Dear Alderman:

Dear Alderman:This is thethirdemail we have sent to you in the past 10 days. We haven't had the courtesy of a response. We would appreciate if you would take a few minutes to read the following and help to ameliorate the effect of a Newton official'sunlawful and retaliatory actionsagainst our minor child, which has put our entire family at risk.The background of the situation, along with corroborating evidence, is set forth in the two emails below. In brief, Matt Hills, Chair of the School Committee, unlawfully sent our child'sconfidentialSchool Record to the NewtonTaband the websitevillage14.comfor publication.The record sent by Hills - a private,confidentialletter addressed to us from a state agency which concerned our minor child - set forth our childs name, Kerrys name, our address, and the confidential (bylaw) fact that Kerry had made an administrative complaint against the Newton Public Schools for failing to adequately review class material.Hills did this because anorganizationKerry founded wasresponsiblefor the removal of a controversial text, theArab World Studies Notebookfrom Newton classrooms. Hills objected to the removal.Hills was also 'frustrated' (as described by School Committee member Geoff Epstein) because an organization called "Americans for Peace and Tolerance" -with which we have absolutely no connection- published an advertisement that criticized Hills and the Newton Public Schools.Instead of discussing his problems with the organization that published the ad and/or with David Fleishman, who ordered theNotebook's removal, Hills decided to take out his 'frustration' on oursixteen-year-old daughter.If that sounds perverse, you're right.Our family was stalked in 2010 by an individual who objected to a pro-Israel editorial Kerry wrote. The Newton police became involved and told us not to allow our personal information to appear in print, especially in connection with any potentially controversial issues.Obviously, printing our child's name, my name, and our address placed our children in danger. Because of where we live, there is only one way for them to walk to school. They are sitting ducks for any fanatic, including the person who stalked us in 2010, who wants to harm them.We askedSuperintendent Fleishman and Mayor Warrenfor help in keeping our children safe. Both refused.We also contacted the School Committee. Not a single person answered our plea for help.The Tab and village14published the confidential information-including in village14's case the entire confidential letter - on the internet. Both entities also published false and defamatory claims that Kerry belonged to an 'anti-Muslim' group.Although both the Tab and village14 were fully aware that they received our personal, confidential information illegally and that they accusations against Kerry were both false and defamatory, they have refused to remove itfor the past twenty months. We have been informed that due to pressure from social media, village14 removed itsarticlelast week.Thisis the ruling by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education ("DESE") advising that Hills's act of giving the confidential letter to the media for publication was unlawful. The ruling contains an error; it states that the letter was given to the Tab and village14 in response to a public record request. No such request was made by Hills or anyone else. A second DESE letter corrects the mistake.However, it doesn't require an official ruling for supposedly intelligent people to understand that publishing a private letter from a state agency, addressed to someone else, which concerns that person's minor child, is neither legal nor moral. Hills, a Harvard Business School graduate who manages an investment fund and has years of School Committee experience, is legally charged with knowing the basics of student confidentiality law.Certainly Hills is or should be aware of the basics of appropriate human behavior, which include the quaint notion that one should not use their position as an elected official to endanger children.Hills, Mayor Warren, Superintendent Fleishman, and the School Committeeall ignored our requests for help. All of them have the ability to have Kerry's name removed from the Tab article. There is no doubt that if Fleishman or Warren told the Tab that it would not receive any information from them other than what is legally required by law, it would be removed tomorrow. As for Hills, since the articles were published at his request, he is responsible for and certainly has the ability to have them removed or altered to conform to Massachusetts law.Hills, Fleishman, and Warren are all aware of what has been done and the impact it has had on us. They simply don't care, or worse, approve of what was done as a convenient way to 'shut up' concerns about the school curriculum.We would like you to contact these individuals - whose jobs require them to protect citizens of Newton - and ask them toperform the responsibilities of their positionsand have the Tab remove Kerry's name from thearticle.Hills' number is617-630-9862; he apparently does not respond to email - at least not to email requesting that he ameliorate the danger he caused to children under the care of the School Committee over which he presides.When Hills became concerned because 'too many people' called his home with respect to grossly inappropriate material used in Newton schools, he received police protection. When our children were stalked and set up by Hills to be targeted, they receivednothing. Why is that?Supt. Fleishman's secretary can be reached at617-559-6100. His email isfleishmand@newton.k12.ma.usordavid_fleishman@newton.k12.ma.us.We are sure you have more access to Mayor Warren, who fortwenty months has refused to answer a single emailor telephone call regarding our children's safety, than we do. You can reach his assistant at617-796-1100. His email isswarren@newtonma.gov.We would also like you to call Mr. Jesse Floyd, Manager of Tab newspapers, at781-433-8325and ask him to remove the unlawfully acquired confidential information. His email isjfloyd@wickedlocal.com. He does respond to emails, although his responses are likely to be vile and sometimes obscene.Mr. Floyd is well aware that the information he printed was acquired illegally. His sole reason for not removing it is a vicious and spiteful personality.The Aldermen are the only people who can help. Mayor Warren, Superintendent Fleishman, the School Committee, and Matt Hills obviously do not care one whit about our children or our family. In fact, Hills took further steps to harass Kerry by having administrators at the synagogue where his wife presides call her colleagues and make slanderous allegations.All this occurred because Kerry had the audacity to object to racist school material. So much for 'liberal' and 'caring' Newton and its 'world-class' schools. It would be ironically funny if it wasn't for our family bearing the brunt of Newton officials truly disgusting behavior.We would appreciate it if you would let us know the results of your conversations with Hills, Floyd, and/or Warren, and copies of any emails and responses thereto.Thank you for your help.Very truly yours,Kerry and Jules HurwitzKerry and Jules Hurwitz---------- Forwarded message ----------From:Kerry HurwitzDate: Fri, Jun 5, 2015 at 2:07 PMSubject: Update on Unlawful Transmission and Publication of Confidential Student RecordsTo:dragonboatboston@gmail.com

