Neary teacher receives paid leave for alleged racist and inappropriate incidents

Above: The fourth and fifth grade school in Southborough is making headlines for incidents reported in the spring and only made public this week.

I just learned of the alleged racist incidents in a classroom at Neary School that led to investigations and the placement of two teachers on paid leave this spring—one temporarily and one permanently.

A fifth-grade teacher is being investigated while on paid leave, according to Northborough-Southborough Public Schools Superintendent Gregory Martineau. Additionally, Principal Kathleen Valenti was temporarily placed on leave but has returned to work.

Superintendent Martineau issued a statement with an apology two nights ago through Parent Square. However, it was not distributed to the entire NSBORO school community. Instead, it was specific to Southborough schools in grades K-8.

The superintendent writes that he was notified of the incidents on April 24. The incidents he describes from January and April included a “mock slave auction” of two “colored students” and the teacher’s later use of the N-word.

The unnamed teacher was placed on leave to allow for “a thorough and unbiased investigation.” According to the news release, Principal Valenti was also placed on paid leave from May 6 to May 16 for the investigation.

No explanation is given as to why the district waited until two weeks after Valenti’s return before making a public statement. However, in a statement to the school committee on May 8, Martineau said the community had been informed of the events. (Whatever that message was, it was obviously not sent district-wide and nothing related to it was posted on Parent Square during that time period.)

In his message this week, Martineau wrote that the school district is still in “proper proceedings” with the unnamed teacher and that “all personnel matters are treated confidentially.”

Scroll down to see highlights from the May 8 School Board meeting discussion.

Here is the full message from the Superintendent from Wednesday, May 29, 8:00 p.m.:

Dear Parents and Guardians of Southborough,

As superintendent, I strive to uphold and live the district’s core values ​​of equity, inclusivity, empathy, integrity, respect, and perseverance. Not only am I accountable for these values ​​myself, but I also ensure that they are at the forefront of staff’s work. When a staff member’s actions do not align with these values, it is important to understand why, take responsibility, learn from it, and ensure that these actions are not repeated.

Teachers who work every day to support students are the heart of our organization. The district is fortunate to have faculty and staff who embody its core values ​​and are committed to their work. As a district, we strive to be transparent when we make mistakes.

I would like to share information about two incidents I learned about from parents on April 24, 2024. The first incident occurred in January during a history class about the economy of the Southern colonies, which included slavery. A teacher was teaching about the Triangular Trade and slave auctions were discussed. During the class, the teacher held an impromptu mock auction. The teacher asked two children of color sitting at the front of the room to stand up, and the teacher and class discussed physical characteristics (e.g., teeth and strength).

Conducting a mock slave auction is unacceptable and violates the district’s core values. Simulations or role-playing are not appropriate when teaching about historical atrocities or trauma and should not be used as teaching methods. They are inappropriate teaching methods because they trivialize the victims’ experiences and can leave students feeling like they know what it was like to experience these atrocities after the activity (Anti-Defamation League). Furthermore, research shows that such simulations are inappropriate for any student and disproportionately traumatic for students of color.

“When we asked teachers to tell us their favorite lesson on slavery, dozens proudly described classroom simulations. While simulating democratic processes is a proven method for good civics education, simulating traumatic experiences has not been proven effective and usually triggers reactions from families and children alike. Every year, the news reports teachers getting in trouble when families complain about this type of approach. Families of black students in particular complain (with good reason) about slavery simulations. While no parent wants to see their child auctioned off or forced to lie still in conditions designed to simulate the Middle Passage, it is important to recognize that such simulations are disproportionately traumatic for students of color. Of course, they are inappropriate for every student; simulations cannot begin to convey the horror of slavery and run the risk of trivializing the issue in students’ minds.” (Southern Poverty Law Center).

The second incident occurred in April when the same teacher read a book that a colleague had recommended. The book was not part of the fifth grade English curriculum. While reading and discussing the text, the teacher used the “N-word.” It was later brought to the school district’s attention that the “N-word” does not appear in the book. Dehumanizing words such as swear words should not be used by staff or students. The use of such words can harm students and negatively impact open discussion on a given topic.

Parents of students in this class had the opportunity to meet with the teacher and the principal to learn more about the two incidents. The goal was to be transparent with families and take responsibility for mistakes. The next day, the teacher inappropriately reprimanded the student who reported the teacher’s use of the racial slur, which is unacceptable.

The district opened a formal investigation at that time, and the educator was placed on paid administrative leave. In addition, Principal Valenti was placed on paid administrative leave from May 6, 2024, through May 16, 2024. Paid administrative leave allows for a thorough and unbiased investigation. Currently, the district is conducting a due process process with the educator, who remains on leave. All personnel matters are kept confidential.

I apologize for the events that occurred in Southborough Public Schools. I recognize that there were missteps in this process that further complicated the situation. Ultimately, I am responsible for ensuring that students are in safe and supportive learning environments.

The district will take the following actions to learn from its mistakes, improve our cultural competency, and continue to ensure that our values ​​are at the forefront of our teaching:

• Develop a professional development plan with a focus on culturally competent pedagogy to be implemented in the fall.
• Continue partnerships including MassInsight and Facing History in Ourselves.
• Expand partnerships with consultants who have the knowledge and skills needed to lead and strengthen the district’s work.
• Accelerate the professional development of all teachers and staff.
• Strengthen our internal reporting and investigation procedures by providing formal training to all school and district leaders.
• Work with MassInsight to evaluate the district’s progress on the Equity Audit Action Plan.
• Work with directly affected families and students to ensure a smooth transition to sixth grade.

Respectfully,

Gregory L. Martineau
Superintendent of Schools

The agenda for the school board meeting on May 8 was “Parent Communication Regarding Incidents.”

During the public hearing, Meghan Cifuentes referred to incidents in her son’s classroom and was glad the school took appropriate action. She read a statement calling for better policies and guidelines on literature and what is appropriate for classrooms and teachers. She urged the school committee to invest in hiring someone to focus on this task.

Martineau had said he was unaware of the January incident when parents contacted him in April. She stressed that “staff and principals need to understand very clearly” what needs to be communicated to the superintendent. And she stressed that adults should be held just as accountable as students, if not more so.

She told the committee they had lost confidence that her son had a safe place in his classroom with a trusted adult. She said they would look forward to news and solutions.

(Note: WBUR spoke with Cifuentes. You can find the story here.)

Under the agenda item, Martineau made vague reference to egregious incidents in a classroom that were reported to him and Principal Valenti.

He added that he has since learned that he “did not have all the information when he communicated.” He acknowledged that the communication included: missing or inaccurate informationand assured that this was unintentional.

He added that he had launched a formal investigation and promised to send a follow-up communication once he had all the facts.

Jennifer Primack (moving from K-8 to Regional School Committee)told the committee that she agreed with the views expressed in the public comment. She wanted the committees to consider the issue as a priority in policy committees and budgets. She also thanked the parents and their children for bringing the issues to the fore.

It is worth noting that the meeting took place during Valenti’s vacation. The public was informed at the meeting that she was not present to deliver the director’s report as she was not feeling well.

You can see more of the discussion here, which begins about 20 minutes into the meeting.

Updated (5/31/24, 5:49 p.m.): I updated the story to include public commenter Meghan Cifuentes’ name, as I now know the spelling thanks to a WBUR story in which she was quoted.