LYNNFIELD — The Police Department closed the case on claims made by School Committee Chair Kate DePrizio at the School Committee meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 11 and deemed it to be a civil issue.
At the meeting, DePrizio read an email she sent to School Committee member Jamie Hayman earlier that morning. The email asked Hayman to be aware of his position as a member of the School Committee and how some interactions with members of the community may be perceived as a violation of his use of power.
DePrizio offered the floor for Hayman to respond.
“So first of all, every single thing in that letter is a hundred percent false,” he said at the meeting. “I have been on this committee 10 years. If anything, my kids have had to fend for themselves… They shouldn’t have to deal with the fact that I am on School Committee.”
Hayman paused his thoughts and said, “Hey Kate, I’m responding to you. Could you look at me?”
“I’m gonna be very clear with you,” DePrizio replied at the meeting. “I called you today and you threatened me. A threat that I had to amount to the police. So I am looking at you, but I am unwilling to engage with you in a more formal way that is intimate with eye contact right now. You’ve threatened myself and my family, and I won’t stand for it.”
“I have not threatened your family,” Hayman said at the meeting. “Can I ask how I threatened your family?”
“You said that you would destroy me and my children, that you would ruin me — you would ruin my reputation in my town. That I should watch my back,” DePrizio said at the meeting.
A report for the incident from Lynnfield Police Chief Nick Secatore on Sept. 16 stated the incident was not a criminal matter.
“Kate reports Jamie told her that he would ruin her and her family… Jamie swore at Kate and called her a (expletive deleted),” the narrative in the report stated. “Upon review of the statement and information provided by Kate I do not believe this report rises to the level of a criminal threat.”
The supplemental narrative for the report stated, “I did not hear threats that are of a criminal nature, or Jamie mention her family. Jamie does not call her a (expletive deleted) or mention safety.”
The report was closed and deemed a civil issue.
Superintendent Tom Geary said he works for the School Committee and it is its own body to determine how it acts and he could not comment on how the claims would impact the committee’s work.
DePrizio said the police department has deemed the incident as a civil matter, not a criminal matter. “That does not pass judgement on the validity of either party’s statement, it simply means this issue does not meet the high threshold of a criminal threat. As this issue is not related to the direct business of the Lynnfield School Committee, I will not discuss it in my capacity as School Committee Chair.”
DePrizio said she does not plan on resigning as committee chair or from the committee.
“I serve as Chair at the pleasure of the School Committee. I have acted in good faith on the advice of our School Committee legal counsel, and in an effort to continue to be transparent, as that is a hallmark of this School Committee. Protecting staff and our district from potential increased legal risk is an obligation of my role as School Committee Chair,” she said.
It is “an absolute honor and privilege” to serve as the chair and she takes “pride” in her work, DePrizio said. “Continuing to focus my efforts on rebuilding and inspiring our staff and students toward excellence, while prioritizing every student, every day is my goal.”
She noted the meeting fell on Sept. 11 at the same time as the town’s annual First Responders Night.
“Expressing our appreciation and gratitude to our First Responders throughout the year, in meaningful ways, is a priority for me and my family. In the committee meeting we took a moment of silence for the victims of 9/11 and expressed our heartfelt gratitude for our First Responders,” she said. “The School Committee meeting schedule was amended on 8/22, to include an Executive Session on 9/10 and a regular School Committee meeting on 9/11. Member availability, Superintendent availability, School Committee Counsel availability, and location availability all were key factors that had to be taken into consideration, to manage our meeting schedule.”
DePrizio said it was “not appropriate” to address her private conversation with Hayman at the public committee meeting.
“I have apologized to Mr. Hayman, the Superintendent, my fellow committee members, and I will not make that mistake in the future. That said, I will no longer discuss civil issues in my capacity as Chair of the School Committee,” she said. “The School Committee process of addressing the complaint issues dealt with at our 9/11 meeting is still ongoing. I respectfully ask for the community’s patience as the committee continues to address these issues. The Committee looks forward to continuing our efforts to inspire excellence in teaching and learning for our students and staff. We continue to support our staff to ensure that they can provide our students with an exemplary education.”
On Sept. 16, Hayman said he was “really disappointed” with how the situation was handled at the School Committee meeting. “I thought it was unprofessional. I thought it was handled incorrectly. And the more I dig into it, the more it appears to be just a whole bunch of lies intended to force me off the committee.
“At the end of the day, everything has been based on lies,” he added.
Hayman said he was “appalled” when at the meeting DePrizio accused him of threatening her. “I also was not surprised given Kate’s history of lying about things.”
He said he had recorded his side of the phone call with DePrizio the day of Sept. 11 to avoid a “he-said-she-said” situation. “I thought it was very clear that there were no threats made to Kate, just pressing for information and I made it clear that I was willing to hire an attorney and file a defamation suit if I needed to.”
Hayman said he appreciates the support he has received from the community after the meeting. “There’s still more to come, but I do appreciate the support I’ve gotten so far.”
He said he can’t speak for the rest of the committee, but “anything that happens has to start with a public acknowledgement of the lies that have been told and a very public apology” and the incident is a “black eye” for the community.
“What we should be talking about in this community is teaching and learning, curriculum,” Hayman said. “Selfishly taking time and attention, and frankly dollars, away from that — it just hurts the students.”
He said he plans to defend his and his family’s name now that the incident is a civil matter.
