THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, NOVEmbER 3, 2023 Page 3 Sounds of Everett Luck in the Everett Public Schools? S everal School Committee members coined the term “we are lucky” for Everett and its students to have Priya Tahiliani as the school superintendent four years ago when she was hired. Let us review these last four years to see her impact on the community. She was hired at a time when our schools were competitive in education. She started three-quarters of the way through what was already a transition year. The year was moving along quite well, and she was walking into what should have been an easy fi nish. A week later our world shut down and the plan for an easy year changed immediately. Everett quickly made the transition to virtual learning. September 2020 quickly arrived with no plan in place to return to school. Parents were up in arms; they needed their kids physically in school. The students returned to school in the spring of 2021 to absolute chaos, after over one year of virtual learning. Control, order, structure and discipline had vanished from the Everett Public Schools. Bullying increased, destroying of school property increased, janitorial staff were let go. Our schools that were once attractive to the eye became eyesores. Screens were broken; the grounds were in bad need of landscaping; and trees were growing out of the side of “Character” at the Parlin. That was just visible on the outside. Inside the bathrooms and lockers were destroyed. Kids began to feel unsafe; they didn’t want to go to school, and educationally the schools started to fail. Summer 2021 should have been a time to review what was a success and failure upon the return to school, but that September, as school returned to complete in-person learning, matters only continued to escalate. Nothing had been done. Parents began e-mailing and calling the teachers, principals and eventually the administrative offi ce, and received no response from all three departments. The parents began reaching out to the previous School Committee, and the School Committee members were told by the Superintendent that they were not allowed to talk to the parents. The word from the top was to keep quiet, say nothing. In the meantime, the violence, bullying and destruction continued. Violent incidents and bullying became a daily occurrence, and with no action from the Superintendent, on October 13, 2021, the Everett Teachers Association composed a letter to the Everett School Committee (which was also published in The Everett Advocate on October 22, 2021) notifying them of what was happening and had “several reservations” about how the Superintendent handled these issues. The Teachers Association urged that school safety be prioritized and addressed immediately. The uptick in violence was the direct eff ect of Superintendent Tahiliani’s decision to remove critSOUNDS | SEE PAGE 22 Lasell University Welcomes New Students L asell University is honored to welcome over 370 new students for the Class of 2027 to our community, including two Everett residents, Alison Benavides Lopez and Domenic Catino. LEARNING | FROM PAGE 2 made by certain members at the meeting emphasized the importance of due process for some, but failed to acknowledge the process that is owed to those raising concerns. More attention and focus were placed by some members on trying to fi gure out who had made the complaints and what steps they had taken. This type of behavior that scrutinizes employees who have the courage to voice their concerns and make the complaints is the type of behavior that can have a chilling impact on the willingness of employees to come forward in the future. For those residents, individuals, and organizations who questioned what message the Everett School Lasell University is a small private university located on an urban campus in Newton, Mass. It off ers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the liberal arts, sciences and professional fi elds of study. Committee was sending to students with its decisions this week, the message is a simple, but important one. The message is that we are capable of learning from our past, including our past mistakes. The message is that we have an obligation to create safe spaces and channels for our employees to voice their concerns. The message is that all of us who serve the residents of Everett must be held accountable and are subject to scrutiny regardless of the position held. The most important lesson that we have learned from our educational past in Everett is that respect is owed to every Everett employee and we need to have processes in place to meet that obligation. ANTHONY DIPIERRO FOR WARD 3 CITY COUNCIL Endorsed by Laborers Local 22 and Ironworkers Local 7 Vote ANTHONY DIPIERRO by Tuesday, November 7 Anthony DiPierro is a Key Supporter of More Vocational Programming for our Students Anthony DiPierro Knows Union Jobs Build Secure Families & Neighborhoods PAID FOR BY THE COMMITTE TO ELECT ANTHONY DIPIERRO Anthony’s Mom – Tinamarie Saldutti, a 14 year member of Laborers Local 22 (Paid Pol. Adv.)
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