Lindsay Clancy’s Daughter Told Teacher She ‘Missed Her Mom’

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: What's the stuff, please? Good morning. Good morning. I'm going to ask you to speak into that microphone. Okay. Keep your voice up so we can hear you. Okay. All right. Calm up. [00:00:15] Speaker 2: Thank you. Good morning. Could you please tell the jurors your first and last name? Susan Bertolo. And if you could just speak as loud as you can into that microphone, okay? Yep. Can you spell your last name for the record? B-E-R-T-O-L-O. And what city or town do you live in? Plymouth, Massachusetts. And where do you work? Leaping Frogs Preschool. Prior to working at Leaping Frogs, did you work at another preschool? [00:00:40] Cora Clancy: Yes. [00:00:41] Speaker 2: Where was that? Learning Sprouts in Duxbury. And how long had you been with Learning Sprouts? Four years. Did you teach a particular age group at that preschool? Yes. I taught the older preschool group. Okay. And at Learning Sprouts, are the classes kind of divided up? In some way? They're divided by age. [00:01:02] Cora Clancy: Toddlers, younger preschool, older preschool. [00:01:05] Speaker 2: And is there a particular label to the rooms that they're in? Are they referred to in a particular way? Yes. We were sunflowers. So your group, the three to five year olds, is the sunflower group? Yes. And can you tell us a little bit about how the day is broken up for kids in the sunflower group? Sure. [00:01:24] Cora Clancy: So some children came in early at 8, and then the rest of the kids came in at 9.15. And then some are half day and some are full day. [00:01:35] Speaker 2: And as far as, excuse me, your role with the kids in the sunflower room, you primarily interacted with them in the mornings, correct? Correct. And when the kids get dropped off, is it fair to say the bulk of the kids get dropped off around 9? Yes. And does that happen kind of like in a wave where parents drop off and they're kind of taken into the room as a group? [00:01:57] Cora Clancy: Yes. So the way our classroom was set up, we met them. They were dropped off to us at the door, and then we brought them into our classroom. [00:02:03] Speaker 2: And they stayed with you in that classroom throughout the morning, correct? Yes. And the kids who stayed for the afternoon, did they stay with you in the sunflower room or did they go someplace else? [00:02:14] Cora Clancy: No, they did not stay with us. We closed up our room and our kids, the majority of our kids, we had a couple, went over to the sweet pea room, which was across the hall. [00:02:25] Speaker 2: And so are you familiar with Cora Clancy, or were you familiar with Cora? Yes. And was she in the sunflower room with you? Yes, she was. Drawing your attention to September of 2022, what was her schedule, if you can recall? [00:02:41] Cora Clancy: I believe she was scheduled, I don't remember the days, I think she came three days. [00:02:46] Speaker 2: Okay, and for the three days that she came, do you remember if she was just in the morning group, or were there any days that she eventually did an afternoon? [00:02:55] Cora Clancy: So in the beginning of the year, she was three days and then went full day, and then towards the end of her time in our room, she did one afternoon, I believe, no, I'm sorry, one half day. [00:03:06] Speaker 2: Okay, so fair to say you then interacted with her at least three days in the morning, and then she went to the sweet pea room in the afternoon? Yes. And who was the teacher in the sweet pea room? Stephanie. Would you be present when Cora was dropped off in the morning? [00:03:26] Cora Clancy: Myself or my co-worker Karen, we took turns. [00:03:29] Speaker 2: And fair to say, there were always the two of you assigned to one room with the number of kids in the class? Correct. Now, as far as drop-offs for Cora, did you have the opportunity to interact with parents at drop-off? Briefly. And for Cora, who used to drop her off? [00:03:48] Cora Clancy: Both parents dropped off, Pat and Lindsay. Did you see one parent more than the other? I recall seeing Pat more, but we took turns, so we didn't really ask each other who dropped off. [00:04:02] Speaker 2: When you say we took turns, you mean yourself and Karen? Karen, correct. Now, with the limited interaction at drop-off, did you have opportunities to interact in other ways with parents? [00:04:15] Cora Clancy: Yes. [00:04:16] Speaker 2: And how did you interact with parents in other ways? [00:04:18] Cora Clancy: Email or typically our class dojo, which is an app for the class. [00:04:22] Speaker 2: And that's something that can be done on the phone or a computer? Correct. And were the Clancys, meaning