Community Members Demand More Transparency From Bridgehampton School Board on Teacher Placed on Leave

A handful of community members — living in and out of the district — came to the latest Bridgehampton Board of Education meeting on September 25 to express their dissatisfaction with the school administration for what they feel is a lack of transparency and information regarding the placement of tenured English teacher Tom House on an extended leave of absence.

House, who has taught in the district for 15 years, was placed on leave, with pay, less than a week into the new school year, leaving students in his classes dealing with an unexpected change of teacher.

In a letter sent to parents after school hours on Monday, September 9, Principal Michael Cox said that House, who teaches several English classes for both middle school and high school students, including AP Literature and Composition, will be on an extended leave due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Starting on September 11, his classes were transitioned to certified English teachers on staff while the school conducted a search for a long-term leave replacement.

More than three weeks later, the district has still not provided any more details about why House was placed on leave and if and when he will return to the classroom.

Board of Education President Jen Vinski shared a statement at the meeting, after one parent, Erica Lynn Huberty, expressed her frustration with the situation and implored the board to reinstate him during the first public comment period of the evening.

Vinski reiterated what was in the letter sent to parents earlier in September, and added that “the district has taken proactive steps to ensure that all of the students’ learning experiences remain uninterrupted and continue to meet the highest standards,” she said, reading from a prepared statement, and speaking on behalf of the entire board. “We cannot go into detail as to how, why or how long Mr. House will remain on a leave of absence,” she continued, adding that the district could not comment further on the matter because it is a personnel issue.

“While community members are welcomed to offer their comments, the board cannot answer questions and can’t allow anyone to speak negatively about him.”

A handful of people spoke in support of House at the meeting. Only one of them — Huberty — said she has a child attending school in the district. She has been an outspoken supporter of House since he was placed on leave and has been equally outspoken about the district’s handling of the situation. She claimed that her daughter Bebe, a senior who was enrolled in House’s AP English class, is not currently having her educational needs met because of the unexpected removal of House from the classroom. She praised House for the positive impact he has had on both her daughter and a son who graduated from Bridgehampton.

She also spoke about what her daughter’s experience has been like so far this school year.

“She advocated hard to take AP English class this term, even though it meant a harder course load, because the class was taught by Mr. House,” Huberty said. “The second week of school, halfway through her ‘Great Gatsby’ exam, Mr. House was summarily dismissed. Bebe’s exam remains unfinished, and the amazing novels she read over the summer are off the curriculum. Her class is being taught by the same lovely but inexperienced teacher she had last year, in whose class she struggled because of this teacher’s inexperience. I have nothing against this teacher, but these are the facts.”

“We don’t know why Mr. House was dismissed and banned from campus,” Huberty continued. “But the board should know that we believe there are no justified reasons for this extreme action. This is a very small school, and a small community. We know each other, and we know when something is not right. It needs to be said that Tom House has helped navigate and support some of the most vulnerable students through some of the most difficult times any of us can remember.”

Another attendee at the meeting, who described himself as a Southampton resident and said he has “nothing to do with Mr. House personally” and has only met him on two occasions, said he was “deeply disturbed” by the way the board handled the situation.

“When you don’t provide transparency, you don’t give the person who is being charged the opportunity to defend themselves, and you make people jump to the worst possible conclusions.

“He’s a member of my community; the gay community,” he continued. “And without proper framing of what you’ve done, everyone that is not close enough to it to know is going to make the worst possible suppositions.”

Bridgehampton Superintendent Dr. Mary T. Kelly has previously adamantly denied that House’s leave of absence has anything to do with his sexual orientation or his role as the founder and president of Hamptons Pride and of the school’s Gender and Sexualities Alliance. House created that club at the school several years ago, with Kelly’s blessing and support.

While Kelly and the board did not comment any further or offer any more insight into why House was placed on leave or when he may return to the classroom, Vinski did respond to an allegation made by some of the speakers that House himself was not told by the district exactly why he was being placed on leave.

“We can assure you that, as a matter of practice, employees are always apprised as to the reasons decisions are made regarding their employment,” Vinski said.

One attendee who spoke at length about the situation was the Reverend Robert Stuart, the pastor emeritus at the Amagansett Presbyterian Church. He described himself as a friend of House and said he has known him for 35 years.

“I vouch for his integrity of character, and I know him to be fit mentally,” he said. “He is a leader in the community, respected, and is an inspiration to many students who have had him as a teacher in his 15 years at the Bridgehampton School.

“Mr. House has not prompted me to speak,” he continued. “From what I’ve read and heard, I’ve become concerned about possible injustice in actions taken against him. I looked up the date and time of this meeting and my words are my own. The swift move to put Mr. House on leave right at the beginning of the school year looks initially to me like an exaggerated response to any precipitating incident, and it raises the question, is there a further, unstated objective?”

He shared more thoughts before concluding that he hoped the matter could be addressed, “for everyone’s good, including Mr. House.”