Dear Aldermen,

Thanks to your help, it appears that the publication of my child's confidential student record (asruled by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)has been removed fromvillage14.com, at least for the moment (the blog's publishers, Gail Spector and Greg Reibman, have promised to remove information in the past and have reneged).

However, my child's confidential information - including my name and the fact that I filed a Statement of Concern with the DESE, as well as false and defamatory claims about my associations and beliefs -can still be viewed on the website of the NewtonTab, as can the article that led to our family being stalked in 2010..

Below is the email I sent to you earlier this week; apparently the links did not come through to all addressees so I have re-added them and they should work now.

I have also attached an email by Matt Hills to David Fleishman and other School Committee members as well as Alderman Brian Yales. I believe the email shows collusion to evade Massachusetts and federal law.

It is obvious that the School Committee is unable to police itself. Chair Matthew Hills was found last year to have violated provisions of Massachusetts laweight separate times.One of those timesinvolved retaliation against mysixteen-year-old daughter, for no reason other than the fact thatI caused theArab World Studies Notebookto be removed from Newton classrooms over his objection.

If I have not done so already, I will telephone you next wee to discuss these issues.

Very truly yours,

Kerry Hurwitz

Email sent earlier this week:

Dear Alderman,

My name is Kerry Hurwitz. Im an attorney and a parent of two Newton Public Schools students. My husband and I have been Newton residents for over twenty years.

I am writing because I know that some of you post, or give interviews and other information, to the websiteswww.village14.comand the NewtonTab.

You may recall that in October, 2013 Newton School Committee Chair Matthew Hills gave my daughtersconfidential school recordtovillage14.comand theTabso they could publish her private information online. They also published false and defamatory claims about me. The articles, and comments to the articles, arehereandhere.

