Smithfield Council President Criticizes Use of Former School Comm Chair as “Investigator”

Smithfield Council President Criticizes Use of Former School Comm Chair as “Investigator”

The lawyer conducting the “outside” investigation into the handling of the antisemitic incident at Smithfield High School is a former chair of the School Committee.

The investigative attorney is Sean Clough, who served as chair of the school committee up until 2018 and has been active in political campaigns in the town as a candidate and a donor. Clough works for the long-time School Committee's law firm Brennan Scungio & Kresge LLP.

John Tassoni, the President of the Smithfield Town Council, told GoLocal in a phone interview on Wednesday night, “It should not be done this way.  It should not be done by [the Smithfield School Committee’s] lawyer. It should be done by an independent person who has knowledge of these types of things.”

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“It's unfortunate that we're at the point that we're at, but something needs to be done. Leadership needs to happen,” added Tassoni.

Tassoni added that he and fellow council members Tom Winfield and Angelica Bovis would issue a detailed statement on Thursday.

 

GoLocal Asked “Investigator” About Potential Conflict Issues

GoLocal emailed Clough about the growing concerns about his role as the “investigator,” but he did not respond.

Attorney Ben Scungio of the firm responded to GoLocal’s questions to Clough.

Scungio emailed to GoLocal, “The Smithfield School District is my client, and Sean is the attorney in my firm responsible for Smithfield matters. We see no potential or actual conflict or violation of any of the rules of ethics or the ethics code simply because Sean was a member of the Smithfield School Committee some 7+ years ago.”

When asked if his firm had sought guidance from the state’s disciplinary counsel, Scungio wrote, “I really appreciate the insight. But I have represented the Smithfield School District for more than 20, perhaps 25 years.”

“I honestly do not believe your queries have any relevance to anything and are beyond far-fetched.  Every attorney in this firm operates with integrity and within the bounds of our professional rules of ethics – and we always have. We don’t have any further comment other than the statement I gave you,” added Scungio.

Earlier on Wednesday, the law firm issued a statement - under School Committee Chair Richard Iannitelli’s name - stating:

Superintendent Dawn Bartz is on administrative leave pending the outcome of a legal review regarding the administration’s recent handling of a football matter.  Assistant Superintendent Lisa Odom‑Villella has agreed to serve as Acting Superintendent of Schools. 

These steps ensure continued stability and focus on the needs of our students, staff, and families. Chair Iannitelli stated that the Committee will not be commenting further at this time.