Residents tell School Committee they were accosted at middle school open house, urge intervention

Bill and Terry DeJulio of 8 Woodside Drive told the Longmeadow School Committee on July 16 that they were accosted and verbally threatened at a July 7 middle school open-house forum. The DeJulios said a man standing next to Superintendent Marty O'Shea told Terry DeJulio “it took all that he could do not to slap me in his face” and later asked her husband to step outside so he could “kick” him, according to their statement to the committee. The DeJulios said they reported the incident to the Longmeadow Police Department, which told them the conduct was considered an assault, though the couple chose not to press charges. “We are being intimidated,” Terry DeJulio told the committee. The couple asked the school leadership and event hosts to intervene at future forums and to make the events safe for residents on all sides of the middle school discussion. After the public comment, the committee chair, identified in the meeting as the presiding officer, responded: “I hope that we can resolve this and work together,” and said the committee’s goal is to do what is best for students. No formal action or vote followed the public comment. The DeJulios said they notified police and that officers informed them they could request a police representative at future school events if they do not feel comfortable; the couple said they will press charges if the behavior recurs. The remarks came during the public comment portion of the July 16 meeting, a time the committee set aside for resident statements. The DeJulios emphasized that their objection is to intimidation at community events, not to disagreement over the proposed new middle school itself. The committee did not announce additional steps or a formal investigation during the meeting; the DeJulios requested stronger intervention by event hosts at future public forums.