The arrest of Pittsfield High School dean of students Lavante Wiggins earlier this month on federal cocaine trafficking charges was followed by two other PHS administrators being put on leave amid investigations by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, or DCF. A former PHS employee is also being investigated by the DCF over allegations of misconduct while working at the school. Last week, the Pittsfield school committee called for an investigation by an outside body after outcry from city residents desperate for answers.
Jackie Ricci teaches in the Pittsfield Public Schools, sends her children to city schools, and is a graduate of the district.
“Recently, shocking events have come to light. A dean of students accused of trafficking drugs and a vice principal alleged to have engaged in inappropriate relationships with students," she said at the school committee meeting. "These horrifying incidents are not isolated. Rumors persist about other staff following similar paths and as a parent and teacher, I am furious. An entire school community has been endangered by unqualified and improperly trained administrators. How did these individuals ever receive these roles without the necessary training and licensing?”
In addition to that scandal, the Berkshire Eagle reports that the DCF is now also investigating a former PHS English teacher who is being sued alongside the district for allegedly sexually harassing a student.
“I'm really grateful to all the parents who have reached out to share their thoughts and personal experiences with me. It's been really helpful to get some insight about what people are experiencing on the ground, and based on that and all the reporting that's been going on, I just couldn't stay silent, knowing that our community is suffering around this," said At-large councilor Alisa Costa, a co-signatory on the petition alongside the other four women on the 11-member council. “I want the city council to support the school committee and the mayor in meeting the needs of our incredible educators and students while ensuring that the process is as transparent as possible, so that justice is served. Our community deserves no less than that, and that's really important, that we not be silent in this moment.”
Costa declined to identify specifics about what the investigation must address, saying experts in the process should dictate its goals.
“I think we need to be united in supporting our school community to make sure that whatever we learn happened never happens again, and that's going to take work," the councilor told WAMC. "We have to be willing to go through whatever this painful process is going to be. This is not fun for anyone, and we just need to keep focused on what's really important, which is ensuring justice is served and that we're supporting our students and educators in the best way possible.”
Under the terms of the city charter, the city council has no jurisdiction over the investigation.
“It doesn't look great for the city, but I don't want to come to any conclusions before I see the results of investigations done by whoever the school department contracts with to do the investigations of hiring practices or the investigations that are out there," said city council President Pete White. “I watched the school committee meeting. I thought that the school department, school committee, they're going about this in what needs to be done. And I think at this point in time, we could feel a little better that it's being handled, it's being addressed, and then once we have answers from investigations being done, we can make second guesses, or Monday morning quarterback at them. But for right now, we just have to make sure we get the accurate information from these investigations so we're making decisions based on reality versus just hearsay that's out there. And it won't be the city council doing this, it's the school committee that's elected by the people to handle our schools.”
On December 30th, the Pittsfield Public School Committee will hold its own special meeting to vote on hiring the Bulkley Richardson & Gelinas law firm of Springfield to conduct the investigation.
