Harris Elementary students, parents press Southeast Delco board over months-long math-teacher vacancy

Students, parents and a teacher told the Southeast Delco School District board on Jan. 2 that a prolonged vacancy in Harris Elementary’s eighth-grade math position has left pupils without formal instruction for months and risked their performance on Keystone and PSSA exams.

Delaney Jones, a parent, told the board that Harris students “have been receiving assignments they need to complete asynchronously since maybe October, November without any formal instruction” and questioned how pupils can demonstrate growth on benchmark assessments without classroom teaching. Multiple eighth-grade students echoed that concern: Carlia Henry said the lack of in-person instruction has made it hard to “understand important topics,” and Janita Martin told the board, “we’ve been without an actual math teacher since October.”

Taylor Smith, an eighth grader, appealed directly to the board: “If my school district won’t stand up for my education, who will?” Teacher Matt Berman, an eighth-grade ELA instructor at Harris, described the situation as urgent: “We’ve been without an eighth grade math teacher at Harris for almost 4 months,” he said, adding that packets and substitute coverage do not replace certified instruction and that “a packet is not instruction.”

Superintendent Dr. Sanchez acknowledged the problem and said the district is pursuing immediate solutions: “We actually have someone that’s scheduled for an interview. I think it’s for tomorrow,” he told the board, calling math a “very hard to fill position in the middle of the year” but saying administration is “turning every stone” to hire a certified candidate and that he would follow up with the parent after the meeting.

Why it matters: Students in the district are approaching Keystone exams and rely on consistent, curriculum-aligned instruction. Board members and staff heard requests to prioritize hiring and to provide interim supports so students are not disadvantaged on required state assessments.

What the board said and next steps: The superintendent invited the concerned parent and staff to discuss suggested interim supports after the meeting and represented that an interview was imminent. No formal board action was recorded that night to require a specific staffing remedy; the board’s process for hiring and assigning certified staff remains the district’s existing authority.

Provenance: Public comments and immediate superintendent response were recorded beginning with the public-comment roll call at SEG 1133 and continuing through SEG 1350, including Delaney Jones (SEG 1141–1194), student speakers (SEG 1196–1276), Matt Berman (SEG 1278–1340) and Dr. Sanchez’s reply (SEG 1344–1350).