Weaponizing Police: How a Medfield School Committee Chair Overstepped to Intimidate a Reporter

MEDFIELD, MA — In a functioning democracy, journalism relies on access, and local governance relies on transparency. But at a recent Medfield school district meeting believed to be open to the entire community, both principles were tossed aside in favor of a display of intimidation and an abuse of power by an elected official.

On May 27, I attended the Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council meeting at Blake Middle School. With a critical townwide override vote looming on June 8, my goal was simple: listen for any updated school budget information for my weekly Medfield Insider e-newsletter, founded in 2020 and now with nearly 2,300 subscribers.

At the school, I was buzzed in legally by the receptionist after stating I was there for the superintendent’s meeting. I entered the school library (where past public meetings have been held), sat down quietly to take notes, and was invited by Superintendent Jeff Marsden to introduce myself along with the other attendees. Not once did Marsden ask me to leave.

About 20 minutes into the meeting, Michelle Kirkby – who serves as Medfield School Committee Chair – hurried into the room. However, outside of a quorum of the committee, she was in attendance strictly as a parent, with no other authority.

An Unwarranted Escalation

Upon her late arrival, Kirkby pulled up a chair uncomfortably close to me and leaned over to state, “It is inappropriate for you to be here.” After I shared that the superintendent was obviously fine with my presence, and I had been told the meeting was open to all, I then turned away to continue listening and taking notes. Clearly not satisfied, Kirkby stormed out.

What followed was a staggering waste of town resources: Kirkby called the Medfield Police.

According to police recordings obtained from scanners, it was confirmed that Kirkby was the one who called the non-emergency police phone line, made reference to school committee, and appeared to falsely claim that I was told to leave and refused. Not long after, two police officers arrived at the school, and eventually Deputy Police Chief Barry McGrath joined them.

(This letter was sent to Medfield Police Chief Michelle Guerette after the meeting to document what transpired.)

Let’s be entirely clear about the dynamics at play:

• The Authority: Neither Superintendent Marsden nor Blake Principal Nat Vaughn ever asked me to leave. They held the actual authority over the space.

• The Overreach: Kirkby has no authority acting alone as a school committee member. In fact, she had previously and explicitly stated that Medfield School Committee has no jurisdiction over the superintendent’s advisory meetings. Yet, she used her perceived clout to summon law enforcement to intimidate a peaceful reporter.

• A Message Relayed: A week before the superintendent gathering, newly elected School Committee member Roseli Weiss (who no longer has children in Medfield Public Schools), stated at a community gathering that Kirkby told her the public restriction on the superintendent advisory meetings was no longer in place. After all, it would seem inappropriate that any school committee member would be banned from a districtwide meeting with the superintendent who the committee oversees. (In the past, a school committee with a child in private school was permitted to attend.)

Part of a Disturbing Pattern

This incident comes directly on the heels of the actions of former School Committee Vice Chair Diana Frascella that likely cost her the recent election. During a March 5 meeting, caught on a Medfield TV recording, Frascella leveled a baseless, defamatory accusation against resident Dick Judge during his public comment, stormed out, and then returned about 20 minutes later giving Judge the middle finger.

When elected officials resort to bullying, vulgar gestures and police intervention to handle calm dissent and peaceful public engagement, the culture of our school leadership must be questioned.

Who is Allowed to Gain Information?

Kirkby’s attempt to gatekeep the recent superintendent meeting exposes a deeper, systemic flaw. Until Weiss was elected, district representatives had claimed these meetings were only for parents with children currently enrolled in the system (a related statement was also made to police dispatch on May 27 based on the recording). But this arbitrary rule effectively bans about 40 percent of Medfield residents, including:

• Select Board members and other elected town officials without school-aged children.
• Parents and guardians who send their children to private schools, choose homeschooling, or whose children have already graduated.
• Young families whose children have not yet entered the system.
• Any other Medfield taxpayer who does not have a child in the school district but wants to stay informed about school issues – or simply cares about education, including retired teachers or school administrators.

Whether they have children in the schools or not, every type of Medfield voter is being urged to head to the polls on June 8 to weigh in on a $1.5-million property tax override to help fund the school budget. Down the road, they will then be asked to fund a massive school building project.

To bar these voters – and the media representative who informs them – from listening to budget discussions less than two weeks before override ballots are cast, is an insult to Medfield citizens.

The Bottom Line

If Medfield school leaders want to unite all community members around advancing educational objectives, they must stop treating public interest in Medfield Public Schools as a hostile act.

Calling the police on a reporter who is quietly gathering information doesn't just violate the spirit of the First Amendment – it forces residents to ask: What are school officials trying to hide?

Chris McCue Potts

Editor/Publisher, Medfield Insider

(See the latest issue here and subscribe at MedfieldInsider.com)