Danvers Hockey Hazing 'Firestorm' Has Taken Toll: Superintendent

DANVERS, MA — Danvers Superintendent Lisa Dana pledged more transparency and communication, while acknowledging the privacy rules that restricted sharing details of accusations of racist and homophobic hazing within the boys hockey program and discipline taken to address the incidents, during Monday night's School Committee meeting.

Speaking to the committee at length in open session for the first time since disturbing claims surfaced publicly that racial slurs and a sex toy were used in locker room hazing rituals within the hockey program during the 2019-2020 season, Dana said in a prepared statement that throughout 18 months of both internal and external investigations she was involved "in many difficult conversations with parents, students and staff" and that she attempted to make sure "students were protected at all times."

Emotions ran high during public comment at last month's School Committee meeting when a motion was made to put Dana on administrative leave while the committee determined how to proceed, and several parents called on Dana and long-term members of the School Committee to resign.

The School Committee met in executive session the following week and chose to take no action on Dana, while issuing a collective statement that the "community has been traumatized" as well as reiterating that privacy concerns prevented the district from revealing specific discipline taken against players involved in the accused incidents and the coaches who it was determined did not provide proper oversight.

The Danvers Teachers Association slammed district officials for a lack of transparency with staff before those accusations were revealed in a Boston Globe front-page story last month.

"When the recent media created a firestorm of opinions that we legally aren't allowed to comment on it became an increasingly difficult situation," Dana said Monday night. "One that has taken a toll on students, staff and me, as well as a community as a whole.

"I understand there is a natural curiosity for people to know every detail of situations, but in this case, it simply isn't legally possible."

Dana said personal criticism toward her and her staff made the 18 months of the investigations —and especially the recent debate about potential consequences and blame — most challenging

"As the superintendent, I understand attacks are going to come my way, and — right or wrong — I've tried to shield my team from them while also making changes," she said. "For the protection of my own mental health, I quickly had to learn not to look at the social media comments, while at the same time take a critical look at how the situation was handled.

"As a result, I have actively worked to be more transparent in communicating all the work that is being done to make positive changes. But as is often said that talk doesn't matter unless it is backed up with action."

Dana has started a weekly newsletter posted on the school website that highlights some of the steps to address racism, homophobia and antisemitism within the schools. With two additional incidents in recent weeks where swastikas were found inside bathrooms in the Holten Richmond Middle School, she said some of the issues go well beyond the district classrooms and playing fields.

"The issues of racism, homophobia and antisemitism are not issues that I, or the School Committee, can solve on our own," she said. "These are problems facing our entire nation. While we might not be able to change the country, I believe that Danvers is a community that can come together and work together to make a difference.

"These are community issues that require community solutions."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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