In August, 1988, the city granted the school a certificate of occupancy, allowing students to attend classes there. But in September, next-door-neighbor Jean Brooks filed an appeal to the city to block further expansion and submitted the neighbors' petition. The city's Zoning Board of Appeal approved an expansion of the school.

"For many of us that was the end of the matter," said Fisher Professor of Natural History A.W. Crompton, a petition signer. "I was at that point ready to accept the decision."

Brooks, however, was not. She and her husband decided to take the case to the Massachusetts Land Court. Rather than continue to fight the neighborhood, school officials decided to sell.

"It was always our intent to protect the parents and the students and the teachers so that they would not have to get involved in anything political," says Myette.

The announcement of Commonwealth Day's departure created an immediate political backlash and sparked angry allegations of racism. At an impromptu hearing, the City Council voted to set up a special commission to investigate the matter and to recommend action to appropriate city, state and federal agencies.

Also discussed at the hearing were charges of institutional harassment, including the city's failure to pick up the school's garbage for several weeks. In addition, neighbors obtained a cease-and-desist order to prevent the school from moving in equipment early last fall.

Political Infighting

At the next council meeting on September 18, the political implications of the school situation took on a new dimension.

During debate over an order sponsored by William H. Walsh and dealing with the petition signers, Duehay took an almost unheard-of step. He asked Walsh to remove his name from the measure, saying that the councillor was not qualified to address an issue of racial inequality.

He also said that the school's departure became an issue largely because the council's Independents--headed by Walsh and Sheila T. Russell--got together and agreed to use the issue against Duehay and the CCA.

All five Independents immediately denied that any such meeting took place. Although the Independent candidates do meet regularly, Walsh says, the Commonwealth Day School was never officially talked about.

"It was not any part of the agenda," says Walsh. "It was not discussed.

But Duehay says that he was told of the meeting by a participant: longtime Independent Councillor Walter J. Sullivan.

"He wanted to assure me that he had nothing to do with it," Duehay said. "He had been present chairing a meeting of the Independents where it was discussed, and he wanted nothing to do with it."

And Lester P. Lee, Jr, a city activist and former council candidate, says that Sullivan also told him that the matter was discussed and that he had decided not to take part.