The rising number of suspensions and behavioral write-ups at Haverhill Middle Schools calls for the Haverhill School Committee to increase behavior specialists in schools.
The Haverhill School Committee gathered to discuss the need for an increase in hires of mental-health officials at Haverhill public middle schools. On October 10, 2019, Committeewoman Maura Ryan-Ciardiello spoke on the matter, referring to her visits to the middle schools. “I am horrified [by] the lack of respect the teachers have, or the children, because it tickles down.”
It has been reported by Hunking Middle School principal, Shannon Gilligan, that there are not as many councilors in the schools throughout the district as needed. Committeewoman Gail Sullivan pointed out that the write-ups in Hunking Middle School were increasingly worse in the kindergarten through 5th grade levels rather than the sixth through eighth. This may be because the higher grades have three counselors, whereas the lower level only has one.
Nettle Middle School was a school of discussion during the meeting, since Ryan-Ciardiello stated she heard they had already suspended 20 students in the first 40 days of school.That number had the council bring in principal Shereen Escovitz, and vice principal, Eileen Doherty. The two were called to the podium where they stated they weren’t sure of the suspensions off the top of their heads, but assured Ryan-Ciardiello this number was larger than they believe to be true. However, she questioned the principals for the next half hour about how they were working on bringing better behavioral and counselling support to the school.
Escovitz replied that the Smart Moves program was taking place in the school, where students learn about general mental-health, ways to cope with emotions and avoiding drugs and alcohol. Continuing, Escovitz says, “We can start to address some of these social, emotional issues both in the school and with outside agencies.”
As the meeting’s agenda continued, the news of free breakfast and lunch being provided to all of the Haverhill Public Schools showed that 70-80 percent of students are eating breakfast at school. Those numbers grew from 2018 to 2019 of 2,000 to 3,000 breakfasts being served per day, and 4,000 to now 5,300 lunches being served.
Along so, the Salvation Army is offering a service ‘Backpack 68’ where students in need may receive a backpack on Friday’s filled with food and an offering of food and stability all weekend so the kids never have to go hungry when they aren’t at school.
These two side notes hint that the problems at school may occur when students live low-budget or unsafe homelives. Although this is only a theory, Councilwoman Margrett Marcotta states, “Students learning retention is lowered when skipping breakfast.” Thus, if students are in any sort of food desert at home and need to eat all of their meals at school, this may mean that the students home life isn’t the greatest, and it will reflect in their behavior at school.
LThomps Art 