The Indecent, the Dishonest, and the Undemocratic: a series of Questionable Actions from the Valley Road since March 17th

Recently updated on June 19th, 2023 at 05:35 pm

In this article, we document a series of actions, both significant and minor, undertaken by the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education (BoE) and Superintendent Carol Kelley, which have demonstrated a lack of basic decency and honesty. A chronicle of the current situation is also included in the Appendix.

These decisions and actions will undoubtedly shape their legacy in the years to come, for better or worse. Our intention is to shed light on these instances, emphasizing the importance of transparency and accountability expected from public servants in a democratic society. It is crucial for the community to be fully informed of their track record and be empowered to form their own judgments on the current situation.

Friday, March 17th, 2023 – the Email

Princeton High School (PHS) Principal Frank Chmiel’s abrupt removal from his position by Superintendent Carol Kelley during the school year has left the entire PPS community in shock. This marks the second attempt by Kelley to remove the well-respected principal since her arrival in the district less than two years ago (Report on the first attempt). The announcement of Chmiel’s departure came through an email (screenshot) that failed to provide a clear explanation for the decision and did not even mention Chmiel by name.

Adding to the surprise, Mr. Chmiel, who was on sick leave at the time, received the letter at his home and was immediately denied access to the PHS building and district-issued devices.

It is also worth noting that the 16th Asian Festival, scheduled to take place in Tiger Gym that Friday evening, was directly impacted by these events. Principal Chmiel was expected to deliver a speech and celebrate with the Asian community. In his own words, shared in his last email to the PHS community:

The Asian Festival at Princeton High School is a collaboration of the Mandarin and Japanese language classes, the Asian American Club, Chinese Club, Korean Club, Japanese Club, and Bollywood Dance Club, providing students a chance to show their knowledge of culture and language learned during classes and within clubs.

Most importantly, this event is a combined effort to share Asian culture with the community.

Frank Chmiel

Weekend of March 18th, 2023 – the Phone Calls

Assistant principals, Cecilia Birge and Rashone Johnson, along with director of school counseling, Dana Karas, reportedly took it upon themselves to call students at their homes, even on the weekend, in an effort to gather information about the planned protest scheduled for March 20th, 2023. They also attempted to dissuade students from participating in any significant actions. Whether they acted independently remains unknown to the community. This raises concerns about the involvement of the Board of Education and Superintendent Carol Kelley in these activities. Transparency is needed to understand the extent of their role in these actions. (Report)

Sunday, March 19th, 2023 – the Interim Principal

Two days after Principal Frank Chmiel’s release, on a Sunday afternoon, an interim PHS principal, Kathie Foster, was announced through email (screenshot). However, it is important to note that Ms. Foster was not officially confirmed in this role until the Board meeting on March 28th. At the meeting, the majority of parents strongly objected to Ms. Foster’s appointment, raising concerns about the decision-making process and the lack of transparency surrounding the selection. Ms. Foster would be paid, per diem rate of $820/day, from 03/29/23 to 06/30/23.

It’s worth mentioning that both Dr. Foster and Dr. Kelley attended the Doctor of Education program from 2002 to 2005 at University of Pennsylvania, per their LinkedIn profiles.

Tuesday, March 21st, 2023 – the Threatening

During the board meeting on March 21, 2023, an emergency public forum Zoom session was scheduled to address the removal of Principal Frank Chmiel. The session provided an opportunity for parents and students to express their frustration regarding the sudden decision. Unfortunately, no explanation was provided by either the Board of Education or Superintendent Kelley, citing state regulations on employee privacy.

Notably, a district-hired lawyer was present at the meeting and issued a warning about defamation when a resident questioned Carol Kelley’s performance in her previous job. The warning (about 26 minutes 53 seconds into the meeting in the recording) was perceived by many parents as a veiled threat aimed at discouraging any criticism of the Superintendent’s professional performance.

Throughout the ongoing dispute, the district-hired lawyer has consistently participated in every public Board meeting. This raises concerns among the district’s taxpayers, as it not only hinders open dialogue and transparency but also adds an additional financial burden on the community.

