Hopkinton School Committee
When I watched the August 14th Hopkinton School Committee meeting on HCAM, I was shocked by what I heard. At the very start of the meeting, around the two-minute mark of the recording, Member Chris Masters was trying to connect remotely and having technical difficulties. Chair Kyla McSweeney said, “We can’t hear you, Chris.” In response, Vice Chair Susan Stephenson remarked, “Nor do we want to.” She then laughed, as though it was an acceptable thing to say.
I rewound the video and turned on the closed captioning to be sure I had heard correctly. And I had. The remark was captured on HCAM’s recording and was audible enough that it appeared in the closed captioning for everyone to see.
Video & Transcript
Fast forward to 1:52, then turn up the volume and listen after “We can’t hear you, Chris.”
TRANSCRIPT
All right, going through reports. I hear we have Mr. Everly all set and ready for
1:52 construction update on Zoom. Oh,
1:58 that’s Mr. Masters. Oh, we can’t hear you, Chris.
2:06 Nor do we want to.
2:12 We still can’t hear Chris. But I don’t know, there
2:17 if that’s gonna help or not. Uh Susan just told me we’ll get the Zoom
2:23 going. Okay, got it. Okay, great. Thanks, Chris.
This was not a slip of the tongue or a private aside. It was a deliberate, demeaning comment made during an official, recorded public meeting. What makes it worse is that Chris Masters was not physically present in the room to hear the remark or respond to it. It was said about him, not to him. That is more than unprofessional. It was an attempt to silence a colleague, and it was deeply disrespectful.
Even more troubling, this came from the vice chair of the School Committee. A member in leadership, second only to the chair, chose to mock and silence a fellow member. And no one else on the committee spoke up in the moment to address it. That silence made it worse. Silence, in this case, became complicity.
Chris Masters is often the lone voice of dissent on this committee, the only member who does not share the political alignment of the others. His role is especially important because not every Hopkinton resident agrees with the majority view. He represents those voters, and dismissing him is also dismissing them. Silencing a colleague is silencing the residents who elected him.
Our schools teach inclusivity. We demand it of our teachers, we demand it of our classrooms, and we demand it of our students. The School Committee must hold itself to the same standard. If inclusivity is required in our schools, it must be required here too.
This is not just about one comment. It is about culture, and culture is defined by what is tolerated. On August 14th, disrespect was tolerated. That cannot continue.
Susan Stephenson owes Chris Masters and the people of Hopkinton a public apology. The School Committee should also reaffirm its commitment to respectful dialogue, inclusivity, and accountability.
The people of Hopkinton are watching. The example you set matters. This kind of behavior cannot be excused or brushed aside. To ignore it would be to normalize it, and that is unacceptable.
It is time to raise the standard.
Ashley Fogg
Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of HopNews. Letters may be edited for clarity, grammar, and length.
Oh for heavens sake, Ashley, just stop! You are just being so childish, grow up! Can’t someone just shut her up?
Oof, looks like she gotcha. Well, she actually got your friend. Why don’t you focus your attention to her, and tell her to clean up her act so that there’s nothing to write about anymore. Address the root of the issue instead of the symptoms. Chris doesn’t deserve to be treated this way. I doubt he took it as a “joke”.
Kara M, She didn’t get me or anyone else. She’s the one who lost the election, remember? She’s still stewing because she lost to a newcomer and still is retaliating. If it were you or one of her othe people, do you honestly think she would have made a big deal about it? I think not.
Lost to a newcomer and she’s still retaliating? Your partner sailed right onto the school committee as a total newcomer to town with a shady past because the DTC decided to run the most effed up, nefarious, smear campaign this town has ever witnessed. Nothing to be proud of here so instead of being nasty and defensive, which, by the way, is very telling, take a seat. It’s not a good look for the SC nor the clown show that is the DTC.
“Just shut her up”. Wow. Such a beacon of respect and tolerance! This comment seems like a perfect example of the concern that the LTE author is raising.
HI “Punky,” Just poppin’ on here for a wellness check. You good?
RosesR, I’m good, but can’t quite remember who you are.
“Grow up and shut up ” ? That is incredibly disrespectful. Every voice should be heard and considered. This Town has gone too far in silencing any opinion that doesn’t align with them. You may be a majority but that does not make you Supreme. Ashley was wrongfully dragged through the mud by, hmmm, I forget, was it 23 different personaes? ( Darlene), all while “installing” a Democratic candidate from out of state (Susan) who did not disclose some previous criminal charges. Ashley is merely shining a light on recent disrepect caught on camera. Susan should issue an apology for her public and rude comment and also explain how she can continue to work with people who don’t necessarily agree with her on every issue. Carol Cavanaugh called a group of townspeople “buffoons” on hot mic at town meeting a couple years ago. Now Susan states we don ‘t want to hear from a member of School Committee. I don’t think Ashley is the problem here.
The fact that you and several others support this public bullying on a school committee board is disgusting. It doesn’t matter who called out this behavior, what matters is that it happened and Susan needs to be held accountable for her actions. Politics aside, this behavior is unacceptable regardless of who said it or what political affiliation they have.
Kudos to Ashley for calling it out with, I’ll assume, full knowledge that you and others in this town would try to tear her down once again for speaking out. I’m sure if the tables were turned here, you would take issue with it. Be a better person ND.
I’m not personally familiar with any of the individuals named above so I have no preconceptions here. I did not attend or watch the meeting in question, but if the transcript above is accurate, then I’m in complete agreement with the writer. The comment was disrespectful and childish. It should have been addressed by the other committee members at the time. It shouldn’t matter if there are political party differences between the committee members. My comment here isn’t based on any party allegiance, it is written in support of decorum and respect.
This is unacceptable
The only thing Punky (ND) seems to have is “Susan beat Ashley.” That’s it? That’s the argument? Because let’s not rewrite history. That election was one of the ugliest Hopkinton has ever seen with the Hopkinton Democratic Town Committee hiding behind fake names, spreading lies, and running a coordinated smear campaign. The fallout was so bad the entire town voted to dismantle partisan politics altogether just to keep that crew from ever doing it again. That’s the legacy of that race. If you call that a win, it’s a hollow one.
A single resident.
Get your facts straight. It was Darlene Hayes and this MFL
Both need to get the shine box.
Enough is Enough: I’m not publishing two of your comments. You are welcome to comment on the issue and explain your stance without name calling. — Paula
aka A.S., Time to throw rocks and water bottles again, eh?
Only at the those who want to eliminate others. This time, it’s mostly filled with ice.
We got to keep ‘Merica great, amirite? 😛
This incident harkens back to the social toxicity of the Darlene Hayes era. Although the rebound of civility was encouraging, it apparently was temporary. Some just can’t help themselves.
They are who we thought they were.
Maybe Susan met Mary Jo at Timothy’s before the meeting……….
Jeeze – how old are you Punky? Everyone has the right to write a letter to the editor – stop thinking you’re so high and mighty. Those days are long over~