After several meetings since four Glover School educators were placed on leave, the Marblehead teachers union said it was “extremely disappointed in the inadequate response” from interim Superintendent Theresa McGuinness to concerns about the leadership of the district’s student services department, which supports children with challenges.
“It is disturbing that an interim superintendent would prioritize maintaining the incompetent leadership she inherited over supporting the rank-and-file educators she purports to value and hopes to lead,” the Marblehead Education Association wrote in a statement sent to the Current Monday, Dec. 18.
The MEA added that it “stands firm” in its demand that Student Services Director Paula Donnelly and Associate Student Services Director Emily Dean be removed from their positions “to prevent continued harm to our members and students.”
After recent incidents at Glover involving student restraints, McGuinness announced that the district would bring in an outside attorney to review its policies. During that process, McGuinness placed four Glover educators on paid leave.
The MEA sent an email to McGuinness and the School Committee Dec. 14 announcing that 97% of its teachers, paraprofessionals and tutors had voted “no confidence” in Donnelly and Dean.
“We believe that working conditions are unacceptable for all of us and that members of our union are being unfairly punished all because of the inability of Dr. Paula Donnelly and Emily Dean to do their jobs,” wrote teachers Jonathan Heller and Sally Shevory, MEA co-presidents.
McGuinness and the School Committee said they would launch an investigation into Donnelly and Dean’s performance. But the MEA wants action sooner.
‘Support into action’
“Our meetings with interim Superintendent McGuinness thus far have not moved us closer to identifying acceptable solutions,” the MEA wrote Dec. 18. “The district’s independent investigation must not be used as an excuse to delay any actions which should be taken immediately to protect staff and student safety. Dr. Donnelly and Ms. Dean are solely responsible for the crisis in faith that led to a 98% vote of no confidence in their abilities. We disagree with the superintendent’s assessment that removing Dr. Donnelly and Ms. Dean from their posts at this time would be destabilizing.”
The MEA told the Current that it is still optimistic that a delegation of its members can meet with McGuiness to “further the conversation about what we need to ensure a safe working and learning environment for all. Until that time, we look forward to the interim superintendent turning her words of support into action.”
New student restraint data
The state released updated data on student restraints on Dec. 14. For the 2022-23 school year, Glover, Brown and Village schools each reported fewer than six students restrained, or the number of injuries to staff or students as between one and five.
In 2021-22, six Glover School students were restrained a total of 42 times resulting in 12 injuries. At the Brown School that year, seven students were restrained a total of 35 times, resulting in seven injuries.
What is a restraint?
The state’s Department of Education regulations define physical restraint as “direct physical contact that prevents or significantly restricts a student’s freedom of movement.”
The definition does not include “brief physical contact to promote student safety, providing physical guidance or prompting when teaching a skill, redirecting attention or providing comfort.”
The regulations outline what types of restraints are prohibited (mechanical restraints, medication restraints and, in most cases, prone restraints), but the regulations do not list the types of restraints that may be used.
Marblehead’s student restraint policy on the School Committee’s website dates to 2018 and reads that restraint “shall be used only in emergency situations of last resort after other lawful and less intrusive alternatives have failed or been deemed inappropriate, and with extreme caution.”
The two-page policy states that the use of “mechanical restraint, medical restraint and seclusion is prohibited.”
“Policy JKAA” states that the superintendent will develop procedures identifying:
- Appropriate responses to student behavior that may require immediate intervention.
- Methods of preventing student violence.
- Descriptions and explanations of alternatives to physical restraint, as well as the school’s method of physical restraint for use in emergency situations.
The district’s policy requires each building principal to identify staff members to serve as a school-wide resource to assist in ensuring proper administration of physical restraint.
The policy requires each staff member to be trained regarding the school’s physical restraint policy, with the principal arranging training to occur in the first month of each school year.
The policy also states, “Physical restraint is prohibited when it is medically contraindicated for reasons, including, but not limited to, asthma, seizures, a cardiac condition, obesity, bronchitis, communication-related disabilities or risk of vomiting.”
McGuinness has declined to answer questions about Marblehead’s restraint policies and if they have been followed.
***This story was updated shortly after being published to reflect that at that time only McGuinness, and not School Committee Chair Sarah Fox, had been asked to identify what types of restraints are allowed in Marblehead schools. When asked on Dec. 18, Fox refered to the district’s policy manual, which does not list the types of restraints that are permissable.
Editor Leigh Blander is an experienced TV, radio and print journalist.
