Reading Supt. Apologizes For Content Addressing Capitol Unrest

READING, MA — Reading's superintendent of schools apologized Friday for a resource sent to families in the wake of unrest at the Capitol building. The link, which contained a video from the "Woke Kindergarten" YouTube channel, was made available to parents to assist in conversation with their children.

Superintendent John Doherty said the district has provided similar resources after other tragic events. But this particular link should not have been shared, due to the "violent nature of some of the photos and the perceived role that police play," Doherty said in a statement Friday.

"I take full responsibility for this, and I need to do a better job of vetting resources prior to them being shared with staff," he added. "I truly apologize to those individuals who were impacted by the content of what was sent out."

The Reading Public Schools has been working closely with the police department since the riot to determine how to best support the work of the police and teachers. Doherty said the resources were not intended to be political or "denigrate the work" of the police.

The superintendent also addressed an anonymous website called Fix Reading Schools, which went online last week and criticizes the work of educators in addressing social justice issues.

"In addition, some of our schools and our central office have received unidentified phone calls regarding our handling of these topics," Doherty said. "As a result, some of our staff do not feel safe."

An email from fixreadingschools@yahoo.com that claimed to be Doherty was recently sent to families. The superintendent said he did not send the email, nor is the website affiliated with the school district, he said.