Speak your mind — but not in writing — schools chief urged staff
The suggestion came a day after a joint School Committee and Select Board meeting on antisemitism.
Amid scrutiny over antisemitic incidents, Schools Superintendent Laurie Hunter urged district employees to avoid putting comments in writing this summer, citing public disclosure laws.
Hunter made the suggestion in a July 23 email, which The Acton Bridge obtained via a public records request. She sent the note following weeks of public outrage over a federal filing about anti-Jewish abuse in Acton schools.
“Given that emails are public records and some ongoing record requests, I’d suggest that you save your thoughts for conversation rather than by email,” Hunter said near the end of the memo.
The email came a day after a joint School Committee and Select Board meeting on antisemitism. Hunter included a link to the joint meeting recording.
Through a spokesperson, she said the district had seen an uptick in public records requests and sent the message to remind faculty and staff that all emails sent from district addresses are subject to these kinds of inquiries.
In her original email, Hunter thanked public officials who had participated in the joint Select Board and School Committee meeting and said the schools would hold follow-up conversations.
Residents have criticized Hunter and other school leaders for their response to alleged incidents in the federal antisemitism brief. The schools are subject to public records laws, and school committees are covered under the state Open Meeting Law.
Members of the public and other town officials have called for greater transparency.
Hunter and other school leaders say state law limits what they can share about individual incidents.
Still, during the July 22 meeting, Hunter said she was “very eager” to discuss ways to balance “transparency and facts and student privacy.”
“It’s really challenging for us as public officials to have conversations in public meetings,” Acton-Carlisle School Committee Chair Tracey Marano said near the end of the session. “I think we really did the best we could to listen.”
As the School Committee reconvened last week, Hunter reiterated a commitment to communication.
“Everyone has areas [for] growth,” she said. “We don’t deny those and are really ready to do that feedback and input.”
