Updated: Second School Committee Member Resigns
Allison MacDonald
Allison McDonald, a member of the Amherst School Committee and Regional School Committee (RSC) tendered her resignation this morning (8/24), becoming the second member of the School Committee to resign in the last week. RSC chair Ben Herrington, resigned on Monday (8/21). McDonald cited Amherst’s toxic political climate as her reason for stepping down.
McDonald’s resignation letter, sent to the School Commitee and to Town Manager Paul Bockeman said, “I am writing to let you know that I am resigning my position on the Amherst School Committee, effective today, Thursday, August 24, 2023.”
“It has been a great honor to have served our town and school community these last 5+ years and I am grateful to the voters in Amherst for electing me three times to do so. While I’ve endured the challenging and at times toxic climate of Amherst public life, I am no longer able to do so.”
“I hope that Amherst will move forward and commit to dynamic civic dialogue without the vitriol that’s characterized this past year, and I look forward to contributing to our community in other capacities.”
McDonald has served on the School Committee since 2018 and was the committee’s previous chair.
Under the Amherst Home Rule Charter, the president of the Town Council must, within 45 days of the vacancy, call a special meeting of the Town Council and the remaining members of the School Committee for the purpose of voting on replacements for Herrington and McDonald. The replacement will be selected from those who apply to fill the position. Notice of the vacancy must be published for a minimum of 21 days prior to the special meeting. Candidates to fill the vacancy must be registered voters in Amherst and “no person appointed under this section of the charter can be listed on the ballot for the next regularly scheduled town election as a ‘candidate for re-election’ ”. The next regularly scheduled town election will be on Tuesday, November 7. All elected offices in Amherst will be contested this year including all five seats on the School Committee.
McDonald’s full resignation letter is posted below.
Read more about Allison McDonald’s resignation in MassLive.
Allison McDonald’s Resignation Letter
The reports of harm experienced by trans and queer students at the middle school are upsetting and heartbreaking, and the allegations of misconduct by some staff are disturbing. Like my colleagues on the school committee, I volunteer my time because I care about our students and our schools, and hearing these reports and allegations about the district we serve is deeply unsettling.
As any public official can attest, our work — especially in situations like this — requires us to make sound decisions that are guided by our emotion, not ruled by emotion. It requires checking myself when my emotions rise, whether in anger, dismay, or passion, and doing my best to ensure fairness and equity in decision-making. And, it requires me to seek information — factual evidence and perspectives of individuals with direct knowledge of the matter — not just opinions of people.
I am no longer able or willing to check my emotion and invest my energy in helping the school committees make sound, fair, and equitable decisions, because doing so requires me to sacrifice my own well-being and that of my family in the face of angry and bullying factions bent on destroying the personal character and reputation of anyone who dares to not do as they command. While I had determined before the last election that this would be my final term, I am stepping away before my term ends.
I likely will be skewered for my decision to leave. The bullies will read it as vindication and an admission of shame or guilt or both. Others may say that I’ve let the bullies win. The truth is that our entire community is letting the bullies win.
Instead of discussing and debating how we can best support the students, we allow the debate to be about whether school committee members “care enough” or what our “motives for holding such a position” might be.
This habit is not unique to Amherst. But here it goes beyond basic criticism and shifts the focus of the debate away from the things that really matter, and that are the core of the work we all want to do.
Amherst likes to brag about its outspoken residents and vigorous debate. In reality, though, we invest our energy into debating whether this person is of higher moral character or more progressive than that person, rather than how we can accomplish the change we all want to see.
Look at the responses to a group of beloved, long-serving school administrators and staff who spoke in support of a thorough and fair process to investigate the allegations of misconduct among staff and administration in the regional schools. Their argument that such a process aligned with and upheld our district core values was not debated in the public responses to their letter; rather, their motivations and anti-racism values were questioned.
