East Providence School Committee member agree meetings have become a slog

Lengthy gathering leads to support of holding second September forum

By Mike Rego
Posted 9/12/18

EAST PROVIDENCE — Not that there was any great discord between the group on matters of substance, but the five members of the East Providence School Committee and members of the district …

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East Providence School Committee member agree meetings have become a slog

Lengthy gathering leads to support of holding second September forum

Posted

EAST PROVIDENCE — Not that there was any great discord between the group on matters of substance, but the five members of the East Providence School Committee and members of the district administration wholeheartedly agreed on one thing during its near five-hour meeting Tuesday night, Sept. 11: Their gatherings have become quite the slog.

The committee was barely able to get through about half of the posted agenda last week in part due to a lengthy executive session, which itself lasted approximately 90 minutes after its scheduled 6:30 p.m. start. The executive session docket included sensitive topics like the discipline of an administrator, the termination of the lease agreement with Bayside FC over the turf field at the high school, contracts for administrators and new school security initiatives.

And when the board emerged into the city hall chamber to conduct the open portion of its session around 8, it proceeded to get bogged down on a couple of issues that, though noteworthy, weren’t among the timely topics likely meant to be discussed at any significant length.

The committee spent ample moments talking about a proposed trip by East Providence High School students to Italy this term. The trip, directed and chaperoned in part by EPHS music teacher Maryann Lasorsa, did not receive the support of Superintendent Kathryn Crowley, who noted the liability issues from the district’s perspective leant to her disapproval.

Ms. Lasorsa gave a passionate defense of the voyage, saying it was no more dangerous that other school-sponsored excursions to places like Washington D.C., the teacher emphasizing the potential of students facing such aggression as “gun violence” was more likely to occur at home opposed to abroad.

The superintendent also declined to support the trip a year ago, but the committee did, and did so again last week.

Likewise, the committee spent a large chuck of its September 11 meeting in a conversation with East Providence Mohawks youth organization president Damian Ramos, who approached the body seeking to gain greater access to the district’s facilities, especially for his group’s basketball program.

Mr. Ramos claimed “90 percent” of the current basketball players at East Providence High School participated in the Mohawks hoops program, which he added had become the largest of its kind in the city.

Department Director of Operations Diana Clarkin explained the district’s facilities were at full capacity, considering all of the organizations who request their use. She noted the guidelines for usage were changed about five years ago, initiating a lottery system to add a sense of fairness to the process. As well, the guidelines mandate at least 75 percent of the participants in a group’s activities must be residents of the city.

At the end of the lengthy talk, the committee tabled the matter, agreeing with Superintendent Crowley the issue needed further study.

The committee also briefly discussed and later approved the transition from the so-called “Run, Hide, Fight” safety format to the A.L.I.C.E. security system. According to the organization’s website, A.L.I.C.E. (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) “provides preparation and a plan for individuals and organizations on how to more proactively handle the threat of an aggressive intruder or active shooter event. Whether it is an attack by an individual person or by an international group of professionals intent on conveying a political message through violence, A.L.I.C.E. Training option based tactics have become the accepted response, versus the traditional ‘lockdown only’ approach.”

The committee, likewise, did get to approving necessary personnel hires and paying some bills, but by that time it was approaching 11 o’clock in the evening.

It was about then that committee broached the topic of its lengthy meetings. It was later agreed the body would hold a second meeting for this month at least, which was scheduled for Tuesday evening, September 25. The group agreed it needed to avoid getting too deep in discussions on topics, chairman Charlie Tsonos saying it was in part of matter of the members engaging in some “self-policing” when it pertains to expressing their opinions on subjects.

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