“I was very saddened and angered by the treatment given to superintendent Kenneth Salim at the hands of the Cambridge Education Association.”

The superintendent and School Committee’s school reopening plan is a critical step in preventing further mental health harm and learning loss for students who need in-person school.

As a parent, I don’t have the ability to seek educators’ guidance on a regular basis, so I’m hoping they will explain some points of confusion for people such as me.

Crises expose weakness and typically cause division, but can also unify around a common cause. As we think about a new superintendent, do we want a “politician”; a hard-nosed “reformer”; a relationship and trust builder; or a leader unafraid of taking on the status quo?

We acknowledge that reopening in-person classes is met with fear and anxiety by some district staff and educators, but it is essential to the mental and physical health of children.

Russell Apartments residents know the value of affordable housing; it is a lifesaver for our community members who could not otherwise afford to live in Cambridge. But the residential building proposed for next door would sacrifice our affordable housing community for its own.

It’s time for compromise on the proposed affordable housing at 2072 Massachusetts Ave. – approve the height (nine stories) along Massachusetts Avenue and reduce the height by one story (to five) at the step-down along Walden.

The city manager continues to allow business interests to dictate policy while withholding needed social services for residents. Science should drive city policy. We should reopen our libraries for contactless pickup.

Discussions regarding the proposed building at 2072 Massachusetts Ave. have been strikingly heated. I want there to be respect. It is a value we espouse, all of us.

We have a perspective that no other group in this discussion has, and we urgently want our children to remain in the classroom.