HANSON — Classic rock tunes aside, there’s nothing to love about dirty water when it’s coming out of your home faucets.

“It’s random,” said Assessor Lee Gamache, who lives on Main Street. “It can be clear and then one day it’s just bad. … Sometimes it’s actual sludge coming out of the pipes.”

Homeowners are frustrated with the situation.

Besides health concerns, many say it’s unfair to expect them to pay for running water for as long as five hours to flush sediment from traps while the town is under a water ban. Gamache did say she had her water independently tested and said it was deemed safe to drink, but can irritate skin when one bathes in it.

The town is on Brockton water while the High Street water tank undergoes routine maintenance.

One couple, 38-year residents Brian and Lorraine Skorohod of 791 High St., having found no recourse with the Water Department, brought their plight to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday, May 24, seeking recourse for water bills and damage to their home.

Selectmen responded that, while there is really no financial action they could take, they authorized Town Administrator Michael McCue to look into the issue.

“This is not an issue the Board of Selectmen has purview over, however with the board’s acquiescence I can certainly take a look to see if there are any avenues [under which] something like that could be addressed,” McCue said.

Selectman Bruce Young suggested the situation could provide an opportunity for the Water Department to formulate emergency plans for the future.

“I don’t think this is something that’s happened before,” Young said. “It’s been the most expensive [maintenance] shut-down in the water tank’s history.”

He noted that the town couldn’t compensate residents, as the Water Department is a separate entity.

Lorraine Skorohod had brought in a sample of their water drawn this week, with black manganese and iron sediment at the bottom, and asked if selectmen would like to drink it.

“If our water is drinkable, then I certainly wouldn’t want to drink this — and that’s what we were told,” she said. “Would you want to drink that?”

“No, ma’am,” said Selectmen Chairman James McGahan, noting the board is equally frustrated and he appreciates the Skorohod’s efforts to speak on behalf of many residents dealing with the same problems.

Board of Health Chairman Gil Amado, who also serves on the Water Commission, said many hours have already been invested in seeking a solution.

“The water from the Pleasant Street break … was literally the color of root beer coming out of the tap,” Brian Skorohod said. “It was like that for a whole day.”

He said the water meter “is spinning the whole time” homeowners have outside spigots open to drain traps.

“I’m not the only one that has a problem on High Street,” Lorraine Skorohod said, noting that one of her neighbors has an infant that needs water.

“I can understand the dilemma that the town is in,” Brian Skorohod said. “But we shouldn’t have to continually pay somebody to come out and make repairs due to that.”

The Skorohods were upset that they have had to pay for three service calls and parts costs for work on a gas boiler that was installed in December 2014 as a result of the water main break. Their boiler had been working fine until sediment-tainted water got into the system and flooded the boiler and electrical panel — both of which had been properly installed.

“I just want to know if there’s some recourse,” Brian Skorohod said. “If we can have the town reimburse us for the money that we’re spending because of this problem.”

Selectman and former Water Commissioner Don Howard said the problems began with the Pleasant Street water main break several weeks ago. The break was observed by a resident at 3 a.m., but not reported right away.

“We’re trying to solve the problems,” Howard said.

Calls began pouring into the Police Department later on the morning of the Pleasant Street break, because of low water pressure on High Street, Route 58 and where the ground is high on Whitman Street. Police discovered the break at about 6 a.m., after patrolling the area to investigate the calls.

The main was shut off for repairs, but by that time, Howard said, it is estimated the water had been flowing since about midnight — about six hours.

“The pressure in the system dropped down to 70 pounds coming in from Brockton,” Howard said. “Having the water run like a spider web where the break is, it disturbed everything in the water mains south of West Washington Street, High Street and everything into Monponsett Street.

By the time pressure was restored all the lines were filled with manganese and iron. When the water tank is online, the water flows in the opposite direction through the mains.

Back online in June

The tank is expected to be back online by mid-June, but the water may still be affected through the end of the month. Hydrant flushing in Hanson takes place in the fall.

