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Parents press Chariho committee on classroom disruptions and transparency; superintendent points to FERPA and supports
Summary
Multiple parents at the Sept. 23 public forum said disruptive student behavior at Charlestown Elementary has led to classroom evacuations and lost instructional time; the superintendent described new supports (social workers and psychologists in every building) and cited federal privacy law (FERPA) as a limit on what staff can disclose about individual students.
Several parents used the Chariho Regional School Committee public forum on Sept. 23 to press the district about frequent classroom disruptions at Charlestown Elementary and the lack of timely parent notification.
"When a student has a behavioral outburst, the entire class is often forced to stop what they are doing," read a Charlestown parent’s letter presented by Laura Rahm. The letter, posted as part of the public forum, described students falling behind and feeling "scared and uneasy" when classmates scream or block exits.
Britney Moranzoni, a Charlestown parent, told the committee parents are not being informed promptly when evacuations occur and proposed a short, non-detailed notification that would let families know an evacuation took place. "Parents don't need detailed information about the incident, but a simple notification that the evacuation took place would allow us to address it at home," Moranzoni said.
Superintendent Gina Picard responded by noting federal privacy protections under FERPA and the district’s obligation not to disclose protected student information. Picard said the district has implemented a multi-tiered system of behavioral supports and that, "for the first time ever, we have social workers in every one of our schools" and a full-time school psychologist in every building. She offered to meet one-on-one with parents who want to review district protocols and said administrators will follow up with building-level staff to ensure notification systems are working.
Kelly Gillette, another Charlestown parent, described two evacuations in a recent two-week period and told the committee teachers were bearing extra costs and emotional strain to restore classrooms. The chair asked parents to start with building-level conversations with Principal John Anderson and to escalate to meetings with the superintendent if concerns persist.
The committee did not adopt new notification policy at the meeting; members and administration said they would report back after follow-up with school leaders about whether notification procedures could be clarified or improved while remaining consistent with privacy law.
What’s next: Superintendent Picard offered to meet with parents and promised follow-up with school administrators on notification procedures; parents were encouraged to email committee members and participate in additional one-on-one or group meetings.
