By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD —A group of residents are circulating petitions seeking to place a question on a ballot that would recall School Committee member Kate DePrizio.
DePrizio ignited a firestorm in town after she made a series of allegations against School Committee member Jamie Hayman during a Sept. 11 meeting. The former school board chair accused Hayman of violating the board’s “ethical standards” by trying to seek “preferential treatment” for his children. She did not present any evidence when making the accusations.
Additionally, DePrizio claimed that Hayman “threatened” her and her children, and called her an expletive during a phone conversation before the Sept. 11 meeting. Police Chief Nick Secatore recently stated in a police report that he “did not hear threats that are of a criminal nature or Jamie mention her family” while listening to an audio recording of Hayman’s side of the conversation.
Chapter 6, Section 4 of the Town Charter states that, “An elective officer of the town may be recalled and removed from public office by the voters of the town as herein provided.”
Town Clerk Amanda Haggstrom informed the Villager that the petitioner of the recall, Apple Hill Lane resident Mark Vitagliano, reached out to her about the recall process. She informed him that he and other residents needed to collect 1,890 signatures from registered voters and return them to the Town Clerk’s Office.
“I recommended a minimum of 2,000 signatures because there are various reasons signatures may be rejected,” said Haggstrom. “Our Charter leaves the entire process up to the petitioner, until they submit the signatures (petition) to the Town Clerk’s Office for certification, confirmed by town counsel. There are no recall papers to ‘pull’ or any sort of requirement of the town to provide petition forms. Our office is responsible for certifying signatures on Town Election nomination papers, nomination papers for all state and federal candidates and signatures for all of the various petitions for ballot questions/referendums. Therefore, I had concerns that the verifying/certifying process would be difficult for our office, as we are in the middle of an unprecedented presidential election, without providing the petitioner proper signature pages. I provided the petitioner with a petition signature form in PDF format that can be used to collect signatures.”
Edgemere Road resident Kimberlee Kossover Hansen said, “This recall petition is not about pitting one School Committee member against another.”
“It is not about choosing sides,” said Kossover Hansen. “It is about the expectation that our elected officials follow Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) policies and treat members of this community with respect. Kate DePrizio must be held accountable for her disingenuous and unprofessional behavior over the past several weeks. The warning letter that was read at the Sept. 11 meeting never should have been read aloud in a public forum, and furthermore it never should have implicated minors. Kate’s actions demonstrate a lack of integrity. If she truly was our humble servant, she would have taken responsibility and apologized to those members of our community whom she publicly slandered. She abused her position to serve her own agenda, which continues to cost this town valuable time and resources that otherwise could be spent on much more important matters, namely, our students, teachers and staff.”
Hampton Court resident Heather Rose agreed.
“This recall petition is a necessary means to an end,” said Rose. “The former School Committee chair willfully deceived her constituents and law enforcement, and egregiously undermined the mental health of two students in our district. That’s a monstrous red flag for anyone with a moral compass and should concern every Lynnfield resident. Sadly, since Mrs. DePrizio will not take accountability for her actions by tendering her resignation, Lynnfield residents will need to do so through a recall.”
Apple Hill Lane resident Steven Grasso said he joined the recall effort against DePrizio after what transpired at the last two School Committee meetings in addition to what previously occurred over the past year.
“I truly believe the community needs to support this effort because what happened was so egregious and so reprehensible that if there are no consequences to bear, what are we teaching our kids,” said Grasso. “Our School Committee should be concentrating on what matters most: Our kids.”
Kossover Hansen said, “This community no longer has confidence in Kate DePrizio’s ability to put the needs of the entire district above her own personal vendettas.”
“Previous claims of receiving complaints in the form of texts, emails etc. have failed to materialize, and we seem to have a trend here,” said Kossover Hansen. “It is really concerning to see a person in a position of leadership intentionally try to harm another community member’s reputation, particularly on baseless, unsubstantiated, undocumented allegations. According to MASC policies, any and all complaints must be in writing, with an investigation to be completed through proper channels.”
Kossover Hansen explained how the recall process would work if the town clerk certifies the 2,000 required signatures from registered voters.
“Residents are being asked to sign a petition to bring the decision to a town vote so that every registered voter in Lynnfield may have the opportunity to participate in a ballot vote, under the protection of anonymity without fear of retaliation or retribution,” said Kossover Hansen. “A vote of no confidence would result in removing Kate DePrizio from office for repeatedly violating protocols and procedures and lying on record to this community. Let’s join together to put an end to all the drama and focus on how we can improve our school system.”
If residents have any questions about the recall, they can visit https://www.lynnfieldrecallpetition.com/. The citizens’ group is also hosting a drive-thru to collect signatures at The Centre at Lynnfield shopping plaza’s back parking lot from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12.
SC reaction
DePrizio emailed the Villager an almost 1,700 word statement, which she also posted on her School Committee Facebook page, about the recall initiative against her. In the statement, she outlines a timeline of events that she said occurred before and after the Sept. 11 meeting. She also called on the school board to fire attorney Colby Brunt.
“The committee has now elected to close this matter and to move forward, placing it in the past,” DePrizio wrote. “I too am seeking to move forward with the goals of continuing to pursue the good work of this committee. It is our objective to inspire excellence in teaching and learning, while prioritizing every student, every day, in every way. However, this does not mean that I will be bullied into silence by those continuing to distort the facts of what occurred. I will not hide in shadows because we are uncomfortable with having honest, difficult conversations. I will not allow people, who came forward in good faith, to be silenced, afraid to speak out. I will continue to believe and do all that I can to protect staff, students and the district, as I have always done. Thank you to all the staff, residents, neighbors and friends who have shown great kindness and support to me and my family during this time. I remain your public servant.”
School Committee Chair Kristen Grieco Elworthy declined commenting on the recall petition or people calling on DePrizio to resign.
“I’m not going to speak for the School Committee, just myself personally, and I won’t comment one way or the next because I don’t think it’s my place to take a stance considering the School Committee would be part of appointing the replacement to someone who resigns or is recalled,” said Elworthy. “I think it’s a bad precedent to pressure someone to do so from the committee itself. All five of us are elected committee members, and we need to work together for the good of the district and the town. Sowing additional division among the members doesn’t help that. This is really up to the voters in my opinion, and it’s not my place to support it or not.”
School Committee Vice Chair Jenny Sheehan shares the same viewpoint as Elworthy.
“In regards to the recall petition against Kate, I am not comfortable voicing a public stance for two reasons,” said Sheehan. “I believe it’s inappropriate for me to weigh in considering if the recall were to pass, I would have an active vote in the appointed replacement of this member. Whatever my personal feelings are on the matter, the School Committee has no authority to remove a member. We were each elected, and we must all work together as a board. We have important work upcoming with curriculum presentations, a Lynnfield Educational Trust presentation, budget season and collective bargaining. I am focused on doing this work and only this work, as these are the things I have control over.”
School Committee member Jim Dillon wrote in an email: “As a School Committee member, my focus is and will be on student achievement, and the policies involving teaching, learning and school culture that impact it.”
Hayman also sent the Villager a statement about the recall petition.
“Speaking for myself, not on behalf of the committee, we have a lot of important work to do to push this district forward,” said Hayman. “In order for that to happen, we first have to rebuild the community’s trust in this School Committee.”