Hearing other families say they don’t want us in the building … I’m concerned,” McCaffrey said, noting it might be wiser to take longer to forge a solution.
“You have now made the problems of Coleytown the problems of everyone at Bedford and the problems of everyone at Staples,” said Jessica Stauder, noting many parents at the host schools were not in favor of the arrangement.
“This should be the short-term,” she said, reacting to a mention that it could potentially extend to the full year if the situation warrants it.
“We do not all support this … We are not all happy about this,” Stauder said.
Bedford parent Susan Foushee said that while her children were looking forward to seeing friends from “Moldytown,” they told her they can’t imagine where room will be found at Bedford for what will be approximately 300 sixth and seventh grade students from CMS.
Foushee and others said it was surprising that a “worst-case scenario” hadn’t been put in place earlier, given ongoing concerns about the CMS facility.
Palmer said approximately 155 eighth grade CMS students will be housed on the first floor at Staples, in essence displacing the World Language Department in order to create a self-contained “academy” that will not intermingle with the high school students.
There are currently close to 1,900 students at Staples, and close to 850 at Bedford.
“We are getting emails from Bedford parents concerned about the influx of students,” board member Karen Kleine said. “I understand, (but) there really isn’t another choice besides that that we can enact immediately.”
According to Lee Goldstein, who identified herself as the CMS PTA co-president “in exile,” many CMS parents are thankful for the school system’s quick action.
“What I’m hearing most is an appreciation for the responsiveness,” she said. “That, for me, was most important.”
RTM member Jimmy Izzo (District 3), who has a child at CMS, shared about his own experience having to be moved out of Bedford Elementary School in the 1970s.
“It wasn’t that easy to get displaced,” he said, asking that the administration be sensitive to the students’ experience.
“Just be conscious of that and these kids … This is not an easy situation for anyone,” he said, including the parents.
While the board was unanimous in its belief that this was the best practical solution at this juncture, several expressed a desire to not leave it as an open-ended arrangement.
Palmer said she would return to the board to discuss the matter further as the results came in from experts who would be studying the CMS environment and interviewing some of those who may have been impacted, including staff and students.
“A school is not just the building,” Palmer said. “A school is the staff. A school is the counselors, the administrators. It’s all the caring adults. That’s why I have confidence that we’ll be successful.”
“I think we will make it work and make it work well,” said board member Whitney.
