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Teacher alleges defamatory administrative letter at Hardyston board meeting, asks for retraction
Summary
During public comment at the June 10 meeting, teacher Charlene Garrino said an administrative letter falsely named her and harmed her reputation; she asked Superintendent Dr. Reiter for an immediate written retraction and apology. The board entered executive session later that evening for personnel and student hearings.
During the public‑comment portion of the Hardyston Township Board of Education’s June 10 meeting, teacher Charlene Garrino urged the board to correct what she described as a false and defamatory paragraph in an administrative letter that repeatedly referenced her name.
Garrino read from a May 21 letter she sent to Superintendent Dr. Reiter and said the administration’s document had associated her with actions that are untrue and had damaged her reputation among colleagues and the community. "I'm writing to formally express my deep concern and dismay regarding a false and defamatory statement made in a letter you sent to the Board of Education," she told the board. She requested that the superintendent immediately retract her name from any such document and issue both a verbal and written apology.
Garrino said she has served in the district for 28 years and that the timing of the allegedly defamatory reference coincided with a denied mid‑year transfer request; she suggested the combination raised ethical and legal concerns and could chill staff willingness to raise concerns with administration.
The teacher told the board the union had received correspondence she had not, and she said she had been told by the superintendent that she would receive a letter clearing her name but had not yet received it. Garrino asked the board to address the matter publicly and in writing.
Earlier in the public‑comment period, Jennifer Rosen, president of the Hardyston Township Education Association, asked why the board was considering a change in legal counsel at this time; Jeff Altieri also asked the board to explain the RFQ process for attorneys. The board subsequently moved into executive session for student hearings and personnel, and no formal public response to Garrino’s allegations was recorded in the public transcript before the board entered closed session.
What happens next: The board went into executive session for personnel matters and superintendent evaluation later in the evening. Garrino asked for a written retraction and an apology; the public record released with the meeting transcript does not include a public reply or a written corrective statement from the administration.
