on 02-27-2009 00:55 
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By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN
PAWTUCKET - One day after a Times article reported that a parent has lodged a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Department of Education against Schools Supt. Hans Dellith, a group of key administrators and teachers have come out to voice strong support for the school chief.
Earlier this week, it was learned that the mother of a 12-year-old boy has alleged that Dellith made racially discriminatory comments to and about her son during a Feb. 10 meeting to discuss the boy's suspension from school. The woman said she contacted School Committee Chairman David Coughlin, who helped her draft a formal complaint that was sent to the Office for Civil Rights.
Coughlin said he made the complaint on the woman's behalf as a citizen and taxpayer of the city, not as a representative of the School Committee.
Dellith did not respond to several requests for comment about the allegations. However, a group of about 60 people, mostly teachers and administrators, showed up at a special session of the School Committee scheduled for Wednesday night. Several came armed with letters of support for Dellith they had been hoping to read publicly at the meeting.
According to numerous sources, the meeting was abruptly adjourned after a dispute among School Committee members over items slated for closed-door discussion.
Those who had wished to read letters or make statements were denied the opportunity given that there was no "public input" session scheduled that night.
JoAnn LaBranche, assistant to the superintendent for high school reform, told The Times that she had wanted to publicly read a letter representing a core team of nine administrators and teachers who have worked closely with Dellith. She and several other administrators said they were frustrated at how the meeting had gone, and with the way the Dellith situation has been handled.
LaBranche noted that the core team are all highly dedicated professionals who would never consider working for a superintendent "who did not always have the best interests of the students at heart."
"Certainly none of us would, even for a moment, tolerate a superintendent who demonstrated prejudice or bias towards any individual or group of students based on race, ethnicity, gender, economic status or any other possible factor," LaBranche said.
She added: "If anything, our experience has been quite the opposite. We have witnessed a superintendent whose door is always open to our families and who always puts children first." She called the complaint against Dellith "ludicrous."
Speaking on behalf of the core team, LaBranche said the way the School Committee appears to be handling the Dellith incident sends a message that, based on an unsubstantiated allegation, "any or all of us could face disciplinary action, and should have no expectation that this School Committee would stand willing or ready to defend their professional staff members against such allegations."
LaBranche criticized several School Committee members, and Coughlin in particular for the way he has been running the meetings as chairman. She and others also faulted him for his involvement in the complaint case, even as a citizen, saying it raises questions of conflicting interests.
Janet Carroll, Title I coordinator for the School Department, said she has been in the education field for 40 years and has collaborated with Dellith and numerous other school superintendents in the state. She praised Dellith for professionalism and management skills, calling him "one of a limited number of educational leaders, one who has students at the center, teachers and parents as the key players and leadership staff who know the difference between a boss and a leader."
Charleen Christy, president of the teachers union, also spoke well of Dellith's professionalism. She said that whenever allegations have been made against teachers, Dellith has always displayed sensitivity to keeping the matter confidential until it was thoroughly investigated. "This flies in the face to have this done to him," Christy stated.
As to the aborted meeting, Coughlin later said it had been slated as a closed-door session, even though the agenda appeared to list a public item pertaining to the fiscal year 2009 budget. He said the action to reconvene in open session was intended strictly to report the executive session votes and to seal the minutes, and no public input element was ever intended.
With committee member David Chellel absent, three other committee members, Nicole Nordquist, Joanne Bonollo and Amy Breault Zolt had sought to have two agenda items, a discussion pertaining to the budget and an item entitled "legal advice - administrative leave," moved to open session. Their action failed in a 3 to 3 vote.
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