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NEW BEDFORD — After being placed on administrative leave more than two years ago, former Voc-Tech administrator Heather Larkin has pleaded guilty to violating a conflict of interest law, paid the associated $10,000 civil penalty, and waived her right to a hearing.
The State Ethics Commission issued a news release on Monday outlining Larkin’s actions, in which she co-hosted a “mental performance summit” — a sports psychology workshop for Voc-Tech’s student-athletes — alongside an external consultant, Laura Wilde.
The ethics commission statement said that Larkin violated a civil law that “prohibits municipal employees from participating officially in matters in which they, their immediate families, or business partners have a financial interest.” The commission found that Larkin did not make a profit from the summit she co-hosted with Wilde, but that she had violated the law by contracting and approving payments to a business partner.
The commission further found that Larkin’s use of school resources — such as email listservs and Instagram accounts — to promote the business was a violation.
Larkin was placed on administrative leave from Voc-Tech on June 15, 2022, but continued hosting the monthly summits until Aug. 3 of that year, according to the ethics commission.
After one year of administrative leave, Larkin resigned from Voc-Tech in June 2023. She is also a former administrator at New Bedford Public Schools and a former candidate for superintendent of New Bedford Public Schools.
Email Colin Hogan at chogan@newbedfordlight.org
