Public Records Request Shows Billerica High School Agreed To Pay Monica Cannon-Grant $200 To Speak To Students, Disputing Statement About Nonprofit Paying
The Billerica School Committee still has not taken responsibility for paying Monica Cannon-Grant to speak to the entire student body for Black History Month, and according to emails recently received due to a public records request she was invited by French teacher Terri-Anne Bynoe. Bynoe initially contacted Monica on November 23, identifying herself as the advisor for the Students of Color Organization at BHS. She told Monica that she would like to pay her to speak to the entire student body in the morning, and then speak only to black students in a racially segregated group during the afternoon. She asked Monica for her speaking fee and she replied by telling her it was $200.
The Principal and School Committee have both been on record as claiming that Monica was paid with a grant from a nonprofit that both Assistant Superintendent Jill Geiser and School Committee member Cheri Gargalianos are on the board of. However, in her next email to Monica she says that the school agreed to pay for the $200 fee, not the nonprofit.
Every member of this committee should be voted out. Not one of them would condemn Monica’s blatant racism when I read quotes of hers out loud at a recent meeting.
They lied to the public repeatedly for why this happened. It was not paid for by a grant, but rather by the school itself. Vote them all out next election, Billerica.
