Ethics Charges Dropped Against Two West Orange Board Members

The former president of the West Orange Education Association's Teacher's Union and a district employee has withdrawn his ethics complaint filed against two school board members last year.

"My decision to file ethics charges against Ms. Lab and Ms. Brill was informed by issues between the Board and its Superintendent," Nicholas Galante said in a statement earlier this week [Full statement attached in PDF]. "The West Orange School District is now in a very different place."

Galante filed the complaint with the state School Ethics Commission in February 2012 against Lab, the board president at that time and Brill, another board member.

The complaint charged Lab allegedly demanded Galante be transferred from his current work assignment and asked that Galante's work email be monitored - among other complaints.

It also charged Brill wanted a "supporter" to fill a teacher position that had been left vacant because of a maternity leave, as well as other alleged ethic lapses.

According to a statement from Lab, the School Ethics Commission found no probable cause to any of Galante's allegation in late May 2012. The commission voted to turn the matter over to the Office of Administrative Law for a hearing, where it is mandated to have complete proof of the charges. [Full statement attached as PDF]

During a meeting with the administrative law judge April 3, Galante withdrew all charges against the two board members. 

The board asked in the meeting that all lawyer fees accrued by the district for the claims, which were deemed 'excessive' in June of last year, be repaid by Galante. The request was denied.