To the editor:

Barrington school district doesn’t have enough money for our kids to go on field trips, but enough to sue students? 

I've read through the state's decisions and the facts as laid out by the Barrington Times. Unless there are additional facts that have not come to light, I see a district more concerned with self-protection than our students.

When something as terrible as the Parkland shooting happens, our children need to be able to talk about it. Our schools could be the place where the students are provided with a safe place to discuss these matters. Yes, the town must also ascertain if there is a threat to students’ safety. That is without a doubt first priority. I don’t think anyone in this town would object to that. But the process went awry and this latest legal action just makes things worse. What would have been wrong with taking the students aside, determining there was no threat and using the opportunity to create a learning situation for all?

Instead, these seven boys were interrogated with police present, questioned by a social worker and searched - all without parents consent. Once it was determined by the administration and the police that these students were not a threat, they suspended these students. The state ruled, not once, but twice that the Barrington School district handled the situation incorrectly and to expunge the students' records. Instead of an apology and a lesson learned by both sides, the district decided to sue the student for legal fees. The kicker is they said they “don’t know” how much they have spent on this case. Yet attorneys are obligated to provide a detailed billing for clients. So what are they hiding?

I commend the Barrington Times for their diligence in getting to the truth. What we now need to know was how much money was spent on this? I am guessing it could be enough to pay for class trips for years. In addition, I commend Patrick McCrann for standing up with the one dissenting vote. I still would like to know how the school committee came to their decision. Who presented the facts to the committee? Did the school committee members that voted in favor of litigation do their due diligence and hear from both sides?

I am so disheartened by this entire situation. 

This doesn’t seem like something that could be happening in the district I have come to love. What is Barrington School District’s message? “Challenge us and we will make you pay? Or is it even though we were in the wrong, we can’t set precedent?” I sincerely hope that there are additional facts that will prove that the Barrington School District is in the right here. If not, they must seriously reflect on their decision to pursue this lawsuit and the message it is sending.  

Karynn Pilipski

Barrington