Boston Public Schools administrators have concluded their investigation of sexual harassment allegations at the James F. Condon K-8 School in South Boston and did not find evidence of recent wrongdoing that would justify firing the accused employee, the district said Friday.
Neal O’Brien, a representative for Service Employees International Union Local 888, claimed in an e-mail last month to then-acting School Committee Chairman Michael D. O’Neill and Superintendent Brenda Cassellius that a school employee at Condon allegedly had “repeated discussions of his genitalia in the workplace.”
In its investigation, the district found that the school employee made one inappropriate comment three to five years ago, and it was not reported to the school’s principal, the district’s Office of Equity, or any other district supervisor or manager until last month.
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“That comment will be addressed with the employee consistent with BPS policy,” said Jonathan Palumbo, a spokesman for Boston Public Schools. “One inappropriate comment made three to five years ago is not grounds for termination, whether uttered by a union member or a managerial employee.”
O’Brien also had claimed last month that a school teacher allegedly attempted to attack and intimidate a Condon employee with a car, and that Principal Robert Chisholm did not properly investigate the claims. Palumbo said that the district determined that Chisholm “took appropriate action at the time the incident was reported in January 2021, and no further action is needed.”
“The Condon principal is committed to cultivating greater trust among staff at the school,” Palumbo said. “The Condon’s school superintendent and other district office departments will assist the school to select an outside consultant to help identify key issues there, strengthen relationships, and lead their continuing anti-racism work.”