Email from Superintendent Jay Hartling to Teachers This past week in an Executive Session I shared with the Board in an inappropriate manner a teacher’s concerns related to students pulling their masks down to pick their noses and the “wetness” of the sanitizing wipes. I’m saddened and sorry that my comments showed anything but the deepest respect for what this teacher, and all of our teachers do for our students each day. Earlier in that week I had spent time with the teacher and discussed the concerns that were raised and sought to provide some assurance and comfort for something that was causing stress for that teacher. While I did not use a name, sharing that or any conversation I’ve had with a team member in any other context than professional was a poor choice, nor does it accurately reflect my high regard for that individual teacher and all the teachers in Ledyard. Engaging in a conversation between myself and Board members in that manner was an error in judgement. I am sorry that the conversation between myself and board members was anything less than professional, it will not happen again. Over the past six months I have had countless emails, conversations and interactions with team members about concerns related to a safe return and our ongoing efforts. I have and will continue to take each concern seriously and more importantly seek ways to create solutions. I am truly sorry for any hurt or distrust that I have sewn. The entire Ledyard team has worked tirelessly to provide a safe and healthy return to school for our students and staff, anything but acknowledgement for that hard work and dedication is unacceptable and not an accurate reflection of how I feel. I know that actions are important and I promise that I will continue to work on behalf of our students and team members to make sure Ledyard Public Schools is a safe and healthy environment for learning both emotionally and physically. If you would like to share your thoughts via email or in person, have a question or would like to raise any concerns at all please contact me. -Jay Jason S. Hartling Superintendent Ledyard Public Schools Statement from executive board of Ledyard Education Association What has been reported about the discussion between the Superintendent and members of the BOE is a shocking breach of professionalism and demonstrates disrespect toward the teachers of Ledyard. Teachers should be able to expect respect when communicating legitimate concerns about their safety and that of their students, particularly during a pandemic. Instead, they have been belittled by those entrusted to provide a safe environment. It is discouraging that they consider teachers advocating for safety protocols as a weakness rather than a strength. This continues an apparent pattern of the Superintendent and Board overlooking input from teachers when they have individual concerns. Even in what was thought to be a private conversation, members of the BOE and Superintendent should be acting in a professional and ethical manner during a formal meeting. As far as the breach of privacy of one of the Ledyard School Employees, who is not one of the LEA members, we stand in solidarity with the custodians in our criticism of this negligence. With all of this in mind, we hope that this issue of trust can be reversed so we can all focus on the most important thing, our students. Statement from Joe Slattery, President, AFSCME Local 1303-108 “As dedicated school employees, we are disappointed by Superintendent Hartling's remarks. His comments demonstrate a lack of professionalism and ethics. The incident also shows the unprofessionalism and cowardice of those elected Board members who sat by idly and did not attempt to put a stop to this unnecessary and childish behavior.” Statement from Ledyard Board of Education September 22, 2020 The Ledyard Board of Education continues to support and advocate for the safe operation of our schools. Every action the Board of Education has taken has been based on the feedback from parents and our staff in support of a healthy learning environment. Our collective work matters for our students and we will continue to act in a manner that is best for our students and honors the hard work and commitment of our staff. Recently there have been concerns about a conversation between the Board and Superintendent. Unbeknownst to those participating, this conversation was being heard and recorded. There have been many comments on social media that do not accurately portray the situation and unfortunately, outside of social media, the Board was not contacted for comment On Wednesday, September 16th, the Ledyard Board of Education held a series of virtual meetings starting at 5pm, with the Regular Board commencing at 7pm. Around 9:50pm, at the end of the meeting, as noted on the officially posted agenda, there was an Executive Session related to a personnel matter. When the Board of Education moved to Executive Session, it was noted to those on the conference line as well as those following the livestream, that we would take a pause while folks exited and the conference line was cleared of all but the two Board members who were virtual. Additionally, as is standard practice the recording of the meeting also ceased at this time. As required for all Executive Sessions, only Board Members and those the Board invites to the Executive Session are permitted to attend due to the confidentiality of the matters discussed. It is for this reason, Executive Sessions are not recorded or live-streamed for public consumption. When the session was completed the Board of Education learned that the live-streaming of the meeting did not stop transmitting, despite it not reflecting that the meeting was still streaming on our end. It came to our attention that despite the agenda and the Board of Education moving to an Executive Session, a member within the community continued to view and did not alert the Board of Education that the meeting was being live-streamed, especially given the agenda topic