Look also to the communications strategy of the APEA, the union representing teachers, clerical staff, and paraeducators in our schools, throughout the recent contract negotiations. The union’s strategy relied heavily on smears and ridicule of the personal character and values of school committee members, which some people dismissed as “childish” but are no less distracting or harassing. Yes, this approach is a bargaining tactic and is protected union activity. But the extent to which the school community and the broader Amherst community accepted and even embraced this is ugly.
Another ugly habit in Amherst is the extent to which misinformation, outright falsehoods, and allegations of corruption and conspiracy are used to argue a position and engage the public behind one’s opinion. Using misinformation, falsehoods, or allegations of corruption is not unique in politics or local government, but Amherst thrives on this in a way that is breathtaking.
The public statements and communications of the APEA regularly used misinformation and even invented stories about the school committee alongside factual information about contract negotiations. This same union leadership refused to meet with the school committee for months during the pandemic despite more than a hundred families pleading through tears for schools to re-open, sharing heartbreaking accounts of how their young students’ mental and emotional health suffered through remote learning.
An online forum for local opinion, the Indy, regularly shares columns and letters that rely on false information to disparage not just public officials but private residents, and publishes “news” without attempting to fact-check — and on multiple occasions has assigned or attempted to assign invented quotes to public officials.
Social media and email groups that are relied upon for updates and information about happenings in our schools and town are used to amplify misinformation, character smears, and unverified allegations of corruption.
Opinions and claims expressed at public comment or in online forums are taken as evidence and fact, and more people expressing the same opinion is defined as “mounting evidence” by people with no direct knowledge or experience in the matter.
This speech is, of course, protected speech under the first amendment, but the extent to which our community trusts this without question is damaging. Because when someone dares to present factual information or a differing perspective, they face condemnation and accusations of personal character flaws or questionable values.
This habit chills and suppresses broader public comment, ultimately ensuring that the falsehoods and character smears stick, and pressuring public officials to make impulsive decisions ruled by emotion without consideration of comprehensive facts and information.
I have served our districts for more than five years and am proud of the accomplishments our school committees and districts made in this time — including the successful bid for MSBA funding for the new elementary school building, the creation of the Caminantes dual-language program, and the change in school start times to better support adolescent learning.
Throughout my tenure, I have endured the challenging and at times toxic climate of Amherst public life; but I can endure no longer. I hope that Amherst will move beyond this crisis and commit to dynamic civic dialogue without the vitriol and distraction that’s characterized the past year. Our students and our community deserve better.
I suggest that Allison McDonald read Michael Greenebaum’s article https://www.amherstindy.org/2023/08/22/opinion-a-thought-experiment-there-are-no-villians/ . It is shocking that an elected official can have so much acrimony for the public, teachers, parents, and students she serves. It is shocking that she considers herself the victim of bullying because of her constituents’ concerns that children are being bullied and teachers are not being paid adequately. Where she should have been outraged at what was happening in the schools, she considers herself a victim. I hope she will reconsider her diatribe and feel some empathy for those with no power who were harmed.
If the school committee members keep on using their resignation letters to show their contempt for the Amherst Community, then we should view their resignations as a victory for democracy. People who don’t respect their constituents don’t belong in local government
What is shocking is that the proprietress of this site – Maura E Keene – cannot see what she’s doing to this community.
With the caveat that our reactions to all that is happening in the schools are really dependent on our individual position and perspective, I feel the need to respond to Maura’s comment by saying that I do not feel that way at all. I have always found Allison to be full of empathy for the people she serves (I really only know her as a constituent), and I did not find her resignation letter to be lacking in empathy at all. I think it is unfair to suggest that she is NOT outraged by what was happening in the schools, or that she considers herself to be a victim. I also have seen many people blithely impugn the motives of Allison and others who serve on the school committee, and while I understand the anger and hurt behind a lot of that, I also think as adults we have to work really hard to resist the urge to be cavalier in asserting that we know what people care about. I very much appreciated Sara Eddy’s thoughtful piece (mostly because of what she said, but also because of the respect with which she treated the writer she was disagreeing with); I also think that we as a town would be much better off with more direct communication and less posting about people. We are a small town, so if you feel that strongly about what Allison or Ben said in their resignations, maybe reach out to them directly. I personally feel very sad that we lost two dedicated and thoughtful public servants in this way. To be clear, I feel much more sad about what happened to kids at the middle school, but there is room to be upset about multiple aspects of this really disturbing chapter in our town.
