We would like to express our disgust with Holmdel Board of Education member, Terence Wall. On January 26, 2021, Wall called into our Middletown BOE Meeting to encourage our district to open up the schools full time. Middletown High School South recently had to pivot from a hybrid model to virtual instruction because of an increase in cases. Not sure who invited him, but someone did. These were his words, summarized: 

“Holmdel is open 5 days a week full time. It’s going great. It’s going fantastic. The NJEA has to take a hard look at themselves. This is not about the pandemic at this time. This is about keeping your schools shut. I’m just putting that on the record for you. Many schools are open, parochial particularly. My strongest suggestion is to get your schools open and ignore the union rhetoric.”

This couldn’t be further from the truth. He is fooling himself if he thinks we believe this gaslighting. There are subs in classrooms while the actual teachers are home quarantining because of exposure. Infections are on the rise among staff and students. Teacher morale is at an all time low. How dare he take up time during our BOE meeting to lie & tell us to “ignore union rhetoric”. Teachers everywhere are working harder than they ever had before. We are saddened for our fellow educators in Holmdel who have to put up with a person on their board who seems to have no respect for the staff in his district. 

“Coincidentally” his wife Jeanne Wall, wrote a piece the day before our BOE meeting for “TAPinto Holmdel & Colts Neck” entitled “Middletown Superintendent of Schools Mary Ellen Walker Shuts Down In Person Schools; Suspends Sports”. Why are the Walls so concerned with what is going on in Middletown and why is Mrs. Wall blaming Mrs. Walker? We are fortunate to have a Superintendent who follows science and safety guidelines and not politics, which has no place in our schools. 

We are asking that Board of Education members (especially from other towns) are not allowed to push their political agenda at future Middletown BOE meetings. This is unacceptable and unethical. Thank you.