Download minutes PDF Minutes Approved

River Valley Charter School

Minutes

Special Meeting

Complaint Committee Update

Date and Time

Thursday March 12, 2026 at 8:30 PM

Location

Zoom 

 

River Valley Charter School welcomes your participation at Board meetings. The purpose of a public meeting of the Board of Trustees (“Board”) is to conduct the affairs of the organization in public. Your participation assures us of continuing community interest in our school and assists the Board in making the best decisions for our school. To assist you in the ease of speaking/participating in our meetings, guidelines are provided at the bottom of this agenda. All materials for all board and committee meetings, are available on our Board on track public portal found at rivervalleycharter.org.

 

 

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8516508581?pwd=8roWrPp5aJXvEAFctC4bxo69QnaDfv.1

Trustees Present

A. Godino (remote), A. Ting (remote), B. MacQuade (remote), C. Getz (remote), C. Whitford (remote), D. Herrera (remote), D. Mitchell (remote), E. Bradley (remote), E. Rankin (remote), G. LeFave (remote), J. Nickerson (remote), M. Connerton (remote), T. Murdy (remote)

Trustees Absent

None

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

T. Murdy called a meeting of the board of trustees of River Valley Charter School to order on Thursday Mar 12, 2026 at 8:32 PM.

C.

Approve Minutes

E. Bradley made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 02-25-26.
D. Herrera seconded the motion.
  • Information on the assessment data - includes disaggregated data
  • Add "caregiver survey" in front of survey
  • On director's report, check bullets listed under DESE for proper alignment
  • Respectfully submitted by Derek Mitchell
  • Validate that member of public in attendance is added to the docs
  • Make sure that motions on the policies are listed as a no
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
Roll Call
T. Murdy
Aye
A. Ting
Aye
B. MacQuade
Aye
E. Rankin
Aye
D. Herrera
Aye
M. Connerton
Aye
A. Godino
Aye
C. Whitford
Abstain
D. Mitchell
Aye
J. Nickerson
Aye
C. Getz
Aye
G. LeFave
Aye
E. Bradley
Aye

II. Complaint Committee

A.

Complaint Committee Update

Complaint (Grievance) Committee Update

  • The Complaint Committee provided an overview of its recent work and process under the 2015 Complaint Policy.
  • The Committee clarified terminology, noting that “Complaint Committee” and “Grievance Committee” have been used interchangeably in the past and that this will be corrected for clarity.
  • The Committee reported that it met for an extended session and reviewed seven submissions received under the complaint policy.

Summary of Submissions Reviewed

  • Three submissions did not meet criteria for formal complaint review:
    • Submissions lacked required steps under the policy, did not request formal review, or raised general concerns rather than actionable complaints.
    • The Committee recommended acknowledging receipt, thanking individuals for raising concerns, and clarifying available processes where appropriate.
  • Four submissions met the threshold for Committee review:
    • One was determined not to be actionable under the policy but raised broader governance considerations.
    • One required procedural clarification before proceeding further.
    • One complaint required further investigation and the potential use of outside expertise due to complexity.
    • One complaint raised issues that could have legal and reputational implications for the school.

Themes Identified by the Committee

  • The Committee noted broader themes emerging across submissions, including:
    • Communication and transparency.
    • How non‑actionable feedback may still inform governance and oversight.
    • Organizational health, morale, and clarity of roles.
  • The Committee emphasized that these themes were shared for governance awareness and not as requests for immediate Board action.

Board Discussion

  • Board members discussed:
    • The importance of acknowledging concerns raised, even when they do not meet formal complaint thresholds.
    • The role of the Board in governance oversight related to organizational culture and leadership.
    • The need to consider reputational and potential legal risk to the school.
  • Clarifying questions were asked regarding process, next steps, and communication with complainants.

III. Closing Items

A.

Adjourn Meeting

There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 9:10 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
T. Murdy

IV. Executive Session

A.

Enter Executive Session

E. Bradley made a motion to A motion was made to enter Executive Session under Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, Purpose 1 (to discuss matters affecting the reputation, character, or condition of an individual).
D. Mitchell seconded the motion.
  • It was stated that the Board would not return to open session after executive session.
  • A roll call vote was taken; the motion passed unanimously.
  • The recording was stopped and the public session was closed.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
Roll Call
M. Connerton
Aye
A. Godino
Aye
E. Bradley
Aye
C. Getz
Aye
E. Rankin
Aye
T. Murdy
Aye
B. MacQuade
Aye
J. Nickerson
Aye
D. Herrera
Aye
G. LeFave
Aye
C. Whitford
Aye
D. Mitchell
Aye
A. Ting
Aye

THE ORDER OF BUSINESS MAY BE CHANGED WITHOUT NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the order of consideration of matters on this agenda may be changed without prior notice.

REASONABLE LIMITATIONS MAY BE PLACED ON PUBLIC TESTIMONY The Board Chair reserves the right to impose reasonable time limits on public testimony to ensure that the agenda is completed.