I swore off the Indy when I read these comments yesterday; I decide to come back to post this, but I will not be back. My email is really easy to find, and I’m happy to talk to anyone about how we move forward.
That’s right, Mr. Hazlip, shoot the messenger, ignore the message.
I don’t have kids — or have had kids — in our school system but it seems like something is very, very wrong and there is plenty of blame all around. Next time someone is conciliatory and extends a hand, why not consider taking it?
There is no question that people in this town make assumptions they should not and then yell them loudly. I honestly did not mind the yelling that much when I was on the SC, but I did mind the inaccuracy of what was said.
But there is a communication issue that is often the root of the problem.
IMHO the reason why people get so pissed off and start yelling is that they are not given answers. Now, sometimes they are given an answer that they just don’t like, and so keep yelling — not sure what do to in those cases. Was that the case here? (I don’t know enough details about it)
But more often what’s really going on is hidden from public view — sometimes for legal reasons — and so people think nothing is getting fixed/done. Somehow better information needs to get to the public.
I haven’t followed this case closely. I only really know what I read in The Graphic and I watched a couple of SC meetings. But since this crisis involved employees and students, there can be a lot of legal impediments to getting information out, since information about employees and students is protected. My guess is that was/is a big part of the problem here. I know there were issues like this when I was on the SC. Ben said that the public will likely never see the full content of the Title IX investigation. That stinks, but it may be the law. Also, that report seems to have taken forever to get done, which also stinks.
People are told to trust the administrators. I get that, and I do. I trust Morris and I trust the SC members. But one can trust someone and still want more information than what is forthcoming. So, it’s not really about trust, it’s about information.
There must be some way to deal with this. Perhaps a trusted 3rd party could be given info on what’s going on and then report to the public in come general way that does not reveal legally protected info?
When I was on the SC, Superintendent Geryk created an Ombudsman office, headed by Barry Brooks. That might be another solution for brining complaints and getting more info. I don’t know if that still exists.
Again, I don’t know enough about the details of` this crisis, but I do know that lack of information is often the root of a problem. That may or may not have been the case here, but it’s worth looking at.
Ms. McDonald’s resignation letter should give people pause. (and Mr. Herrington’s too) There will be those who disagree with her, but for those who have friends and acquaintances across Town, they have heard others express many of those same concerns. They are not new, and Ms. McDonald dared to write about them.
We have lived in Amherst since 1963, and as a “political junkie” I have watched and participated in Town Government over those years. In my experience, the last few years have been extremely negative for local officials. Bullying does exist, and obviously Ms. McDonald believes that the School Committee has been one of its targets, which is unfortunate since people who serve in Town Government, both elected and appointed, are volunteering their time and interest in supporting our community, whether we agree with their decisions or not.
In regard to the School Committee, in April a parent requested a Title IX investigation with concerns about the mistreatment of LGBTQ students in the Middle School. The district hired a Title IX investigator and the Title IX investigation began. Additional concerns were brought to the district, the scope of the Report was expanded, and it was anticipated that the Report would be submitted sometime in late August.
Since May 12, and before the Title IX Report is issued, approximately 26 articles were published in The Amherst Indy, 16 written by one individual, pertaining to the School Committees’ response or lack thereof regarding the LGBTQ situation in the Middle School. In that time period, the same person also wrote letters to The Daily Hampshire Gazette. A lawyer wrote a letter to the paper, again before the Title IX Report was written, submitted, and reviewed in public by the School Committee. The lawyer suggested that the Title IX Report would be questionable because the consultant was hired and paid by the School District, already tainting whatever the consultant may or may not find.
