GUILDERLAND, N.Y. -- There's no word yet if two popular Guilderland Social Studies teachers will be reassigned to the middle school or stay in the high school. The school board went into executive session Monday night behind closed doors for several hours and decided to meet again Monday morning. That's when they'll vote on a motion to decide whether or not to reverse the superintendent's decision to transfer the teachers.
The school board also agreed to release a revised version of the Culture Climate Inquiry but wouldn't say when it will be made public.
The teachers at the center of the inquiry are Matt Nelligan and Ann Marie McManus. The superintendent said they're not being targeted, but the teachers feel they are because they've been critical of the administration.
The Guilderland school board will hold another special meeting on Monday to decide on whether or not it will get involved with the superintendent's decision to transfer two popular high school teachers to the middle school. School officials met behind closed doors for almost four hours Monday night inside the high school while an angry crowd waited outside. Ken Jubie has the story.
Nelligan said, "Nobody's rights can be trampled on because those in power don't like what they have to say."
McManus said, "I don't want to leave the high school because I am connected to the high school. I am a class adviser, SADD, because I want to connect with you."
Superintendent John McGuire said, "To the teachers who are reassigned, they are not being indicted for any offenses whatsoever. Actually, when we reconfigured the department and we looked at all of the certified teachers and that discipline, we made the selection on the people we thought could do the new assignments."
McGuire has claimed Nelligan and McManus created a "boys' club" and "locker room atmosphere" in their classrooms but wouldn't specify because it's a personnel matter.
After Monday night's meeting Nelligan and McManus issued a statement saying the Guilderland school board’s move to call another special meeting on Monday, July 14th to vote on whether or not it will get involved with Superintendent McGuire’s decision to transfer two teachers is a "cynical delay tactic designed to ride out public outrage over the unjust retaliatory action against us. The delay is insulting to the thousands of Guilderland residents who have already demanded Board action. There should be an up or down vote now from all Board members on whether they support the transfer."