2020 No Confidence Letter, Superintendent Dr. Laura Feijóo, New Rochelle Schools Principals and Directors

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Last September, Talk of the Sound reported that the New Rochelle Schools Administrative and Supervisory Association had submitted an unprecedented “no confidence” letter to the New Rochelle Board of Education on September 1, 2020. We sought to obtain the letter by direct (Freedom of Information) and indirect means. By the time we obtained the letter, Dr. Feijóo was long-gone and the salience of the allegations against Dr. Feijóo were moot.

In light of recent claims by Dr. Alex Marrero in his interviews for the position of Superintendent of Denver Public Schools that he was “the Savior” of New Rochelle for his handling of pandemic response and a lawsuit filed against Dr. Marrero, Dr. Feijóo and other school district leaders, we are publishing the letter now as it has taken on new relevance.

The letter expresses the view of the New Rochelle A&S Executive Board, on behalf of the members of the CSDNR Administrative and Supervisory Association, that Dr. Feijóo (and by extension Dr. Marrero) exhibited “a lack of clear direction, transparency, collaboration, and appropriate timelines have been major concerns by A&S members, since the first week of March 2020” and that those concerns were ongoing.

Feijóo soon after took medical leave, took a buyout and never returned to the District.

The New Rochelle Schools Administrative and Supervisory Association is the bargaining unit representing school principals and department heads. The co-Presidents of the New Rochelle Schools Administrative and Supervisory Association at the time the letter was transmitted to the Board were (and are) Daniel Webster Elementary School Principal Melissa Pasarelli and Thomas Jefferson Elementary School Principal Kimmerly Nieves.

The letter reads as follows:

September 1, 2020

Dear Board of Education President Rachel Relkin and Members of the CSD of New Rochelle BOE:

The New Rochelle Administrators and Supervisors held a meeting on September 1, 2020, and by unanimous vote by the members present, the undersigned were authorized to send this letter expressing their lack of confidence in Superintendent of Schools Laura Feijoo’s leadership or her ability to safely reopen schools for the in-person return of students, scheduled for Monday, September 14, 2020. It is our contention that to date, although A&S members have completed all requests made by the Superintendent and have planned for the 2020-2021 school year utilizing a Virtual Learning Model for Instruction, the CSD of New Rochelle is not prepared to receive students on Monday, September 14, 2020. A lack of clear direction, transparency, collaboration, and appropriate timelines have been major concerns by A&S members, since the first week of March 2020. These concerns have continued, to date.

To illustrate our concerns, below are examples of the lack of preparation, focus, and leadership that would otherwise be needed to effectively, safely, and equitably open schools. These examples are among many others, not listed below.

As of Tuesday, September 1, 2020, the Superintendent has not met with the entire A&S Association since her appointment on Friday, November 1, 2019. This was brought to the Superintendent’s attention by A&S Leadership on several occasions, prior to the COVID-19 crisis.

As of Tuesday, September 1, 2020, building level administrators and district directors have not received a list of teachers or staff who have been approved for work from home accommodations, some of whom are teachers of students with IEPs who are assigned to small classes, and are designated to return to schools on September 14, 2020. On July 6, 2020, a recommendation was made by an A&S member that before planning for any phase of student learning, clear accommodations would have to be considered for faculty and staff. Faculty and staff applying for work from home accommodations were asked to submit requests to the Human Resources Office on or before August 11, 2020. The accommodations have yet to be processed, approved or denied. It is not clear which staff will be available in-person to teach children expected to return to our buildings on September 14, 2020. As a result, staffing in each school building has not been confirmed with A&S members, and this impacts our ability to provide in-person and virtual instruction to students.

Similarly, our school buildings have not been properly equipped to allow for the safe reopening of schools for faculty, staff, and students. At the request of the principals to the Superintendent of Schools, a meeting took place on August 20, 2020 at 3:00pm to discuss the outstanding furniture and facilities’ needs, in order to safely reopen. For example, furniture in all offices and classrooms have not been rearranged to meet social distancing requirements. Installation of new signage throughout the district regarding COVID-19 safety, such as handwashing and social distancing, is not yet complete. Appropriate PPE has not yet been received and distributed to all schools, including masks, desk barriers, face shields, gowns, and gloves. In addition to our nurses and custodial staff, enhanced PPE is recommended for staff working with certain populations of students, and these supplies have yet to be placed in those classrooms. Principals of schools that required the purchase of new furniture and fans to comply with social distancing and ventilation requirements were not informed of the current status of those orders or the expected timeline of receipt and installation until August 31, 2020, at approximately 4:00 PM, when principals were told that the desks that have been ordered would not arrive until the beginning of October 2020. Therefore, schools cannot receive students on Monday, September 14, 2020, and staff cannot be expected to instruct and interact with students without these essential supplies.

