The following article written by Jessie Forand, Messenger Staff Writer appeared in the Monday Evening Edition, June 10, 2013 of The St. Albans Messenger:
Decision angers some seniors
By JESSIE FORAND
Messenger Staff Writer
FAIRFAX - The man first chosen by students to be the commencement speaker this Saturday at Bellows Free Academy, Fairfax's commencement ceremonies has been barred from doing so.
John Woodley was a special education teacher at the school who recently resigned and although the senior class students voted to have him speak, the school administration has rejected the idea.
BFA senior Lyla O'Brien contacted the Messenger to explain, saying "I, and a large portion of the senior class at BFA have become very discontented and disturbed by the administration at our school."
She claimed the graduating class was given the opportunity to vote on a speaker, with no restrictions given.
The majority of the seniors voted for Woodley; she said, during a meeting supervised by teachers, who also serve as advisors.
"Later that week, although there were no formal announcements, the senior class heard we had to revote for our class speaker because Mr. Woodley was not allowed to speak, although no reason was given why;" she continued.
O'Brien and fellow students became "outraged" at the school administration, she said, adding that she and classmate Emily Filiberti met with the school's principal Michael Clark in hopes of learning why their choice of a speaker had been denied, a decision they felt was unfair and a denial of students' rights.
Clark, she claimed, refused to provide a reason, saying that any information that could be given was "confidential."
O'Brien said she asked Clark, "Is Mr. Woodley allowed on school grounds?" She said that no answer was given.
"What was most disturbing about this meeting was I knew why Mr. Woodley did not work at BFA at the school anymore," O'Brien said, adding that strained relationships with school leadership have led some
faculty members to leave their positions at the school.
She c,ontinued, "As students we have a right to be informed and I am outraged at the way my school treats both its students and its faculty. I believe that graduation is about the seniors and we should be allowed to make important decisions as adults and question the authority of the administration."
O'Brien's mother, Paula Minch, also contacted the Messenger.
"They (the students) overwhelmingly voted for Mr. Woodley, a former teacher at the school. A week later the seniors were told they had to revote but no reason was given why Mr. Woodley could not speak. They revoted with more than half the class missing because they are all so angry about it. Now a little more than a week before graduation they will not tell the seniors who will be speaking at their graduation," she claimed.
However, Clark told the Messenger this morning, "The school is very proud to have Katie Mack as its graduation speaker."
Mack is a teacher and soccer coach at the school.
Clark said of Mack, "The students nominated and voted her in."
That vote occurred May 20, he said. This came days after Woodley said he had been chosen. In that voting process, Clark said, a number of faculty members were nominated, students voted, "and Katie Mack was
the person that they selected in that nomination."
When asked about Woodley specifically, Clark said, "If you want to talk about John Woodley you're going to have at the superintendent's level."
Superintendent Ned Kirsch said this morning that he had not heard from students or parents, concerned about the speaker.
"I don't think it's an issue, 1 think the biggest thing is, we have a graduation coming up Saturday and we're going to be celebrating great accomplishments of hard work for a ton of kids, and really; to me, that's what's important," he said.
Kirsch said the high school principal felt it wasn't an appropriate decision to have Woodley speak. Kirsch said he supported that decision.
When asked for specifics he said, "As I'm sure you know, there's just some things that we're not at liberty to discuss."
Kirsch said he had not seen anything like this happen during his three years as superintendent with the Franklin Northwest Supervisory Union.
"I'm focusing on a real positive graduation. I'm really surprised that this is the story, but, you know, I haven't read the story, obviously" he said.
The superintendent said "he was surprised that he had not been contacted by those offering complaints. "I'm not sure where this is all coming from," he added.
Kirsch said he looks forward to Saturday's graduation when "kids and parents and community celebrate our amazing seniors who are graduating and entering the world and following their dreams."
Woodley, while he wished to comment further, told the Messenger that he also was barred from doing so under conditions agreed to at the time of his resignation.
However, he did allege that other Fairfax teachers fear retaliation should they speak out and that students are "feeling bullied and not listened to."
Woodley said he was "concerned that the behavior of administration runs completely contrary to the mission statement of the school and contrary to the supervisory union action plan, not to mention basic
human dignity."
Bellows Free Academy, Fairfax, according to that plan, "is committed to ensuring all students become informed, literate, critical thinkers who demonstrate responsible social and civic behaviors."
O'Brien said she felt graduation should be focused on the school's seniors, too, but that they should be allowed to make adult decisions and question the authority of administrators.
"I want the administration to know that the senior class is not happy with our principal especially and we deserve change," she said.