PITTSFIELD — Two separate sets of allegations dominated attention at the Pittsfield School Committee’s meeting Wednesday night.

Much of the full house at the City Council chambers were focused on recent reports of racist and homophobic language in the schools and the delayed release of the full report on alleged staff misconduct at Pittsfield High School.

Three of the people directly involved in accusations made last week against a teacher at Herberg Middle School spoke before the committee: Brett Random, the executive director of Berkshire County Head Start and a Herberg Middle School parent; and her daughter Imari Westbrook and friend Jwonatane Nicolas, both Herberg students.

Brett Random speaks about the her daughter's experience of a Herberg Middle School teacher using the N-word in the classroom during the public comments section of the Pittsfield School Committee meeting on Wednesday.

Random, who first made the allegation public in social media and then brought it to the attention of the administration, the School Committee and City Hall, said the district's actions must match its aspirations.

The district's mission statement — empowering students, families and the community to thrive and build a more equitable and just world — “simply cannot be achieved if there is no accountability for this incident” and others like it, Random said. “The response to the situation will demonstrate whether your mission and values are simply mentioned in your handbook, or if they are truly a framework that guides best practice in school communities. Families are depending on you to act meaningfully and impactfully. What happens next really matters.”

Random also said she is “glad to see the district stepping into conversations on this issue." A meeting held Monday at Conte Community School provided a forum for other school community members to report past use of abusive language by teachers and students at all grade levels.

Irnari said she felt “shock and discomfort” hearing a teacher use the N-word, adding that it was used calmly, “like it doesn't have an historical background.”

“As a teacher that teaches students of color, there was no reason for her to say the N-word,” Jwonatane said. “That word has been tossed around like it means nothing by so many kids at school, and now, [by] a teacher.”

The teacher in question said the word was used in the context of repeating what a student in class said to another adult, and asserted she did not ask students to repeat it, as Random has alleged. That teacher is on administrative leave.

City resident and former district employee Emily Day was among those who attended the meeting at Conte. She said interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips had "shown real leadership on an issue that has existed in the Pittsfield school district for a long time.”

“Some of the experiences described by parents and community members were disturbing, including verbal harassment and name calling by both teachers and students,” Day said. “It's clear that Pittsfield as a district needs to put an end to bullying, name calling and disrespectful language within our schools.”

Phillips said she intends to address the committee on the district's work in advancing equity at its next meeting. That work predates her time in Pittsfield, she said.

“It was important for us to listen and hear families feedback," Phillips said of the Monday session. "It was not easy, but it was an important first step. And so I want to thank everyone for coming and commit that we will take this from just discussion into action.”

Day and Rebecca Thompson were also among speakers addressing the disagreement at the April 29 School Committee meeting between committee Chair and Mayor Peter Marchetti and Committee Member Ciary Batory over how and when the committee will release the full redacted text of the PHS report, completed about a year ago.

It was a packed house for Wednesday’s Pittsfield Public School Committee meeting at City Hall.

While a few speakers were critical of Batory’s aggressive questioning of Marchetti and other members during the member report section of the meeting, others said they’re glad she spoke out for parents and taxpayers who feel the committee is dragging its feet.

Thompson said the lack of clarity among some members on whether they expected a second vote after reviewing the report was evidence that the motion was unclear. But she also raised a point that until Wednesday had not been heard in debate: What do PHS students think about the report being front-page news again?

“Consulting them would be a respectful and useful thing to do. They are mature enough to understand the issues and weigh the risks,” Thompson said. “Rushing to judgment and pressing for this vote seems more like picking a fight rather than exercising leadership.”

Abbé Bateman, a parent of a Pittsfield Public Schools student, speaks during the public comments section of the Pittsfield School Committee meeting on Wednesday.

But Abbe Bateman begged to differ on whether committee members were unsure about how the release was supposed to happen, “because I feel like the public understood it. The media certainly understood it. The City Council understood it. Everyone understood it, except the School  Committee. We as parents are not alone in this,” she said.

Nolan Pratt also spoke to the potential impact on the PHS community as a reason to slow down or not release the report at all.

“Redacted is not a synonym for anonymity," he said. "If that report were to be released, we need to make sure all the students that are in it are completely protected.”

Pratt also asked the committee for “a more positive and thoughtful dialogue” and that it “refrain from accusations and sarcasm, speaking over each other and interrupting.”