Peabody Superintendent Addresses Police Memorial Controversy

PEABODY, MA – Nearly 300 people have signed a Change.org petition supporting a Peabody Veterans Memorial High School teacher's "Remembrance Wall" honoring police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2020.

The wall, which has been up for six years and is updated each year with officers killed that calendar year, has been the center of controversy in the city amid social media reports that it was ordered removed from a school hallway because of complaints that it made a student and teacher uncomfortable, and could be considered a political statement.

Peabody Superintendent of Schools Dr. Josh Vadala told Patch Friday morning that is not the case.

"Unfortunately, there seems to be quite a bit of incorrect information on social media," Vadala said. "The display remains in its original location and has not been moved."

Vadala said the district is revisiting what he thought was a "satisfactory resolution through a collaborative process at PVMS, with all parties involved, in terms of location of that memorial last week."

"Given the discussions in the community, we understand that concerns remain about this memorial display," Vadala said in a message to the school community. "As a result, we are going to continue discussions about this particular memorial and memorials in general within our schools.

"We appreciate the community's support and opinions as we engage in this dialogue and work towards positive solutions."

Mayor Ted Bettencourt, Peabody Schools and the Peabody Police Department released a joint statement early Friday afternoon saying that the issue will be discussed at the Nov. 24 Peabody School Committee, with public input sought.

"The school department, police department and Mayor Bettencourt are committed to working together to support one another and unite our community," said the statement provided to Patch. "Recently, individuals in our community have been discussing the location of a memorial display at PVMHS. There is a great deal of misinformation regarding the status of this situation. This memorial display has not been moved and will not be moved until further discussion occurs.

"Our goal is to bring the community together and engage in a collaborative process that includes the perspectives of all stakeholders. The school department, police department and Mayor Bettencourt continue to engage in an open dialogue."

The support petition cited the backlash that many in law enforcement have echoed feeling amid a series of high-profile incidents involving charges of police brutality and systemic racism within departments across the nation in recent months.

"How can we continue to unfairly demonize, demoralize, and create mass group hatred towards the men and women in blue?" the petition request asks. "The police have been targeted by politicians, the media, and members of the community as monsters. They sacrifice their families and own safety by choosing to be a police officer. While everyone else is running away from dangerous criminals and unimaginable violence, police officers run towards it — to protect and serve."

Vadala said the district "(has) always and will continue to unequivocally support our police department" and that "we strive to create nurturing and inclusive learning environment for our students and faculty."

"Our goal is to bring the community together and engage in a collaborative process that includes the perspectives of all stakeholders."