EV Vol. 31, No.6 -FREEEVE ER TT Happy Valentine’s Day to all our Readers! ADDOCCO TEAT www.advocatenews.net Free Every Friday 617-387-2200 Friday, February 11, 2022 Parents blast school offi cials over January lockdown chaos Banking with a hometown touch. Open a free checking account with no monthly fees, and get access to Mobile Banking, Bill Pay and other features. Because no matter where you go, we’re right by you. Call or visit us to sign up. 419 BROADWAY, EVERETT MA 02149 61 7-38 7 - 1 1 10 7 7 1 SALEM ST, LYNNFIELD, MA 01940 781-7 76- 4444 WWW.EVERET TBANK . COM P Right by you. Member FDIC Member DIF Parent Michelle Seward spoke passionately about the breakdown in communication that took place when Everett High School went into lockdown on January 26. By Christopher Roberson arents aggressively berated school offi cials and administrators for their lack of transparency and communication regarding the Everett High School lockdown on January 26. During the School Committee’s February 7 meeting, parent Michelle Seward described the emotional trauma from that day and how district leaders were not there in a time of need. “You did not witness the sheer terror these kids experienced,” she said. “They saw the news crews, the police, the fi re and ambulance all lined up. You know who they didn’t see – any of you.” Seward also took issue with the district’s generic statement that SINCE 1921 Messinger Insurance Agency 475 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 Phone: 617-387-2700 Fax: 617-387-7753 NEW COMPETITIVE AUTO RATES AND BENEFITS AVAILABLE ACCIDENT FORGIVENESS DISAPPEARING COLLISION DEDUCTIBLE 11% DISCOUNT WITH SUPPORTING POLICY 10% COMBINED PAY IN FULL DISCOUNT AND GREEN DISCOUNT 10% GOOD STUDENT DISCOUNT Celebrating 100 years of excellence! Monday thru Friday: 8am to 6pm Saturdays 9am to 1pm! Check out our NEW website! www.messingerinsurance.com the threat was “not credible.” “How dare you downplay the seriousness of this,” she said. “Do something. You have all sat back and watched from afar for way too long.” She recalled the incident last October when students from Malden got inside the high school with the intention of starting a fi ght with Everett students. “Intruders have repeatedly gotten into this school,” said Seward. In the weeks that followed, she said, parents were told that additional cameras were being installed and that three success coaches would be hired. “I’m not really sure what these success coaches do or how that success is measured,” said Seward. “None of this has really done anything.” Laura Tiberii has a daughter who is a freshman. “She has seen students slammed into lockers, students pulled across cafeteria tables and punched in the face,” said Tiberii, adding that she and other parents have been pushing for tighter security measures. “We want to understand what these solutions are and what the timeline is to get them implemented. It’s now February and we’re still waiting.” Speaking about the lockdown, Tiberii said that despite the freezing temperatures, students had to leave their jackets behind as it was unsafe for them to return to their lockers. “We deserve more information than this,” she said. Parent Laura Clarke voiced the need for door alarms, digital cameras and metal detectors as well as additional staff monitoring the hallways, bathrooms and stairwells. “Many believed they would die that day,” Clarke said of the lockdown. “The reality was that our children were lucky.” She also spoke about the Cambridge Safety Net CollaboraPARENTS | SEE PAGE 2
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