HW Parent Group Calls For Return To Class, Vote Out Supt.

HAMILTON-WENHAM, MA — Tensions around pandemic learning has led a group of parents to call for a vote of "no confidence" in the Hamilton-Wenham Schools Superintendent Mary Beth Banios. A petition was started on Change.org with 67 signatures.

The website lists a group titled "Hamilton-Wenham School District Concerned Community" as the creators of the petition, which was made last week. The petition lists a goal of 100 signatures and has been circulating within a parent group called the Hamilton Wenham Return to School Advocates. The group boasts a private Facebook following of 350 members and advocates for a full return to in-person learning and increased transparency from the district leadership team and School Committee.

The petition claims Banios has acted "inefficiently, incompetently, and with conduct unbecoming of a superintendent." The petition repeats themes of a lack of transparency and communication with the community.

The petition reads in part:

"Ms. Banios has exhibited lack of attention to, preparation for, and appropriate prioritizing of the requirements and interests of our entire student body, as well as failed to recognize and respect the expertise of the educational professionals within the district.

Community wide morale is low; there is no confidence in Ms. Banios’ abilities as a leader nor are we confident she can provide a strategic vision for the Hamilton-Wenham educational system, during this ongoing pandemic and into the future."

On Thursday, the Return To School Advocates parent group met with Banios and the district leadership team for a public Zoom session. The meeting was focused on the findings of a space analysis study that was done by one of the members of the parent group. Jennifer Carr, a lab coordinator for Harvard College and Tufts University with a PhD in biology, presented her space analysis for elementary school buildings if social distancing was decreased to just under six feet within classrooms. Carr worked with the useable space numbers provided by the district director of maintenance and facilities, Thomas Geary.

While the two-hour meeting highlighted that Carr's analysis could technically find space for a decreased social distancing, district leaders also discussed the repercussion on day-to-day classroom movement, education and transportation. The discussion ended with the parent group thanking the district for the explanation behind the hesitation to implement a decreased social distance as well as a plea for the district to continue an open line of communication with parents and the community.

"I was so happy to hear what the problems were," Carr told district leaders, "If you communicated that you're looking at solutions from advanced perspectives, that would do so much good."

The district recently moved to bring K-1 students back into the classroom — the rest of the district is operating under the hybrid model. Concerned parents argue that their students are severely falling behind without in-person learning.

Jennifer Bevilacqua, a Hamilton parent, emailed Patch to express her concern for her children and support for the Return to School Advocates group. "Our family comprises of two working parents. We have dipped into saving to pay for tutoring- not to keep up with the state requirements but to minimize the learning gap that our children already display. We have a child on an IEP that isn’t in school full time," she wrote.

In response to the petition, Banios sent a letter to families on Saturday affirming her support for the districts core values and prioritizing the needs of students.

The letter reads in part:

"The core values that are driving our leadership work during the pandemic are prioritizing the needs of all students entrusted in our care while understanding the perspectives of all stakeholders. As your superintendent, I will continue to stand firm against any course of action that would have the unintended consequences of creating inappropriate teaching and learning conditions for our students and staff in the school environment.

I will also be equitable in addressing the needs and perspectives of all stakeholders, regardless of the level of discontent of any particular group. A decision with which one group disagrees should not be confused with a lack of responsiveness or understanding."

Banios cited the findings of a survey conducted by a parent group, in which 40 percent of respondents said they were not comfortable with physical distancing being less than 6 feet in schools and 10 percent said that they were not comfortable with in-person learning at all. A district-wide survey will be available to all families and staff to gauge the comfort-level with lowering the current CDC recommended distancing guideline of 6 feet.

The Hamilton-Wenham School Committee Chair and Vice Chair issued a letter to the community, supporting Banios and district leadership.

The letter reads in part:

"Continued success requires strengthening and collaborative efforts within our community. We have a concern regarding an undercurrent of negativism which is counter to the community support needed in this complex situation. We certainly advocate for the continuous improvement of this educational challenge. However, our strongest point to the community is to resist the impulse to undermine what has been constructed for this school year, and the team leading this effort - starting with Superintendent Banios. We are strongly imploring the support of Superintendent Banios and her team. In our capacity as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School Committee, we feel our leadership team is on the correct course and is building upon the daily experiences and changing landscapes to continue navigating for the best education for our students," wrote Michelle Bailey and Michelle Horgan.