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Severe storm fells trees, cuts power

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WHITMAN — Donald and Tracey Enos were dealing with cleanup on Thursday, Oct. 8, following a severe storm that felled a tree — that crushed the front left side of their residence.

She was home with the kids, ages 10 and 8 years old, and received an alert on her phone that a thunderstorm was in the area.

She brought the dog in the house and shut the door behind her when moments later a tree crashed down on their 39 Loring Ave. home.

At first Enos said she thought it was a back tree that fell by the deck but realized she heard water running. The rain was coming through her son’s front bedroom and creating its own path through the bathroom was another branch approximately 18 inches long daggered through the ceiling.

“The ceiling and branches were across his bed and water was pouring inside,” she said when she looked at the damage left behind.

She ran down to the kids who were safe and unhurt and had been playing in the basement.

The neighbor across the street called 911 and checked on her. She stayed inside unsure if wires were across the house.

The kids study from home and Donald Enos said they were at their grandparents where they could study online since they were unable to enter the house.   

A car was covered in tree limbs on Temple Street at the Alegro home where a man could be seen checking out the damage in his yard. Following the quick moving wind storm on Oct.7  power was also  knocked out to parts of Whitman and Hanson for approximately 24 hours.

Hanson makes short work of special TM

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HANSON – In a special Town Meeting lasting less than 14 minutes, Hanson voters approved a short warrant of 16 articles, all without discussion.

The session was held Saturday, Oct. 3 in the WHRHS gym, at desks already set up for socially distanced school lunches. The reduced quorum of 50 people were required to wear masks and asked to fill out contract tracing forms, including information as to which row and seat they sat in so the Town Clerk’s office would have information “if something undesireable happens,” according to Town Moderator Sean Kealy.

After being joined by two children in leading the Pledge of Allegiance, Kealy honored town officials lost since the July annual Town Meeting — Les Wyman, election official Debbie Clemons and transfer station employee Keith Fontaine.

Article 1, to transfer $294 from free cash and $464.59 from recreation enterprise fund retained earnings to pay seven unpaid bills from prior fiscal years, was approved. A 9/10 vote margin was required.

Article 2, to raise and appropriate $111,100 from taxation to supplement the six appropriations in the warrant (previously voted in Article 6 of the July annual Town Meeting), was approved.

Article 3, to transfer $532,50 from free cash and $61,000 from ambulance receipts reserved appropriations to pay for nine items listed in the warrant, was approved.

Article 4, to transfer $2,335 from free cash and $84,378 from Article 11 of the May 2019 annual Town Meeting to pay for WHRHS capital projects, was approved.

Article 5, to appropriate $30,410 from the Community Preservation Committee’s fund balance reserve for open space to pay for the local share of a state matching trails grant, was approved.

Article 6, to transfer $14,000 from free cash to fund an operational and comparative audit of the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District, was approved.

Article 7, to transfer $30,000 form overlay surplus, access allowance for abatements and exemptions, to pay for fiscal 2022 recertification year adjustment and the commercial, industrial personal property cyclical recertification of the town’s real estate and personal property values as required by state law; was approved.

Article 8, to transfer $35,000 from free cash to pay for the engineering costs of a park to be located at the former Plymouth County Hospital site, was approved.

Article 9, to transfer $20,000 from free cash to pay for stump grinding and removal and related improvements at Camp Kiwanee, was approved.

Article 10, to transfer $7,500 from free cash to pay for repairs to the parking lot at 225 High St., was approved.

Article 11, to transfer $55,000 from free cash to pay for five new compactors at the transfer station, was approved.

Article 12, to transfer $10,000 from free cash to replenish the Conservation Fund for Open Space Management and related conservation purposes, was approved.

Article 13, to raise and appropriate $25,000 from taxation to be added to the towns other post-employment benefits trust fund, was approved.

Article 14, to transfer $55,000 from free cash to be added to the town stabilization fund, was approved.

Article 15, to transfer $25,000 from free cash to be added to the regional schools capital stabilization fund, was approved.

Article 16, to make the office of tree warden an appointed position under the authority of the Board of Selectmen, was approved.

Hanson board holds engineering hearing

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HANSON — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Sept. 22 continued a hearing with Impressed LLC to 6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 13 for its request for a special permit under the Zoning Bylaw for a marijuana cultivation, product manufacturing and site improvements at 15 Commercial Way.

A public hearing on the matter was held — socially distanced — at the Hanson Middle School auditorium.

