June 5, 2018
Dear Superintendent,
I wanted to take this opportunity to alert you to some dire concerns I have regarding your school committee member, John Monfredo. As a parent of a graduating GSA student, I have been subjected to his hypocritical Memorial Day speeches, hiding in plain sight behind the words and actions of actual heroes. His ongoing audacity and duping of Worcester voters and other school officials is abhorrent.
As a psychotherapist in Worcester, I treat a woman who was repeatedly sexually abused by him when she was a child. It is hard to believe she was his only victim. My hope is that with the fervor of the #metoo movement other traumatized individuals will have the courage to also find their voices. My client has read and granted me permission to send this email.
I am sure you are well aware of rumors that have circulated regarding his criminal behavior. Yet, this criminal behavior continues to go unpunished. I can no longer be complicit in such a system that puts our youth in potential threat. I don’t know what you do with this information. I would hope that as a parent, a woman, a protector you can hear the sense of urgency and sound the alarm.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration in deciding how to exercise your power in ensuring the safety of our children. I am happy to discuss this sensitive matter with you further at your convenience.
Thank you for your time.
Lisa Archambault, LICSW
July 9, 2018
Dear Ms. Archambault:
I am in receipt of your e-mail correspondence, dated June 5, 2018, the subject of which was identified by you as “Safety concern”. As you may know, the subject of the concerns outlined in your correspondence does not report to me as the Superintendent of Schools. Moreover, your letter purports to recite allegations on behalf of an unidentified patient of yours, which allegations are extremely serious in nature. These allegations are, essentially, anonymous and leave me with little I can do in response. Despite this, you have suggested that I can somehow “exercise” my “power in ensuring the safety of our children.” I can assure you that as Superintendent of Schools, I am ever vigilant about protecting the safety of students within the Worcester Public Schools. I am also cautious about reliance on anonymous information on any subject, and especially when such information has the potential to impact an individual’s reputation.
With all of this in mind, I am willing to determine if there is anything I am able to do to address the concerns you have raised. However, I am not comfortable doing so without hearing directly from the individual who is making the allegations. While I can appreciate your efforts to advocate on behalf of a patient, I wonder if your patient would be willing to identify herself to me and to speak to me directly about her allegations. However, I do understand that she may not choose to come forward. If she is willing to come forward and talk with me, I will be in a better position to assess the nature of the information being provided and to determine what course of action I may take. It is possible, too, that depending upon the nature of the allegations and the timing thereof, there is no role for me to play as Superintendent of Schools.
Please advise me as to whether your patient is inclined to identify herself and to meet with me to discuss her allegations directly.
Sincerely,
Maureen Binienda
