BOSTON (WHDH) – A Jamaica Plain school is receiving a failing grade from the Boston superintendent.
Dr. Brenda Casseillus is recommending that Mission Hill School, which has been open since 2012, close at the end of this school year after an explosive report detailing years of sex and violence among the student body.
“Based on the persistent pattern of abuse confirmed in this independent report, the only viable option is to close the school and support students as they transition to other schools in the district,” a district spokesperson wrote Wednesday night.
The lengthy 195-page report says the investigation into the school was opened last fall when Casseillus contacted the Hinckley Allen law firm. She asked them to investigate a number of allegations made about the environment and culture at this pilot school in Jamaica Plain. Investigators say they conducted 65 interviews and reviewed more than 2 million documents related to incidents dating back to 2014.
Some of the failures of school personnel described in this report include the following:
The school failed to protect students from threats of sexual misconduct and abuse from other students.
The school did not adequately address bullying.
Some staff routinely dismissed complaints.
The report details other safety concerns such as student-to-student violence, threats, and even students having weapons. Additionally, the report found that the school did not deliver sufficient academic curriculum, which was reflected in several ways, including low MCAS scores. The report also says the school failed to provide special needs services or ensure equity among all students, regardless of gender or race.
Those researchers now call it “a failed school.”
Mission Hill is a pilot school that was founded in Roxbury in 1997. About 200 students in grades K-8 attend.
Some of their parents told investigators that the school can be cult-like and that some members of the school leadership created an environment of retaliation and hostility.
The district said all staff members who were involved in any of the cases outlined in the report are either no longer in the BPS system or have been suspended pending the outcome of further investigations.
Any staff member who has not been involved will receive assistance in finding work at other schools in the system.
“I am devastated to learn of the persistent abuse at Mission Hill School. While closing is never an easy decision, in this case it is the right one. During this transition period for BPS, I am committed to building a leadership team and culture that provides accountability at all levels of the district and ensures that no child experiences violence in our schools,” said Mayor Michelle Wu.
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