What It's Really Like

There has been a great deal of discussion in the abstract about the impact of the Delta variant in Vermont schools since the year began. Here in the real world, with real students, faculty, staff, and families, it's been excruciating. To give a real sense of what it has meant, consider these actual numbers in the St. Johnsbury School District. 

Thus far, we have had seventeen positive cases in our PK - 8 building through September 24, where more than three-quarters of our students are not yet able to receive a vaccine. There was promising news on a vaccine for 5 - 11-year-olds this week, and still, there's a way to go until it's available and our students are actually vaccinated. Of the cases we've had, thirteen are in PK - 6, where most if not all of our students are not yet eligible for a vaccine. We have had two positive cases in 7th and 8th grade, where some of our students are vaccinated. Finally, we had two cases where the individuals were not physically in school when they contracted the virus. 

Working with our Data Manager, I found that we average approximately fifteen students in each classroom, on the low side. The thirteen cases that have occurred so far in our PK - 6 classrooms affect almost two hundred families. Almost two hundred families.  

Nearly two hundred families have to pivot to remote learning. This is almost one-third of our student population. They all have to find child care or work from home. They all have to get to a testing center, get tested, and wait for the results. They all have to manage their lives differently since nowhere else in the state are masks mandatory. In addition, this could mean loss of wages for families and a ripple effect on businesses with vaccinated parents needing to take additional time off. 

Since none of these children can be vaccinated, the entire class needs to quarantine when there is a positive case. To give some perspective, with the two instances in our 7th and 8th grades, the impact is not nearly as significant. When close contacts are vaccinated, they do not need to miss school. We have a considerable number of our 7th and 8th graders vaccinated, so the impact on their learning was minimal. The disruptive effect on our PK - 6 students and their families is much worse. 

It is laudable that more than 87% of our adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine. Unfortunately, that does no good for the children who cannot get the vaccine yet and who realistically won't get the vaccine and be fully vaccinated until early December. And that is a very hopeful and optimistic timeline. 

Seventeen cases impacting almost two hundred families in the first five weeks of our school year in St. Johnsbury. In these late summer, early fall months, we can be outdoors often. We can spend time out of the building on our campus grounds. We also know that as the weather turns colder, that will get more and more challenging. 

It already feels hard, and the weather is cooperating with us. It feels like we are doing this alone. It feels like the rest of the state has moved on. The rest of the state, eligible for vaccination, has decided that school cases are not their problem, even though one of the best ways to bring down school transmission is to reduce community transmission. Schools should not be doing this alone. 

Seventeen cases impacting nearly two hundred families in the first five weeks of our school year. Despite the calls of medical experts, politicians, and educators for the current administration to do more. We need more. We cannot do it alone. 

Seventeen cases impacting nearly two hundred families in the first five weeks of our school year. 

In addition, this burden is falling on school principals, nurses, teachers, and staff. Principals are unable to be instructional leaders. Instead, they are making phone calls to families and assessing whether or not classrooms can stay open. Nurses are spending hours and hours contact tracing, as well as correcting misinformation being shared through the state COVID hotline. Teachers are juggling the responsibilities of remote and in-person learning, trying to thoughtfully and carefully build relationships that have been frayed over the past nineteen months. Staff members are being reassigned to different coverage areas on a daily basis as our need for substitute teachers dramatically increases. 

How much more can schools be expected to bear on their own? Asking for a friend...

Photo courtesy of www.cargocollective.com

Taking Turns

Our oldest son Patrick started high school in August. Having been in leadership in two different high schools, in two different states, and having a district office located in another high school, I can tell you one thing with confidence: parking lots are unique places. That means that arrival and dismissal times end up taking on a life of their own. If you've ever been in a high school parking lot, you know what I mean. 

As I headed to CVU to pick up Patrick one afternoon, I wondered what my first parking lot experience would be like. While juniors and seniors have parking privileges, freshmen and sophomores rely on others for their transportation. Teen drivers with less than two years experience, plus parents in a rush to pick up their children and get to the item on their "To Do" list (myself included), plus buses. What could go wrong? 

I arrived shortly before 3:00 (dismissal is at 3:15) and found a long line of cars waiting. As students began trickling out, the cars inched forward. With a steadier flow of students leaving the building, the parking lot began to get more crowded, with some students driving their own cars and other being driven by parents or caregivers. I thought to myself, "I know what this is going to look like" because I've seen this before at other high schools. 

I prepared myself for a race to each intersection. No one giving way, everyone trying to gain the slightest edge. With that edge, you get in front of the next vehicle for your turn to sit in line and wait at the stop sign. It's the hurry up and wait mentality of the high school parking lots that I've experienced both as a student, and as an adult. 

So after Patrick got into the car, we joined the conga line of cars all heading for the parking lot exit. I approached the first intersection and made eye contact with the young person approaching me on my right. I expected them to move ahead aggressively and instead was surprised when they gave the right of way to me. At the next turn, another young person, again gave me the right of way. At the third intersection, the individual did move ahead in a more aggressive manner but to my surprise, it was a parent. For our final two turns until we were in line for the stop sign, two other young people took what I considered to be appropriate turns in the lines of traffic. 

