- Courtesy
- Debra Beaupre
In an email to the school community, district superintendent Tom Flanagan said he could not share any details about Beaupre's leave. But he assured families that the district was "working as quickly as possible to resolve this situation."
Monday's announcement came five days after she pulled the fire alarm amid a student altercation during lunch, leading to an evacuation of the building and a visit from the Burlington Fire Department. Beaupre later sent an email to families explaining what had happened.
"I decided to evacuate the building to ensure safety and provide emotional space to students and staff amid a heightened, atypical situation," Beaupre wrote in an October 20 email. "I realize that this alternative was stressful in the moment, as fire drills are surprising and signal an emergency ... I regret if any student or staff member is experiencing any lingering unsettledness."
The Burlington School District would not confirm whether Beaupre's leave was tied to the fire alarm incident.
Assistant principal Sabrina Westdijk, who previously served as principal of Burlington's Edmunds Middle School, will serve as principal in Beaupre's absence, Flanagan said. Other administrators will pitch in to support her.
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Beaupre was hired in May after a monthslong search. She previously served as an associate principal at Hanover High School in New Hampshire. Before that, she was principal of Cavendish Town Elementary School, a K-6 school with around 80 students in Windsor County.
At Cavendish, Beaupre was the subject of a petition of no-confidence in April 2019, after around 70 people expressed concerns about her discipline style and an incident involving a school bus. According to the Chester Telegraph, some parents alleged that Beaupre had passed a stopped school bus in her car, pulled in front of it, then boarded the bus to tell students they needed to sit down while the bus was moving.
In an interview with the student newspaper, the BHS Register, earlier this month, a reporter asked Beaupre what she thought about the high turnover rate among administrators at the school and how long she planned to stay. Beaupre described the job of principal as "incredibly demanding" and said it required bravery and the willingness "to have hard conversations with people day after day after day."
"Most principals don't stay to watch the freshmen ... graduate. But that's not my plan," Beaupre said. "My plan is to stay here for anywhere from seven to 10 years and then I'd like to retire."
Since March 2021, students have been attending class at a temporary downtown campus on Cherry Street, inside a former Macy's department store. The former high school, on Institute Road, was contaminated by toxic chemicals known as PCBs.
Those buildings were recently demolished to make way for a new high school, which could be ready for students in 2026.
At Cavendish, Beaupre was the subject of a petition of no-confidence in April 2019, after around 70 people expressed concerns about her discipline style and an incident involving a school bus. According to the Chester Telegraph, some parents alleged that Beaupre had passed a stopped school bus in her car, pulled in front of it, then boarded the bus to tell students they needed to sit down while the bus was moving.
In an interview with the student newspaper, the BHS Register, earlier this month, a reporter asked Beaupre what she thought about the high turnover rate among administrators at the school and how long she planned to stay. Beaupre described the job of principal as "incredibly demanding" and said it required bravery and the willingness "to have hard conversations with people day after day after day."
"Most principals don't stay to watch the freshmen ... graduate. But that's not my plan," Beaupre said. "My plan is to stay here for anywhere from seven to 10 years and then I'd like to retire."
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Beaupre is the school's fourth principal in three years. In January 2021, then-principal Noel Green resigned abruptly, citing his long-term status as interim principal and distrust of the school board as reasons for leaving.
Following his departure, assistant principal Lauren McBride became interim, and then permanent, principal. She resigned in January to take a job with Burlington-based cookie dough manufacturer Rhino Foods.
McBride was followed by former Burlington High School principal Amy Mellencamp, who had held the job from 1999 to 2016 and came out of retirement to fill in while the district searched for a permanent principal.
Following his departure, assistant principal Lauren McBride became interim, and then permanent, principal. She resigned in January to take a job with Burlington-based cookie dough manufacturer Rhino Foods.
McBride was followed by former Burlington High School principal Amy Mellencamp, who had held the job from 1999 to 2016 and came out of retirement to fill in while the district searched for a permanent principal.
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Those buildings were recently demolished to make way for a new high school, which could be ready for students in 2026.
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