Administrators, like principals and deans, have unique roles in schools. They discipline students, but they also provide mentorship and support, especially for kids who are struggling. That relationship took a dark turn in 2015, when a dean at English High School in Jamaica Plain ended up shooting one of his students. That dean is now behind bars. The student did survive. But as reporter Molly Boigon from WGBH’s Learning Curve team found out, that student is now suing the Boston Public Schools, saying the district should have done more to protect him. Molly spoke with WGBH All Things Considered anchor Barbara Howard about the lawsuit. This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Barbara Howard: So take us back, how did it all get started?
Molly Boigon: Sure. So Luis Angel Rodriquez is the former student. He was a sophomore at the English when he was shot by the then-Dean of Academies, Sean Harrison. Harrison was this sort of trustworthy mentor figure in the community. He was known as an anti-violence activist. He encouraged students to call him Rev. And Rodriguez, the student, went to him for counseling, and Harrison ended up recruiting him to sell drugs at the school. After a bag or two of drugs went unaccounted for, Harrison ended up shooting him in the head. Harrison was convicted last year, and now he's serving a sentence of 23 to 26 years at MCI Cedar Junction. Rodriguez is suing the district.
Howard: How about Rodriguez? He survived, it's clear.
Boigon: He survived, but he suffers from psychiatric injuries, according to the complaint. He also suffers facial paralysis and hearing loss to this day. So he's pursuing damages for those complaints and others.
Read more: Boston Public Schools Face $5 Million Lawsuit From Former Student Shot By Dean
Howard: So it turns out that this dean was far from the picture he presented to the world.
Boigon: That's right. When he was working at a different school in 2012, he was dismissed after he threw an object at a female student. He also had an inappropriate conversation with two students about using recreational drugs. So the suit claims that the district failed to report the incident of him throwing the object at the female student to DCF, which the complaint says is a violation of state law. The complaint also alleges that the district moved him around in order to sort of cover up his misconduct.
Howard: Wow, it sounds a little like the priests getting moved around.
Boigon: Yes, and it also has shades of that because of the way that Harrison exploited his relationship with Rodriguez, who was a very vulnerable person. His mother had been in prison for 16 years and he started counseling with Harrison after his girlfriend was attacked at the English. So he was really in a vulnerable position.
Howard: Do you have a sense if he, the dean, is a one-off? Are there other people being moved from school to school who are troubled employees?
Boigon: I have no idea. The complaint does not does not allege that this is a pattern of behavior.
Howard: I don't think I can recall a time the district has been sued by a student for an employee shooting them.
Boigon: It's a very bizarre story. It's a very sad story, and it raises some interesting questions, because while the perpetrator of the actual crime is in prison, it raises questions about how the district may or may not have made mistakes in moving him around — whether or not they did due diligence. Were they negligent by retaining him, despite this incident with another student many years prior? And this question of, did they violate state law by not reporting that incident to DCF.
Howard: Have any other former students of this dean come forward?
Boigon: No, not to my knowledge.
Howard: OK, well what's next?
Boigon: Well the district has until April 18 to respond to the lawsuit. So we'll see how they respond. And Rodriguez is asking for punitive damages, damages for emotional distress, plus the costs of hiring an attorney. And that amount comes to $5 million. Plus, he's asking for a jury trial. So we'll see if the district has to defend its decisions about Harrison's employment in front of a jury.
Howard: Have you heard anything from the Boston Public Schools on this?
Boigon: They declined to comment because they said they can't make statements about pending litigation. I also tried to get in touch with Sean Harrison, who's currently in prison, and I couldn't reach him. And I also made requests to Rodriguez's lawyer, and he could not be reached.
Howard: That's Molly Boigon from WGBH’s Learning Curve team, who broke the story of a lawsuit filed against the Boston Public Schools by a former student who says that the school system should have done more to protect him from being shot by a dean at his high school.
