Um, ready to call a roll, please. Miss Carousella, here. Mr. Cohen, here. Mr. Corey, here. Mr. Hayward, here. Miss Parlamus here. Miss Rendell,
Miss Stevenson here, Miss Calves here, Dr. Robinson here. We have a quorum. Thank you. Uh, Miss Parlame, are you able to lead us through the well through the flag salute? Oh yes,
I think you I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Adequate notice of meeting in accordance with PL1 1975 chapter 231. Notice of tonight's meeting was mailed to the record in the Ridgewood News on September 30th, 2025. Notice of this meeting was also mailed to the burough clerk and was posted on the bulletin board of the board of education office
in the administration building on the same date. Miss Stevenson, are you able to read the mission statement? I am. The Glenrock School District, founded on principles of education in partnership with a supportive community,
provides an exceptional education to all students to cultivate resilient, responsible, and engaged global citizens. Thank you. All right. So, um, you know, special meetings are unusual, meaning that we don't have them very often. Uh, every
time we have them, sometimes they're about different formats. It could be as simple as we need to, you know, make a hiring action for a teacher or something that comes up that's unusual. Um, however, um, as as we all know that there these are unusual times. Um, what
remains consistent with the board of education um, in any of these um, forums, we're unable to um, talk about personnel. So, I understand, you know, many of you are here looking for either updates or um to share your concerns and we we welcome the opportunity to hear
from you um and have public comments at every meeting, this one included. Um so, I will start off by um you know making making a statement um and then after that um beyond that then we'll have like
public comments. We'll open them. We'll close them and then have a closing statement if there's any and then uh go into close session. Um in close session today, action may or may not be taken. Um but I would anticipate that our closed is going to last somewhere around
an hour um for for discussion for matters of attorney privilege, attorney client privilege and personnel. Um so first I want to say that I I just want to take a moment to address an issue that strikes at the heart of the public trust in this board. Um recently it came to light that screenshots of internal
board communications or private emails exchanged solely among board members were improperly accessed and shared outside their intended con context. These communications did not include um you know it didn't include personnel. Uh
it was only only board of education members and were part of our normal duties of governance and oversight. Each board member takes an oath to act with integrity, respect confidentiality, and serve the public interest above all else. When that trust is broken, when
confidential information is accessed or used in ways that undermine the work of this board, it threatens the very foundation of our responsibility to this community. The board took action to ensure accountability by asking every member to sign an affidavit
confirming and affirming cooperation in understanding how this breach occurred. Eight of nine members agreed to do so. One member declined, Miss Randelle. So, I'm not sure if that's has anything to do with why she's not here or resigned.
Our community deserves to know that the majority of this board stands firmly for transparency, accountability, and ethical governance. We remain committed to rebuilding confidence and ensuring that the actions of a few do not cast a shadow on the integrity of this institution. Finally, in the interest of
maintaining stability and clear governance practice, I would like us to look into whether we can amend our bylaws to establish a maximum twoe effective date for any board member um resignation once tendered. And this will promote continuity and accountability
during transitions in service. We cannot move forward effectively when trust is compromised or when cooperation is withheld. It is imperative that all members engage honestly and transparently to restore confidence in this body. Our community expects ethical
leadership and responsible stewardship of the trust placed in us and we owe them nothing less. Thank you. Are there any other members of the board that would like to say something? Okay.
