Former Lakes Region school administrators faulted in Concord case

Two top administrators forced to resign last fall from the Concord School District failed to thoroughly investigate sexual misconduct complaints against teacher Howie Leung and implement “discipline of any consequence” prior to his arrest to ensure student safety, according to a report released Monday.

Multiple witnesses interviewed for the report told an independent investigator that Leung repeatedly violated teacher-student boundaries for years and showed “favoritism” toward certain girls, including some of whom weren’t his direct students.

Leung, who now faces rape charges in Massachusetts, continued to teach at Rundlett Middle School and then Concord High School, where Principal Tom Sica and, later, Superintendent Terri Forsten repeatedly failed to investigate or take disciplinary action in the face of strong evidence that he violated district and state policies, the report says.

Forsten was superintendent of the Laconia School District for two years before going to Concord, and was assistant superintendent before that. She was with the Laconia School District for 20 years.

Sica, a Laconia resident, was a principal in Gilford before working in the Concord School District. He is now the executive director of Belknap House in Laconia, a nonprofit that operates a shelter for homeless families.

The 115-page report, which the district released Monday, was drafted by investigator Djuna Perkins, who interviewed a total of 56 witnesses.

To read full coverage, visit

concordmonitor.com/Independent-report-district-administrators-Leung-investigation-Concord-NH-35198606