A retiring assistant principal encouraged Jim Thorpe school board members to stand up for teachers and take down an online forum used by critical parents.

Randy Engle served as a teacher and administrator in Jim Thorpe Area School District for 31 years. His retirement as assistant principal of Penn-Kidder Campus becomes official this month.

During his final school board meeting, Engle said that teachers deserve credit for their performance during the pandemic, not criticism.

“I wouldn’t be comfortable walking out the door if I didn’t say what I’m saying: People need to stick up for teachers, not let parents get on and rip our teachers and make false accusations, and do things for the way we need to teach now,” Engle said.

Engle said his main concern was with a Facebook group, Concerned Citizens JTASD. Engle said that comments posted on the page about teachers and online lessons during the pandemic have been incorrect and unfair to teachers.

Engle said parents are free to express their opinion, but that board members shouldn’t provide a venue for them to do it. The Facebook group was created by board member Cindy Lesisko-Henning.

Parents sound off

On Wednesday, some parents used the page to sound off about the district’s first “flex instruction day.” New to Jim Thorpe this year, flex instruction days were approved by state officials last year as an online alternative to snow days, well before the pandemic forced the recent trend toward online classes.

During the flex instruction day students were expected to complete assignments. Unlike the district’s regular remote learning days, teachers weren’t participating live, and some parents took issue.

Engle said that the criticism was incorrect. He said it was also unwarranted because teachers would prefer to be teaching students in person, and are doing their best adapting to full remote learning. He said all teachers explained the flex instruction schedule to their students on Tuesday.

All Jim Thorpe students have been learning from home since Thanksgiving, under recommendations from state officials based on the current level of COVID-19 in Carbon County.

“Every teacher in this district, the school board members of this district wish that we were all in school, and everybody could do what they were doing,” Engle said.

Henning posted on the group on Wednesday that she removed a thread because it contained personal attacks against teachers. She said that parents should address complaints about the flex instruction days to the superintendent, and concerns about specific teachers to their building principal.

Following the meeting, she said that she does not have plans to shut down the group, which has more than 1,000 members.

“We value our teachers at Jim Thorpe but you can’t control what everyone says or anyone thinks of you,” Henning said following the meeting. “In anything you do the best job you can and you can’t waste your energy pleasing everyone because it will never happen.”

Engle said he’s seen teachers go above and beyond. They’ve put in many extra hours working with struggling students who prefer doing their school work during off hours.

Other school officials didn’t comment on the Facebook group specifically during Thursday’s meeting, but they offered praise for the teachers’ online performance.

“It’s a different type of teaching virtually. It takes a lot of time to keep kids engaged, develop unique projects and assessments, and look out for their emotional well-being,” said Thomas Lesisko, principal of Jim Thorpe Area High School.

Board President Scott Pompa said teachers staff and administrators have gone the extra mile.

“It’s challenging for teachers, it is challenging for parents, it is challenging for students. We are really appreciative of everyone how they’re working through this whole COVID situation,” Pompa said.