School Committee Candidates Answer Westwood Minute Questions in Their Own Words (Updated)

Image of Westwood High School by John Phelan from Wikimedia Commons.

Updated 4/14/2022 at 9:43 p.m. Ms. Heather Morrison has issued a correction to her statement originally submitted to Westwood Minute. Her statement, "I voted in support of the Hanlon-Deerfield project," should read, "I support the Hanlon-Deerfield project." Thanks to Ms. Morrison for sharing this correction, which has been incorporated below.

Do you know your candidates? Voting for the annual Town Election will be held at the Westwood High School gymnasium on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. There are two contested races, in which more candidates are running than the number of seats available. One such race is for School Committee. Dorothy “Dori” Parmelee, Heather Morrison, and Anthony Mullin are competing for two available seats. Who will you vote for?

To help you compare the candidates, Westwood Minute presents their answers below, in their own words, to five questions. Each candidate submitted one question, and Westwood Minute provided another two.

Q: Can you describe how your professional experience has prepared you for the responsibilities of school committee member?

Morrison: I have over 20 years of experience working in the field of education, which uniquely positions me to bring new value to the School Committee. I began my career as a special education teacher for autistic children in the residential Intensive Treatment Team at the New England Center for Children and now serve as Director of Administration. Education has always been my passion and I am grateful that my career path has allowed me to both work directly with students and collaborate with teachers and staff.

Two years ago, I was appointed as the leader of our Emergency Management Team. My responsibilities include remaining up-to-date on all COVID-related guidance from a variety of state agencies and implementing them in our school which includes over 1,000 students and staff. This experience has taught me to listen intently to teacher and staff concerns and to provide consistent, thorough fact-based communication. This two-way communication enabled us to move forward optimistically, even during the most challenging parts of the pandemic.

One of my current primary job responsibilities is to keep up-to-date with all licensing agencies in Massachusetts and to implement all requirements. This includes the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). A thorough understanding of DESE guidelines and procedures would greatly benefit the School Committee, not just during unprecedented times, but on a regular basis.

I am an active member of our DEI task force and work closely with our Director of DEI. She has been an integral resource in helping me navigate and build upon my understanding of these complicated and important topics. I also serve on many safety-related interdisciplinary committees. This role requires me to bring many different departments and individuals together to identify problems, develop solutions, and evaluate the outcomes.

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Parmelee: Between 1999 and 2007, I earned my bachelor’s in Psychology and master’s in Education at Frostburg State University in Maryland. While pursuing these degrees, I taught university courses and worked in college admissions, student housing, and career services. I also volunteered my time in the Office of Disability Support Services and mentored undergraduate students earning their degrees in education.

My experiences taught me that teachers are arguably the most important members of our society. They give students purpose, set them up for success as citizens of our world, and inspire a drive to do well and succeed in life.

In 2007, I parlayed my experience in education to a career in corporate Human Resources. I learned the disciplines of employee relations, talent acquisition, health and retirement benefits and employee engagement and retention. Today, I own a consulting business focused on supporting businesses as they expand and need to quickly hire and develop new talent. Among my primary responsibilities is listening to concerns from multiple points of view and reconciling differences between competing priorities. My strong drive for collaboration enables me to provide thoughtful solutions and deliver difficult messages with compassion.

My background in both education and human resources exposed me to the importance of balancing technical competencies with interpersonal skills. This balance is vital when applying to colleges and moving into our global community. As a school committee member, I want to equip our teachers with the support and resources they need to help our students practice skills that will cultivate critical thinking, practical application, and compassionate leadership. Employees are the most valuable asset to any organization. It’s critical that they feel supported, valued, and empowered to exercise their talents. Therefore, I want to ensure that, as a community, we are demonstrating clear support and advocacy for our district employees.

Mullin: I received my BA from Boston College in economics and MBA from MIT Sloan. Professionally, I have over twenty years of finance and human resources experience which includes working at Fidelity Ventures, the Boston Consulting Group, Biogen and founding my own human resources consulting firm. I was most recently the Chief People Officer for Pandion Therapeutics.

My finance and business experience has been extremely valuable in many of the responsibilities of the School Committee including reviewing the school district’s annual budget and setting the strategic direction for the Westwood Public Schools. With a workforce of over 600 employees, my Human Resources experience has been valuable in setting the polices that govern our Westwood schools as well as negotiating collective bargaining agreements.

Photo courtesy of Anthony Mullin. Mr. Anthony Mullin is the incumbent running for School Committee and is father of two children in Westwood Public Schools.

Q: What Westwood community/volunteer efforts have you been involved with that have helped prepare you for being a member of school committee?

