By Jeff Shimelman
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FRAMINGHAM – To start, thank you to all the wonderful teachers in our city for all they are doing. Wanting in person learning, is NOT anti-teacher.
Before the comments come in that we are in a pandemic, the numbers are awful, the bodies are piling up, etc. I am aware.
What I am also aware of, is that many other municipalities in this state are at least trying to get their students some in person education as it was meant to be. Framingham conducted a survey to see who wanted to return to school and who wanted to remain remote. The beauty of that was that if the
schools ever reopened for in person learning, everyone had a choice of whether to send their student or remain remote. Somehow this has become a giant conflict between two groups of people. A vote that was almost 50/50. Why such anger? Want to stay remote, great! Want to send your student to school, you should not have to defend this position. However, one would think those wanting in person learning have committed a heinous crime based on the vitriol.
But this is not about the parents, this is about the city and specifically Framingham Public Schools. For anyone that has been following along, Framingham Public Schools continues to move the target for reopening the schools. Why?
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When the survey came out in December, it gave all of those in favor of returning some actual hope. Sadly, it was sent out to quiet those that were becoming restless with the district, as it has now become clear that there was never a plan that could actually be executed.
Listening to the School Committee meeting this past Wednesday, there were way more questions than answers about how to reopen the buildings. This was alarming to hear. In an email Dr. Tremblay sent to a parent just this week, he has now entered the vaccine and its availability into the equation. “When we have more information about the COVID-19 vaccine availability for teachers that will help us get back soon.” What?
There is nothing on the Return to School dashboard that even mentions the vaccine. Only numbers that Framingham Public Schools has changed at least once and will probably change again.
For comparison sake, I submit Fall River. https://www.fallriverschools.org/ There are many more examples of districts with similar or worse numbers than Framingham that are offering in person learning to some or all students.
Fall River has just over 10,000 students and approximately 1500 are in person right now. They are a red community with numbers worse than ours in Framingham. They are also allowing extracurricular activities for those that choose to participate.
Currently in Framingham, you must pay to play. There are in person learning opportunities, but at a cost. Park and Rec activities available at a cost. Club
Sports, same.
All of this while our taxes go up and our services are cut. The city residents, students, and parents deserve transparent answers to these questions:
- Where does the Mayor stand on all of this? Why is she silent on schools, yet vocal about her re-election bid?
- Why didn’t the school committee act on the survey results? Yes, the numbers got worse, but many other places opened their schools.
- How is it possible that almost halfway through the pandemic school year there is still no plan to open the school buildings?
- What changes with a vaccine? And if the vaccine is an important part of the in person learning strategy, why is Dr. Tremblay just now starting to talk about the vaccine that could add more delays for in person learning starting again?
- What can we learn from all the cities and towns around us that are trying to do better by their students?
There are many more questions than answers and the students of this City deserve better. In the meantime, to quote Norah O’Donnell of CBS, “Stay positive and test Negative.”
Jeff Shimelman is a Framingham resident
