When we interviewed her last week about incidents of intolerance at the schools, Superintendent Linda Dwight couldn’t have been clearer in speaking about the support she hoped to receive from the community. “This is not just a school issue; it’s a community issue,” she said. “I’d love to see other town leaders become a part of this: churches, the town administrator, Board of Selectmen … the conversation has to be bigger than just the school.”
The schools have been exemplary in responding to recent incidents of bigotry. The gathering on the Common last Sunday that brought together nearly 300 residents to stand against intolerance demonstrated the influence of Harvard’s churches. We applaud them for stepping forward and for their leadership at a time when it was most needed.
One has to ask, however, where have the selectmen been in this crisis? One assumes they are working behind the scenes to assist the schools, but it would have been nice to hear from them at their weekly meeting Tuesday night. As the town’s elected leaders and the most senior policymaking group in town, what could be more important than speaking up for civility and tolerance toward all citizens, a reassuring voice in the midst of fear? What the town got instead was silence.
