Digging Deeper into the School Committee Meeting Controversy

By now, most people in Franklin seem to know about, or at least think they know about, the first part of the Tuesday night (10/26) School Committee meeting. And everyone has an opinion. To summarize, much of the first part of the meeting consisted of several citizens commenting about school policies regarding masks, vaccines, and recess (or a lack thereof, in Franklin) as well as “protest readings” of explicit literature dealing with rape, incest, bestiality, drug use and violence that was assigned or available to students; questioning whether the choices were age-appropriate or should have involved parental consent. Additionally, there was a question to the School Committee regarding the definition of “protected class” from a parent regarding the protection of her own child based on a concerning Franklin school experience. No school committee candidates, including incumbents, spoke on any of these matters throughout the meeting.

Next up was two student representatives reporting on activities in the high school. One, Mackenzie Atwood, a member of the theater program at Franklin High school, after delivering her report, asked if she could address and answer the questions citizens had earlier posed to committee and administration. For some reason, the chair (Dr. Bergen) chose to allow the student representative,  Atwood to answer for the committee, which she proceeded to do. Towards the end of Atwood’s response, she explained the concept of “protected class” and its application at Franklin High School. She said she is very aware of the definition as she and others have a meeting every year at Franklin High to discuss their “protected class,” she explained. She also spoke of her own experiences of and frustrations regarding being bullied (also recounted at a previous Committee meeting), and then Atwood addressed the concern raised earlier by the parent, regarding who can be in a protected class.

Atwood stated: “Being someone who is Caucasian [an apparent reference to the Caucasian female who had posed the question] is not something that you're getting bullied about.”

A parent can then be heard on the video saying, “Nope”.

Another parent then stood up, and chimed in, “that is not accurate.”

Bergen, stated, please sit down or you will be asked to leave. The parent did sit down and was then quiet. Though other voices soon joined in.  Contrary to what was reported on NBC Boston News (Channel 10) the next day (10/27), no one was actually  asked to leave the meeting.

As the parent addressed by Bergen explained later, “I was actually looking at Dr. Bergen when I said `that is not accurate’”... then I said this sounds like indoctrination (i.e. having the misconception or having been taught that all whites are not bullied, for example). “I looked directly at Dr. Bergen in the hopes that she would finally bring the School Committee to order,” she continued. “It was a circus since Dr. Ahern and Dr. Bergen chose to let this young student speak on behalf of the School Committee instead of answering this parent’s question themselves related to a very serious school concern. It was quite shocking.”

The parent recounted that, again addressing Bergen, she stated, “both of my children have been bullied and they are white.”

Furthermore, according to two attendees, a lot of the raised voices at this stage in the momentary verbal exchange were coming from a group sitting at the front row - yelling at the parent who had spoken up. This group appeared to be there to attend Dr. Bergen’s final meeting as chair, and were personally acknowledged by Bergen later, at the end of the meeting.

However, you can't see or hear this clearly on the recording. People just watching the video and unaware of the complex interchange, have generally assumed that all of these people were raising their voice at Atwood rather than at each other, as was largely the case.

Meanwhile, Dr. Bergen told Atwood (who had previously in the meeting mentioned the parental testimony being stressful and seniors like herself being stressed by being back in school) to “Keep going please.”

Atwood, who appeared increasingly agitated, stated: “Being homosexual, which may I say I am gay. Tell me what you want about that, I am being personally attacked in school about this” [more voices can be heard arguing in the background] “It’s disgusting that you can look me in the eye and say I am not being oppressed, at the school”. [more voices, can be heard in the background].

It is  unclear to whom Atwood was actually speaking at this point.

Atwood (at this point appearing distraught): “There is no such thing as a gay agenda!”

Bergen: “We will ask for a short adjournment”

At this point, the audio feed was cut and then after several more seconds, the video as well. 

And who called the police? Dr. Ahearn was seen dialing on her phone as she was walking from her seat during the recess and was heard by an attendee asking for police support. Asked if he had been called, the responding officer said, yes, but seemed uncertain as to why he was there, since all was calm when he arrived. He stayed for a few more agenda items and then left.

Later the parent who had spoken out said: “I did not say anything about or against Mackenzie Atwood or her sexual orientation – no one did. She seems like a fine girl, and I have no problem with anyone in the LGBTQ+ community, as one of my closest friends was gay and quite frankly, some of my dearest friends throughout my life have been of color and my sister's children are biracial... I do not have a discriminatory or racist bone in my body! I am actually sensitive to this topic as both sides of my own “Caucasian” immigrant family were severely discriminated against in the US for many decades, not long ago.”

None of the parents who spoke were contacted prior to Ahern issuing a multipage letter condemning the speakers and strongly implying that they were actually attacking the student, Atwood, because of her sexual identity rather than simply questioning the assertion that white children aren’t bullied, and the unusual use of a young student to provide the sole rebuttal to citizen comments. Dr. Ahern also asserts in her writing that “insensitive comments” were made, and the adults present did not conform to public meeting procedures. However, in this and many other Franklin School Committee meetings, "Roberts Rules of Order" has been missing in action, according to comments made in the past by departing School Committee Member Judith Pond-Pfeffer, and reiterated in her final moments later that evening.

Also, lost in the sturm und drang was the central content of Atwood’s comments, suggesting that the school’s anti-bullying policies aren’t actually working or being enforced, a concern she expressed previously at a school committee meeting.

The three Parents interviewed for this article asked that their names not be used out of concern for their families.

Ahern’s letter to parents is reproduced below, in its entirety.

