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Board meeting features heated public comments alleging social-media attacks and accusations between resident and board member
Summary
Public comment included a resident accusing a board member of defamatory social-media posts and the board member responding with allegations of harassment and obsession; several attendees spoke in defense or to call for focus on board business.
A public-comment period at the Marlboro Township School District board meeting turned contentious as resident Mitesh Gandhi accused board member Danielle (Aditi) Blomo of making defamatory social-media posts about him after he shared an article about a prior vote. Gandhi told the board he had not contacted the media and called the board member's posts "baseless" and "malicious."
Board member Danielle (Aditi) Blomo (speaker identified in the transcript as a board member) responded at the microphone, saying Gandhi's behavior constituted an obsession and that authorities had been contacted; she said she and her family feared for their safety and asked Gandhi to stop. Several other residents then spoke from the floor, defending Gandhi's right to speak and criticizing the board member's use of a board meeting to address social-media disputes.
Board members and others repeatedly urged the meeting return to board business and said public comment is a forum for taxpayers to speak. The exchanges included calls from other speakers to focus on students and agenda items. No formal disciplinary action or formal board vote was recorded in the provided transcript.
Ending: The meeting proceeded after the exchange; administrators and board members did not record a formal determination in the transcript excerpt.
