Andover Teachers Union To Rally Tuesday At South Elementary

ANDOVER, MA — The Andover Education Association and the Andover school district are at odds over an investigation into a possible hostile work environment at South Elementary School, sending dueling letters about the nature of the investigation to the community. In a letter to South School families Tuesday, the school's principal wrote that the district opened into an investigation into allegations of a hostile work environment "between some educators." In response, the union published a letter on its website saying the investigation is "unlawful" and the problems at the school come from the top down.

The AEA is planning a rally outside the school for Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.

The letter from Principal Tracy Crowley to parents gave limited details, saying only that Superintendent Sheldon Berman had informed them Friday that it was opening an investigation, "as we are obliged to do any time we receive such allegations." They have not yet established whether the allegations are true, the letter notes.

The union letter, from AEA President Matthew J. Bach, calls the investigation "an effort by the administration to 'chill' union participation," resulting from recent union activity at the school.

"Earlier this year, educators at South Elementary started coming together to address their common concerns about the decaying climate and culture of the school," Bach wrote. "To that end, serious professional and legal concerns also came to light around school leadership. When the AEA attempted to assert our rights under both state and federal law to meet freely and communicate with our membership, administrators responded with even more egregious violations of the law and attempts to diminish our voices."

Bach goes on to say that while there is a hostile work environment at the school, "those responsible for instilling a school climate and culture of low morale, disrespect, and fear are all operating in the Andover Public Schools administration."

District spokeswoman Nicole Kieser said she could not give much information about the on-going investigation, but confirmed it is not about the school's principal or assistant principal.

The union is "seeking to legally stop the investigatory interviews," Bach wrote.

The union also criticized the investigation for removing teachers from classrooms to conduct interviews. In the letter to families, Crowley wrote that "every classroom will have coverage in the instance that an educator is unavailable. Otherwise the investigation has no impact on students or their education."

The AEA letter calls on community members to write to the school committee.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.