GUILDERLAND, N.Y. -- There are questions surrounding the transfer of two Guilderland teachers. Tensions flared Tuesday night at a meeting of the Guilderland School Board.
Community members are questioning what they call the suspicious transfer of two popular high school teachers who were reassigned to the middle school in September.
But before people got a chance to speak, the board went into private session -- but the crowd would not leave.
Community members are questioning what they call the suspicious transfer of two popular Guilderland High School teachers who have been reassigned to the middle school.
The teachers, Matt Nelligan and Ann Marie McManus, are tenured members of the Guilderland High School. Nelligan is a 10-year veteran of the district and has twice been selected as one of the area's outstanding teachers.
The district superintendent wouldn't elaborate as to why he's doing this, and students and parents say it's ridiculous.
"Two teachers I hold in high esteem were being forced out of a high school they loved and that loves them in return," said Guilderland High School student Elijah Sharma. "Well, all teachers are valuable and offer unique gifts and talents to the Guilderland High School community. I feel these two educators in particular are cornerstones to our school and to our district and have impacted to life of hundreds if not thousands of individuals and have taught us lessons that can never be learned from a book."
Former student Caitlin Walsh said, "This department, more than any other, helped us cope with the confusion, excitement, fear and frustration that accompanied our entry into high school in an era of American wars."
Superintendent John McGuire said, "The concern is that the climate and culture of the work environment in the department was inconsistent with district priorities around the issue of respect, civility, appreciation of individual differences and diversity."
Current and former students have formed several Facebook and MySpace website groups supporting the teachers.