Good evening. It's Wednesday, June 4th, and I'd like to welcome you to the meeting of the South Brunswick Board of Education and call the meeting to order. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance 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. Roll call. We didn't get there yet. You didn't get there yet. I got to do the statement of advanced notice. Do the statement. I'd like to read the statement of
advanced notice. The New Jersey Open Public Meeting Act, NJSA104-6, also known as the Sunshine Act, was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting
the interests is discussed or acted upon. The primary purpose is for board members to discuss and vote on board business. In accordance with the provisions of this act, the board secretary has caused notice to this meeting 48 hours prior, including date,
time, and location to be posted in the south public library and board office, filed with the township clerk, and communicated to the home news in the star ledger. It is also posted on the district website. Roll call. Mr. Feder,
Miss Julie Ferrara, present. Miss Licia Khan here. Raja Krishna yes. Smith Raj here. Mike Mitchell is absent. Lisa Rogers here. Rajesh absent. Deepa yes. And President Laura Hernandez
here. We have a quorum. Okay. Uh I now need approval of the meeting agenda. May I have a motion in a second to approve tonight's meeting agenda? Motion. Oh, Lisa and did you put your hand up? And Smeita. All in favor? I
Now I make a motion to move to executive session. Be it resolved that the board of education of the township of South Brunswick hereby moves into executive session in accordance with the sunshine law chapter 231 of the public laws of
1975 NJSA 104-21 to discuss the following legal matters. Be it further resolved that the discussion conducted in executive session can be disclosed to the public at such time as the matters have been
resolved. Further action may be taken at any meeting. Please note that the board will be in executive session for approximately 90 minutes. Can I have a motion to move police and Alicia? So let me move to executive
session. Okay. Can I get a motion to reconvene to public session? Lisa and Raja. So before we move on to the public comment section, I would like to read a statement on behalf of the board of education.
The South Brunswick Board of Education holds itself to the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, and transparency. Our primary responsibility is to ensure the success, safety, and well-being of all students while maintaining the trust of the community
we serve. In this spirit, we that we address a recent series of social media posts made by an individual board member. While these posts were made on her personal account and solely reflect the views of the individual and not the
board, it has nonetheless generated understandable concern. We extend our sincere apologies to any students, families, staff members, or community stakeholders who were offended or disheartened by this post. Please note that Miss Carik has issued a written
apology. The comments made by Miss Caric on her personal Facebook page regarding halal meat were made in her capacity as an individual and do not represent the position or opinion of the board or the South Brunswick School District in any
way. While we have repeated our position that this comment is not a board matter, we are fully aware that many members of the public are very concerned by these comments which have caused discord in our community. Please be reured that during meetings
that have already taken place with community members, we have listened, heard, and processed these concerns with an eye toward determining whether and how they can be addressed by the board. Between our last meeting and tonight, we
had have numerous meetings with community members on this topic. Also, please be assured that the board is committed to an inclusive and supported uh environment for all. As we remain focused on board business before
the board, please be aware that during the public portion of this meeting, we will be limiting comments about this issue to one hour. We are hopeful that our community can move forward from this experience and that the board is allowed to go about board business.
Tonight, the board discussed in depth the issue at hand. We believe that it's important to be transparent on the board's position. We have found that Misty McCarthik did in fact violate policy 0169.02, board member use of social
networks with her social media post. This policy is easily accessible on the district website. First, it is important that we share and help the community understand the role of the board when addressing an elected board member's
actions. Boards of educations do not have any authority to remove an elected member from their elected seat. We also believe it is not for the board to make such a request. Members are elected by the community, not chosen by the board.
Boards of educations do not have the authority to remove an elected member from their position of president or vice president once they are elected. Board boards cannot force a fellow member to adhere to certain actions such as mandatory training other
than something that is statemandated. What boards can do if they determine that a policy has been violated? One, boards can publicly state their dissatisfaction with another board member for violating policy, ethics, or
for any other behavior that disrupt the board and/or school district. Boards can request things of members even though the member has the ultimate choice to adhere to said request or not. The board president has the sole authority to
assign and/or remove members from board committees. The board can make a public statement regarding a fellow member's actions. As stated as stated, As stated, this matter was reviewed thoroughly this evening and
we want to be transparent on the outcomes and the board's response to the violation of policy 0169.02. As president, I have removed Miss Carik from her current board committees of education and policy. I want to reiterate that we do
not condone what has transpired and want to want all to know that these types of actions are not accepted by this governing body. We also know the importance of the board staying on track and doing the work of the board for our students and our community.
This is our plan moving forward with a wonderful evening planned for June 19th as we honor our retirees. Miss [Music] Carik thank you to all the community members who've come out here today and to the ones who are watching online. Uh
my first statement for the day is uh for this evening is a response that I had provided to uh a gentleman Mr. Ali Azar who had written to me about my specific social media post which I think most are aware here and also to Mr. RF Patel who
was uh subsequently looped into that conversation who is the president of ISJ. Um I wanted to make this statement so that everybody's aware of my response that I had provided. Um this response
was uh I received the first email from Mr. Azar on Wednesday, May 21st and on Thursday uh May 22nd was when uh there was um a group here that had come and expressed their emotions to
me and on May 23rd I had provided the response to Mr. Azar and Mr. Patel. So in my response I written dear Mr. Azar and Mr. Patel. Post the board meeting yesterday, I had the opportunity to reflect on emotions that were
expressed. I'm deeply saddened and hurt that my thoughts were misunderstood. The comment on my personal Facebook page about halal food was my understanding that it's a specific method of slaughter to restrict contamination, one which I missed
expressing thoroughly that led to this misunderstanding and confusion. What I meant to convey was that the method of slaughter is to restrict contamination per halal, not that the halal food was contaminated in any way. I regret that my comment was not clear and the hurt it
caused for which I apologize. My comment came from my deeply held Hindu belief of nonviolence and non-conumption of halal products. I traced the connection to non-animal products such as rice, tea, coffee and
the halal label of these products. I understand that my comment may have come across negatively. It was never my intention to insult Islamic religious beliefs and practices. I have always strived to work in the best interest of
all the communities within South Brunswick and will continue to do so. Thank you for your understanding regards. So this was the email that I had sent. I also today I want to address my the larger South Brunswick community
who has elected me to this uh to this position and which I have served for close to four years now. To my South Brunswick community, since May 22nd, 2025, my life has been in a
turmoil perpetuated by a concerted smear campaign using my personal opinions on my personal social media page which were used to attack my deeply held religious dietary practices and an attack on my freedom of expression. This was
triggered by a person who has a history of attacking another South Brunswick board member who too had expressed her personal views. I wasn't afforded even 48 hours to respond to the email that I received on this subject. Instead, there
was an attempt to defame, demonize, and vilify me by the same person on our South Brunswick Facebook community page. I was called a xenophobe, an Islamophobe, a shameless, disgusting human being. All because I missed fully
explaining the mention of one word. Immediately the next day on Friday, May 23rd, in my letter to the person, I took full accountability for missing to fully express myself. I also expressed my deep
regret at the unintended hurt my social media post had caused the community and offered my heartfelt apologies for the same. However, to my horror, on the next working day, there was a targeted attack by a group of people who demanded
adverse action from my employer. Apparently, there were multiple emails to my HR department seeking to harm me professionally. This intimidation and harassment has taken an immense psychological toll on
me personally and my family, especially my children, have been deeply affected by these acts. In my four years as a member of the South Brunswick Board of Education, my conduct and my focus, including my voting record, has been unbiased and
viewed through the singular lens of what is right for our children. In the BOE meeting of February 27, 2025, there was a vote to include Christmas holiday on the calendar, there was a huge debate on this topic and I
was one of the only five members who voted in favor of the inclusion of Christmas in the holiday calendar. This is a very recent incident which is a testament to my religious tolerance and inclusiveness. Recently, we were informed that halal
will be made available in the cafeteria. I welcomed this inclusive move to support all those who require this dietary accommodation and my colleagues on this board can attest to the same. This is again a testament to my cultural and religious inclusivity.
