Hopkinton school officials and police are investigating “safety concerns” involving a student at Hopkinton Middle High School, superintendent Steven Chamberlin said Tuesday.
The school is safe and remains open, Chamberlin said. However, public information about the concerns, which were raised last Thursday, has been sparse.
In an interview with the Monitor, Chamberlin said the Hopkinton School District was investigating complaints made by students and parents involving the behavior of a high school student, but declined to go into detail, citing privacy concerns.
“We are working through concerns about student behavior at the middle-high school,” he said.
In an email to parents and staff throughout the Hopkinton School District Tuesday, Chamberlin said he was intending to “provide information regarding the recent safety concerns at Hopkinton High School” and announced that an investigation had been opened, without identifying the alleged behavior.
“Thursday, a safety concern was brought to the attention of our school administration,” he wrote in the letter. “The investigation began on Friday and continues through today. Part of the investigation is to work with the Hopkinton Police Department.”
The Hopkinton Police Department did not respond to Monitor requests for comment Tuesday.
Chamberlin declined to say whether any students had been disciplined or removed from the school over the matter. He said district officials had talked with students and parents on both sides.
“We work with the family and the student who’s been accused,” he said. “We understand and we relish in this opportunity to make sure every student feels safe, comfortable and productive in our schools.”
Chamberlin said he had been informed by one parent who had removed a child from school and said he had heard “concerns from lots of people” on Tuesday over rumors and allegations and over how the district was handling the issue.
“I completely understand the concerns of all the parents involved,” he said. “I get it, I really do. We’re trying to listen and do what we think is right for kids.”
In his email, Chamberlin said the district is working to balance the concerns of parents and the privacy of the students involved.
“If your son/daughter feels unsafe in our schools, please have them reach out to an adult in school (or me directly),” he wrote. “It is important that those concerns are addressed.”
(Ethan DeWitt can be reached at edewitt@cmonitor.com, at (603) 369-3307, or on Twitter at @edewitt NH.)