Medford Schools Grapple With Issues Of Trust, Staffing Shortages

MEDFORD, MA — Issues of understaffing and trust between students and teachers in Medford came to light during Monday's school committee meeting, as the fallout continues from two incidents of violence at the high school last week.

While administrators could not discuss specific disciplinary measures handed down after the fights – a source of frustration for many students – they discussed the district's suspension policy and answered questions about safety and support measures in Medford schools.

Peter Cushing, assistant superintendent for middle and high school education, said out-of-school suspensions are implemented in cases of violent behavior or possession of weaponry, racist or discriminatory animus, bullying or retaliatory conduct, drug possession and violating academic integrity. Cushing said the aim is to implement this type of punishment sparingly, and the district should look toward developing an in-school suspension option.

The Medford Public Schools has two school resource officers, one based out of the police station and another in the field. Cushing said the program has faced some challenges due to health issues and other personnel matters, but those should be resolved "soon."

Elsewhere, the district is facing staffing shortages, including among substitute teachers, paraprofessionals and counselors. Medford has struggled to recruit counselors for open position and contract services, and caseloads are near the recommended capacity for its current staff.

Outside providers' caseloads are full as well, meaning adolescents seeking counseling face long waitlists, Cushing said.

"The social-emotional needs are outstripping resources," Cushing said. "There's no way to undersell this."

There are currently six guidance counselors, four school adjustment counselors and two school psychologists at the high school. The guidance counselors have a caseload of around 200 – the maximum recommended by the state is 250 – and the adjustment counselor caseloads are "quite high," administrators said.

The district held a hiring fair last month for daily substitute, paraprofessional and after-school care openings and is planning another one for January. Administrators said the first event received interest from 22 people.

Meanwhile, students who spoke at Monday's meeting said they do not feel supported by the administration and feared retaliation for walking out of school in response to the violence. Gabriella Puccio, a junior at the high school, called the fights a "wake-up call" to elected officials, but said the school's problems run deeper.

"Not only is violence an issue at Medford High School, but there are issues such as sexual harassment, racism, sexism, bullying, etcetera," she said. "Issues often seem to be 'swept under the rug,' as I've heard a classmate say."

Puccio felt the administration should have been transparent with them, particularly when it came to how it addressed the violence.

"There has not been a single statement to the students," she said. "This has left us confused, frustrated and letting us assume nothing was being done."

Puccio added that students who walked out last week felt they were being held to a similar disciplinary standard as those who perpetrated the violence, a sentiment echoed by Medford High School senior Katie Rotramel.

"I will not apologize for the desperation of my peers and I as we stood outside last Wednesday, afraid of receiving the same punishment as the person who sent [the] victim to the hospital just one day prior," Rotramel said.

School committee members and administrators discussed the importance of bridging that gap in trust between educators and students.

"I do want to publicly apologize for any member of our organization who said that a student would be disciplined or suspended," Cushing said. "That was not the message that [administrators] put out."

Cushing acknowledged that was how schools may have responded to such demonstrations in the past and said the administration needs to do a better job of communicating with students.

Improved communication was a common theme of Monday's meeting. School Committee member Jenny Graham questioned whether students and families were aware of the supports available to them through the district.

"If parents are reaching out because they don’t know what to do, there's a real opportunity for us as a district to help them understand what to do, where to go, who to reach out to, how school can help," Graham said. "I feel like we're not getting that right. We need school and families to be on the same page, and I feel like we aren't right now."

Administrators have started taking steps to connect with students, Cushing said at the start of the meeting, including establishing an anonymous tip line for students to provide confidential information to school leaders, conducting surveys about current school and life experiences, meeting every other week with student advisory councils and continuing student focus groups.

The school committee asked for monthly reports from the Medford Public Schools about its continued meetings with student groups and efforts to improve the school environment. It also invited Puccio and Rotramel back in a few months to report on what changes, if any, they have seen.

"The great opportunity that has happened is we're having greater, more meaningful conversations with students," Superintendent Marice-Edouard Vincent said.