The Marblehead Educators Association has made a declaration of no confidence in Director of Student Services Dr. Paula Donnelly and Associate Director Emily Dean, calling for their removal from their positions.
The letter was sent to Interim Superintendent Dr. Theresa McGuinness and the School Committee on Thursday morning, citing Donnelly and Dean’s inability “to secure safe and healthy learning environments in our schools.”
The letter specifically references their handling of a situation at Glover Elementary School last week, in which four educators were placed on paid administrative leave after an incident involving a dysregulated student.
“Their inability 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 statement reads.
The letter goes on to state that the employees represented, including teachers, paraprofessionals, and tutors, by the MEA “overwhelmingly” declared no confidence in Donnelly and Dean, and are advocating for the School Committee and McGuinness to “remove them from their posts.”
In response, the School Committee said in a statement that the vote of no confidence is being taken “very seriously,” announcing that a third-party investigation has been launched into the district’s student-support process.
“In line with Policy BBA (MPS School Committee Powers and Duties), we are hiring a consultant to evaluate and make recommendations regarding district systems and support services,” the statement reads. “This will ensure the administration will effectively and appropriately address any unsafe student behavior that interferes with the district’s mission to provide a safe school environment conducive to student learning.”
According to the committee’s statement, any employee-misconduct investigations and potential consequences fall under the authority of the superintendent, although the committee will “hold the administration accountable to implement the recommendations of this investigation.”
The MEA also claims in the letter that the events at Glover School were not an isolated incident, but rather part of a “larger systemic problem.”
In response to the educators being placed on leave last week, the MEA released a statement, claiming that multiple educators at the school have suffered physical harm from dangerous behaviors of dysregulated students due to the lack of resources and support from the district, despite multiple requests from the Department of Student Services.
The MEA’s most recent statement emphasizes that point to the district.
“Educators are left feeling unsupported and uncertain when it comes to addressing a significant problem facing our schools,” the letter reads.
It goes on to also demand the MEA’s inclusion in fixing the issues at hand.
“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,” the letter reads.