Going back years as a person of Hindu faith, educated in a Christian parochial school who grew up in a community was which was predominantly Muslim. I have a fair understanding of pluralism and continue to cherish and have a warm relationship with many friends from
various faiths including the Muslim community. It has always been my endeavor to work towards fairness, equal opportunities and space for members of all faiths and all groups. My actions have been guided by
my personal value system of fair-mindedness, compassion and acceptance of differing views. I want to thank the countless messages of support I have received from the Hindu, Jen, B, Sik and Muslim community members. My
presence here today is proof that I deeply cherish the importance of civil discourse and dialogue and uh and the value, the freedom, justice and pursuit of happiness that our great country was built on. On that note, I hope we can
all put this behind us and move towards greater understanding, love and acceptance of each other. May God bless America. Thank you.
[Applause] [Applause] [Applause] Okay, with that Whoa, whoa, whoa. We're going to keep we're going to keep order
to this guys. So with that being said with that see being said we're going to move on to public comments but I ask that you be respectful of people that come up here. Um my uh views on this
is that disrespect is is not allowed. We just don't allow that. Um you will each member will have three minutes to talk and we won't exceed the hour time frame here. Um if we I if you're excited and
you know I don't want to stop you from any of that but just know that takes away from your time from talking. So what what we're going to do there is a signin sheet over there. Correct? Sign sheet. Okay. There is a signin sheet. Okay. Um email.
Yes. So, we're going to have that. We haven't gotten there yet. I got to read my statement. I'm going to get you guys up there. I just want to make sure that there's a sign in sheet whenever you go up there. Okay. So, um did Dave send you those? Did Dave send you the registered name? I only have one person. Okay.
Okay. So, let me read my my comment. Um and then we'll start we'll start public comment. It says public comments. The board of education recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on
school matters of community interest. Complete copies of policy 0167 which govern this portion of the meeting are available to the public at the auditorium entrance online or by contacting the board office. To permit
the fair and orderly expression of comments, we ask that the participant be recognized by the presiding officer and preface comments by announcing his or her name, place of residence, group affiliation if appropriate, and by
completing the sign-in sheet. That's what I was referring to. Please print legibly or we may not be able to document your name for the permanent records. Each statement made by the participant shall be limited to three minutes. No
participant may speak more than once on the same topic. Mr. Feder will indicate when you have 15 seconds remaining. All statements shall be directed to the presiding officer. No participants may address or question board members. No discussion between a
participant or respondent shall exceed the three minute limit with a total time limit of 1 hour. It is our plan to listen to as many members of the public within the hour time frame. Once all questions and comments from all members of the public are made, the board of
education may respond or respond via email in the most timely and efficient manner available. All questions and comments made will be noted. Mr. Feder, do we have anybody pre-registered? We have Ham Panda. Yes. Okay, you up to the mic. You
can come up to mic. Hi, my name is Hmon Pandya and I live in Edison. So I'm here to support Deepak Gate GI and completely object removing her from any
committee as board did not give any reasonable account on how her social media post is against a community or against board's policy. Secondly, it said that BOE is now
supporting and listening to those who does not believe in in the constitution of USA which is United States of America. The constitution of USA is above all above all
religion. Right? And the same constitution gives us everyone sitting here a fundamental right to speech to expression and to religion. I'm some I'm surprised how the
board is uh you know taking up this matter and even discussing this. Isn't it itself? Yeah. I mean like the board of education is discussing this which is itself
challenging to first amendment. Can education of board do that? Lastly, her social media post is her personal view and is protected under the first
amendment. Also, we are not living in a country which is governed by Sara law where Yeah. Yeah. We are not living in a country which is governed by Sharia law where you can't
speak or share your views against or for something. So Karthik G, we all are with you. Thank you. Can you please sign in? Can you sign your paper? I will read it. Okay. Thank
you. Okay. Um, anybody else comments? That That was all That was all. One second. Did someone Did someone submit their name to register? Yes, I did as well. Do me a favor. Go up to the Go up and stand in line over there. Yeah.
[Music] Yeah. If you said your name, if you sent your name, go ahead. My name is Desikhan Narasiman. I'm a resident of South Brunswick High on 27 Rank Farm Drive, Monmouth Junction. Dear members of the board, I'm
here today to express my deep concern about the campaign of public harassment directed at Mrs. Deepa Karthik during the 22nd of May board of education meeting and events following that. Her original social media post, though it
used an unfortunate phrase, was not written with malice. She later clarified her intent in a letter to the South Brunswick mosque, stating that her words were meant to describe halal as a religiously guided method to avoid
contamination, not to insult or target any faith. However, rather than gracefully accepting this clarification in the spirit it was offered, some individuals escalated matters and turned this into a witch hunt. Her employer was
contacted. Hateful messages were sent, her family was targeted, and even Hinduism was disparaged. These aren't the actions of those seeking dialogue. They are tools of coercion and fear.
