Reversing Course During a Pandemic
BY SCOTT RIDLEY/School Administrator, September 2021

Scott Ridley, superintendent of the Hazlet Public Schools in Hazlet, N.J., reversed course and reopened schools following a holiday break after listening to the feedback of parents. PHOTO COURTESY OF HAZLET, N.J., PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Last October, as COVID-19 was wreaking havoc on K-12 education, district and school leaders were forced every day to make decisions and choose directions that had far-reaching and often unexpected ramifications.

That so many stakeholders were affected by these actions upped the ante amidst the uncertainty. There was no playbook, no crystal ball, no precedent. As Charles R. Swindoll, a widely quoted pastor, has suggested in one of his sermons: “Life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we react to it.” No easy task on any level.

As school district leaders, we always hope to get it right, and more than likely, most of us do. But what happens when that’s not the case, when community pushback forces our hand and calls us out? Do we hunker down and hold our ground, or do we adjust, pivot and move forward?

Our Road to Return

From mid-August into September 2020, Hazlet, N.J., a residential community of New York City with 20,000 residents, commanded attention on CNN, statewide media networks, MeTV and the front page of the state’s largest newspaper, Newark’s Star Ledger. All were celebrating our school district’s preparation and commitment regarding the return to school. Our administrative team, along with our school nurses, had worked hard and long over the summer in readiness for the reopening.

I heard from superintendent colleagues across the region and state that we had created an effective example of how to return and should be proud of our approach. We hadn’t thought of everything and, yes, we knew we would probably make some mistakes, though we were committed to react, adapt, improve and keep on learning until we got it right and could restore a sense of normalcy for students, families and staff.

With our vetted, board-reviewed “Road Back” plan in hand, we opened in September to a raucous chorus of excited kids and appreciative teachers who were pleased to be back inside an actual classroom. Those first eight weeks of school went remarkably well, and the district was in a decidedly good place.

That was about to change. My county superintendent often reminds us, “We all take our turn in the fishbowl,” and indeed my moment was about to arrive.

Rapid Public Response

In early October, I announced to my preK-12 district in Hazlet, a middle-class working town in central New Jersey with eight schools and 2,700 students, that we would be going virtual for two weeks following our weeklong calendar break in early November. I made this decision, as per Governor Philip Murphy’s travel protocol, to protect teachers and staff from exposure to children who might have visited a restricted area during the break and chose not to quarantine upon their return. Such directives were just gaining momentum across the state so I wanted to be proactive in our commitment to health and safety. Most of the district staff were appreciative, and the school board remained supportive.

Then the e-mails and phone calls began, prompting more public responses — three times more — than any other issue during my three years as Hazlet superintendent. The overwhelming majority centered on two declarations: “Please, I’m a working parent and cannot take off …” or “my kids need their teachers in their lives ….”

Nor were these the usual respondents, that small collection of parents who find fault in or challenge every decision we make. To the contrary, I heard from a plethora of mothers and fathers for the first time, and their concerns were real. The former English teacher in me recognized their prose as sincere and anxious, and I readily realized that taking tangible action was in order.

I remained in my office until very late at night, reading and responding to every e-mail by explaining my rationale and attempting to quell the collective unease — alas, to little avail. These parents remained adamant in their wish for schools to stay open. I finished my replies, closed my office, drove home and continued to think about it overnight, weighing the options and reflecting on what, to me, had seemed in the moment to be a sound decision.

Nothing I had ever learned professionally up to that point showed me the way, so I looked inside myself for a sense of conviction that indeed took some time to define, evolve and then embrace. Eventually, my guts spoke to me loud and clear.

The next morning, I called my school board president and announced I was changing my mind. We have a strong relationship and, while he raised an eyebrow, he assured me he would support my decision. Was this a leadership moment or a waffling of conviction?

Personal Message Delivery

Communication remains the cornerstone of effective school districts, and I began the day by getting in touch with the involved par-ties. I followed up with a subsequent announcement to the entire staff, the board and the community. I taped a video message and posted it on the district website and Facebook page. The narrative began with, “We heard you.” It was viewed over 1,500 times during the next couple of days. I then drove personally to every one of our eight schools and explained to each principal why I had reversed my decision. They appreciated my candor and offered their support. I wanted to believe they were on board because they agreed with my perspective and not because I was their boss, but I couldn’t be certain if that was indeed the case.

In the end, I needed to accept that this was my responsibility and regardless of what happened next, I had evaluated all relevant variables, followed my conscience and made a decision with the best interests of all parties in mind. Authentic leadership leaves us no choice.

Over the next 24 hours, I received more than 40 e-mails similar to this one: “THANK YOU for keeping Hazlet schools open. We are working parents and my daughter is thriving both academically and socially. I was crushed yesterday when I saw school would go virtual for two weeks. I am beyond happy and relieved today. Thank you for reconsidering and listening. I have appreciated your communications and transparency every step of the way.”

Conversely, I received eight complaints of this nature: “So you gave into the complainers.” I answered each one of these as well, explaining what, to me, was the difference between “giving in” and “revisiting” a decision.

Some of our nearly 300 teachers understandably had concerns about returning to their classrooms. I made the teachers’ union leadership aware that my door was open to all staff, and they were welcome to stop by with their questions. Several did, and those discussions, though frank, were also amicable and open-ended.

I continued to emphasize to the community, via informational updates and video presentations, that if individuals do any travel, we expect them to quarantine upon return. Affected students would continue to have the option of going virtual during that period to remain in class online with their assigned teacher.

Adjusting to Change

From this experience, which admittedly seeded tension, I have learned that leading a school system is more about listening and adjusting to changing conditions than simply standing one’s ground. As Lincoln once quipped, “You can’t please all of the people all of the time.” During a life-altering pandemic, some of the voices, especially those of the dissenters, appear louder than others, but all must be heard and considered as decisions are made.

A noteworthy corollary of this experience has been the realization that people recognize and adjust as circumstances evolve. Since October, New Jersey had its share of infection upticks and additional COVID-19 cases. With 16 infections locally across a two-day period in early December, I transitioned the district to a fully virtual learning format through the year-end holidays. Though this came less than two months after the heated reaction of so many in regards to the proposed closing in October, this time not a single e-mail of complaint arrived. I did receive a half dozen comments along the lines of “Makes sense, thank you for prioritizing the safety of our kids.”

My takeaway from this abrupt shift in perspective? It’s never a good idea to underestimate your community stakeholders. Like the school district itself, they too have learned to pivot in the moment and adjust on the fly. Kids and data matter.

Another opportunity to “pivot in the moment” came just a few months ago, in early June, when the governor of New Jersey re-leased a less-than-defining update through Twitter (but not an official executive order) that permitted each school district to allow students to remove their masks in school if the weather was unseasonably hot, which it was at that time. This instantly pitted neigh-boring communities against one another as similar districts reacted by making mask-wearing optional while others held steadfast to the recommendation of keeping them on when in school.

In Hazlet, well-aware of what the significant majority of our stakeholders preferred, I made the mask-mandate optional. There were 11 days remaining in the school year. Our parents were overwhelmingly receptive to this decision.

Comfort Levels

In the end, if we remain conspicuously invested in the tenets of our leadership, pay attention to all the moving parts and listen to our community, we deserve to be comfortable with the outcome of our thinking and actions. I was. As a result, I emerged able to recognize that while “the courage of my convictions” may be admirable, those very convictions aren’t always apparent at the outset of a challenge. And that’s OK too.

SCOTT RIDLEY is superintendent of the Hazlet Public Schools in Hazlet, N.J. Twitter: @DrRidleyHazlet