Warren school board member again cleared of ethics charges over sex ed vote

WARREN – For the second time, the state School Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint that a Board of Education member violated the School Ethics Act by voting against a new health and physical education curriculum.

The Commission also dismissed a charge brought by resident Peter Doss that Daniel Croson Jr. used his position "to advance partisan goals" by hosting an event for the Parents Voice Coalition on Sept. 8 that was a meet-and-greet with then Congressional candidate Tom Kean Jr.

Croson was elected president of the school board at its reorganization meeting on Jan. 3 but resigned the seat after he was selected on Jan. 26 to fill a vacancy on the Township Committee created by the resignation of Michael Marion.

In December, the Commission denied a similar complaint filed by township resident Craig Margolies that Croson and three other board members – Todd Weinstein, Mark Bisci and Ryan Valentino – violated the School Ethics Act for voting against the curriculum at the Aug. 29 board meeting.

Because the board vote was 4-4, the curriculum changes, which have generated a firestorm in many New Jersey school districts, were rejected.

In his complaint, Doss alleged that Croson's vote left the school district out of compliance with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards and that the vote "usurped" the power of the state to determine education standards.

Doss also alleged that the meeting Croson hosted was paid for by the Kean campaign and that he "inappropriately" listed his board membership in an advertisement.

In response to the allegations, Croson said that he voted against the curriculum after listening to feedback from several community members. He said it was a vote against the curriculum, but not against New Jersey Student Learning Standards.

Croson also said that he attended the Parents Voice Coalition event as a private citizen and did not identify himself as a school board member. He said that all his social media posts contained "appropriate disclaimers explicitly stating that his statements are his own and not representing the school district."

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The School Ethics Commission at its Jan. 31 meeting dismissed the charges, saying Doss' complaint lacked "the necessary factual evidence" that Croson violated any ethics rule by voting against the curriculum.

Instead, the Commission wrote in its decision, the facts "merely indicate that (Croson) voted on a motion, but do not ascribe, to any extent, any nefarious or unethical benefit resulting from his vote."

"Although the outcome may not have been well-received by all members of the community," the Commission wrote, "this does not mean... that (Croson) violated the (Ethics Act)."

The Commission also decided that there was no factual evidence that Croson created the advertisement for the meeting or authorized anyone to utilize his position on the school board in the advertisement.

In their response to the previous complaint, the board members said they made their decision after many community members voiced concerns about the curriculum. They cited residents' concerns about the "opt out process" and the residents wanted more information about the curriculum and how it was developed.

The board's vote in August came after lengthy comments from the public both in favor and against the curriculum.

"Our world is changing. People are changing," said resident Lauren Mansour. "They are discovering who they are. We need to be accepting of these people."

Another resident said the curriculum materials were "as innocuous as you can get."

But Nicole Dalton said that not all the material in the curriculum was "appropriate to be taught in school."

"I understand these topics being taught in districts where most students don't have a positive role model at home, but we know that's not the case for a majority of homes in Warren," she said.

Township Committeeman Vic Sordillo told the school board that though he saw "both sides of the story," the district should not be afraid to "push back" against the state.

He said that most residents in a "majority conservative community" like Warren believed the curriculum was "too liberal."

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.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Warren school board member again cleared of ethics charges