“Water pressure fluctuates [by 20 to 30 pounds] coming from the city of Brockton,” said Water Superintendent Richard Muncey. “That’s creating different surges throughout our system. It stems from their service flow.”

Because of that pressure fluctuation, there have been four more water main breaks in Hanson, according to Howard.

“Every week we’ve had one,” Muncey said.

“There really isn’t anything you can do with it until you’re on your own system,” Howard said.

HANSON — Town Administrator Michael McCue was sworn into office during the Tuesday, May 17 Board of Selectmen’s meeting, but he’s already been working to acquaint himself with the town’s government since his May 9 start date.

Selectmen also voted to grant the final go-ahead to Friday’s Bluegrass on the Bog Festival, now that the insurance certificate, signed agreement, arrangement for police detail officers and sufficient portable toilets have been made.

The festival producers have met with the Board of Health regarding sanitation facilities and the selectmen’s approval is contingent on confirmation that there will be enough toilet facilities made available.

After the McCue’s oath of office was administered by Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan — and a recess for a brief welcoming reception — he reported to the board on his first week on the job.

“I would like to extend my thanks to staff and the several citizens that have come by to wish me well and greet me,” McCue said. “I really look forward to meeting with all of them.”

He has already met with the police and fire chiefs as well as the highway surveyor as part of an effort to meet with all town department heads to discuss where each department has been, where they would like it to go, and to build relationships with staff.

McCue also plans to review all policies and procedures in town, “to see what needs to be revved up and what may need to be added.”

“Kind of oddly, I actually like doing that,” he said.

He credited Executive Assistant Meredith Marini with overseeing the installation of Wifi in the building as part of the project to supply selectmen with tablet computers to help reduce paperwork. The devices will be delivered soon and selectmen will be set up with e-mail addresses.

McCue also attended the May 2 Town Meeting and noted that a Town Moderator-appointed committee is investigating electronic voting devices for future sessions.

“If introduced properly it makes an awful lot of sense,” he said.

The town of Avon, where McCue has also served as a town administrator, already uses the devices successfully. He offered his services to help facilitate the move if the town opts to use them.

“I’m sure all of us would like to wish Mike well, and he’s assured me he is here for the duration, and he’d like to retire in the town of Hanson,” Selectmen Chairman Bruce Young said.

“That is true — years from now,” McCue replied.

Young also noted McCue’s interest in working with selectmen to establish yearly goals and indicated that would be discussed at the next meeting.

McCue’s parents are Hanson residents, and his mother Constance, sister Katie, uncle Jim and aunt Pat attended the ceremony and reception.

In other business, School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes announced that Gale Engineering had come in with a proposal cost of $9,750 for the engineering study on the Maquan School roof repair project.

“We tried to speed up the process, because roofs the size of Maquan need to be done when the students are not in school, it makes for a better job with much [fewer] problems,” Hayes said.

Funding for the project was approved at the May 2 Town Meeting.

As the Gale proposal had just been received Tuesday afternoon, Hayes said he would make the letter from the firm available to Selectmen ahead of a May 24 meeting to vote on it. The School Committee meets next .

An RFP will be issued based on the engineering study with the aim of having the work done over the summer before school resumes in September.

“We were [the Indian Head & Maquan Priority Repair Committee] concerned that we’d run out of time and not be able to get this done, and we’re still in a time constraint a little bit,” Hayes said. “By moving this RFP forward … it allows us to take, maybe, a month off of the time schedule.”

Contractors base their bids on information in the request for proposals, or RFPs.

“That’s good news,” Selectman James McGahan said of the engineering estimate.

The board also approved the promotion of Officer Peter Calegero to sergeant to fill one of seven vacancies created by retirements and other departures.

“There’s a lot of experience leaving the force,” Chief Michael Miksch said. Right now, there are two or three shifts a week working with no sergeant on duty.

Calegero who is the next high-scoring officer on the sergeant’s exam list, has shown willingness to help new officers and has served as a school resource officer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UMass.

