BRAVO to students defending their teacher for helping to inform parents in their community.
Multiple Mascenic School District parents are up in arms about the prospect of statewide assessment testing happening at the district’s three schools this month and next, with some seeking ways to exempt their children from the process. They’re also speaking out against what some parents say is a disciplinary action against a middle school teacher who was allegedly advising students that it was possible to opt out of the exam process.
Boynton art teacher Anthony Chirichella has not been in school since Monday. District officials have not commented on Chirichella’s status, however, several parents said his absence came directly after their children brought home opt-out forms, which were available in Chirichella’s classroom. The forms, though not sanctioned by state or school, gave parents the option to refuse to have their child participate in the standardized Smarter Balanced Assessment. Shortly after Chirichella made the forms available, parents said, his class was taken over by a substitute, and the district sent home a letter to parents stating definitively that the district has no authority to allow parents to opt out of the standardized test.