The Merriam Webster Dictionary —Legal Definition of Bullying, a noun (bul·ly·ing) defined as: acts or written or spoken words intended to intimidate or harass a person …….
Was this the intent of the writers? Or was this considered political activism? Either way, too many lives, including the LGBTQ families, have been impacted BEFORE the Title IX Report is received and reviewed.
Why on earth would anyone want to get involved on our school committee ?
You get shredded by blogs,and other constituencies .
It seems that what starts out as a desire to make a difference for our community, turns into a nightmare .
Now is the opportune time for some of the critics to get on the School Committee, and see what they can do to improve the situation.
A lot of the comments on this article feel like a poor attempt at gaslighting. Morris was accused of wrongdoing that put the lives of middle schoolers at risk & then he lied about it after the Graphic article. Was it too much to ask that he be put on administrative leave until after the investigation report is published?
The reaction by the RSC was to demonize the LGBTQ community for daring to ask for any amount of accountability. Allies don’t do that. You can be an ally to the former RSC members, or you can be an ally to trans kids, but you can’t be both anymore.
I’m sorry Allison McDonald is resigning, and sorry that many of us weren’t vocal enough to call out the bullies, including those who comment here.
Yes, it was too much to put Mike on administrative leave because all you have is allegations. There has been no independent verification of these claims. No one is demonizing the LGBTQ community for asking for accountability. We all want accountability but it needs to be done with facts – not assertions. Please stop deciding who is and isn’t an ally. Your rhetoric is destructive to your cause as well as this community. Please choose to be respectful in your disagreement with others.
I support trans kids and their families and am upset and sad that kids were bullied and made unsafe in the middle school.
I believe we must, as a community, emphatically state that and demonstrate empathy and support for trans kids and their caregivers.
I also admire and respect our school committee and Mike Morris, and am grateful for their service.
I do not believe these sentiments are mutually exclusive.
Finally, I am hopeful that we, as a community, can treat each other with patience, respect and civility, while we strive to make things better for all kids.
(1) Halley Kelly’s comment is neither “destructive” to the LGBTQ cause, nor to this community. Attacking Maura Keene by name is a personal attack and should not have been posted, IMO.
(2) It is the job of citizens to hold public officials accountable for their acts, and it is the right and responsibility of public officials to hold themselves responsible. “The buck stops here” is an ethic of leadership, and taking responsibility for what happened under your supervision. It’s not an indictment of Mike Morris’s humanity or personality — it’s saying he screwed something up. And yes, sometimes people are put on administrative leave, or asked to resign, when they screw something up.
We, collectively, have to get over the idea that being accused of bad things is as bad as the bad things themselves. It’s uncomfortable to be accused of racism, or sexism, or transphobia, or bullying. In fact, all of us can, and do, end up engaging in behaviors, thoughtlessly or with good intentions, that nevertheless turn out wrongly, or hurt people. Here’s a likely scenario: Mike Morris is a nice person, AND he failed to respond fully to complaints because he was conflict-avoidant and didn’t want to hurt an employee’s feelings. Is this true? I don’t know. But I do know that simply being a nice person who is conflict-avoidant can put you in positions where you don’t do the right thing and cause harm. Owning screw-ups — and the harm they cause — is important.
(3) The full-throated attacks on Art & Maura Keene, who have for YEARS worked tirelessly to bring all kinds of reports — quotidien as well as critical — seems to be a common “take” by a set of people. Where to begin …. First, this work is vital for democracy and community participation. The fact that many people are here, sharing heated opinions on important matters, is POSITIVE. Second, it is a little rich to me that folks who have benefited from the endorsements of the
town’scity’s first PAC … are, now, citing “organization” as a problem.Best,
Laura Quilter
+1 to everything Laura Quilter said.
