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Tempers flare and parents ejected by cops at Phoebe Prince school committee meeting

Posted on Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 12:39 AM

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Police had to intervene and three parents were taken from the hall after speaking out at a very tense meeting of the South Hadley School Committee on Wednesday night. The chairman of the committee resigned amid heated discussions and a strong police presence.

The three parents angrily demanded the resignation of school officials over the bullying death of Irish girls Phoebe Prince who hung herself on January 14th.

It was the first meeting of the school committee since six students were charged with the bullying of Phoebe.

Chairman, Edward Boisselle, called the coverage and the event since the suicide a “mob mentality,” and repeated that school staff had not known that Phoebe was tormented by the bullies.

Boisselle stepped down as chairman, but claimed it was not related to the Prince case.

Some parents defended the school officials , saying that they were trying their best and they should stay on.

Others however, stated that they had lost credibility and should resign, and that the school did not do enough to defend Phoebe Prince. The police intervened when some exchanges became overheated.

Among those escorted out were Luke Gelinas s strong critic of the school officials who demanded that the chairman and the school principal resign.

"This is not your First Amendment right! You are here as a guest of the School Committee!” Chairman Edward Boisselle shouted at Gelinas as police escorted the father of two schoolchildren out of the public meeting.

Some sprung to the defense of Gelinas “I think it’s time, Ed, that you stopped attacking other people,” said Darby O’Brien, the father of two schoolchildren who has represented the Phoebe Prince family. “You need to hold the officials - who could have stepped in at any time and stopped this - accountable.”

“Nobody’s ever blamed any of the students but the ones who were charged,” said O’Brien “(School officials) just continue to blame everybody but themselves.

Another parent, Barrie Chambers-Leonard, criticized Boisselle, saying he had mishandled the meeting.
“If you were pro-school, you had the floor; if you weren’t, you were cut off,” she said, looking around at some 100 people crowded into the high school’s library before turning back to the school committee. “Darby, Luke, I wish they had gotten their fair chance. Right now you guys aren’t looking so great.”




10 Comments

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I saw some of this meeting on the news and the way the parents were treated by the school officials was appalling. That whole school district needs a house cleaning. Mass firings. Let the Catholic Church take over the school system. They'll do a better job for 1/2 the cost.
I agree Edward Boiselle should resign.
I watched this this program and it was disasterous -from a parent singing How Great Thou Are to administrators, angrily, throwing people out of a public meeting. It just keeps getting worse and worse - deal with the truth and move on.
No one is more tyrannical or more adept at a coverup than a school administrator.
auto117584- Stalking, verbal and physical abuse, assault with a dangerous weapon, harrassment, violation of civil rights are all CRIMES, not just butthead behaviour! If her mother was indeed guilty of neglect wouldn`t charges have been brought against her by now? This whole tragedy was caused by students bullying other students and lazy, inept school officials ignoring cries for help!
I'm sorry to have to ask this but can my previous comment be deleted? I am concerned that speaking publicly will affect my family.
Dear auto117584, Your comment is very callous and irresponsible. Being a mother of a beautiful daughter who experienced angry, jealous girls; I know that a teen will not tell you a lot of what is happening on a daily basis. A 15 year old wants autonomy. Phoebe, was harassed, stalked..on a daily basis at S.H., it is documented that adults at the high school witnessed, and were made aware of this ongoing torture.
Boisselle get OUT NOW!
all this could have been prevented if Phoebe's mother had taken care of her daughter. She is the one who should be arrested, for criminal neglect of her child. To allow this bullying to go on for MONTHS is CRIMINAL CHILD ABUSE. The bullies are buttheads, not criminals. ARREST MOMMIE!!
To be clear, Boisselle ejected three people who dared to disagree with the party line. Castro has emigrated to the United States.
 




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