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A First Step

The news arrived: A police officer will attend Branford Board of Education (BOE) meetings. According to Chairman John Prins, he and his fellow committee members “don’t serve on this board to be intimidated or threatened.” The request came to the police chief and caused the chief to suggest that he was not aware of any problems at meetings.

I suggest if there had been problems, the chief would have heard. Why the police? Well, it serves to intimidate meeting attendees who might vocally disagree with the board. The list of topics many parents wish to address is long and important. Parents will want to be involved in all of them. What’s the end game? From whom is the officer taking instruction? If a parent raises his or her voice in an effort to be heard, would a simple nod from Prins to the officer serve as notice to intervene? Is he going to be the sole arbiter of what is out of order?

As a parent of a child in the school system, I encourage your readers to be aware. I believe this attempt at intimidation is a first step. If a parent is cited for what’s viewed as verbally abusive behavior and is dragged out, it doesn’t end. I believe the next step is to ban selected people from meetings, followed by no attendees allowed. Ultimately, any and all parental input ends. Then what?

The police have arrived. Residents should do nothing different. Attend the meetings and disagree when the subject merits disagreement. Be civil and calm, and don’t be intimidated. Additionally, I encourage your readers to reexamine their participation in the selection of board members. Understand where they stand on issues, including having a police officer monitor public input at BOE meetings. There’s always an alternative.

Tom Smith

Branford