Marblehead School Employees Engaged In 'Rapidly Intensifying Dispute'

MARBLEHEAD, MA — A condemnation of racism, antisemitism and discrimination amid what Marblehead Interim Superintendent Theresa McGuinness called "a rapidly intensifying dispute among groups of school employees" has led to several formal harassment complaints within the district.

McGuinness in a message to the school community Thursday night said the School Committee next week will vote to authorize a third-party investigation into what McGuinness called "interpersonal disputes among adults working for the district."

While she did not specifically address the nature of the disputes, her statement came with the condemnation and a declaration that "we take all allegations of hate and discrimination very seriously."

"The district has attempted, as is our obligation, to investigate these claims internally," McGuinness said. "Unfortunately, the allegations made by the persons involved have escalated to the point that these investigators themselves cannot proceed without being subjected to accusations of having a conflict."

She said the district recognizes its obligation to investigate the complaints "regardless of who is making them" and that it intends to take the necessary steps to have the complaints investigated objectively.

The School Committee is set to vote at its meeting next Thursday on approval to hire an independent investigator to look into all the complaints and "to determine their merit."

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