Amidst allegations that her child received special treatment, School Committee member Joanne Flatley lost her seat in April’s town election.Flatley did not comment publicly on the topic during the campaign, but she was widely known as “the elected official” in question in several blog postings.After the election she spoke out, saying that no preferential treatment was given.
Flatley’s child was unable to attend the GreenlodgeSchool last year for an extended period of time.In accordance with department policy her child received tutoring, “so that when a student returns to school he/she will not be at a disadvantage.”
However, unlike the more than 20 other students who received department-funded tutoring services last year, Flatley’s child was tutored during the school day.This required two special education teachers at the Middle School to leave their classrooms for several hours a day for a period of several weeks.
Rather than address the controversy publicly while campaigning, Flatley told two newspapers after the election that she reported the incident to the State Ethics Commission in an effort to clear her name.
“I want to point out that my first priority and obligation is and always will be my family,” Flatley wrote in a letter to the editor of the Dedham Times.“Do not take my silence as an admission of wrongdoing, but see it for the action it is - a mother trying to protect the privacy of her family.”
Published reports say that state special investigator Katherine Gallant wrote to Flatley saying “that the matter does not require presentation to the Commission for official action. This decision is based on our understanding that the superintendent was not involved in the issue affecting your child.”
Doe has said in several letters to myDedhamNews that she was involved, however.A complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights also cites Doe as the individual who discriminated against the students left behind by reassigning their teachers to the Flatley home.
Reached by phone, Flatley asked for a few days to consider whether or not to comment for this series.Two days later her attorney contacted a myDedhamNews reporter to inform him that she would not.
Flatley told the Daily News Transcript that she initially maintained her silence at the request of her family, but that she thought the issue cost her the election.Flatley finished fourth out of five in a race for three seats on the School Committee.
Voters showed a strong displeasure with the way the School Committee and administration handled the original reassignment, and then the aftermath as well.Flatley, who was finishing her first term, finished closely behind fellow incumbent Dave Roberts, who squeaked into the third spot. Also losing was incumbent Margaret Matthews, who, along with Flatley, then-Chairman Tracy Driscoll, and Margaret Connolly, was widely seen as a member of the “Excell mothers” block of the Committee.
Kevin Coughlin and Joe Heisler, both newcomers, topped the ticket, with Coughlin coming in more than 400 votes above Flatley.While Flatley did have her supporters on myDedham, the election results and blog comments show a clear preference for the non-incumbants.
In a post on myDedham entitled “Remember tutor issue when voting,” user setheman left a comment two days before the April 11 election saying, “I will vote in with the new and on Saturday go with Kevin and Joe and leave the third spot blank as I have zero confidence in the current committee.”
Two and a half weeks after the election, Flatley appeared at a meeting of the Special Education Subcommittee and demanded to know what the Committee planned to do about what she termed a breach of confidentiality in the schools.Connolly told her that other parents would not have to worry about it, because they were not running for political office.
Flatley agreed, and said that she felt when the incident was made public that it was politically motivated.
“I have to believe this was not done for the benefit of the public,” Flatley said. “This was done for the personal use of a few, and that is more atrocious than anything else.”
Driscoll told Flatley that they would have to consult with the administration on what further steps would be taken.She added that the children who were left behind had a right not to be exploited as well.
Neither the blog postings nor the stories in the press mentioned the student by name. In the myDedham blog post that originally brought the story to light, the student was referred to as “an elected town official's child.”However, the week before the election, Doe told the Transcript she felt the identity of the child was widely known.
"I would say that through the information that seems to be in the community, that the identify of the child and the family is pretty widely known, and that is really extremely saddening to me as a professional person because their confidentiality has been violated," Doe said.
In May, after the election, Flatley told the Transcript that she intended to remain as co-chairman of the Dedham Special Education Parents Advisory Council.However, this summer Flatley put her Greenlodge home on the market and moved to Westwood.She purchased the home of WestwoodBlog founder Dave Atkins.