Town Counsel Kate Fedeoroff said the permit process is not the typical purview of Selectmen except for the context of marijuana, what the business will look like and the effect it might have on the town.

A peer review of engineering specs, hired by the town but paid for by the applicant, has also been done on the technical aspects of plans presented by Impressed LLC’s engineer and reviewed at the hearing.

Licensed civil engineer Kevin Solli spoke on behalf of the plan his firm has drawn up for his company Solli Engineering, joined by Casey Burch. Jeff Silcox of Hallam-ICS represented one of the town-hired peer review firms.

Dan Denisi spoke about the site plan and Dennis Colwell talked about technical elements for the building.

“I just wanted to make sure you guys were responsive to these findings,” Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “The big thing we kept hearing come up was the odor. … We just need some assurances in the mechanical review [that] you guys are going to address.”

Silcox said applicable codes were looked at first at state and local regulations, the international mechanical code and any specific town bylaws that apply.

For odor control, differential pressure control, air purification units using ultraviolet light and ozone, and carbon-filtering or exhaust make up a three-tier system.

Impressed LLC’s Ralph Greenburg said a detailed maintenance plan will be drawn up for upkeep of those processes.

FitzGerald-Kemmett also asked about concerns expressed about groundwater contamination, but Silcox said his firm was not charged with that issue. A second firm, not present at the meeting, was charged with that.

“Security will always be in place,” said Colwell, noting that a generator will provide backup power in the event of outages. He also said other security precautions are being used to safeguard deliveries and wastewater.

The site takes up about 1.79 acres in the town’s commercial-industrial zoning district. An extension to the rear of the building purchased by the company will replace the current loading dock with an extension of the building and traffic access to the property will be reduced by changing the current 90-foot curb cut to about 50 feet. New paving will be done at both the front and rear to satisfy parking requirements for the facility.

The existing septic system, originally designed to accommodate a school, will be retained.

Colwell said vertical farming units would be used inside the building for cultivation. The head house and supporting services will be located in the existing building with security provisions. Manufacturing will include trim, extraction, drying and packaging.

“Generally speaking, the flow and the pattern, everything is kind of occurring within the building, so you really don’t see much going on outside,” Colwell said.

Since there is no retail space, parking will be provided only for people going there to work. Some light demolition of the building and small plumbing changes were all that was necessary to make accommodation for the manufacturing aspect of the business, according to Colwell. The building itself and roof must also be updated to meet building code.

In other business, Selectmen voted to execute a union contract with the firefighters’ union and voted on whether to make recommendations to special Town Meeting warrant articles.

‘Not regular,’ but smooth open at SST

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HANOVER — The silver lining of communications has brightened the dark cloud of dealing with the coronavirus as a new school year begins at South Shore Tech, officials say.

Superintendent Dr. Thomas J. Hickey and his administrators provided a report on the district’s first “regular, not-so-regular” first day of school during the Wednesday, Sept. 16 meeting of the region’s School Committee.

“We were always great at communicating with our parents and families, but we have really raised that over this time,” Principal Mark Aubrey said. “We have the Cadillac version of hybrid learning right now.”

Parents are communicated with regularly via Zoom meeting and school administration, teaching, transportation, paraprofessional, custodial staff have worked all summer to ensure the successful start to the school year, Aubrey said.

School Committee Chairman Robert Heywood of Hanover spoke of a note he received from the parents of an incoming freshman.

“[They] are blown away by the openness — the information highway you have developed — they said it took 90 percent of the anxiety away from sending their child to a new school,” Heywood said.

Whitman committee member Dan Salvucci said he knows a 2003 SST alum whose son now attends the school.

“He is really impressed” with the communication with parents, Salvucci said.

Students had a full in-building orientation day and another day of remote instruction beginning Monday, Sept. 14 for two grades each day. The hybrid model began Wednesday.

There were seven days of staff training, including all new COVID protocols and procedures as well as an opportunity for staff to work on the development of digital content.

“We’re no longer in that emergency scramble situation that everybody in the  country was, at least in the Northeast was [in March],” Hickey said. “In a 10-day period, most of our students are in the building seven days out of 10, most students go to shop every day and all students come to school two days out of five for their academic week.”

The model permits officials to maximize use of the school building, with bus drivers able to follow a staggered schedule with upperclassmen coming into school on shop weeks from 7:40 a.m. to 1 p.m. Everyone else attends class from 9:05 a.m. to 2:25 p.m. Buses are cleaned between runs.

Students eat lunch at their desks, which are spaced six-feet apart. All students may have free lunch and breakfast, with three menu options available for each meal, through the end of the year, if they want it, as well.