I would also like to add that the horrible “bullying” referenced in these resignation letters, as far as I can tell, describes the following activities that I and other community members engaged in:
-Writing an email to an elected official requesting they take an action in which they may explain how they are personally impacted by an issue
-Attending a public meeting and making a public comment requesting that an elected official take a specific action in which they may explain how they are personally impacted by an issue
-Publishing a letter/opinion piece asking that elected officials take an action, in which they may explain how they are personally impacted by an issue
-Holding a speakout/rally asking elected officials to take an action
Sound familiar to you? It should, because that’s how citizens participate in government in a democracy. Have you ever called or emailed an elected official to ask them to support an issue or piece of legislation? Attending a pro-choice or climate change rally where a Republican official was called out for their position on either of these issues? Wow. I guess you’re a bully too.
For the sake of democracy, it is critical that we resist this narrative that civic participation is equal to bullying. For Demling, McDonald, and Herrington – please show me the text of public comments, emails, or opinion pieces where you were “personally attacked.” I know that you were repeatedly asked by parents and community members to take action and do the right thing, but that is NOT a personal attack. Receiving those kinds of asks and opinions is central to being an elected official. That’s why Senators and Congresspeople have entire staff positions dedicated to receiving and recording public calls, letters, and emails from constituents.
I’m running for office myself and I am NOT afraid of hearing from my potential constituents on any and every town issue they might be concerned about, because that’s what I’m signing up for by running for office. In fact, if I win I hope to open other means of communication with constituents that make it easier for folks to share their opinions, such as texting, apps, neighborhood meetings, and language access for those who speak languages other than English.
I wish that Herrington, McDonald, and Demling had considered that they consider public participation “bullying” before deciding to run themselves, because we live in a democracy (for now), and hearing from the public on issues is how it works.
I have not involved myself in the school tensions, but in other areas of town governance, people who question proposals of certain councilors are characterized as “naysayers” and “foes,” instead of the more constructive “neighbors” and “community members who prefer another plan.”
Our town regularly avoids the collaboration that could produce more innovative solutions. Then those whose input is rebuffed are blamed for inaction on projects, where those projects might have happened better, faster, and cheaper had we worked together, instead of engage in win/lose battles.
We are too smart a community to have this much failure, Maybe we’re too smart for our own good.
Matt’s comments made me think about it. Can we, as Matt said “support trans kids and their families, be upset and sad that kids were bullied and made unsafe in the middle school, emphatically state that, demonstrate empathy and support for trans kids and their caregivers AND also admire and respect our school committee and Mike Morris, and be grateful for their service?”
I think Matt is getting at the core of the issue. I agree with him on all of this (to be honest admire is a strong word for me for the whole school committee, so I will say respect, yes). But I have something else to add here: I am profoundly disappointed in the way the School Committee and Mike Morris handled this crisis and I have no confidence that the decisions they made would keep our children safe. If I say so (and I have), am I engaging in the kinds of attacks the 3 members who resigned & others in the community think are unacceptable? If I disagree with the actions someone in public service takes in their official capacity and I say so, is that a personal toxic attack that contributes to a divided town?
I understand that people felt personally attacked. Maybe that did happen in private venues – but I don’t see personal attacks on Indy or in public comment, or Bulletin letters, etc. I see profound disappointment with the way people have acted in their official capacity. If you step into a public role, you have to be prepared for people to disagree with you.
I have a question for Lisa Cain: you say it was too much to put Mike on administrative leave because all we have are allegations. Do you also think Doreen Cunningham and the three counselors should not have been on leave? And if you think putting them on leave was appropriate, please explain why the same reasoning does not apply to the Superintendent.
Amber, brava. You have my vote in November.
