Parents Confront Glen Ridge Board Over Handling of Teacher Misconduct Case at Ridgewood Avenue School

Public comment at the June 10 Board of Education meeting turned heated as multiple parents accused the district of protecting staff over students in its handling of a case involving former Ridgewood Avenue School teacher Gerald White, whose resignation the board had accepted at a prior meeting. Felice Bettenbender, of 12 Mitchell Place, told the board the district had known since March about "years of inappropriate communications" between White and a child, yet White was allowed to remain in the school for at least another month in contact with children, and said the family ultimately had to go to the Glen Ridge police itself rather than the district doing so. She asked whether the district had any plans to examine protocols she said "lean heavily towards protecting teachers and staff at the expense of our children." Rebecca Kim, of 348 Washington Street, pressed further, asking what had been done to protect her daughter and other children once school officials first learned of the concern, saying "it seems like nothing was done to protect the kids." A resident who identified herself as Anuni read aloud an unanswered email she had sent Superintendent Kyle Arlington asking that photos of sixth-grade girls in bathing suits from a class trip, posted to the Ridgewood Avenue School Facebook page by a staff member named in her email as Mr. Donovan, be reviewed and removed. Resident David Middleton, an education consultant, told the board that leading with "we can't talk about personnel" reads to the community as protecting "individuals who may have been responsible for some very dark, very impactful things to the children," drawing applause; other speakers, including Carol Parks, Michael O'Connor, Lisa Gilpin, and Jessica Fantz, asked when the superintendent first learned of the matter, what escalation process exists for parent and teacher complaints, and whether additional staff training was planned.

Arlington and board members repeatedly said state law bars them from discussing confidential personnel and student matters publicly, but Arlington said that when a matter is brought to him that he believes is serious, his practice has been to personally contact the state's Institutional Abuse Investigation unit and the police department, and that there are "certainly plans to examine" the district's protocols. Board members pointed to several agenda items as a direct response: the appointment of special counsel to conduct a third-party legal investigation at Ridgewood Avenue School, and a School Culture and Climate Initiative audit. The board also approved additional monthly stipends of $3,200 for Kesha Harris as Acting Principal of Ridgewood Avenue School and $2,400 for John DeWitt as Director of Student Services and Acting Principal of Central School, both effective July 1 and prorated for the duration of the acting appointments. The board separately appointed DeWitt as the district's Anti-Bullying Coordinator for 2025-2026.

The board accepted, with regret, the resignations of paraprofessional Patricia Swantek at Linden Avenue School (effective June 18), GRHS secretary Erin Follet (effective June 30), and Central School paraprofessional Sarah Melnik (effective for the 2025-2026 school year). Arlington and principals recognized retirees Shirley Wujek, Sharon Tully, and Helene Maia, and announced the Class of 2025's top students: valedictorian Riley Emma O'Sullivan and salutatorian Ella Hamilton Graham. Two additional Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying complaints at Ridgewood Avenue School (Reports #291485 and #292511) were found not substantiated.

The board approved a lengthy list of capital purchases, including $268,200 for a partial roof replacement at the high school, $228,704 for high school bleacher replacement, $217,247.98 for high school classroom AC unit installation, $276,670.60 for paving at Ridgewood Avenue, Linden Avenue, and Central Schools, and $78,245 for basement hallway flooring at Ridgewood Avenue School, among other vendor contracts. The board also authorized transferring up to $1,000,000 into a Capital Reserve account and up to $500,000 into a Maintenance Reserve account at year end, approved May financial reports totaling $465,025.43 in bills and claims and $2,680,903.94 in payroll, and separately approved an additional $219,631.19 in bills and claims. The board ratified a new three-year contract with the Glen Ridge Education Association running from July 1, and a new contract for the business administrator.

Action items

• Appointed special counsel to conduct a third-party legal investigation at Ridgewood Avenue School and launched a School Culture and Climate Initiative audit
• Approved acting-principal stipends: $3,200/month for Kesha Harris at Ridgewood Avenue School and $2,400/month for John DeWitt at Central School, effective July 1
• Accepted resignations of Patricia Swantek (LAS paraprofessional), Erin Follet (GRHS secretary), and Sarah Melnik (Central paraprofessional)
• Found two additional HIB complaints at Ridgewood Avenue School (#291485, #292511) not substantiated
• Ratified a new three-year Glen Ridge Education Association contract and a new business administrator contract
• Approved capital purchases including a $268,200 high school roof replacement, $228,704 high school bleacher replacement, $217,247.98 high school classroom AC installation, and $276,670.60 in paving at three schools
• Authorized transfers of up to $1,000,000 to Capital Reserve and up to $500,000 to Maintenance Reserve

Watch key moments

• 1:04 — Felice Bettenbender tells the board the district knew of "years of inappropriate communications" between Gerald White and a child but let him stay another month
• 2:05 — Rebecca Kim demands to know what was done to protect her daughter and other children, saying "it seems like nothing was done"
• 28:55 — A resident identifying herself as Anuni reads an unanswered email asking the district to remove photos of sixth-grade girls posted to the Ridgewood Avenue School Facebook page