BOE chair: Resist ‘rumors’ about administrators
NORWALK — The chairperson of the Norwalk Board of Education on Wednesday urged parents and students to “resist unfounded rumors,” after the school district abruptly placed three administrators at Brien McMahon High School, including the school’s principal, on leave this month.
“Please know that the safety of our students and the continuity of their instruction are our primary concern, and we remain committed to communicating with students and parents as the situation develops,” Chairperson Colin Hosten wrote in a Facebook post. “We encourage everyone to resist unfounded rumors and conclusions in the meantime.”
Hosten’s comments came a day after the district announced it had placed Barbara Wood and Qadir Abdus-Salaam, two Brien McMahon assistant principals, on leave in recent days. The revelation followed the news that Principal Scott Hurwitz had been placed on leave to allow the school district to address an undisclosed personnel matter.
Hosten, who was elected board chair by his fellow members last fall, did not respond to a request for further comment.
District officials have declined to discuss the reason behind the leadership turmoil at one of Norwalk’s largest public schools, but they have stressed that the administrators have not been terminated or disciplined.
“As you may know, we consider personnel matters to be confidential, and we have no further comment on this matter at this time. However, we are working to resolve this matter promptly,” Superintendent Alexandra Estrella said in email to parents last week.
The sudden departure of three of the school’s longtime administrators has forced the district to scramble to find temporary replacements.
Chief Communications Officer Brenda Wilcox Williams said Tuesday that Julie Parham, the director of the Center for Global
Studies, has been tapped to serve as the interim principal while Hurwitz and Wood are on leave. Parham will also continue to lead the center, which is housed at Brien McMahon.
In an email to parents and students this week, Parham said she was sorry for not informing Brien McMahon families earlier about the changes to the school’s leadership.
“I know you’ve had two days of silence from BMHS, and I apologize for that,” Parham wrote. “We needed just a moment to catch our breath and get organized — we’ve done that now, and we’re ready to finish the year with our plans intact and all programming full speed ahead.”
Parham said James Martinez, the district’s director of school counseling, and Sandra Faioes, the district’s director of school improvement and have been assigned to help run the school “as long as we need.” Martinez and Faioes previously served as elementary school principals.