Melrose Students Must Get Back In Class: Outgoing Superintendent

MELROSE, MA — Outgoing Superintendent Cyndy Taymore in her final School Committee meeting stressed the importance of getting children back into the classroom when the school year begins.

Taymore, who is calling it a career this week, said Thursday night the district was not caught off-guard by the state's back-to-school guidelines released earlier in the day.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education told districts to come up with an idea for returning to class (with major safety precautions,) staying remote and a mixture of the two. Taymore has said for months it's paramount to get children back in class.

"Ultimately this is a choice between risks," Taymore said. "The risk of the virus or the risk of a whole generation lost because they were not in school."

Taymore said it's not just the academics, but the social-emotional aspect that is irreplaceable.

"Teaching is a very human endeavor. Learning is a very human endeavor," she said. "It counts upon those relationships not only between the student and the teacher but between students themselves."

The current expectation is bringing students back for full in-person teaching, but everyone knows how quickly that can change.

"Ultimately the state and the medical professionals will determine what we do," Taymore said.

Taymore's final day is Tuesday. Julie Kukenberger takes over Wednesday.

Read also:

• New Melrose Superintendent Is Pulling Double Duty In Trying Times
• Incoming Melrose Superintendent's Contract Details Announced