Sex abuse found at Hub school
Cassellius calls for closure of Mission Hill K-8
Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius dropped a bombshell at Wednesday night’s school committee meeting by recommending that the committee permanently close Mission Hill K-8 School at the end of this academic year, following a stunning report that found that children as young as kindergartners were the victims of student sexual misconduct and bullying at the school — some of them for years.
The recommendation follows the conclusion of a report — commissioned by the superintendent and undertaken by the Boston law firm Hinckley Allen — that outlined “systematic and pervasive accounts of student-on-student sexual and physical misconduct that began as far back as 2014,” district officials said in a statement.
The report concludes these serious incidents were not addressed appropriately by school personnel and confirm “multiple systematic reporting failures” by school employees, who are mandated reporters of child abuse. The full report, redacted to protect the identities of victims, is now available on the BPS website at www.bostonpublicschools.org/domain/162
Cassellius said reading the 200-page report was one of the most difficult things she has had to do in her more than 30 years in education.
“Swift and urgent action is needed,” she told the committee. “Far too many children have been harmed, and … there is a school culture that allowed this.”
Deputy Superintendent of Education Drew Elkinson said the bullying and abuse extended from at least 2014 to 2019.
“The school’s limited attempts to address this put victims and perpetrators in the same room,” with an adult as a moderator, Elkinson said.
Investigators also found that the school operated its own email server, and at the beginning of the investigation the emails of the school leader and other staff members were deleted.
“I have no words to adequately describe my outrage and disgust about this abject failure of our school system,” City Councilor Michael Flaherty said. “This is the worst of a long list of issues and failures at our Boston Public Schools. Enough is enough! I expect immediate and harsh consequences for all school professionals who knew about this and neglected their responsibility to care for our children.”
The district released a statement early yesterday evening that said: is a statement that can be attributed to the Boston Public Schools:
“Ensuring the safety, health and wellbeing of all students is the most important obligation a school district has. Based on the persistent pattern of abuse confirmed in this independent report, the only viable option is to close the school and support students in their transition to other schools in the district. This action indicates how seriously the Superintendent takes this responsibility. BPS’ immediate priority is to work with each Mission Hill family to determine where their child will continue their education.”
The 200 students currently assigned to Mission Hill will need updated school assignments for school years 2022-2023.
Cases outlined in the report have been previously reported by multiple media outlets.
Staff directly related to these cases are either no longer employed by the district or are on leave pending further investigation of their individual actions, which may result in disciplinary action.