Patrick and Lindsay, fairly active or responsive to the dojo app? Yes. And do you know or do you recall who would be more responsive? Lindsay. How was Cora as a preschool student? Amazing. She was wonderful. Was she, in your opinion, ready for kindergarten? [00:04:52] Cora Clancy: Yes. [00:04:52] Speaker 2: I'm going to draw your attention to January 23rd of 2023. Do you remember Cora coming that day? Yep. And do you recall who dropped her off? I do not. Did you notice anything different about Cora that day? Yes. And what was different? [00:05:14] Cora Clancy: She needed to use the bathroom several times more than she normally would. [00:05:18] Speaker 2: And is there a reason why that kind of stood out to you, that she used the bathroom more than often? [00:05:25] Cora Clancy: Yes. [00:05:25] Speaker ?: Yes. [00:05:25] Cora Clancy: Because our classroom did not have a bathroom in it. So we would go down at scheduled times before snack or lunch. And if a child needed to go, one of us would take that child. And that particular day, she went several times extra. [00:05:38] Speaker 2: And so between you and Karen, you were kind of taking her more often to the bathroom. Was she complaining of any belly pain or any other issues? She didn't complain. But the fact that she asked to use the bathroom was of note to you? Yes. And when Cora transitioned that afternoon to go to the sweet pea room with Stephanie, did you pass along those observations to the afternoon teacher? Yes, I did. Because that was something that you would want a parent to know. It was unusual. And during that morning group, you didn't feel it was necessary to reach out to either Patrick or Lindsay to report that, did you? No. But you reported it to Stephanie to pass along for the afternoon. Correct. And on that particular afternoon, were you at Learning Sprouts during pickup time? Yes, I was. And that wasn't always the case, was it? [00:06:31] Cora Clancy: Not every day, but I often would help out in the toddler room if they needed me to stay. And that is what I had done that afternoon. [00:06:38] Speaker 2: So on that particular afternoon at pickup time, did you have the occasion to see Lindsay Clancy? [00:06:44] Cora Clancy: Yes, I did. [00:06:45] Speaker 2: And did you have an opportunity to speak with her? [00:06:47] Cora Clancy: Yes, we spoke quickly. And I just was letting her know. And she did already know, but we just spoke quickly, that she had gone a few times. [00:06:55] Speaker 2: So you were letting her know about Cora going to the bathroom? Correct. And how did she respond when you told her that? [00:07:01] Cora Clancy: She said, I don't remember exactly the words, but basically that she wasn't glad that she wasn't feeling well, but she already had a doctor's appointment the next day so that she would let them know. [00:07:14] Speaker 2: And that interaction was fairly brief, correct? Correct. But appropriate. Yeah. And they left that day? Yep. Did you notice anything different about Lindsay Clancy after you told her that or in that brief interaction than any of your other interactions with her? [00:07:31] Speaker ?: No. [00:07:33] Speaker 2: And you are a mandated reporter at the preschool? Correct. So if a child were to come in with any concerning marks or bruises or was saying something about things that were happening in the household, you would be required to report those to the Department of Children and Families? Yes. Any concerns or reports regarding the Clancy family at all during the time that you were Cora's teacher? Never. And do you recall if Cora ever mentioned to you during class, during the time that you were Cora were teaching her in the morning classes, a time when her mom was in the hospital? Yes. And what do you recall about that? Just that she was, she missed her mom and she was vocal about that. Do you remember about when that was that, that she said something about her mom being in the hospital? [00:08:27] Cora Clancy: It was in, I can't remember if it was in December or January. I just remember that that was, it was said. [00:08:34] Speaker 2: But fair to say it was closer in time to the last time you saw her as opposed to the beginning of the school year. Yes. Just to briefly go back to Cora's schedule, I know you say you can't remember exactly which day she came, but by January of 2023, Cora was coming for three full days and one half day, correct? Yes. [00:09:05] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:09:05] Speaker 2: Thank you. [00:09:07] Speaker 1: Mr. Reddington. No questions, thank you. All right. Thank you, ma'am. Let me sit down. Thank you. [00:09:17] Speaker 2: The commonwealth would call Stephanie Williams as its next witness, please.