This plan calls for Moody students to be bused to Spencer School, and Eldridge supervised the loading of buses by class so that students would stay together in their class groups. Once the buses were loaded and all students were accounted for, Eldridge stayed at Moody to issue an initial Honeywell Alert and to meet with the various groups called in to inspect Moody's condition (Westfield Fire Marshall, police, Facilities Director Ken Jackson, and city officials). "I deliberately waited to send the Honeywell Alert because I wanted to personally supervise loading the buses so that we totally and calmly moved the students over to our designated evacuation site."
Eldridge also said that teachers were instructed to bring work with them and that cafeteria staff were told they would have to serve Moody students lunch using Spencer's cafeteria.
"I want to commend everyone involved for the very smooth and orderly day we had. Spencer's Principal, Mrs. Clark, did a great job getting the kids settled. We didn't have any anxiousness from our students. The kids were warm, dry, engaged and they had lunch. I didn't see any reason for parents to have a mandatory early pick-up today."
The student perspective on today's excitement wasn't exactly as cheerful. A 5th grader interviewed for this story had this to say: "I was kind of nervous and frustrated because we were stuck for a long time." The student went on to summarize the day like this:
"we got on the buses at about 9:45 after being told we were having a winter fire drill. About half of us went to the cafeteria at Spencer and the other half went to the gym. We sat around for a long time and eventually got some lined paper to draw on. Then we had lunch and they switched out the groups so we got to go to the gym. We sat there for a while and eventually got to watch a movie."
The student also said that the teachers stood around in the hall and checked on things every now and then, but there really wasn't anything to do but sit and wait. This student was also told that parents could come and get their children, but was confused when very few parents actually did show up.
Superintendent Michael Frechette had no explanation for why the district website had an update at 9:27am on snow removal and an update at 1:53pm on activities cancellations, but nothing at all mentioned about Moody's or Bielefield's evacuations. When asked if there were any plans to schedule specific Q&A time or some other kind of deliberate communication with parents to address concerns over snow days, building integrity, etc., Frechette replied, "We will post on website as well as Honeywell."
If you are a Moody parent or teacher, or even a Spencer teacher, and you would like to summarize your experience (or your child's experience) today, please comment on this story. While it is important to know from the administrator's perspective that the technical details of the evacuation worked, it's also important to acknowledge what the children thought and experienced as well as what parents expected to know. Was it realistic to expect any instructional learning to occur after a full evacuation? Were teachers prepared for that? Did it actually happen? Did parents feel comfortable with the notifications they received? What went well today and what should be done differently next time?
Thank you in advance for your constructive comments!
10 comments:
Do you actually think Frechette would have anything to say? I have not seen an administrator get paid so much for so little work. He is confrontational and lacks any social skills in talking with parents. He didn't have an explanation because he feels that he doesn't have to answer to the public. We are below him. When will the BOE and the residents get it in them to get rid of him?
My daughter is at Bielefield in kindergarten. I was very nervous while I waited to hear from her. Of her experience in the evacuation to Wesley, she said "that was the best field trip EVER!" so thank you to all the teachers and staff who handled everything so smoothly.
I am completely confident and comfortable with the evacuation steps and procedures taken at Moody. I think EVERYTHING was handled with the children smoothly, calmly, effectively and gives me great confidence that they have been practicing the monthly drills in a serious way. My children 3rd and 1st had accurate information and seem to have felt completely safe throughout the whole experience. Kudos to the entire Moody community. It was also the RIGHT decision to wait to alert parents and prioritize loading, attendance of the students before alerting parents and then have parents rushing to Moody and disrupting the evacuation process. Shame on the media for interrupting this process and potentially putting children in harm by stepping in and not thinking about the panic caused by acting too quickly. On the flip side, I am disappointed that the inspection process wasn't handled in a more proactive way. I began asking questions early in the week and feel that professional snow removal and inspection should have been done on Monday/Tuesday BEFORE the downtown incident. I think it's a poor excuse to blame the chaos the city faced on the lack of foresight and lack of initiative taken. Other towns began the process days before we got to the point that evacuations at Moody and Bielefield. We are EXTREMELY lucky these roofs did not collapse.
My son is a second grader at Spencer. I thought he would come home brimming with excitement about the day's events. Instead, while he knew there were extra kids at his school and he knew why, it had been pretty much business as usual. He did ask what would happen if he were ever evacuated. I told him we could tell from what happened on Friday that there was a good plan in place and if he were ever evacuated, he would be fine. Nice job teachers and staff at both schools.
