Hudson parent says remote students excluded from in-person end-of-year activities

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Hudson parent says remote students excluded from in-person end-of-year activities
Screenshot/via HUDTV
Parent Beth Langlois addresses the Hudson School Committee during their May 25 meeting.

By Laura Hayes, Contributing Writer

HUDSON — With the school year winding down, the Hudson Public School District is preparing for its end-of-the-year activities. 

However, one parent expressed disappointment that remote students — particularly remote fourth-graders — were being excluded from those in-person celebrations. 

“I really hoped that we could have come up with at least a fourth-grade graduation ceremony outdoors to include all the fourth graders,” parent Beth Langlois said during the May 25 School Committee meeting.

In April, Langlois opted to have her kids remain in the remote program so that they didn’t have to change teachers near the end of the school year and go back to a school they haven’t been in for over a year. 

“It just didn’t make sense,” she said. “It would have been too disruptive.”

She thanked Assistant Principals Rachel Scanlon and Judy Merra for their work on the remote program.

“I know that they’re working to make their virtual Fun Day special, and I’m sure it will be amazing,” Langlois said. “It’s not what our kids wanted. They wanted to be there in person, but I appreciate everything that they’re doing.” 

According to a schedule provided to the Community Advocate by Superintendent Marco Rodrigues, in addition to end-of-the-year virtual activities for all remote students, fourth-grade teachers are planning a special virtual ceremony for remote students.

Part of that ceremony will include messages from district leaders, school principals and teachers, a group poem and a movie reflecting on the students’ year together.

Like their in-person peers, the remote students will also receive a T-shirt and yearbook from their home school. 

“Our principals and teachers have done a great job adjusting and modifying end-of-year activities to conform with the current COVID-19 restrictions,” Rodrigues said in an email.

He added that while Gov. Charlie Baker lifted most of the COVID-19 restrictions effective May 29, restrictions remain in place for schools, except for the outdoor mask mandate.

School Committee member Chris Yates said during the meeting that the committee had received “a lot” of emails on this topic. 

“I wholeheartedly disagree with the decision not to include the remote students in the end-of-year activities,” Yates said.

He asked that Rodrigues and the principals re-examine the decision. 

“I think these kids have been through enough, especially the students that remained remote,” Yates said.

Remote students to participate in Fly Up Day

As discussion focused on end-of-the-year celebrations, the topic of fourth grade “Fly Up Day” also came up in conversation.

Typically, fourth graders participate in “Fly Up Day,” which is an opportunity for them to get a tour of Quinn Middle School from current students. 

With remote fourth graders unable to participate in in-person end-of-the-year celebrations, Langlois expressed concern that they would be excluded from an in-person Fly Up Day. 

“There’s a lot to be said for the camaraderie of joining your other classmates and, frankly, feeling included,” Langlois said.

Rodrigues said that the remote students will participate in the Fly Up Day to Quinn as a cohort. 

He said Fly Up Day will take place over a three-day period, and the remote students will go to the school on one of those days.

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