The superintendent will remain in his position in Stoneham, Massachusetts, despite calls for him to step down after delays in communication to families following the arrest of a man walking school grounds with two knives.
The Stoneham School Committee said Friday that it wanted to provide an update on the March 21 incident that occurred outside South Elementary School as part of its "ongoing commitment to public transparency."
They provided a timeline of what happened that day, saying it has been verified by the Stoneham Police Department. They also said they have met multiple times in the past week to review the timeline, safety procedures, policies and communication measures.
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Police say they responded to the South School on March 21 after receiving a report of an unknown person walking around school grounds. Officers arrived within minutes and found a man with a knife -- later identified as 31-year-old James McCarty -- experiencing what appeared to be a mental health crisis. He attempted to run away but he was arrested without incident and taken to a local hospital.
McCarty was once registered as a level one sex offender for dissemination of child pornography after a conviction in 2013, but he's no longer required to register.
He's now facing charges including carrying a dangerous weapon while on school property and disorderly conduct. Police have said there was no danger to the school community, emphasizing that he never entered the school building and had no contact with any students. Still, parents say they wish they'd been notified sooner about what happened and they're angry.
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According to the school committee, the superintendent did not violate any district policies, as public communication is left to the discretion of the administration, however they did note that they disagree with the judgement call he made not to inform the public.
"Superintendent [David] Ljungberg made the decision to not inform the community about this event based on the information available at the time, including that this appeared to be a mental health crisis, Stoneham Police had responded quickly, and there was no disruption to the school day," the school committee said in a statement.
Despite what happened, the school committee said Ljungberg will remain in his position. They also said appropriate personnel action has been taken based on the findings of their investigation, however details as to any such action will not be disclosed publicly due to applicable Massachusetts law about personnel records and individual privacy rights.
“While it is encouraging that our school safety procedures resulted in a safe outcome for students, staff, and the community, we understand that the communication following the incident was a failure in judgment," members said in a joint statement. "We apologize for the distress this has caused. We recognize that promptly sharing as much information as possible, and updating our community as needed, is the minimum expectation. As a school district, we will do better to ensure this lack of communication does not happen again."
The school committee said in addition to reviewing their policies and protocols, they also plan to take part in joint training with other agencies surrounding communications, public outreach, and media relations for school-related public safety incidents.
They thanked Stoneham police for their swift action and continued partnership, and lastly they thanked the Stoneham community for its constructive feedback and dialogue.
"School safety will remain our top priority and we look forward to continuing to work together on that shared mission,” their statement concluded.
