Residents continue to demand for the resignation of former School Committee Chair Kate DePrizio over allegations she made Sept. 11 in public at the School Committee meeting accusing fellow committee member Jamie Hayman of engaging in improper conduct with two school staff members.
The latest cries came during the Oct. 22 School Committee meeting. Committee Chair Kristen Elworthy opened the discussion with a lengthy statement. In it she said that
She was “sharing the facts as they currently stand and more importantly charting a path forward for the SC. Last week made it abundantly clear that despite three committee members’ commitment to moving on, two members intend to continue to fan the flames.”
Elworthy said that DePrizio’s “reference to a cover-up during our Oct. 16 meeting was an egregious breach of any number of protocols and more pointedly, it wasn’t true and it’s a tremendous violation of the good faith that should be honored on a professional committee.”
Once again, several speakers called for DePrizio to resign, perhaps the most impactful from the person who supported DePrizio’s campaign for a seat on the School Committee three-plus years ago.”I worked alongside you “to get you your seat, but I now ask for your resignation,” Summer Street School PTO President Sarah Kelley said.
Steve Grasso spoke first, calling the accusations against Hayman a “coordinated attack” by one committee member.
“That was a lot to take in,” Grasso said about the statement. “The elephant in the room is that the actions were so egregious. Jamie never crossed the line in bringing anyone’s kids into it. This was coordinated by Kate. It’s getting to the point where this has to end. The Sept. 24 statement that Kristen read implied you all screwed up. Kate doubled down. Kristen, you personally apologized to Jamie and his children. Kate never did. Just saying nothing the whole time is egregious.”
Grasso said DePrizio’s actions in accusing Hayman of seeking preferential treatment for his children in the letter she read at the Sept. 11 School Committee meeting was motivated by a “personal vendetta,” which drew applause from meeting attendees.
“You didn’t have to read the letter but you did,” Grasso said. “I will again ask Kate DePrizio for her resignation. We are not going away. If you can’t do it for them, then do it for the community.”
DePrizio stood by her claim that the language in the letter referred to by Grasso that stated that Hayman was trying to gain favor for his children had been approved by the committee’s lawyer, Colby Brunt. She denied she was motivated by a personal vendetta against Hayman, saying “I would have liked nothing more than not to do this.”
“So we are back to blaming the attorney,” Grasso responded. He concluded that the other members of the committee “wanted to bring kids into this,” but also said “a normal rational human being would have said we don’t want to bring kids into this. Kate, we want you to resign, there is no path going forward.”
Committee Vice Chair Jenny Sheehan said that since the Sept. 11 meeting, “had I known then what I know now, I would have done things differently,” adding that then-chair DePrizio was the “one giving us information. I relied on that. I was on board that he should be notified that he was difficult at times.”
Resident Deidre Donovan took issue with Elworthy’s statement that “last week made it abundantly clear that despite three committee members’ commitment to moving on, two members intend to continue to fan the flames.”
“To equate Kate’s actions with Jamie’s is a false equivalent,” Donovan, saying what DePrizio is doing is tantamount to the “offender (swapping) places with the victim. That is what Kate is doing.”
She called on DePrizio to resign, saying, “I can’t believe my eyes and what’s happening.”
Hayman’s wife, Christina Hayman, spoke next, addressing her initial comment to Elworthy’s statement that Elworthy had not slept in a month, and saying she felt she needed to clarify the facts.
“I also have not slept in a month.” She said that neither she nor her husband ever sought preferential treatment for their children but she did speak to a guidance counselor about an issue.
“We were not seeking preferential treatment. Any parent in the same position would have done the same thing,” she said. “If we do have to call the school, I am the one to make the call.”
Lisa Lopez said she had many issues with the committee, among them being hiring Tom Geary as superintendent without conducting a search and changes in classroom size policy and that it’s a “fine line” when discussing your child’s needs with teachers and staff.
She said she was “not willing” to accept what happened at the Sept. 11 meeting when DePrizio accused Hayman of seeking preferential treatment for his children.
“That was unacceptable behavior,” Lopez said. “You need to resign. We’re not going away. I am requesting that you resign the position so this group can move forward.”
