Mask Refusal Prompts Charges Against New Lacey Board Member

LACEY, NJ — The fight over Gov. Phil Murphy’s mask mandate in school buildings that has disrupted at least three Lacey Township school board meetings has now led to charges against the newest member of the school board.

Board President Frank Palino said he has filed charges as a private citizen against board member Salvatore Armato and other people over their refusal to wear masks in Lacey Township High School for the board’s Jan. 6 reorganization meeting.

“This is on my dime. This is on my time,” Palino said Monday night of the disorderly conduct charges, as the Lacey school board met in a hybrid format. Most of the board and some residents met in person at Lacey Middle School, and Armato and those who did not want to wear masks joined via Zoom.

Palino, by email, said he filed five complaints in the Lacey Township municipal court.

"However, because some of the complaints involved an elected official, Mr. Armato, the County Prosecutor has to review them," Palino said.

If the prosecutor's office decides there is probable cause, the complaints can be remanded to municipal court or could be handled in Superior Court in Ocean County, Palino said.

The assistant prosecutor reviewing the charges has 45 days from the date of the original complaint to make that decision, Palino said.

Armato, who was elected to the board in November, and his family refused to wear masks for the reorganization meeting, which was then adjourned before either Armato or Harold “Skip” Peters were sworn in for their seats on the board. The two were later sworn in at a board meeting held via Zoom on Jan. 12.

The board also was supposed to meet last Thursday, but that meeting was adjourned as well and moved to Monday because of the wrangling over masks. And in September, the board adjourned a meeting when parents, including Armato, who oppose the mask mandate refused to put them on when the board came out of executive session, Jersey Shore Online reported.

Murphy’s Executive Order 251 requires everyone — adults, children, staff, visitors — to wear masks inside any school building where instruction is conducted, no matter what reason they are in the building. It also applies to school board meetings conducted in classroom buildings.

Lacey parents who oppose the mask mandate — including Armato — have been demanding the board move its meetings off school grounds so the mandate would not apply. On Monday, they repeated those demands, suggesting the meetings move to the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post or other off-site locations.

Parents also demanded most of the board resign for its refusal to allow parents to choose whether to wear masks and for its refusal to reject the mask mandate for students.

“When will this chaos end and our kids get their childhood back?” said Kristin Neil, who has started a petition seeking to oust Palino from the board.

“We as parents have come together to fight this,” she said, then issued a demand for Palino and most of the board to resign.

“Stop forcing parents to wear a mask to watch their children’s sports,” said Cheryl Armato, Salvatore’s wife, who also said the district should stop contact tracing and sending children home to quarantine based on possible exposure and their vaccination status. “If you refuse, then resign,” she said to the board.

Stephanie Lodi also spoke out against the mandate and urged the board to move meetings off-site.

“We are the only district where parents are facing disorderly conduct charges for showing up without masks,” she said.

“This whole mask mandate thing, we are following the law,” Palino said. “All the parents who come here demanding of us to turn a blind eye for the law, focus on the Legislature, they're the ones who make the laws.”

“You have representation,” he said. “That is the people you need to go to. That's how things are going to get changed.”

“We are standing up for the healthy lives of our children,” Salvatore Armato said. “I would think that since this is the board of education you would find that admirable.”

He said Palino asked him to wear a mask “for the greater good.”

“I ask, for the greater good of who?” Armato said, saying he believes the concerns about physical health impacts from COVID-19 do not outweigh the concerns he and other parents have about the psychological effects.

He also accused the board of wanting to throw him off before he was even seated and complained that he has not yet been assigned to any committees.

“Move the meetings off-site so everyone can attend,” Armato said. “Stop harassing your neighbors.”

Board member Kim Klaus, who Armato accused of suggesting he be thrown off the board, said a discussion about the school board member meeting attendance policy was taken out of context. Board members can be unseated for missing three meetings with unexcused absences, a policy that is in place for almost every school board in New Jersey and many municipal government bodies as well.

“I’ve been urging you to read the policy manual,” Klaus said to Armato.

Palino called Armato selfish and said the cancellation of Thursday’s meeting disrupted a planned awards ceremony for district students.

“The children who came here (Thursday) could not get their awards,” he said. “You're just asked if you come to this meeting for an hour to wear a mask. “Obviously you're a selfish individual.”

Palino said Armato had not been assigned to any committees because the board committees meet inside the schools, adding he did not feel it was right to leave Superintendent Vanessa Clark to have to enforce the mandate on a board member.

He claimed Armato has worn masks on occasion "whenever it benefits Mr. Armato," including in some instances related to his election to the board. Armato responded by unmuting himself on the Zoom link and called Palino a liar.

Palino said the hybrid meetings will continue until Murphy lifts the mask mandate and that they will not be moved off school grounds.

“This is the kids' home,” Palino said in response to Armato. “They shouldn't have to leave because you and your friends won't wear a mask for an hour. Too bad.”

Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters here, or download our app to have breaking news alerts sent right to your phone. Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com

This article originally appeared on the Lacey Patch