District Moving On From Allegations Against PHS Administrator
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The district is "moving on" from unsubstantiated allegations against two Pittsfield High School administrators, saying there is no threat.
Dean of Students Molly West returned to work last week after being put on leave in December. The Department of Children and Families has cleared West and Vice Principal Alison Shepard of misconduct claims that surfaced after another PHS dean was arrested and charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office for allegedly conspiring to traffic large quantities of cocaine.
School Committee Chair William Cameron on Wednesday emphasized that when such an investigation finds no evidence of wrongdoing, fundamental fairness and due process prohibits taking punitive action simply because of allegations. Reportedly, West was also investigated and cleared in the past.
"The circumstances of Mrs. West being placed on administrative leave don't need to be recited here," he said.
"Social media allegations made against her in December, which then regrettably were widely publicized, were not new. They had been heard, investigated, and found meritless by other school districts many years ago, nevertheless, they were disinterred recently by someone providing neither evidence nor a credible source and then reinvestigated twice in the last three months."
Senior Emma Goetze said she was "appalled, deeply disappointed, and frustrated that an administrator who has been placed on leave, someone who has caused significant discomfort and distress to so many students, has been allowed to return to our building."
"I understand that there is an investigation and acknowledge that this individual was cleared but it feels incredibly unjust to me and to many of my peers that despite everything, this person is being given the opportunity to come back," she said. "It's important to recognize that even though an investigation may have found no wrongdoing, that doesn't change the reality of how this individual's presence makes many students feel."
Investigations led by DCF and retired Superior Court Judge Mary-Lou Rup concluded that there is no evidence to substantiate the accusations.
"The fumes from unsubstantiated accusations may persist. Some in the community may try to keep them from dissipating but when there is no substance to be found in accusations of wrongdoing, fairness as a matter of both law and human decency requires not that we gratuitously penalize someone for wrongdoing that's unsubstantiated by unbiased investigations," Cameron said.
"Rather, as a matter of both law and human decency, we are required to move on and that is precisely what the district's administration has done in this case, if unsubstantiated accusations of wrongdoing can be the grounds for ending someone's employment, then no one's job is safe."
He said that if unsubstantiated accusations of wrongdoing can be the grounds for ending someone's employment, nobody's job is safe.
"Other investigations of alleged wrongdoing by other current or former Pittsfield Public Schools employees are still underway," he reported. "If evidence of wrongdoing is found, then this will be shared with the superintendent who alone has the ultimate authority under Massachusetts law to take personnel actions. Molly West's case, however, is closed."
Goetze said her classmates have expressed "deep concerns and frustrations" about what this decision means for safety and emotional well-being.
"It's a constant topic of conversation. It's a subject that has sparked anxiety and even fear in many of us. As someone who has experienced these kind of effects firsthand, I can tell you that it has real, tangible consequences," Goetze said. "I've witnessed firsthand how it has affected the mental health of students, how the very idea of this administrator walking back into the building has made some students break down in tears, unable to process the stress and anger that they feel."
While respecting that the staff member was cleared, she couldn't help but wonder "Is clearance really worth the negative impact it's having on the mental health and well-being of many students at Pittsfield High School?"
Several committee members thanked Goetze and a student who spoke about Wednesday's hold-in-place incident at the high schools, emphasizing that it is important to hear students' voices and commending their bravery in public speaking.
"I wish there were 200 students here speaking to us on a regular basis so that we knew how you guys felt. We may not share the same opinion but we also don't share the same experiences and so I can't judge because I haven't had an experience," Mayor Peter Marchetti said.
"I know that I have spent some time in the school and will continue to spend some time in the school and the next time I'm in the school if you want to chat, I know that the principal is willing to let folks come and I'm happy to, but I think it's important whether we agree or don't agree with what you're saying —and I don't have an opinion as of yet to agree or disagree — it takes a lot of courage to come stand here and talk in front of us, but also a TV camera, and you don't even know how many people are watching at home."
Committee member Sara Hathaway is 100 percent certain that the administration would not create a situation where students should feel unsafe and is sorry to hear students feeling that way.
"There is absolutely no threat to students from the administrator who has returned to PHS. My thinking as I heard some of the remarks was that either we didn't have enough discussion with students of what their thinking was, or we made it available and some people didn't take advantage of the opportunity to express their worries and their anxieties," she said.
"We're aware anxiety is a big thing for your generation and we want to know how we can help reduce it and make it go away if we can. Anxiety is a major thing for students today and we don't want to see it magnified by anything that we do but there is no threat. There is no reason to be afraid."
Fellow member William Garrity said he feels the students' anxieties and frustrations but this is due process of law.
"I think it was an informative read," he said about the report. "In it, there was zero evidence. It was not technicalities. It was nothing. And so I think the report was easy to read and I feel like it would be something that I think the public would benefit from, from releasing as much as we can."
Vice Chair Daniel Elias said if someone does something wrong and betrays the trust of many, then they deserve to get everything negative coming to them "but when there is zero evidence and they are cleared yet again, that is just plain decency to do the right thing, to return them."
Tags: PHS, school administrator,
