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Boston school mishandled sexual misconduct and bullying, superintendent says
While investigating the school's handling of alleged misconduct, officials also learned of a former staffer accused of sending inappropriate messages to middle schoolers.
Boston Public Schools has ousted two administrators from Gardner Pilot Academy in Allston after an investigation revealed that school leaders failed to adequately address bullying and alleged sexual misconduct among students, according to Superintendent Mary Skipper.
In a letter to the school community last week, Skipper said Gardner Pilot Academy’s principal and assistant principal “will not return to the school or to BPS.” Both had been on leave during the district’s investigation.
According to Skipper, that internal probe uncovered “unreported, unaddressed, and egregious Code of Conduct violations” at the K-8 school. She described persistent bullying that deployed racial and homophobic slurs, as well as sexual misconduct among students that allegedly included groping, choking, and the use of sexually explicit and derogatory language.
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“School administrators at GPA were aware of these incidents but did not respond to the vast majority in a manner consistent with school district policy and, in some cases, state law,” Skipper wrote. She cited the failure to report suspected child abuse or neglect to the state’s Department of Children and Families as one example.
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As the district’s investigation was underway, school officials also learned of a former Gardner Pilot Academy staffer who allegedly sent “inappropriate social media and text messages” to female middle schoolers, according to Skipper.
Students reported those messages to the assistant principal, “who failed to take appropriate action,” she explained. The school’s acting principal immediately followed protocol upon learning of the allegations days later, Skipper added.
“DCF was properly notified, messages were turned over to the Boston Police, and there is now an active criminal investigation,” the superintendent wrote.
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Acting Principal Kat Atkins-Pattenson will step into the interim principal role, effective Feb. 26, Skipper added.
Recent turmoil
The investigation’s findings paint a vastly different portrait of a school that was hailed as a leader in post-pandemic learning less than two years ago, when it won a $100,000 prize from the Boston-based non-profit EdVestors.
However, Gardner Pilot Academy has faced turmoil in recent months after Boston Public Schools announced its plans to eliminate the school’s seventh and eighth grades. According to the Boston Herald, the district ultimately delayed those plans after the school’s now-former principal, Erica Herman, went on leave late last year.
Herman’s absence brought even more uncertainty to the school community; a Dec. 18 post on the parent-run news site Boston Parents Schoolyard News describes families’ frustration and dismay at the principal’s abrupt ouster.
Herman pushed back on the district’s allegations in an interview with The Boston Globe Tuesday, accusing Boston Public Schools of manufacturing the charges in response to frustrated parents and concerns from teachers whose performance she’d been scrutinizing.
According to the Globe, she said school officials began questioning her in November about vague allegations.
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“They didn’t want the truth,” she told the newspaper.
Community meeting coming
With the investigation wrapped and new school leaders in place, Skipper said her office has plans to organize restorative justice circles for Gardner Pilot Academy staff. There’s also a community meeting that will be held over Zoom at 8 a.m. on March 1.
“I am aware that it will take time for the community to heal,” Skipper wrote. “I also believe in the strength of the Gardner community. The school has brilliant students, dedicated families, committed and talented educators, and giving partners. Together, we will continue to move forward to improve access and opportunities for all of the Gardner’s students and families.”
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