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Public commenter accuses school-board candidate of past remarks; candidate says he does not recall them
Summary
During public comment at the Lawrence Township Public School District meeting an unidentified speaker alleged that board candidate Mister Pluta previously accused LTPS elementary teachers of being 'child abusers' and claimed board members were 'obsessed with indoctrinating students'; Pluta said he did not recall making those statements and asked where they came from.
An unidentified member of the public used the board's public-comment period to publicly challenge Mister Pluta, who the transcript identifies as a candidate running for re‑election, saying that in a prior campaign he had made "bizarre statements" about the board and staff.
"You said that the board of ed, many of whom are sitting here obsessed with indoctrinating students. You said our LTPS elementary teachers are child abusers," the commenter said, adding they had documents and naming two upcoming candidate forums where they hoped Pluta would participate: a League of Women Voters forum on the 24th and an LTEA/NJA forum on the 8th.
Pluta responded in the meeting that he did not remember making the claims. "I don't remember I don't remember saying this. Where where are you finding this?" he said in the transcript. The commenter said they could show the documents and urged Pluta to attend the forums to clarify whether his position had changed since he began working with colleagues.
The exchange concluded without a resolution: the commenter pressed for Pluta to confirm attendance at the public forums, and Pluta said he was "not sure yet." The board moved on after additional brief public comments and routine agenda business.
What happened next: the meeting proceeded to committee reports and consent motions; no formal action or investigation into the allegations was recorded in the transcript provided.
Why it matters: allegations about a candidate's past statements about educators can affect public confidence going into an election and were brought directly to the board during a meeting attended by board members and the public. The transcript records the accusation and a direct, on-the-record response from the candidate but does not document corroborating material or follow-up.
