Derby’s Board of Education met behind closed doors for more than two hours Wednesday before hiring a new “interim administrator” to serve at Derby Middle School until the end of the school year — while providing no new information about why the school’s principal was removed abruptly last month.
The move comes weeks after a bomb threat discovered in a bathroom at the school prompted an hours-long “lock in” and the cancellation of classes the next day.
Reaction from parents to Wednesday’s move was mixed, to say the least. Two walked out of the meeting in disgust, prompting a lengthy, emotional speech from Superintendent Matthew Conway defending the school district’s moves (see video above).
Background
A written threat was found in a girl’s bathroom at Derby Middle School Nov. 17 indicating harm would come to the school, staff and students via a gun and an explosive device. The message listed names of several students and staff members.
The school was put in “lock in” from 11:45 a.m. until 2:40 p.m., during which students were not allowed to leave their classrooms.
Parents complained at a meeting that night that they were not kept in the loop during the incident, and the school board decided to close school Nov. 18.
On Nov. 19, police charged a 13-year-old with threatening and breach of peace in connection to the crime. The case is being handled in the juvenile court system, which is closed to the public.
On Nov. 24, Conway announced that Derby High School Principal Greg Gaillard would be “providing oversight” at the middle school until Dec. 5.
The superintendent’s message said nothing about the status of the staffers temporarily replaced, Principal Sean Morrisey and Dean of Students/Assistant Principal Matthew Spar.
Where’s The Former Principal?
In the two weeks since the school district hasn’t released any other information about the change in leadership, or what prompted it. Morrisey and Spar are still employed by the district, Conway said Wednesday.
The Valley Indy sent a Freedom of Information request to Conway last week seeking more information. The district has neither granted access to public documents nor acknowledged the request.
The Board of Education scheduled a special meeting for Wednesday with the only agenda item an executive session “for discussion of the results of personnel investigations” with Conway.
Parents Speak Out
About 20 parents showed up to the school board’s special meeting Wednesday night, and a half-dozen spoke, most to sing the praises of Gaillard and Paul Landolfi, a former Irving School principal who has also been helping to oversee the middle school in recent weeks.
At the same time, many complained about the frequent changes in the school’s administration, and that they weren’t told enough about threats to their children’s safety.
“We will no longer accept temporary fixes,” said John Netto, the parent of a seventh-grader, who said Gaillard has been a “ray of hope” at the high school.
Netto said Gaillard has done just as well at the middle school, developing “solid, comforting, motivating relationships” with students over the past two weeks.
“We want a board that will only accept a plan to put Derby Middle School on plain with the efforts at DHS, a plan that will put parents at ease to know that the health and safety of our children will be a priority,” Netto said. “We want a plan for whoever takes over DMS to be under the same ray of hope that has flourished only a short distance away.”
Stacey Whelan said a school’s administrator can make or break it, citing Jennifer Olson’s leadership of Irving School as an example to follow.
But that’s impossible when the middle school has seen so many different administrators over such a brief period, she said.
“It is clear the school is in turmoil,” she said, adding that it makes sense for Gaillard to oversee the high school.
“Lastly, transparency,” Whelan added. “If you promise it, please deliver it.”
Chantal Gerckens noted that the school’s current eighth-graders have seen six administrators in their two and a half years there.
“This is not healthy nor acceptable for our children to have a change as drastic as this over and over and over again,” she said, saying Landolfi could fill that role until a permanent replacement is found.
Samira Graca Zilic said middle school students she talks to have been happy with Gaillard and Landolfi.
“They say Mr. G is awesome, Mr. Paul is awesome,” she said. “Please keep our kids happy and safe in the school.”
Rita Asare, the parent of an eighth-grader, said she was extremely concerned parents weren’t notified of the threat at the middle school for hours.
“My son came home, he was terrified,” she said. “The first communication I got was from Mr. G. across the (street) letting us know around 2:55.”
Asare also said Gaillard has been a breath of fresh air.
“A sense of relation, a sense of ‘I feel like I belong,’ a sense of somebody cares, it’s important,” Asare said. “This school is lacking that.”
New ‘Interim Administrator,’ Anger
After the parents made their comments, the school board retired behind closed doors to discuss the “personnel investigations.”
Public agencies are allowed to discuss personnel matters in secret, per the state’s Freedom of Information Act.
But the state FOI Commission has ruled in prior cases, and repeatedly, that generic phrases such as “personnel matters” are too vague to apprise the public of what is being discussed secretly.
Two hours and 19 minutes after retiring, the board returned to public session and voted unanimously, without discussion, to appoint Arnold Frank as the “interim administrator” at the middle school.
Reaction from some was swift — and negative.
Netto left in disgust after vowing to work to get the current members of the school board voted off.
His wife, Janine, called the move “absolutely ridiculous.”
“And transparency? That’s a joke,” she said.
The board then appointed Landolfi as the middle school’s “security specialist” until the end of the school year.
Superintendent Speaks
After the votes, Conway launched a defense of the moves, starting out by conceding that the frequent leadership changes at the middle school weren’t good.
However, he did not explain just what prompted the district to remove Morrissey as principal.
The community needs to do its “due diligence” to select a new permanent leader, he said.
“That can’t happen in a week or even two, three weeks to do things right for this building,” Conway said.
It makes sense to give parents continuity to the end of the school year, during which time the school board will find a new permanent principal.
“We need leadership in this building today,” Conway said. “There were certain requests for certain things tonight that nobody objected to doing, but there are also rules we have to follow. We can’t just place people where we want them.”
Conway then began to thank a handful of school employees involved in last month’s change of administration at the middle school.
As his emotions rose, he took about 30 seconds to compose himself before speaking.
“Two weeks ago a group of individuals came around a table without any questions,” Conway said. “It wasn’t asked without any reason, and they showed up. And they spent their Sunday to support your children and you, without any questions.
“I couldn’t have asked, I don’t know of any other people I could have asked that of, who would have just done that, without question, to support this district,” he went on, naming Gaillard, Landolfi, Martin Pascale, Javier Lancaster, Rachael Artaiz, and Deborah Almonte.
“I need those individuals in their current roles to support this district as we decide as a team what that picture looks like and who’s in what roles moving forward,” Conway said, imploring parents to “Please know that the decisions tonight by this board are for your children to give us time to put the right plan in place.”
“It includes you guys,” he told the handful of parents still present. “I need you part of the team, and part of the decision-making moving forward.”
Members of the school board applauded Conway, as did a parent.
The board then adjourned without further discussion.
After the meeting, no one would tell the public why two public employees were removed from their leadership positions at the middle school.
Conway said Morrissey and Spar are still employed by the district, though not actually at the middle school day-to-day.
He said he couldn’t provide what salaries Frank and Landolfi will be making in their new roles at the school, nor could he disclose any further information on the “personnel investigations” or the changes made by the school board Wednesday.
