The Cambridge Public Schools have hired a law firm to conduct an outside review of the principal of an alternative elementary school amid complaints by a parent group about her leadership style, according to officials and published reports.
The parents had raised concerns about Kathleen M. Smith, principal of the Graham and Parks School, which serves students in pre-K through fifth grade, the Harvard Crimson reported earlier this month.
“The district has contracted ... an impartial external review of all the concerns raised and allegations made by a small, yet vocal group of parents,” a spokesperson for the school system, Sujata Wycoff, said in a statement Tuesday. “The district does not, has not, and will not comment or respond to inquiries involving personnel matters. Following the completion of the confidential review, the matter will be addressed in a manner that aligns with the appropriate employment laws and district policies and procedures.”
Eight parents told the Crimson, Harvard University’s student newspaper, that they were troubled by what they perceived as Smith’s lack of transparency. The parents said they objected to reassignments of assistant teachers in classrooms and a police presence outside school and also had questions about the future of the school’s project-based learning methodology.
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Smith didn’t respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
The parent group that raised concerns, the G&P Caregiver Coalition, issued a statement in January that laid out a number of issues with Smith’s leadership, including what it said were anonymous complaints from teachers.
The statement was headlined “Cambridge School District Opens Investigation into Toxic Work Environment at the Graham & Parks Elementary School.”
According to the statement, the coalition “collected anonymous reports from a few brave Graham & Parks staff members. They report that the school culture under Dr. Smith is ‘tense,’ ‘toxic,’ and ‘unsustainable.’ They say they feel ‘anxious,’ ‘targeted,’ and ‘disrespected’ by Dr. Smith.”
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The group also said it had obtained public records indicating that Smith, in her prior post as principal of Underwood Elementary School in Newton, had faced allegations from the teacher’s union there that she harassed and intimidated staffers and retaliated against those who disagreed with her.
Heather Richards, executive director of human resources for the Newton schools, issued findings in a June 2019 report that Smith’s behavior “did not meet the definition of a hostile working environment” but “did rise to a toxic working environment,” according to records shared by the group. Richards advised that “the school needs new leadership.”
Newton Superintendent Anna Nolin didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about Smith’s time at Underwood.
On Tuesday, the parent group said that in December it sent Smith and district leaders a petition “raising concerns about her leadership style. Neither Smith nor District leaders took any action based on our concerns. Smith acknowledged receipt of our petition but, to date, has never responded to our concerns.”
The petition was signed by “116 Graham & Parks caregivers,” the group said.
On Jan. 5, Cambridge Superintendent Victoria L. Greer sent an email to the coalition acknowledging its “deep concerns about Principal Kathleen Smith’s leadership,” according to records provided by the group.
“As part of this review, we have engaged a law firm to review the concerns related to school climate and a toxic work environment at the Graham & Parks School as well as the concerns raised regarding the hiring process for Dr. Smith,” Greer wrote.
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The school has about 400 students and has a student-teacher ratio of about 10 to 1, according to state records.
“We are committed to a child-centered, interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning where all children feel safe and a sense of belonging,” says Smith in an entry on the school’s website. “We work hard to strike the right balance of support and challenge for each child. The work that students, faculty and staff engage in can be characterized by collaboration, perseverance, and risk-taking. Our goal is to ensure each child thrives.”
Some parents have spoken out in support of Smith. Writing in the Cambridge Day in January, parent Christian Henry of the Graham and Parks School Council praised the principal.
“Over the past 18 months, our principal, Kathleen Smith, has openly communicated our collective long-term underperformance and the necessity of reallocating resources to address our highest areas of need,” Henry wrote. “Smith has shown immense fortitude by refusing to let us look away from the stark reality we face as a school.”
This breaking news story will be updated when more information is released.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.