SOMSD expects large turnout to discuss MapSO Freedom School

MAPLEWOOD — The South Orange and Maplewood School District Board of Education meeting scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 30 will be held virtually because a large turnout is expected.

In-person attendance is expected to exceed the capacity of the Board of Education’s usual meeting place at 525 Academy St., which is 200 people with no chairs in the room and 133 people when seating is provided.

Relocating the meeting to the Columbia High School auditorium would interfere with the public’s ability to participate in the meeting’s “Public Speaks” portion because there would be no way to call into the meeting over the phone or through a virtual meeting platform, according to a press release from the district.

Attendance is expected to be high because of an agenda item regarding whether the Board should remove the liaison to the MapSO Freedom School, an issue that has drawn enormous local interest in recent weeks, the release said.

MapSO Freedom School’s website says that it was created in response to racial profiling of Black students and that it has programming for youth, social justice professional development and community events.

Board of Education President Kaitlin Wittleder said she made the decision after consulting with Acting Superintendent Dr. Kevin F. Gilbert and his administration.

“Everyone’s safety must come first,” Wittleder said. “When we expect attendance to exceed the limits set by our local fire code, it would be irresponsible for us to hold a public meeting and hope for the best. We never want to turn our constituents away at the door, which we would risk doing if we were to hold the meeting at the Central Office Building. We also don’t want to turn anyone away who can only participate in Board meetings virtually. By holding Thursday’s meeting virtually, we protect the public’s ability to participate while keeping our democratic processes moving forward safely.”

The meeting, which is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m., can seen in the following ways:

•Watch on SomaTV: https://somatv. viebit.com/index.php?folder=ALL

• Watch on SOMSD’s Youtube Live Stream: https://www.youtube.com/c/ SouthOrangeMaplewoodSchoolDistrict

• Watch on SOMSD’s Webex Platform: https://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/ board-of-education/board-meetings/)

Community members can sign up to provide audio comments to the Board of Education. Audio comments can be provided by connecting to the district’s Webex platform during a scheduled Board of Education meeting. To do so, a person must have Webex on their device; submit a request to speak and be connected to the BOE Meeting.
Connect to the BOE Meeting using the information below:

Event: Board of Education Meeting – Public Session
Date / Time: November 30, 2023 – 6:30 PM
Event Number: 2341 793 0520
Event Password: Orange20Maple (67264320 from phones)
Telephone Number: 408-418-9388

  South Orange and Maplewood School District