Falmouth commenters allege misleading grant narrative, cite EEC investigation and call for accountability

Several residents used the public-comment period of the Falmouth Public Schools School Committee meeting to raise allegations about the district’s handling of a Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) grant application and to call for stronger oversight of the superintendent.

The speakers said an EEC investigation is under way after questions about the district’s February grant application for preschool classrooms. "These grant funded classrooms are required to operate 10 hours a day, year round," Michelle Russell said, describing the application she said the superintendent submitted for $372,000 to create three preschool classrooms. She told the committee she emailed the superintendent multiple times about "misleading and false statements" in the grant narrative and received no reply; the EEC then sought clarification from the…