Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Diversity topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Students and parents urge board to explain or reverse removal of assistant principal Rediah Gamble
Summary
During public comment at the May 7 North Brunswick Township Board meeting, a parent alleged possible retaliation in the district’s staffing decision and several students testified that assistant principal Rediah Gamble helped with college guidance and HBCU trips; the board said it could not discuss personnel matters publicly.
A series of parents and students urged the North Brunswick Township Board of Education on May 7 to explain or reverse a staffing decision involving assistant principal Rediah Gamble, saying her removal would reduce representation and harm students' college support.
A resident speaker who did not provide a name alleged an uneven application of budget cuts and questioned whether an administrator’s removal was “retaliatory.” The resident said, “The superintendent has made a decision to use her budget cut on a black woman who speaks up and helps the black students at North Brunswick High School … Is this retaliatory or just a coincidence?”
Several seniors and juniors spoke in support of Rediah Gamble and described the HBCU college-bound trip she organized. A senior who identified himself as Carson Kelly said Gamble had been “one of the only people to look out for, you know, me and my friends, people that looked at me, looked like me,” and asked the board to reconsider or explain the action.
Other students credited Gamble with concrete college guidance and leadership opportunities. One student said Gamble’s HBCU trip directly influenced a college commitment; Naomi Donde, who said she will attend North Carolina A&T, told the board that Gamble “has been a steady support system through my senior year.” Another speaker, Leah Boykins, said she was “proudly committed to Rutgers University” and called Gamble’s role as a Black woman assistant principal important for younger students’ representation.
Board members acknowledged the comments and repeatedly cited legal limits on discussing personnel matters in public. The superintendent said he and the board “cannot speak specifically to personnel decisions.” One board member told commenters, “We literally are constrained not to do that,” and others said the comments were heard and would be taken under advisement.
Why it matters: students and families framed the issue as one of representation and access to college-preparatory experiences (including HBCU exposure). The board’s statement that it cannot comment on personnel actions means the transcript records concerns and requests for transparency but no public explanation or reversal at the meeting.
The board closed public comment and adjourned without a public resolution on the staffing question.
