Terri Forsten, the superintendent of the Concord School District, has resigned. Forsten has been on administrative leave since September, after public outcry over her handling of allegations of sexual misconduct by a former teacher. The school board officially accepted her resignation on Friday night.
In a letter to the public, school board members Liza Poinier and Jennifer Patterson wrote, "Had Ms. Forsten exercised her statutory and contractual rights, she would have remained on administrative leave with pay and the ensuing due process hearings and appeals would have stalled the ability of the District to move forward for a year or longer."
The announcement goes on to say: "Forsten acknowledges that the community has lost faith in the ability of the District to provide a safe and secure educational environment. She understands her stepping aside will allow the District to begin the process of regaining the community’s trust."
On Friday, the board voted to provisionally hire Franklyn Bass of Manchester as interim superintendent. Bass has served as an administrator in multiple districts and is currently an adjunct professor at SNHU. Read the board's full letter below:
This post was updated Saturday with the addition of the full board letter.