A Massachusetts superintendent candidate losing his job offer for writing the term “ladies” in an email is an “over-the-top and disproportionate response,” says the district’s Democratic state senator as the school system faces heat for the decision.
The Easthampton School Committee pulled back its offer for Vito Perrone to lead the district because he used the term “ladies” in an email to the committee chair and committee assistant, according to Perrone.
The 58-year-old man had addressed the pair as “ladies” in the email that was going over negotiation points after the School Committee had offered him the superintendent job. School Committee Chairperson Cynthia Kwiecinski later called the “ladies” remark a “microaggression” when the committee voted to rescind the superintendent offer, Perrone said.
State Sen. John Velis, who represents Easthampton and eight other communities in Western Massachusetts, in the wake of this vote is speaking out about the committee’s decision.
“If the allegations are true that the incoming Easthampton superintendent had his offer rescinded solely due to the way he addressed an email, then things have gone too far,” Velis said.
“This appears to be an over-the-top and disproportionate response to something, that if nothing else, could have been used as a teachable moment,” the state senator added. “Enough is enough.”
Perrone, the interim superintendent of West Springfield Public Schools, said he was blindsided by the committee’s vote to rescind his job offer during a private executive session meeting.
Growing up in the 1960s and 70s, Perrone said the terms “ladies” and “gentlemen” were respectful, and it’s why he used “ladies” in the email.
“One person’s perceived microaggression is how another person was brought up to politely and respectfully speak to women,” Velis said. “If this was indeed the only issue, this was an opportunity to learn and grow as a community, not to tear down and divide.”
The School Committee was supposed to have a meeting earlier this week, but that meeting was canceled after hundreds of people tried to log into the Zoom meeting.
The next School Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday evening. The meeting’s agenda lists that there will be a superintendent candidate discussion and/or potential vote on a candidate to be the next superintendent.
According to Western Mass News, Perrone has hired an attorney. Perrone had previously told the Herald that he had talked with a lawyer from the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, who told him there was no legal recourse because he hadn’t signed anything.