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New Milford Board authorizes legal counsel, superintendent to seek town guidance on student-discipline roles after closed session
Summary
After a closed executive session on March 5, 2026, the New Milford Board of Education unanimously authorized legal counsel and Superintendent Dr. Janet Parlato to write to the town attorney seeking clarification of the respective roles of district administration and local law enforcement in student-discipline matters.
The New Milford Board of Education on March 5 unanimously authorized its legal counsel and Superintendent Dr. Janet Parlato to write to the town attorney seeking guidance on the proper roles and responsibilities of district administration and local law enforcement in student-discipline matters.
The action followed a closed executive session at 6:02 p.m. during which the board reviewed a written attorney-client privileged communication about those roles, according to the public minutes. The board returned from executive session at 6:51 p.m., and the subsequent motion to authorize the letter passed unanimously.
Mrs. Wendy Faulenbach moved the motion to authorize the district's legal counsel and Dr. Parlato to draft the communication; Mrs. Tammy McInerney seconded. Mrs. Faulenbach also initiated the earlier motion to enter executive session, which the board recorded as passing unanimously. Mr. Tom O'Brien seconded the motion to adjourn at the meeting's close; the meeting adjourned at 6:52 p.m.
Leslie Sarich, chairperson, and other board members listed in the minutes were present for the special meeting held at the district central office. The minutes record that no members of the public offered comments during the public-comment portion of the agenda. Invited into the executive session were Superintendent Dr. Janet Parlato, Anne Bilko, principal of Sarah Noble Intermediate School, and the board's attorney, Mark Sommaruga.
The minutes do not disclose the attorney-client privileged material discussed in executive session. The board's recorded next step — asking counsel and the superintendent to write to the town attorney — indicates the board sought formal clarification from the town on how responsibilities for student-discipline matters should be apportioned between district staff and local law enforcement.
The special meeting lasted from the 6:00 p.m. call to order until adjournment at 6:52 p.m.; the minutes were later signed by Sarah Herring, the board secretary.