Thank you, Dr. Robinson. I want to share that Dr. Charleston has filed an ethics complaint against me, which has since been docketed by the school ethics commission, alleging that my efforts to inquire about the source of screenshots of internal board communications somehow
violated confidentiality or harmed district operations under NJSA 18A 12 through 24.1g. I deny that I did anything wrong and I'm confident that I will be fully vindicated. To be clear, my actions were
consistent with the duties of any board member committed to protecting the integrity of our governance and ensuring that confidential board information is not misused or weaponized. Importantly, my actions were also fully authorized by
the entire board. In other words, I was not acting as a rogue board member as the complaint seems to suggest. Rather, the full board asking an administrator who was not privy to certain internal board communications how he received them is not misconduct. It's due
diligence to ensure that private internal communications are not being inappropriately accessed or disseminated. Simply put, when confidential information are accessed or used to entrap trustees performing their responsibilities, it undermines board
stability and public confidence. Those actions do not protect our schools. In fact, they weaken them. I share Dr. Robinson's concern for the health of this institution and our commitment to ethical, transparent governance. I remain focused on serving our students
and community with honesty and integrity despite the challenges before us. Thank you. Thank you. Uh yes, go ahead. I just want to take a moment actually wrote down which is not like me. I want to take a moment tonight to speak about
Dr. Robinson's leadership and why we are so fortunate to have her as our board president during this challenging time. Damali has shown unwavering dedication to our students, staff, and community. She doesn't just preside, she leaves with integrity, heart, and courage. When
decisions are tough, she stays focused on doing what's right, not what's easy. What what I admire most is how she leads with people, not over them. She values every board member, listens with respect, and builds trust through
collaboration. When I first joined the board, my voice was not a welcomed one, but that changed under her leadership. Damali has built a culture where every voice is heard and respected. Her steadiness, fairness, and determination have guided us through difficult
moments, keeping our focus where it belongs, on students and the community we serve. I'm proud to support and serve alongside her. Well, well, thank you. Thank you, Karen. So, thank you. Um, are there any other
members of the board? Yes, Christine. I don't have prepared comments, but I would just like to echo Miss Stevenson's comments that I I feel very thankful for your leadership. You have given more time than anyone could account for and you have made yourself available to
community to the district to each to the board members and I thank you for doing that. Thank you for your support as well. And I know that this was really challenging especially for you coming into this like um abruptly. So, you know, I also
appreciate the amount of time that you've spent trying to catch up. So, thank you. Yes, Mr. Cohen. Yeah, I echo everything all the great things about the Mali. Um, we're definitely the town is definitely lucky to to have her in the leadership, but I
do have um a written statement. So for the record, earlier this year I I filed a complaint with the New Jersey School complaint commission docket C1661-25 against trans trustee Shenade Randelle. That complaint sign and certified
detailed that on April 4th of this year, trustee Chenade Randelle publicly discussed confidential board matters and made false statements about me and a previous board member who is running for a seat in the November election at a private event attended by a district employees. These false statements
reached to the superintendent who threatened to file an ethics complaint against me. The issue before the ethic committee therefore concerns whether those actions publicly speaking about pending closed session topics and attributing fabricated statements to a
colleague violates NJSA18A 12241G which prohibits a board member from disclosing or misusing confidential information acquired to official position. I raise it now only because recent events showing concern of misuse
of internal materials by providing them to those who were not authorized to have them. These actions appears to designed to drive mistrust within the board. However, the board will not allow a select few individuals to divide us or so distrust nor will be distracted from
our core mission which is to make sure that the students of the district receive the best education possible so they can be well-rounded productive members of society. All right. Thank you, Mr. Cohen. All right. Anybody else? Okay. All
right. Dan, um unplanned and un unscripted. Um in in the midst of all this turmoil, and I would call distraction from our primary duty, I saw what we did last week, which was respond to the public in in sequence of questions. It's something that we can
do and it's something we did well and I'm looking forward to being able to do that more often as appropriate. There's no reason our voices need to be muzzled in the way that we felt that they had been. And I think that being able to respond not back and forth in dialogue, but just give simple answers up here on
the DES is part of what we're supposed to do. Thanks. No problem. Um like I said uh last week, I I intend on on continuing to do that. um you know after public comments close if there's items that I'm able to answer
or if any of the other board members feel like they're able to um answer when I say answer factually I really think that we really need to make sure that we're you know very confident in whatever it is that we're replying if we feel like we need more time then we just ask the members of public to you know
please email us your questions or concerns and um we'll be able to respond you know from there but yeah I echo your sentiments I think it's frustrating um on both sides. You know, one, you know, trying to make sure that we are doing uh
you know, what is recommended by our own state association. That's, you know, to make sure that we're, you know, following state statutes and not putting um also not putting our administrators on uh undue notice to like respond to things or to put to cause um you know,
unintentional alarm or you know give halftruths or things like that. So, I want I I I like that. I think we can do that. All right. Um, if there are no other comments from the board members, then I'm going to open our public
comments. All right. So, we'll open at 7:48. Please state your name, um, your address, and you have three minutes. At that point, you'll hear Do you have the you'll have you'll hear an alarm go off just to gently remind you to wrap up.
