CHESTERFIELD — A petition circulating in town and a community forum attended by about 90 people have revealed differing views about the principal at New Hingham Elementary School, and raised concerns about communication within the school community.
A petition distributed earlier this month by parent Jim McSweeney, and signed by about 50 people, reads:
“We, the parents/guardians and staff demand the immediate removal of Principal Rosemary Larkin as the principal of the New Hingham Regional Elementary School, for failure of leadership.”
The forum held at the school May 23 was attended by parents, teachers, School Committee members and school administrators. Some were parents who had signed the petition to oust Larkin, while others were parents and teachers who came to offer her their staunch support.
New Hingham serves students in kindergarten through Grade 6 from Chesterfield and Goshen.
School Superintendent Craig Jurgensen said Larkin has his “full support,” citing her positive performance reviews and calling her an “efficient and effective leader.”
Jurgensen also said that the school administration and the School Committee are committed to hearing and acting upon parents’ concerns.
“This is a public forum, not a top-down discussion,” Jurgensen said of the forum. “Hopefully tonight we can talk about ways that we can enhance communication, then do some problem-solving.” Jurgensen said.
In a telephone interview earlier this month, McSweeney said Larkin has failed to effectively address a variety of parental concerns, but would not spell out those issues.
“There is a culture of disrespect and degradation at the school and it just hit a crescendo. People just feel ground down by a bunch of bureaucrats,” McSweeney said. “There are a thousand little things, but rather than give specifics, I am just going to say that she is a failed leader.”
McSweeney staged a one-man protest in front of the school two weeks before the public forum, arriving at the school on horseback.
Citing safety issues during his protest, school officials rerouted incoming buses and other vehicles to a second entrance, had children enter the building through a side door, and called the police.
“It was a safety issue with a loose horse grazing in a field on the property and his actions were also disruptive to the educational process,” Jurgensen said.
McSweeney, said he thought the response was an extreme overreaction to one man with a sign reading “Principal Larkin Must Go.”
“I was just holding a sign; the school chose to react to protect their liability,” McSweeney said. “I want to make it crystal clear that all my actions have been nonviolent and they always will be.”
McSweeney also showed up on horseback the night of the forum, calling the event a “Dog and Pony Show.”
At Monday’s forum, several parents said since Larkin was hired four years ago, they have been made to feel very “unwelcomed” in the school, claiming that any suggestions that they have made to the school administration, including offers to volunteer, have fallen on deaf ears.
Others said that they were upset with a lack of information being shared with the parents, particularly around safety issues including bullying or security notifications.
Yet many other parents praised the school, its teachers and administration, some saying they chose to move to Chesterfield specifically because they were impressed with New Hingham.
Several teachers also spoke in support of Larkin, saying that while parents had some legitimate concerns, none rose to the level of removing her.
“There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that anybody has said tonight that comes close to being a reason why someone should lose their career,” special education teacher Katherine Sasser said emphatically.
Larkin did not speak during the meeting. However, before it began, Larkin said that she, her staff and the administration had been blindsided by the distribution of the petition and said that no specfic complaints had been given to them by either McSweeney or any other parents.
“People can always improve, I can certainly improve,” Larkin said. “To do that, you have to first know what the problems are. Before this, I had heard nothing.”
While Larkin said she found the situation troubling, in a telephone interview May 24, the day after the forum, she said she was going to look at ways to improve communications and continue to move forward focusing on what is best for the children attending New Hingham.
School Committee member Jessica Judd said that she was encouraged by the number of teachers who turned out to support Larkin at the forum.
“To see all these teachers here tonight defending her is a testament to her leadership,” Judd said.
And Jan Gibeau, another School Committee member, noted before the forum that there are appropriate channels in place to address any concerns that parents may have. She said the school board is always open to hearing from parents.
“There are ways to do this. Nobody is saying that people can’t complain or express their opinions. This is America after all and we have free speech,” Gibeau said. “But riding up and down the sidewalk on a horse in front of a school and yelling at people that try to talk with you, doesn’t seem like the best way to solve anything.”
Jurgensen said he is hopeful that the forum would motivate positive change at the school.
“I am very pleased that we did this,” he said. “We heard some very strong feelings tonight and some very good ideas. Now the next step is to take some action steps, and I think that we are all up for it.”