of a personnel matter. Additionally, without the knowledge of anyone in the conversation, this individual recorded the Executive Session with a personal device and elected to share this recording, which they also made the recording available on Facebook for public consumption. Thankfully at no time was personal identifiable information shared regarding the individual that was being discussed, however, it is unfortunate the details of this confidential discussion were made public. The impacted individual as well as their union representative have been made aware. It is important to note that despite the opinions that have been made through various social media platforms, the details of what was discussed are permissible and the reason why these discussions are done during Executive Session. The Superintendent is required to share with the Board of Education, his employer, personnel matters that may require Board action as well as matters leading up to potential employment decisions. In this case the discussion was at the request of the employee. The questions asked by the Board and the information shared, were all within the Board’s privy. On behalf of the Board of Education, we are deeply apologetic to this employee that the details of this discussion were made public despite reference and intent of an Executive Session. In addition to the personnel matter that was discussed during Executive Session, there was also a less than 2 minute discussion prior to this conversation between the Superintendent and members of the Board, regarding types of concerns that have been addressed by the Superintendent. During this brief discussion, the Superintendent’s discourse with the Board was conducted with a level of levity as was some of the discussion by members of the Board. This dialogue, which was done during an Executive Session, was nothing more than what should have been an off the record conversation between an employee and his employer/leadership. The discussion that occurs during Executive Session tends to not be formal as customarily done during regular session, which follow a standard set of rules of order. This is mentioned not as an excuse, but to provide perspective. Like many of us, the discussion we have with our boss is often done informally because that relationship is one that should support an open door policy and provide an employee with the mechanism to share their frustrations and concerns with their employer, while also asking for feedback. There have been concerns raised by community members about the legal ramifications of this incident. Recognizing that the personnel matter that was discussed during Executive Session was recorded by a member within the community on a personal device without alerting the any party in the conversation or the Board of Education they were doing so, and because that recording was shared through social media, the Board has engaged their attorney. As previously mentioned, Executive Sessions are confidential discussions, often because of the personnel matters discussed. Given that the personnel matter discussed was recorded and shared more broadly coupled with the Board not being made aware that the recording was being done, the Board wanted to assess what legal ramifications could exist. While the Board has confirmed with their attorney that recording a conversation without consent is a Class D Felony, the Board has decided to focus on what matters most, the educational welfare of our students, as well as the safety of them and the staff of Ledyard Public Schools. The Superintendent and the Board take responsibility for this and under no circumstance does this discussion discredit the utmost respect that we have for the staff and teachers or Ledyard Public Schools. While it may appear the Board has remained silent on this matter, we have not. Immediately following last Wednesday’s meeting, the Superintendent contacted the staff member who was discussed as well as their union representative. Additionally, he Board leadership team met with the Superintendent and he has reached out to our teachers, union leadership as well as the teacher who’s concerns were shared with the Board, and reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that their feedback is welcomed and taken with utmost respect, as well as to apologize for any negative perceptions that may have been created. The Board of Education has and continues to value and respect the hard work and feedback from all the staff of Ledyard Public Schools. It is unfortunate that there have been statements made indicating that the Board of Education does not respect the feedback of teachers, which is vehemently untrue. All of the members of this Board either had or have children within Ledyard Public Schools, so it is critically important to each of us what our educators have to say given that they are tasked with the educational welfare of our children. We have and continue to receive feedback through the appropriate channels, and that feedback is always taken with the utmost respect. While our decisions might not always make everyone happy, this is not an indication that we undervalue this input, rather, that we must continually balance all feedback and data points when making a decision. Additionally, as per Board Bylaw 9000, the number one responsibility of the Board is “ Understand that the Board’s first and greatest concern is the educational welfare of the students, and that all Board decisions must be based on this understanding.” We are deeply apologetic that the discussion left staff members with an impression that their feedback is not taken seriously. The members of this Board of Education, some of whom have served many years, hold our teachers and all staff of Ledyard Public Schools with the highest regard and it is our hopes that they understand and respect that while outcomes might not always align, actions taken are always done with the best intentions for the district. Respectfully, Anthony R. Favry Chairman, Ledyard Board of Education