New Superintendent Leads His First Meeting
Monday’s Wallingford-Swarthmore School District (WSSD) board meeting was the first to be led by the district’s new superintendent, Dr. Wagner Marseille. Before the meeting started, as attendees gathered, he asked a handful of pro-masking sign holders if they could move a bit to the side to avoid blocking the video camera feed, and they obliged.
Marseille Opening
Superintendent Wagner Marseille
Marseille opened the meeting by described his administration’s goals in big-picture terms (“from 30,000 feet up”). He used a PowerPoint presentation, and never looked down at his notes, maintaining eye contact with the audience during his statement.
He convincingly outlined a plan for the district to engage in ongoing study and deliberation about the best Covid-19 health and safety protocols for WSSD students, and noted that feedback from the community on this topic would be most welcome at all times.
Marseille also noted that Strath Haven High School’s entryway is currently being renovated to enhance security and to better control access to the building.
Marseille reported that some parents are still considering choosing the “virtual school option,” because they are hesitant to commit to in-person schooling until the district has announced more specific Covid-avoidance protocols. He said that he doesn’t have those specifics yet, but that the district is working to get them to parents as quickly as possible.
No New Board Members
The board had one vacancy that four people applied to fill; they elected Wendy Voet, who is a former board member.
Public Comments
During the public comment portion of the meeting, several parents objected to the district’s relaxation of Covid-19 masking and social distancing protocols. Each made an impassioned plea for the district to reverse this decision, and criticised the board for having voting unanimously in favor of removing the mask mandate without first inviting more public input.
Holocaust Education and Antisemitism
Meredith Seidman, a sophomore at Strath Haven High School, rose to say that there is not enough education about the Holocaust in the district, and that antisemitism is on the rise, both in the school community and throughout the United States. She was able to relay her personal experience with these issues as a Jewish student, for example noting that she had to hide her Star of David necklace in order to avoid being bullied by other students about her ethnicity.
Marseille responded that he was sorry for Seidman’s experience. “Your identity and your experiences are integral in the way in which this school receives you ... about the way in which you feel about your school, and the way in which your school makes you feel. Your Jewish heritage is extremely important to who you are. If we’re not doing enough to live up to our core values and our mission … I want to share with you that … I heard your voice. I, too, know what it feels like to not have your story heard.”
By the close of the meeting, the general feeling in the room seemed to be that the WSSD is off to a very good start with the appointment of Dr. Marseille.
The next meeting of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board will be held on Monday, August 16, at 7 p.m. at the Strath Haven Middle School.
