Natasha Halfkenny, the former principal, and Coreen Miranda, the former assistant principal of the Tobin School in Boston, have each paid a $4,000 civil penalty for violating the state’s conflict of interest law. The penalty arises from their misuse of tickets to the musical “Hamilton,” which were donated to the school for its students and their chaperones.
According to the State Ethics Commission, Halfkenny and Miranda admitted to using the tickets—meant for students who could not otherwise attend—to take their children, who were not enrolled at the school. The tickets, provided by a non-profit organization, included 12 student tickets and two chaperone tickets, each valued at approximately $149.
The situation came to light after Miranda forwarded an email about the ticket donation to Halfkenny, expressing excitement about the opportunity. Miranda indicated her intention to use one chaperone ticket and several student tickets for her sons, also not students of Boston Public Schools. Halfkenny agreed to chaperone and gave a ticket to her own son.
The commission noted that no other Tobin School employees were offered the chance to chaperone, nor was the opportunity made available to all students. Instead, Halfkenny and Miranda selected a group of nine eighth-grade students to attend the performance.
Despite seeking confirmation from the executive director of the Boston Education Development Fund about her sons’ use of the tickets, Miranda was informed it “would not be a problem.” However, the commission concluded that their actions violated the law, as it prohibited public employees from using their positions to obtain benefits not available to them or others.
David A. Wilson, Executive Director of the State Ethics Commission, emphasized the importance of adhering to ethical standards, stating that their actions denied students the opportunity to attend the show and underscored the legal consequences for public employees who misuse their official positions.