Thank you. Kevin Carol 26 whole court first the gentleman in the suit button there you go Kevin Carol 26 whole court the gentleman in the suit are you the school attorney yes okay so I have a statement but I'm just going to would like to comment the I
noticed Dr. Charleston is not here and I'm not aware of anything related to him being suspended or still employed. He's still employed. He's still employed. So, we're paying the superintendent to be employed and not be here. And unfortunately, we have to pay an
attorney to be here. So, just that's So, I'm here tonight as a community member who values transparency and stability in our school district. There's been a lot of uncertainty and confusion around leadership and I think many residents are looking for some clarity and I based
on tonight I think you're looking to do that. I understand you can't discuss specific personnel matters but I believe the community deserves to understand how leadership responsibilities are being managed and communicated right now. So I have a few questions. First, what
procedures are in place when the superintendent or senior administration is unavailable for an extended period of time? like so I think that just if if we can just pause for a second pause his time um because I don't want that to count against you. So when it comes to like
the the very resp I want you to be able to like one you know ask your questions and and get your statement out. Um but it's going to be very hard for us to do like a back and forth in the middle of your your three minutes. One you'll lose like almost all
of your time. Lay them all out for you first. Yeah. Yeah. and then if we can respond then we will understand I tried to phrase them so they're not related to personnel and more general statements for procedures and protocols for in the district. All right. Um second, who is currently overseeing
the district day-to-day operations and how is that information been shared with staff and families? And then additionally, what steps is the board of education taking to keep the public informed about district leadership and stability moving forward? Thank you guys for a thankless job and all you do. I do
thank you for that and I appreciate the commitment that you're giving to our school district. And can you repeat your first question again just to make sure I um what procedures are in place when the superintendent or senior administration is unavailable for an extended period of
time? Okay, turn this off. And so um the first thing I'll say is that um so this is again it's a special meeting um and to be fair for all of our regular meetings
with few exceptions um recently Dr. Charleston is is typically here and so with regards to this special meeting um you know you can for sure you know send him a message if you'd like to know you know why he's not here right now. Um but
typically we would only have had public comments and then gone into uh our our closed session um where he is not uh a party of the closed session. Um so just so that hopefully that answers your question and you can follow up with him as well for through email if you'd like.
Um with regards to procedures in place um and I assume yeah perfect. Yeah. Do you want to wait till the end of the close session before we answer all the questions? we should um so I'm just talking with u Mr. Zitimemer um just because like one of
the cautions in doing this and with the board and replying like in real time to every single question is that we're like kind of out of we would potentially be out of like compliance. So, it's better for everyone to go through. We'll I'll make note of all of the questions and
then between myself and u Mr. Zimmer or any of the board members, we'll be able to respond to those that we can um and and hopefully you understand. And that would be like after the the the comments um end. All right. So, thank you, sir. Thank you. Um and if we can continue on
um if there's any additional public comments, if you could state your name and your address and you have three Good evening. Dr. Angela Poochie Bender, 55 Yardley Court. I am at a loss for words
from what I'm hearing this evening. Those of you that know me well know that that's not that doesn't happen very often. Miss Calves, I feel for you and I am um sure that you have the strength, I know you have the strength to continue
on doing what is correct to satisfy that issue. Uh Dr. Robinson, I applaud you as well. You have been steadfast and true to the duties and responsibilities of the board president, and I commend you
and only wish I had had a board president like you to work for. my term as a superintendent. Uh there are those that I know that uh will continue to allow this charade to go on.
