External Probe Says Toxicity Allegations Against Cambridge Principal ‘Unsubstantiated’

An external investigation found that toxic workplace allegations against Graham & Parks Elementary School Principal Kathleen M. Smith were “unsubstantiated,” Cambridge Public Schools Interim Superintendent David Murphy announced in a Monday letter.

The findings throw additional cold water on a campaign to oust Smith by a coalition of parents who say she failed to communicate with parents and was toxic to her staff. Smith’s contract was extended for an additional year in March by former Superintendent Victoria L. Greer over their objections.

“A review of the credible evidence does not support a finding of a toxic workplace,” the external investigation stated. “The evidence demonstrates that staff have had a variety of experiences under Dr. Smith’s leadership, some extremely positive, supportive and energizing, and others much less so.”

City officials hired law firm Norris, Murray & Peloquin LLC to conduct the investigation in January after the G&P Caregivers Coalition, an anonymous parent group, sent a petition and a letter to CPS officials demanding greater transparency from Smith and alleging that her leadership was toxic.

The turmoil at Graham & Parks became the lynchpin of a second controversy at CPS, one surrounding Greer herself, who was accused of negligence in Smith’s hiring process and was pushed out by district leadership in May.

But the report assembled by the firm presented a much more mixed picture of the situation at Graham & Parks than the one described by parents.

The report stated that “many of the incidents reported seemed minor in contrast to the reactions they produced,” Murphy wrote in his letter.

The investigation’s results contradict one of the main claims of the G&P Caregivers Coalition: that Smith’s hiring process was “a shocking failure,” citing a 2019 Newton Public School HR report which found that Smith had fostered a toxic workplace environment while principal of Underwood Elementary School.

But though internal administrative policies suggested conducting at least one additional reference check prior to hiring Smith, “there was no evidence that doing so would have altered the hiring outcome,” the investigation found.

Murphy’s handling of the aftermath at Graham & Parks — where tensions have flared over email lists, in public meetings, and via a slew of open letters and petitions — will likely be the first real test of his tenure as interim superintendent, as CPS searches for a long-term replacement for Greer.

In his letter, Murphy acknowledged that the previous school year was “challenging” and praised Smith’s “steadfast commitment” to achieving “greater equity and improved outcomes for students.”

Still, he outlined a series of steps to fulfill the “obligation” of CPS to improve the climate at Graham & Parks, including a series of town-hall style meetings and small group discussions with teachers and parents.

Smith will be present at the town halls, Murphy wrote.

He added that former CPS principal Robin Harris, who he named a special adviser to the superintendent, will work out of Graham & Parks beginning the first day of school to facilitate “discussions with both staff and families about how to foster a strong school climate.”

A working group of CPS administrators will also work on “prioritizing the cultivation of a listening-oriented but student-centered environment,” Murphy wrote.

Graham & Parks parent Christian Henry, the co-chair of the Graham & Parks School Council and among Smith’s most outspoken defenders, said he was optimistic about the path forward for the school.

“What was challenging is that there wasn’t a shared understanding of what was true about what was actually going on in the school,” Henry said. “We need to continue to work together, to acknowledge and appreciate what it means to belong and feel welcome and feel like people have a voice in this community.”

—Staff writer Darcy G Lin can be reached at darcy.lin@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Emily T. Schwartz can be reached at emily.schwartz@thecrimson.com.