MARION — Tabor Academy Head of School John Quirk will take a leave of absence for the rest of the school year, with the school’s Associate Head of School for Faculty and School Affairs Julie Salit taking over as acting head of school.

Quirk was arrested on Jan. 31 for speeding and driving under the influence. In Falmouth District Court on Feb. 11, Quirk’s case was “continued without a finding,” an action which admits that there is enough evidence against him for a trial but allows him to skip one in exchange for strict probation conditions and harsher consequences should a second incident occur.

The Board of Trustees released a letter to the Tabor community on Feb. 13, saying that the administrator would face disciplinary action short of dismissal. They had stated that Quirk would publicly apologize to the community. 

A second letter from the board to the community on Feb. 18 made no reference to what precipitated the change in less than a week’s time.

The school said only that “we decided that it would benefit both the school and John for him to take time away from his responsibilities at Tabor. John agrees.”

Tabor Academy declined to provide any further information on the decision.

Salit previously served as Science Department Chair at St. James School and Dean of Students and Director of Admission at Bancroft School.

The full text of the letter is as follows:

February 18, 2020

Dear Tabor Community,

Since our letter last Thursday concerning our Head of School John Quirk, we have continued to consider this incident and its aftermath. We decided that it would benefit both the school and John for him to take time away from his responsibilities at Tabor. John agrees. Therefore, John will be on a leave of absence from his role, effective immediately until the end of the school year.

Julie Salit, Associate Head of School for Faculty and School Affairs, will assume the role as Acting Head of School. We are grateful that she has accepted the assignment and we are confident in her leadership and readiness to move Tabor forward at this critical time. Julie has a long history in independent school leadership and education. Immediately prior to joining Tabor as a member of our faculty in 2007, Julie served as Science Department Chair at St. James School. Before then, Julie was Dean of Students and Director of Admission at Bancroft School. Julie’s robust involvement in managing school affairs at Tabor as Associate Head, combined with her knowledge and experience as a career independent boarding school educator and administrator will allow the school to move forward in John’s absence.

In closing, all of the trustees thank you for your time, patience and understanding as we work through this challenging matter. We understand that this has been a difficult period for our community, and we apologize for the stress and upset this has caused. With your support, we are confident that we will emerge a stronger community.

Thank you,

Tabor Academy Board of Trustees