Hills did this to retaliate against her, and me, because the organization I founded,Parents for Excellence in Newton Schools(PENS) caused theArab World Studies Notebookto beremovedfrom Newton schools against his wishes. Hills was also frustrated because an organization called Americans for Peace and Tolerance, withwhich I have no association, published an advertisement criticizing him, Superintendent Fleishman and the Newton Public Schools.

You may also remember, or now know, that Gail Spector and Greg Reibman, the publishers ofrshamsud elvillage14.com, placed a private, confidentialletterto me from the DESE (the state agency regulating public schools) concerning aconfidential actionfiled on behalf of my minor child, on a public internet platform and linked it to a village14post. All of these items were found to be confidential by aDESE ruling dated April 23, 2014.

Thelettercontained my childs name, my name, our address, and publicly revealed the confidential (by law) fact that I had made an administrate complaint against the Newton Public Schools (NPS) for failing to adequately review class material.

In addition to publishing my daughters confidential student record and my private correspondence,village14.comalso published false and defamatory allegations about me. The allegations included claims that I am a member of Charles Jacobss organization Open Newton Schools (ONS) or strongly support[ing] its objectives, that I was involved in the publication of an advertisement criticizing Superintendent Fleishman and Matthew Hills, and that I was involved in (unspecified) controversial causes. Village14 also ascribed to me positions I do not hold and in fact find repugnant.

I am not a member of ONS, disagree with many of its statements and tactics, and have no idea what its objectives are.I had nothing to do with the publication of the advertisement that criticized Mr. Hills.Nor do I believe that my desire to see students use better quality material is controversial.

TheTabalsopublishedthe confidential information and false allegations that I am involved in a different founded by Mr. Jacobs called Americans for Peace and Tolerance APT).I am not a member of APT or any other organization founded by Mr. Jacobs. In fact, I disagree strongly with his tactics and rhetoric.

The publication of my daughters private, confidential information and false and defamatory claims has endangered my children, destroyed my reputation and career, and caused tremendous upheaval and emotional distress for my husband, me, and every member of my family.

Neither theTabnor village14 contacted me to ask for permission to publish my childs confidential records, nor did they ask me to clarify my positions or whether the claims they were planning to publish were true. I had never even heard of village14 before this.

When theTaband willage14 published my childs confidential information and private correspondence, both entities were aware that that my family wasstalked in 2010and told by police not to allow our personal information to appear in public. I also informed both entities of that fact immediately after I became aware of the publications. Both entities were additionally told of the stalking and police warnings numerous times in correspondence.

I am telling you this because eighteen months later, the confidential information and false allegations remain on the websites of both theTaband village14. This is unlawful, of course. Both theTaband village14 are well aware of this; both have received numerous communications from attorneys and even the telephone numbers and email address of the DESE office responsible for student confidentiality issues.

I have spent substantial funds as well as hundreds of hours of my own time on legal matters. Both entities are clear that they only way I can have the unlawfully obtained, illegally published information removed is to file a lawsuit and continue it to trial. This will cost $20,000 or more.

There is no doubt that the records published are confidential. If you dont believe me or the Letter of Determination from the DESE, you can speak with the on-call attorney at the Office of General Counsel,781-338-3400.Or you can just ask yourself, is it right to place a childs confidential records on the internet without parental permission, especially when that child and her family have been stalked and harassed, and the records contain the childs name, parents name, and address?

By the way, there no disciplinary action was taken against Hills other than attending a 45-minute seminar. Both Superintendent Fleishman and Mayor Warren refused any sanctions at all.Bothalso refused to help us in any way.

If you would tell theTaband village14 that you will not speak with or provide them with information other than what you are required to by law, until my childs confidential information is removed, I am sure it would be gone in days.

This information includes my name and any other information by which our family or individual family members may be identified.

We need your help to stop this. We have tried contacting numerous people including several attorneys, clergy, Mayor Warren, Superintendent Fleishman, and the School Committee. All were either unable to or refused to help us.

PLEASE call or write to them TODAY. And please take or let us know of any other steps we can take to regain our lives.

With much thanks for your help,

Kerry and Jules Hurwitz