It went further. Students were urged, I understand this morning, to sign petitions over past command comments about Malala Yusf Zai completely unrelated to this incident. Meanwhile, at the last meeting, I was stunned to hear speakers use aggressive,
intimidating, patronizing, and even misogynistic language without intervention from the board. Not even two minutes were offered to Mrs. Karthik to clarify her social media post in a setting meant for public discourse. This could have obiated the need of countless
hours we have spent today. This is not activism. It is a targeted campaign to silence dissent and dissuade Hindu Americans from public service through a campaign of fear and intimidation. We should not stand for this. Mrs. Karthik's right to free
speech is enshrined in the first amendment as noted by the previous speaker. But I'm going to quote the biographer of Voltaire, Evelyn Beatatric Hall, who wrote, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death
your right to say it. That's the hallmark of a true and mature democracy." I'm surprised that the board members that came to a conclusion to remove Deepa Karthik from her from these committees has not shown this maturity
this evening. I've lived in South Brunswick for over 20 years. I've known Mrs. Karthik to be a fair, qualified, and deeply committed to all students. She deserves a safe space to serve. The board must protect civil discourse, not let it be hijacked by intimidation.
Finally, we expect our public schools to remain secular in character, not guided by the demands of any one religion. [Applause] You have 15 seconds. If religious accommodations are turned into mandatory requirements, then we must ask ourselves
whether public schools are the appropriate space for such demands. The goal should be a school environment that is inclusive and neutral, free from any religious overtones, special preferences or pressures. Those are the secular credentials upon which our constitution is based. Thank you and have a good
[Music] [Applause] evening. Just give me a second to pull it up. Uh good evening everyone. Um I won't
state my name or my address for personal reasons but uh I am a senior at South Brunswick High School. Uh and tonight I rise not with anger but with deep concern concern for truth, concern for tolerance and for the future that we are
building for students like me. Miss Karthik a board member shared her personal views on social media as a citizen, a mother and yes a proud Hindu. She raised [Applause]
honest she raised honest rational questions. Why are we seeing halal certifications on tea, shampoo, even toothpaste? These aren't food items. Yet companies submit to halal authorities, creating a religious certification system that consumers unknowingly pay for. Let's call it what it is. A
financial structure rooted in one religion affecting people of all others, Hindu, Christian, Sik, Jews. We all have the right to ask, why are our dollars funding a faith that we don't belong to? That's not Islamophobia. That's economic self-awareness.
Um she also mentioned Malala Yusf Zai. While her while her personal story is inspiring, it is fair and necessary to ask why is Malala completely silent on atrocities against Hindus, Siks and apostates, especially when committed in
the name especially when committed in the name of the very ideology that she targeted. Silence from such figures is not neutral, it's political. Ladies and gentlemen, and for this for uh raising thoughtful, peaceful, nonviolent
questions. She's being hounded. Last board meeting, people ambush her with calls to resign. This week, a petition is circulating in our high school. Flyers being passed around, students being dragged into an adult campaign of character assassination. And that's when it
stopped being political. It became personal because I know Miss Karthik's daughter. She's a sweet, bright little girl who walks the same hallways that I do. Has anyone has anyone given any thought about what she will endure when her mother fa mother's face is stapled
to resignation petitions in the same building that she learns in? Are we building an inclusive school or are we telling our children if your parent holds an unpopular opinion your life becomes collateral damage? This is cancel culture. It's mob pressure and
most dangerously it is the silencing of a Hindu woman who dared to question dominant narratives. [Applause] So I stand with Miss Karthik today. I stand with her daughter and I stand with every Hindu who has quietly accepted this double standard.
Thank you for your comment. Thank you and God bless America. [Applause] Can you go ahead? Yeah. My name is Satya Dosati. I'm a community activist uh working for many community causes. I also happened to fight for my first
amendment rights when I was sued with multiple multi-million dollar lawsuits. Once hundred million and another time $20 million and one in both cases. I'm here to support Board of Education member Deepak Karthik and her
first amendment right to express herself without any fear of retribution. Not only that, I happen to be in complete agreement with what she expressed. Any cursory investigation says halal is a religious slaughter and more so in its current form in US. It is banned in
several European nations for the violence involved on the to the animal. Each religious follower choose what they believe in. But its imposition covertly or overtly on another community is unfair just as you would Jewish community impose kosher food or a Hindu
community impose vegetarian food. Extending halal to other foods, like she said, is being debated widely because it has nothing to do with slaughter and it forces to employ community members. This is unfair and it involves economic terrorism on another
communities. It is it is bizarre you're holding this meeting most likely consuming precious taxpayer dollars. Take example of political polarization in this country. Would you hold this meeting if a board member expressed pro or against President Trump and some members are
offended? I urge you to check every word board member Deepipa expressed and crossverify and if it is and it is true and even if it is our opinion, it is protected speech and not against any religion or community. It's better serves our children when they know the
truth so they can make proper choices. If it offends someone then they have to grow up and not intimidate or waste taxpayer dollars. So also targeting anyone positioned for simply expressing her free speech is a violation of first amendment right. As somebody who fought
those cases in very high-profile cases, I respectfully tell to the board, anything you do to to Deepak Kartik, you are most likely violating her first amendment right. Thank you. I'm gonna before you start I do have the list and all of you did not submit a
letter. Correct? I'm I'm going I'm going to call the people first to get in the front of the line. Okay. So, we have Praep. Are you there? Praep
Sheth. Okay. Praep to speak for you. Uh it doesn't work that way but if you want to speak you may go up and speak if not that's okay but you can go to the front we have after praep can we please have sandep
thank you hi can we then just let me finish hold on sorry about that h just one second you're not losing any time don't worry Jansel okay thank you a tool.
Thank you. Oh, sorry. Like, sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Someone raised their hand. I was I was excited. We got it. Uh, I'll get back to in a second, but we have Sria Bimasan. Yeah. And then Atul. We had Atul
Bajugar. Okay. And then we have uh Hiten Sha. Thank you. And then our last one that we have registered is um Baba Sah Kale.