I was stunned and so impressed by how well the young people at CVU handled the parking lot. They actually took turns, a lesson that has been implicitly and explicitly taught since they were in early elementary classrooms. One person from one line of traffic gets to go, then someone else from the other line, and so on. If we follow that, we really can all get to where we are going. 

Our children are teaching us again. The only question is, are we open to learning from them? 

It's About Relationships - Even with Red Sox Fans

I like to wear my Yankee shirts all the time, even when I'm in Boston. I've been a fan of the Yankees for as long as I can remember, and despite the rivalry (which clearly has waned in recent years), I proudly wear the interlocking NY in Beantown. No, I don't wear it to Fenway, but essentially everywhere else, I display my pride in my team. 

We visited my in-laws for Labor Day weekend for one last gasp at summer. On the way to the Cape, we stopped in the North End neighborhood of Boston and found a table at a nice Italian restaurant. The service was great, the dinners were delicious, but the dessert was something special. 

The owner and chef came to the table and sat down. He asked if I was really a Yankees fan, and of course, I said I was. He asked the rest of the family their affiliation. My Wife is neutral. Our oldest son Patrick is a Yankees fan, and our youngest son Brendan roots for the Red Sox. We do, after all, live in Vermont, and I routinely tell anyone who asks that I dropped Brendan on his head when he was younger. 

When our host heard this, he quickly got up from the table and promised to bring us back something special. We watched him disappear down a flight of circular stairs. When he returned, he was holding a rectangular box. When he put the box on the table, I could see it had a glass top, but as I tried to see what was inside, he opened the box. A light came on as the box opened, and I could finally see what was inside: it was a World Series ring. 

Specifically, it was the World Series ring from 2013, the year the Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals. I've never seen a World Series ring in person before, and this one did not disappoint. Our host showed us all the details, let us hold it, and even let one of us put it on. 

My Favorite Red Sox fan with the 2013 World Series ring

I love baseball so much that when my high school playing days were over, I began umpiring just so that I could continue to be a part of the game. And while I will always root for the Yankees to beat the Red Sox, I have enough respect for the game itself to honor what the Sox accomplished in 2013. Do I wish the Yankees had won it then (or any year since 2009)? Absolutely. But I was not going to let that spoil this night. 

We sat at the table and listened to our host tell stories about that Red Sox team. He has had players, team executives, and fans alike at his restaurant. This was our dessert. Sitting while our host regaled us with his tales of the Red Sox made our night in the North End magical, even for a Yankees fan. 

This would not have happened had I not worn my Yankee shirt that night. It would not have happened if a die-hard Red Sox fan hadn't seen it, came over, sat down, and started a conversation. I know there's a rivalry but at the heart of it are just fans, all of whom put their pants on one leg at a time. I'm so grateful to have eaten at Piccolo Nido, and to have met Pino Irano, the owner and chef. 

The next time you're in the North End, please stop in, say hi, and have a meal. Tell Pino his favorite Yankee Fan sent you.  

It Starts at the Top

On Monday, August 30, I received an e-mail from a professor at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. The professor and her family were asking about the possibility of relocating to St. Johnsbury, where they own a second home. The family was forced to evacuate their primary home because of Hurricane Ida, and they were in search of opportunities for their children to continue to be educated. 

I consulted the residency statute with our attorney, and one of the safeguards to that statute is that residents must intend to stay for an indefinite period of time. That may not be the case here. At the same time, the family is not leaving their home by choice either. They are victims of a natural disaster. 

Fortunately, I serve a Board with a students-first attitude, and this was no exception. I reached out to my Chair and Vice-Chair and explained the situation. I shared with both of them my hope to extend the opportunity to educate this family's children - in an emergency situation - until the Board meets later in September. At that time, we would add an agenda item for the Board to review and discuss the "Admission of Resident Students" Policy, and the Board would be able to make a final decision for this family. 

That's what I did, and that is what we are going to do. I've connected the family with our Data Manager and the Co-Principal for the Upper House. We hope to see the family in our building this week, meeting with the children and letting them try to put their lives back together from the Green Mountain State. 

I told our Faculty and Staff on their first employment day this year that I believe I have the best job in the state of Vermont. I serve a Board that puts students first - not just during natural disasters, not just during pandemics, not just during states of emergency. I serve a Board that understands the connection between employee morale and better outcomes. I serve a Board that makes policies work for them, not making us work for the policies. 

When you have that kind of freedom as a Superintendent when your Chair asks routinely at meetings, "Is that best for students?" you get to do the work that you know will cultivate a safe, welcome, and inclusive place for students to grow and learn. That is my promise to our students. When I have that kind of freedom, I can make good on my promise to the adults: I want them to be their best professional selves for our students and for their colleagues. When I have that kind of freedom, I can honor the values of the community and reflect those values in the public education they support annually. 

Too often, there are times when we cannot do anything tangible for people who have suffered from the tragedy of a natural disaster. In this case, I know the St. Johnsbury School will allow a family from New Orleans to continue learning. In this case, we can make a difference in the lives of two children. In this case, we can be our best professional selves and add to our safe, welcome, and inclusive environment. 

It's because I serve a Board that puts students first. Every single time. 

Photo courtesy of www.lushin.com