Selectmen also voted to offer conditional employment — pending completion of a medical exam, a background check, a psychological exam and final appointment — to Brent Peterson and Christopher Dominguez. Since Dominguez has recently moved back from Florida where he has been a full-time deputy officer with the Hillsboro County Sheriff’s Department, his hiring is also contingent on acceptance of his Florida certification as a police officer by the Mass. Police Training Committee.

Peterson is currently serving on the Plympton Police Department and has been an officer for three years and worked for four years on the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Western New England College. Dominguez  holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Endicott College and now works for the Norfolk County Corrections Department.

With Memorial Day just two and a half weeks away, veterans’ organizations are finalizing plans for parades in both towns.

Ahead of the Monday, May 30 observances, Boy and Girl Scout troops will be placing flags on veterans’ graves and Whitman’s Duval School will be holding its annual “We Remember Ceremony” on Friday, May 27. Duval pupils, their families and school staff will gather in the school gym at 9:30 a.m., along with invited town officials, veterans and members of the Duval family, for a program of patriotic music, student poetry and honors for deceased veterans.

On Memorial Day itself, parades and memorial ceremonies for those fallen in service to country are the focus of a morning full of events.

The 149th annual Whitman Memorial Day Parade forms at 8:45 a.m. at the corner of Park Avenue and Court Street. The parade steps off at 9:30 a.m.

Marchers make their way along South Avenue to the Town Hall for ceremonies at the Honor Roll and then up Temple Street to the World War I Memorial Arch and then along a route to Colebrook Cemetery for ceremonies followed by programs at the Whitman Park flag pole, the Civil War Soldiers Monument and at the Veterans Monument for All Wars near the park pond for concluding ceremonies.

In Hanson, units including the WHRHS marching band, veterans’ groups, color guards, civic leaders, antique cars, horse, clowns and youth groups gather at Indian Head School for a ceremony and 10 a.m. parade start.

The parade heads down Liberty Street to the Town Hall green for ceremonies at the Civil War Monument, after which the parade re-forms and proceeds to Fern Hill Cemetery for the main presentation ceremonies and a keynote address. Hanson’s parade and related events conclude at 11 a.m.

Hanson Scouts are scheduled to place flags on veterans’ graves on Tuesday, May 17 at Fern Hill. Should a flag and/or appropriate marker be missed, families of veterans are asked to call the Veterans’ Agent at 781-293-2772 after May 17 so arrangements may be made.

The Hanson Veterans’ Services office reminds families of deceased veterans that they are eligible to receive, at no cost, a printed Presidential Memorial Certificate, a plastic grave marker commemorating the era and conflict in which the veteran served, and either an upright headstone or flat grave marker commemorating the veteran’s service branch, name, rank, birth date and year of death. For more information, contact the Hanson Veterans’ Agent.

Behind a first-place finish from Senior Captain Samantha Coletti and juniors Alexandra Santos, Lily Nolan and Olivia Morse in the Sprint Medley Relay, the Panthers finished 12th in the Sunday, May 1 Division 2 Relay Meet at Marshfield High School.  Coletti (1,200) combined with junior Lily Perkins and senior captains Jill O’Leary (800) and Abbie Newman (mile) to take fourth place in the distance medley.  Santos, Perkins and senior Olivia Reed took fifth place in the long jump.

The girls’ track & field team improved to 2-1 with a 99-28 win over Quincy at home on Tuesday, May 3. Junior Alexandra Santos with wins in the long jump (16′) and the 100 dash (12.4), along with a second-place finish in the 400 (62.5), and freshman Dorothy Donohue with wins in the 100 hurdles (17.5) and triple jump (31′ 5″) and a second place in the High Jump (4′ 4″) led the way. Other double winners included Senior Captain Samantha Coletti in the 400 (60.1) and 400 hurdles (69.0) and sophomore Julia Cosgrave in the 2 mile (13:38) and discus (48′ 10″.)

The boys’ track team dropped its meet to Plymouth North 94-42 Thursday, April 28. Whitman-Hanson winners were: Matt Evans in the shot put (second in discus), Riley Holland in the discus (second in shot put), Pat Duffey at 800 meters (third in discus and the mile) Dan Cashman had a great day placing second in the high jump, triple jump and was third in the 100.

