Technology Issues Cause Tensions To Rise During Springs Board Of Education Meeting

The silence during the Springs Union Free School District Board of Education meeting Monday was deafening.

For those watching virtually, most of the October 19 meeting could not be heard due to technical issues during a board meeting that was held in-person as well. Compounding the issue was the fact that the portion of the meeting that was difficult to follow, focused on concerns with the district’s remote learning plan. Students at Springs School, a kindergarten through eighth grade district, are only at school for in-person learning two days per week in cohorts, as a result of the COVID-19 virus outbreak. The remainder of the week is done through a remote learning program.

There will be a special meeting within the next two weeks focused solely on remote learning and in-person instruction, according to Springs School Director of Human Resources and Pupil & Personnel Services Keri DeLalio. That meeting will be virtual following the technical complications experienced during Monday night’s Board of Education meeting.

“I realize that there is no one size fits all, but can we all agree that we need to be creative and try to get kids in school more days,” Kimberly Schuerlein asked during the public portion of the meeting. “How can we accomplish this?”

Some parents speaking both in person, and commenting on the live broadcast made available through the district’s YouTube page, said the lack of in-person school days is hurting students, especially those in the elementary school. Others asked district officials to look at how to make its remote learning program more effective.

“We need to bring the kids back five days — at least the younger grades,” Charlene Thomas said. “They are the ones losing out.”

“[Those in] kindergarten through second grade need to be in school,” Diane Shoemaker said. “Developmentally, they are not capable of learning remotely. And, developmentally, screen time is damaging for them.”

Ms. Schuerlein asked to bring elementary school students back full-time and keep middle school students on the hybrid plan to help the district adhere to social distancing guidelines within classrooms. Ms. Thomas said officials should rent space in order to be able to educate more students in-person. But Ms. DeLalio said the district looked into this idea and could not find any available properties that would suit its needs.

School Superintendent Debra Winter said the debate becomes which grades to bring back. Currently, students in each grade have been separated into two cohorts, attending school in-person two days and working remotely the other three. No students are in the building on Wednesday for a deep clean between cohorts. While those in sixth through eighth grade could not return full-time because there is not enough space, if those in kindergarten through fifth grade were to, that would mean there’s just 36 to 50 square feet of space per student, and the superintendent said to accommodate the kids — about 275 total — double bus runs would have to be made to get students to and from school.

“COVID-19 hasn’t gone away, but we seem to be most cautious in Springs,” Ms. Schurlein said. “Other schools have used the maximum capacity limits.”

Some parents, though, said that they liked that the district is being more guarded.

“Why not problem-solve the issues with remote learning and get that up to speed instead of trying to jam everyone back into a building that is not safe for those numbers?” parent Siobhan Dolan asked.

Others also saw positives to students learning from home.

“Wearing a mask for seven hours a day is extremely difficult for adults — imagine how difficult it is for children,” special education teacher Crystal Reiner said. “Hybrid isn’t ideal, but it is what we have to do right now. Let’s work together to make the best of a not-so-great situation. Safety is the number one concern, and we all need to remember that COVID did not just go away.”

First-grade teacher AnnMarie Diaz said that for her, it’s just been nice to finally be in front of students.

“Nothing about education right now is ideal, but the students, parents and teachers are working so hard, and I am just so happy that we are seeing students’ faces at least two times a week,” she said. “Patience and teamwork are so key right now.”

But many could not remain calm as the live feed was cut several times during the meeting, and audio, especially of audience members addressing the board, was incomprehensible. The stream was lost several times, and if unaware a new link was posted on the website, audience members were not aware the meeting was even continuing. The total number of virtual attendees, which reached 85 at one point in the meeting, dropped quickly to closer to 30 participants.

“It is too choppy,” teacher Jodie Hallman said to the board through the YouTube chat. “I can’t hear a thing.”

“The speakers need to also speak into the mic on the laptop,” Patricia Hicks typed. “Everyone is muted so we cannot hear.”

Board members’ microphones on their devices were muted when they were not talking as the signal interfered with the audio inside the gymnasium. While the technology department’s John Gibbons said the meeting was being recorded in its entirety, parents continued to express frustration.

“Being recorded does not help when parents may have questions now,” Corinne Kelly said through YouTube.

“A recorded meeting is not a public meeting,” Joshua Brussell echoed.

Trying to mitigate the issue, Ms. DeLalio attempted to paraphrase what speakers were saying, along with board members’ responses. To avoid any compounding problems, and to ensure participation and equal opportunity for all members of the public, board members said they would revert to a virtual only meeting in the future.

“What are some of the ideas after this 10-week period?” Ms. Schurlein asked. “Can you share some thoughts on what happens as we move forward? Is there talk about going back to school on Wednesdays, at least?”

Ms. DeLalio said Wednesdays and social distancing guidelines from the state Department of Health will be also discussed at the upcoming special meeting.

Ms. Winter said previously the district had already planned to reassess its plans after the first 10 weeks of school. Currently, a survey of parents is being conducted to gain feedback on how things have gone so far. It asks questions like, “Are your child’s remote work assignments clear and easy to understand?” How often do technical issues at school disrupt your child’s learning?” and “How easy or difficult has it been for your child to get individual learning support?” Parents were to receive the survey by email, but some have not seen it, according to those watching the meeting. Parents can contact Principal Christine Cleary at ccleary@springsschool.org to receive and weigh in on the survey.