LYNNFIELD — Discussions about the racial incidents in Lynnfield Public Schools continued to be brought to the forefront at the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, as members of the public sought answers.

Chair Kristen Elworthy began the meeting by noting that Lynnfield Middle School had alerted families to another incident.

“As members of this Committee have made clear, racist and hateful language of any kind have no place in Lynnfield Public Schools. Policies and procedures involving bullying and race need to be reexamined and realigned, and it is a goal and desire of leadership of the School Committee to put all corrective measures in place as soon as possible,” she said.

Elworthy also made it clear that the Committee could not legally discuss specific students or events and that it had received recommendations from legal counsel.

Elworthy said that an independent third-party review was being done by Dr. Darnisa Amante-Jackson, including a review of the Committee’s response protocols and communication. A report is expected at a public meeting in June.

Policy changes being voted on that night included requiring principals to promptly report incidents to Superintendent Tom Geary, who will report regularly to the Committee, creating a chain of accountability.

Other changes made during the meeting would move to create a structure for better dealing with these incidents.

Committee member Kim Baker Donahue then focused on the need for more oversight by the Committee over Geary, asking what would be done to ensure accountability.

“It’s not personal. It’s just me trying to do the job that the community elected us to do,” Baker Donahue said.

Elworthy asked for more clarification on what Baker Donahue wanted, and the conversation fell into a loop with the same questions being asked and answers being given on how the Committee can hold leadership, specifically Geary, accountable, if it was needed.

The Committee agreed with Baker Donahue that accountability was necessary, and Committee member Kate DePrizio summed up the conversation on how they can figure out where accountability should lie.

“I agree with you, Kim. I do think that is twofold, though, and that’s part of why we approached that in the policy. If reports weren’t getting to the superintendent, the superintendent would not be reporting out… Now, the fact that those are going to him promptly and he gets all incidents, not just investigations, every incident… then we get the follow-up that he reports to us,” she said.

DePrizio noted that this would show if reporting wasn’t happening at the building level before continuing up the chain to Geary.

Baker Donahue continued to push that the Committee needed to find out how they ended up where they were in the first place, with consistent racial incidents and a lack of reporting.

Throughout the discussion, multiple pauses occurred as members of the public called out in agreement or disagreement with what was being said, leading to the meeting nearly going into recess numerous times.

Despite the Committee completing agenda discussions, outside of voting on policies, around the two-hour mark, the meeting would last narrowly under four hours due to an hour of public comment.

First to comment was Kathleen Dario, who first acknowledged the pain of the Allien family, whose children, specifically their son, were being bullied and racially targeted at school.

“When a child is hurting, it’s the worst pain a parent can feel. But teaching kids to treat others with a caring heart and a genuine desire to understand is the most impactful work a parent can do… Bullying and racism, while completely unacceptable, have been around for a long time and, unfortunately, are witnessed daily by children on so many fronts,” Dario said.

She continued by saying that parents shape this behavior and that work needs to be done at home. She said it was disheartening to see the community turn to conflict rather than collaboration regarding how the public was using “personal attacks” against the Committee and Geary.

Pastor Jeanette Leisk spoke next, stating that she was there because the conversation mattered.

“We’re here because we care about kids, and we care about whether our schools respond to racism with the seriousness it deserves… I am a pastor, and I take seriously the responsibility to speak up when harm is done, and to stand with those who are not being heard… This family should not have to stand alone in speaking up and demanding answers,” Leisk said.

Other comments highlighted troubling patterns not just recently but for years in the district; many asked for transparency and for action to be taken now.

One parent who spoke, Ashley Wilson, stated that she had been in the area for the past few years and had never really known much about Lynnfield. She said she was there that night after reading about what was going on.

“I didn’t plan on speaking tonight, but I’m doing so on behalf of a friend who has children in the middle school who are of another color, who have experienced similar issues… The fact that they said ‘Can you please go speak because you’re white,’ hit me,” she said.

Wilson was one of multiple speakers who stated that this behavior wasn’t normal and shouldn’t be, and that discipline was a necessity.

“I was in tears over reading what those poor middle school kids said in middle school to a child. If that didn’t hit you in the way that it hit me, then I don’t think you understand what white privilege is. And if you don’t know what white privilege is, you don’t know why we’re here today,” she said.

Members of the new anti-hate task force, educators, and parents spoke about the need for more accountability in the school system.