MEDFORD, Mass. – The Medford Public Schools superintendent and a middle school principal have been replaced after a gun clip was found on campus and went unreported for months.
Boston 25 news first broke the story in February, but the announcement came down in a school assembly with the mayor Friday.
Medford’s mayor called the incident ‘a black mark,’ but assured staff and students today that nothing like this will ever happen again.
The clip was found by a custodian cleaning the McGlynn Middle School auditorium in December and given to the principal, who put it in the trash.
After seven weeks, the discovery had not been reported to police or city officials.
“It was taken for granted and treated lightly and of course in hindsight we’ve seen what that did to this community, so it will never happen again, I guarantee you,” Medford Mayor Stephanie Muccini said.
At a school wide assembly, administrators announced a new principal, Nicholas Tucci, and a new superintendent, Dr. Marice Edouard-Vincent, after the school committee accepted the early retirement of the former superintendent, Roy Belson.
The new school leaders pledged vigilance and continued work to keep the school community stronger.
“As I look at the things that have happened in the past, we learn from them and continue to move forward,” Edouard-Vincent said.
Meanwhile Medford’s mayor is eager to move on after weathering the aftermath.
“Where we live is our community, and so when bad things happen we feel it, and especially as mayor you really do put pressure on your shoulders,” she said.
School administrators say following the incident, they also enacted new safety measures.