Last Thursday, School Committee Member Marcony Almeida-Barros organized a virtual Back-to-School Office Hours where Supt. Priya Tahiliani presented the Back-to-School plan and introduced new members of her leadership team to community leaders and the school community. This is the fourth time that Almeida-Barros has hosted office hours, but the first in a virtual setting, answering questions from parents concerned about their kids returning to school during a pandemic.
Almeida-Barros and Tahiliani were joined by Everett community leaders Yrma Fiesta, from La Comunidad; Liliane Patino, from the Family Resources Center; and Lucy Pineda, from Latinos United in Massachusetts (LUMA) who asked questions about returning to school on behalf of parents served by their organizations. Representatives from Mayor DeMaria’s office also joined the Office Hours, along with Senator Sal DiDomenico who spoke about the legislature’s efforts to bring funding to the schools and prevent future cuts during this difficult state budget season due to COVID-19.
Superintendent Tahiliani’s new leadership team, all bilingual and coming from diverse backgrounds, joined her in welcoming the community and highlighted the school plan to safely reopen on September 15 with remote learning and eEducation Learning Centers, providing in-person services to the school’s most vulnerable students. “I’m so glad Marcony organized this event to answer our questions so we can continue to inform our families how much work has been put into safely welcoming their kids back,” said Yrma Fuentes, a community organizer at La Comunidad and Parent Liaison at Everett High School.
“My goal from day one was to be in constant contact with our school community and to bring all resources I can to make their school journey successful,” said Almeida-Barros. “And I’m so glad to have our fierce and outstanding new leader – Superintendent Tahiliani – joining me for the second time during Office Hours. It shows her commitment to be a constant presence in the communities we serve.” Almeida-Barros is planning additional Office Hours in different languages.