Okay. Then stay right there. You'll be fine. You'll be all right. Okay. All right. Thank you. Okay. Please don't forget to sign in on the sheet. Okay. Yeah. I've already signed in the signing sheet. Thank you. So my name is Praep Shad spelled as P R
A D I P. Last name is Shat S H E T H. Um I'm here to support her and I have a very short uh short questions. So if a if a Jewish student uh is saying that he he only eats kosher food, would
he be asked to qu would he be questioned? If a Muslim student says he can only eat halal food, would he be questioned? Then why is she questioned if she's saying that she she doesn't eat the halal food? Why is that even a
question to ask? Secondly, as everyone else has said that first amendment rights are given, it's written in the constitution and isn't by questioning this, aren't we violating those rights? So these are fundamental
questions. I I'm I'm surprised why is the this even an issue when all the board member I'm sure they are aware of the constitutional rights of the individuals and the rights of rights of if the Jewish again the Jewish student says he only it's kosher food would he
be questioned would this even come up as an issue would so I'm I'm shocked and surprised that this has even come up thank [Applause] Hello. Uh my name is Sepani. I'm a
resident of South Brunswick uh for last 10 years and uh I'm here to support Misty Pakarthik. I agree with uh all the things that have been said by the previous uh speakers. Uh I'd also uh emailed the board earlier. Um so I just
want to raise just a a couple of points. Uh I watched the recording of the of the last school board meeting. Um and uh it was outright intimidation and bullying of a setting board member in front of
the board at a board. This is how the board is reacting. How is this an issue and how why are we wasting tax taxpayers money on this this thing um the the post uh personal post by Miss
Deepakarthik um uh whatever the subject that was is it a subject for the school board to discuss? Is is the school board is it in the perview of the school board to to evaluate what dietary practices different faith groups should have and
uh and was was Miss Deepak Karthik asking for uh for C changes which were being in the school meal plans which were being questioned here? I don't think so. That that was not not raised in the in any of the comments last time.
Was she asking for a change in uh in the curriculum? Was she asking for teaching yu anything about yuf malala in the curriculum? I don't think so. That was not the issue. And is is it the matter is it the perview isn't in the perview
of the board uh to decide whether who should be getting a Nobel Prize or not? Uh I had heard of judicial overreach. This is school board overreach. I mean the it really calls uh into question the the wisdom of this board and I I I would
think that the board has much more important things to do than waste time on this. So uh and Miss Deepa Karthik is my neighbor. I I uh I deeply respect her and I value her her uh uh her
contributions to the school board and uh I am very disappointed in the way uh she is being treated over here. Thank [Applause]
you. Good evening. My name is Junil and I uh we live in Warren. I stand here in front of you today as a me executive member of the executive board of World Hindu Council of America, a nonprofit organization
that's been serving the uh US community for last 55 years. More importantly, I speak as a voice for fairness and basic human dignity. I want to speak about Miss Deepak
Kartik, a respected member of her community, an elected official, a mother and a proud American citizen. Deepa shared her personal views on her social media account. That is her
constitutional right. However, what followed was deeply troubling and frankly unacceptable. She was hauled in front of the board of education, surrounded by a hostile,
angry mob. She was shouted at, glared at, and even poked by people who came not to dialogue, not to have dialogue, but to intimidate. This was not a community
conversation. This was a mob behavior, and we strongly condemn it. Yes. We also strongly condemn the board of education for allowing this to take place in their presence. [Applause] Their silence and inaction sent a
dangerous message that bullying is tolerated and intimidation is acceptable. [Applause] Let's let's be clear. This kind of despicable behavior and lack of respect for women might be acceptable, might be
a norm in certain communities and certain societies, but this is America. Here we expect civility. We expect to we we can disagree even when we vehemently
disagree. We do not try to silence them through fear and aggression. So tonight I stand for Deepak Karthik because she is an American citizen exercising her right to speak freely and what happened to her
was wrong plain and simple. This is a wakeup call for all of us. If we allow mob to dictate who gets to speak, you have 15 seconds and who must be shamed for into silence. We are not protecting our democracy. We are
betraying it. Thank you. [Applause] I got to make a statement. Okay. I I just want to stop you guys just for one minute. I'm going to let you all speak, but I just want to clarify
something. What action the board took was on our policy. That's not not the first amendment acting. So what we took uh action on was that please read the
policy. That's what we did. It was that we looked at what it said. We evaluated it said Miss Caric was in there with us. So I just wanted to explain that we understand first amendment rights. Absolutely.
No, no, no, no, no. You You got to let me speak. You got to let me speak, guys. So, so I just I just want to let know cuz you guys are saying that we [Music]
No, it is your turn. And I'm gonna allow you to speak. I just wanted [Music] This is a public forum. Lisa, Lisa, Lisa, look at your card. Look at your note. Okay, guys. So, I'm
I'm going to I'm going to I'm going to take my 3 minutes. I'm going to take my 3 minutes. Yeah, absolutely. I'm going to talk about a frog. I'm going to talk about Chinese food and I'm going to talk about hate speech. So, if you put a frog in warm
water or hot water, it'll jump out. But if you increase the temperature slowly, it gets cooked before it realizes, right? Mhm. The analogy here is so it is with individual liberties.
When you take them away slowly like we see happening today, before you know you're fighting a completely different battle against completely different enemies. Thankfully, United States
Constitution has given us the right to express ourselves openly, freely, even if it bothers somebody. Correct. Mhm. Some folks last last time I was here said that no no no no no but hate speech we can't have hate
speech guys we can't have anything that is illegal. Hate speech is not illegal. The entire room to right now this moment can stand up and tell me to my face I hate
you. I hate your religion. I hate the country you come from. I hate your language. I hate your suit. I hate your tie you're not wearing. Still, none of that is illegal. So there is a framework in this country called the law that
allows for what can be said and what cannot be said and if something or some body or some policies is overriding it, it is incorrect. So that is my little thing about page speech.
Finally, let's say I make a post today about Chinese food is the most horrid thing on earth. It makes you sick. Everybody who will eat Chinese food is get is going to get sick and diseased. And I put it on my
Facebook. What are the chances of every Chinese restaurant owner showing up and harassing me like these people [Applause] did? What are the chances? Can I tell you the chances are
zero? Because they won't care. You know why? Because they will say it's your opinion. I'm going to still make my Chinese food, sell my Chinese food. There are millions of people who are buying it. If every Chinese restaurant owner showed up, you had to realize that
this was the food. The the object of them coming was not the Chinese food comment. There had to be something else. 15 [Applause] seconds and you
know you know I'm 50 years old right so I've often wondered I grew up in India what would I have done if I I was in the fight of India's independence thank you for your comment you know there are proof points so if you continue other people won't get a chance to talk cuz we're still going to close it so I'm
asking to everyone thank All [Applause] right. I'm going to be anonymous. There's no pen. Somebody took the pen. There's no pen. Here. You need another pen. Okay. Pen. I got one. Oh.
