School board approves $25,000 for investigation and hands it over to new interim supervisor

The School Committee voted Wednesday night to authorize up to $25,000 for an independent investigation into allegations and counter-allegations of anti-Semitism among district employees. School Committee members also voted to give incoming interim Superintendent John Robidoux a July 19 deadline to select the investigator. Robidoux will start in Marblehead on July 1.

The school board’s legal counsel has recommended three investigation firms for selection. At an emotional public meeting on June 20, several community members asked that the firms be reviewed before one is selected.

Last week’s school board meeting, which discussed allegations and counter-allegations of anti-Semitism, was well attended. *CURRENT* PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER

On Wednesday evening, school board member Brian Ota warned against “investigating the investigators.”

“I am very concerned about the bias of the investigators,” Ota said.

Member Sarah Fox had originally proposed July 10 as the date for hiring an investigator.

“It’s very important to me that we get that data back so we can restart our school year, implement the findings and make sure our curriculum reflects that and all the recommendations are implemented,” Fox said. “There’s so much work that goes into the summer, I just want to make sure we get the data back in a timely manner.”

Chair Jenn Schaeffner said: “Last week I heard that a community of over 200 people had major concerns about the process. I don’t think we’re in a rush to speed this up. What I heard was the community’s desire for a more thorough review of the investigators. What that would look like, I don’t know.”

At the June 20 meeting, Schaeffner referred to several requests for the district to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s definition of anti-Semitism.

Critics, including Human Rights Watch, say two of the 11 examples of anti-Semitism listed by the IHRA can be used to censor criticism of Israeli policies: “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, for example by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” and “applying double standards by demanding of them behavior that is not expected or required of any other democratic nation.”

Call for a new task force

In addition to the investigation, Schaeffner said she will call for the establishment of an anti-Semitism task force “that includes members of the Jewish community and the entire Marblehead community…”

Schaeffner said she heard at last week’s meeting “serious concerns about anti-Semitism in our district, problems with the curriculum and other very serious concerns. I believe there is more work to be done here in addition to this investigation. We have an opportunity to create change in our district, in our city, in our community and to serve as a model for other districts going through similar situations…

“That’s what I saw last week – an outcry from our community asking us to do this,” she added.

Chairman of the Select Board calls situation “heartbreaking”

At a Select Board meeting on Wednesday evening, Chair Erin Noonan addressed the situation in the schools.

“It has been heartbreaking to hear about the divisions and accusations of anti-Jewish rhetoric,” Noonan said. “Our Jewish neighbors, friends and fellow citizens are experiencing tremendous fear right now because they are forced to live their lives simply because of their religion.”

Noonan reported conversations with members of the Jewish community who reported unprecedented levels of anti-Semitism. One resident, Noonan said, told her: “In our everyday lives, we see things in the news that are hurtful and frightening. We see things on social media that are terrifying, and we are worried about what lies ahead.”

Noonan highlighted community efforts to combat discrimination, including the Marblehead Anti-Discrimination Task Force and the police department’s recent recognition by the Anti-Defamation League.

While Noonan affirmed the right to criticize Israeli policies, he stressed the importance of distinguishing between political criticism and anti-Semitism.

“When Jews and Jewish institutions are targeted, it is simply unacceptable,” she said. “We should be aware of this and remind others of it as well. If you have experienced anti-Semitism, denounce it, speak out and correct the blanket characterization of Jewish people in government policies.”

School Committee meeting

The school committee also discussed plans for its summer retreat in July, where it hopes to set goals for the new school year.

“I think we have a lot of work to do as a committee, not just in terms of team building,” Fox said. “I felt like we were treading water all year last year and were more reactive than proactive.”

Fox expressed hope that the committee would work on resolving the conflict at its meeting.

Will Dowd contributed reporting to this article.