Parmelee: My service to Westwood began through my membership to Westwood Young Women’s Club early in 2015 where I contributed to town-wide initiatives. When my oldest son began kindergarten, I shifted my volunteerism to our schools. My children have different academic needs, and because of this they attend different schools within our district. Over the last six years, I have balanced my time as classroom parent, SEPAC liaison and library aide across multiple schools. At the Integrated Preschool, I volunteered my time as the PTO Treasurer, successfully authoring grants that resulted in funding for enrichment programs and playground equipment for the school. At Hanlon Elementary I led several school-wide events before stepping into my current role of PTO Co-President.

As we faced an unstable environment during the pandemic, I rolled up my sleeves and spearheaded several community-minded programs, including the “Westwood Together” sign effort to fund air purifiers and tents for Hanlon, the Thanksgiving food drive competition between Hanlon and Deerfield to benefit the Westwood Food Pantry, and implemented the DEI-focused StoryWalk® in Lowell Woods. In the spring of 2021, I advocated to retain Extended Day in our schools, a program utilized by hundreds of Westwood families that also employs many of our educators and high school students.

Through each of these opportunities, I met and interacted with our district’s students, parents, and educators, becoming acquainted with our strengths as well as our areas needing improvement. I have been an available and approachable resource for individuals who have concerns or are looking for information. I have supported educators and further, have demonstrated the value of community service to my own children.

Mullin: I have six years of experience on the Westwood School Committee including the following:

• Chair, School Committee (2019 - 2020)
• Chair, Later Secondary School Start Times Sub-Committee (2021 - 2022)
• Liaison, COVID-19 Medical Advisory Board School Committee (2020 - 2022)
• WTA Collective Bargaining Team member (2019, 2020, 2022)
• Member, School Building Committee (2019 - 2022)
• Liaison, Math Curriculum Review School Committee (2022)

During my six years on the School Committee, I have demonstrated the ability to make practical decisions that support our students and staff, while collaborating with my other School Committee members and the WPS leadership team. One of the key responsibilities of the School Committee is setting the annual budget, and I have advocated during each budget cycle for additional resources to focus on the Whole Child, so we are preparing our children for life, not only college. Over the last six years, WPS has made investments in additional guidance counsellors, a social worker at the high school, additional adjustment counselors, a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Coordinator and a Dean of Students at Thurston Middle School.

I have been active in several youth focused volunteer activities. I am on the Westwood Youth Soccer Board, which I have served on for eight years. In this role I have worked collaboratively with fellow board members on decisions that affect the 1,200 children that participate in our soccer programs. I am on the Norfolk County Sheriff's Office Youth Substance Use and Mental Health Task Force which enables me to bring best practices from other towns to Westwood to tackle the substance use and mental health challenges many children face. I am also a former room parent and soccer and basketball coach.

Morrison: At the start of the pandemic, I heard many Westwood residents expressing their confusion and frustrations over their children’s education, as well as their fears over the lasting negative impacts of remote and hybrid learning. I knew that I had the expertise and access to resources to help answer questions and make sense of the ever-changing protocols. I knew I could be of service to families during this challenging time and felt a responsibility to the kids to give it my all.

Thus, I helped form and became a leader of Bring Kids Back Westwood. I dedicated countless hours to meeting with and gathering information from experts across the state and country on best practices for schools during the pandemic. I consulted with multiple infectious disease specialists at leading hospitals in Massachusetts on a regular basis. I organized and facilitated meetings to provide community members with updates and data-based resources. I advocated at both the state and local levels for the option of full-time, in-person education. I attended and participated in each monthly School Committee meeting, offering my expertise on how to interpret the DESE guidelines and put all of this research into practice in order to bring kids back into the classrooms. Once Westwood returned to full-time, in-person instruction, I continued to volunteer my time to advocate to remove unnecessary restrictions on the children, such as elementary students eating lunch on the gym floor, a decision that was made without adhering to the research nor following any Board of Health recommendation.

During this time, I learned a lot about the Westwood School Committee and the very important role its members have in the community. I learned about their procedures and decision-making process, as well as the obstacles school committees across the state may face. Through my advocacy, I made many valuable connections at the state level that can help guide and support the School Committee, especially as infectious diseases may continue to be an ongoing issue in our schools. I learned how to lead a community of concerned parents through sharing information from reputable resources in a clear and concise manner. I became a trusted resource and a voice for many parents who felt their children's educational needs were not being met but did not have the time or capacity to do the research or connect with experts in the field. I realized that I am in a position to provide this support to all residents of Westwood and felt the time to serve the community in this way is now, as a member of the Westwood School Committee.

Photo courtesy of Heather Morrison. Ms. Heather Morrison has three children attending Westwood Public Schools. She is running for School Committee.

Q: Can you discuss your vote in October on the Hanlon-Deerfield project and how to address the capital needs of the Sheehan School?