All right. My name is Atul Badujar. U I'm a resident of South Brunswick. My kids go to middle school and the high school. And obviously I'm here to support Deepak Karthik. Um so I'm not going to repeat
what has been already said more eloquently than what I could say about free speech, intimidation, bullying, everything. Uh I'm here to just uh you know narrate one incident. uh actually
it's a very small incident and uh you know coincidentally it's on the lines of uh what Atul said before me so I can say two Atul's thing alike. Okay. So this incident is
basically u a coworker u caucasian lady who uh who worked with me uh he she had pet dogs and we were just talking about pets and she just made a very casual remark about you know how could some
people eat dogs okay and that was just a comment okay it was just a comment because I can I can understand where she's coming from she has pet dogs so she's you know she just made a comment about how can some
people I'm not going to take it as cyophobia or you know hate speech or anything like that people nowadays just get uptight about anything any you know comment that is made on social media I am really surprised that the board even
took up this issue for discussion exactly this is I don't know I have not read the policy I will read the policy. But like previous uh speakers have spoken before me, this should not even be a policy. You know, picking individual comments from social media,
personal comments from social media and then taking uh you know, out of context and you know, wasting taxpayers dollars to have a meeting to discuss that. And I definitely do not support the board's position on this. Um and to that I'm
just going to say, you know, the board has set a very wrong precedent. Shame on the board. really really it's very very it's very shameful you know that uh
you guys some of you guys who whoever voted for this action to be taken extremely shameful and uh you know yeah and that's all you know I'm really want to say u and once just a PS
note about Mr. Feder. You have 15 seconds. Yeah, that's enough for me. PS note about Mr. Federer. Uh, you know, enjoy your retirement and, uh, you know, we'll definitely not miss your voice.
[Applause] [Music] [Applause] Good evening board members and community and Mr. F. [Music] My name is Shria and yeah I'm going to
repeat the freedom of speech and the in yes I am going to repeat it and stress I'm going I'm here to support Deepa. I'm speaking tonight to defend the constitutional rights we all share, freedom of speech and
religion. Board member Deepak Kartik expressed her beliefs as a devout Hindu and vegetarian. Her comments were personal, sincere, and protected by the first amendment. I'm sorry, I'm repeating it again. They were not attacks on
anyone. Yet instead of encouraging dialogue, we have seen coordinated efforts to silence her, including calls for her resignation. At the last meeting, outsiders created a hostile environment that shut down real
conversation. This group is wasting the board's time with outrage and distraction when we should be focused on students. There also appears to be a double standard in how board members are treated. Miss Karthik deserves the same
respect and freedom as anyone else. Suppressing her voice with communal rhetoric is dangerous. Free speech and religious liberty belongs to everyone, not just those with popular
opinions. Let's get back to true dialogue. support diverse viewpoints and put students first. Thank you. Can you give us the policy number again? Sure.
0169.02. And can you tell when was the policy made and who has the decision to make those policies? How long it is existing? We're going to start the public com. We have to keep moving. I email you. You can do that. That'd be fun.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Ashwini Rybagi and I am a resident of South Brunswick. And some of you might have actually seen me a couple of weeks ago at a similar board of education meeting. Needless to say, I'm here basically because I want to acknowledge
and support Deepak Kartik who recently spoke sincerely as a devout Hindu and a vegetarian. Her perspective rooted in her faith is exactly the kind of expression that the first amendment protects. For any of us who actually follow the faith, animal slaughter is
deeply distressing and violates our core beliefs. Importantly, Miss Karthik's words were not an attack on others, but an honest expression of her own values. Unfortunately, in the past two weeks,
instead of thoughtful and meaningful dialogue, what we have seen are coordinated effort efforts to hull abuse at Miss Karthik and silence her voice. At the last board of of education meeting, individuals came in to inflame tensions and intimidate creating a
extremely hostile environment. While I respect that the board of education, the honored member called out today that for need for us to be respectful, I did not see any such attempt at the last meeting where she was subjected to name calling and
abuse. There is also another troubling pattern. The individual behind this outrage who started all of this has targeted board members before. that the same gentleman, the other board member did not sub get subjugated to the same
harassment or scrutiny. What warrants these double standards? Miss Karthik has every right to express not only her religious and dietary beliefs, including her comments on Malala Yusf Zai as a person. Seeing such comments as an attack on a
particular religion and then using that to wipe up communal rhetoric, intimidate and insult others goes against the first amendment rights. And while I appreciate the board actually clarifying just before this that the decisions made today were not on the basis of the first
amendment violations. Pretty much everything that I've seen from the last time around to this time and the decisions that were made with regards to her positions pretty much actually violates all of those things that we've seen. the principles. Good evening. My name is Gorothyagi and
I'm a resident of South Brunswick. I've lived here for 15 years and today I'm here to support the board member Miss Deepak Karthik. I wasn't here at the last meeting, but it was extremely excruciating to see the kind of viciousness that she was subjected to.
And what truly surprises me is I'm not going to talk about the first amendment rights and all this stuff which other people have done much better job of than me. That you being the board members, you have worked with her for four years and she before be becoming a board member, she has worked in the community
against the compressor station. She fought valiantly against it and we won. She has been a board member on her HOA. So she has a history of uh volunteering in the community that you did not think fit that a bloodthirsty mob which are
out paying for our blood. None of you had the decency to take a minute and say this disrespect is not going to be tolerated. You guys should go and look at that video. I guarantee you you'll not be able to watch more than 15 minutes of that you
know video which causes which actually caused me immense amount of strain that I couldn't actually watch it and all. I couldn't believe this was happening in the United States of America and and what other thing which surprises me is you guys have worked there for 4 years. Not one of you could come up and
say, "Hey, we have seen no evidence of bias." What it tells me is this is a board lacking spine and guts. I've got to say and there is no other way to put it. Absolutely spineless board. And you know that's going to be revealed. Uh and you must have seen the difference in the
discourse today and last week. Can you see a difference? You're putting up points in a civil fashion. You're not going bearing calling by words. Okay. Other thing what surprises me is, you know, there are tons of laws in this country and I'm pretty sure you guys
have, you know, tons of school laws and you pulled out an obscure law. I've written it down. What is it? 0169.02. Wonderful. Because as laws go, I could be put in jail for doing this because there are tons of laws. My question to you is the following. Did you apply the same law when another
board member by the name of Miss Lisa Rogers had the following to say on social media, right? She called Republicans Nazi party. [Music] I've got screenshots
here. Okay. The Republicans are disgusting. Oh, hold on a second. Why did you not apply these laws then? Oh, okay. Okay. And this is not the Republican party we grew up with. This is the start of the next Nazi party. That's what right. And
the third one, these people will burn in hell as they deny the path of our law. They do not want peace. They just want a pure white nation. Okay. Is that not does not that not qualify under the uh obscure law that you pulled out? Your your fairness your so-called fairness
and adherence to the law is going to be measured by if you ask her to sit step down for all the committees as well. But what you have proven is you have given you have given into a bloodthirsty mob. It doesn't stop here. It's a very slippery slope which is going to consume
