Superintendent Applauds BMS 7th Grader’s Journalism; Responds to Professional Reporter’s “Clickbait” Article

Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice

Good morning,

On Jun 21, 2021, Ursus, the Bedford Middle School student newspaper, ran a story written by 7th grader, Owen Boberski, which captured the highlights of his interview with me.  The subject of the story was an inquiry into the 2021-2022 opening of schools and how Covid mitigating measures might play a role.  The reporting was balanced, information was verified, context was provided, and the article was void of bias.  These are minimum standards of reporting that we expect.  We should be proud of our middle school and high school newspapers, our outstanding and ethical faculty advisors, and the standards that they collectively uphold.    

Last night I arrived home late and was met with a link to this article: https://www.westport-news.com/news/article/Westport-superintendent-looking-into-possible-16565569.php.  I am disappointed to observe a lack of the reporting standards our own students maintain in this article.

Unfortunately, this is nothing more than clickbait.  Clickbait can be defined as a headline or article whose main purpose is to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link.

Last week I was, in fact, called by the Westport News new reporter Serenity Bishop.  In the conversation I was told that there was an anonymous report of black mold at SES.  I told the reporter that this was not reported to anyone in the district and I was unaware of any anonymous reports.  I shared that a new roof project is scheduled and that as with buildings in need of roofs, leaks happen.  They are addressed and remediated.  We then discussed, at length, the recent Bedford and Long Lots reports and follow up actions, as well as our standard procedures when reports are made. 

There have been no reports of black mold at SES.  In fact, the SES administration just conducted a Tools for Schools (TFS) walk through of the building last week with the TFS team as part of our ongoing commitment to monitoring indoor air quality conditions in our buildings. By using our five senses and some simple tools, the TFS team uses a practical approach to evaluate heating and ventilation systems, classrooms, cafeterias, hallways, and entry paths.

Again, I have confirmed with Mrs. Messler that there have been no reports of black mold. 

I called the reporter last night to share my disappointment in this low standard of reporting. 

I do see an opportunity here.  Last week, in a community forum, we discussed the capacities, competencies, and skills our kids will need to thrive in the modern world.  This article is a great example of how important it is to teach our children about the need to identify reliable sources, and to recognize bias and substandard sources of information.  Our students are drowning in information and equipping them with the tools to distinguish between good sources and substandard sources will serve them well.

If anyone in the school community has a report to make about indoor air quality, or any other topic, please contact the building principal so that the concern can be appropriately addressed.

Respectfully,
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools