Since late 2024, an interrelated series of misconduct allegations among staffers at Pittsfield High School has left Berkshire County’s largest public school district in disarray. An administrator was charged with large-scale cocaine trafficking, and there were allegations of sex crimes against students. The school committee has been lambasted by the Pittsfield community for attempting to withhold the results of an independent investigation into the matter. With current Superintendent Joseph Curtis preparing to step down on June 30th amid harsh criticism of his leadership during the crisis, the committee has found his short-term replacement.
“I'm the chief equity and engagement officer for Lowell public schools. I've been in my role for the last six years," said Latifah Phillips, who interviewed with the body on May 8th. It chose her for the role Wednesday night.
“I am the Title IX coordinator for my district, so I have had to lead and advise on serious matters of discrimination, harassment, including sexual misconduct,” Phillips continued.
She told the committee that two years in the coordinator role had tested her in different ways.
“I was chosen to take on this role because of my reputation for impartiality, for objectivity, for thoroughness and fairness," said Phillips. "It has not been an easy role, and one of the reasons it's not easy is because you really have to stand in your integrity in evaluating the evidence that you've evaluated. The way that I approach my investigations, all of the investigations that come to me, student safety is always first, whether that's physical safety, emotional safety, psychological safety, always being mindful of the students’ needs. And then the second way I approach it is fairness and objectivity, really being open to hearing all of the evidence, asking the questions before making the decision.”
Phillips said in any investigation into a situation where a student is at risk, public trust in the process is invaluable — a lesson Pittsfield’s school committee has learned the hard way over months of outcry.
“In my district, we've made our process electronic," she told the school committee. "It's on the website, and it feeds into a data system so that we can track internally, I can track how many reports are coming in, how the reports are being concluded, and how long it's taking to investigate the report. For our students, we also wanted to make sure that our students felt that they could access this form themselves, and so the students actually advised me on language and posters that we could share in our schools that let students know you can directly report yourself, or you can go to a trusted adult.”
As heard on Pittsfield Community Television, she said that she’s learned that even when an allegation is found to be unsubstantiated – which has been the case with some of the staffers scrutinized in Pittsfield’s current investigation – that doesn’t mean harm hasn’t taken place.
“Seeing so many unsubstantiated findings- At first, we were just leaving it there," Phillips explained. "The investigation's closed, it's unsubstantiated, it's over. But I realize that that doesn't help with our learning environments, it doesn't help with our staff relationships. And so, I have started integrating restorative practices, restorative process and education, as in some cases, where appropriate, an option or alternative to discipline, and then in other cases, where it might be unsubstantiated, an opportunity just for rebuilding relationships and trust.”
The Lowell district serves almost 15,000 students to Pittsfield’s roughly 5,000.
If she accepts the role, Phillips will lead the Pittsfield public schools through the 2025-2026 school year once a contract is negotiated.
