Parents and advocates for children packed a Concord School Board meeting on Monday to give input on the district’s policies on sexual harassment, abuse and community safety.
The meeting came after revelations that the district mishandled allegations against Primo “Howie” Leung, a former special ed teacher, who is now facing charges of sexually assaulting a Concord student.
Listen: NHPR’s education reporter Sarah Gibson spoke with Morning Edition Host Rick Ganley about what community members had to say during the meeting Monday.
A different student was suspended when she raised concerns about Leung five years ago.
That student's mother, Kate Frey, said the meeting Monday night was a good start, but families want more.
“I feel that the district really needs to own some of this and apologize for some missteps and mistakes,” Frey said.
Parents pushed the district to invest in staff training on sexual harassment and improve its reporting system.
Attendee Betsy MacNamara says they also want the district to share the report from its internal investigation into the case.
“We just need to see that report to the full extent possible while protecting confidentiality, and parents will be applying the pressure for that,” MacNamara said.
The report is expected later this month. The district will continue to work on its policies and hold another public meeting in two weeks.