Mullin: I voted for the new Hanlon-Deerfield school at the special town meeting on October 18, 2021, and at the special town election on October 26, 2021. I was a co-leader of the “Yes for New Hanlon-Deerfield Committee” that was privately funded and advocated for the approval of the new building. The new Hanlon-Deerfield School will provide a modern learning environment for students.

With the new Hanlon-Deerfield building set to break ground this summer, I support the School Committee turning our attention to the needs of the Sheehan School, whether that be a renovation or new building. The Sheehan building is almost 75 years old. Sheehan is not ADA compliant, does not adequately support our special needs students and the size of many of the classrooms are below state standards. After not being accepted in the MSBA program for this year, we are submitting a new a Statement of Interest (SOI) this month. Finally, in any decision about the Sheehan school, the School Committee will need to collaborate with the Select Board and town finance team.

Morrison: I support the Hanlon-Deerfield project. As an educator, I recognize that schools built in the 1950s have space deficiencies that do not allow for current educational models, especially when it comes to delivering special education services. I believe the School Building Committee clearly communicated the district’s need for the new building and provided transparency in regard to the state reimbursement program, the design and build process, and the financial impact on residents. Emily Parks clearly stated that “doing nothing” is not an option. I agree that this is also true for Sheehan. Therefore, I support the steps Westwood has already taken to address the capital needs of Sheehan, including allocating funds to design options and resubmitting an application to the MSBA. Because a second school project will have additional tax implications, I agree with this approach of utilizing state funds to supplement the costs of both projects.

Parmelee: Like many of you, I stood on Flahive Field for hours to vote “YES” on October 18th and subsequently voted YES again at the polls on October 26th. I love our neighborhood schools and understand that our aging buildings are not providing educators or students with an optimal learning environment. As I followed along with the School Building Committee discussions, it became clear that consolidating Hanlon and Deerfield was the most logical option that redistricted the least number of students and staff.

As we learned during the school building evaluations, we have multiple school buildings that do not meet current accessibility, environmental or education standards. Continuing to bear the ongoing maintenance and energy costs for our oldest school building (Sheehan Elementary) is not a long-term, fiscally sustainable solution. I support the pursuit of additional MSBA funding to address these needs but recognize that there are competing priorities within the town budget. While there is no immediate answer, I would like to examine how renovation or reconstruction of Sheehan fits into our long-range capital plans.

I believe that when we financially invest in our schools, we make a clear values statement: our community cares about education. Addressing the capital needs of our excellent schools is a worthwhile investment for our entire community.

Photo courtesy of Dori Parmelee. Ms. Dori Parmelee has two children in Westwood Public Schools. She is running for Westwood's School Committee.

Q: What COVID-19 era policies do you favor continuing, and which are you in favor of ending in the schools?

Morrison: Two policies that I would like to see continued are improvements to ventilation systems and remote meeting/viewing options for events. Proper ventilation is critical to minimize the spread of infectious diseases. I am grateful that Westwood made investments in these areas and I hope we continue to evaluate our needs and make improvements. While open windows are a good option during nice weather, students and staff should not be expected to spend winter months this way. It is important that we make the necessary improvements to end this practice.

I have found the remote options for parents to view and participate in school activities, such as PTO meetings, speakers, and parent-teacher conferences, are especially helpful for busy and working parents. I think it is equally important for in-person opportunities for these events to be available. I hope parents will be given the choice of which format works best for them.

I do not believe that we should ever go back to remote learning. The most significant thing we learned about education during the pandemic is that remote learning does not provide the educational and social-emotional experience that children need to learn and grow. I also do not believe our teachers should be asked to manage the difficult and stressful task of hybrid instruction. I understand that remote instruction may be necessary for some children in certain situations. In these cases, I feel that virtual educational programs offered by the state of Massachusetts should be utilized.

Parmelee: Every student in Westwood Public Schools deserves a high-quality education in a safe environment. Our educators and families have gone above and beyond to support our students at all educational levels throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

I feel our current School Committee demonstrated exemplary competence and empathy while managing the intricacies of the pandemic. I am in favor of remaining flexible and responding to the changing health landscape in response to COVID-19.

As an example, I was impressed by the recent response to the increase of positive cases at Sheehan. Principal Evans sent a clear notification to the Sheehan community recommending temporary mask use by staff and students. This was met with 98% voluntary compliance, ensuring an additional layer of protection for everyone in the building. Simultaneously, testing was offered twice weekly, and the custodial staff increased cleansing of high-touch surfaces. This tactical decision and response was effective in driving down positive cases and demonstrated how quickly our school communities pivot to protect one another and avoid the need for district-wide masking.

The last two years afforded us the opportunity to look at school programming through a new lens: new traditions were created, and old traditions were successfully remade. As a PTO co-President, I felt it was essential that we find ways for our community to connect and have fun. Our efforts, like the Halloween pumpkin patch, outdoor holiday gift marketplace, and video talent show, lead to a significant increase in parent volunteerism.

