TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Westwood Regional School Board president Michael Pontillo appointed an ad hoc committee April 27 to review the age-appropriateness of topics in the state-mandated health and physical education curriculum.
The move followed a public meeting where an outpouring of Westwood and Township of Washington residents and others — the gallery at the high school’s Campbell Auditorium approached 200 strong — called for acceptance of LGBTQ individuals by school trustees.
Pontillo said it was within his purview to create the committee. He said the committee, composed of James Parrino, Stacey Price, Laura Cooper, and himself as an ex-officio member, will begin meetings in May.
He also apologized to the Westwood Education Association after 14 former school board members sent a letter decrying “legal, ethical, practical and educational concerns” about his board.
Approximately 50 speakers — including parents, students and teachers — over a five-hour meeting April 27 urged Westwood Regional School trustees to accept and support LGBTQ individuals and not form a board committee to examine state-mandated standards and the local curriculum being used to implement Comprehensive Health and Physical Education standards.
In August 2021, the board unanimously approved a revised elementary school curriculum to conform with the new New Jersey Student Learning Standards, including Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.
In August 2022, the board approved, 5-4, a revised middle school curriculum to the same effect.
At their March meeting, new board president Pontillo, Westwood’s chief of police, called for an ad hoc committee to explore so-called “unknowns,” including what might happen if the district decides to reverse course over the update.
The controversy was sparked by board comments made on March 20 suggesting it appeared a teacher may have been “going rogue” in introducing content about two mommies and two daddies in a discussion of families.
Later in that meeting, trustees discussed their concerns about the state health curriculum, and plans to form the ad hoc committee.
In response to the board comments, 14 former district board members wrote to the board and to Pascack Press slamming comments March 20 “where a conversation centered around the matter of one or more teachers speaking in the classroom on the topic of families including two mommies and two daddies in their daily lesson plans, only to be characterized during board discussion as ‘going rogue’ on a ‘sensitive topic’.” [See Letters, “Former BOE members on board’s duty,” April 17, 2023.]
Dozens of Westwood Education Association members were in the audience April 27, dressed in Westwood Cardinal-red. Its president, Christopher Pinto, issued a statement outlining their concerns:
“Last month, (March 20) an absolutely and unequivocally false narrative was created by members of this board, accompanied by an attack and unfounded accusations levied against our members,” Pinto said.
He said, “This attack involved an accusation that our elementary health and physical education teachers have created their own lessons about different types of family structures. Let me be clear: No curriculum was modified or added.”
He said, “At root of the issue is the third-grade health curriculum, which uses an educator- and administration-vetted, board-approved textbook. In the textbook, there is a lesson on different types of families, with one type of family listed as one where a child may have two moms or two dads. Last year, a parent of a second-grade student complained about the reference. This parent is now a sitting board of education member.”
And he said, “As a public school, our role is respect and acknowledge each other’s differences. We must promote acceptance, and—through acceptance—we must work to have the students we are charged to oversee learn how to be productive members of the community, regardless of age, race, creed, gender, gender expression or sexual orientation—of either the student or the parent.”
Pinto said “The board has the opportunity to make this right. To begin, the Westwood Education Association demands it makes a public apology to our members, who have given so much of themselves to all the students in this district.”
He said, “Second, and more importantly, instead of worrying about policies that restrict open-minded and accepting views, the board should work to make Westwood a place which attracts others to work and live here.”
In a prepared statement, Pontillo said, “On behalf of this Board of Education, I would like to apologize for any misinformation, discriminatory comments, or any comments perceived that way which may have come from any members sitting up here (or) has been put out in the public realm. We do not promote nor condone discrimination of any kind or any people.”
Pontillo said all students and families would be treated “with equal respect, understanding and acceptance” and noted both Westwood and the Township of Washington are Stigma-Free Communities.
He said the board had heard all the comments made that night and thanked residents for expressing their opinions. He said that he and the the board “support, respect, and value all of the teachers and professional educators that work for this district.”