Laura: Thank you for articulating this. “It’s not an indictment of Mike Morris’s humanity or personality — it’s saying he screwed something up. And yes, sometimes people are put on administrative leave, or asked to resign, when they screw something up.”
Marylou Theilman, I believe I might be the author to whom you are referring. Thank you for taking the time to count how many pieces I have written addressing the ARPS crisis that has unfolded since the spring.
At my latest count, the Indy has now published 19 pieces of mine. As a writer, this may be some of the most important work I have published to date. Exercising my right to free speech on behalf of educators and LGBTQIA+ youth is a gift I do not take for granted, especially at a time when our own democracy is so imperiled. I would have been more patient awaiting the Title IX results had all of the implicated parties, including Mike Morris, been on administrative leave.
Asking for this and speaking out as to why he was not held to the same account as his colleagues – in other words, asking school committee members to make fair and equitable decisions – is not bullying.
I rarely weigh in on school matters, but I would like to comment on something that no one has yet seemed to notice. There is an unfortunate irony in the claims of bullying by the school committee members who have resigned. They feel attacked, disrespected, and put under great emotional stress by their adult peers for doing what they felt was right. It is certainly not a position I would want to be in. The irony is that none of them have appeared to recognize that this must be exactly how the ARMS kids who have been bullied by their own peers must feel. Perhaps this is because they are adults, and they know that for them it’s not the end of the world, and that they can just walk away from this, and also let their “bullies” know, by writing into various media outlets, exactly how they feel. From all reports, the bullied ARMS kids have not been able to find such relief, and since they’re kids, it does feel like the end of the world. And for some — let’s not forget Phoebe Prince — such things WERE the end of the world. This is why the perceived inaction on the part of the school committee and administration has been such a serious matter for so many people. In the end, it shouldn’t be about the adults; it should be about the kids.
Has anyone else noticed that the adults who resigned from their positions with the school committee cited being bullied as one of the reasons while, sadly, the children who endured being bullied in school did not have that option. Instead they needed to depend on the adults who could not endure.
Oh Denise…ahead of me and better stated. Thank you.
Jena,
Thanks for your perspective on the articles/comments in the Indy written by you about the LGBTQ concerns in the middle school. I only counted the number written by you that were directly related to the middle school situation. Your other letters and those in the Gazette were not included in the number. Free speech is not being questioned. However, the number of comments you have written, repeating the same thing numerous times, about what you wanted the Superintendent and the District to do, appeared to be an attempt to move the School Committee off its stated process, even though they said they would be sharing the Title IX Report with the public when it was received. (They probably were advised by counsel on this issue.) Two points: 1) it is premature to discuss this issue before more information is available, and 2) in my view, although there were a few comments written by others, the number of similar letters sent to the media by you in such a short period of time was either activism or bullying. Either way it has not been constructive or helpful to the students, District staff and the Town.
Mary Lou Theilman asserts that she is not questioning free speech but that is exactly what she is doing when she complains that Jena Schwartz spoke too much and that the frequency of her speech was activism or bullying. It was indeed activism and Schwartz should not be disparaged for engaging in it. Activism is how we contest injustice and abuses of power. Speaking up truthfully, eloquently, and loudly is not bullying. Schwartz eloquently wrote about disturbing injustices at the Amherst Middle School that resulted in harm to children. She called for action from elected officials, to protect children and to hold those who harmed children accountable. And she was ignored by those in power. So she continued to write, trying new arguments in order to move elected officials to action to address what crisis councilors have called a public health crisis in the Amherst schools. Officials might have heard from Schwartz less frequently had they taken the time to respond to her, to acknowledge her concerns, and engage with her. Elected officials have an obligation to hear what all of their constituents have to say. To tune out the messaging that they don’t want to hear is irresponsible and in the case of the Middle School debacle, dangerous. It is destructive to democratic practice and community comity. To insist on one’s right to be heard, to insist on the community’s obligation to protect children in danger, is not bullying. And as for Theilman’s insistence that it is premature to be talking about any of this (apparently until we receive the Title IX report), I suggest that she re-read the two pieces of stellar, comprehensive, investigative reporting in The Graphic as well as the testimonies of Amherst parents, which together make a compelling case that there is much in need of repair in our schools.