Whitman-Hanson bounced back Tuesday, May 3, beating Quincy 89-47 as eight W-H boys won events on the way to their first victory of the season.

Winners for W-H were: Shane Walsh in the 100, Bryce Pulkinen in the mile, Billy Martell in the 400, Hurdles Josh Prevetti at 100 hurdles, Pat Duffey in the 800, Lucas Muscoso at two miles, Brian Edwards in the high jump and Dan Vanemringe in the triple jump.

The girls’ track team traveled to Silver Lake High School Thursday April 28, losing to Plymouth North High School by a score of 96-40.  Senior Captain Samantha Coletti won both the 400 meter hurdles (1:06.8) and 800 meters (2:20) in the losing effort, while Plymouth North standouts Jordan Callahan and Jackie Sullivan led the Plymouth North squad. W-H’s Alexandra Santos was also impressive winning the 100 meter sprint (12.6) and taking second place in both the 200 (26.9) and long jump (16′ 1″.)

WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen during its Tuesday, April 19 meeting discussed the future of passport services at Town Hall — a program that could end up doomed by its popularity.

Several years ago, Whitman joined several other communities in the “labor-intensive” task of aiding residents through the passport application process, according to Town Administrator Frank Lynam.

“We accept the applications, we scrutinize the information, we witness their signing and then we send it into the State Department for investigation and issuance,” Lynam said. “It involves a bit of time with the people applying, particularly when you have a family and, most particularly, when you have a large family.”

Passport work was done out of the Town Clerk’s office until the State Department determined in 2011 that it was an inherent conflict to have the office issuing birth certificates to help in issuing passports, at which time the job was handed off to the Treasurer-Collector’s office with that office’s “enthusiasm and support,” Lynam noted.

“It seems, since that time, to have grown a bit,” he said. Two employees plus the manager in both offices serve the public at the collector’s window, causing crowded conditions during passport hours. Lynam and Treasurer Mary Beth Carter have, therefore, been discussing if another department could pick up the service.

“My recommendation, unless we have another place to send this, is to discontinue the service,” Lynam said.

Carter said more than 600 passports were processed last year over 7.5 hours a week on Tuesday evenings and Wednesday and Thursday mornings, taking 15-20 minutes to complete each application. On one Tuesday evening, 24 applications were processed. The State Department estimates applications will increase over the next two years.

So far this year the town has taken in $13,025 for applications and $4,160 for photos — a total of $17,185. Last fiscal year, the total revenue from passports was $19,270. Postage costs came in at $6.45 per application package.

“A large amount of the passport applications we process are for non-Whitman residents,” she said. “Due to the volume of traffic at the collector’s office … it had become burdensome to also continue the passport function.”

Citing the collector’s office main function as dealing with inquiries and receiving payment from Whitman residents.

“My plan is for the Treasurer-Collector’s office to remain as a passport facility through the end of the calendar year,” Carter said. “I was hoping we’d be able to find another department willing to take over this function, as we did back in 2011.”

If that is possible, she would like to begin the transition in July, with the present five passport agents serving as assistants and backup through the end of the calendar year, when the Treasurer-Collector’s office certifications expire.

Qualifications are basic — scanning applications,  asking questions, witnessing signatures and administering an oath — the issue, Lynam said, is the time involved.

In Brockton, the post office conducts the application process, while in East Bridgewater it is done by the veterans’ services office by appointment only, Carter said. Whitman post office does not offer the service, which can only be conducted by a government office.

Selectman Scott Lambiase suggested a member of the clerk’s staff might be separated out to handle passports.

Overdose crisis

In other business, Police Chief Scott Benton urged residents to heed the messages imparted in the April 11 “If I Only Knew,” program sponsored by Whitman-Hanson WILL to help curb the overdose problem.

“It’s choices,” he said, during his monthly report to selectmen. “There are people who don’t want to say anything because they don’t want to be ‘ratting out’ your kid. Well, you know what? Rat them out.”