He thanked WEA for coming out “and for the work that you do for the children of this community.”
Teachers speak
Several elementary health or physical education teachers also spoke out against accusations that they had modified the curriculum. A physical education teacher at Jessie F. George School said the allegation was “categorically false.”
Following dozens of emotional pleas by students, parents and residents to not exclude or marginalize LGBTQ families and individuals — several breaking down at the podium — trustees listened to how LGBTQ individuals felt when they heard that two-mother or two-father families were not accepted as families in their own school district.
Lisa Eidel of Westwood told trustees — to applause behind and around her — that “My kids come from a two-mom family.”
Following most speakers’ comments, the crowd erupted into applause, and occasionally standing ovations.
Eidel said “It was ridiculous that we’re even discussing this; the BOE has no business micromanaging particular units of study. By referencing two moms this teacher was accused of ‘going rogue,’ (and) by accusing her of this you are marginalizing families like this who come from same-sex couples.”
“And that, my friend, is illegal,” she added.
Eidel said she “will not have my kids feel less worthy than their friends. They will be proud and they will stand up.”
One female resident told trustees, “We see your overreach into the classroom” and warned, “We see your bigotry. We see your fight against inclusivity. We see you bullying and we see your kids acting in the same [way].”
One advocate for the committee, Toby Anderson, said he favored allowing parents to opt-in to the health and sex education curriculum, rather than opt-out.
Policies introduced
Moreover, two policies that were cited by many residents and students were both up for a first reading.
Many public commenters tied their comments to proposed policy 0142 on board member qualifications, prohibited acts and code of ethics.
Some said the board had overstepped its bounds by offering public criticism of teachers and addressing what content is being taught in the classroom.
Another policy, display of flag, was criticized by students, parents and teachers who pressed for display of the Pride flag, which was not mentioned in proposed policy 8830.01.
Tense moments
One resident, Andrea Gerstmayr, called for the attention of a specific board member during her appeal for inclusion and display of the Pride Flag.
At that, Pontillo called for a district SLEO III — hired by the Township of Washington under chief Richard Skinner — to have the speaker removed due to her addressing specific board members and not the board as a whole.
However, after some audience rumbling and catcalls, and the uniformed officer approaching Gerstmayr, Pontillo allowed her to continue speaking.
She said when LGBTQ children see the Pride Flag being flown, they “know that they are safe…they need this symbol. Please stop this nonsense.”
‘Going Rogue’ comment
Trustee Andrea Peck said she made the comment at the March 20 board meeting, noting she was only saying what other board members were implying, and that she was addressing the “bigger issue” of the way “sensitive topics” are brought up and at what grade level in lesson plans.
She said teachers should not be “modifying” the curriculum on their own, and that those issues are dealt with by the administration.
Pontillo said he received “upwards of 200 emails on both sides of the argument” but noted much misinformation on the ad hoc committee had appeared on social media.
“To see if we met or fell short of standards is in the purview of the board,” Pontillo said. He noted the board attorney said forming the committee was lawful.
He called posts about any discussions or conclusions by the ad hoc committee “false and premature.”
He said the committee would look at whether the district could “cede back” from the state discretion on certain topics and when those sensitive topics would be taught locally.
He said since the standards were begun in September 2021, we “don’t really know whether they provide a benefit or a detriment or something in between” and noted that it was “certainly appropriate to look at that.”
He noted committee recommendations will be discussed in public. He said the public will be updated on all committee work and that there were “layers to ensure” that no one on the committee “goes rogue.”
He said the public response to prior comments about “going rogue” to be “a lot of fanfare about not much, personally.”
He told trustee Jason Garcia, also of Westwood, that he did not include him on the ad hoc committee, as he requested, because “no one on the committee wants to work with you, they don’t trust you.” Pontillo said this was based on a January board vote of no confidence against Garcia.
“Responsibility, transparency, safety,” replied Garcia, to scattered applause.
Near the meeting’s end, a couple trustees called for more board training sessions to help it work together more cooperatively.