Mad. Park students stage walkout after headmaster suspended
Assistant headmaster steps in as school officials placed Kevin McCaskill on leave
After Boston Public School officials placed Madison Park Technical Vocational High School Executive Director Kevin McCaskill on administrative leave last week, students at the school orchestrated a walkout.
Madison Park students crowd into the Bolling Building to meet with BPS officials after walking out of class in protest of the districts move to put their headmaster on leave.
An internal investigation involving McCaskill is pending, but no reasons were given in a letter addressed to the Madison Park community from Superintendent Tommy Chang.
Assistant Headmaster Brett Dickens will lead the school in McCaskill’s absence and Michelle Sylvaria, the school system’s executive director of career and technical education for high schools, was assigned to oversee the vocational programs.
The news about McCaskill follows a series of management upheavals over the years and Madison Park students, especially seniors, have expressed frustration at the revolving door of headmasters and lack of communication from school administrators.
High turnover
Last December, BPS officials placed the school’s former headmaster, Shawn Shackelford, on leave, for undisclosed reasons. He was never formally replaced.
Shackelford was hired two years ago as a replacement for Diane Ross Gary, who resigned as headmaster in 2014 after school officials discovered she never obtained the state certification needed to lead a school.
And in 2013, school officials placed former Madison Park High headmaster Queon Jackson on paid leave due to a Secret Service investigation into possible credit fraud.
On Friday morning, several dozen students at Madison Park walked out of class and rallied at BPS headquarters, urging school officials to meet and answer their questions about why their executive director left.
Ligia Noriega-Murphy, BPS assistant superintendent, addressed the students in a Bolling Building community meeting room. “There were allegations that we had to take seriously and follow protocol,” said Noriega-Murphy about McCaskill’s investigation.
One student said, “We’re not all here to skip school, but because we care.”
Another student said, “McCaskill knew everybody’s name, he came to school on weekends, MCAS scores went up, attendance went up.”
The organizers of the student walkout, seniors Ashley Meneide and De’Monique O’Garro, said they would keep protesting and rallying until McCaskill came back.
“We felt like we wanted to go to school because McCaskill was there,” said O’Garro.
BPS officials told the students that they recognize the students’ support for McCaskill and will notify them of the outcome of the investigation as soon as they are able.
“We understand it’s frustrating for students because we don’t have the answers,” Noriega-Murphy told the Banner. “But the way they organized themselves, the questions they asked, the respectful manner they asked them, it was outstanding.”
Student activism
Louis Elisa, a member of the Friends of Madison Park committee, said “We’re seeing a revolution with black and Latino students. They’re stepping up. They’ve been writing letters, putting signs up.”
He continued, “They want an education and want it to work, even if they don’t have all the resources.”
Elisa said it would be unfortunate if McCaskill did not return, given his strong leadership at Madison Park. “He changed the school’s attitude, gave the kids support, and he got results,” he said. “Young people respond to care.”
