ACCORD – Well over a hundred people attended the May 28 meeting of the Rondout Valley Board of Education, all wanting to learn more about the circumstances surrounding the removal of Marbletown Elementary principal William Cafiero and kindergarten teacher Mindy Shaw from their positions unexpectedly last week. The school's head secretary was also reassigned.

While those in attendance were somewhat mollified by the news that Shaw should be returning to the classroom soon, most questions were left unanswered.

Superintendent Rosario Agostaro read a statement in which he acknowledged that parents had not been notified swiftly, saying, "In retrospect, it would have been prudent to do so." He explained that the three persons had been removed during an investigation into "serious concerns" regarding the evaluation of personnel. The Annual Professional Performance Review, or APPR, is a new evaluation that ties teacher ratings to the test scores of their students.

According to a number of the outraged parents who spoke, Shaw was removed from her duties during class last Wednesday, and no attempt to advise parents occurred until Friday. Many spoke of the fear and anxiety this caused in the students, many of which have special needs; some advised that they had removed their children from school rather than ask them to adapt to a substitute with only three weeks of the school year left.

"Half of these kids don't know what normal is," said Austyn Wolford, mother of one of the affected students. "They don't adapt easily."

Her own five-year-old son, Logan, told her, "Mama, the whole world is different." She detailed his level of anxiety that other people in his life would suddenly leave. "His feelings and safety were not respected," she said.

Demands for immediate restoration of Shaw and principal Cafiero were partially addressed; Agostaro announced that both Shaw and the head secretary would be back at their regular jobs "in two or three days." He was not able to provide similar reassurances about Cafiero's fate.

Board member Breanna Costello assured the attendees — who packed the meeting room in the district office and stood in the adjacent hallways — that the board was listening.

"We want to do a better job," she said, her voice catching audibly.

Sondra Slonim, who frequently attends board meetings to argue for more extreme budget cuts by the district, attempted to rally the audience to demand answers, first by encouraging a filibuster, and then, after Kelder cut off public comment, with a sit-in.

"They never answer questions," she told her fellow audience members. "I would stay here until they do." She also reminded administrators that "we write the paychecks."

All told, the board sat for over an hour as it was read the riot act by one angry parent after another, until the public comment period was ended and the board moved to other business.

Rochelle Victor took the board to task because the letter which was finally sent home "did not begin, 'We realize you've been through a lot this year.'" She reminded the board that students had already been forced to adapt to the closure of the Rosendale school, the new testing regimen associated with the Common Core standards, and security threats at Marbletown that have resulted in heavy police presence, lockdowns, and at least one evacuation of the building. "I have not felt the support of the district office all year," she said.

One father remarked, "I got a letter and two emails about a softball game," but no immediate notice about a teacher being removed from the classroom.

Another said that the past few days without Shaw in the classroom "are clearly punishment," and asked what parents should tell their children, given the lack of publicly-available information.

The manner in which the educators were removed, and how parents were advised, was characterized as tactless, lacking humanity, devoid of general courtesy, and arrogant. It was repeatedly argued that, lacking an imminent risk to the students, the removal could have waited until the end of the year, or at least the end of the school day. Several parents pointed out that the "emotional and social safety" of the children were put at risk by the removal, and that a substitute teacher or principal, not knowing the parents personally, couldn't safeguard the students as effectively.

Others questioned why board members were not made aware of the situation prior to the removals, and recommended that a policy be considered to that end.

Praise for Shaw's teaching ability and Cafiero's leadership was effusive. Some parents hinted that a conspiracy may be afoot, given the lack of information about the current situation and the decade-old allegations of sexual harassment against Cafiero, when he was the high school principal.

Other board members, like Costello, expressed appreciation for the public's frustration. David O'Halloran said he believed all three employees could do their jobs during the investigation. James Ayers, a retired teacher, explained that education law constrains the board's public statements, and urged patience.

Agostaro assured the audience that he will do whatever he can to expedite Shaw's return to the classroom, but would not speak to the likelihood of when — or if — Cafiero will be back in charge of the school.