“Save a life,” agreed Selectmen Vice-chairman Dan Salvucci, conducting the meeting in Chairman Carl Kowalski’s absence.

“There are a lot of great kids out there, but this is something that we’re dealing with and something to be aware of,” Benton said.

Benton reported that his department has received 3,753 calls for service between Jan. 1 and April 10 — compared to 2,895 during the same period last year.

There have been 118 arrests, criminal complaints and protective custodies during that same period and 11 drug overdoses, two fatal. There were 12 overdoses during that period last year.

“We were doing pretty good in January,” Benton said. “We had our Whitman-Hanson WILL presentation last week [April 11] and, right after the presentation, we had three overdoses that evening — one fatal.”

Another of the overdoses that night, overdosed again Wednesday, April 13.

“It’s sad, but it illustrates, certainly, that this is a problem that we’re facing and that we’re going to continue to tackle,” Benton said. “You have to show compassion. … When you come off of heroin, you get sick and people don’t want to get sick, so they’re on the heroin, too, in addition to the addiction itself.”

He said the epidemic is a situation where the adage, “There, but for the grace of God go I,” applies.

“I don’t know anybody that isn’t touched in one way or another by this,” Benton said, noting some people ask him why so many resources are invested in repeat overdose cases. “What would you give to hug your child again? That’s as simple as I can put it. If you look at it that way, with that empathy, you understand that you’ll do anything — so if we save them 100 times, we save them 100 times, that’s the way it goes.”

Through the WEB Task Force, Benton said there is a county-wide effort to establish and maintain a database of available beds in treatment facilities to which officers can connect through their cruisers.

“This will lead to us being able to give that information and be able to offer help and followup,” he said.

Whitman and Hanson police and fire officials have been working with WHRHS officials on crisis planning.

This year, the main goal of principals’ school improvement plans — at all grade levels in all seven district schools — is all-day kindergarten, one of the 20 elements of the Student Success budget for fiscal 2017.

The School Committee voted 9-0 to accept the plans. Member Alexandra Taylor was absent.

Consultant Lori Likis, who has been working with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to help schools develop district plans, introduced the plan presentations during the W-H School Committee’s Wednesday, April 13 meeting.

“The intention here is to offer something that is helpful to districts, rather than another mandatory requirement,” Likis said. “You’re developing a district plan and using that to drive all of the other systems in your district. So it drives your budget, your evaluation system, educator roles and school improvement plans.”

The three pillars of W-H’s Planning for Success/School Improvement Plans are those outlined when the Student Success budget was unveiled in February — Every Child, Every Day: Healthy Body/Healthy Mind; a cohesive pre-K through grade 12 system of teaching and safe and secure schools.

“We’ve done strategic planning before, and I just never felt convinced that the plan really spoke for W-H or that it wasn’t really impacting improvement,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner.

The seven principals provided three plan overviews, based on the elementary, middle and high school levels.

“Our goals are the same,” said Maquan Principal Donna Murphy. “There was something very heartwarming — and I’m going to steal some of the thunder from our middle school and high school principals — the very first goal for pillar one is the implementing of all-day kindergarten for all students across the district.”

She said it spoke to the importance of all-day kindergarten as a foundation for a good education on a level playing field. She also reiterated the importance of the added full-time social workers to improve social-emotional health.

Duval Principal Julie McKillop said extension and development of the elementary math and science curriculum is a key component of pillar two, the cohesive pre-K through grade 12 system of teaching.

Indian Head Principal Elaine White spoke of safe and secure schools in the elementary grades. Staff training in safety protocols will continue while audio communication technology, especially in areas like school gyms and cafeterias where it is lacking, is improved and new perimeter cameras are being looked at. Conley Principal Karen Downey was unable to attend due to a death in her family.

Middle school principals William Tranter and George Ferro outlined how the three pillars will be implemented at that level.

“We did spend a lot of time working together to align our school improvement plans across the district,” Tranter said of the seven administrators. “We all feel [all-day kindergarten] is an essential piece as students move up in the school system. … If you don’t get it early, it’s very difficult to catch up at the middle or high school level.”

