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Until you start to closely follow the behavior of our Superintendent, it is difficult to fathom just how directorial and oblivious to parental concerns she can be. Here are some examples.

Last school year a Readington child was removed from his classroom on suspicion of drug use and driven over to a medical center for testing against the wishes of his mother. The mother protested that the red eyes of the child could be explained by shampoo from the morning shower and she pleaded for the school to wait for her to arrive on scene. Instead, she caught up with her child at the medical center, where she felt pressured to go ahead with the test. It was negative.  Superintendent Irene Benfatti was quoted later in the February 19 Hunterdon Democrat stating that parents must stop being "obstructionist" and simply let the schools complete their legal duty.

More recently, during an October 13 meeting concerning standardized testing, our Superintendent was asked about the possibility of allowing parents to "opt-out" of the non-State testing on an individual basis. The answer was an absolute "no", and, further, she suggested in a public meeting with a reporter present that private school would be a good option for concerned parents!

A favorite position of our Superintendent is to hide behind vague legal references when faced with a concerned parent. While responding to another parent who asked about "opting-out" of testing, she wrote on behalf of the Board:  

"The Board's decision...falls within the Board's legal discretion to make educational judgments affecting the operation and curriculum development of its schools.  Therefore, an opt-out policy would interfere with the Board's exercise of its legal authority and responsibility to develop and implement the District's educational program." 

Huh?  Nobody was arguing about legal authority--the parent simply wanted some attention for her individual child.  It seems that attention to individual children interferes with our Superintendent's legal authority in some way.

Anyone who doubts how maddening and frustrating it can be when the Superintendent prevaricates on matters related to your own child should have seen the father who spoke at the October 26, 2004 Board meeting.  After many months of being run around, ignored and pushed aside, he felt it necessary to publicly address his circumstances with stunned Board members.  What stopped the father from jumping over the podium and taking physical action could not be determined by observers.

Many more examples are always ready for those who stay tuned-in to our own Readington "MAD-TV" show.  Yet, this is not a zany television show but a school district run by an autocrat hell-bent on consolidating her control.  Parents, residents and teachers be damned: full speed ahead.