Inter-Lakes Elementary scraps plan for assistant principal, keeps behavior specialist

MEREDITH — The Inter-Lakes Elementary School Behavior Support Plan was unanimously approved by the school board on June 23, following a pair of contentious meetings where parents, staff and community members spoke out with concerns about staffing and procedure changes.

Several community members spoke on June 9, saying teachers were afraid to voice their opinions out of fear of retaliation, or even losing their jobs. The Inter-Lakes School District administration went back to the drawing board, and presented a new plan June 23.

This time, the hiring of an additional assistant principal was removed from the plan.

“We value the feedback we received regarding our initial plan to hire an additional assistant principal at ILES, and because new resources became available, we were able to adapt,” Superintendent Mary Moriarty wrote in an email. “Our primary focus with these resources is at the elementary level, which includes a full-time behavior specialist and a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) at ILES, as well as an additional paraeducator position to support the ILES WINN Room.”

Moriarty added the approved plan also includes a paraeducator position to assist with day-to-day operations in the office of the dean of students at Inter-Lakes Middle High School.

“Bringing these specialized professionals and resources to ILES expands our ability to address student behavior directly in the younger classrooms, while giving elementary administrators increased bandwidth to focus on our school-wide behavioral support system and new mathematics curriculum,” Moriarty wrote.

A letter sent to families and staff on June 22, ahead of the second meeting, shared an updated support plan for ILES for the 2026-27 school year, as a follow up to the June 9 discussion.

Moriarty wrote that as a result of the feedback, a proposal to add an assistant principal was retracted. She also wrote that after a multi-year attempt to hire someone, ILES contracted a full-time, five-day-per-week behavior specialist from William White Educational and Behavioral Consultant Services. The organization will also be able to provide the BCBA for the school.

The WINN Room, which stands for “What I Need Now,” was touted by parents as a major help to their children during the June 9 hearing. The room is for support of student behavior needs at ILES. The revised plan includes the room being available as a defined regulation space supported by paraeducator Jane Brogan, who parents and staff spoke highly of throughout the hearing.

“This will primarily support students who have an identified need for regulation breaks as part of support plans,” Moriarty wrote in the email to the district.

Moriarty noted that before the start of the school year, school-wide behavior expectations will be “clearly communicated” to students and families. If a student is struggling to meet expectations in the classroom, they may be sent to a newly established Student Support Center.

The center is designed to provide students with a spot to “reset” before returning to class. If a teacher assigns a student to the center, the teacher will keep the family informed. If multiple resets are required, or if a specific behavior needs a “higher level of intervention,” the assistant principal will get involved.

Behavior Consultant Polly Bath will continue to work with ILES staff on the Multi-Tiered System of Support for Behavior (MTSS-B), through training.

The school’s assistant principal and Behavior Support Team will develop family communications around behavior, as well as progress toward the MTSS-B model.

Through the proposed strategic plan for the district, a school climate survey will be used to help develop goals, and this summer, district leaders will invite Elementary and Middle High School Advisory Councils to participate in the process. The goal is to send the survey in October.

A contentious comment session

The June 9 meeting lasted just under three hours, with a majority of residents concerned about what led to the elimination of the WINN Room, lack of communication with the school board, and teachers fearing to voice their opinions.

Elena Bianco, of Meredith, spoke as a parent, former special education professional, and someone who has experience with schoolwide behavior systems. She thinks the district was diagnosing the wrong problem, and moving toward a solution which didn’t address underlying causes.

“It is a rushed decision, yet again,” Bianco said. “That is frustrating, as a parent.”

She was concerned about the potential elimination of the WINN Room, and changes to student support structures, saying her son has used the space as a calm environment when experiencing sensory overload. Bianco said the room has been helpful for students without behavior concerns, but need a structured space.

Kirsten Foster said the WINN Room had been important for her first-grade child, who uses the space to calm down before academics, and provide a quiet spot when needed. She said Brogan has used her experience and calm approach to help students regulate their behavior, putting them on a track for success. She also stressed the WINN Room is not punitive, but instead provides a chance for students to engage in skill-building and behavioral support.

“I’ve seen remarkable changes from my first grader, because of the successful utilization of the WINN Room and their strategies,” Foster said.

She said elimination of the room would be detrimental to her son’s success.

She also said bribing children with candy to behave will not work, which was not the only time bribery was brought up.

“What works is strong culture, a strong community, and connection with in-classroom educators, not more administrators,” Foster said.

Carolyn Champlain, of Meredith, was upset the majority of the school board had not responded to emails and phone calls from herself, or other parents.

“Despite what you are being told by the SAU, things are not OK at ILES,” she said. “Our teachers are exhausted, broken down, and feeling ignored and unseen. For far too long, this board has believed everything they are being told by administrators and our superintendent. It is time to wake up and listen to the teachers’ concerns.”

Champlain said staff has stayed silent out of “fear of retaliation by the superintendent.”

“Parents deserve real responses to our emails, our teachers deserve respect, and our children deserve better,” Champlain said.

Teachers were informed during their lunch breaks they wouldn’t be teaching the same grade level next year, an announcement that came without warning and left people “shocked and distressed,” according to Champlain.

“Many staff members believe that the current administrative leadership is ineffective and at times unprofessional,” Champlain said.

She said one thing was for certain: “We do not need another assistant principal.”

After the public comment time closed, board member Nancy Starmer, of Sandwich, said this appears to be a “systemic issue,” and she knows everyone wants what is best for the child.

“I believe that sincerely,” she said.

June 23 meeting

With the new proposal on the table, the mood shifted to a more positive tone on June 23.

“As a school board member, I can say I have a great deal of hope in this proposal, and that it will work to bring some of those issues forward and to resolve some of them,” Starmer said. “Because this isn’t a new theme we are hearing, just new specifics.”

Moriarty said between contracted services, special education funding, and requests through the fund balance and savings, they were able to make the new proposal work.

Board member Abe Garon, of Meredith, said this is a responsive plan, stemming from what they heard on June 9, and wanted to acknowledge the “whiplash” people may have felt over the two meetings. He said this took a lot of “compromise, thoughtfulness and hard work” after the process “bubbled things up.”

Nancy Bickford, a parent, taxpayer and teacher, said she is a passionate person excited about moving forward. She thinks the new plan seems like a step in the right direction.

The board ultimately voted 6-0 to approve the plan.

Post-vote comments

Moriarty said on June 30 that complex student behaviors, especially in younger grades, are taxing public schools. Inter-Lakes Elementary School, she said, is not excluded.

“This creates challenges, concerns, and fatigue for all members of our school community,” Moriarty said.

With student needs evolving, the district is changing how to support students. The focus, she said, is “deepening our work” at ILES to build and sustain a “strong multi-tiered system of support for behavior.”

Moriarty said as the needs of students evolve, the administration is also changing how students are supported. She knows the journey will take time, but believes in the “deeply committed educators and community” who recognizes the challenges.

“By uniting our efforts, I am confident we will build the best path forward for our schools.”