Princeton school board rejects law enforcement pact

Recent school incident tied to call for more review

By: Molly Petrilla
   For the second time, the Princeton Regional Board of Education has voted down a state-mandated memorandum of agreement among the district, local police departments and the county prosecutor’s office — a decision most members say stems from a recent incident at Princeton High School.
   Despite urging from Superintendent Judith Wilson and board President Michael Mostoller, board members voted 4-4 with one abstention Tuesday night to shelve the agreement until an ad hoc committee is formed to address various concerns.
   The agreement contains a summary of the laws and protocols that exist among school districts and law enforcement agencies, including drug and alcohol violations, harassment issues and weapons offenses.
   Although she recommended the board adopt the memorandum — especially since the state Attorney General’s Office asked school districts to approve it by Oct. 3 — Ms. Wilson said she was not surprised by the outcome of Tuesday night’s vote.
   In fact, she said the memorandum — which must be approved annually and was last revised in 1999 — has been the subject of "a very important discussion and debate over many years in Princeton."
   Ms. Wilson also noted Thursday that the agreement is merely a symptom of a larger problem.
   "The broader discussion is one of social justice issues within the community, and it goes far beyond the document or a mandate to have an agreement with the prosecutor’s office," she said.
   In discussing the memorandum, several board members expressed similar sentiments Tuesday night, citing a recent incident at PHS in which four black students were removed from class by borough police officers. Police said witnesses placed the four students at the scene of a violent crime, and the 14- and 15-year-olds were subsequently charged with complicity to robbery.
   During Tuesday’s discussion, board member Jeffrey Spear said that while the incident at the high school was within legal bounds, he had questions about whether it was ethical and "proper."
   Walter Bliss, who chairs the board’s Minority Education Committee, said he had "a serious concern about the relationship between the police and certain of our students," adding, "We either have to table (the agreement) or vote no on it."
   Board member JoAnn Cunningham said she found it "impossible to vote for (the agreement)," and compared it to supporting segregation.
   But board member Mia Cahill, while acknowledging the larger issues in need of discussion, said the memorandum of agreement "is different than the events that occurred recently."
   She added, "I want to know … that we have an agreement with the police to come when we call them."
   After a heated discussion, the board narrowly voted down the agreement, with Ms. Cahill, Mr. Mostoller, Charlotte Bialek and Rebecca Cox voting to approve it and Mr. Bliss, Ms. Cunningham, Alan Hegedus and Joshua Leinsdorf voting against it. Mr. Spear’s abstention effectively served as the deciding "no" vote.
   The discussion is far from over, however, as Mr. Mostoller has begun to select a subcommittee that will meet with Ms. Wilson and other district administrators.
   Mr. Mostoller said Wednesday the committee will likely consist of three board members, but what it will decide is anyone’s guess.
   Ms. Wilson said she is unsure if the board will attempt to make changes to the document, since any modifications would have to be approved at the state level. She also said that as the subcommittee conducts its business, the memorandum from the previous year will "certainly remain in place."
   Despite the recent squabble over the document, both school and police officials insist that their relationship will not be altered.
   "We have a very good working relationship with the school district," acting Princeton Township Police Chief Mark Emann said, "and we’re going to continue working with the school administrators as we have been, which is in the best interest of the students."
   Though Princeton Borough Police Chief Anthony Federico said he did not see anything that needed to be changed in the memorandum, he also agreed that his department’s relationship with the district would stay on course.
   And while the board’s discussion and vote was divided Tuesday night, Mr. Mostoller said the board is still a unified body.
   "Although we were divided," he said, "I think we were all together in that we want to maintain the positive aspect that we have been able to generate in our schools. We all want to make sure that we continue this comprehensive look" at social issues.