Pittsfield Families Frustrated Over Unreleased PHS Report, Herberg Slur Incident
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Parents are expressing their frustration with hate speech, bullying, and staff misconduct, which they said happens in Pittsfield schools.
Community members and some elected officials have consistently advocated for the release of the redacted Pittsfield High School investigation report, and a teacher being placed on leave for allegedly repeating racist and homophobic slurs sparked a community conversation about how Pittsfield Public Schools can address injustices.
The district's human resources director detailed the investigation processes during last week's School Committee meeting.
"People are angry. They feel like when they spoke up about Morningside School, it was closed anyway. They feel like they speak up about the PHS report, and that's just kind of getting shoved under the rug," resident Brenda Coddington said during public comment.
"I mean, when do people who actually voted for all of you, by the way, when does their voice and opinion count and matter? Because you can sit up here all day long and say that it does, but your actions, or rather lack of action, speak volumes."
Last month, School Committee member Ciara Batory demanded a date for the 2025 report's release to the public.
Three administrators and two teachers, past and present, were investigated by Bulkley Richardson and Gelinas LLP for a range of allegations that surfaced or re-surfaced at the end of 2024 after Pittsfield High's former dean of students was arrested and charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office for allegedly conspiring to traffic large quantities of cocaine in Western Massachusetts.
Executive summaries were released that concluded the claims of inappropriate conduct between teachers and students were "unsupported." Ward 7 Councilor Katherine Moody countered one of the unsupported determinations, writing on Facebook last week that she knows one person can conclude with confidence and a court case that pictures of the staff member's genitalia was sent to minors.
"During this investigation, we sought to determine the validity of allegations about PHS Administrator #2 sharing a photograph of female genitalia with PHS students on her Snapchat account," the final executive summary reads.
"Notwithstanding the information we obtained from persons we interviewed and the documents and materials we reviewed, we are unable to conclude with confidence that on her Snapchat account (or possibly through her other social media accounts), PHS Administrator # 2 knowingly or intentionally sent to or knowingly or intentionally shared with minors or students a picture of female genitalia."
Parent Jacquelyn Sykes was concerned to see elected officials "resist transparency, while some openly admitted they have not even reviewed the full report," and asked how informed decisions can be made about accountability and student safety if the information has not even been fully reviewed.
A few School Committee members last month indicated that they read the summary rather than the full report, and disclosed whether they knew people named in the reports.
Sykes said parents want transparency, accountability, reassurance that concerns involving students are taken seriously and handled appropriately.
"This is bigger than politics. It's bigger than protecting reputations, and it's bigger than protecting adults. This is about protecting our children. We're talking about a public school system that has already faced multiple serious allegations involving student safety and staff misconduct," she said.
"We have seen investigations, arrest allegations of inappropriate relationships involving administrators, and now a lawsuit alleging a teacher sexually harassed students for over 20 years while concerns were allegedly known and not properly addressed. That should horrify every single person in this room."
In January, the School Committee voted to release the PHS investigation report in a redacted form by Feb. 18, 2026, and review it before its release to the public, to ensure there is enough to present to the public. It was back on the agenda a couple of months later, and Mayor Peter Marchetti, also chair, said they voted in January to review the redacted version, not to release it.
Other members expressed confusion about the vote, and there was some back and forth before a five-minute recess was called during the committee's late-April meeting.
Parent Abbe Bateman said the public understood it, the media certainly understood it, the City Council understood it, "Everyone understood it, except the School Committee." She urged them to honor the motion that was passed.
The City Council made the same request in January.
"Families watched the district spend over $150,000 of our money on an investigation while fighting us every step of the way over transparency. We're watching elected officials bicker back and forth instead of leading or coming up with solutions," Bateman said.
"Families are watching people who claim to support transparency suddenly become experts in delay tactics the second that transparency becomes uncomfortable. Transparency is easy to campaign on when it's theoretical. Transparency becomes inconvenient when it involves your colleagues, your friends, and your social circles. You cannot rebuild trust while treating the community like it's too stupid to remember what happened a few months ago."
Nolan Pratt, an educator of over 10 years, expressed concern about students' privacy if the redacted report were released because "redacted is not a synonym for anonymity." He also found the disagreement at the April 29 meeting discouraging and asked for more "positive and thoughtful" dialogue in moments of high tension.
Earlier this month, a Herberg Middle School teacher was put on leave after allegedly repeating homophobic and racial slurs used by a student. PPS held a meeting at Conte Community School, where residents and caregivers expressed fears about children's safety because of bullying, a lack of support for children who need it the most, and teachers using discriminatory and racist language.
Brett Random, the executive director of Berkshire County Head Start, wrote on her personal Facebook page that her daughter reported her math teacher, "used extremely offensive language including both a racial slur (n-word) and a homophobic slur (f-word) and then reportedly tried to push other students to repeat those words later in the day when students were questioning her on her behavior."
Random, speaking as a parent during public comment on Wednesday, reiterated her concern about culture in our schools, "and then how misaligned some student experiences seem to be with the mission and values of the district."
"There is no excuse for this behavior, and we cannot minimize it by debating context. That should have never happened," she said.
"Unfortunately, offensive and racially charged language is becoming increasingly socialized among students, and that issue becomes even more harmful when modeled by adults. Teachers are expected to practice sound judgment in addressing student behavior without repeating offensive language themselves. We can all agree that teachers hold a position of great responsibility."
She was glad to see PPS stepping into conversations on the issue, but cautioned that a more equitable district cannot be achieved if there is no accountability for this incident or similar incidents.
"Communities and families are depending on you to act meaningfully and impactfully. What happens next really matters," Random said.
"I also want to end by just thanking the many teachers and school staff that show up for our kids every day, creating safe, supportive learning environments for our children. This incident should not overshadow those educators that work hard to truly support respect and show up for our kids."
Her daughter and another classmate also spoke, explaining that being Black in America "means constantly being discriminated against and feeling out of place every day, hearing white peers say the N word or asking for the N word pass."
They felt shocked and uncomfortable when the teacher used that word.
"After the whole incident happened, she proudly says that she knows what she said. She continues to ask white peers to say the N word, and tries and ask them what the N word means. It is truly unbelievable for her to be that ignorant and unsympathetic to her Black peers," the students said, explaining that they never thought they would have to face racism from a teacher.
"… a teacher we were supposed to look up to and be able to have the same opportunities and respect as any other person."
A Morningside Community School parent reported that his daughter was attacked by a student that didn't go to the school while waiting for the bus, warranting a trip to the ER, and that the police were more helpful with information.
Another parent said her student was exposed to a male teacher at Herberg Middle School, who is contributing to his truancy, and no meaningful resolution was brought forward when she reported the inappropriate behavior.
During her presentation about the district's investigation process, Director of Human Resources Anne Marie Carpenter explained that the primary reason employees would be put on paid administrative leave while an investigation was occurring is because of safety concerns for the student under the staff member, and someone is always put on leave during a pending Department of Children and Families investigation.
She reported that sometimes, the allegation is so egregious that the staff member would automatically be put on paid administrative leave, and it could be egregious enough to warrant termination at the end of the process.
Tags: investigation, Pittsfield Public Schools,