you all. Thank you so much. [Applause] Hi, good evening. My name is Ajay Sha. I'm a community activist. Um I would like to request that all the board members put out all the social media posts that they have made. For example,
their views on second amendment, their views on diversity and inclusion, the DEI policy, their their views on transgenders in sports, their views on immigration, illegal immigration and whether they have rights to be in the
school or not. I want to see all the board members, all the social media posts to be put out in the public so that this group can decide whether you are worthy of the policy that you you just quoted. We want to judge you by the same policy that you are trying to judge
Mrs. Karthik. This is bullying plain and simple of a Hindu woman. Yes. And you are just cowardly hiding behind a policy. You you are sacrificing a fellow committee member because you are up for reelection and you think that you are
going to appease people and win elections. [Applause] If you did not have election coming up next year, you would not be doing this today. True. Yes. Okay. So, as a member of this committee, I will assure you
that if you do not withdraw what you your decision, we will make sure that you do not win the next election. [Applause] Because not because of not because of just Mrs. Karthik, but also because if
you are exactly the wrong person to teach our kids how to stand up for freedom, freedom of speech, how to stand up for what is right and how to stand up for how to stand up in to bullying because you are showing the kids today
that and succumbing to bullying is the way to go. So this is on you madame president. Thank you. [Applause] difference between the last meeting and this meeting. Right. Uh my name is Vijay Jooshi. I'm
uh um a resident of South Bronswick and one of the taxpayers of the South Brunswick. So respected committee uh uh uh the community and the board members. So before I start, I'm going to read the the so-called policy uh you know that
you guys have been so hung up on. In accordance with school ethics, um board of education member must avoid conduct which is in violation of public trust or which creates a justifiable impression
among the public that such trust is been violated. To avoid conduct that may be in violation or perceived to be in violation of the school ethic act, the board of education adopts this pro policy to provide guidance to the board
members in their use of social network. And then there are many paragraphs. So here it clearly says in violation of public trust. So which public trust are we talking here? So which public? Right. So my question to this board is
you did you guys take any public vote and if you had taken where is that vote and we want we would like to see the public vote. If you have taken right so yeah so we would like to see the public vote that you have done and
as many of my you know uh uh friends or community members they spoke. If you have not done that, you are cowardly succumbing to some pressure tactics that some, you know, some people have applied on you and you are doing a great
injustice to Miss Karthik uh uh uh you know and setting a very wrong example in front of the community and especially being a school board if our kids are watching I'm really ashamed to see if my uh middle school kid is watching that how to succumb to a you know how to get
bullied. You guys are setting a very good example. Right. Right. So as a taxpayer and as a voter of this community I want to know if how the board is going to reverse
this uh decision and I assure you on behalf of the entire community if you guys are not going to reverse the decision we'll make every single effort and the arm uh you know the ammunition we have in our uh you know the vote that we have we will promise I'm promising he
here that we will make sure every single guy sitting here as a elected board member gets replaced in your next due course of election. So please make sure you are doing the right thing just don't misinterpret the policy and give us these kind of stories that we are you
know trying to follow the policy. Thank you. Just before you start, uh M just raise your hand. That's our last speaker would be M. Okay, that'll be it. That's giving an extra 15 minutes. That's still giving an extra 15
minutes. [Music] Um thank you uh respected board members. Uh first of all uh uh thank you for your for your patience uh to grind through
another long evening. Um you know I'm here to express my deep concern over what has transpired over the last couple of weeks. I would like to put things in perspective and in a chronological order. Miss Deepa Karthik made a post on
her social media page and someone someone took that and overlaid their selective personal interpretation and reposted it in a community board instigating unnecessary discord within
the community. I I will not speculate on their intent, but it does initiate an extremely dangerous precedent where anything on one's
personal social media pages can be reinterpreted and posted on community boards and potentially taken out of context. Today, it is an elected board member. Tomorrow, it could be a parent who's volunteering in the school. the
day after tomorrow. It could be a student, a student targeted who's running a club in the school. This can get endless. At a minimum, everyone in this community needs to disapprove of such
irresponsible behavior by this person. Mrs. Karthik has done her part to clarify her intent and position on the original post and has done everything in her capacity to clear any misunderstanding. The thing that I didn't even know about is her track
record, the decisions she has taken on, you know, whether it's Christmas holiday or even halal food. I mean, at the minimum, you know, take a step back. You know, if if we if if the board was going to make a decision, it would have been ideally nice to at least hear the other
side as to what they're thinking about before making a decision and conveying that. And and and you know, honestly, nothing's too late. It's not too late. John Maynard Kane said, you know, when
facts change, I change my mind. And Winston Churchill said the same thing. I really really would like to kindly request the board and strongly urge the board to support and protect Mrs. Karthik from unwarranted
harassment in 15 seconds and give her a fair and sensible closure to this matter and reconsider their decision. Thank you so much. Uh respected board members, I'm here as a common
citizen. I'm here today not only to support uh Mr. Deepa Kardik but also to stand for everyone's right to express their opinion freely. What Mr. Kardik said was her personal opinion and in a
free society we must allow space for such expressions even when we may not agree with them. As an immigrant to this great country I came here drawn by the values of liberty and freedom. America
is strong and unique because of its unwavering commitment to these principles especially the freedom of speech. If I am if I am to live in this country and truly embrace embrace its values, I must also respect the rights
of others to speak their minds. Freedom of speech must be protected for everyone, not just those who agree with. Thank you. Uh good evening uh everybody. Madame President, Madame Vice
President, Mr. Supernant and uh fellow board members. I uh ladies and gentlemen, I'm here without any unprepared without any prepared speech. I'm just here to tell you that please do
not give space room for cancel culture to prevail. Do not allow, please do not allow divisive forces, communal forces to spread their wings here. I come from a country which has been divided badly
by divisive forces in the past. I know how much it costs us. So my humble request to all the board members and the president and everybody else here, do not allow this to happen. And the kind of intimidation that we saw last time
was horrific. I'm not here to endorse anybody or speak against anybody, but I it's only a humble request that you should do what you have been elected to do. Thank you very much. I'm a proud uh Hindu American citizen. Thirmalesh
cow. Miss Karthik, I am ashamed that they forced you to apologize for no fault of what you did. It's a shame. So I want to challenge this policy. We cannot put bindi. We cannot
celebrate Diwali. We cannot celebrate Christmas. They intimidate us. They bully us. They want to have their way of life. In Sanatana Dharma, which is also known as Hinduism, we allow everybody to
live the way they want. And universal peace is what we look here. We have been bullied. You people make no mistake. Yes. Europe has been destroyed by these radicals. America will get destroyed. I live in
South Brunswick for 25 years. I know how Hindu temples across the country, coast to coast, coordinated attack. This is an organized crime. I am not telling Islam is bad. The few radicals,
they have the money, they have the ability to bully, they have the ability to buy votes. They will come after anybody other than their own thing. This is a religion. They don't even respect their own daughters and
mothers. I am ashamed that Miss Karthik has been forced to this. And I'm ashamed of this board. Can you imagine? No. Her daughter, her husband, her family. How dare they write to her employer?
