Concord Elementary School teacher suspended for conduct violation

Melissa Noyes, a teacher with more than 23 years of experience in SAU 8, voluntarily surrendered her teaching certificate following an NH DOE investigation.

May 17, 2024, 5:41 p.m. EDT | Updated May 17, 2024, 5:46 p.m. EDT

CONCORD, NH – A Concord elementary school teacher who has worked for the district for more than 23 years was suspended early in the 2023-2024 school year for a code of conduct violation.

Melissa “Missy” Noyes, a teacher at McAuliffe Elementary School, was suspended earlier this school year following an investigation by the New Hampshire Department of Education. She held a license as an experienced educator and a degree in elementary education (K-8) before agreeing to a voluntary suspension. The Department of Education confirmed the suspension based on its ongoing list of revoked educator qualifications, but investigator and lawyer Diana Fenton did not respond to a request for comment on the case.

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Confirming the suspension, principal Kathleen Murphy said Noyes had breached the criteria of the code of conduct and said “appropriate administrative action” had been taken in relation to the reason for her suspension. New Hampshire has both a Code of Ethics and a Code of Conduct for Educators. SAU 8, the Concord School District, also has a professional expectations policy.

Patch was informed of the suspension through an anonymous email claiming the incident was being swept under the rug, as well as other statements that could not be substantiated.

Murphy denied sweeping the incident under the rug and said she couldn’t say much about it because it was a personnel matter.

“People can say I’m sweeping things under the rug,” she said. “I can’t control what other people say.”

The state’s Right to Know Law, RSA 91-A, allows government agencies to be exempt from the obligation to disclose information under the Human Resources Practices provision of 91-A:5 IV, which states:

records of internal human resources practices; confidential, commercial or financial information; Test questions, scoring keys, and other exam data used to administer a licensing exam, an employment exam, or an academic exam; and human resources, health, welfare, library user, videotape sales or rental files, and other files the disclosure of which would constitute an invasion of privacy. Without otherwise jeopardizing the confidentiality of the files, this paragraph does not prohibit a public body or agency from disclosing limited health or safety information contained in investigative files to persons whose health or safety may be compromised.

However, some government agencies may or do release information about suspended or terminated employees or former employees, or about employees or former employees who have committed criminal offenses or other problems.

Murphy confirmed that Noyes was suspended by the district because she did not have an active state education certificate. She said teachers in the district must have certification or a statement of proficiency indicating they are working toward accreditation, adding, “That goes without saying…I have an obligation to do that.”

Murphy said Noyes had been a teacher in the district for about 23.5 years. According to school yearbooks, she taught at McAuliffe Elementary School for about half of those years. In 2017, she was named to the Concord Trust for the Enhancement of Public Education’s Thank-A-Teacher Honor Roll.

Murphy would not confirm whether Noyes would be allowed to return to the classroom after the behavioral issues are addressed or resolved.

It is also unknown whether Noyes is working toward reinstatement or, like other educators listed in some of New Hampshire’s recent suspensions, will be reinstated by the state.

Murphy said the district has no set policy for improving or rehiring educators and said each case is reviewed individually. In these cases, Murphy will examine all the circumstances, what the district has done in the past, how serious the violation was and whether it has been remedied.

“Every single case is different,” she said. “We look at the evidence and the situation and respond. Sometimes the person is no longer employed. Sometimes criteria must be met in order for someone to be hired.”

Concord Assistant Police Chief John Thomas said the department has not opened an investigation into the former teacher.

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