I am a parent of a 2nd grader at Bielefield. My son was also very comfortable telling me the story of the day. His class was on their way to lunch when they went back to get their belongings and go to the buses. The only thing he was annoyed at was moving from the gym to the music room to the cafe for a really late lunch! I personally think that the school and the process was very smoothly executed. I am impressed and relieved. I was glad that the teachers stayed calmed.
As far as teaching at the other school, that did not happen for my son. They were watching Charlotte's Web when my husband picked him up. I think the school does need to come up with a plan so the kids can continue learning even if it is not based on their current adgenda in class.
As far as why the kids needed to be evacuated, I have more concerns. The kids' safety needs to be first. We had a devastating collapse here in town, everyone needs to take this unprecedented weather seriously. I know the admin. is under a lot of pressure to get the 180 days in before 6/30, but at what cost? One more day off to clear roofs would not have been so drastic. The reality is we may have to miss spring vacation, not a big deal. I personally think that the kids should not go back until all roofs are clear.
Noone has mentioned the other schools. We have a daughter in 8th grade at Woodrow Wilson. Their cafeteria was closed all day long and we did not get a honeywell message about that. My daughter said that the roof is about to collapse in there. I don't know if that is true or the rumor from the kids, but there was some reason that kids had cold lunches in the gym and had to avoid certain hallways.
I want to know what is happening next week? How will we really know it is safe to send our kids to school? I have lost my confidence that the district is motivated with the right intentions.
I think that the superintendent Michael Frechette is a huge disappointment. Our town deserves better! The principal of Moody School contacted him with concerns regarding a large crack in Moody School and he told her not to worry that he would send someone over in the next 30 minutes or so.
Are you kidding me - What about our children ??? Thank God for our principal Yolande Eldridge who had no choice but to take matters into her own hands. She made the decision to put the safety of our children first and called 911 on her own. My question is... What exactly are Michael Frechette's priorities?? He ought to be ashamed of himself.
Overall the event went relatively smoothly. I was not pleased with the amount of time taked to notify parents of the evacuation. Although Mre. Eldridge was right that the kids being transported was most important she could have designated someone else to set up the call. Spencers staff handled the event well, but I was disappointed that there was no ID's checked when picking up from a complete stranger.
My daughter is a first grader at Moody. I chose to pick my daughter up when I heard the news, which I heard from word of mouth HOURS before the Honeywell call. My choice was based on the fact that if they had not already cleared the roof at any of the schools - what made Spencer a safer place?? I am disturbed by the district's decision to ignore the Governor's warning for so long. I think this demonstrates a lack in clear priorities on the part of the Superintendent.
That being said.... Moody's staff did a FANTASTIC job at evacuating the children. Spencer's staff was apparently a most accommodating host! The scene at Spencer was very calm and organized. A well-oiled machine! They did not check my ID, but there were staff that knew me well and were talking to me about my child - so I can see why that wasn't necessary. My daughter was very happy, never nervous and said she had fun.
The only issue I have outside of those previously stated is the loss in instruction time, which in an emergency, is hardly the main objective. Again, this issue is attributed to the district not clearing off the roof maybe LAST weekend. I understand it is a big job and I understand it is costly. I don't care. My kids are worth it.
I appreciate that the principal was supervising evacuation. I am very happy that she is so hands on. However, I will reiterate the feelings of another parent - I would think this is a task that could have been delegated.
Becky Carroll
I was happy that Mrs. Eldridge took immediate action when she noticed the cracks. If Dr. Frechette really did tell her to wait, shame on him! Buildings collapse in minutes with little warning, not hours and certainly not on HIS schedule! What was he thinking? Why were no inspections or snow clearing down prior to that day? My daughter informs me that the annoucements and evacuation was handled in a very calm, reassuring manner and no one felt anxious. I'm happy that I've seen what an emergency evacuation would look like before an actual emergency occurred, and that my child was safe and supervised every step of the way. What I am NOT HAPPY ABOUT and expect to be done differently next time - I absolutely do not want to hear about an emergency evacuation on the news or by word of mouth and certainly not hours after the emergency occurs. My daughter was already home by the time I got the first phone call. I expect the first phone call to come immediately even without full details available. That way I know I will be needed and can get in my car and start driving from wherever I am towards home. Obviously this wasnt a perfect day, the kids had not much to do while they were there, but it is an opportunity to open a dialogue about what went right, and what could be done better next time.
As a parent of a Moody 5th grader I was very impressed by how orderly the evacuation was.
I arrived at Spencer to pick up my son and my neighbor's son around 11:30 and was surprised at the organization. I'll admit I was expecting at least a little chaos.
I can tell you things must have run very smoothly because my son and neighbor both commented on how "boring" it was.
The staff at Moody and Spencer did an outstanding job Friday. They were consummate professionals.
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