By Nancy White/nwhite@cnc.com
GateHouse News Service
Posted Aug 17, 2010 @ 03:38 PM
Last update Aug 19, 2010 @ 02:40 PM
Cohasset —
A Facebook post has cost a member of the Cohasset Public School administration her job.
Earlier this week, several parents discovered the Facebook profile of Dr. June Talvitie-Siple, program supervisor for the science and mathematics department, and found several of what they viewed as inappropriate comments.
The public profile was brought to the attention of Superintendent Denise Walsh and the School Committee via e-mail on Monday afternoon.
According to School Committee members, by Tuesday afternoon, Walsh, who is on vacation and out of the country, requested and received Siple’s resignation.
The sequence of events has caused a firestorm of media coverage drawing several of the television stations to town on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Siple’s public Facebook page, available to anyone searching for her name, had two posts, in particular, that drew attention.
A recent comment from late July calls the residents of Cohasset “so arrogant and snobby.” In the same comment Siple said she is “so not looking forward to another year at Cohasset Schools.”
In another post, dated February 4, Siple described her current health for which she said she was taking three antibiotics: “Now I remember why I stopped teaching! Kids…they are all germ bags!”
In a phone interview Tuesday morning, Siple, 56, confirmed she did write the Facebook postings, but only intended them to be viewed by her 50 Facebook friends.
“They weren’t meant for the rest of the world…most of it was a joke and my friends would have understood that,” Siple said. “I didn’t think it was a public Facebook page.”
Sometime Tuesday morning Siple’s privacy settings were altered so the public can no longer view the wall or its content.
The Mariner spoke to Siple from her Plymouth home shortly before she tendered her resignation. She indicated that there have been issues between parents and the administration.
She said there have been “lies” and “disturbing behavior” directed at the administration that has yet to be addressed. She declined to comment further, or give details, of what she was referring to during the phone interview.
“I’m not going to further the discussion by retaliating,” Siple said, adding, “I’m under a lot of stress.”
In subsequent interviews with the TV media, to which she has spoken freely, she has stood by her comments as she feels they are truthful and only regrets they became public. She told WCVB-Channel 5, “Cohasset has demonstrated to me and the rest of the administration as being extremely arrogant and quite snobby."
Siple has been at Cohasset Schools for about a year in the position of program supervisor for the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) department. She was the first person to fill this newly created position for the 2009-2010 school year (see sidebar).
According to her résumé, she also taught graduate courses in science and math teacher methods at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in addition to her Cohasset job.
Siple (and the other two program supervisors) signed contracts for a one-year extension in late June. The program supervisor salary for the upcoming school year is $92,636, which includes 2.5 percent increase over last year. It is the same percentage increase as the teachers received this year.
The Mariner called the Superintendent of Schools’ office on Tuesday morning to see if Walsh could be reached for comment on the situation. Through her administrative assistant Jean Callahan, Walsh relayed she is in out of the country on vacation until the end of the month and did not have details to respond to the Mariner’s request for comment.
Shortly before 1p.m. on Tuesday Dr. Walsh sent an e-mail to the members of the School Committee. In it Walsh states, “After confirming the quotes I have immediately called for Dr. Siple’s resignation for conduct unbecoming any professional as well as her disrespect for the community effective immediately.”
An e-mail sent five minutes later confirms Dr. Siple’s resignation.
School Committee and community react
School Committee members reached on Tuesday, vice chair Alfred Slanetz, Jeanne Astino and Linda Snowdale, said the comments were “inappropriate.”
Astino said the situation was “pretty serious” and hoped it would be addressed right away. Her initial reaction to the comments was disbelief, “I was speechless…It’s very disconcerting and very unprofessional.”
Slanetz said the comments – and the fact they were in the public domain – were “surprising.”
“It’s not something that should have been done…it doesn’t show the best judgment,” Slanetz said.
School Committee member Paul Schubert said the situation was “disappointing.”
“We have high expectations for our kids and those expectations are the same for our employees,” Schubert said Wednesday. “We have great parents in town and I hate to see that stereotype (Siple described on Facebook) out there…it’s unfortunate.”
Currently, there are no policies in place for Facebook usage by school employees. Policies do exist for internet use on school computers. Snowdale said the school committee might have to work on a specific policy for Facebook.
Astino said she would be suggesting the policy sub-committee begin work on a policy on professional conduct.
As word spread about the Facebook posts, largely through e-mail, parents reacted.
Diane Danielson, a parent who has written extensively on social networking and its appropriate uses, said many Facebook users are not using their privacy controls to their advantage.
“This is basically employment 101: don’t insult your employer in a bad economy in a public forum,” Danielson said.
“As one of the most highly compensated employees on the school payroll, I expect a little more. I expect a lot more. The lack of technological acumen is also disturbing, especially considering her leadership role in technology education in our schools,” said Trish Morse of Forest Avenue.
Morse also hoped the events could be a lesson for all.
“At the very least, it will be a lesson to young and old on the very public nature of social media and how to use it wisely,” Morse said.
The Facebook posts
There were more than a dozen Facebook status updates from Siple on her profile wall, most were innocuous, but two drew attention for being inappropriate this week:
“I am so not looking forward to another year at Cohasset schools. The residents of Cohasset are so arrogant and snobby! I need to work where the community has real problems that I can be part of the solution!” – Posted on July 25 at 10: 19a.m.
“Ok…who took my immune system? Now its a sinus infection, a bladder infection, and an infection in both eyes! Three antibiotics…now I remember why I stopped teaching! Kids…they are all germ bags!” -Posted on February 4 at 8:46p.m.
