AMHERST — Some Fort River School families and staff are faulting district leadership for failing to address a physical and verbal assault of a parent in the school’s lobby on Feb. 10, along with other incidents of bullying and harassment by parents, that have occurred over the course of the school year.

“Unchecked bullying and harassment” of teachers, administrators and school community members continues to thrive in the shadows of silence, parent Annaliese Kittrell told the Amherst School Committee Thursday, putting the blame on administrators for not acting promptly.

“The delay in addressing these incidents, particularly after an assault in our school, only serves to deepen the wounds and foster an environment where inaction becomes complicity,” said Kittrell, who identified herself as the victim of the Feb. 10 incident when speaking at a Regional School Committee meeting the following evening.

Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman said her priority is keeping the school safe.

“I stand on my word that student safety comes first, staff safety comes first, and we do not tolerate bullying from anyone in the district schools toward anyone at our campuses,” Herman said.

Herman explained that immediately after being apprised of the incident, she was provided advice by the school attorney and then began working with Amherst Police, having a police report filed and supplemented, and the Hampshire Sheriff’s Office to deliver no trespass orders to those involved. She also met with all but two members involved in the incident. Herman said it’s unknown if there will be criminal charges, though school officials may be present for an upcoming court hearing.

“We have to follow processes, there are processes that as a leader we have to follow,” Herman said.

School Committee Chairwoman Jennifer Shiao said the job for parents is to model the behavior they want to see in students, especially as it relates to conflict resolution.

“Students, parents and visitors to all of our elementary schools should always find an environment free of harassment and bullying,” Shiao said.

Herman earlier this month issued a statement about developing a Caregiver Code of Conduct in light of the incidents.

Other parents in writing to the School Committee brought forward similar concerns about the threats and harassment, including Paris Boice, the mother of three children at Fort River.

“How could we let one set of parents harass, bully and attack teachers, administrators and volunteers without taking any action? Boice wrote. “I can’t believe this is still happening and that there was no action taken and that our values were not upheld.”

Rabia Ahmed, a mother of two Fort River students, expressed similar sentiments in her letter. “Given the new caregiver code of conduct that was shared, I wonder if the school is not safe for our administrators and teachers,” Ahmed wrote. “Is this a place where we feel safe sending our children, children of color?”

And Seny Salvon, another parent, wrote, “We have codes of conduct in place to address these issues and I ask that you enforce them. The most recent incident of a set of parents bullying and harassing a kind parent, teachers and administrators at Fort River is unacceptable.”

Kittrell said she was troubled by the vague statement sent by Herman, the trespass orders being issued a month after the incident and that not enough has been done to demonstrate a commitment from the central office to protect people.

“In silence, we allow the cycle of harm to persist, and in inaction we endorse its continuation,” Kittrell said.

Meanwhile, Fort River is facing a change in leadership at the building.

Principal Tamera Sullivan-Daley recently requested a leave of absence for the remainder of the school year, and is being replaced on an interim basis by Tara Luce, who had been the interim vice principal since October.

Ruth Killough-Hill, a school adjustment counselor at Fort River for 13 years, told the School Committee that Sullivan-Daley may have taken the leave because she didn’t receive the necessary support from the district in addressing the bullying and harassment.

Killough-Hill added that this has been the most challenging year in her professional career in Amherst, beginning when Julio Fernandez, the assistant principal, was reassigned to become an educational team leader in the district at the beginning of the school year.

Fernandez, she said, had been an important part of the school’s Caminantes dual-language program, where students from both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking families learn both languages in all subjects throughout the day.

“His leadership was vital to the well functioning of our school, and as the only Latino member, he was also important in terms of our understanding Caminantes,” Killough-Hill said. “His deep understanding of the cultural curriculum of Caminantes, one of the program’s core components, was invaluable.

“Latino families had built trust with him that they couldn’t replicate,” Killough-Hill said.

Herman said she is putting various supports in place to ensure that both Luce and teacher Tim Austin, who is serving as interim vice principal, can do well in leading the school.

Even so, Maria Torres, a secretary at Fort River who has worked alongside several principals and vice principals, said she and other staff are “exhausted, frustrated and deeply concerned,” and don’t feel supported, as they are not allowed to bring concerns out of fear of reprimand.

“Schools should be the place of stability, safe havens for students, staff and families to feel supported,” Torres said.

Torres said there is a troubling pattern at Fort River that is not affecting Amherst’s other elementary schools.

“Why has Fort River lost two administrators in a single year? Torres said. “Why are we repeatedly put in this position, where strong leaders leave, morale suffers and staff members are left scrambling holding everything together?”