Dear Administration and Board of Directors of MAC,

As parents of current and recent MAC students, we are writing to express our deep disappointment with the school’s handling of the termination of our children’s beloved music teacher Robin Hoch. We write because of our commitment to MAC as a school and a community. We think it is important to share our truth, from a place of love and support for the school and all the values it holds dear.  We are committed to helping MAC live up to those values. If MAC wants to be more than a school, but also a community that supports our children, we need to stand up for the people that make that community great. That’s the spirit in which we share this letter.

Robin has dedicated her career to supporting our children and instilling in them a love of music and learning. She has been critical in growing MAC into a wonderful, important, and safe place for our children to thrive. She is irreplaceable. We know that Robin regrets her actions, but we also know that she didn’t do anything to put any children at risk. She never would. We’ve all made mistakes in our lives too. Robin's mistake was a personal one, and there was also another person involved who made a mistake at least as substantial as Robin's who helped to put Robin in this position. Robin didn't violate any laws, and all of her conduct happened outside of school. And yet, as a consequence of MAC's harsh and hasty response, Robin's mistake has had drastic and severe consequences. Consequences that have affected our children.

We may not have all the information you have, but we know enough to say the following: 

• We are disappointed in the school’s hasty decision to terminate Robin without first giving her a meaningful opportunity to share her own experience with the administration, and without giving her every opportunity to protect herself and her children. Even in MAC's toddler classrooms, MAC's amazing teachers instill in our children the importance of reconciliation rooted in love and humanity and the importance of showing grace and calm, even when someone makes a mistake. But MAC's Administration didn't approach this decision with any of that love and humanity. The decision also seemed thoughtless and rushed, and appeared to place the immediate desires of a very small number of people over the needs of the broader community and the humanity of a 20-year teacher. At the very least, someone needed to take a deep breath and pause to think about other paths. That didn't appear to happen here.
• We are confused about why the school rushed to postpone the musical, even though Robin never posed any threat to our children in any way. That decision seems not to have prioritized the well-being of the children participating in the musical, many of whom were confused and saddened by the disruption. Some of our children remain so traumatized by this that they can't even talk about Robin or the musical without crying.
• We are disappointed that the school hastily communicated about Robin’s termination in a manner that left many families wondering whether she’d done something that harmed children. After her twenty years of service, Robin deserved better than that. Her kids deserved better than that. We all deserved better than that.
• We are sad and disappointed that the school has seemed eager to put its head in the sand and move on, as if there’s nothing to see here. Our kids never even had an opportunity to say goodbye to one of their beloved teachers. 

We request that MAC's leadership respond to our concerns no later than July 15, 2023. We are also happy to meet with you and the broader school community to discuss a path forward. We're disappointed that we're the ones who have to initiate that conversation, but we can't wait any longer. We look forward to your response.  

Best,

MAC Parents