Following the start of the spring semester, another surprising personnel change was announced. On February 7, Superintendent Champ announced via email that Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services would be resigning as of March 4. Ms. Chung assumed her position in 2019 and was tasked with managing the district’s response to all COVID-19 related matters. Chung’s temporary replacement will be Rosemary Matthews who served as Assistant Superintendent from 2005 until 2018.

In an email sent to the district, Champ wrote that Ms. Chung “made a tremendous impact on our District providing leadership in the areas of special education, school counseling, psychologists, social workers and health services. She has been instrumental in implementing the District’s Strategic Plan and goal of supporting the Whole Child, including developing our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) program.” No reason was cited for Chung’s resignation.

At the beginning of last school year, PMHS welcomed students back into the building for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Chung’s COVID-19 taskforce outlined the plans for keeping students safe while they were in school for in-person learning. These health procedures included giving each student a desk guard, random COVID testing for student-athletes, and weekly PCR tests beginning this year. In addition to COVID-19-related responsibilities, Ms. Chung led more mindfulness discussions with the Board of Education and placed an emphasis on mental health and wellbeing following several threats made toward PMHS earlier this school year.

“It has been a pleasure serving the Pelham community for the last three years. I regret having to leave sooner than I had originally planned as I have made wonderful connections with colleagues and families. I do wish everyone the best as I look forward to the next chapter in my own life,” Ms. Chung said.