Manasquan's school board president on Wednesday said she was "deeply disturbed" over a complaint filed by a board member with Manasquan police that alleged "ongoing harassment" from a member appointed just Tuesday night.
President Michelle LaSala said she wants to call a special board meeting after it came to light that board member Christine Muly filed a complaint against new member Mike Shelton after he called for her resignation in a letter (attached to this story) to the school board attorney, written before he took his oath of office. That complaint was forwarded to the county prosecutor's office, which has determined that Shelton was within his rights to send the letter.
Shelton on June 4, roughly three weeks before taking a seat on the board, sent an email to board Attorney R. Armen McComber with an attached document requesting Muly either step down on her own terms or she would be named in civil and criminal complaints and ethics charges as a Board of Education member, according to documents contained in the official police report.
The documents show that McComber on June 5 forwarded the email to Superintendent Geraldine Margin, who provided the correspondence to Muly on an unspecified date. On June 12, Muly brought her complaint to Manasquan police, the report says.
The next day Detective Sgt. Jacob T. Kleinknecht, who investigated the complaint, contacted John Loughrey of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Special Prosecutions Unit, who said that Muly, as a board member, was "subject to public scrutiny" and that Shelton's actions were legal and "in his rights to do so," the report says.
Muly, reached by telephone Wednesday, said she had no comment regarding the complaint. Margin, also reached Wednesday, also declined to comment on the report.
LaSala indicated she was "deeply disturbed" by Muly's filing, but added that she could not comment further until she spoke with the board at large.
"I am deeply disturbed by the information that I just received. I really do not wish to make any statements at this time, it would not be appropriate until I meet with the entire board, and we may be holding a special meeting. I will notify you as soon as I know if that's going to happen," LaSala said by telephone Wednesday.
Muly, according to the report, told police that Shelton's June 4 email stemmed from a past incident in which she allegedly spoke to Manasquan Elementary School Principal Colleen Graziano regarding several children she had allegedly photographed vandalizing property and asked the principal to identify the kids.
Shelton's e-mail to McComber indicates that Graziano's "involvement in the identification of minors related to Mrs. Muly's undue influence as a board of education member will be highlighted, publicized and sanctions will be sought."
Graziano could not be reached Wednesday evening.
McComber, reached by telephone Wednesday, said he had not seen the police report, adding that the matter was not related to school board business and, therefore, he could not comment directly.
"Strictly speaking it's really not matters related to business of the Board of Education, and I certainly understand I have two board members who have some issues with each other but hopefully we can move past that," McComber said.
Shelton on Wednesday said he never harassed Muly, who from her post as board president in January citing harassment from unnamed board members, and added that the police report is proof he did nothing wrong.
"For the last year I have questioned actions and inactions of this board. It's unfortunate that while Mrs. Muly apparently took some suggestions or criticism as harassment, but it clearly didn't rise to the level of warranting police attention, and the statements from the Prosecutor's Office vindicates me for that," Shelton said.
Shelton declined to comment on specific concerns he raised over what he described as "official misconduct."
Loughrey's secretary at the County Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday said he was out until Friday and that she could not find any pending or open investigation with either Shelton's or Muly's name attached to it. She added, however, that it did not necessarily mean an investigation was not working its way through the system.
Muly, while declining to comment on the report, said she had no intentions at this time of stepping down from her post on the board.
"As of right now I'm looking forward to working with everybody — our new board members and all," Muly said.
I think it's time to clean house. The board seems to worry about what the kids do in the summer months than the type of education they are getting. It's a good thing that the majority of the teachers in this district are above average.
Clean house and move on, and end this wasteful and pointless drama...Sheesh!
I have nothing to do with the BOE. If you think it's going to get better with Shelton on board you are sadly mistaken. There will be lot's of drama.
To Know Better - well, you apparently didn't. It's evident after two posts making derogatory comments about someone who was falsely accused in a police report that you aren't a fan. The question is though, are you part of the problem? I say yes. Unanimous approval for Walsh and Shelton per other Patch story. Any coincidence that the Coast Star didn't mention that? Maybe let the new people go to a few meetings before you pass judgment? Hard to imagine there could be more drama than the past. Read accompanying story "Muly Steps Down as Squan BOE President" in the sidebar next to this story. She cited harassment then too - against members of the board and the public. If she felt so, why since stay? Did she file police reports then too against her fellow members?
One (maybe more) possibly committed some questionable acts and it was suggested they resign. There was a choice to do it simply and quietly, but instead they went and filed a police report for possible harassment. The board president is concerned about the allegations internally and the prosecutor obviously isn't because citizens can scrutinize public officials, within reason. Now it's an ugly news item and a principal will probably get fired when the unpaid board member could have just walked away and done the decent thing. How much glory is there in being a board member that someone has to lose their job? What else am I missing?
As far as the letter goes, she should have asked her lawyer for legal advise instead of going to the police. On a side note, Manasquan has a lot of vandalism for a small town.