Tranter and Ferro have been working together toward ensuring an equal middle school experience, no matter which town a student lives in, and agreed that more support is needed for guidance and school adjustment staffs. Like their elementary counterparts, math and science are key pillar two concerns in the middle schools.

“Safety and security is first and foremost,” Tranter said. “If kids don’t feel safe and secure, they’re not going to learn.”

At the high school, Principal Jeffrey Szymaniak said he had never enjoyed the school improvement plan process in the past.

“This year, because of the new process, it kind of means something,” he said. “It was exhilarating.”

He said he values the potential benefit of all-day kindergarten for high school freshmen eight years from now. He also said that, while school choice has helped him add programs at the high school, the Student Success budget will permit a lot more training for addressing the social-emotional challenges of the 2016 student.

Continuing the transition room is a key program as well as programs to ease stress.

The new semester schedule means more textbooks are needed, where teachers were able to juggle distribution on a trimester schedule. Szymaniak also wants to offer more detailed math, science and English electives as well as certificate programs for CNA, pharmacy tech, medical coding or animal sciences, for example.

“Teaching changes every year,” he said. “It changes with every class. …  Whatever group of kids you have coming in the doors, you have to adapt.”

Szymaniak also said he is working to improve the experience level of front-door security personnel as well as designing a better traffic flow for the fall.

New Principal

In other business, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, Safety and Security Patrick Dillon announced that Duval School Assistant Principal Dr. Elizabeth Wilcox has been appointed principal at Maquan School in the fall. Murphy is retiring this spring.

“I had the privilege to work with about 20 stakeholders who took this task very seriously,” Dillon said of the process that narrowed a field of more than 40 applicants to six for interviews and two finalists. “It was not an easy task for either one of the finalists.”

He said he viewed the integrity of the process as vital.

“She absolutely earned this opportunity,” he said of Wilcox.

“I’m absolutely thrilled,” she said. “I’ve been part of the W-H community for 14 years.”

Wilcox began as a grade two classroom teacher and as a reading specialist as well as assistant principal at Duval.

“I am sad to leave Duval … but I am very excited to go to Maquan and to be part of that community,” she said.

HANSON — A major weekend water main break to a six-inch pipe, which went unreported for an estimated three hours, caused black water to appear in sinks and toilets in some parts of town through Tuesday.

Selectman Don Howard, who is also a water commissioner in town reported at Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting that people were confused about how to get the dark-colored water out of their system.

He said the next water bill will include a slip of paper outlining the proper procedures for any future incidents.

“If there is dark water in your house, don’t run it in the house and try to get rid of it,” he said. “If you have dark water … use an outside [connection] to drain the water off closest to where the meter runs into the house, therefore it doesn’t get all through the house.”

Howard said a lot of people were running indoor faucets to clear the water, and that was incorrect.

He said he was given a gallon jug of pitch-black water that settled clear in a matter of one day, leaving only a small amount of black particles in the bottom of the plastic jug.

“It’s manganese and iron, basically,” he said. “But it was so fine that it completely blackend the gallon jug.”

Howard said the direction of water flow forced the dark particles through the systems.

Water pressure dropped so low that people on High Street and the Whitman end of Whitman Street had no water at all.

“We faced it and took care of it and hopefully all the citizens of Hanson will be happy now that they’ve got clean water,” Howard said.

He said that, as of Tuesday afternoon, the only area still experiencing discolored water was on High Street, with three hydrants still open and running to clear the water, with the aim of it being cleared by 8 p.m.

Whitman Hanson WILL is hosting “If I Only Knew,” an evening of awareness and education aimed at curbing destructive decisions by young people at 6:30 p.m., Monday, April 11 in the Dr. John F. McEwan Performing Arts Center at WHRHS. The program s co-sponsored by the Brockton Area Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative.

The main presentation will be “Taylor’s Message,” by Kathi Meyer.

Kathi’s life changed on one October morning in 2008 when she was informed that her 17-year-old daughter Taylor had drowned in only two feet of swampy water due to underage drinking and poor choices.

