'Serious lack in judgement': Judge rules against former South Plainfield BOE member
A state Administrative Law judge has ruled that a former South Plainfield Board of Education member be censured by the state School Ethics Commission for "a serious lack in judgement" on ethics charges brought by other board members.
Judge Kim Belin has sustained the ethics charges against Debbie Boyle, who served on the South Plainfield school board for 15 years, by board members Jim Giannakis, Keith Both, Thomas Cassio, Doug Chapman, Pio Pennisi and William Seesselberg.
The charges center on an email Boyle sent in May 2021 criticizing Superintendent of Schools Noreen Lishak's decision to change the time of high school graduation and Boyle's direct contact with the high school's band and choir directors asking if students could perform at the annual UNICO Columbus Day ceremony in 2021 after the school principal denied the request.
In the first ethics charge, Boyle sent an email to Lishak, her administrative assistant and all board members saying that she had talked to Diane Joffe, the former president of the South Plainfield Education Association, the teachers union, who had concerns that the graduation time had changed "not based on the needs of the parents and the students but rather for your own and the fact that the rationale was disingenuous."
The judged ruled that Boyle's private conversation with Joffe was "problematic" and that Boyle had a responsibility to either direct Joffe to speak directly to the school board president or superintendent or contact the superintendent and board members before sending the email.
"Boyle acted beyond the scope of her duties in allowing herself to be the messenger for Joffe to the superintendent," the judge wrote. "This conduct compromises the integrity of the Board by allowing a single board member to convey the concerns of the Association."
In the second ethics charge, Boyle directly contacted the high school principal, the band and choir directors through emails and texts to invite the students to perform at the Columbus Day ceremony.
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Though Boyle, an UNICO member who was chair of the Italian American Heritage Day ceremony, maintained it was a longstanding practice for the organization to request the students at the ceremony, the complaint alleges her contacts amount to seeking special treatment from district employees for the benefit of an outside organization which is outside the scope of her duties.
The complaint also alleges the request for the students to perform instead should have been directed to the superintendent.
The judge agreed, finding it was "problematic that Boyle bypassed the superintendent and went directly to the staff." Because their staff email addresses are not on the school district's website, the judge decided that Boyle used information available to her as a board member, not as a member of the public, and "acted outside the scope of her duties" by sending the invitations directly to staffers.
The judge also ruled that Boyle texting the choir director for an explanation why the students would not be able to perform was "inappropriate" because it put the choir director in a difficult position. The judge also said that seeking an explanation "is not part of her duties as a school board member."
"It is undisputed that Boyle was displeased that the marching band and choir were not going to participate in the Columbus Day celebration and requested an explanation," the judge wrote. "Boyle's actions are arguably tantamount to initiating an investigation prior to administrative action."
Because Boyle is no longer a board member, the judge wrote, removal from the board "is not an option" and recommended censure as the appropriate sanction.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today..
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ judge rules against South Plainfield former school board member
