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School Committee members say ‘unprofessional’ comment intended as joke
PHOTO/HCAM-TV SCREENSHOT
Two members of the School Committee have reconciled a moment they say was meant to be in jest but was seen by some as rude and unprofessional.
The moment in question occurred during the start of the Aug. 14 School Committee meeting. Member Chris Masters, who attended the meeting virtually, experienced technical difficulties connecting with his audio. At around the 2-minute mark in the live broadcast on HCAM-TV, one member said, “Oh, we can’t hear you Chris.”
Member Susan Stephenson then remarked, “Nor do we want to.”
The comment was not heard by Masters at the time, and the meeting proceeded as normal. But at least one person in town who watched the meeting found the comment inappropriate and unprofessional.
In a letter to the editor, Ashley Fogg, a former candidate for the School Committee, called the comment demeaning and unprofessional.
“It was an attempt to silence a colleague, and it was deeply disrespectful,” Fogg stated in her letter. She also characterized Masters as “often the lone voice of dissent” and warned that silencing voices like his silences the residents who elected him.
Fogg told the Independent that she had reached out to Masters before penning her letter to let him know of the comment. “He expressed disappointment that the comment was made and wasn’t aware of it, and that’s why I wrote [the letter],” she explained.
Masters has since connected with Stephenson. “Susan reached out to me directly to clear the air and confirmed it was said jokingly,” he stated in an email.
Stephenson attributed her lapse in decorum to a “familiar pattern of bantering back and forth” with Masters and expressed regret over the situation. Despite the comment, she expressed respect for her fellow School Committee member and his contributions to the school district.
“I truly appreciate his focus on the fiduciary matters as he has demonstrated in our construction discussions,” Stephenson stated. “He is able to ask questions that, given my professional background, I and others might not think of given his experience.”
Although Stephenson confirmed the comment was a joke, Fogg’s perspective on the issue remained the same. “Regardless of whether it’s a joke or not, I find the comment to be extremely inappropriate, and it was in a public setting,” she said. However, she acknowledged that the situation had been worked out between Masters and Stephenson and hoped the committee will remain attentive to students and the larger community.
Masters also hoped to keep the focus on Hopkinton schools.
“I’m on the School Committee for two reasons,” he stated. “First, to help ensure that the students of Hopkinton receive the best education possible, and second, to ensure that we spend everyone’s hard-earned tax dollars wisely on schools and education. Now let’s get back to focusing on supporting the kids, teachers, staff and administrators so we can all have a productive school year.”
— NICK SCHOFIELD
Latest News
The Historical Society is working to uncover the story of Cuff Tindy, a slave born in Hopkinton who won his freedom by fighting in the American Revolution.
Hopkinton Fire Department crews freed a trapped driver Wednesday morning after a two-car collision at the intersection of School Street and West Elm Street.
The Department of Public Works will commence work on Barbara Road, Peppercorn Road and Dicarlo Road starting on Tuesday and continuing through September.
Our latest Schools Notebook column highlights spring graduates from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and other universities.
This week’s Police Log features one arrest, along with reports of an individual falling into a manhole, a leaking sewer treatment facility and someone camping on West Main Street.
Town meetings tonight include the Cultural Council (6:30) and School Committee (7).
Photo of the Day
Fresh tomatoes sit in a bowl outside a home on Pleasant Street on a recent afternoon.
PHOTO/JERRY SPAR
I am so glad that the third world war was averted over that inside joke. Phew.
It’s surprising to see The Hopkinton Independent run a follow-up piece to a private citizen’s letter, something that almost never happens. It feels less like balanced reporting and more like an effort to smooth over an incident that struck a nerve with many in the community. The comment made during the School Committee meeting was inappropriate, regardless of intent, and it’s worth noting that no public apology was ever offered. While it’s good to hear that the individuals involved have spoken privately, the larger issue remains: how we treat differing perspectives in public discourse. When a member who often voices dissent is dismissed with a joke, it sends the wrong message, not just to him but to the voters he represents. We should expect better from both our elected officials and our local media.
If the issue truly “struck a nerve with many in the community” as you claim, then running a follow-up piece on the resolution seems like a fairly logical step for a local newspaper, no? It also appears that the participants (Masters/Stephenson) were the ones who smoothed this over, not the newspaper that reported on said smoothing.
So – was this whole situation the big deal it was made out to be, or wasn’t it?
I would doubt that there are that many snowflakes in Hopkinton whose nerves were struck by a joke. This had nothing to do with differing perspectives or the dissent voiced by Chris Masters. We should expect better from people who lose elections and keep crying about it.