Marblehead Antisemitic Accusations, Denials Spur Investigation Call
MARBLEHEAD, MA — Accusations of antisemitic actions among Marblehead High School staff and within the schools, denials of those actions and vehement character defenses of those accused, and criticisms of the role of social media and the administration’s response to the growing rift between school employees were aired during an explosive two hours of public comment at the outset of Thursday night’s School Committee meeting.
The meeting came one week after Interim Superintendent Theresa McGuinness issued a condemnations of racism, antisemitism and discrimination amid what she called “a rapidly intensifying dispute among groups of school employees” that she said has led to several formal harassment complaints within the district.
“The district has attempted, as is our obligation, to investigate these claims internally,” McGuinness said. “Unfortunately, the allegations made by the persons involved have escalated to the point that these investigators themselves cannot proceed without being subjected to accusations of having a conflict.”
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While there appeared to be near-universal support for a third-party investigation into the accusations both from those urging the district to get to the bottom of any antisemitic behaviors and those seeking vindication from accusations of antisemitism, the School Committee determined that they wanted a more full vetting of the potential investigators before selecting a third-party group to conduct it.
There was a strong urging from some of those who spoke out of concern about the accusations and other antisemitic incidents that may have occurred in the schools in recent months and years that an investigator be chosen with a background in investigating antisemitic claims.
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New School Committee Jennifer Schaeffner said a meeting will be posted next week to help determine the discuss the investigation and the firm best able to conduct it.
“I just want to be clear to the public,” School Committee member Alison Taylor said, “and in whatever is published, or published on whatever social media outlet, I want to be clear that this table — it sounds anyway — is supporting, I am personally, moving forward with an investigator and that we are going to have a meeting next week to identify how that process will play out in order to make sure we are taking this as serious as it needs to be taken.”
Schaeffner said that anyone who spoke on Thursday, or who wished to add to official public comment on the matter, is welcome to reach out to the School Committee in the coming days to do so.
While McGuinness last week did not specifically address the nature of the disputes, her statement came with the condemnation and a declaration that “we take all allegations of hate and discrimination very seriously.”
“The district has attempted, as is our obligation, to investigate these claims internally,” McGuinness said. “Unfortunately, the allegations made by the persons involved have escalated to the point that these investigators themselves cannot proceed without being subjected to accusations of having a conflict.”
She said the district recognizes its obligation to investigate the complaints “regardless of who is making them” and that it intends to take the necessary steps to have the complaints investigated objectively.
While several teachers and parents who spoke during the public comment referenced what they indicated is a pattern of antisemitic behavior among some students and staff at the high school, one teacher specifically accused of the behavior during a webinar earlier this month refuted the claims and said they were fabricated.
Speakers on both sides of the issues also expressed frustration with the school administration and human resource department’s handling of previous claims and internal investigations into those claims.
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
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