Students may also take breakfast and lunch home the day before remote learning days, as well.

Flu shots were rolled out for students, as well. Only the name of the insurance is required. No ID numbers or money is required.

All school bathrooms are monitored by QR codes which track when students leave a classroom and enter/and leave lavatories.

Fewer than 25 students in total are on remote learning plans, according to Assistant Principal Sandra Baldner, of which only “a handful” are fully remote — taking even shop instruction at home, taking a regular school day, at home. Students attending class at the school are required to wear a mask at all times, and behavior during remote instruction days is graded.

Soldier’s sacrifice honored

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WHITMAN — After 77 years, Army Pvt. Robert A. Lonergan came home — if only in spirit — as a memorial marker was unveiled at his family’s former home at 44 Broad St.

Lonergan, who lies in a U.S. military cemetery in Tunis, Tunisia where he was killed during the North Africa campaign when he stepped on a landmine. He had joined the Army at age 39, over the age for the draft and an employee of the NY, NH & New Haven RR.

“He [would have] enjoyed a deferment from the military service,” said Whitman Veterans Services Agent Thomas McCarthy during a dedication ceremony Saturday, Sept. 12Lonergan served for nine months before his death, serving with the 47th Infantry/9th Div., that landed in Safi Morocco in November 1942.

Lonergan was killed on the last day of the North African Campaign and was buried in the North Africa American Cemetery in Carthage, Tunisia along with 2,840 other Americans killed in that theater of operations.

He was Whitman’s first casualty of World War II. He was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.

U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch presented Lonergan’s nephew, Patrick Huntington, with a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in Pvt. Lonergan’s honor.

“He didn’t have to go,” Lynch said to the small crowd of residents and town officials present. Selectmen Dan Salvucci, Justin Evans, Randy LaMattina and Brian Bezanson; Town Administrator Frank Lynam, state Sen. Mike Brady, D-Brockton, and state Rep. Alison Sullivan, R-Abington were among the officials present.

“There’s loyalty in the simple act of remembrance … especially during times like now, when there’s so much division in the country,” Lynch said. “It’s important at times like this that we come together for this purpose.”

Lynch, who chairs the House National Security Committee has been to Tunis and laid a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier there.

“It is probably the most beautiful military cemetery in the world,” he said, noting the grounds are meticulously cared for and local office workers frequent the spot.

He also noted there are a large number of Massachusetts natives, many who served in the Merchant Marine, who are buried there.

“So Robert A. Lonergan is in very good company,” Lynch said. “But it is very important for us to keep faith with the spirit in which he enlisted. He stood up for our country at a time when it was desperately needed.”

“No memorial was ever done, so we thought it would be a good thing,” Huntington said after a ceremonial salute and the playing of “Taps” and “Echo,” by members of the Post 22 Sons of the American Legion honor guard. The family had asked that the marker be placed.

“He had a deferment, if he wanted to, and was also offered the opportunity to stay in the United States because of his age, and he turned that down,” Huntington said.

Lonergan’s parents Delia and Patrick immigrated to the United States from Ireland.

“Their first son gave his life for their adopted country,” Huntington said.

His brother Edward and Francis also served in the armed services during WWII. There were nine children in the Lonergan family. The family lived in the house until his last sister died in 2008.

Whitman to honor service of Pvt. Robert Lonergan

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Whitman will honor the service and sacrifice of Pvt. Robert Lonergan of Whitman at 11 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 12. Lonergan was killed in the Battle of North Africa 77 years ago on May 13, 1943. The Town will unveil a plaque in his memory outside of his former family home at 44 Broad St., in Whitman. Lonergan was the first soldier from Whitman killed in WWII while in the service of the United States Army.

Pvt. Lonergan was 39 years old when he enlisted in the army on July 31, 1942 and he served for nine months prior to his death. He was a member of the 47 Infantry – 9th Division that landed in November of 1942 on the beaches of Safi, Morocco. The Division continued with their successful campaign across North Africa to their final battle at Tunis, Tunisia which drove the German armies from the continent. This campaign represented the first direct engagement between American and German troops in WWII. Pvt. Longergan was killed on the last day of the campaign as a result of a land mine explosion.

Pvt. Lonergan was buried at the North Africa American Cemetery in Tunis Tunisia along with 2840 other Americans killed during the North Africa Campaign. The cemetery also memorializes the names of an additional 3724 members of the service that are listed as Missing in Action.

