March 6, 2003

  

Dear Parents,

 

Barry Ring, principal of Newfields Elementary School, who has been on administrative leave since December 3, 2002, submitted his letter of resignation to SAU #16 Superintendent Dr. Arthur Hanson to be effective on March 7, 2003.  The Newfields School Board accepted his resignation on March 5, 2003.  As of March 7, 2003, the Newfields School District’s contractual and financial obligations to Mr. Ring will cease.   Dennis Dobe, on a leave of absence as Assistant Principal of Stratham Memorial School, has accepted the position of Acting Principal at Newfields Elementary School for the remainder of the 2002-2003 school year.

 

Today, the Newmarket Police Department arrested Mr. Ring and charged him with possession of child pornography.  To the best of our knowledge, no students at Newfields Elementary School were involved in any manner.  If you have any information related to these charges, please contact the Newfields Police Department at 772-9010.

 

Our primary concern is the health and safety of the students at Newfields Elementary School.  To assist with maintaining a safe learning environment, we have implemented the following:

 

• convened the Critical Incident Stress Management Team (CISM) to be on site at school as long as needed.  This team is comprised of professional counselors who have received specialized training to deal with situations such as this.
• scheduled the CISM Team, which has assisted the staff today.  The team will meet with parents this evening and will be available at NES on Friday, March 7^th.
• scheduled a parent meeting tonight, March 6, 2003 at 7:00 PM at Newfields Elementary School in the multi-purpose room.  The purpose of this meeting is to give parents guidance on how to discuss these issues with their children.  Child-care will be provided if needed. 

 

We recognize this is a difficult situation for everyone, and at the same time, we are trying to provide normalcy for the children at NES.  If you have any questions regarding this situation, please call Superintendent of Schools Arthur Hanson or Assistant Superintendent Steve Kossakoski at 775-8653.

 

Sincerely,

 

Arthur L. Hanson                                 

Superintendent of Schools

                       

Stephen A. Kossakoski

Assistant Superintendent of Schools