Resident tells board she has sued over superintendent's automatic-renewal clause as policy 1220 is adopted

A community member told the Middlesex Borough Board of Education on March 25 that she had filed a Middlesex County Superior Court lawsuit challenging section 8 of Superintendent Dr. Robera Freeman's employment contract. The commenter said Policy 1220, adopted by the board that evening, requires a superintendent contract to be approved by a recorded roll-call majority and that the contract's section 8, by contrast, provides an "automatic renewal for four years . . . unless a board acts to stop it by January 20, 2027," effectively renewing by silence rather than by vote.

The commenter said she is asking the court to declare section 8 void so any continuation of Dr. Freeman's employment beyond June 30, 2027, would be subject to public negotiation, a roll-call board approval, and county executive-superintendent oversight. "I'm not asking the court to remove Dr. Freeman," the commenter said; rather, she said she seeks a judicial declaration that the automatic-renewal language has no legal effect and that the board must follow the transparent process required by law if it intends to continue the superintendent's employment.

Board members did not engage in a back-and-forth during the public-comment period about the lawsuit; the policy discussion later in the meeting referenced public questions about whether Policy 1220's language duplicates or changes existing qualifications for the superintendent. The transcript shows the policy items (12.01'''') were taken up and discussed in light of public feedback. Several speakers during the meeting also urged clearer public notice and transparency around agenda changes and contract-related items.

The board's formal action that night included votes on multiple agenda sections (minutes, personnel, education, facilities and finance) and a vote to move into executive session to discuss attorney-client privileged matters, confidential student matters, and confidential personnel matters. The district did not announce any immediate personnel action related to the lawsuit during the public meeting.

What happens next: The commenter said formal service and a complaint will be filed in the coming days and that the board and Dr. Freeman were named as defendants. Any court filings and the district's response will determine whether a judge issues the declaratory relief the commenter seeks. The board's adoption of Policy 1220 and the separate contractual language are the competing documents described in the public comment; the legal question will be whether a court finds section 8 to be consistent with state law and the adopted policy.

Note on attribution: The speaker who announced the lawsuit spoke during the public-comment segment and did not give a full name on the record in the transcript; that statement is recorded and summarized here as reported at the meeting.