However, personally, I feel that while he has a contract with us, we have a contract with him. And I think that he needs to be um while I know you're trying to hold him accountable. I believe in you, all of you, uh that um
he has a job to do and if he's a professional, he will step up to the plate and he will do the job that he was hired to do and is being paid to do. Egregious behavior on his behalf. And all I can say as a former administrator,
document, document, document everything that he does that's incorrect, just create that pile of paperwork. I understand that it's not easy and it has to be something totally nefarious
and egregious to send a superintendent home. Unfortunately, there are circumstances where boards just don't care and they do that to to some people. However, I know that you all um really have high regard for your positions. Um Mr. Cohen,
I'm at a loss for words. And uh again, I want to thank you all for stepping up to the plate and taking care of this and doing the phenomenal job that you have been doing. Uh Karen, I understand your feelings and your sentiments because I was there originally as well and I've watched the
growth and I am happy to see the growth and how uh the nonsense and uh the commitment to someone who doesn't deserve commitment is kind of dwindling. Uh and uh again I just want to say thank
you and you've got it. continue with as you're going on. And I know that the staff behind teachers close the door and they do their job and they're really good at it. It's here that feels the pain and I and I
feel for you. Thank you. Thank you. Are there any other members? Okay. Sandy Stern, 37 Gumpy Terrace. Um, I have obviously nothing prepared because I didn't really know what the meeting was about. Um, but what I do know is that I've been coming to board meetings
and watching virtually for 15 years. And I'm so disappointed and I'm so angry. And I'm also very grateful that you're here and that you are doing everything that you can for our district. But in
the time since Dr. Charleston has come, I have watched our teachers leave. I have watched our schools ranking slip. I have watched a uh very strong curriculum
director who was pushing things forward disappear. And I'm not really sure what direction we're going because it it is a top, you know, as someone who works in schools, schools are top down because our product is people. the people are
the kids and it's so it's not bottom up and we owe them more than we're giving them. And as much as it kills me to say this because I thought I'd go down to the wire saying um he Dr. Charleston should have to stay in his contract and
do his job. But at this point, I assume that there's some The only reason why I could explain some of his behaviors over the last 6 months is that he has to be pushing the community to ask for a buyout for him. I never thought I'd hear
myself say this, but at some point, despite all my justice issues, I feel like we need to move on. This was a mistake. It was an egregious mistake to extend his contract and vote for it before it was even up, but it's a
mistake in the past. And so now, as our board members, I would hope that we can just accept the situation we're in and and and do a doover. Um, my husband would be very proud of this analogy. Uh, it reminds me of Marvel's
Civil War. I feel like Dr. Charleston came in and had everybody fighting from the inside. And while everybody was losing their minds and and and and board members bringing citations against board members and all, he's he's he's done a really bad job. He's done a really bad
job. So, I hope we can move on from here and in a somewhat efficient manner. Thank you. Thank you. How are you everybody? My name is Roy Clipper, 142 Winslow Terrace. Uh, first I'd like to thank every one of you for the hard work and dedication and the
tough spot you guys are in. I know you guys take a lot of time away from your family and friends to be here. So, for that I I thank you. Um, again, I think this is my third board meeting ever. Um, the last one I was at, the superintendent was rolling his eyes at people. He left early. Um, it's pretty
evident as this, uh, nice lady just said in the people before me, he wants to go. Um, not really sure what the logistics are of getting somebody out, but you know, we have 3,800 homes in town. It comes out to about $100 a person to just pay this guy to get out. The school's
ranking have dropped tremendously. You have teachers leaving because kids are not getting the services that they deserve and it's a huge problem. I have a very fortunate job of being a real estate agent in town. I sell a ton of homes. You guys probably see my signs everywhere. The one main thing that brings people to this town are the
schools. When I first moved to this town from Fairon, schools are ranked top 20 in the state. They're now the latest ranking is 97. I have a first grader and a fourth grader and I will tell you everybody's talking about this at school everywhere. The community, it is a huge
problem. Not sure what the right path forward is, but I urge every one of you, as you guys said in your statement or whatever it was, integrity and doing the right thing is get rid of this guy. Start fresh and let's move the community to a place
where they can ensure the trust in the schools and ensure the trust back into you guys. So, I thank you and I hope you guys can do the right thing. Thank you. Are there any other members of the public that would make like to make a comment?
Okay. Um, so at 8:01 we will close our public comment session. Um, so I'll just make Were you gonna answer the questions of the Yeah. Well, that's that's what we'll do right now and then we'll close close.
Um, so with regards to the first question. Yes. So the first question was um what is the procedure in place if a superintendent of schools is unavailable for an extended period of time? I assume you mean out for an extended period of time.
Uh not working in the job. New Jersey law does allow the board of education to appoint somebody in the capacity of acting. So in this case, in your example, it would be acting superintendent of schools to serve in the place of that person while they're unavailable for a certain period of time. And this board of education has
done that in the past, as you may know. Currently, your second question was currently who's overseeing the the district? Dr. Charleston is still in place as the superintendent of schools. So, uh, he is currently um the chief school administrator for the Glenrock School District.
