Filoso It appears the absence of a beloved teacher and the lack of communication into his absence is what caused the onset of criticism at the last Henry Hudson Regional board meeting. But the result has been the release of a torrent of complaints that include a poor substitute teacher by comparison, a host of other problems in the Atlantic Highlands Elementary School, and a change in students who their parents say loved going to school but now are reluctant, or reticent to go or simply burst into tears.
While not all parents want to talk publicly and others want to talk but do not want their names used, others, like Meryl Christie of Highlands believe they can help improve matters by making their story public.
Merle is the mom of two sons, one of whom has been diagnosed as having an attention deficiency. Since she lives in Highlands, her son would be going to elementary school there when he started kindergarten several years ago, not a very long walk from her home. But she looked into neighboring Atlantic Highlands and there were things about that school district that attracted her enough to pay the tuition necessary to have her son educated in an out-of-district school (Before Henry Hudson Regional District was formed last year, the two elementary schools came under two separate boards of education and while both were under a single superintendent, they were individual schools. Meryl paid tuition as her son was considered an out-of-district student)
It was worth the tuition cost, Jackson says now, since her son thrived until now when he is in the fourth grade. Up until the sudden and unannounced change, he loved his teacher and was constantly challenged by him to do better and achieve all he could. Merle no longer has to pay tuition to continue to attend the same school he was attending, since regionalization was approved last year.
The fourth-grade teacher, James Filoso, knew my son, Merle explained, and could understand him. He is a budding musician, his mom said, and the teacher recognized those talents, praised his abilities, and even sent e-mails complimenting his talents. “”The teacher really saw him, really knew him” Merle said.
But then, sometime around February, parents received an e-mail saying Filoso was out on leave and a substitute teacher would be in the classroom. After spring break, parents were advised that Filoso would not be back, but no reason was given.
What Merle remembers most is her son’s morning rituals, which changed from eagerness to get to his friends and the classroom to “I don’t want to go to school.”
She is more critical of the system and administration than she is of the substitute teacher. “She’s new, she’s coming in close to the end of the year, she doesn’t know everything” she explains, though questioning why the teacher gives the children candy. Parents do not know whether she is a certified teacher she said, or simply a substitute.
Even so, a substitute isn’t bad for a couple of days, the mother said, but to have a substitute this late in the year for the rest of the school year degrades the education the student is getting, makes it difficult for him to go to school creates an unhappy child. “His academics are no longer challenged,” Merle said. The lack of information about Filoso’s absence is just creating rumors, gossip and more dissatisfaction,” she said.
She was critical of the board not answering questions at the meeting this week but praised board member Gena Melnyk. “She might have the kind of personality not everyone likes,” Meryl said, “but she lets you know where you stand, and she takes a stand on what she believes in. I’m glad she’s serving on the board.”
Board president Richard Colangelo said at the meeting that it is improper for board members to have any public discussion about personnel and they could not comment nor have the superintendent comment on Filoso’s situation. There was an executive session at the end of the meeting both for litigation and personnel, but no action was taken following the executive session, so it is not known whether the future of the 4th grade teacher was a topic at that meeting.