Mullin: There are currently no School Committee policies related to Covid-19 and I do not anticipate we will need to put any new policies in place.

With respect to Covid-19, one unseen benefit is WPS realized how nimble we could respond to the evolving COVID-19 environment. As a result, the district has accelerated our timelines on key activities such as the Later Secondary School Start Times review and math curriculum review. Also, I am thrilled to be back in person for our School Committee meetings which makes conservations much easier. However, we know parents are busy, so there may be some forums where having a presentation via zoom may enable more parents to participate. A good example of this was the recent presentation by Dr. Owens on the science of adolescent sleep.

Q: How should Westwood Public Schools be incorporating social-emotional learning into the education environment?

Parmelee: This last decade has made it clear that we need to create learning environments that allow for strong long- term relationships. Healthy attachments help build a safe environment that fosters risk-taking and exploration, which ultimately drives learning. Recent years have demonstrated the importance of developing resilient individuals who can respond to rapidly changing environments.

The Westwood School district has taken steps forward by integrating several initiatives, including the implementation of the Responsive Classroom framework, Same/Different curriculum, increasing school counseling staff and allocating funds for additional social-emotional learning (SEL) resources and staff next year. I see these initiatives come to life in day-to-day practices that foster emotional literacy in grades K – 12 such as: morning meetings, mindfulness exercises, journal writing, dedicated quiet spaces and use of literature that encourages perspective-taking and empathy. All these touchpoints build a caring, respectful environment for students and educators.

I believe our next step forward is to enable and support sustainable integration of social-emotional learning into every day teaching practices in every subject across grades K-12. A successful SEL initiative would also commit to understanding and meeting the needs of our educators. To do this, we need to prioritize social-emotional needs across the district by highlighting them in our school improvement and strategic plans for the district. Beyond words on paper, we need to provide the funding, programming, staffing, and support that our students and educators require.

Mullin: For the past three years the Westwood Public Schools have been engaged in the work of developing and implementing a plan for meeting students’ social and emotional learning (SEL) needs. The SEL curriculum review was completed in 2019. The goal of the SEL curriculum review was to develop recommendations on how WPS can best support the development of SEL competencies including self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills and responsible decision making. Three years ago, the School Committee approved a new SEL Coordinator position to oversee the K-8 SEL activities.

WPS is making progress on incorporating social-emotional learning into our schools across all grade levels. One recommendation from the curriculum review was putting in place a SEL assessment tool. The Panorama Social Emotional Learning Survey tool was administered for the first time in grades 3 - 12 in 2021 and there is a regular cycle of assessment to inform us on the impact of our SEL programs.

At Thurston Middle School, we have implemented the Second Steps program which includes school curriculum materials. The Second Steps program maps out lessons for teachers so that there is a clear scope and sequence for teachers during the Advisory block. WPS is looking at additional opportunities to support SEL throughout the school days at TMS by incorporating specific instructional strategies that can support SEL.

At the elementary level we have implemented Responsive Classroom - an approach that helps teachers create opportunities for SEL throughout the school days and offers specific instructional strategies that can support SEL. Based on elementary educator feedback we are looking to alternatives to Open Circle, a current SEL program. WPS is analyzing several well-regarded alternatives to Open Circle and will soon be selecting a new curriculum resource to pilot in K - 5 classrooms.

At Westwood High School, the Dean of Students position was updated to reflect a responsibility for leadership around SEL initiatives. The revised high school schedule for 2021-2022 allows for fewer class meetings per day and a stable “support block” - shifts that will create opportunities for WHS students to develop and practice their SEL competencies in critical areas (e.g., seeking and offering support, reflection and problem solving, using organization and planning skills) that support academic success.

Finally, we know that parents are partners in our SEL efforts, so we have created an advisory group to provide input about in-school efforts and assist in the planning of out-of-school programming for parents and families.

Morrison: Social-emotional learning plays an important role in students’ overall success in school. It is very important for all teaching staff to receive training in general effective strategies. I believe it is equally important for Westwood to utilize the specialists within the district to provide individualized support to all students in need. Teachers are primarily tasked with providing a challenging and engaging academic experience for all students in their classrooms. There are not enough hours in the school day for them to promptly address the complicated social-emotional needs of each student as well. Westwood does a wonderful job giving all elementary students time with the school psychologists, whether it’s through small group lunch bunch or informal one-on-one sessions. I would like to explore how Westwood could carry this model over to middle school and high school students in an age-appropriate manner.

Editor's note: Westwood Minute takes no position on candidates running for election. Articles featuring candidates are provided for the purpose of community information and interest. Presentation of the interviews and layout of this article is limited by the online platform used by Westwood Minute and placement of text or photos should not be taken as any endorsement of one candidate over another.

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