Months after the Mission Hill K-8 School in Boston was closed down, the city and former employees are now facing a federal lawsuit.
In the most recent lawsuit filed against the Jamaica Plain school, two parents are suing the City of Boston and three former Mission Hill employees, accusing staff of a failure to report and address bullying. The lawsuit alleges that the principal discouraged students from reporting physical and sexual abuse, and also claims that “disability and civil rights laws” were not followed.
Mission Hill School closed back in June, following a scathing report released in April by attorneys from the law firm Hinckley Allen, which detailed major issues apparently going on at the school. The independent investigation found that the K-8 program failed to protect students from threats of sexual misconduct and abuse from other students.
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This past spring, several parents shared experiences they've had with the school. Glory Acevedo said her children experienced bullying and physical attacks.
"Bullying yes, a lot of bullying and I've brought it up to teachers and nothing has been done," she said. "I Feel like they don’t really care about the students."
Between September 2013 and February 2021, investigators found written evidence of more than 100 incidents of alleged sexually inappropriate behavior by Mission Hill students. Fewer than half were recorded by the school as formal incidents.
The report also identified a pattern of student-on-student violence, and, in some cases, threats or the brandishing of weapons. Numerous staff reported being physically assaulted, as well.
A culture of fear, retaliation and intimidation at the school for people who spoke out, according to the report.
"The perceived, and real, pressure among the small community to not speak out against Mission Hill School led several parents to describe the School as resembling a cult, particularly under MH Admin 3 leadership," it read. "[A parent] referred to Mission Hill School as 'The Fight Club – Mission Hill against the world.'"
This latest lawsuit also alleges students' aggressors were protected by teachers, and that victims were retaliated against for reporting the behavior.
Attorneys representing the school have declined to comment on the lawsuit.