Pvt. Lonergan was the son of Delia and Patrick Lonergan who immigrated to this country from Ireland. His brothers Edward and Francis also served in the armed services during World War II. At the time of his death Private Lonergan left behind 8 brothers and sisters who are all now deceased.

 

High school sports in a time of COVID

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With football looking at a so-called “sandwich season” in late February, the rest of the W-H athletic season is planned to begin Friday, Sept. 18, Athletic Director Bob Rodgers said in briefing the School Committee, on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Competitive cheerleading has also been rescheduled, according to MIAA safety guidelines.

“We are very fortunate at Whitman-Hanson to be part of the Patriot League,” Rodgers said. “We’re like-minded schools, putting the safety of the kids first, but we also recognize that this is a very stressful time for students.”

He said that, whether a student’s outlets are drama, music, art or athletics, they need “some semblance of normalcy.”

The Patriot League’s athletic directors have been meeting on a nearly weekly basis, creating what they are calling a “Patriot League bubble” — which sees each team play only other schools within their division of the league. Two exceptions will be in girls’ sports, playing a single game vs Notre Dame of Hingham in soccer, volleyball and field hockey because that school does not have enough other opponents. To maintain Title IX balance, the boys’ soccer team will play North Quincy.

Safety measures governing crowd size and the requirement for face masks for players on volleyball and soccer teams, could evolve later on. The end date for spring sports — which starts on April 26 would be July 3.

“If we were to have some outbreak of coronavirus, we would be able to do some really good contact tracing because we will know who we’ve played,” Rodgers said.

He acknowledge that some people are unhappy that there will not be a state tournament in the fall, adding there might be one in the winter or spring if conditions improve.

“This really isn’t about championships,” Rodgers said. “It’s not about banners in the gym. It’s about giving kids participation, allowing them to be a part of something.”

He said the 11-12 game season will be about being able to play their sport, not about winning. When that shortened season is over, teams will play for what is being called the Patriot League Cup with play concluding no later than Nov. 20.

Rodgers estimated that teams would play two games a week with, perhaps more Saturday games in the past because transportation is going to be a “major issue.”

He also indicated that between the budget situation and ongoing cost of PPE and other coronavirus-related expenses, that he would return to the School Committee Sept. 9 to speak in-depth about user fees.

“We don’t pay much for athletics in W-H,” he said. “Our athletics are funded by the fundraising we do, through our user fees and through our gate receipts.”

Well-attended games and the resulting gate receipts pay for — among other things — ice time for boys’ and girls’ hockey, but with crowd limitations due to social distancing regulations, gate receipts will be reduced this year.

While the number of games are reduced, some schools are increasing user fees.

“I’m not going to ask this committee to raise the user fee, but I do want to keep it exactly where it is,” Rodgers said. He does, however, want to adopt a sliding scale refund policy in the event of games or season cancellations.

Coaches have also been offered the opportunity to take a leave of absence without the fear of losing their position if they are concerned about teaching job responsibilities or health issues.

What’s new in the stacks?

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Greetings! I hope you all are well. It’s been such a strange time for all of us, and I don’t want to minimize that, but I am happy to say that there are things to be grateful for. After a long period of not being able to see our patrons or even talk to them, we are back in business again, although at a distance.

Most libraries, including ours, are still closed. A few are partially open, but practicing great care in terms of contact. In the most meaningful way, though, we can serve you again, we can talk to you and we can even see you!

On that subject, we are now able to resume ordering new materials. During most of our shutdown, we have not been ordering books, CDs, DVDs or audiobooks. Some of the vendors were completely closed and some delivery providers were not delivering. All that is successfully over, and, clutching our money in our fists, we are tearing through catalogs to catch up.

There can still be a few wrinkles – our vendors are short-staffed in many cases, as some of the libraries in the network are. But, as I write this, there are six huge boxes of new fiction in our Community Room waiting to be cataloged, and an enormous nonfiction order on the way. We also have new films, CDs and audiobooks, and our network is available to order holds from as well.

So here is some of the good news: John Grisham, “Camino Winds;” John Sandford, “Masked Prey;” Lucy Foley, “The Guest List;” James Patterson, “The 1st Case” (and many more); Jennifer Weiner, “Big Summer;” Emma Straub, “All Adults Here;” Linda Castillo, “Outsider;” Kevin Kwan, “Sex and Vanity;” Danielle Steel, “The Wedding Dress;” Elin Hilderbrand, “28 Summers;” Louise Penny, “All the Devils are Here;” Jim Butcher, “Peace Talks;” and David Baldacci, “Walk the Wire” Many of these will be available in large print and audiobooks as well.

