Parents urge West Milford board to keep longtime multiple‑disabilities elementary teacher, warn of regression

Dozens of parents and caregivers pressed the West Milford Township Public School District board of education on May 19 to reverse a planned reassignment that would move a decades‑long multiple‑disabilities elementary teacher to the high school, saying the change would interrupt students’ progress and asking the board for written reassurances.

The parents’ appeals dominated the public‑comment period at the workshop, with speakers describing measurable gains under the current teacher and raising concerns about the incoming teacher’s familiarity with the classroom curriculum, assistive technology and medical needs. "Our children will regress," said Kim Chibori, a parent, arguing the district had provided no data to justify the change and asking for answers within two weeks. Mary Brown, a parent, said the incoming teacher "has no experience with the curriculum, the assistive technology, or medical devices currently used in the program" and that parents had been denied a meeting with district leadership.

Why it matters: parents and special‑education advocates said stability and early intervention are essential for students with complex needs and that moving the teacher now threatens gains built over years. "Early intervention works because children's brains are malleable at a young age," said Patrick Sisick, noting his son’s rare medical diagnosis and arguing the teacher's work at the elementary level cannot simply be replicated at the high school.

Several speakers described concrete examples of student progress under the current teacher — faster reading gains, improved routines, reduced behavioral incidents and stronger social engagement — and urged the board to weigh those outcomes against administrative preferences. Sarah Cizik, who identified herself as a stepmother of a child in the class, said meetings with the administration had felt like notifications rather than genuine dialogue: "Not once did the conversation meaningfully address the impact on our children's development," she said.

Board response and next steps: the board extended the public‑comment period to hear the speakers. The board later recessed to executive session and stated on the public record that action would be taken when it returned. The transcript records a later motion to move a previously tabled operations item back onto the agenda after executive session; the board also held a second executive session focused on personnel and said no action would follow that second session.

What the parents asked for: written justification for the reassignment, details about the incoming teacher’s training and experience with MD programs and devices, a clear transition plan that allows parental observation and involvement, and reconsideration of the move if the evidence does not show it serves the students’ best interests.

A note on sourcing and attributions: quotes and assertions in this article come from the public‑comment portion of the May 19 workshop transcript; attributions use speakers’ names as they appear in the record. The board did not announce a final public decision during the open meeting portion; the transcript records the board going into executive session and indicating action would be taken after it returned.