COURT POOL PHOTO
Brian Hyde, left, hugs his attorney Drew Segadelli after Judge Mary Orfanello found Hyde not guilty.
CapeCod.com
February 25, 2016
By MATT PITTA, CapeCod.com former News Director
MASHPEE – The Mashpee School Committee is expected to address Superintendent Brian Hyde’s future at a special meeting tonight.
Hyde was found not guilty last week of trespass and breaking and entering charges in connection with a residency check.
But he’s been suspended with pay by the school committee since November 5.
A statement from School Committee Chairman Don Myers said they will convene in open session tonight at the Quasnet School Library at 7:30 p.m. and immediately go into executive session.
He said the committee will return to open session “at some point in the night and could be voting if necessary,”
Seating will be available in the school cafeteria for those who want to wait for the executive session to end.
After last week’s verdict, Hyde’s two lawyers called on the school committee to immediately reinstate him.
“It’s sad that he had to go through this, he and his family. I hope he can get back to work as soon as possible,” said Attorney Drew Segadelli.
A Falmouth District Court judge ruled that prosecutors failed to prove the elements of the alleged crimes and ordered a directed verdict.
The charges stemmed from a residency check he made last September at the home of Marilyn and Isabel King. Isabel had been trying to enroll as a student in the Mashpee school system.
But during the trial, both mother and daughter acknowledged on the witness stand that they were living in Sandwich until late September.
“We call upon the school committee to call a special meeting to put Mr. Hyde back to work,” said Attorney Mark Gildea last week, who also represented Hyde.
The case caused a shakeup on the school committee earlier in the year, when the board voted to strip Scott McGee of his chairmanship, saying he was too close to the superintendent.
McGee had been under fire at the time for not immediately releasing the results of an independent review of the home visit. He was replaced by Myers as the chairman.
That report came to no conclusions and made no recommendations after investigating Hyde’s actions.
The report said Marilyn King was inconsistent with her story while being interviewed by the private investigators.
King, according to the report, had trouble recalling dates, time frames, and conversations related to the incident.
By MATT PITTA, CapeCod.com News Director