Yes. You should be ashamed. You people should have supported and stood and protected her. You threw her under the bus. Shame on all of you. You should I am so happy federalist living
us. Yeah. You board members if you think that you Okay. If you think that you are supporting those radicals because you're getting the vote power, they will eat up
everybody and you people told that you settled with community leaders. Who are those community leaders? Were we there in that Salatana Dharma people or were this radical destroys of this freedom and the
country who had held all of us as hostage? They are threatening us. I have seen the fabric of this great country and our township being eaten away little by little by little. You have 15 seconds. So I am not going to respect
you people. Withdraw back the punishment she has given. You people should publicly apologize her and all the Hindus. [Applause] Hello, good evening. My name is Umesh Mahajan. I am resident of Sodun Township
for last 20 years and uh represent various organizations and have worked with most of you. Uh so I'd like to just say a few things. Uh first of all uh my understanding is education board has a huge agenda in front of you including
the the budget cut and so on so many other things and I feel sad where our precious time is being devoted on such trivial issues and discussing and being jewelry on these issues which has nothing to do with our education policy
which has nothing to do what agenda charter we have and we are spending countless hours not not only our hours plus public hours on issues because the agenda is being pushed by certain people, certain organizations or whatever. I feel sad that's happening. I mean, I feel like I've been paying taxes
for 20 years, right? My kids have grown up, they gone to college. I still I'm I am I love my township. But when I see my township tax dollars are going down the drain to discuss these things, I feel sad in my heart. What's going on our township? Is this the path that we want
to take? uh other other things I uh other thing a lot of people have already covered number of things I'm not going to repeat that few questions I had you mentioned few things that the decision that you took uh first of all I do not agree with the decision the policies that you say that I completely do not
agree how how did you decide that this one violates someone's rights or particular feeling or whatever is the entire spectrum of public considered or only certain few people were considered second thing I heard that you mentioned several community leaders were
discussed. My request no my request to board is please disclose as a full disclosure please provide the names and credentials of community leaders and I would like to know if it is a specific community which was consulted for this
important decision or across all different communities were decision that's a very important part of the dec I am assuming she mentioned that as part of the decision so I'm assuming this is a very important part of the discussion you have had several discussion with community leaders So I would like a as a
full disclosure from the board. I demand please provide a list of community leaders so that we understand what is going on behind the meeting behind the closed door meeting. Exactly. These are some of the things and I I would I would
Yeah. I would request my humble request to the board is please reconsider and I would like to specifically see what law she actually violated and how you perceive that is being violated. 15 seconds. Sure. And the last thing is I
agree with some of the members. It's not against a person. It's not against someone. Today it is deeper. Tomorrow it could be somebody else. Third could be somebody else. And again we succumb to the pressure by bullies. Tomorrow thank you. The whole thing may be there. So I
sad township. Yay. [Applause] Nobody will us if we start doing the same. What will difference? Good evening everyone. My name is Rajan
and I'm a proud citizen of the state of New Jersey. So I want to take a moment to clarify Miss Deepak Kartik's recent comment shared via her personal social media account regarding halal food. As a community, our perspective on food practices, religious or otherwise, is
guided by our ethical beliefs around animal welfare and personal dietary choices. I don't think Miss Karthik's intention was to target or disrespect any religious community. Rather, she expressed a personal opinion rooted in cleanliness, ethical and dietary
convictions that are protected under the first amendment of the United States of America. The constitution ensures freedom of speech including the right to express dissenting or unpopular views as long as they don't they do not incite
violence or promote hate. And we don't see any hate was u incite incited in this case. In the United States, freedom of religion also includes the right not to practice or endorse any religion religious customs. Just as every
community has the right to preserve and celebrate its values, individuals also have the right to question or critique practices from their own moral or philosophical lens peacefully and respectfully. Let me be clear. As a Hindu community,
we do not support hate, discrimination or intolerance of any kind. We respect the right of all individuals to follow their dietary and religious customs. Miss Karthik's comment were never intended to provoke hostility, but
rather to express a personal belief about food ethics as she have held consistently. In a democracy, open dialogue, even when uncomfortable, is essential. We welcome thoughtful discussions and reject any attempt to
politicize or misrepresent Miss Karthik's word as a form of hate. Let me conclude by saying free speech is not just for speech you agree with and the speech is free even when it hurts. Thank you.
[Applause] Um, good evening everyone. Um, thank you for being patient listening to all of us here today. But again, I'm here to express my support for Deepipa here. Um, I'm really concerned with the decision that was made. Um, you know, I I feel
like she's being treated truly unfairly. She's been a dedicated and respected member of our board for the last four years which obviously I didn't know. Time flew by Deepa unbelievably based on a personal social media post shared in her own capacity outside a professional note. She should not be treated this
way. She's truly being vilified and vindicated at this point. Um I just want to restate the post. I'm sure everybody read it but for the people that did not, I truly did not because I was out out of the country. So I just read it like earlier today. It says, "As a Hindu woman, I don't support halal products.
Halal is a specific method of slaughter and contamination. There's no reason for tea, coffee, rice, wheat, spices, vegetable, milk, sweets, etc. to be certified as halal. This in my opinion is not Islamophobia. It is a [Applause]
personal it is a personal dietary belief shaped by her religious and cultural background. I am a vegetarian. My whole family is not. So you can clearly understand that we are not against vegetarian non-vegetarian perspective. is her belief, right? She should be allowed to state her belief. She did not
attack in that post that I just read individuals or communities. She expressed concern over labeling products, which is clear, right? Like I myself have read it sometimes in the stores like halal. I'm like I it made me wonder why is this label halal? It's just a simple question that a normal
citizen could ask. Um I think it's particularly the religious certification of non-meat items which is valid viewpoint under freedom of speech and freedom of religion as protected by her first amendment. Unfortunately this personal opinion has been taken out of context
and politicized and I agree with a lot of people here. I love the frog and the Chinese analogy. Um even more troubling is that we are giving into it. The controversy has been brought into our school with students reportedly distri distributing flyers on the matter despite it having no connection to
educational policy or student instruction. This should not be allowed in school. I don't even know why the school allowed that. That should be brought up. Schools schools should never become platforms for such divisive targeted campaigns. I don't know how those students were allowed to do that. They
are meant to foster learning, inclusiveness, and respect for dialogue, not pressure or silence individuals for personal beliefs expressed outside the public roles. How were students allowed to go to students here, please sign this, please sign this? Some of these kids were not even reading what they were signing. It's ridiculous. Some may
point to your to what I just heard today, the policy 016902, which guides board members social media use and reference the social ethics act. You have 15 seconds. Yep. However, in Deepa's post did not mention the district, its students, was shared on a personal post, did not
disclose any confidential information, reflected only dietary and cultural beliefs under a strict reading. It does not violate the spirit of the letter of the policy. Any suggestion otherwise is based on subjective interpretation. Deep served for 4 years unwavering in with
unwavering integrity. She deserves gratitude notification for her years of thoughtful and advised service. Let's return to the focus. Thank you. [Applause] are
not demand on this issue. We seriously have to request reconsider. This is not fair. Yes, this is not fair. Hello everyone. My name is Omar Oscar and I am the
co-president of the South Brunswick High School Muslim Student Association. I stand before you today outraged that the same vice president who honored and recognized my academic achievement as a National Merit commended student just two months ago now directs hateful
comments at the very faith that shapes who I am. I never had any Oh no, he gets to voice his opinion just like you did. Enough. I have never had any issues with administrating administration regarding
my faith prior to this incident. Whether coordinating a prayer room, Hold on. Stop for a second. Stop one second. Thank you. Enough. Yeah. You enough. Let him finish. Let the person talk. No, just let him talk.
