Former NP Commissioner to Fill Board Vacancy

Matthew Sullivan was sworn in as a WSSD board member from Region 2 on September 30. Photo: Deirdre Abrahamsson

The Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board selected Matthew Sullivan to fill the vacant board position in Region 2 at its September 29 meeting. Four candidates, including a physician and a recent graduate of Strath Haven High School, put themselves forward for the post. Sullivan replaces Damon Orsetti who resigned last month.

Sullivan grew up in Delaware County and has three children in WSSD schools. He served for over 12 years as a Nether Providence commissioner. A lawyer with an undergraduate degree in engineering as well as an MBA, Sullivan said his background “gives me a rare combination of ways to approach an issue.” 

Sullivan cited COVID-19 as his primary concern about the schools now. He noted the difficult balance between the risks of in-person school and the need to provide the best possible education. “If it were simply a matter of safety, we would keep the kids home,” he said. “But that has to be balanced against the educational needs and the mental health needs.”

Mask Breaks Reconsidered

The meeting’s only public comment was a plea from a student to change WSSD’s new mask break policy. The policy allows mask breaks of not longer than seven minutes, as long as students are 6 feet apart. The commenter noted that this policy contradicts other WSSD health and safety policies, as well as Pennsylvania’s masking directive. “This policy creates an unsafe and hazardous environment for all people on school property,” the commenter said in a voicemail message that had been transcribed and was read at the meeting.

Board president David Grande agreed. “The goal is to make masking as universal as possible,” he said. Grande conceded he could imagine mask breaks for students outdoors and widely spaced. But, he stressed, “I don’t think it’s something we should make standard practice.”

Superintendent Lisa Palmer agreed to bring the issue of mask breaks to the health and safety committee to reconsider and clarify.

CARES Funds for WSSD

The board approved an agreement between the WSSD and the Delaware County Intermediate Unit to reimburse the district $283,320.87 for expenses related to the pandemic. These include sanitizing products, personal protective equipment, mental health services, and technology for low-income students. The Intermediate Unit has been charged by Delaware County Council with distributing funds from the CARES coronavirus relief package, passed by Congress in March, to county school districts.