Mashpee Middle-High School principal resigned with little explanation. Here's what we know

When Stacy Monette was hired as principal of Mashpee Middle-High School in April 2022, she said her motto was to be inspired 365 days a year.

What teachers, staff, students and parents couldn't know at the time was that the motto would literally last one year. Monette, who didn't return calls from the Times, began the job July 1, 2022 and resigned at the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

Superintendent Patricia DeBoer said Monette indicated to her in late spring that she was exploring employment options in central Massachusetts.

"We are posting her position externally and also exploring other in-house possibilities," said DeBoer in an email. Monette's resignation, said DeBoer, was effective July 7.Asked if an interim principal would serve during the search, DeBoer declined comment. "I have no further comments in regards to Dr. Monette," said DeBoer. "I’m happy to connect and share with you when a new MMHS principal has been selected."

Cathy Lewis, chair of Mashpee School Committee, didn't return calls or emails from the Times for comment.

Mashpee Middle-High School hasn't had a long-term principal since 2021

Before she became principal at Mashpee Middle-High School, which serves students in grade 8 to grade 12, Monette was principal at Paul R. Baird Middle School in Ludlow for six years and was named Massachusetts Middle School Principal of the Year in 2020.

Before Monette was hired, Josh Tarsky served as interim principal from February 2022 to July 2022. Tarsky, formerly assistant principal at Sandwich High School, would eventually move on to become principal at Holbrook Middle-High School.

Tarsky replaced former principal Mark L. Balestracci, who left Mashpee Middle-High School in November 2021 to take a new post as assistant superintendent for Fairhaven Public Schools, according to a statement Balestracci made to the school's news outlet. Balestracci was a teacher and an administrator since 2007.

Following Balestracci's departure, DeBoer and Assistant Superintendent Hope P. Hanscom jointly handled principal responsibilities until Tarsky joined the team.

Accusations of racially charged bullying during Monette's first year

In December 2022, two photos, each one featuring a white student kneeling on the neck of a Black student, were taken on Mashpee Middle-High School grounds and circulated virtually through the student population and on social media.

After seeing the photos, a group of students, including Skyler Hickey, who identifies as Black, met with Monette and the school dean of students to complain of racially charged incidents and bullying that Skyler Hickey said was ongoing at the school. Skyler Hickey and other students also wrote to a school counseling intern asking for change.

As events unfolded in December, ninth grade students were required on Dec. 9 to attend a microaggression assembly at the school, said Hickey, in response to racial incidents.On Friday, Superintendent DeBoer wasn't immediately available for comment about the status of the issue.

A court case surrounded Monette before her hire in Mashpee

Controversy also surrounded Monette before she started at Mashpee Middle-High School, when she was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in April 2022. The case surrounded hot button topics of students' gender identity and a parent's right to know.

The 58-page complaint was about the privacy concerns and parental notification of two students within the Ludlow school system, who revealed their gender identity to school administration and staff.

At the time, Monette told Times reporters that she couldn't talked about the case.

In December 2022, U.S. District Judge Mark G. Mastroianni dismissed the case, according to court documents. In his written conclusion, Mastroianni found that the plaintiffs didn't meet multiple burdens throughout their testimony. The judge also said the court observes that legal protections for gender identity are a recent development.

"A broad awareness of issues surrounding the topic of gender identity is still growing," said Mastroianni in his conclusion.

Editor's note: This article has been corrected. Stacy Monette was hired in April 2022 and began her job as principal at Mashpee Middle-High School in July 2022.

Rachael Devaney writes about community and culture. Reach her at rdevaney@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @RachaelDevaney.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Mashpee Middle-High School principal Stacy Monette resigns