McCandless Sets Record Straight on Rumored Incident at Herberg

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A personnel manner took on a life of its own on social media Thursday and Friday.
 
On Thursday, school administrators at Herberg Middle School dealt with a "personnel" matter with an employee. The district took steps to shield the children from seeing or hearing what was happening. Those tidbits of information then grew as the conversation about the matter spread on Facebook, dovetailing into accusations of teacher misconduct and arrests.
 
"It had absolutely nothing to do with children and no arrests were made," Superintendent Jason McCandless said on Friday. "There was not a single student involved and there were no allegations regarding misconduct."
 
McCandless said the administration took "every effort to keep students from seeing what was transpiring among grown-ups." 
 
"If there was anything that really concerned kids or put kids in danger at any level, this district has a reputation of letting parents know," he said.
 
On Friday, school administrators began hearing the widespread rumors of teacher misconduct and "outlandish claims" and put together a robocall to alert parents to what happened. One call went out Friday morning and another was scheduled for later Friday. 
 
McCandless said he could not provide further information regarding the personnel matter.

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Pittsfield Council Preview: Councilor Privacy & Halting Berkshire Gas Work Permits

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Tuesday, the City Council will see requests to protect their own safety when it comes to sensitive information, and to deny work permits from Berkshire Gas due to "substandard" conditions. 

A request to remove councilors' addresses from city documents and websites and replace them with "70 Allen Street" to improve safety will be referred to the Ordinances and Rules subcommittee. Councilors' addresses, city email, and phone numbers are currently available on Pittsfield's staff directory page. 

The petition was submitted by Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham, Ward 4 Councilor James Conant, and Ward 7 Councilor Katherine Moody. 

The councilors explain in the meeting packet that they want elected officials to have the option to replace their home addresses on all city documents and websites, including Pittsfield Community Television, with the City Hall address. 

Recently, the City Council approved Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi's request to amend City Council Rule 1C. Rule 1C requires individuals to disclose their name, address, and the subject they wish to address the council about on a sheet before the open microphone portion of meetings.

Lampiasi asked to only require a person's name and municipality. 

"I don't think that submitting a street address is really appropriate," she explained to the O&R subcommittee earlier this month. 

"It feels invasive, and there are some safety concerns for folks." 

President Earl Persip III wants Berkshire Gas to correct safety and access issues before Pittsfield allows them to do additional work on city property. 

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