OPRA: Your Right To Information
Why the Open Public Records Act is Important for Berkeley Heights Residents, How To Use OPRA and How We Can Help The purpose of local governing bodies is to represent the people, and to balance perspectives in coming to effective decisions surrounding our community and schools. The pandemic refocused the attention of millions from the hustle and bustle of everyday...
More Than Just Ethics: The First of Three OPRA Cases Validates Parent Concerns on District’s Costly and Improper OPRA Redactions
The Government Records Council (GRC), also known as the authority on government records, a/k/a documents requested under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA), recently confirmed suspicions that the Berkeley Heights Public School (BHPS) Records Custodian (Currently Julie Kot and ‘designee’ Steve Hopkins) inappropriately redacted (to black or white-out) responsive records. This ruling and fact are substantial because Ms. Kot has...
There’s More; Pamela Stanley’s UnEthical Encore
After reviewing the School Ethics Commission’s initial ruling, I realized there were 3 additional violations against BOE Member Pamela Stanley that were found, by the Commission to be substantial. The codes in the original article (N.J.S.A.18A:12-24 (b), (c), (f)) fall under Conflicts of Interest for Board Members and they are as follows; N.J.S.A.18A:12-24.1 (c) I will confine my board action...
A Loud Voice for Police in Schools
by John Leo & Laura Kapuscinski We support Police. Moreover, we support having an appropriately trained officer in each school with the primary responsibility of keeping our students and staff safe. The officers placed in schools are very specific and special for the school environment. A SRO (School Resource Officer) is a full-time police officer who is responsible for teaching...
Pamela Stanley, Ethics and the Gift that Keeps on Giving
On January 31, 2023 the School Ethics Commission denied Pamela Stanley’s Motion to Dismiss allegations of ethical violations against her stemming from her use of the District’s attorney to file a complaint against a fellow BOE Member. The Commission found 7 of the 8 allegations against Pamela to be substantial. Additionally, the Commission adopted a decision finding the Complaint against...
They Said That?
I will revisit the best little gems of insane foolishness brought to you by the brain trust of the Berkeley Heights Town Council and the Board of Education. “This isn’t about Liza” – LOL! We owe great thanks to Jeanne Kingsley (Council) for stating this multiple times, in response to the overwhelming number of residents advocating for Liza’s reappointment. At...
Incident at CMS Continues to Prompt More Questions
If you have a child who attends CMS then you received a letter addressing the incident that occurred on Friday. And, unless you live under a rock, by now you have seen this letter and heard the shockwaves by parents in this community. As adults, it’s not easy to speak up and even we struggle with making the right choices. ...
Ladies and Gentlemen – The Real Jeanne Kingsley
Politics is ugly. We have endured manipulative, back-door dealings by our elected representatives over the last few years on the Board of Education (BOE) and Town Council. Ironically, these puppeteers, if you will, are starting to spiral out-of-control and we are seeing just how ugly and cruel people can be. For those of you who are somewhat ‘new’ to the...
Varley, Kot and The Ongoing Obsession with Sai Akiri
Instead of trying to repair yet another mess she has created in our Math program, Dr. Varley appear to be using her time and her staff to continue her strange campaign against Sai Akiri The District has been using OPRA denials, requests and extensions to seemingly exert some power and even intimidation over parents. It now seems as if the...
GO Out And VOTE!!!
First and foremost, this post is to encourage you to go out and VOTE. It is your privilege and right to have a say in local government. Although I have been opinionated and adamant in those I am supporting, I respect your decision to vote for the candidates you believe will best fulfill his/her role. So who’s on tap? MAYOR ...
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