Parents’ group files ethics complaint against Nutley school board president – NorthJersey.com

A contingent of parents filed an ethics complaint with the state School Ethics Commissionagainst Nutley Board of Education President Charles Kucinski and called for his resignation.

Members of a parents’ advocacy group, who were unhappy with the district’s efforts to return their elementary-age students back to school full-time last year and sought to have the mask mandate relaxed, spoke at the Monday meeting, saying the request for Kucinski’s resignation comes from “concerning unethical behavior.”

The parents’ group recently filed an Open Public Records Act request, seeking communications among Kucinski, Superintendent Julie Glazer and a community member.

They became concerned, they said, when they received emails they said showed unethical actions, including calling community members who spoke out against Gov. Phil Murphy’s mask mandate for schools “loudmouths.”

While one parent spoke, a handful of the dozen parents standing around her wore shirts that had the word “loudmouth” on them.

At a previous meeting, the parents’ group spent three hours advocating for the board to write to Murphy to ask him to rescind the mask mandate. The board voted to send the letter, but later decided not to send it.

In a separate letter to a parent, Kucinski said the emails were being taken out of context and that “loudmouths” was “a poor choice of words.” He said people who came to the meeting in opposition to the mask mandate were “attempting to monopolize” the meeting and force their agenda.

In the letter, Kucinski said the board had received a number of calls and emails from parents in favor of the mask mandate. 

Why NJ has nation-high COVID test costs:Loopholes, ‘profiteering’ off the pandemic

The parents’ OPRA request revealed that a draft of the letter to Murphy was shared with another parent, who was allowed to view and edit the document while other parents had to wait for a meeting with the board, according to the ethics complaint provided to NorthJersey.com.

Kucinski did not respond to the group at the meeting, and he declined to provide comment.

‘Parental rights’: Theme unites group of candidates in 3 school board races

Amy Kayda, who has two students in the district, said the group wants transparency and a “board of education that is truly advocating” for their children

“The ethics complaint was really a way for parents to say they’re not OK with this kind of behavior,” Kayda said.

In his letter, Kucinski said it can be frustrating when the same issue is brought up and there is no resolution to satisfy anyone, and said he would “never willfully disparage the opinions of others.”

This is not the first time the parents’ group has targetedKucinski. In June, they filed a letter of intent to the Essex County Clerk’s Office to recall Kucinski, and they say they are collecting signatures to reach the 25% of registered voters required to force a vote. Voters can recall any elected official after at least one year of service. Kucinski was reelected to the school board in 2019.

Kaitlyn Kanzler covers Essex County for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kanzler@northjersey.com

Twitter: @KaitlynKanzler8