Commissioned Report Clears Three PHS Staff & Faculty
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Four of the five executive summaries on alleged staff misconduct at Pittsfield High School have been released, clearing so far two administrators and a former teacher.
Three administrators and two teachers, past and present, were investigated by Bulkley Richardson and Gelinas LLP at the request of the School Committee for a range of allegations that surfaced or re-surfaced at the end of 2024 after Dean of Students Lavante Wiggins was arrested and charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office for allegedly conspiring to traffic large quantities of cocaine in Western Massachusetts.
The investigation into Wiggins found the accusations of improprieties with students to be unsubstantiated and no evidence that his alleged drug dealing had occurred at PHS or with students
The executive summary on "administrator 2" is not yet available because the investigative report is incomplete. BRG reports that another accused administrator has seen "nearly 30 years of persistent rumors" before they were hired at PHS in 2022.
This staff member, identified as "administrator 3" in the report, had been rumored to have been fired from or left her employment at two other Berkshire County school districts because she engaged in an inappropriate relationship or relationships with a male student or students.
This stemmed from an unnamed reporter who cited concerns that the administrator had inappropriate relationships and was asked to leave both former school districts. DCF found the allegations were unsupported on Jan. 14 and closed the investigation.
"Our review of PHS Administrator #3's personnel records and interviews of administrators from the two districts revealed that neither school district either terminated her employment or urged her to leave, and that she left both schools in good standing in order to take better career positions at other schools," the summary reads.
BRG found that neither of the two districts where she taught had "any record of actual complaints" of abusing students, "only periodic rumors brought to the attention of school authorities by sources who lacked personal knowledge and, by all appearances to the school officials, relied only on persistent rumors or gossip."
"Inquiries into the rumors by both districts' administrative officials yielded no information of substance as would warrant a formal internal disciplinary investigation into PHS Administrator #3's rumored conduct or for a Title IX investigation," the summary reads.
"Our investigation indicates that, except for one former student identified by name in 2019, administrators at the two prior districts lacked the names of any students with whom PHS Administrator #3 allegedly had inappropriate relationships or of any individuals who had personal knowledge of what was rumored conduct."
Both the student and his mother denied the alleged conduct in October 2019.
Prior districts’ administrative officials reportedly said the allegations fell short of establishing reasonable cause, which would require a mandated report of sexual abuse filed with DCF.
"DCF has no record of 51A reports of suspected abuse of children by PHS Administrator #3 other than the December 2024, 51A report, which it found unsupported," the summary reads.
"Despite rumored claims of complaints made to their police departments, neither police department that we contacted had any records of parents or students reporting abuse by PHS Administrator #3."
With only unsubstantiated claims, BRG said the previous school districts didn't have a basis for disclosing her rumored conduct when contacted by other school districts considering hiring her.
BRG was able to identify three individuals that were rumored to have inappropriate relationships with the administrator: all three former students denied having any relationship with the administrator.
"Student #3's parents characterized the rumors as 'fake news' and a 'character assassination' of
their son," the report reads.
"When the principal gave them details, including dates and locations, of the graduation
party rumor and another rumored incident in 2019, the parents were able to confirm that neither
could have occurred because PHS Administrator #3 never attended their graduation party and
their son was traveling in Europe with his father on the date of a second rumored incident."
The first former student identified indicated to BRG that this allegation had been addressed by the school and declined to discuss the rumors of a relationship with PHS Administrator #3 when he was a
student or thereafter.
"We found no written documentation in school records of this information or any inquiries regarding the rumored conduct," BRG wrote.
"We were unable to confirm whether the school's principal or other administrators knew of or addressed this rumor with this former student during the early years of PHS Administrator #3's employment as one of the two former principals is deceased and the other no longer resides in the state."
A former PHS teacher, identified as teacher 2, was accused of having sexual relations with a female student or students in his car in 2022. BRG was unable to get in contact with the three PHS students who made the allegations or their family members but based on the interviews and documents the firm reviewed, "we find that when it learned of the allegations made against PHS former teacher #2 in December 2022, PPS properly addressed and investigated the allegations."
"Shortly thereafter, the two PHS Students admitted that they based their allegation on rumors from their friends. During the investigation by the Title IX Investigator, one of the PHS Students could not identify the male staff member whom she alleged was having sexual relations with a student in his car and both PHS Students were uncertain of the identity of the female student with whom he allegedly had sex," the report reads.
"They could not recall from whom they heard the rumor. When questioned by DCF and by the Title IX Investigator, the subject student (PHS Student #8) denied the truth of the allegations. When interviewed by DCF and PPS, PHS former teacher #2 denied the allegations. After separate investigations, both DCF and PPS concluded that there was no credible basis for the allegation which was unfounded."
Other allegations made during the interview were identified as being "only hearsay accounts."
"From interviews and review of documents and other relevant information, we found no
evidence of PHS former teacher #2 engaging in inappropriate conduct with students while he was
employed at PPS," BRG wrote.
That was not the case with a second teacher, of whom the investigators "are satisfied that the Former PHS educator engaged in the conduct in his classroom and students as alleged."
The teacher's name is not given but In November 2023, a PHS student filed a Title IX complaint alleging sexual harassment against former longtime educator Robert Barsanti.
PPS was said to have properly followed Title IX procedures regarding the 2023 sexual harassment complaint. A 2024 ruling found he had violated the PPS Title IX sexual harassment policy
"Following the Title IX procedures, PPS administrators conducted an investigation and permitted the parties to inspect, review and respond to the evidence. The Investigator issued her Final Investigation Report on January 23, 2024," the report reads.
"In her Written Determination, issued on March 13, 2024, the Decision Maker found that the evidence supported a finding that the Former PHS Educator had violated the PPS Title IX sexual harassment policy.
"Superintendent Curtis denied the Former PHS Educator's appeal on June 4, 2024."
BRG said that in regard to the 2023 complaint, PPS property followed the Title IX procedures, noting that the superintendent or principal could have suspended the teacher during the proceedings for 30 days or placed him on paid administrative leave for the duration of Title IX proceedings.
"The only explanation we heard was that with other faculty on leave for investigations at the same time, PHS would effectively have been unable to run its department — at best, a weak explanation," the report reads.
BRG explains that the determination was reached on June 6, 2024, about two weeks before the last day of school, and the teacher voluntarily resigned on June 28, 2024.
Suspension and dismissal would require a seven-day written notice. The superintendent can require immediate suspension "for good cause," and the teacher has the right to seek a review of the disciplinary action.
"Both require notice to the teacher, an opportunity for review and to present evidence, legal representation and the right to arbitration on appeal, which in the Former PHS Educator's case would likely have extended into the summer months or even the start of the next (2024-2025) school year," BRG wrote.
The report also acknowledges former disciplinary actions against the teacher for the use of expletives and sexually or racially offensive language.
https://www.iberkshires.com/story/77536/PHS-Student-Files-Suit-Against-Teacher-School-District.html
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