A panel discussion follows featuring Stacey Lynch of CASTLE, High Point Treatment Center; Whitman Police Chief Scott Benton and Hanson Police Officer Bill Frazier; Mary Cunningham, a young adult in recovery and Ryan Morgan, principal of Independence Academy, a recovery high school.

Audience members will have the opportunity to ask the panelists questions following their presentation. Resource information will also be available. For more information visit Whitmanhansonwill.org.

Next school year will mark the beginning of a change in class schedules under the program of studies and how some diplomas are earned at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School.

The School Committee has approved the proposals by Principal Jeffrey Szymaniak, which change the high school schedule from a trimester to a full-year semester system and implements a “Diploma B” program for approved students struggling academically.

“It’s a solid program,” he told the committee on March 16 about the schedule change. “But it’s a change in our program of studies this year that directly affects the Class of 2020, indirectly affects the Class of 2017 for next year, and ’18 and ’19 — and there’s a grandfather clause.”

Students sign up for seven or eight classes, but only five meet each day. The full complement of classes meets within seven-day rotations. Seminar returns to the schedule every afternoon, as does the senior’s end-of-day period for Community Service Learning internships and senior privileges.

He explained that students in the latter two classes have already earned up to 36 credits.

“It’s just a little bit of a tweak, not taking away any rigor in our classes, giving kids the opportunity to have one teacher in a core subject for the entire year,” Szymaniak said.

Courses will no longer be valued at two credits per trimester, they will be four credits per full-year course and two credits per semester, Szymaniak explained to the School Committee. The current trimester system requires106 credits for graduation, but that will change to 96 credits for the class of 2020.

“Balancing that out, looking at all the other schools in the area — and I look at Duxbury, Silver Lake, East Bridgewater, Scituate — keeping in line with them, we’ve moved to four credits for a full-year course and two credits for a semester and 96 credits to graduate,” he said. “If I’m a diligent student and I take seven classes … I can even fail a class here and there and still make our graduation requirements.”

The schedule change has had its critics among some students and parents. Two underclassmen, requesting their names be withheld, recently contacted the Express about their concerns, including the number of classes required, confusion about a rotating class schedule and weekend AP classes. The latter has been a fact of life already, according to Szymaniak, who would like to see them return. He cited day-long AP seminars that have been attended by W-H students all over the South Shore, and expressed a wish to have the staffing to offer them here.

“We’re no different than anybody else as far as class time,” Szymaniak said. “Teachers have to instruct in a different way — they’re still going to cover content, but they’re not going to have as many hours in a day to do that.”

The class rotation thereby closely mirrors a college class schedule.

“Next year’s juniors and seniors will have experienced two schedule changes in the past two years,” one sophomore said. “There have been two petitions to have the schedule just stay how it is, both of which gained quite a lot of signatures, but the principal paid them absolutely no mind.”

Szymaniak said this week that the petitions had been withdrawn by student organizers after he met with them before he had a look at the documents, and he explained that the previous change, which suspended seminar period was necessary following the reduction of five teachers following budget cuts.

Another student pointed to the confusion from the class rotation as his main concern, and Szymaniak conceded there would be some confusion at the outset.

“I’ll concede they did some things right,” the student said. “My biggest concern would be that [classes rotate] every day, which would be fine if there weren’t two classes dropping throughout the week.”

“It’s going to be a little confusing at first,” Szymaniak said Monday. “But it’s something that’s familiar [in other schools] on the South Shore.”

He noted students have just registered for next year’s classes under the new schedule, so there has been no concrete feedback from them or parents as yet.

“I think parents want continuity,” he said. “They want their kids to have a teacher that they know for all year.”

Diploma B approved

The School Committee also approved a Diploma B designation for students who are approved for it.

“I’m an advocate for all kids in our school,” Szymaniak said, noting the district offers a Community Evening School, based on credits, with a separate graduation ceremony. “What I see now is a core group of kids — probably 15 to 20 per grade — that are not college-bound, that are not tech-bound, they want to go in the military, they want to work, they want to go to Massasoit. Our Diploma A has requirements that some of these students find really challenging to pass, foreign language in particular.”