Our Hallmark movies have been such a success, we now have a selection of Hallmark books that are based on the movies. Just search Hallmark under All Fields in the catalog and there they are! Their bright covers are an antidote to the news of the day; just get onto the couch and dive in.

In nonfiction, a selection includes “Across That Bridge,” by John Lewis; “The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook” by Elisa Bildner; “The Kidnap Years,” by David Stout; and “Too Much and Never Enough,” by Mary L. Trump.

The movies in the lineup include “Mr. Robot, Season 4;” “Midsommer Murders, Series 21;” “The Way Back;” “Uncut Gems;” “The Hunt;” “Burnt Orange Heresy;” “The Wretched;” ‘Yes, God, Yes and I Still Believe.”

I wish I could list them all, but be assured that there is much more to come. Our director, Marcie, can be found on the floor of the Community Room, licking her chops as she puts the shiny new volumes on carts. It’s pretty rare that we buy this much at one time, but we have a lot of time to make up. Meanwhile, our curbside pickup is doing big business, and even with the new books just starting to come in, our patrons are catching up on books they otherwise would have read in the past three or four months.

Central Site is working on the last few bugs, but it is wonderful to talk to so many of you and get some news of your doings.

We follow what I laughingly call the scientific approach, but we do keep abreast of the spread of the virus through official sites and by checking Governor Baker’s press conferences. By necessity, we err on the side of caution. We are also given updates by our own town government and board of health, the two bodies who will make decisions on opening. Be assured that we quarantine everything that comes in—this may show up as overdue books, but don’t worry.

As for our Summer Reading, the new missions ended officially on Aug. 5, but the program continued through Aug. 26. Prizes can be picked up (one at a time per person at curbside) through Sept. 9. Stephanie encourages families to repeat activities for fun.

One reminder: if you place a hold from home, that does not mean it is instantly available at the library. We get reports during the day of holds that have been placed—we have to wait for the reports to be generated.

If you get an email notice of a hold being available, call to make an appointment to pick it up. Otherwise, please wait for us to call and let you know that it is ready. But certainly, call anytime with questions. We are glad we have some good news for you.  Cheers!

Manslaughter charges filed against Lyric’s mother

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Shaniqua Leonard, 29, of Whitman was arraigned in Brockton Superior Court Tuesday morning facing manslaughter charges in the death of her 2-year old daughter Lyric Farrell back in December 2019.

She was taken into custody in Whitman on Monday.

Leonard was originally charged with one count of reckless endangerment in connection to her daughter’s death but faced upgraded additional charges after results were released from the medical examiner’s office.

According to testimony and statements presented by Assistant District Attorney Jessica Kenney, the autopsy results and report from the medical examiner found Lyric to have substantial blunt force head trauma, a brain bleed, optical nerve and retinal hemorrhaging.

The reasons offered by Leonard as to how Lyric was injured and as it was seen on the cell phone videos showing Lyric banging her head – were not comparable to the level of the sustained injury she experienced.

She died on Dec. 31, 2019, according to Kenney in a 3 ½ minute phone call to 911 EMS the night she was taken to the hospital.  Lyric was found propped up on a couch wrapped in a blanket. Leonard stated in the call to EMS, which was recorded, that she didn’t think the child was breathing. Whitman EMS started CPR after gaining entry to the house and noted the six other siblings were fully dressed and wearing jackets.

Leonard offered explanations and videos from her cell phone which were later obtained by the State police to offer an account of the 2-year old banging her own head on the floor and giving reasons such as:  the child hurt herself causing her own head trauma.

Kenney entering the statements and interviews with doctors and specialists who treated Lyric that the amount of trauma she sustained was comparable to a severe car accident.

There were various levels of bruising, healing and scratches on the child’s back and between her shoulders, which did not match statements Leonard made regarding the child’s causing self injury and contradicted testimony made by the six other children.

Sharon Farrell, Lyric’s grandmother, and her sister Laura, Lyric’s great aunt, sat in the proceedings.  They made a brief, joint statement outside the court.

“We are just happy that there has been a charge brought forth in this and we are hoping this continues and we will get justice for her.  We were favored. We are impressed… we are happy that they are keeping her (Leonard)… and we are waiting for justice for Lyric after that we are going to see if we can get justice with DCF.

“They should have never gave Lyric back to her mother, “ said her grandmother Sharon Farrell who wore a silver heart necklace and a purple shirt with Lyric’s smiling face.

