A ‘direct’ threat to education

More than a dozen parents, teachers and concerned community members addressed a Feb. 24 board of education meeting regarding what they called mistreatment of their children at Woodcrest Elementary School.

During the meeting’s public comment section, about 15 parents spoke both in person and virtually about an environment where they say students and staff are attacked on what some characterized as an almost daily basis since the school year began.

Parent Sarah Daly told the board that there have been numerous incidents where students and staff have been bitten and had objects thrown at them, disrupting the learning process.

“The environment is not merely a physical and mental-safety concern,” she explained. “It is a direct threat to the educational mandate. The resulting loss of instructional time impacts the entire student body, and it is particularly detrimental to our most vulnerable learners, those with IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) and 504 plans, including my two children, who are often disproportionately affected by the constant overstimulation, fear, and lack of instructional time.”

(A 504 plan is a written agreement that outlines necessary accommodations required for a student with a disability.) 

Daly called for an ongoing crisis team, an interim safety plan, and an effort to gain legislative support for increased behavioral-health funding. Her husband Jon also spoke at the meeting, noting that he and his wife have been trying to get Woodcrest’s issues addressed for six months.

“We are no closer to solving this issue than we were at the beginning of the school year, and frustration has started to boil over,” he commented. “The time for blind trust in your plans is over … My purpose here is to formally ask the school board to investigate the staffing-to-need ratio and behavioral intervention plan at Woodcrest Elementary.”

Several times during the meeting, board president Gina Winters – and at one point, solicitor Katherine Gilfillan – had to remind speakers not to reveal details about students that would violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which prohibits the public release of a student’s personal identification.

“I am listening very carefully to make sure we’re not saying students’ names, because that will be unacceptable,” Winters pointed out. “But that has not happened. And I understand the concern that is being raised about FERPA …

“I also want to honor and respect the parents who have come to this meeting and have called on the phone to try and speak to the board of education.”

Meredith Levin, a Special Education Parent Advisory Group (SEPAG) leader, invited Woodcrest parents to speak with one of its groups about the situation.

“We have been in ongoing communication with the district regarding this matter,” she noted, “and we appreciate that several of our suggestions have already begun to be implemented … It is a very real situation and they are paying attention and we are paying attention, and we are here to work as a whole community for everyone to move forward and to feel safe in schools.”

Levin did not provide details on what suggestions have been implemented and SEPAG did not respond to a request for comment.

Former board president Anne Einhorn revealed that she has 218 signatures on a petition asking for an independent audit of special education, a move she believes the board should make.

“At the last meeting, the district used a key word – guardrail,” Einhorn maintained. “If special education is truly a guardrail, then it must be operational, visible in planning documents, staffing plans and measurable commitments, particularly to the children, and not just referenced as a principle …

“We’re asking for one concrete step,” she added. “Issue a request for a proposal or an independent special education audit with a defined scope, a clear timeline and a commitment to public reporting a corrective action plan.”

Jim Neary, a member of the Cherry Hill Special Education PTA (CHSEPTA), also testified, describing how his own children have been affected by the school’s problems. He implored the board to arrange a meeting for parents with school Superintendent Kwame Morton.

“Imagine being the parent of a special education child, children like, who have hit people, who have bit people,” he said. “Hearing all of their classmates come up and speak, knowing they’re talking about your child. And not to discredit any of these people, because their concerns are real, (but) my children have also been on the other side of that. My children have been hit at school. My children have been severely bullied at school.

“Rather than let this dog-and-pony show continue all evening, please, can you make a commitment to these parents that you will talk to Dr. Morton, the one employee that you oversee, to take a meeting with them?” Neary asked. “That is my request. That is their request.”

After parents spoke, Winters suggested they email the board with additional comments, and indicated that it takes their testimony seriously.

“The administration is also here to listen to your comments and write them down,” she pointed out. “So you’re not going to get some formal, direct yes (that) this is what we’re doing at this exact moment, cause that’s not the process in this kind of meeting.

“We are listening to you and we did take your information, and we will be following up with your concerns.”

Board member Miriam Stern credited the parents for making Woodcrest’s issues public.

“And I think there’s more for us to discuss on that matter,” she added.

Board members Bridget Palmer and Dean Drizin – who has a child at Woodcrest – agreed with Stern. Fellow member Kurt Braddock noted he was touched by what parents had to say.

“As the father of two very young daughters who will be going through the Cherry Hill school system, I was moved by everything everybody said,” he revealed. “And I can’t speak for the board, I can’t speak for others, but I really did take to heart what everybody said, and I hope that we can have this discussion among us moving forward as well …

“I don’t get moved much, but I was moved tonight,” Braddock acknowledged. “I’ve got a cold, black dead heart, and today you guys woke it up.”

Asked about the situation at Woodcrest, the school district’s public information officer, Nina Baratti, provided The Sun an emailed statement.

“(The) Cherry Hill public school (district) is limited as to what we are able to share publicly because of student privacy and FERPA laws,” the statement said. “We value all public comments, emails and input from our various stakeholder groups, and we thank the community for voicing their opinions. 

“The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our top priorities,” it added. “We recognize addressing student needs can be complex and nuanced, and we will continue to work to ensure that concerns are handled and improvements are made.”