Durfee students, union and community demand answers after construction teacher placed on leave
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Summary
Seniors and union leaders urged the Fall River School Committee to prioritize student instruction and resolve a seven‑week leave affecting the construction craft laborers (CCL) program, while also calling for personnel concerns to be handled privately and in accordance with policy.
Durfee High School students and union leaders pressed the Fall River School Committee on Monday over the administrative leave of a long‑time construction craft laborers (CCL) teacher, saying the absence has paused critical hands‑on instruction and industry certifications.
At least two seniors and the president of the Fall River Educators Association described seven weeks without a licensed CCL instructor, missed OSHA and L.I.U.N.A. training and lost classroom hours that students called essential to post‑graduation employment. “This investigation is impacting many students, and as a program, we are feeling the effects every day,” senior Caden Platt said during the public comment period.
Keith Michonne, president of the Fall River Educators Association, welcomed new committee members but criticized committee conduct at a prior meeting. Michonne said a curriculum donation had been tabled while a committee member publicly disparaged an employee and urged the committee to follow district policy for personnel matters and keep investigations private to protect staff and avoid legal exposure.
Community partners echoed the students’ concerns. Joe Coparko, director of the LiUNA New England apprenticeship program, called the CCL pathway a proven route to well‑paid work and urged the committee to weigh students’ lost time against procedural requirements. “What they’re missing this year, the amount of time that’s being taken away from their education … it should be criminal,” he said.
Administrators acknowledged the issue but said they must follow investigatory processes and legal guidance. The instructional subcommittee had earlier referred the proposed L.I.U.N.A.‑aligned CCL curriculum to the full committee for approval and noted that a new high‑school curriculum would be implemented if the committee approves it for 2026‑27.
Several speakers asked the committee to prioritize restoring instruction — via substitute staffing, interim coverage or expedited review — while investigations proceed in private and with respect for district policy. The committee did not announce a personnel decision at Monday’s meeting; members repeatedly stressed the need to follow state and federal employment and privacy rules.
Next steps: the instructional subcommittee has referred the L.I.U.N.A. curriculum to the full committee; parents and students asked the committee to accelerate a solution so students can resume certification training.