All right. And I would say that also kind of overlaps a little bit with um number three which was like what kind of communications do we do to the um to the community. So you know seeing our our superintendent is is still Dr. Tarsten. So we wouldn't have um any communication
at this time that would tell you um you know something different. Um, however, you know, you could, you know, point to the the history, you know, last year, um, last winter, um, you know, we had an abrupt change, um, in that process. And
so the community was notified, um, and and notified through, uh, district email and things like that. Um, so, you know, our our reporting procedures in that realm would remain the same um, unless there was a need to change that. Um
hopefully that answers your question. All right. All right. So, um kind of in closing, you know, thank you again for, you know, joining us tonight. And I I felt like it was it's necessary sometimes to like write down and I've been thinking about, you know, what I want to say to start, what I want to say
to finish. Um and the kind of uh way that I can communicate to you all how significant and how serious we take our jobs. Um, so I know this is a stressful time and we're in the middle of a challenging election year here in New Jersey. It's not lost on any of us that
when elections approach, tensions rise. We see it, you know, year after year, it's almost in a complete pattern. And even at times, politics even brings out some of the worst kinds of accusations um within our community and pressures
within our community. But tonight, I really wanted to close with a message of unity and strength. Um, we're all here because we care about this community, our children, and our staff. We have way more in common than we have a part. And being in public office does mean that we have to make difficult decisions, and
often um they're based on information that the public may not always see in full. We weigh the pros, the cons, and the long-term impact to serve the greater good, especially for our kids and our schools. It's also not lost on me that everyone has their point of view about why we should make certain
decisions or why we shouldn't. Many of you have raised thoughtful questions and some of you have shared ideas that we may not have even considered yet. I want you to know that we hear you and we're listening. When we say that we don't have the money for something important, it's not because we don't value it. It's
because every dollar we spend must come from somewhere else. And at the same time, we sometimes face unplanned expenses that force us to make hard tradeoffs. There are staff members who deserve raises or programs that families want to see started or facilities that
need upgrades. The list is long and ever growing. What I want the community to understand is that your board is being cautious, deliberate, and thoughtful in how we spend taxpayer money. And we're not only weighing what we can afford today, but also what might happen if we
fail to invest wisely in our future, in the future of our kids. These choices are never simple and they are never made lightly. I'm asking you all tonight to recognize that your elected board members, most of whom volunteer countless hours, are genuinely doing the
best that we can to put the evolving needs of the community first. And we're listening to your concerns, reading your messages, and adapting where we can. Some suggestions can be folded into our plans, and some simply can't be implemented, even when they seem easy to do, and that could be because of
contracts, timing, budget, legal constraints, and other factors. I also want to acknowledge that some members of the public have suggested that if we don't take certain votes or actions, we'll be voted out of office, while others have also made the same demand for the very opposite vote. And I
can even say that threats have been made sometimes. And that kind of tension can create pressure to bend to the will of a vocal few out of self-interest rather than serve the broader best interest of the entire community. And so I want to continue to reassure you that while we listen to all voices, we're also not
here necessarily to be swayed by undue pressure or to make decisions out of fear. We really want to make sure that we have thoughtful, informed decisions that serve the long-term well-being of our schools, not political gamesmanship. We won't always get it perfect, and
sometimes I may even cast a vote based on the best information and intuition I had at the time. and later new facts and perspectives may emerge that lead me to move decisively in a different or even contrarian direction. But we're not robots. We're human and collectively
we'll always aim to do what's right for the entire community, not just the loudest voices. And let me be clear, you know, we're not ignoring the community. We're here to serve. Um most of us are doing our very best with the information that we have. And I have faith in the resilience of our community, in the
resilience of our teachers and administrators during this time and in the amazing things that our strong students and families are capable of achieving in even in the face of adversity. So let's move forward with a spirit of trust. We might not always agree, but we are united in our commitment to do what's best for our
schools, our children, and our burough. And so we appreciate you understanding and and your understanding and your support. And we ask that we all continue to work together with mutual respect. And we're here to serve you. and we're doing our best to navigate these challenging times together. And thank you and let's keep moving forward as one
community. Thank you. Um so if I can have a motion uh to um recess to close session, Miss for personnel and matters of attorney client privilege. Mr. Cohen, seconded by um Mr. Corey. All those in favor? I I
Any opposed? Okay, then. All right, it's 8:07. We'll recess to closed and I I anticipate that it's going to be about an hour. If there's some reason that um it's going to extend beyond that and and um you
know, there's anybody waiting, we'll come out and and address it. Do the live stream though, right? Continue with the live stream when we come out. So, you may want to mention that. Yeah. And if if we do come out, it will be caught on on live stream. So, thank you.
back on. Um, can I get a motion to adjourn close? All right, Miss Sorry. adjourn the the special meeting. Um, Stephanie and Oh, Miss Calves is the second. Any
all those in favor? I. Any opposed? All right. Meeting is adjourned at 9:37 p.m. Thank you.