GREENFIELD — The Greenfield School Committee called an emergency meeting Tuesday morning after Superintendent Jordana Harper decided Monday afternoon — without its approval — to return schools to fully remote instruction for at least three days due to rising numbers of positive COVID-19 cases throughout the city.
All seven members of the committee met in an online meeting to discuss not only how to take back its authority and preserve the integrity of the committee, but also to discuss whether to overturn Harper’s decision. Harper did not attend the meeting.
The vote about whether to override the superintendent’s decision was tabled until the School Committee’s meeting Thursday night, with members agreeing that they’d like more information about whether there are any COVID-19 cases in the schools and how Harper, who is expected to be there Thursday, came to her decision without informing the committee first.
Currently, only the highest-risk students — those in special education and those learning English as a second language, for instance — have returned to in-person learning. Harper’s decision to return to fully remote learning affects about 39 students throughout six schools, but it is unclear how many teachers, administrators and staff it impacts.
Harper could not be reached for comment by press time on Tuesday.
School Committee member Katie Caron, who also serves on the Health and Safety Committee created through union negotiations, said the committee, along with others including Harper, met at the end of last week and many felt comfortable that schools could remain open. She said she’s not sure what happened between Friday and Monday.
Committee member and Mayor Roxann Wedegartner said the city’s Board of Health did recommend to Harper — who sought its recommendation without informing the mayor — that with the increase in positive cases throughout the community, it might not be a bad idea to revert to fully remote learning.
“The Board of Health and health director will always err on the side of safety,” Wedegartner said.
After getting the Board of Health’s recommendation, Harper crafted a letter notifying families that schools would have the highest-risk students return to fully remote instruction along with the rest of the student population.
The problem, School Committee members said, is that the letter is unclear about whether the schools will be closed for three days or until after the holidays, which could be either Jan. 4 or Jan. 11 — that decision hasn’t been made yet. Some members said they got clarification from Harper that it is only for three days, while others said they got no such notification.
School Committee Vice Chair Susan Eckstrom said she was surprised to hear Harper made the decision without coming to the School Committee first. Caron said that while she doesn’t necessarily disagree with the decision, the committee should have been involved.
Similarly, committee member Glenn Johnson-Mussad said he wished the superintendent had communicated her thoughts and request of the Board of Health so that the School Committee could have been involved.
While some members were inclined to rescind Harper’s decision, six of the seven voted to wait until the committee’s meeting Thursday to decide what to do. All members agreed they feel for the students who are affected and don’t want to add any more confusion to what has happened, leading them to wait for a clear explanation from the superintendent. Chair Amy Proietti abstained.
If the plan for fully remote learning for the highest-risk students is only for three days, the committee won’t have to take that vote.
School Committee member Susan Hollins said she believes the decision does not meet state guidelines, which is another issue. The committee voted unanimously to assure that from this point forward there is collaboration among the superintendent, school health officials, city’s Board of Health and School Committee when it comes to decisions about matters like closures during the pandemic, and that state guidelines are followed.
The School Committee will meet online Thursday at 6 p.m. Check the city’s calendar (bit.ly/3mocLCy) or the School Committee’s calendar (bit.ly/3abrZbO) for details and login information.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.