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Superintendent outlines MCAS testing, arrival/dismissal changes and safety study
Summary
At the March 24 meeting the superintendent reported the start of MCAS testing, urged families to have students take the exam because of related scholarship and biliteracy opportunities, and described new one-lane dismissal procedures plus a partnership with the Boys & Girls Club to improve student safety; a site study is scheduled for April 8–10.
The superintendent told the Nantucket School Committee on March 24 that MCAS testing began that day and that the district wants students and families to participate because it still creates academic opportunities. “Students must take the MCAS even though it is no longer a requirement for graduation,” the superintendent said, noting the exam is tied to scholarship and biliteracy considerations including the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship for top district performers.
The superintendent described operational changes intended to reduce safety risks during arrival and dismissal. After winter snow and large snowbanks worsened visibility and traffic flow, the district limited the school-loop at the Nantucket Elementary and Intermediate schools to a single lane and prohibited drivers from exiting vehicles in the loop. The change aims to stop parents from parking and blocking traffic and to keep students from crossing between stalled cars.
Assistant Superintendent of Academic Operations Melissa Devitt described her role in redesigning dismissal procedures and said the district will conduct a study of arrival and dismissal practices for all four school buildings on April 8–10. The superintendent added that the Boys & Girls Club, with Fernando Jones’s staff assistance, will meet and escort students to the club so teachers assigned to dismissal duties can remain available for supervision inside the schools.
The superintendent also flagged a local and national staffing challenge: the district is short on school bus drivers, which has increased parent drop-off and pick-up demand. “If we had more bus drivers, we would not have as many parents dropping off and picking up,” the superintendent said, inviting interested applicants.
The committee was told the district will develop a more detailed operational plan over the summer, working with building principals and operations staff to make arrival and dismissal safer going into the next school year.