It should be further noted that Reopening Committees were announced by the Superintendent on May 15, 2020. Although A&S members were represented across all committees (Social Emotional, Academics, Staff Culture and Well Being, Finances and Operations, and Health), the Superintendent did not hold typically scheduled school leadership meetings to allow for cross-collaboration between the committees and A&S leadership. Dr. Feijoo did not directly provide a timeline or guidance for committee chairs or A&S members. As a result, there were conflicting templates and expectations provided by other members of the Superintendent’s team causing confusion, dilution of mandated recommendations, and the delay of a reopening plan that encompasses all procedural steps necessary for safely reopening our schools.

A timeline to develop a comprehensive district-wide plan or detailed building-level plans with consideration of the entirety of committee recommendations was never created, despite ongoing concerns brought to the Superintendent’s attention by A&S members.

On Thursday, August 20, 2020 at 4:30 PM, a designee of the Superintendent of Schools, requested to meet with the elementary principals and an A&S member from the Special Education department. The meeting request came approximately ten minutes before the scheduled meeting time. This was the first meeting in which elementary principals were informed that the Superintendent of Schools wanted students with IEPs assigned to small classes to return to the school buildings for in person instruction, effective Monday, September 14, 2020. It is our contention that an appropriate timeline and plan was not established, followed or communicated with A&S members, most importantly regarding our most vulnerable students, those assigned to special education small classes.

In addition, A&S members were not told by the Superintendent of Schools that the first day of instruction would be virtually for all students on Monday, September 14, 2020, before it was discovered upon review of the published Reopening Plan on the district website, posted on July 31, 2020. The Superintendent announced different start dates and methods of instruction to the public on multiple occasions throughout the month of August. The most recent plan stated by the Superintendent of Schools during a virtual public forum, indicates that students would return virtually on September 9, 2020. Dr. Feijoo communicated different plans to FUSE, community members during a webinar, and A&S members throughout the week leading up to August 17, 2020. This resulted in confusion across staff, faculty and the community over not only the first day of school, but all the necessary planning required to meet these shifting dates.

Thereafter, once it was clear that the district was launching the school year virtually, the Superintendent stated at a parent information session that students with IEPs in small classes would start school in late September. Dr. Feijoo later stated at a Board of Education meeting that students with IEPs in self-contained classes would start on Monday, September 14, 2020. This was the first time that the A&S members learned of this significant change in plan, and moreover, the A&S membership never received formal notice of this start date. To date, specific dates and timelines have not explicitly been shared or planned.

The Superintendent has still failed to bring needed stakeholders (Directors, Assistant Directors, and Principals) together to discuss all the steps and precautions needed in order to effectively and safely bring staff and students, including students with special needs, into school buildings.

The Superintendent has not communicated clear plans or directions in sharing the information needed to teachers, faculty, staff, and families regarding re-entry to buildings, including the necessary steps that have been taken and those that will be expected of everyone on a daily basis in order ensure health and safety for all.

On Monday, August 17, 2020, the Superintendent wrote the following in an email to the Principals:

“I inadvertently indicated today that the first two days of school were for professional

development. As per the calendar attached, Wednesday, September 9, is an instructional day. Please revise the schedules accordingly.”

Prior to this email, the Superintendent stated that students would start school virtually, on September 14, 2020, as is written in the originally published CSD of New Rochelle District Re-entry Plan. As of August 31, 2020, the language in the plan reads as follows:

“Additionally, Thursday, September 10, 2020 and Friday, September 11, 2020 will be utilized for student orientation. This time will allow small groups of students to meet with their new teacher and begin to establish the relationship necessary for a successful school year. This will allow our Hybrid model to launch on Monday, September 14, 2020.”

This language is not consistent with what has been communicated to A&S members.

On August 19, 2020, the Superintendent of Schools met with elementary school principals. During that meeting, principals communicated with her the importance of being fully prepared to engage students in a Virtual Learning Model. Principals planned and advocated for professional learning during the week of September 8, 2020, for teachers and staff around virtual learning platforms that will be utilized during the 2020-2021 school year.

Principals further advocated for a September 14, 2020 instructional start date for students. According to a FUSE board member, on August 19, 2020, the Superintendent told the FUSE president that the principals advocated for students to return to school on September 9, 2020, rather than on September 14, 2020, and that is why she (the Superintendent of Schools) changed the start date for students.

As an Association, we are stating on the record that the Superintendent has not appropriately supported A&S members in preparing for the new school year, amidst this global pandemic.

The Superintendent has failed to create appropriate timelines, failed to appropriately communicate and collaborate with A&S members, and this has and will impact the safe reopening of schools for faculty, staff and students. Principals, directors and supervisors have fulfilled their directives, have requested additional meetings, have made recommendations, and have expressed the need for consistent and meaningful collaboration. There has been a lack of clear direction, there have been conflicting messages, and multiple requests have been made by different cabinet members to complete similar tasks.

Our ultimate goal is to provide safe, supportive, nurturing learning environments for all students, families, and staff in the City School District of New Rochelle. Thank you for considering our concerns.

Sincerely,

The New Rochelle A&S Executive Board, on behalf of the members of the CSDNR Administrative and Supervisory Association