Newton Middle School Principal Transferred

Newton, MA – The principal of F.A. Day Middle School will leave his post July 1 and take on a role as a district administrator.

Brian Turner will next serve as the director of professional development and assessment in the Office of Teaching and Learning, Turner said in a letter to parents Friday.

He wrote that he leaves his post with "mixed emotions."

"Since 2010, I have been privileged to serve as principal and will miss this incredibly vibrant community," Turner said. "Although it has been a challenging past year, I nonetheless reflect on the past six years and am proud of our many accomplishments."

Turner was criticized for his handling of two reported incidents of anti-Semitic speech at the school, which included hateful graffiti found etched on a bathroom stall in October and a swastika branded into the snow in January. He sent a letter to the Day community in February detailing the incidents and acknowledged he should have addressed them sooner.

Superintendent David Fleishman also sent a letter announcing the move. In it, he thanked Turner for his six years of service as principal and described him as "a highly knowledgable instructional leader."

Though the letter did not address the anti-Semitic incidents directly, Fleishman acknowledged that it was "a challenging year at Day."

"As a district, we are committed to ensure that Day is a healthy, positive and supportive environment for students and staff," Fleishman wrote.

Mark Aronson, currently the interim principal at Newton North High School, will serve as interim principal at F.A. Day during the upcoming school year, according to the letter.

Turner will begin his tenure July 1; Aronson is set to assume interim principal duties later in the month.