We need transparency as schools deal with bigotry and bullying
The assertion that Massachusetts discipline rules “tie their hands” is intentionally misleading.
Public accountability requires honesty. The assertion by Superintendent Dr. Laurie Hunter and the School Committee that Massachusetts discipline rules “tie their hands” is intentionally misleading.
Yes, the standards around suspensions and expulsions are strict. But they do not prevent clear, consistent, or meaningful consequences for serious handbook violations. They require fairness — notice, documentation, proportionality, and limited individualized consideration. They do not require paralysis, deliberate inaction, secrecy, or selective enforcement.
Harassment, bias incidents, bullying, hate symbols, threats, substance use, and repeated disruptive behavior fall squarely within a district’s authority to address. Schools are expected to act promptly, consistently, and transparently. When they do not, it is not because the rules prohibit action. It is because leadership is choosing not to exercise its authority.
Committee Chair Andrew Herchek’s claim that schools should play only a minor role because students spend “only” 13–15% of their time on campus is intellectually dishonest. Influence is not measured in hours. Schools shape behavior through authority, peer dynamics, leadership, and consequences — influence that extends into athletics, extracurriculars, and online spaces that students bring back into school each day.
Both families and students are entitled to understand what actually follows serious violations — whether a student is the victim, the perpetrator, a bystander, an athlete, or an upstander. Protecting the rights of students accused of misconduct matters. Due process exists for good reason. Compassion and accountability are not in conflict.
From the outside, the cracks are obvious. Leadership has been described as unfaithful partners many times and in many ways. That assessment did not arise overnight, and it has not been earned lightly.
Consequences must exist as standards that are plainly stated, consistently applied, and broadly understood.
That is the floor, not the ceiling.
Debra Kavaler Wysopal
Annursnac Hill Road
