03/27/25 Meeting

Are people able to hear those speaking at the table?

Will do!

Paid Family Medical Leave that would not count against accrued sick days

Carla Chase speaking on the Jan. 2021 Paid Family Medical Leave that does not require district to participate, and Agawam has not.

In 2010, off-and-on, Carla’s husband experienced a tickle in the back of his throat, and at the dentist, and it was Stage 4 head and throat cancer. He was the breadwinner of the family, and he had to receive less income than he already had

Carla sent an email to Supt. at the time (Mary), and explained what was going on. Mary approved Carla using all the sick time that she needed so she didn’t have to go without a paycheck.

In 2011, when he was done with his treatments, he went for a followup head scan, and were called in right away for results, and the cancer metastisized to his lungs, 5 more tumors, and he had a prognosis of no more than two years.

Bill Sapelli was then superintendent, Carla reached out to explain the situation, and Bill gave her the option for the same deal she had last time.

People shouldn’t have to worry about depleting their finances to care for a loved one.

Mark passed away in April of 2013, but the one thing Carla knew was that she had the support of the school district to be able to fight the illness. That can’t be done without the support of a district. The last thing someone needs to do when contending with something like this is to know where the money is coming from. Husband lost the health insurance plan the last 6 months of his illness.

It is imperative that the district re-look at the number of days we are allowed to take and be paid, and to look at the twelve weeks paid leave so no one else has to go through worrying about banking enough sick days.

Temperatures in the Classroom
Tricia Bushey from Phelps sharing images of temperatures and studies of children having serious health risks when there is no air conditioning, students are not attending to learning, asking for drinks constantly

“It’s so hot I can barely think.”

Doctors telling students not to come to school in order to not have asthma symptoms made worse – students missing out on education

They are not learning when the classroom is over 85 degrees, and want to put children first, not to be dysregulated, distressed, or ill because of it.

Physical Safety in the Classroom
Matt Baker, PE teacher at Granger, also an ALICE trainer

A lot of challenges at Granger with the different style doors they have, and doors that open in different ways, fit or not fit, etc. “It would be nice to have a set of doors that is simple and safe and locked.”

Shared images of the exit doors by the bus loop, and gymnasium doors that can’t be locked…no key for those doors, so only way to secure them is by a fire hose. Students have had tried to exit from those doors…is a blind spot without a camera

Grades 2 and up ask him questions, “What do we do if we are in the bathroom or the hallway in an active shooter situation?”
Girls restroom picture was shared as well. Students are told to kick the door shut and use a door wedge. Girl’s bathroom on the second floor has a 6.5″ gap on the bottom of the door, and door can’t be wedged shut, and the door has no handle to secure it, either. It’s a door that simply cannot be secured.

Next set of pictures: Highlights a challenge in the building of doors that don’t lock – secured through a magnet. The way to turn the magnet on is a light switch. When light switch is up, connect magnet, if flipped down, is released.

Indecent in a drill: When privacy shade rolled down, door is automatically closing, magnet didn’t actually connect because a fraction of an inch of not being flush will make it malfunction. If doors were lockable, could have used key.

We do drills to see what needs to be fixed.

Attorney from District Table wants to know who this was reported to:
Matt answered: Principal
Agawam Police Department
District Safety Officer