The same Montclair schools employee who alleged years of unaddressed health hazards and an abusive work environment in a 32-page “whistleblower” letter last year has been part of correspondence of a new complaint — one regarding allegations of discriminatory statements made by a Montclair school district staff member.
Robert H. Kelley IV’s letter in April 2021 set off an investigation — one that schools Superintendent Jonathan Ponds ultimately said found “unacceptable” behavior among some employees. He alleged buildings and grounds staffers were mistreated for years, and that in the process health and safety hazards were allowed to fester in district schools. The district hired former Wood-Ridge schools superintendent Nicholas Cipriano in June 2021 to conduct the investigation, then in August hired him to by Montclair’s new business administrator, succeeding Emidio D’Andrea — one of the officials he’d just investigated.
In emails dated Feb. 11 to 23, 2022, Kelley communicated with Damen Cooper, the district's director of personnel, Montclair Board of Education members and other district staff regarding another ongoing investigation, information provided by the district to Montclair Local in response to a public records request shows.
The district didn’t turn over the correspondence itself, citing exemptions to the state’s Open Public Records Act related to personnel matters and investigations. But it did provide a Vaughn Index — an accounting of what documents are being...
Matt Arnold had done nothing wrong when a staff member approached him at the Sainsbury’s East Dulwich checkout. He had scanned his items, tapped his Nectar card, and was told he couldn’t be served...