BOE confronted with questions about recent threat at Brielle Elementary School – Star News Group

BRIELLE — The Brielle Board of Education [BOE] met on Wednesday Feb. 22 and discussed the progress of board goals, the tentative budget, committee reports and updates on the playground and the media center; however, failed to address an allegation of a potential threat against the elementary school until members of the public raised questions about the incident.

On Thursday Feb. 8, the Brielle Police Department was alerted to rumors of a potential threat against the Brielle Elementary School [BES], according to Chief Gary Olsen. However, parents of BES students were not made aware of a threat until after school on Friday.

According to Chief Olsen, a faculty member at BES was alerted by a parent to the rumor of a potential threat against the school. The parent filed an official report with the police department. The Brielle Police Department launched an immediate investigation in which detectives identified the target of the allegations and conducted multiple interviews and found no credible threat.

Chief Olsen told The Coast Star that the Brielle Police Department issued extra officers to the school on the morning of Friday, Feb. 9 to reassure parents, faculty and residents that the school community was safe. Many parents, unaware of the alleged threat, contacted the school in regards to the extra police presence.

At 3:03 p.m on Feb. 9, Superintendent Stacie Poelstra sent an email to parents of BES students informing them of an “allegation of potentially alarming behavior.” The message sent during school dismissal, failed to describe any details of the situation but verified that the allegation did not compromise the safety of the school. 

Several concerned parents attended the board meeting and expressed their dissatisfaction in the lack of communication and transparency provided by the school.

“Why is there an investigation with the police and why are you waiting till after the fact to communicate anything? I’m not looking for all the details, I’m looking for some. Any threat, any allegation, whatever words you want to use, however big, however small, however credible I believe I have a right to know about this, and I believe I have a right to know about it in real time so that I can make an informed decision on whether or not I want to send my kids to school,” resident Lucille Yanok said during the public comment portion of the meeting.

She shared her experience of contacting the school when she saw the increased police presence. She was told any cause for concern was a “rumor.”

Ms. Yanok went on to question the board and their miscommunication to parents, before expressing her dissatisfaction in the board’s inaction in mentioning the incident at the meeting.

“When did you learn about the allegation and why did you wait till after school to inform us?” said Ms. Yanok.

Board President Kurt Becker responded, “As to the when and the why, we can get you those answers, right now is not the time for that, I have your information and we will follow up with you.” 

Jennifer Bard asked Mr. Becker to provide answers to all parents, not just Ms. Yanok.

Superintendent Poelstra said, “There were many complex factors that went into that situation, safety and security of our kids is absolutely first and foremost the most important thing. If there was a situation where students were unsafe they would not be here.” 

“I am bound in position to honor and protect student confidentiality, so I also have to be very cognizant of what information I am able to share about what is happening and what information I am unable to share so that I do not break confidentiality for students. So sometimes that’s a really narrow tightrope to walk, and I will say that on Friday there was a confluence of timing and circumstances that explains why the communication went out when it did. I was not trying to hide anything, I was not trying to be disingenuous,” Ms. Poelstra continued.

Ms. Yanok, who made the decision to pick her children up from school that day responded, “I can’t be in the dark while you’re investigating something that regards safety. There’s a way I believe, and maybe I’m wrong and this is something the board will work on, that you can protect confidentiality while still keeping parents in the know.” 

Resident Courtney Gilmartin expressed her dissatisfaction with the information provided by administration and the uneasiness the lack of communication put on parents.

“It’s the feeling that we are lied to and I understand confidentiality,” said Ms. Gilmartin, “When we do call, and we are told explicitly ‘no it’s nothing’ … actually we were told it was a drill.”

She added, “I don’t know why the secretaries would lie and where that direction came from, because that is a lie. It wasn’t a drill and the police weren’t there to do drills in the morning.”

Mr. Becker responded, “We don’t want anybody to get the impression that we’re spreading lies to protect information that we don’t want to get out there.”

Resident Giovanni Randazzo echoed similar sentiments and shed light upon the lack of communication between administration and parents.

“The only thing I can say is that I would have appreciated some kind of follow up, even as late as Tuesday when we’re back in school” said Mr. Randazzo “There should have been some type of closure to make us understand that it was a false alarm or a misunderstanding so at least we can sleep better at night sending our kids to school the next day.”

Mr. Becker responded, “Closure is everything. We appreciate that.”

The Feb. 9 incident came on the final day before the school’s annual week-long February break. When emailed by The Coast Star on Feb. 14 regarding the incident, Superintendent Poelstra’s email returned an automated out of office response: “I will be out of the office from 2/12 through 2/16 with limited access to email. I will respond to your email upon my return on Monday, 2/19.”

Ms. Gilmartin, who reached out to members of the board prior to the meeting, called upon the board to hold a town hall type of open forum to allow parents to have a constructive conversation.

The board returned to its regular agenda, but before the meeting was adjourned Board member Sean Wohltman responded in favor of Ms. Gilmartin’s suggestion of a communication forum.

Mr. Wohltman said, “With all respect to confidentiality the community has been through a lot in this past month, and the administration and staff has been through a lot this last month, and so I am very much in favor of any type of — to whatever extent possible — open communication, town hall, whatever you want to call it. I think if you really want to get to closure this is the type of thing that communities do to have those conversations. But the community has to also understand we don’t just say those things like ‘confidentiality’ for the fun of it. Those are true issues and true legal issues that we have to deal with. I don’t know that you’ll ever get that deep closure that you’re looking for, but talking about things out in the open is what we’re here to do, so i think we should do those things.”

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