WESTHAMPTON — With signs advocating for an “inclusive” learning environment and Taylor Swift blasting in the background, a small group of students gathered outside of Hampshire Regional Superintendent Diana Bonneville’s office after finals concluded on Wednesday, protesting the school chief’s recommended candidate for assistant superintendent.

The student-led protest, which drew fewer than 10 students, was organized by Alice Jenkins and Aoife Reynolds as a way to show Bonneville, members of the regional School Committee and other administrators that the potential hiring of Erica Faginski-Stark could be detrimental to the district. They urged leaders to reconsider all of their options.

Faginski-Stark, the second candidate offered the job as superintendent of Easthampton Public Schools this spring, withdrew her candidacy days later after city students reached out to Mayor Nicole LaChapelle with concerns about the Ludlow educator. Students flagged Faginski-Stark’s Facebook account, which has since been taken down, that contained posts from 2021 that they described as “conservative transphobic rhetoric.”

The posts in question contain comments questioning trans athletes competing in female sports. In one of the posts, she advocates to sign a petition defending Title IX and questions why there has been such a lack of advocacy on behalf of equality for women and women’s sports. Though the website is no longer active, the link states that “only girls should play girls’ sports.”

“It’s important to show them what we as students think, because at the end of the day, the school isn’t a school without the students inside of it,” said Jenkins, who will be a senior next year. “We deserve administrators who will support all students at Hampshire Regional and who support diversity and inclusion.”

Jenkins, a student-athlete, noted that she and her classmates had been told from a young age to be mindful of their digital footprint, and that at times, positions one takes online can be problematic down the line.

“To ignore that when selecting one of the highest positions in our administration is really hypocritical and not a really fair message to be sending students,” she said.

Both Jenkins and Reynolds are members of the school’s Social Justice Club and have pledged to combat bias and bullying as part of the Anti-Defamation League’s No Place for Hate campaign at the school. Reynolds, 17, described the current culture within Hampshire Regional’s schools as being safe and welcoming to those in the LGBTQ+ community, but fears that could change if Faginski-Stark were hired.

Near Jenkins and Reynolds, 15-year-old Keegan Butler was writing a sign stating, “Protect all players.” Butler learned from friends about Faginski-Stark’s previous posts on Facebook.

Butler said it was important to “make sure that there was room” for all people who want to participate in sports. Referring to Faginski-Stark’s questioning of trans athletes playing girls’ sports, “We shouldn’t implement that kind of ideology at Hampshire Regional,” she said.

Isabelle Mondschein, 16, criticized Faginski-Stark’s “negative bias” against one group of people.

“It’s our job to stand up for what we believe is right, whether or not it personally affects us. In the long run, it might,” Mondschein said.

Once the students finished creating their signs, they put them up on Bonneville’s window. The superintendent was not in her office, and students said she left before their protest.

Bonneville did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. In an email to the Gazette late last week, when rumors started circulating that she was considering hiring Faginski-Stark as assistant superintendent, Bonneville stated that “no one has been officially offered the position at this time.” She did not indicate whether Faginski-Stark was an official candidate.

However, Kim Schott, chairperson of the Hampshire Regional School Committee, confirmed via email Wednesday that Bonneville would recommend Faginski-Stark for appointment to the position. The committee is expected to introduce and vote on the appointment of candidates to central office positions at a virtual meeting Thursday at 7 p.m.

Efforts to reach Faginski-Stark on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

The Hampshire Regional Education Association — the union of teachers, paraeducators and other district staff members — said members were “shocked to learn” through “unofficial channels” that Faginski-Stark is a leading candidate for the position, said Jesse Porter-Henry, co-president of the association, in an emailed statement on behalf of the association. Though the union did learn of the student-led protest, he noted that they were not affiliated with the demonstration.

Porter-Henry said the union had closely followed the widespread news coverage of Faginski-Stark’s withdrawal from consideration as Easthampton superintendent and noted that neither Faginski-Stark nor the Hampshire Regional School District administration had publicly addressed the concerns raised in Easthampton or the specifics of the comments.

“The communities in our district and educators in the district deserve a transparent process when it comes to the hiring of all administrative positions,” the statement reads. “Everyone deserves to feel safe and valued in our school, and the District must hire staff who will uphold its stated mission of ‘[Creating] a supportive and respectful environment.’ The Hampshire Regional Education Association very much looks forward to the moment when Dr. Bonneville, the School Committee, and, if in consideration, Ms. Faginski-Stark frankly and openly address citizens’ concerns.”

Emily Thurlow can be reached at ethurlow@gazettenet.com.]]>