https://www.amherstindy.org/2023/06/16/breaking-the-silence-staff-members-come-forward-with-claims-of-negligence-misuse-of-power-by-district-leadership/
https://www.amherstindy.org/2023/05/13/its-life-or-death-failure-to-protect-trans-kids-at-arms-a-systemic-problem/
https://www.amherstindy.org/2023/05/19/regional-school-committee-receives-heart-wrenching-testimony-about-discrimination-at-middle-school/
Marylou Theilman is spot on. Well said Marylou .
Hi Art. I believe we can agree that free speech includes speaking too much. Certainly, one of the better examples of too much speaking was Town Meeting, which I supported and still miss.
No one has disputed that the issue in the Middle School is extremely sad, untenable and needs to be addressed. However, the 16 comments in the Indy and some in the Gazette, which repeated much of the same material over again and which requested the same admissions from the School Committees and Superintendent, was questionable, even though you say it is activism and not bullying. The School Committees made it clear that there would be no discussion about the LGBTQ concern/issue in the Middle School before the Title IX Report was issued. The School Committees had a plan that was being followed and would provide them with additional information from an outside Title IX consultant, paid through District funds.
Since the School Committee announced that they would not be discussing the Middle School LGBTQ issue until the Title IX Report was issued, they did not or have not changed their minds. So, what has the writer’s many comments to the Indy and Gazette accomplished? The School Committees still have not discussed the Middle School LGBTQ issue, nor has there been discussion of any of the requested admissions. However, three dedicated Amherst School Committee members, one Pelham member and a Superintendent who is respected in the community, all resigned this past week. In addition, two staff members have filed complaints with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD).
The question now is whether the School District/Town will be able to attract Superintendent candidates who would be willing to work in our District/Town and who would be able to resolve the challenges posed by our community.
Marylou is right on.
“…free speech includes speaking too much. Certainly, one of the better examples of too much speaking was Town Meeting…”
^ that’s for sure.
“The School Committees had a plan that was being followed…”
Yes, this for example https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yr40HQDIJ7tmnGJNCPoXpC634bGSYCJF/view?fbclid=IwAR2KaMz_YQc3TnhNMKm4NhMXaFzpT8NnBKbhHfKvL5uUDTs7Q-XamEwcHO0
“…even though you say it is activism and not bullying.”
Some of it was definitely bullying, such as in-the-face yelling and car-parading by school committee member’s house. That does nobody any good.
Everyone should listen to the interviews below. Three rational people all saying the same thing. They are not all wrong. I particularly value Ben’s opinion who really, really knows the schools from inside and out.
Ben Herrington
WHMP Talk The Talk Aug 29, 2023
https://on.soundcloud.com/HxNBA
Peter Demling
WHMP Talk The Talk Aug 30, 2023
https://on.soundcloud.com/qUEeM
Allison McDonald
WHMP Talk The Talk Aug 31, 2023
https://on.soundcloud.com/kPYtd
Thanks for these links to WHMP, Rick Hood.
The WHMP Talk The Talk show has aired a fourth segment on the school committee resignations featuring Progressive Coalition of Amherst Board Chair Pat Ononibaku, Amherst-Pelham Education Association reps Meka Magee & Claire Cocco, and Amherst Indy Managing Editor Art Keene.
Listen at https://on.soundcloud.com/JMF2F.
Bill Newman and Buz Eisenberg have continued their WHMP Talk The Talk inquiry into the Amherst Title IX complaint and related events by interviewing Ali Wicks-Lim, M.J. Schwartz & Maxine Oland.
Listen at https://on.soundcloud.com/w639p