He stressed that the Diploma B designation is in no way a form of tracking students, but is based on a program in Hull. Szymaniak altered the program for W-H, requiring 92 credits to graduate compared to the 82 to 86 credits Hull High School requires for a Diploma B. The additional credits W-H requires would be in elective courses.

Students would be no different from other WHRHS students at regular commencement ceremonies and all diplomas look alike, but transcripts would carry the Diploma B designation.

It is not meant as an easy out, however, Szymaniak cautioned. Four years of English, three years of math, science and social studies, and attempt at foreign language and other credits will be required.

“Every eighth-grader entering the high school is a Diploma A student,” he said. “At the end of freshman year — sometimes sophomore year — things happen.”

At that time, Szymaniak will meet with at-risk students and their parents to discuss goals and solutions. If, at the end of sophomore year a student is still in grade recovery, Diploma B will be discussed as an option.

“Everything’s fluid,” Szymaniak said, explaining that Diploma B   students could always switch back over to Diploma A. “Some of my students go to CES and then transfer back in.”

Why does the W-H Regional School District need social workers?

School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes said it’s a question he frequently hears.

“We have seen over time an increase in the number of low-income students and students who qualify for free and reduced lunch,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner. “We’ve seen increased numbers of students from families that are not functioning in ways that really support students. Students are coming to school with issues and problems that 20 to 25 years ago we would have never thought possible.”

Principals from all seven W-H schools gave emotional testimony to the pain they see among children and adolescents in all economic levels in their schools whose needs are not being met.

They have had to find help for middle schoolers who cut themselves, suicidal students, children in custody of grandparents and students on the autism spectrum or who are dealing with crippling anxiety and depression ­­­­­— all while providing a quality education.

North River Collaborative has funded “very part-time” social workers for the elementary schools to share — and those principals lauded their work and dedication — but Gilbert-Whitner said more needs to be done.

Duval Principal Julie McKillop said her school has 16 pupils who have changed custody since June.

“Those children need to be supported throughout their day,” McKillop said. “That doesn’t shut off for those kids at 9 o’clock when the school day starts, and then start back up at 3 o’clock.”

School psychologists — there is one per school — are busy special ed testing, adjustment counseling and helping with social work, she said.

Conleey Principal Karen Downey noted her school is “into double digits with children who are DCF-involved” and counseling cases are increasing.

“I know you hear a lot about the opioid crisis,” Downey said. “That starts with these kids we can’t reach.”

At Hanson Middle School, Principal William Tranta said the problem goes beyond kids involved with DCF or the free and reduced lunch program.

“This is about all kids,” he said. “We’re seeing, in the middle schools, the results of the elementary schools not having the mental health support. … It’s about the social-emotional health of our students, not about what their income level is.”

Whitman Middle School Principal George Ferro agreed, but said the situation presents an opportunity to take action rather than being reactive.

“We’re taking kids from every walk of life, from every piece of life, from every socio-economic group, but it’s incumbent upon us as educators to take them where they’re at, give them the skills that they need to succeed not only in first grade, fifth grade, ninth grade, but for the rest off their life,” he said.

Unaddressed  problems grow bigger as students move to higher grades, educators said.

“I’m the end game,” said High School Principal Jeffrey Szymaniak. “I see the results of what we haven’t supported.”

After six years at WHRHS, he said he can see there is a gap of students who hadn’t had basic needs met in the elementary and middle schools.

“I know last year we spent a lot of time talking about the transition room we built [at WHRHS] specifically for students coming out of hospitals and psychiatric hospitals back into the building,” said Administrator of Special Education and Pupil Personnel Services Dr. John Quealy. “I just wonder how many of those kids would have been prevented [from needing that] if we had social workers at the elementary level.”

School committee member Susan McSweeney said social workers allow teachers to focus on teaching.

Indian Head Principal Elaine White said depression and anxiety is a problem for a lot of kids, some needing hospitalization.

“All of those services we lost, I think we’re reaping the problems now, because here we have kids in high school who are unable to function,” she said.