EAST LONGMEADOW — The East Longmeadow School Committee reviewed the search process for the School Department’s new director of student support services at its Aug. 19 meeting, following Michael Fredette’s formal resignation.
The director of student support services position was first posted on Aug. 1 with the application closing at midnight on Aug. 18, East Longmeadow Superintendent Gordon Smith explained. During this period, eight candidates applied for the position.
“We do have some good candidates that are in there. Not as many as I had hoped but nonetheless good candidates that are in there that we can move forward with [the screening committee],” he said.
The search’s screening committee will consist of a School Committee member, building administrator, central office administrator, the president of the Special Education Parent Advisory Council, two teachers, a paraprofessional and a parent, Smith stated.
Member Antonella Raschilla Manzi was selected as the School Committee representative during the Aug. 19 meeting.
After Smith’s initial review to ensure that candidates are qualified, the screening committee will interview the qualified candidates and select two finalists to be interview by the full School Committee. The committee will then choose a candidate, Smith said. This follows the process conducted previously by the department.
With the last professional search lasting more than two months, Smith highlighted that he hoped to “speed up the pace a little” within this search, due to the timing within the school year. He did not note a desire timeline.
While a few concerns were raised about the process of selecting the teachers and paraprofessional for the screening committee, the School Committee unanimously supported Manzi’s selection and the search process.
Reminder Publishing reached out to Fredette to confirm his formal resignation, who shared that he accepted a new position closer to his hometown. He further highlighted his perspective of working for East Longmeadow Public Schools, stating, “East Longmeadow is a wonderful place to work and a great community with an excellent superintendent and leadership team.”
Diversity and equity policy revisions
At the Aug. 19 meeting, the East Longmeadow School Committee also reviewed policy revisions recommended by the ELPS Diversity and Equity Steering Committee. These revisions included modifications to current policies as well as newly created policies based on similar policies in nearby communities, Smith stated.
After a lengthy discussion, the committee agreed to move forward with approving three policies while delaying the vote on the remaining four in order to make further modifications. The reviewed policies focused on topics including sexual misconduct, gender identity discrimination, locker room and changing spaces, and language utilized to discuss disabilities.
These changes were designed to further reduce discrimination while also “building culture, building climate to make sure that we’re moving forward in a way that is really creating an atmosphere in ELPS where everyone feels comfortable and feels like they can connect and most importantly that they belong,” Smith stated.
The School Committee will continue to review newly revised policies during its upcoming meetings, he said.
