{"id":333,"date":"2026-06-12T14:05:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T14:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=333"},"modified":"2026-06-12T14:05:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T14:05:34","slug":"were-walking-on-eggshells-say-some-graham-and-parks-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=333","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We\u2019re walking on eggshells,\u2019 say some Graham and Parks staff"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

For the second time in three years, Graham and Parks School Principal Kathleen Smith faces allegations of creating a toxic culture and calls for a change in leadership by parents and staff.<\/p>\n

Read more The many names of the wood louse<\/a><\/p>\n

Similar allegations were made in 2024, when parents\u2019 complaints led to an external investigation into the school\u2019s culture. The existence of a toxic workplace was \u201cnot substantiated,\u201d the investigation found.<\/p>\n

Controversy about Smith\u2019s leadership resurfaced last fall, when a longtime G&P substitute teacher and volunteer was effectively fired and ultimately sued the district for disability discrimination. Sarah Heine, the plaintiff in the ongoing lawsuit and a volunteer at the school for over 12 years, alleges she was let go by Smith in retaliation for a disability discrimination complaint Heine filed just days before.<\/p>\n

The 2024 allegations are similar to complaints about Smith during her previous role in the Newton Public Schools district. Newton Public Schools paid $315,000 to settle a lawsuit between Smith and a teacher who also alleged disability discrimination, according to Heine\u2019s complaint.<\/p>\n

Several people contacted by Cambridge Day say the behavior described in the lawsuit crosses a line. \u201cI personally think they need to hire a new principal, and ideally somebody who is good at rebuilding and reconciling a community that\u2019s gone through a lot of tension and conflict,\u201d said one staff member.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Staff members requested anonymity for this story because they said they feared retaliation.<\/p>\n

The most \u201chonest\u201d way for the district to proceed \u201cwould be to let [Smith] go,\u201d another staff member said. \u201cTo send a message that that kind of behavior isn\u2019t tolerated, and that she\u2019s done harm to our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

G&P parent Lilly Havstad resigned from the school council last month after Superintendent Dave Murphy did not take action against Smith, and her requests to discuss the situation at school council meetings were denied.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it became clear to me that Murphy was not going to announce a non-renew decision and signal to our community that we were going to see the end of this whole nightmare, I felt deeply disappointed,\u201d Havstad said.<\/p>\n

Neither Smith nor the district responded to requests for comment on the litigation.<\/p>\n

Several staff members described a difficult environment at the school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI walk on eggshells . . . because you just don\u2019t know when [Smith] is going to go after you,\u201d one staff member said.<\/p>\n

Negative teacher evaluations were cited by several as a form of retribution favored by Smith. One staff member said Smith has \u201cweaponized the teacher evaluation system,\u201d while another said that \u201cpeople who are more outspoken are suddenly getting bad evaluations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the comments in the evaluations are so petty, and they\u2019re not really based on anything pedagogical,\u201d a different staff member said.<\/p>\n

Chris Montero, President of the Cambridge Education Association, the teachers\u2019 union, said when allegations of retaliation arose earlier this year, he proposed that G&P evaluations be handled by someone in the central administration. The proposal was declined.<\/p>\n

There has been no formal indication that a leadership change is in the works at G&P.<\/p>\n

The Harvard Crimson reported that Smith\u2019s contract had been renewed, but a district spokesperson reached on Wednesday would not verify that the contract had been renewed. However, the spokesperson also said there is no evidence that Smith\u2019s contract will not be renewed.<\/p>\n

Read more Winding down with old friends at Tampopo<\/a><\/p>\n

Staff members allege retaliatory culture<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Other interviews with staff members detail a school with a morale issue and a desire for change in leadership. One said G&P could excel with \u201ca principal that put energy into culture and had assemblies and made people feel good about themselves,\u201d explaining the school\u2019s \u201ctop-down structure\u201d and lack of school-wide events.<\/p>\n

Anna Shin, one of the most vocal parents in the 2024 effort to oust Smith, moved her child from G&P to Baldwin this year and is happy with the culture at Baldwin. Shin described her time at G&P as one dominated by fights with Smith, which she said led to eight families in her child\u2019s class leaving for private schools in the last two years.<\/p>\n

Not everyone said they were unhappy with Smith. One staff member called Smith a \u201csmart\u201d principal and said her \u201ccommitment to helping our most vulnerable students is genuine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, district data on G&P appear to support the idea of a morale issue.<\/p>\n

In a teacher and staff satisfaction survey from last year, G&P scored among the lowest in the district, beating only Cambridgeport and Fletcher Maynard Academy in most categories. A little over half of teachers reported a sense of belonging and a positive school climate at the school, while only 36 percent of teachers reported quality feedback and coaching.<\/p>\n

In kindergarten school choice data, G&P has witnessed the largest decline in popularity of any district elementary school in recent years, from its standing as one of the most popular choices in 2022, when 54 families ranked the school as their first choice, to one of the least favorable in 2025, when 16 families ranked it first.<\/p>\n

Discrimination lawsuit resurrects old concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n

New documents added to Heine\u2019s complaint in late April include emails from Smith that directly reference Heine\u2019s disability and its impact on providing \u201ca safe learning environment\u201d for students. \u00a0<\/p>\n

One email read: \u201cHi all. Is there a job description for substitutes? This person is in a wheelchair with significant mobility challenges. I canceled the assignment and have previously blocked this person from picking up assignments at G&P. This is something we were advised to do for other substitutes that do not create a safe learning environment for students. Please advise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been incredibly upsetting and demoralizing,\u201d Heine told Cambridge Day. \u201cGoing [to G&P] has been a large part of my life, so to suddenly be excommunicated from this great community was not fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heine\u2019s dismissal appears to be part of a broader move to restrict volunteers at Graham and Parks. Four days after Heine filed her initial complaint, Smith modified the volunteer policy in the school\u2019s handbook to require any volunteers to be approved by \u201cschool leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Path forward uncertain<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Superintendent Murphy has taken steps to improve the culture at G&P. As interim superintendent in fall 2024, he assigned the well-regarded former principal of Fletcher Maynard Academy, Robin Harris, to G&P. Harris is running the Community Vision Task Force, which aims to help Smith, staff, and parents talk through disagreements.<\/p>\n

With the school year coming to a close, it is unclear what might happen with the leadership situation at G&P. The district did not reply to a question about whether it might take further steps.<\/p>\n

Montero said \u201cpart of the [district] response has been to question the credibility of people\u2019s fears.\u201d<\/p>\n

School Committee Member Luisa de Paula Santos said it could make sense to \u201cremove the person from the situation while you investigate what\u2019s happening, so that any additional harm cannot happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neither is aware of further steps to address concerns, and the district did not respond to an inquiry.<\/p>\n

Read more Fifty years since recombination debate ushered in biotech in Cambridge<\/a><\/p>\n

Eugenia Schraa Huh contributed reporting to this story.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the second time in three years, Graham and Parks School Principal Kathleen Smith faces allegations of creating a toxic culture and calls for a change in leadership by parents and staff. 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