Special meeting to address violence at Brockton High ends abruptly
BROCKTON — A special meeting of the School Committee called to address violence at Brockton High School ended abruptly Tuesday night with a confrontation between Mayor Robert Sullivan and the district’s embattled superintendent, who was placed on leave.
Michael Thomas, who had been on medical leave since the discovery of a $14 million school budget deficit last fall, had notified the committee that he planned to retire on March 3. But Thomas rescinded that decision, telling the committee that he was well enough to resume his position as superintendent of schools.
The board, however, voted unanimously to place Thomas on paid administrative leave. “It’s unfortunate you pay me all this money to have me sitting out when you know I could make a difference,” Thomas told the committee.
Thomas defended his handling of the school district’s budget. “I’m the only one, so far, who has taken responsibility,” said Thomas. “The community knows me.”
His supporters chanted his name and shook his hand as he returned to his seat in the audience at the Arnone School theater. The school department has hired an outside auditing firm to review the budget deficit for fiscal 2023, which ended June 30.
Thomas took aim at Sullivan, saying, “I put my misguided trust into somebody who I thought was a friend.”
Sullivan, his fist raised in the air said, “I was not made aware of a fiscal 23 deficit until the date of Aug. 8th and that’s a fact,” before adjourning the meeting.
The mayor released a statement Wednesday saying the district is working to address the deficit and
school safety.
“My administration is diligently working with our partners at the local, state, and federal level to bring stability to our school budget and safety to our schools. We are looking to our elected officials at the state level for assistance and guidance to ensure that our teachers and staff have the appropriate tools to provide safe learning environments. We have been and will continue to collaborate with all partners who will work with us to improve our schools and return the focus to creating a safe and vibrant environment where our students and educators will thrive,” Sullivan said.
Brockton High School, where troubling behavior by some students prompted four committee members to suggest the National Guard be brought in, has been hurt by budget cuts that have left classrooms understaffed and hallways unmanned at the 3,600-student school.
During the meeting, police Chief Brenda Perez addressed violence and disruptive behavior at the high school. She recommended a thorough review of safety measures and an update to the school district’s 10-yearold security plan.
Officials should also consider hiring a school security director to work alongside city police and fire officials who regularly respond to reports of alarms, thefts, altercations, medical, and other emergencies reported at Brockton schools, she said.
Budget cuts have led to a reduction in school security staff. The remaining safety officials “lack adequate training and visibility,” Perez said.
“We recommend that the district perform a thorough review and refine the roles and responsibilities of all access officers, security and safety officers, and for teachers,” the chief said.
In the last school year, police received 1,100 service calls from the entire school district, just over 80 for Brockton High School specifically, Perez said.
This school year, the department has received around 800 calls as of Jan. 31, 40 of them for the high school. According to state data, 19 percent of the high school student body faced in- or out-of-school suspensions during the previous school year.
“Given the recent occurrences on school premises, it’s imperative to uphold open communications across all administrative levels with Brockton Public Schools,” she said.
The circulation of classroom keys among unauthorized people, including several keys that are unaccounted for altogether, only increases security concerns, according to Perez.
“As a short-term measure, we recommend the district establish a policy and protocol to instruct teachers to lock all classrooms when unoccupied, minimizing some security vulnerabilities,” said Perez. She also said the district should consider transitioning to a key-card system.
Perez said that photos on student and staff ID badges are often outdated and must be updated to avoid issues identifying people within the schools. Isabela Katzki, a sophomore at Brockton High School, said that students are constantly swapping IDs.
Out of 16 community members who spoke during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting, almost everyone said activating the National Guard is not a solution to the high school’s problems.
“You don’t want these students feeling like they’re walking down the halls in a prison,” said Drew Fonteiro, a former Brockton High student, who prefers mentorship programs as opposed to an increase in officials that tell students “what to do and where to go.”
Other parents and community leaders expressed concern that the diversity of the high school student body, which according to state data, is around 80 percent Black or Latino, is not reflected in the teaching staff.
“We need kids to see people that look like their uncle. That look like their older brother. That look like their fathers,” said John C. Williams, a well-known mentor in the city of Brockton. “This problem doesn’t start at Brockton High School.”