Fall River public commenters urge investigation after reports of prior administrative leave for committee member
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Summary
Multiple public speakers at the Dec. 8 School Committee meeting urged an investigation into public reports that a current committee member had been placed on administrative leave and later resigned from a separate district role amid concerns about handling a child-abuse allegation.
Several residents used public comment on Dec. 8 to tell the School Committee they want a formal, transparent review after press reports and social-media posts connected a school committee member to an administrative-leave matter in another district.
Mimi Larrivee, speaking as a long-time Fall River resident and educator, said a current committee member "was placed on administrative leave, and then resigned after concerns were raised about how a child abuse allegation was handled." She urged the new committee to treat the matter with "far more seriousness and urgency" and said even the appearance of mishandling abuse is incompatible with expectations for school leaders.
Rina Brown said she filed a public-records request and received more than 70 communications involving a woman who has since filed litigation naming the city and school department; Brown said the volume of messages raised questions about transparency and potential appearances of impropriety and urged an immediate investigation into the allegations.
Tom Corey and other commenters echoed concerns and asked the committee chair and superintendent to evaluate whether the named committee member should continue to serve. Pereira — one of the outgoing members and a onetime principal — urged the committee to investigate, saying "if the investigations lead to a guilty charge of child negligence, then I would urge him to step down." She emphasized due process but stressed the committee should prioritize student safety.
Administration response: The chair and superintendent acknowledged the comments and said the committee would "get to the bottom of this" and that subcommittee and committee structures exist to review personnel and policy matters. No formal vote to open an independent investigation was taken during the meeting; multiple speakers and committee members requested that information be gathered and that the committee consider launching its own review.
What’s next: Committee members asked the administration to investigate or provide a referral path; residents requested that the committee pursue prompt, transparent answers about reporting to DCF and other agencies. Several callers urged the district to clarify what steps were taken and whether mandated reporting obligations were satisfied.
Sources: Public remarks and submitted letters during Dec. 8 public comment period.