MONTAGUE — In the wake of complaints to the School Committee about religious remarks he made during the May 28 commencement ceremony, Franklin County Technical School Superintendent Richard Martin has retired three weeks early.
During Wednesday’s School Committee meeting, Chair Richard Kuklewicz read a statement regarding six formal complaints the committee had received against Martin that were “centered primarily on religious references made during the speech,” and the nature of these references in the context of a public school graduation ceremony.
Kuklewicz explained how, while Martin’s remarks were intended to “acknowledge and remember” Christian Walker, a Franklin Tech student who was killed in Keene, New Hampshire, last June, and emphasize themes of forgiveness, compassion and community, “many individuals felt that those messages were overshadowed when he invited attendees to join him in a prayer, and made references that were perceived as religious in nature.”
“We are disappointed that such remarks were made during our graduation ceremony, and we have taken action to prevent this from occurring in the future,” Kuklewicz said. He noted that Franklin Tech plans to update its policies on “public events and other measures intended to help prevent similar concerns from arising.”
Kuklewicz then announced that, in response to the complaints regarding the graduation speech, Martin voluntarily retired on Monday, June 8, although his initial retirement date was set for June 30. Martin had worked at Franklin Tech for 17 years, first as a principal starting in 2009, then as superintendent since 2015.
The School Committee chair confirmed that he accepted Martin’s notice of early retirement, and forfeited the last weeks of regular pay while honoring contractual agreements regarding vacation and severance pay. Starting July 1, Ryan Rege, Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School’s principal, will take over as Franklin Tech’s new superintendent. The School Committee has approved his contract through 2029.
On Thursday, Martin said that the focus of his remarks was on a “grieving family whose son would have graduated with this class but was tragically shot and killed, as well as the seniors who lost a friend.”
Upon hearing about Martin’s early retirement on Thursday, Ashley Walker, Christian Walker’s mother, said she was “blown away” by the news. She said her family “felt like we were in such loving support with a community in that moment” at the graduation ceremony, and expressed appreciation for the support Martin has provided the family since her son’s death.
In six letters sent to the School Committee, Franklin Tech teachers, administrators and district residents wrote to express concerns over the inclusion of prayer at commencement. Letter writers said the remarks distracted from the ceremony meant for graduates, marginalized audience members and potentially opened the school up to legal liability.
Some letters called for disciplinary action against Martin and for the School Committee to create a policy to avoid a situation like this again. Letters also shared concern about the nature of the valedictorian’s speech, which also contained religious references.
During the May 28 ceremony, Martin invited the Walker family to gather around a chair reserved for Christian Walker, followed by an offer for graduates and audience members to join in a prayer for the family, “if anyone feels led to.” Martin asked “for those who can pray” to stand and extend their hands. Martin, fellow administrators on stage and some audience members all did so.
Martin also spoke to forgiveness in the context of almost losing his own son in a violent assault in Millers Falls in December 2023, and shared with students an interpretation of the school’s initials as guidance for graduates, stating, “forgive so you can move forward, care deeply about others, build trust through teamwork and use your skills in service to the world around you.” At the end of the speech, Martin shared that “FCTS stands, for me, personally, ‘Faith in Christ transforms my heart and saves my soul.'”
According to the U.S. Department of Education’s updated guidance on constitutionally protected prayer and religious expression in public schools, public schools must allow for students and other school employees to engage in an individual act of prayer, “provided they do not thereby coerce participation or speak on behalf of the school as an institution.” Student speakers who wish to thank God in their graduation speeches “should be allowed to do so,” as long as other students are not asked to participate with them.
An additional letter was sent to the district from the Washington D.C.-based nonprofit educational and advocacy organization Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which asked Franklin Tech not to allow “proselytizing religious content in speeches at future school events.” The nonpartisan organization also requested an update when work has been done to address the issue.
The letter, attributed to Ian Smith, staff attorney at Americans United, explained that while the organization understands the context in which Martin used prayer, the inclusion of prayer and religious references during graduation “conveys disrespect for graduates’, students’ and families’ beliefs, and sends the message that students who do not practice the officially favored faith are unwelcome outsiders who do not belong.
“Moreover, a public-school official praying and preaching to a captive audience violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” the letter continues before delving into court precedent around prayer at public schools, citing several Supreme Court cases.
The letter states that because courts have held that “public school employees cannot lead, initiate, participate in or encourage prayer involving students or otherwise to promote religion to students,” the speech at Franklin Tech fits “even more squarely” in violation of the First Amendment.
A similar situation occurred in 2017 in Springfield, Illinois, where then outgoing Superintendent Kent Medlin was suspended for saying a prayer at a graduation.
During Wednesday’s School Committee meeting, Kuklewicz decided not to allow commentary on the matter outside of members, stating that this is the first time in the 31 years he’s been on the committee that he’s restricting public comment on the issue, as “public comment cannot address sensitive personnel matters” in open discussion that could compromise individual privacy or the organization’s legal standing.
While commentary from School Committee members on the situation was limited to only clarification on how many complaints were filed with the committee, New Salem representative Bryan Camden said he wants to think of the “15-plus good years and all the amazing things [Martin] did for our district, and don’t let one minor event at the end of his long, successful career affect the overall opinion of him.”
