Parents and residents raise bullying, search and photography concerns during Pembroke School Committee public comment

Several parents and residents used the public-comment period at the March 4 Pembroke School Committee meeting to raise concerns about student treatment, staff conduct and a community member taking photos at a school drop-off.

Katie McPhail, identified herself as a "Pembroke mother of 5," told the committee her family had received strong support from most district staff over 17 years but said one of her sons was repeatedly targeted at Pembroke High School by staff and administrators. She described repeated searches, hallway stops and meetings that she said made her son anxious and pushed him out of the building; she quoted a line she said prompted her to speak, saying, "If you stay silent about the problem to keep the peace, there is 0% chance the problem will get fixed."

Rhonda Rosano, another parent, recounted long-running disciplinary incidents involving her son that she said resulted in suspensions, a delayed manifestation review and restrictions on access to video evidence. She said the family had hired an attorney after being denied access to video footage and written statements and described what she called "harassing and intimidating" questioning by an administrator. "This behavior has been going on far too long, and it needs to stop now before more students and staff are harmed," Rosano told the committee.

A different parent, Angelina, asked about an incident at another elementary school morning drop-off in which a community visitor took photos and videos of children. She asked, "Why was he allowed where I'm not allowed near our children? What's the policy on that?" District staff responded that school campuses are open during the day but that entering buildings requires presentation of a license via the Raptor visitor system; the town’s health agent and the superintendent were cited in the explanation. Administrators said taking photos of children on campus is not permitted when it invades privacy or violates no-photo lists, and that an individual who had been taking pictures at a sidewalk location was reminded it was not a political event and had the right to photograph adults participating in the demonstration.

Committee and administration response - Chair Patrick (chairman) said public comment rules restrict personally identifiable attacks on employees and encouraged residents to submit materials ahead of time when they want the committee to take the item up for formal discussion. - The committee chair said the district will follow established grievance and investigatory processes for any personnel complaints and noted that the committee and administration were preparing to enter executive session later in the meeting for bargaining; he said, "I would not endanger my kids. I would not endanger your kids." (chair's remarks during meeting.)

What the meeting did not resolve - The public comment period did not produce any formal actions or votes on the personnel allegations; the chair and administration repeatedly urged use of the district’s established grievance channels for individual employee matters. - Parents who raised concerns said they wanted better access to records and clearer timelines for investigative steps; the administration encouraged families to provide written material and said staff would respond through appropriate channels.

The committee acknowledged strong emotions in the room and reiterated that it would follow legal and contractual procedures in investigating or addressing personnel matters rather than handling them in public comment.