Wayland Superintendent Pick Is Everett Educator, Ex-NFL Player

WAYLAND, MA — The Wayland School Committee on Friday took a major step toward picking a new superintendent, voting to unanimously enter into negotiations with candidate Omar Easy.

Easy was one of three finalists along with former director of secondary education in the Plainfield County (N.J.) Public Schools system Arcelius Brickhouse and Hopkinton assistant superintendent Jennifer Parson.

Easy most recently worked as the executive assistant principal of the academies at Everett High School, according to his resume. He previously worked as a teacher and vice principal in Everett, and holds a Ph.D and a masters in education, both from Penn State.

Notably, Easy began his post-college career as an NFL player. First for the Kansas City Chiefs beginning in 2002, and then for the Oakland Raiders beginning in 2005. After leaving the NFL due to a knee injury, he became a coach at Everett High School, his alma mater.

But Easy told the School Committee during a December interview that he has always loved working as an educator — he was a camp counselor and substitute teacher during college. In 2020, he applied to become the Everett superintendent, as well as the Quincy superintendent, according to the Everett Independent.

Wayland began searching for a new superintendent in the fall after Superintendent Arthur Unobskey told the district he would leave by the end of the 2020-21 school year.