Mayor Walsh supports Boston Public Schools superintendent, ‘doesn’t understand’ union’s no confidence vote
The Boston Teachers Union passed a near-unanimous vote of no confidence in Superintendent Brenda Cassellius Sunday night.
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Mayor Marty Walsh says he “absolutely” believes Superintendent Brenda Cassellius is fit to serve the district and that he doesn’t understand the Boston Teachers Union near-unanimous vote of no confidence against her.
“That action doesn’t help our collective efforts during this critical time,” Walsh said during a press conference Monday. “You have to realize and understand that we’re all living through a pandemic, and taking action like that is very shortsighted.”
Nearly 98% of city educators at an emergency meeting Sunday night supported the vote of no confidence against the superintendent. The union said in a press release that Cassellius did not formally commit to the same protections for the 28 Boston schools that reopened for students with high needs Monday as those that opened in November.
“These young people who face risks in their well-being need to get back into the classroom,” Walsh said. “They are students whose parents have opted in for in-person learning. We’ve been doing everything we can to get them back into the classroom.”
Those initial four schools got a guarantee of safe ventilation, working sinks with soap, and access to COVID-19 testing, among other safety standards.
Despite the lack of a formal safety agreement for the newly-reopened schools, both Cassellius and Walsh have touted installed measures such as freestanding air purifiers in occupied spaces, high-grade filters in HVAC systems, and medical-grade PPE for staff.
“100% of the safety measures that the teachers union requested are implemented in all of our schools that we’ve reopened,” Walsh emphasized during the press conference.
Boston teachers have had a tumultuous fall in trying to secure safe conditions for themselves and their students. During the city’s first school reopening — before they closed again in October due to a spike in COVID cases — many teachers shared photos of insufficient ventilation systems in their classrooms.
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