By NEIL ZOLOT
NORTH READING — The School Committee supports the continuation of remote participation and access to municipal meetings.
State House Bill H62, “An Act Relative to Extending Certain Covid-19 Measures Adopted During the State of Emergency,” seeks to continue this access
“I’d love to see the state approve this,” Chairman Scott Buckley said at the School Committee meeting on March 24.
“Public participation is the core of democracy,” member Tim Sutherland added. “If people are out of town, they know they can access a meeting. There’s zero downside.”
It has also been used to hold meetings during bad weather and for members to participate if they can’t attend a meeting in person.
The Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) reports: “The legislature has enacted and sent to a bill to extend authorizations for local boards and committees to hold public meetings remotely or in a hybrid format through June 2027.
“The bill would also extend the remote meeting option for representative town meetings and permit reduced quorums for open town meetings.
“The remote and hybrid authorizations under the state’s open meeting laws were created as emergency accommodations during the pandemic and had been extended due to their success, but were due to expire March 31.”
MMA Executive Doctor Adam Chapdelaine said, “The MMA and local leaders across the state gravity appreciate the House and Senate’s quick action to pass a bill continuing these essential and effective public meeting options. These allowances are critical for conducting the business of municipal government in the 21st century. Over the past five years, they have increased transparency and accountability and boosted public participation and confidence. Local boards have worked to conduct meetings in the way that works best for the community. This flexibility is why the provision has proven so successful.”
Bill S2205, “An Act Updating the Open Meeting Law to Support Remote Participation,” to extend the provision more or less permanently is being reviewed in the Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.
Locally in addition to the governor’s approval, the local Select Board must also approve it.
Remote participation was established during the pandemic. “The technology is in place,” School Committee member Jennifer Leenders commented. “It’s not like we’re starting something new.”
“We feel participation has generally increased through the availability of remote participation,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick Daly added. “We’re hoping the legislation will pass to continue it.”
Community Circles and stress management
Other business at the meeting included a presentation from the Middle School on programs titled Community Circles with Seniors, referring to Senior Citizens for eighth-graders and Stress Management for sixth-graders.
“A group of 11 eighth-graders have been meeting monthly with a group of senior citizens from the O’Leary Center on an intergenerational project,” stated the slide presentation for the School Committee. “The meetings started in January with just one brave senior, Marie Morrow. She came to the Middle School to see what the project was all about. Thanks in large part to Marie’s courage and support we have increased our group to about eight or so senior citizens for February and March. We also decided it was easier for us to go to the Senior Center instead of asking the seniors to come to us.”
School Adjustment Counselor Michael Hursch said the program “is more valuable than I anticipated. It’s an opportunity to share voices, build relationships and strengthen our community by comparing different generations and listening to each other. The Seniors provide some advice and insight about issues. It builds empathy through sharing experiences.”
“I feel it helps bridge the gap between generations,” student Tyler Costello said. “It helps make a connection between generations.”
“The Circle allows us to share our interests and make connections,” student Eva Wang agreed.
“The meetings are wonderful,” Morrow said. “We have more connections than we knew. It makes my heart sing and I hope the students feel the same way.”
Other participating students at the School Committee meeting were Corrina Benedict, Aiden Buckley, Alyssa Casassa, Mia Ledoux and Maria Serra.
Given they’re in eighth-grade and about to enter high school, Principal Dr. Catherine O’Connell said she and Hursch will be looking for a new set of students next year.
The presentation continued: “This spring we are piloting an enrichment class with 14 sixth-graders focusing on managing stress. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Drug Free Communities Grant Director Amy Luckiewicz we received grant funding to purchase a classroom set of heart rate monitor watches through the Interactive Health Technologies Spirit System. In the class we learn together how our emotions can impact our heart rate. The heart rate monitors and software provide personalized, concrete information we analyze to help make connections about how our bodies react to stressful situations throughout our days.
“We practice stress-reduction strategies in class to better manage the times of our day we notice our heart rates are elevated. Research has shown this practice, otherwise known as biofeedback, can improve performance, social relationships and overall health.”
“The most important thing is awareness,” O’Connell feels.
How much stress can sixthgraders have, one might ask. “They’re under pressure,” Hursch said. “There are big issues in Middle School. There’s ongoing social stress. It’s a challenging period in a kid’s development.”
Participating students at the School Committee meeting were Emmy Allston, Emma Buckley, Lakshmi Reynolds and Hannah Rowe. (Aiden and Emma Buckley are the children of School Committee Chairman Scott Buckley.)
One confirmed tests and “drama with friends” are sources of stress.
Another said she uses “progressive muscle relaxation” to relieve stress by relaxing her muscles in stages.
“I can’t tell you how these programs are,” Luckiewicz said. “They don’t involve vaping or marijuana use; it’s about eliminating factors that lead to that.”