Dear Lynnfield School Committee:
Really? The School Committee’s proceedings and behavior during the recent Committee meeting on September 11, 2024 were so egregious and despicable they require comment. The misappropriation of time, mindshare, goodwill, and money on the issue of Mr. Hayman’s conversations with school-related employees was both mind-boggling and embarrassing.
I have no dog in this race and do not know any of the individuals on the Committee. Even without knowing the backstory, I saw enough to be highly disturbed. When two students have a problem or disagreement in the schoolyard, teachers start by asking them to talk to each other, work out the disagreement, and apologize. As adults, we try to demonstrate what getting along and good citizenship looks like to our children. In no way did the School Committee model good behavior for our students, staff, administrators, or residents. All I saw was self-righteousness, ego, anger, and a desire to be right – more than to do right by the constituencies you are obligated to serve. The Committee asks more of elementary students in our district than you ask of yourselves in a public forum.
I have a hard time imagining that any conversations Mr. Hayman may or may not have had with teachers, staff, and administrators could have been worse than the choice to commandeer our School Committee meeting with a litigious reaction and public sanctioning, derailing the meeting and putting the “district’s credibility at risk.” Your actions disrespected a sacred day that as public servants you should have been aware of — 9/11 — and devalued the work and integrity of the Committee. Did you start by having a private conversation with Mr. Hayman, explaining what was going on, and letting him know how some people may have been perceiving his conversations? You contacted the lawyer and chose a public forum rather than private and appropriate channels to address this issue. This was not leadership; it was parochial and self-serving.
At a baseline, we residents expect the Lynnfield School Committee members to be professional, show respect, and put our students, teachers, and administrators first. So far, you’ve failed miserably. At a higher level, we hoped you would get to the good work of the district and rebuild trust and the high quality of the Lynnfield School District. Our school district was once one of the strongest in the state because of the hard work of Superintendent Tremblay, her predecessors, and previous school committees. But our school district’s stock has gone down of late and this shocking public display has significantly eroded trust, disgusted residents, and left our children in the dust. I admonish you all as a committee – a single group – as each of you represents the group as a whole.
Get back to work, demonstrate respect, and put our students, schools, and your employers – we the residents of Lynnfield – first.
Sincerely,
Anne Zeiser Petralia
Lynnfield Resident
