Education

Lynnfield searches for new middle school principal amid uproar over handling of racist bullying

Controversy surrounding recent incidents of “racist language and behavior” has left parents outraged and school officials scrambling to answer thorny questions.

April 17, 2026 | 1:01 PM

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Lynnfield is on the hunt for a new middle school principal after a spike in racist incidents sparked outcry from parents and left school administrators scrambling to answer thorny questions about the district’s disciplinary policies and future.

“On a variety of fronts, it’s been a very difficult few weeks in our school district, and there’s been pain for many in the town,” Superintendent Thomas Geary said.

Reflecting on the uproar at Lynnfield Middle School during Wednesday’s School Committee meeting, he offered an apology to committee members and families.

“I’m the leader of the district, and responsibility and accountability starts with me — for what has happened, for where we are now and, most importantly at this point, for steps to be taken going forward,” Geary said.

The school district previously acknowledged reports of bullying involving “racist language and behavior” after parents who spoke with local news outlets said their children had been targeted with discriminatory comments and at least one racially charged gesture.

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“Let me be direct: racist language was used against students in our school,” said Kristen Elworthy, the School Committee’s chair. “That is not a gray area, and no one on this committee or in district leadership is treating it as one. Our first obligation, before academics and before anything else, is that every student has a safe place to learn. And if any student does not feel like that, we have work to do.”

While privacy laws prohibit school officials from publicly discussing individual cases or disciplinary matters, Elworthy noted multiple families came forward to describe moments their children did not feel safe at school, “and we take that seriously on its own terms.”

“Our job is to make sure that the system responds well every time, for every student,” she added.

Geary likewise described the need for soul-searching within Lynnfield Public Schools.

“When things escalate to this point, it’s an inflection point for the school committee, and for me,” he said. “This type of hate speech doesn’t have a place in our district or town.”

Clocking in at a population of about 13,000, Lynnfield is considered an upscale suburb on the North Shore, with a median household income of roughly $175,000 and a median home value approaching $900,000. Last year, the town made headlines when two town employees resigned after they were caught in a hot mic moment using “inappropriate and racist words” on a livestream before the town’s high school graduation.

Less than a year later, the town is embroiled in controversy once again.

The middle school’s longtime principal, Stephen Ralston, suddenly went on leave late last month amid the recent outcry, and Geary informed families Ralston would officially separate from the district at the end of June, The Daily Item reported.

It remains unclear whether Ralston’s departure is connected to the bullying controversy. However, Geary noted he has “sole purview” over the district’s principals and said he disagreed with how administrators have handled recent incidents.

“I can’t tell them how to operate their buildings; that’s within state law. But I can certainly set a tone for what my expectations are for any given situation and what happens when those expectations are not met,” Geary said. “And let me be clear: the manner in which discipline has been applied with some recent incidents was not in line with my expectations.”

He underscored his focus on finding a new middle school principal to help the district course correct, a hiring process that’s already underway. Interviews will begin after April vacation, and Geary said school officials hope to narrow down finalists in mid-May and make a final decision shortly thereafter. Given it’s late in the hiring cycle, he said an interim principal could be an option.

“It is absolutely vital that we get the right person for the position moving forward,” Geary said.

He also touched on efforts to review student handbooks and take a closer look at disciplinary policies. To that end, Geary said he will personally examine all of the district’s most serious disciplinary infractions to ensure visibility and clear documentation, reporting back to the School Committee bimonthly on statistics and trends.

“You can have a very good school where there’s no tolerance for cruelty or hate due to the consequences of discipline and the students understanding the consequences,” he acknowledged. “However, you get to being a great school when students and staff understand why it’s not tolerated, the cruelty and the hate. When we get to that point, we’re all understanding why we’re looking out for each other.”