Hanover School Committee to Address Teacher Concerns About Uncivil Behavior
Teachers Association president reports staff experiencing intimidation and disrespect from some community members
HANOVER - April 30 - The Hanover School Committee agrees to form a working team to review policies addressing uncivil behavior toward teachers following concerns raised by the Hanover Teachers Association president at Wednesday's meeting.
Steve Henderson, president of the Hanover Teachers Association, told the committee that teachers across all grade levels and subjects have reported feeling belittled and demeaned during interactions with some adults in the community.
"The teachers are suffering," Henderson said. "I've heard teachers say that they felt belittled, that they felt demeaned by adult interactions. I've read teachers say that they've considered leaving the profession, leaving the district."
Henderson described incidents where teachers experienced being yelled at during parent-guardian meetings, receiving threatening emails at all hours, being sworn at, and having private educational information shared on social media.
While emphasizing these incidents involve only a small number of community members, Henderson noted they have a significant impact on educators' wellbeing and contribute to staff turnover.
"These are anomalous things, but unfortunately, sometimes anomalous things can be really, really significant and really, really impactful," he said.
Henderson requested the school committee's policy subgroup form a working team to review school committee policy KE with the intent of adding effective language for addressing aggressive behavior and establishing clearer boundaries for civil discourse.
Superintendent Matt Ferron supported the request, noting there have been situations this year where teachers were put in "unacceptable, intimidating" positions.
"What we're looking to do here is just to inform all of us and remind all of us about the importance of civil discourse, respect," Ferron said. "Everybody's here to do the best thing for their students and the best thing for their children, and it's about being a team."
Committee member Jackie Jorgenson expressed appreciation for Henderson bringing the concerns forward, noting that teacher treatment is contributing to broader issues in education.
"I think that teachers do take an unfair brunt of ire from people, and I don't think it's unique to any one town or any one place," Jorgenson said. "I think it's just something that's happening nationally because we're seeing more turnover in teachers. We're seeing fewer positions able to be filled."
Committee Chair Peter Miraglia expressed strong support for addressing the issue.
"If we lost a single teacher to somebody misbehaving to that point where they felt like it's not the right environment for them anymore, that would be bigger than anything else," Miraglia said.
Committee member Ryan Hall, who serves on the policy working group, committed to working with the teachers association and administration to develop appropriate protocols.
"As soon as Ms. Hughes returns, we can get a start," Hall said, referring to committee member Rachel Hughes who will return May 7.
The committee also discussed preparations for the upcoming annual town meeting on Monday, May 5, and the override vote scheduled for May 17.
Ferron reported that the town has concluded a series of public budget forums that provided platforms for open dialogue about the proposed town budget, with one final "Budget Buzz" coffee hour scheduled for Thursday at the John Curtis Library.
Committee member Libby Corbo highlighted the availability of a budget calculator on the town website that allows residents to determine the potential impact of the override on their property taxes.
"That calculator, you can put in your address. It'll give you the override impact," Corbo said.
In other business, the committee:
* Approved the creation of a new Community Service Central Club at Hanover High School, proposed by sophomores Mackenzie Gizotis and Leah Corbo, which will help students fulfill their 10-hour annual community service requirement by matching them with appropriate volunteer opportunities
* Accepted $4,446.49 in donations, bringing the total donations for the school year to $61,055, including contributions from the HPTA for various school programs and a donation of life-saving choking prevention devices for all school cafeterias from David Ladd
* Received an update on revolving accounts, with the lunch account performing as expected and the athletics account in a healthier position compared to past years due to fee increases implemented last year
* Heard from Superintendent Ferron that the district is gathering data through surveys of parents, students, and staff regarding cell phone policies and other school protocols around cell phone use
The committee also learned that the Massachusetts Attorney General's office is considering legislation that would limit cell phone use in schools during the school day, with Ferron participating in discussions about potential implementation challenges.