Tuesday, March 28th, 2023 – the Petty Trick and the Sign Ban

The in-person board meeting was initially scheduled to take place at the Princeton Middle School (PMS) Auditorium, and then was abruptly changed to the much smaller PMS cafeteria on the meeting day, without any clear explanation from the Board of Education. This sudden change left a few hundreds parents in a difficult situation, with some having to stand in the crowded cafeteria and others being turned away by security, forcing them to rely on live streaming to participate in the meeting. The similar situation would occur again at the public hearing on May 15th.

The security guard at the meeting initially didn’t allow parents to bring in placards in support of Principal Chmiel, and relented only after being told by a parent that the ban was a violation of First Amendment.

Tuesday, March 28th, 2023 – the Claimed Threats and Chaotic Ending

• At the beginning of the board meeting, Superintendent Carol Kelley made allegations about receiving emails that made her uncomfortable. She has intimated these attacks are racially and gender-oriented, which were later rebutted by public records obtained through OPRA request from at least a couple of residents. (Report)
• Despite repeated calls from parents to postpone voting to avoid more disruptions, Kathie Foster was voted unanimously by the Board to serve as Princeton High School’s acting principal. The meeting concluded chaotically amidst protests from parents. (Report)

Friday, April 21st, 2023 – the March, the Meeting and the Post-meeting

About 100 PHS students organized a walkout and marched to Valley Road to voice their dissatisfaction with the district leadership. Seven students were invited into the district office to hold a meeting with Superintendent Carol Kelley. According to students who attended the meeting, Kelley often evaded questions about Chmiel’s dismissal by shifting subjects or citing the Board of Education’s involvement in the decision. Some students also felt belittled by Kelley’s responses, and several students cited moments of intimidation. (Report)

After the meeting with Kelley, a district employee uninvitedly followed these students back to Princeton High School. This employee singled out one of the students and questioned the student (a minor)  for nearly an hour regarding the meeting at Valley Road. These questions probed the student’s perception of the meeting with Kelley, personal knowledge of Chmiel’s level of support, and Chmiel’s  plans moving forward. The individual made a point to apologize for Kelley’s aggressive behavior towards the students during the meeting. (Report)

Monday, May 15th, 2023 – the public Donaldson Hearing

Mr. Chmiel waived his rights to privacy to hold the hearing publicly to defend himself.

• The BoE employed the same tactic of changing the hearing venue from the larger PMS auditorium to the smaller cafeteria at the last minute, effectively limiting attendance. With an empty auditorium with all lights on, many parents either had to stand for up to 5 hours in the cafeteria or were turned away from the main meeting venue. It was also a serious safety concern in case there was a fire emergency.
• Mr. Chmiel presented his evidence to refute Superintendent Carol Kelley’s 21-page “statement of reasons”, which, according to Mr. Chmiel, contains very serious factual errors. Regardless, the BoE called for a motion without even taking the time to fact-check the evidence presented by Mr. Chmiel. (Report)

Monday, May 15th, 2023 – the Circus, and the Dishonesty

Toward the end of the public hearing,

• Board member Mara Franceschi read a prepared statement speaking about Principal Chmiel’s lack of basic judgment, taking away too many resources from the main office and Mr. Chmiel needing to learn to work better with his supervisor. Whatever Mr. Chmiel had presented in the hearing seemed to be a non factor in Franceschi’s evaluation.
• Board member Jean Durbin blamed Principal Chmiel for making the hearing public and bringing a circus to the Board, and claimed BoE didn’t have time to cross-check the evidence presented by Mr. Chmiel. Durbin had her own outburst, yelling at the audience when they booed.

The decision to not overturn Kelley’s decision appeared to have been made by the BoE before the hearing in every aspect, which makes the BoE’s pre-hearing stance dishonest and troubling:

Unless Mr. Chmiel waives his right to privacy in writing, the board’s hands are tied, legally, as far as disclosing any more details about the removal. The board is extremely frustrated that we can’t say more.

