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Educator raises account access and curriculum concerns; assistant superintendent outlines accreditation work
Summary
During public comment an educator said their district account was disabled, disrupting classes and asked about curriculum flexibility; Assistant Superintendent Peña reported on NEASC accreditation work at Malden High School and discussed partnerships and efforts to align the Program of Studies.
An educator who identified themself as Mx. Michael Ziemba told the Malden School Committee Dec. 4 that they had resigned and that their last day would be Dec. 22, 2023, and said their Malden Public Schools account was disabled earlier that school day, interrupting an eighth‑grade math class and subsequent ELA and science lessons.
"My MPS account was disabled a few hours earlier during the school day and believes this was an error," Mx. Ziemba said, adding that the Education Support Professional assigned to their classroom did not have a district account for about six weeks after starting. Ziemba also asked for clarification about previous committee discussion in which the superintendent was asked whether an educator may depart from adopted curriculum and urged the committee to contact Congresswoman Katherine Clark to support H.Res.786 calling for an immediate de‑escalation and cease‑fire in Israel and occupied Palestine.
Assistant Superintendent Peña reported on district updates and highlights, including winter break and enrollment, and described ongoing work tied to Malden High School's New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accreditation. Peña said the district is working to align pacing guides, curriculum and syllabi across content areas and confirmed that NEASC accreditation is valid for ten years. Director of Guidance Erin Craven said director teams have focused on alignment in science, history and English, while many electives (engineering, auto shop and business) are "home‑grown" and need written syllabi to match standards; she said work started last year and will continue.
Craven also described a long‑standing dual‑enrollment relationship with Bunker Hill Community College and said the district partners with the MassHire Foundation to provide a job coach at Malden High School for community internships. Student Representative Abel told the committee that curriculum decisions are often made by people who are not in the classroom daily and suggested adding middle‑school students, in addition to high‑school students and teachers, to curriculum panels.
The committee heard these administrative updates during its regular agenda; no formal action was taken on the accreditation or partnership items at the meeting.
