Two days after Tuesday’s district-wide remote instruction day, the Nov. 6 Herricks Board of Education meeting sparked comments from frustrated parents who described the experience as less than satisfactory, particularly for those who work from home and have younger children.
“The remote day didn’t really go so well in my household,” Jan, a district parent, said during the public comment period. “My kids both had gym. They were running around the house throwing balls. My youngest almost fell down the stairs. I kept saying, ‘Don’t run, don’t throw balls,’ but that’s what they were being told to do for gym.”
The district held the remote instruction day as a practice exercise to test its ability to shift to online learning if in-person classes were ever disrupted, Superintendent Tony Sinanis said.
In many households, parents reported that multiple Zoom sessions were happening simultaneously, including gym activities and band practice. This made it difficult for parents to balance their own work responsibilities and juggle the needs of each of their children, those who spoke said.
“I spoke to parents in other districts, and they didn’t have a full remote day. I understand why we’re practicing it, but I’m hoping we never need to do this again,” Jan said. “I work from home, so I need peace and quiet. My husband happened to be off, but if he wasn’t, I would have had to take off too, and that’s not doable.”
Another parent, Maria, said the day was challenging with children in multiple grades.
“My middle schooler was playing the trombone, and my two younger ones had gym so they were running around, and then one of them had Spanish and was singing. It was chaos,” Maria said. “It was so hard to run around the rooms helping each of them while also trying to work. I had to remember who was supposed to be on which Zoom at what time.”
Sinanis said parent feedback will be essential in shaping future implementation, emphasizing that the remote day was not the beginning of any diversion from in-person instruction, but a requirement under the state’s emergency preparedness regulations.
“It’s something we have to refine, which is why we were practicing it,” Sinanis said. “The state has now required us to have an emergency plan for when school is closed, and we are expected to provide remote instruction. The expectation is that we are prepared to pivot to remote instruction should there ever be an emergency or a natural disaster that would preclude our kids from coming to school.”
Prior to the discussion on Tuesday’s remote learning challenges, Sinanis and the board highlighted the district’s curriculum review focus for the 2025-26 school year: special education, or Pupil Personnel Services.
Pupil Personnel Services director Thomas Sposato and assistant director Eleni Chronas outlined a three-to five-year strategic plan for special education services, identifying long-term priorities for strengthening services based on three months of data collection.
“We want a consistent approach, but we’re always looking to individualize support for our students,” Sposato said.
Board Vice President Maria Bono, who previously worked as a special education advocate, underscored the importance of making information easier for families to understand. The district plans to update its website to maximize accessibility and provide clearer guides for families, aiming to make the process less overwhelming and easier to navigate.
“When a student is initially referred, we meet with the parents and give them the procedural safeguards,” Chronas said. “It’s a lot of legalese.”
Sposato said the district is working to strengthen collaboration among co-teachers and related service providers to ensure that special education staff and school psychologists remain accessible to all students, including those who may not have formal diagnoses.
Chronas said the department also plans to increase its visibility within schools through a hands-on approach, where a team will make monthly rounds across all district schools, speaking with students and teachers.
“We will…have more of a pulse on what’s happening,” Chronas said.
The next Herricks Board of Education meeting is set for Nov. 20 in the Herricks Community Center.
