We told you it was coming, and now it’s here. The Sex assault scandal cover-up in the Concord School System has claimed its first staff or administrative “head.”
The Concord Board of Education has terminated the services of School Superintendent Terri Forsten after a vote Friday to unseal a portion of the minutes of a nonpublic meeting on Sept. 25. … Board members came to the decision two days after examining the internal investigatory documents concerning the Primo “Howie” Leung teacher-student rape investigation.
Concord High School teacher Primo Howie Leung is accused of multiple counts of sexual assault of a minor. The history of the case suggests that any number of staff or administration knew and were covering it up.
Principal Tom Sica who ran point, is still on paid leave, though it was revealed last week that he had been working after being put on leave. We can assume the superintendent knew, and it played a role in her termination agreement. But this would be but one of several missteps by administrators. A pattern that permitted Leung continued access to female students in the district.
I would not be surprised to hear, in the coming days or weeks, that Sica may face criminal charges. It also seems likely that other staff knew or were involved in hiding the sexual abuse. Whether their silence was coerced remains to be seen. Sica’s history includes suspending students who brought concerns about potential or sexual abuse by Leung to his attention.
Forsten is not implicated specifically (at this time) in a cover-up. But complicity seems likely. She had to know when and why the district used its insurance company to buy off the parents and a student who was suspended for reporting Leung to administrators.
One other point worth mentioning. Concord has municipal elections this coming Tuesday. The timing of Forsten’s termination notice and the Monday release of closed meeting minutes should not be dismissed as a political move to save their hides.