Dafna Kendal

The board president, Dafna Kendal, finally had to stop using employee privacy as a reason for not disclosing the rationale behind the decision of firing Principal Chmiel, which the board UNANIMOUSLY endorsed multiple times leading up to the hearing. Yet, the BoE clearly showed that they did not have any interest in knowing the truth: There are quite a few instances mentioned by Kelley and Chmiel’s statements that are factually conflicting with each other, and there are even critical procedural malpractices from the Superintendent. These instances, as stated in Mr. Chmiel’s rebuttal, were clearly documented through PPS’s emails and text messages among multiple PPS personnel. However, the BoE simply chose not to investigate or present these records to the public.

Tuesday, May 16th, 2023 – the Reprimand

PHS security Bill Urien, who spoke in support of Principal Chmiel in the public hearing, was approached by PHS interim principal Kathie Foster first thing in the morning, May 16, 2023, the day after the hearing. It seems Foster reprimanded him for speaking at the hearing, and that her actions were at Dr. Kelley’s direction. At 12 pm, assistant principal, Rashone Johnson, called Bill into his office to correct him for speaking out. So, too, PHS administrative figures, one who said that she did this at the direction of Dr. Kelley corrected a citizen for speaking publicly. (Report)

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Editor’s notes:

Three parents contributed to this article. RealPPS will continue to monitor the situation and update the list if Valley Road continues its troubling and dangerous trajectory of indecent and dishonest dealings.

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Appendix:

Members of Board of Education of Princeton Public Schools

• Dafna Kendal, President
• Betsy Kalber Baglio, Vice President
• Beth Behrend
• Debbie Bronfeld
• ^*Robert Christopher (Cranbury representative)
• ^*Jean Durbin
• Mara Franceschi
• Susan Kanter
• Brian McDonald
• Michele Tuck-Ponder

* The members who voted YES to reinstate Principal Chmiel at the public hearing.

Timeline of Chmiel’s removal

• Friday, March 17th, 2023: Email went out; Chmiel released of the duty as PHS principal immediately
• March 18 – 19th, 2023: PHS administrators made calls to students on planned protest
• Sunday, March 19th, 2023: Email sent on the PHS interim principal
• Sunday, March 19th, 2023: Petition launched for Chmiel’s reinstatement
• Monday, March 20th, 2023: Protest at PHS flag pole from students and parents, in support of Chmiel
• Tuesday, March 21st, 2023: Emergency Zoom public forum in the boarding meeting, students and parents pleading for Chmiel’s reinstatement
• Wednesday, March 22th, 2023: Petition launched for Kelley’s immediate resignation from the position of Princeton Public Schools superintendent
• Wednesday, March 22th, 2023: GoFundMe for Chmiel’s Legal Justice Fund launched
• Tuesday, March 28th, 2023: In-person public forum in the boarding meeting, students and parents again pleading for Chmiel’s reinstatement; Hiring of PHS interim principal approved amidst protests
• Sunday, April 16th, 2023: Rally in support of Principal Chmiel at Hinds Plaza
• Friday, April 21st, 2023: PHS students march to Valley Road
• Monday, May 1st, 2023: Chmiel formally requested public Donaldson hearing
• Monday, May 15th, 2023: Public Donaldson hearing on Chmiel’s job status; Non-renewal decision upheld
• Tuesday, May 16th, 2023: PHS staff who spoke in support of Chmiel in the hearing reprimanded by administrators
• Thursday, May 18th, 2023: The Board of Education swiftly denied any alleged reprimands through their attorney, less than 12 hours after the report on the reprimands surfaced (Report)
• Friday, May 26th, 2023: Princeton Public Schools releases 2022 teachers union letter regarding Principal Chmiel (Report)
• Monday, May 29th, 2023: Principal Chmiel responds to release of teachers union letter (Report)
• Wednesday, June 14th, 2023: Chmiel’s attorney filed an appeal with the New Jersey Office of Administrative Law and an official notice (a tort claims notice) with the Princeton Public Schools and Board of Education that leaves open the possibility of a lawsuit at a later time (Report)