Angry NK parents want Halley fired
By: BETH BOTTIS 11/13/2003
NORTH KINGSTOWN- Parents of Stony Lane students are calling for the removal of Superintendent Dr. James Halley following two consecutive incidents regarding the roof project at the school.
The evacuation of the school on two different days because of hazardous fumes from the roofing project has a number of parents up in arms about the manner in which the school administration handled the situation.
Students were sent home early on Friday when fire and state officials concluded that the level of fumes inside the building was not safe to continue classes.
Some parents expressed frustration and anger because they say they did not even know that the children were being sent home, and because some children were apparently taken by bus to empty homes because their parents were at work.
School administration officials say that parents need to discuss plans with their children in the event of a school closing early.
"Early release is provided for in our student handbook," Halley said. "Parents are supposed to have plans for their children in the event of an early school closing."
Halley said that parents were notified of the closing through television and radio announcements and through the school's e-mail system. However, Halley said that only about one-third of the school belongs to the e-mail system.
"These types of things are unfortunate and inconvenient," Halley said. "On any day, any school can be closed early for any reason. Parents need to be prepared with their children with an emergency plan. Any number of things can happen."
One of the parents who is calling for action, Lynda Avanzato, says that the superintendent's "dismissive attitude" and reaction to the event is "absolutely unacceptable."
"My family has a plan," she said. "But an emergency plan may go awry in the hands of a nine-year old. It is absolutely unacceptable to release elementary school-age children with no parents."

School committee member Bill Mudge says that within the past year there have been two or three school closures under somewhat similar situations. In one case, students were taken to Davisville Middle School so that they were not sent home alone. He believes that a similar arrangement should have been made in this case.
Mudge also gave credit to bus drivers for doing the best that they could to make sure that no child was left at a home unattended. However, according to some parents, that meant leaving kids with neighbors or leaving them with people working on their houses.
Halley said, however, that the school operated under normal procedures.
Both Mudge and Avanzato said that they in no way place blame on the principal, Joan Crothers.
"I find it very difficult to believe that a principal would have the authority to order all of the buses back to the school," Avanzato said. "People are not blaming the principal."
Parents are calling upon the school committee to get involved in take action in the situation.
Avanzato said in a letter to the Standard-Times that she believes that the superintendent can be removed from his position without the town having to buy out his contract. The school committee is the body in charge of renewing his contract.
"Again, this comes down to poor management and poor planning," Mudge said of the roof project problems. "For the school department to hide behind an excuse of a lack of funding for this project is absolutely fallacious and disingenuous. They should be held responsible."
It is unclear what, if anything, will be done by the school department regarding the parents' complaints.



©The Standard Times 2003