Newton City Councilors Push Mayor For Specifics On Reopening Plan

NEWTON, MA — Newton city councilors are pushing back on the mayor's response to them, saying they didn't believe she properly addressed their call for specific action to reopen schools to in person learning.

"Unfortunately, we do not believe that the letter, or the measures described in it, properly address the sense of urgency shared by parents, teachers and students all across the city or the specific requests that we made," 16 of the 22 sitting Newton City Councilors said in a letter to Mayor Ruthanne Fuller dated Jan. 26.

Patch reached out to the mayor's office for a comment. A spokesperson referred Patch to the mayor's online update sent out after 8 p.m. , in which Fuller announced an Ad Hoc Medical Advisory Task Force that would work alongside the District Planning Team to advise on health and safety related issues. The task force includes an infectious disease specialist at Mass General Hospital and a Brown University School of Public Health doctor and the chair of the Harvard Chan School of Public Health's Immunology and Infectious Diseases department, in addition to a pediatrician on the human health and services board and a Newton Public Schools school pediatrician.

But the late announcement appears to be the first the city council has heard of it.

On Jan. 10, more than two-thirds of the Newton City Council wrote to Fuller "to urge immediate action to increase the opportunities for in-person learning within the Newton Public Schools."

The councilors' letter came on the heels of hundreds of residents signing a petition to have the city develop a Newton Medical Advisory Committee, and a separate letter from some of the top medical experts in the area volunteering their time to consult for the city.

>> Read more: Hundreds Of Newton Residents, City Councilors Call For Expert Panel To Help Reopen Schools

In the Jan. 10 letter the councilors asked that the Administration and the School Committee establish public health parameters for a safe return, form an expert advisory committee to inform that return, expand testing of school staff and begin planning for in person learning.

The mayor responded with a short letter acknowledging their "passion and advocacy" for in-person teaching and learning. She said the district would "continue to use effective, fact-based approaches and protocols from trusted researchers, scientists and medical professionals," and shared five recent steps the district was planning for next year, including a testing program, a working group to explore more testing, vaccine distribution plans and plans in the works for a full reopen next fall.

"While having more people vaccinated will certainly help facilitate in-person learning, there are other opportunities for in-person learning that are not vaccine- dependent that could be implemented immediately, with additional opportunities becoming available as the weather gets warmer in the spring," they wrote.

When it came to her response on a medical advisory committee, the councilors expressed frustration, at a lack of specificity.

"Over 100 physicians in our community have called for the creation of a true advisory committee and we support their efforts," they wrote. "Frankly, we do not understand the continued refusal to avail ourselves of the incredible talent in our community... The lack of details regarding the approaches, protocols or identities of the trusted researchers, scientists and medical professionals leaves a lot to be desired."

The group said the dearth of explanation regarding what, specifically, is preventing significantly more in-person learning at this time was not appropriate and that they would be paying close attention to the budget proposal for the upcoming school year, "to see what assurances are provided that all students who wish to return to school will be able to do so."

Newton only recently opened the high school to partial in person learning this month, while many other districts across the state opened to all grades this fall, including Brookline and Waltham.

Former Newton School Committee chair Matt Hills who now sits on the board of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said he has been watching how districts have been dealing with reopening.

"And I continue to be perplexed about how slowly Newton goes in reopening far less than other districts do," he said. "Newton has an incredible amount of resources both financial and human and yet the district stands out in its lack of a reopening plan."

Other districts, including districts locked in battles with teachers unions, opened months ago, he said.

"This is about elected leadership," said Hills. "It's elected leadership needs to get this right, instead of continuing to fumble the ball."

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.