Berkeley Heights Resident and NYC Educator Letter to BHPSNJ BOE & Administration on School Closings
Michael Leblond, a resident of Berkeley Heights, is a parent of children in the District and a NYC Educator
Dear Dr. Feltre,
I am reaching out again to express my concerns on how the district is handling communication and decisions about closing our schools with various weather conditions. In the last two weeks, the district has struggled to communicate effectively and in a timely manner with parents to give them enough time to prepare alternate plans for their families and work situations.
First, I will commend the early decision on February 5th to delay schools. Making the decision early gave families time to make plans for the following morning. Unfortunately, the decision to delay was a faulty one. The weather forecast predicted the peak of the storm would be during the time the delayed opening would occur. I didn’t believe that the delay would occur and I fully expected schools to close. I made plans for closure and was ultimately proven correct. Waiting until 7:25 on February 6th to close schools is not respectful of working parents and their situations. At 7:25, I am already at work, unable to make any alternate plans for the day.
This week, the district again decided to change the normal morning routine due to the weather situation, which should have been foreseen beforehand. On February 11th, the forecast for snow and ice was well known across the region. The failure to prepare our schools ahead of time for the snow and ice caused a delayed opening. Waiting until 5:06 am to tell families that their morning routines would be shifted is both unfair and unrealistic, especially to households that have working parents. At 5:06 I have no time to change my plans for the morning, I leave for work at 5:10. My wife leaves at 7, which precludes either of us from being able to handle a delayed opening scenario. Neither of us has the luxury to work from home for our careers.
The district needs to be aware of and sensitive to the needs of working families. Many jobs require workers to be there and remote is not an option. The assumption that every family can simply alter their plans at the drop of a hat or reschedule their lives at a moment's notice are not best practices nor equitable. Our district claims to meet the needs of our students and the community yet it is failing to do so. These last minute decisions continue the pattern of the previous Superintendent who did not understand the needs of families or our students. My district was open on time for both of the weather events over the last two weeks. My wife’s district was open as well for both events.
I would suggest that the district make decisions the night before and stick to them. Waiting until the morning to delay or close schools is not an acceptable practice. Timely, effective communication with the community must be a cornerstone of an effective leader. The previous Superintendent failed to understand that as well.
Respectfully,
Michael Leblond
NYC Teacher and fifteen year Berkeley Heights Resident.
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