Amid ouster calls, schools chief gets fervent public support
Community members came forward to express support for Laurie Hunter at the October 22 School Committee meeting.
Residents lined up to express effusive support for Superintendent Laurie Hunter at the October 22 School Committee meeting after the appearance of a second public display calling for her to be fired.
A trash bag mounted on crosspieces with an orange jug on top appeared near Regional School Committee Chair Tracey Marano’s house on October 18. On the bag were the stenciled, spray-painted words “Fire Liar Hunter” and other messages.
On the Friday and Saturday following the meeting, similar displays were found around town. “It is an active and ongoing investigation, and we’re addressing the matter,” police Capt. Brian Goldman told The Acton Bridge, declining to answer more specific questions.
Marano and Acton School Committee Chair Andrew Herchek and Marano condemned the displays as “disturbing and uncivil” in an October 24 mass email. The next day, Town Manager Kerry Lafleur sent out her own message, which said, in part, “Targeting or intimidating any public servant threatens the integrity of our entire system of local government.”
Hunter has been the subject of public criticism regarding her handling of an antisemitic vandalism incident at Acton-Carlisle High School and allegations of ongoing bias against Jewish students that were detailed in a federal civil rights filing over the summer.
Acton-Carlisle Against Antisemitism, a group formed after the filing, condemned the displays targeting Hunter in a post made on its Facebook page on October 26.
‘A bit flabbergasted’
Community members came forward — in person and online — to express support for Hunter during the public comment period of the October 22 committee meeting held at the Ellen Garrison Building at Acton Middle School.
The speakers decried the displays and other residents’ criticism of Hunter. They also pointed to areas of public school success.
“I want to state formally tonight, at this meeting, that you all have support and appreciation from so many families who are actively part of the Acton public school system,” said parent Jamie Ring.
Calling attacks on Hunter “disheartening,” Ring said she was “frankly a bit flabbergasted by this ongoing commentary in recent School Committee meetings, and in letters to the local newspaper, that to me demonstrates a total disconnect between a small group of citizens and the actual lived experience of our students today.”
‘Irresponsible and cowardly’
Another parent, Melissa Karczewski, spoke of a time when she was worried about how the schools might handle an active shooter incident. She emailed Hunter, who quickly allayed her fears. Karczewski said it showed what “kind of leader she truly is.”
As to the recent displays, Karczewski said she wondered if those responsible would “have the guts to stand up here in front of a group of people and admit that they did such a thing?”
Mark Martines, who sits on the town’s Economic Vitality Committee and the Land Use Working Group, said he came to the meeting to speak as a parent. He lambasted the anti-Hunter displays as “irresponsible and cowardly.”
“I’m sorry that Dr. Hunter and certain members of the School Committee have been targeted and harassed,” he said. He pressed those responsible for the signs to “step forward.”
In an emailed response to follow-up questions from The Bridge, Hunter wrote, “I am acutely aware of the passion and thoughtful approach that our faculty, staff, and administrators bring to the schools on a daily basis, so it is always a pleasure to hear that community members recognize their dedication to the students and their families.”
Separately, in an October 26 email to the Select Board, Municipal Light Plant Board member Bianca Taylor wrote that as a public servant, she found town communications about the incidents “frightening” and contacted police to learn more.
She said she was told this was “not a criminal investigation. The investigation is about the illegal placement of a scarecrow on public property without a permit” and on private property without the owner’s consent.
“It is important to keep an even-keeled narrative about what is taking place so not as to propagate fear and speculation — especially since we have many volunteer public servants dealing with difficult issues,” she wrote.
Asked on October 28 about Taylor’s remarks on the nature of the investigation, Goldman said police are “keeping all of their options open.”
Dakota Antelman contributed reporting.
