Forrest Resigns as Beaver Meadow School Principal

The principal of a local elementary school, on administrative leave since late April, has offered his resignation from the position, effective at the end of the month, according to the Concord School District.

Concord resident John Forrest, the principal of the Beaver Meadow Elementary School since 2009, has been on paid administrative leave since a complaint was filed and investigation ensued into inappropriate behavior with a special education student sometime during the week of April 6, 2015.

Police looked into the matter, which involved a student that was having an outburst and physical interaction between Forrest and the student, and cleared him of criminal charges in late May. At the time, Chris Rath, the superintendent of schools for the Concord School District, said that while the police investigation was complete, the district would be conducting its own investigation.

The district did not release any information about its investigation but stated that Ben Greene, who is currently an assistant principal at Concord High School, had agreed to serve as the interim principal at Beaver Meadow School through the end of next year. Rath stated that incoming Superintendent Terri Forsten would initiate a search process for a permanent principal during the next year.

Greene has been with the district since the mid-1980s. He has taught music and orchestra and later, became the performance arts coordinator at CHS. He has been an assistant principal since 2009. Greene will be installed at Beaver Meadow on July 1, 2015.

“We thank the Beaver Meadow staff for their stable and consistent service to our students and families this spring,” Rath noted in the memo to the press and the school community. “We are indebted to Melisa Scott for her strong leadership at Beaver Meadow School this spring. Melisa will return to her role as technology integrator at Beaver Meadow next fall.”