Boston School Committee Votes To Close Mission Hill School

JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — The Boston School Committee voted to close the Mission Hill School in Jamaica Plain Thursday night after a report claimed the school neglected students with disabilities and ignored reports of sexual abuse and bullying that came out last week.

Now almost 200 students will have to find new schools this fall.

Superintendent of Boston Schools Brenda Cassellius launched an investigation into the K-8 school in Jamaica Plain last year when five families won a $650,000 settlement from the district after claiming a student had repeatedly sexually assaulted their children in the school's bathroom.

The settlement, first reported by Universal Hub, was reached after the parents claimed the school failed to protect their children from a boy's repeated unwanted sexual touching, exposing of genitals, and kissing from September 2014 through November 2016.

The decision to close the Mission Hill School was made after the allegations, which prompted an investigation and a 189-page report by the law firm Hinckley Allen. The firm reviewed a 10-year time frame to look at the incidents and said they found even more allegations of abuse and neglect from school officials.

"The report's findings make clear that we must take significant action to immediately ensure the safety and well-being of our students and begin the healing process for the victims," Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said.

Staff members involved in those allegations are no longer employed by the district or are on leave pending further investigations of individual actions, Cassellius added.

Boston Public Schools released a statement following the announcement of the school's closing:

Ensuring the safety, health and wellbeing of all students is the most important obligation a school district has. Based on the persistent pattern of abuse confirmed in this independent report, the only viable option is to close the school and support students in their transition to other schools in the district. This action indicates how seriously the Superintendent takes this responsibility. BPS' immediate priority is to work with each Mission Hill family to determine where their child will continue their education.

BPS says they have a transition team in place to work with each student to make sure they will have a smooth transition to a new school in the fall.

The district says there will be about 400 available seats in grades K-8 in surrounding schools within a 1.5-mile radius.

Staff not involved in the incidents will also be supported in finding new positions at other schools in the district, Cassellius said.