* * * * * * * *

October 27, 2021

Dear Franklin Community,
It is with a heavy heart and sincere anger that I write regarding the events that transpired at last evening’s School Committee meeting. The conduct, tone, and disruption by some members of the audience was appalling and a violation of Franklin Public Schools’ core values of a safe and inclusive environment and a collaborative community as well as unacceptable with respect to public meeting procedures. It is also contrary to the community’s consensus vision for our graduates of empathetic and productive citizens who demonstrate social-awareness through inclusivity and the consideration of various perspectives.

Franklin School Committee meetings are business meetings of the governing body of the school district that are held in public. They are not public meetings. The agenda for these meetings and opportunities for citizen’s comments is prescribed by School Committee policy. This is a controlled environment, however, last night I felt compelled to interrupt the meeting by asking for a recess due to a few audience members shouting insensitive comments out of turn while a student representative was speaking.

The student representative was expanding upon comments she made at a recent School Committee meeting as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in response to graffiti that was found at Franklin High School. She was permitted by the Chair to respond to a question raised during public comment regarding the meaning of protected classes within the school as well as in society as a whole. The student was eloquent and articulate in her response.

The jeers from some audience members, however, created a traumatic situation for the student and invalidated her statement of reality she so courageously shared. We are processing the impact of this traumatic event on those in attendance as well as the vicarious trauma ringing throughout the community. You can expect FPS to solidify a system to protect students during civil discourse and share plans for community healing in the coming week.

FPS plays a role in supporting the children of our community through a pivotal time of their social, emotional, and physical development. This is a time where children are trying to make meaning of the world around them, while also coming into their own identity. Whole child learning calls for our curriculum and initiatives to be appropriately tied to the developmental stages of our students. While students are getting acclimated with their own identities and experiences, FPS recognizes that the intersectionality of those identities inform the lens through which our children navigate our community. Fostering a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion means integrating those concepts into the fabric of our district as a whole. These efforts are echoed by the creation of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

The D, E, I Committee is a group of nearly 40 students, faculty and staff members, and administrators who are working towards building an anti-biased and socially-just school system. This steering committee leads the district in listening, learning, acting, and reflecting in order to affirm diversity, promote equity and accountability, reduce barriers to success, and foster a safe and inclusive school environment. We do this by applying an anti-bias lens to curriculum development, staff recruitment and retention, professional development, policies and practices, school culture, and communication. Goals for the 2021-2022 school year
include:
● Building awareness of and guidance on national months of recognition and holidays
● Building upon “Speak Up At School” strategies to interrupt microaggressions
● Revising discipline practices to focus on Restorative and Accountable Practices
● Incorporating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into our curriculum and instructional planning, including the expansion of literature so that all students are represented in the books they read
● Continuing our partnership with the Anti-Defamation League in support of our World of DifferenceTM Peer Leader program at Franklin’s middle schools and Franklin High School
● Expanding our partnership with the Anti-Defamation League to become designated as “No Place for Hate” schools
● Review data for inequity and plan future actions to address these
Additionally, we are planning to recruit and hire a Director of SEL and Equity.

In the meantime, we would like to remind our community of our system of reporting. Our administrators take every incident that is reported very seriously. Reporters can make reports directly to a school administrator.

Additionally, reporters can make reports anonymously through an online form, which can be found on each school’s website. When a report is received, an investigation is initiated immediately. The facts of each situation determine the outcomes which can include support plans for the target(s), safety plans for the aggressor(s), education, discipline, and therapeutic supports. We acknowledge comments we have heard from those who feel that the administration doesn’t do anything. We are exploring the disconnect between our actions and those feelings in order to better understand how we can respond, to the extent possible within law and policy.

Some lingering questions remain from last night as a question was raised about the meaning of a “protected student” and this was an area that our student representative sought to explain. All of our students are protected by our Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan, an expectation supported by state law and our School Committee’s Bullying policy. A “protected class” is a federal and state legal definition protecting individuals on the basis of the following categories: race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, genetic information, disability, pregnancy or a
related condition, veteran status, age, or homelessness. The Franklin School Committee maintains policies related to Non-Discrimination and Harassment. In addition to the legal requirements to follow the law, it is a moral imperative to protect all individuals with additional attention to these protected classes due to historic acts of marginalization, bias, and discrimination.

Our community has expressed via social forums their support for our student representative and the student population at large. Ultimately, our collective goal is to support students on their journeys. I encourage individuals to reflect on what actions they can take to support our community vision for our FPS students and Franklin community.

I want to be sure to commend our Science National Honor Society officers for their concluding remarks promoting positivity, diversity, equity, and inclusion which provided support to our student representatives.
Last night’s disruption is not an isolated incident. Vitriol in civil discourse has only been increasing in both in-person settings as well as online in Franklin and elsewhere. This is true for children and adults alike. Last night’s disruption is not limited to the schools. Bias-based behavior is permeating layers of the community. As adults, I implore you to be mindful of your behavior as you serve as important role models. Our children are watching.
This message is not intended to stifle respectful public comment including matters on which we may disagree.
Citizen’s comment is an opportunity for members of the public to express an opinion on issues within the School Committee’s authority. We ask that you celebrate and practice civility in doing so and remain respectful of the rules of order. Administrative channels may also be appropriate avenues for complaints. We strive to respond in a timely manner after researching an issue.
I also encourage our community members to make advocacy and support for each and every child visible and sustained. Join us and “Speak Up” within the community. We need your help in achieving the vision for our graduates that we as a community established.

With respect for all in Franklin,

Sara Ahern

Superintendent of Schools

[updated 6:30 AM, 10-30-21]