To the Members of the Garrett County Board of Education,

 

We are not asking. We are demanding that you listen.

 

We, the undersigned students, parents, faculty, and community members of Northern High School, stand united in absolute opposition to the proposed transfer of Mr. Nazelrod to Southern Middle School. This decision is wrong. It is unjust. And we will not stand by silently while one of the finest educators this county has ever seen is pushed out the door simply because of a number on a seniority list.

 

Mr. Nazelrod Is Irreplaceable

 

Mr. Nazelrod does not just show up and teach. He shows up every single day and transforms the way students think, learn, and see the world around them. He teaches AP/Merit Physics, Earth Science, Algebra 1, Astronomy, Marine Biology, and PHOPS — an extraordinary range of subjects that most educators could never handle alone. On top of that, he leads our Weightlifting program, investing in our students' physical strength and mental discipline. He is not just a teacher. He is a pillar of Northern High School.

 

The students who have sat in his classroom are better for it. The school is better for it. And Garrett County should be proud to have him — yet instead, you are forcing him out of the school where he has built his career and his community.

 

This Is Nothing More Than a Money Move — And It Is Disgraceful

Let's call this what it actually is. This is not about what is best for students. This is not about improving education in Garrett County. This is about money. Plain and simple.

 

Mr. Nazelrod is the youngest member of the science faculty, which means he is one of the lower-paid teachers in his department. By moving his position from Northern, the Board is not making an educational decision — they are making a financial one. One that will stress other teachers as they carry the weight of the classes by having to teach many more students in one block.   They are balancing a budget on the backs of students and sacrificing a exceptional teacher to do it. That is not leadership. That is not stewardship of this county's children. That is a disgrace.

 

The Board of Education's first and only priority should be the quality of education provided to the students of Garrett County. The moment you start making decisions about which teachers stay and which teachers go based on salary rather than merit, you have failed in that responsibility. You have chosen dollars over children, and this community will not forget it.

 

This Decision Is an Insult to Every Student He Has Ever Taught

 

The Board is moving Mr. Nazelrod for one reason and one reason only — because he is the youngest on the faculty. Not because of anything he has done wrong. Not because of poor performance. Not because students or faculty have asked for this. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Students and faculty are outraged.

You would be sending him to teach  in a middle school  position he has never taught in his career — yanking him away from the students and subjects he has mastered and placing him in an entirely unfamiliar environment. And if that were not bad enough, you would be forcing him to drive over an hour and a half each way just to get to work every single day. That is three or more hours of his personal time gone every day. Three hours that could be spent preparing for his students. Three hours that no person should be expected to sacrifice simply because a board made a decision based on a technicality and a budget spreadsheet rather than what is right.

 

This is not a routine transfer. This is an unreasonable and punishing demand 

placed on a teacher who has done nothing but serve this school with excellence.

 

What Kind of Message Does This Send?

 

When a school board prioritizes saving money over keeping its best teachers, it sends a devastating message to every educator in this county — that it does not matter how hard you work, how many subjects you master, or how many students' lives you change. All that matters is how much you cost. That is a shameful standard, and every parent, student, and community member in Garrett County should be deeply troubled by it.

 

if the Board is willing to discard a teacher of Mr. Nazelrod's caliber to save a few dollars, what does that say about how they truly value education in this county? What does it say about how they value our children?

 

We Are Watching. And We Will Be Heard.

 

To every member of this Board — we want you to understand something. The students, parents, and faculty of Northern High School are not going away. We are organized. We are vocal. And we will show up. We will show up at every board meeting, we will share this petition until every single person in this county has seen it, and we will make sure that this community knows exactly what decision you made and why.

 

We are calling on the Garrett County Board of Education to:

 

1. Immediately reverse the decision to transfer Mr. Nazelrod from Northern High School.

 

         2. Reform how transfer and placement decisions are made so that merit, student impact, and basic reasonableness are always prioritized over seniority and cost-cutting alone.

 

        3. Acknowledge the harm this decision causes to students, to faculty morale, and to the integrity of Northern High School's academic program.

 

        4. Commit publicly to never allowing budget considerations to override the educational needs of Garrett County's students.

 

The Bottom Line

 

Mr. Nazelrod has given everything to Northern High School and its students. He deserves better than to be treated as a line item on a budget sheet. Our students deserve better than to lose an outstanding teacher because the Board decided he was too expensive to keep. And this community deserves a Board of Education that has the courage to fight for its best teachers instead of sacrificing them to save money.

 

Do the right thing. Keep Mr. Nazelrod at Northern.

 

We are not going away until you do.

 
Signed -  the Students, Parents, Faculty, and Community Members of Northern High School who refuse to stay silent.