The embattled Concord School District has endured months of bad press. A teacher arrested for sexual assault. The appearance of a cover-up. Poor reactions by the Superintendent to press coverage. A principal and Superintendent put on leave. Now what?
With Superintendent Terri Forsten put on paid leave, assistant superintendent Donna Palley assumed her role. But she’s not certified to be a superintendent. But it gets worse. She’s not certified to be an assistant superintendent either. A position she has held for eight years.
Concord’s new acting school superintendent, who has been an assistant superintendent for more than eight years in the SAU 8 district, does not have the proper state certification for either role, according to the New Hampshire Department of Education.
Concord Patch has a lot of details, on that part of the story, but I want to jump to the end. The district’s own internal investigation appears to confirm what we’ve been saying all along. People in leadership positions knew about the predator in their midst for years, and it was covered it up.
Grady Sexton said community members “made it clear” to the board that there was more than enough evidence in the Leung case to “show student safety was seriously jeopardized by administrators” and immediate action was needed.
“It appears the findings of the board’s private investigation confirmed what so many community members already understood – that it’s long past time for accountability and change in leadership,” Grady Sexton said. “It’s critical that everyone who had a part in endangering the safety of students is held accountable.”
Leung, a diversity feather in the district’s cap, should have been out of a job long ago. He should not be the only one to get their walking papers. He probably should not be alone in facing criminal charges. But I’m not optimistic about that unless the investigation turns up hard evidence the players knew and deliberately put students at risk.
My understanding is that this is being looked into by police but we won’t know anything specific until they are ready to make their case. And I hope they can.
Public schools are where a majority of adult sexual assaults on minors occur. They also lead the way in hushing them up or hiding them. And while it’s not clear from what we know in Concord, the unions need to feel some pain too. They defend teachers against these charges. Pressure witnesses to recant. Get charges lessened or dropped. And predators are permitted continued access to their prey.
That has to stop.
Image Concord Patch
