That Superintendent Patty Sherman would describe a high-ranking administrator for Pembroke Academy being found with heroin and other drugs while on school property as “a personnel issue” is outrageous.
That the superintendent chose not to inform parents and students of these facts defies explanation.
That the superintendent said nothing until a month after the arrest and discovery of the drugs on school property and only after the Monitor broke the story is a betrayal of the public’s trust.
Had former dean of students Rekha Luther been found off campus with illegal drugs, this could be described as a “personnel issue.” That she was arrested with drugs under her control while on school grounds makes this a matter of the public’s need to know, especially the parents and students.
Parents and students should have been notified, if for no other reason than the dangers this situation posed for the students at the academy.
The fact that she had these drugs while on school property is a fact and a very dangerous one. At a moment’s notice, this administrator could have found herself having to make split-second decisions regarding the safety of hundreds of students had a “critical incident” occurred at the school.
There can be only one logical reason not to immediately inform the parents and students of this dangerous situation and that is “cover-up.”
Superintendent Sherman should be fired and school Headmaster Paul Famulari should be disciplined for following her lead.
J. ROBERT FALLON
Pembroke