“Her smile. Her smile and she was a sweet, sweet girl,” Sharon Farrell said. This is how she remembers her granddaughter.

Lyric lived with her grandmother up until two weeks before the 2019 holidays when DCF returned her to Leonard – who biologically had six other children. She had lost and regained custody of all of the children just months prior to Lyrics death.  Lyric was the last child placed back with Leonard. The children ranged in ages of 12 down to year old twins.

  Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz had requested a $100,000 cash bail on Leonard in connection with the updated charges.  GPS monitoring, no contact with any of her children, mental health counseling, and no possession of a firearm were among the stipulations requested by the Commonwealth.

In the  serious concern of Leonard being a flight risk, which the judge took into consideration in his final decision, it was apparent she had tried to travel to California and had contacted family in Mississippi the very night of Lyric’s trauma transport resulting in her death two days later.

Michael Tumposky, Leonard’s defense attorney, argued that she has stayed in compliance with all of the court imposed conditions of her release for the past 7 months on $2500 bail, and did not attempt to leave or see any family out of state.

“If there was any intent or ability on her part to flee while she was out on $2500 cash bail possibly looking at a murder charge she would’ve done so,” he stated.

Leonard was present in the court and she pled not guilty to manslaughter and not guilty to reckless endangerment of a child.

The imposed bail for Leonard on Tuesday was $25,000 cash bail and no contact direct or indirect with any of her biological children.

The children were taken away from Leonard’s custody nearly eight months ago. The children have been placed in foster homes, are receiving therapy and are in place for adoption, according to Kenney.

  Leonard is due to appear in Plymouth Court in September.

School Committee discusses safety outlines

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School Committee members debated the merits of opening school doors in September before voting in support of the School District’s hybrid reopening plan.

“Nobody’s going to be happy today,” said Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak. “Some people will be thrilled. Some people will be really upset. Some people will say, ‘Oh, great, that’s what they decided.’”

Some School Committee members initially favored a more cautious approach.

“My main concern is really taking more of a conservative and cautious approach with the hybrid plan itself, really almost slowing down the pace,” said School Committee member Dawn Byers. Even limiting the number of students in the building at one time to half the student population worries her a bit, leading her to wonder if the district could create a “hybrid of a hybrid” by phasing in the district’s plan.

“I think of this as a marathon from September to June, not necessarily ‘We’ve got to do all of this in September,’” she said.

“We can pivot on anything,” Szymaniak said. “I know other districts are talking the same thing as a slower roll-in [but] I am concerned that, if we have a spike by October, and we never get in, we’re not getting in.”

Speaking as the former high school principal, Szymaniak said it is amazing how the building “opens up” each June after the senior class graduates. The hybrid approach would only bring half the student body in at one time.

“[Principal Dr. Christopher] Jones is going to have a structure in place to keep them apart,” Szymaniak said. “I believe it will be safe in this building.”

But Szymaniak said a longer phase-in is an option for the School Committee. He is trying to balance educational progress with student safety and parent schedules.

He also said the smaller class sizes possible with the divided student cohort days may provide some opportunities to improve teaching practices.

Assistant Superintendent George Ferro said the proposal as presented gives teachers time to assess how students will react to the plan.

The plan still could pivot to a regular school program by the second semester if things go well, according to Szymaniak. Ferro added that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will also be looking at metrics of how a community is faring with coronavirus.

WHEA representative Kevin Kavka said that — while the union will work with school leadership on hours, wages and conditions no matter what plan is adopted — there is a great deal of anxiety among teachers.

“The general trend is, ‘We’ll make this work, we want to do what’s best for kids,’” he said about a survey of teachers. “But there’s certainly concerns over safety.”

He said Szymaniak and Ferro’s presentation addressed some of those concerns.

School Committee member Fred Small said that, in speaking with teachers in his family, they stressed to him how important it is for teachers to make a connection with their students.

In other business, Szymaniak presented a policy on mask wearing in which teachers wear masks all the time and students in kindergarten through grade 12 also wear masks.

“The best barrier for this virus is masks,” he said. “If it’s going to make our kids feel safe and our teachers feel safe, I’d like to implement that.”

He said there will be students who can’t wear a mask, but stressed there is a difference between a can’t and a won’t. Students who have documented medical reasons why they can’t wear a mask will be accommodated.

The School Committee also voted to approve an interim general policy on COVID-related issues from the state that permits Szymaniak to make decisions outside of going to a full approval process if COVID issues require it.