Concord School District Superintendent Terri Forsten apologized to parents and staff Thursday for “poorly” choosing her words and for not properly conveying how seriously she is taking students’ reports of sexual harassment and abuse.
“As you know, last week I sent a letter to all district staff members. In that letter, I made a serious error when I unfairly labeled media and social media coverage of the recent and historical events that have occurred in our school district,” Forsten wrote in a follow-up letter distributed Thursday afternoon to the Concord school community. “It was not my intent to discount the news or the community’s reaction to what has been reported. More importantly, I did not mean for my words to be in any way dismissive or discouraging of our students and their experiences.”
In her initial letter, dated Aug. 22, Forsten wrote to district staff about the start of the 2019-20 academic year and her reflections of the summer months. She did not specifically address the April arrest of special education teacher Primo “Howie” Leung, who stands accused of repeatedly sexually assaulted a former Concord student. But she did remark on “a continual dribble of articles” and social media posts that fueled negative perceptions about the district.
“My letter did not convey how seriously I take these events,” Forsten wrote Thursday. “I am deeply sorry that I chose my words so poorly.”
Forsten told parents and staff that she remains committed to supporting student safety and working with the school board to review and update the district’s policies.
The school board voted to push the start of school back a day to allow for staff-wide training on the state’s mandatory reporting laws, sexual harassment prevention and how to support students who have experienced trauma. On Tuesday, staff heard presentations from the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Granite State Children’s Alliance and Primex.
“As we opened our schools on Wednesday, our employees were knowledgeable in their efforts to support our students, to hear their stories and to promote safety in our schools,” Forsten wrote in her letter Thursday. “From the 49 new members of our staff to those who have dedicated their careers to supporting students in our schools, we are ready for this new school year.”
The district has focused its attention on student safety in the wake of Leung’s arrest on rape charges, alleging he assaulted a former middle school student in Concord and at a summer boarding school in Newton, Mass. Leung remained on the job for 3½ months after several students reported seeing him kiss a senior girl in a car outside the high school. This summer, it also became public knowledge that the district had settled a claim with the family of a student who was suspended by Principal Tom Sica after she said Leung behaved inappropriately toward a select group of her female classmates in December 2014. She was accused of spreading false and slanderous gossip.
Sica has been on paid administrative leave since June after the settlement became public knowledge. Forsten was not the superintendent in 2014 – she took the job in Concord in July 2015.
In her letter to staff last week, Forsten stated her desire to move forward, which triggered immediate criticism from parents, advocates and survivors. Many said the letter angered them and was dismissive to the students who have so bravely shared their stories and spoken up at district meetings this summer.
A petition was created last week that asks the school board to vote to remove Forsten and Sica from their positions at the next board meeting Tuesday. It has received more than 2,000 signatures. A copy of the petition has since been passed onto the school board for their review prior to that meeting; however, a final version with all of the signatures will be shared Tuesday.
Darlene Gildersleeve, a Hopkinton resident and one of the petition’s authors, said late Thursday night that Forsten’s “letter of apology does not change the will of the public.” She said there is no confidence in current leadership.
“We want accountability, transparency and a positive school culture where students and teachers feel safe and respected,” she said.
The school board has said it is awaiting the results of an independent investigation into the handling of sexual misconduct reports before taking any action. That investigation focuses on reports made in 2014 and 2018 and is expected to wrap up after Labor Day.