Parents raise bullying concerns as student awards and budget calendar highlighted

Parents raised concerns about bullying at Ridgefield Memorial High School during the public-comment period at the Ridgefield Board of Education’s Nov. 14 meeting, while the board also heard a student-liaison report and a superintendent update that included a tentative budget calendar for 2025-26.

During the public-comment segment reserved for resolutions and discussion items, Mr. and Mrs. Castillo said there is a bullying culture at RMHS and criticized the current administration. The meeting record in the transcript does not show a substantive board response or follow-up action taken during the session.

Earlier in the meeting Student Liaison Erika Ruiz read a liaison report at 7:35 p.m. The superintendent, identified in the agenda as Dr. Anemone, reviewed the high school’s effort to promote and advertise courses at RMHS to encourage students to remain in the district and introduced a draft 2025-26 budget calendar described in the agenda as tentative. The agenda notes that Dr. Anemone and Business Administrator Kelvin Hiciano will meet with each building principal during the first week of December to begin reviewing building budgets for 2025-26.

The superintendent also presented awards to students who earned perfect scores on standardized tests last spring; the agenda indicates certificates or a list of recipients was attached to the meeting materials.

No formal board action in response to the bullying allegation is recorded in the minutes for this meeting. The board did, however, move through a large consent agenda of administrative and fiscal approvals during the same session.