Danvers Schools Face Harsh Truths As Students Voice Bullying Concerns

DANVERS, MA – The process of improving a school culture where the gaps have been as publicly exposed and examined as Danvers High School's have been over the past two years is a daunting, long and inevitably sometimes-painful one.

Yet, officials allow it is a necessary process that includes applauding where progress has hopefully been made and acknowledging where steep challenges remain.

Some of those challenges were brought to light during last week’s School Committee meeting when the two student representatives told Danvers High Principal Adam Federico shortly before it was their time to talk that they intended to bring up ongoing bullying that remains an issue in the high school.

They spoke publicly of their own past experiences, and those they said they had witnessed within the first weeks of the current school year, with the intent of making sure the topics of bullying, bias and hazing remain in the forefront of discussion and do not become glossed over as some solved problem of the past.

"They are there to represent the student body and that they chose that platform to say something shows that was important to them and has to be an important part of our work," Acting Superintendent Mary Wermers told Patch on Wednesday.

The two girls' statements sparked a 20-minute School Committee discussion on how much of the culture has really changed through all the classes, assemblies and diversity and inclusion training and initiatives over the past two years.

Federico told Patch on Wednesday he believes there has been significant improvement in some of those areas rubbed so raw through recent events and considers one of the big steps made the students' willingness to step forward and talk about the harsh realities that may have been kept hush-hush in a previous time.

"One of the things we've put a huge emphasis on empowering student voice," he said. "Part of me was proud that we facilitated that and made them feel like they can come to a School Committee meeting and share their experiences like that."

Federico, who is in his second year as DHS principal, said he believes the district has made "inroads" into some of the longstanding issues that were exposed when Attorney General Maura Healey launched an investigation into accusations of homophobic locker room hazing involving the 2019-2020 high school boys hockey team and found a "toxic team culture" that school officials either ignored or were culpably oblivious to contributed to the perpetuation of the behavior.

Since then, the district has introduced many programs — some mandatory and some voluntary – to make it easier for students to report harassment and to educate students on how to recognize and prevent bias based on race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.

"If you dig a little deeper, I think you would find that between September 2021 and September 2022 we have made progress and we have made inroads," Federico told Patch. "But that work is never going to go away. Every school is going to have to stand guard on their culture and climate in making sure kids are being taught the right way.

"And when they are not, try to address it."

Wermers and Federico said the district is doing its best to do its part through the daily community block — which Federico calls the "infrastructure" of the efforts — where students and staff talk about those types of issues in smaller groups so they can be dissected in a way that is not as conducive in an assembly with hundreds of student-athletes.

He added at the School Committee meeting, and reiterated to Patch, that the work has to go beyond just what students hear when inside school buildings six hours a day on weekdays and encompass what they hear as acceptable in their own homes and family social groups at night and on weekends.

"It has to be a community issue," he said. "I will speak for Danvers High School and say that we are 100 percent on board for doing our part and engaging the work that needs to be done. We will own our shortcomings.

"I see it as a statement to the community that we want its help and its support to promote human values, and decency, and respecting one another. That's what's going to help move the needle."

Federico said that includes diverse groups and families coming together on all issues related to bullying, hate and bias, instead of shrugging them off as someone else's problem, or one that has always been there in town and is not likely to ever change.

"Let's not just talk about this issue when your child is involved directly," Federico said. "As a community, we have to be talking about, and thinking about, how we all treat each other."

(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.)