That's it. That's all you have to do is do nothing. Simple. I have never had any issues with administration regarding my faith prior to this incident, whether coordinating a prayer room or organizing our MSAR
event. Speaking of the Eiff, Miss Carik stated that halal food is, I quote, contaminated. Whether she meant to or not, she stated that in her post. The MSA holds an annual Afar event that serves over 300 students, 100 to 150 of
whom are non-Muslim. I ask you, Miss Carik, how do you think those students and their families would react to your misinformed hate speech? Today, I along with members of the executive board of the Muslim Student Association went around asking students their opinion on
the matter and if they were willing to sign the petition. The petition reads, "Dear Miss Hen Hernandez, we the understand students at South Brunswick High School write with deep concern regarding recent public statements made by Deep Accarthic
of the Board of Education. Her public statements mock survivals of violence, disparage a Nobel Peace Prize laurate, and express intolerance towards Muslim and is Islam and Muslim students. Miss Carik's rhetoric is inappropriate for an elected official entrusted with guiding
guiding the educational policies of one of New Jerseys most diverse school districts. Rather than fostering a climate of mutual respect and inclusion, Miss Carik's comments erode trust, marginalize our voices, and deepen the divine divide between students. We the
undersigned students at South Brunswick High School in solidarity with the SBHS Muslim Student Association demand that this matter be referred to the New Jersey School Ethics Commission for independent review. Miss Carthick be removed from her position as vice
president of the board of education and that she issue a formal public written apology to the students of South Brunswick High School to be published online. To rebuild the community's trust and to uphold the integrity of the district's leadership, immediate and decisive action is imperative. 15
seconds. We also extend an invitation to Miss Carik to engage in meaningful dialogue with Immad Shibli of the Islamic Society of Central Jersey and his res resident scholar Ismael Bowers to discuss the tenets of our faith. We invite Miss Caric to attend next year's SBHS ear which offers inclusive
vegetarian options. I end off with asking myth Miss Caric where is your apology to the students? Where is your apology to students who you were elected to? Time is up. Thank you. Thank you.
[Applause] [Music] How was that letter even? Yeah. The next we can only have people speak from the podium.
Okay. Uh hello. My name is Bosker. I'm a sophomore at South Brunswick High School. and going to start you over. Okay. Yeah. Um, so I'm a sophomore at South Bones High School and I'm a pretty frequent attendee of these meetings. Now, I'm
irreligious. I I was born to a Hindu family. However, I'm not I personally do not uh follow Hinduism as many other people do. I'm not Muslim either. I'm not religious. So, I just want to get that out of the way. Uh one thing I will say is that because of that I don't
really have many strong feelings on this matter. I think you know it is good that we had an apology. I think it is important that we lower tensions in our community anyway in any way possible. However, I do also think that you know there are certain things that both sides
are saying that you know their concerns are important and that's why we live in such a brilliant country where we are allowed to talk about these issues. But I do want to push back against some of the rhetoric that has been stated so far. For example, uh calling shame on
our board. Now, many of you may not know this, but last year we had a significant budget crisis, and this was the board that got us through that. Calling for them to be removed and unelected over what is essentially Facebook comments
is, in my opinion, ridiculous. this like we were in serious trouble and they advocated for us and that's a real important thing they did and I also just want to point out the fact that during those like horrific times we had nowhere near this amount of attendance so I
would I really would implore not only people who came last meeting but this meeting come to more of these meetings you know they're really important um I would also just like like to talk about the fact that you know we have had accusations that the uh many of the Muslim students that name last meeting
are not civil. I agree some of them weren't civil. However, to say that in this meeting people have been civil is also completely incorrect. Many of you have called like just constantly been interrupting. Uh many of you have called for shame. Many of you have called for complete resignation of the board. This
is not what civil debate looks like. Civil debate is There you go. Wh why why why would you do this? Why would you interrupt his opportunity to speak his mind? You weren't interrupted.
No one was interrupted. Why would you do that? Think about that. Why would you do that? Oh, continue, please. So, yeah, this is this is not what civil debate looks like. We should focus on reducing tensions and we should focus on understanding that despite all of our
religious differences, we are all Americans. We all live in the greatest country on the planet and therefore we should not see each other as enemies but as brothers and sisters. Now I'll be completely honest after hearing all of this I definitely did feel a bit enraged and it's not just at this sect of
people. I'm saying at both on both sides, there are significant issues. But as long as we work together, we understand and respect each other's religions and beliefs and we are able to interpret things like the constitution in a more fair light. You know, freedom of speech is not freedom from
consequence. I think we can actually come to solution here. And that's really all I have to say. But I would just like to end this off by really imploring everybody here. Please come to more of these. You know, we had an like before the entire Before the entire controversy
at last meeting, there was an entire like like talk about redistricting and a map was shown and all of this kind of stuff. We should focus on this. We live in a community together. We should learn to live together. And that's all I have to say. Thank you. Thank you, Laura. Laura, that was your
last comment. Okay. Yeah, that was our that was our last comment of the night. We've gone over um a significant amount of time. So, we are going to end this portion of the board meeting at this time. And with that being said, I just
need a motion and a second to adjourn this meeting. Just get the Julie and then I need a second. Second, Lisa. All in favor? Okay. Please note the next scheduled
board of education meeting is sent for set for Thursday, June 19th, 2025 at 7 o'clock.