Two more administrators placed on leave at norwalk’s brien mcmahon high

NORWALK — An internal inquiry into the leadership of Brien McMahon High School has widened to include two assistant principals, including the administrator recently appointed to temporarily

lead the school. In an email to parents on Friday, Superintendent Alexandra Estrella said Assistant Principal Barbara Wood has been placed on administrative leave while the school district

addresses an undisclosed personnel matter. Chief Communications Officer Brenda Wilcox Williams said Tuesday that Assistant Principal Qadir Abdus-Salaam has also been placed on administrative

leave. The announcements came about a week after the school system informed the public that Wood would serve as interim principal following the district’s decision to place Scott Hurwitz,

Brien McMahon’s principal, on administrative leave earlier this month. “Ms. Wood has not been terminated or disciplined in any way by the Norwalk Public Schools,” Estrella said in the April

16 email, which was obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media. “As you may know, we consider personnel matters to be confidential, and we have no further comment on this matter at this time.

However, we are working to resolve this matter promptly.” Estrella and the school district issued a similar statement on April 9 to inform parents about Hurwitz’s abrupt leave of absence. At

the time, Estrella stressed Hurwitz had not been fired or punished. District officials have declined to discuss the reason behind Hurwitz’s time away from the school. “The safety of our

students and the continuity of their instruction are our primary concern, and we remain committed to communicating with students and parents as the situation develops,” Estrella said in her

April 9 and April 16 emails to parents. Julie Parham, the director of the Center for Global Studies, will serve as the interim principal for Brien McMahon while Hurwitz and Wood are on

leave. Hurwitz, Wood and Parham could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Wilcox Williams said Parham will continue to lead the center, which is housed at Brien McMahon, during her time as

interim principal. James Martinez, the district’s director of school counseling and the former principal at Fox Run Elementary, and Sandra Faioes, the district’s director of school

improvement and the former principal at Brookside Elementary, have also been assigned to the school by the superintendent. “All are committed to making sure that instruction and all school

operations continue without interruption. That includes plans for graduation ceremonies and other end-of-year traditions and events,” Wilcox Williams said on Tuesday. Hurwitz, a former

teacher and housemaster, has served as the Brien McMahon principal since 2017. Wood, a longtime housemaster, is an assistant principal overseeing the 12th grade and Abdus-Salaam is an

assistant principal overseeing the 9th grade, according to the school’s website. Joe Perella, the parent of a Brien McMahon sophomore and junior, described Hurwitz as an attentive

administrator who regularly kept families informed about changes to the curriculum and schedule during the pandemic. “I’m concerned about the leadership of the school as we deal with a

pandemic and the eventual return to normal,” Perella said Tuesday. “The principal was continually communicating with parents via email. Sometimes multiple times per day. Now it’s radio

silent.” Brien McMahon, which serves about 1,700 students, reported 15 new COVID-19 cases last week, according to state data. The school is one of 13 in the city that have reported new cases

in recent days.