The Hartland Board of Education voted 4-3 to censure Glenn Gogoleski and Greg Keller following their comments on a local podcast.
On February 19th, Gogoleski and Keller, along with former ‘Clean Slate’ candidate Bob Merwin, spoke with Jeremy Scott Gibbs, host of the “This is My Brain” podcast. Gogoleski and Keller discussed what changes they’d like to see implemented in the district.
Glenn Gogoleski explained that his wife was a secretary at Farms Intermediate School, and went on to state that “there is so much that goes on that doesn’t get reported, doesn’t get watched,” adding, “I want to see that. Absolutely. I want to see the kids that are the problems. I want to see the kids that come into the office and swear and throw things. Right now when a kid has a meltdown in the class they evacuate the rest of the class.”
At this point, Gibbs interrupted, calling the student in question a “fu – – tard”, which neither board member disputed or corrected.
In addressing the discussion before the board, Keller explained that he “didn’t even notice the comment at the time,” only taking note of it when he rewatched the footage. He also dismissed the public response as “manufactured hysteria” and “Cancel Culture”.
Gogoleski went on to defend his comments, claiming that many were taking his comments out of context. He also added that it was not his responsibility to correct the host’s comment, and proceeded to downplay the board’s proposal.
“In other words, Glenn and Greg were bad for not stopping a bad man say a bad word about a student,” Gogoleski summarized, going on to proclaim himself “guilty.”
In the same podcast, Gogoleski asserted that he wanted to enter schools unannounced and see how far he could get without an escort, a comment that garnered concern from district parents. Gogoleski went on to dismiss these concerns, stating that “as far as me trying to get into schools… There are safety problems, there are people that report to me all the time about doors that are not locked, doors that are not secured, and you’re upset that a board member wants to try to open up a door?”
Mr. Gogoleski didn’t name any of the sources from whom he received this information, nor did he provide any insight into what– if any– schools were involved.
An update from Superintendent Chuck Hughes in December 2021 outlined the extensive and updated safety protocols for Hartland Consolidated Schools.
Still, Gogoleski, as well as his fellow ‘Clean Slate’ electees, continued to assert that student violence was a significant concern for the district. Along with several members of the public, Gogoleski referenced a FOIA’d police report documenting one such occurrence. While those who read from the document did not disclose the names of any individuals, they did note that the report is circulating online and that names are visible. Several speakers inferred that sharing this information was justified, a necessary step to protect other students. However, it should be noted that the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) only permits school administrators to disclose personally identifiable information to appropriate parties. In this instance, the personal information, while legally acquired through FOIA, is being disclosed by members of the public in an online setting. Therefore, this blatant advertisement of a child’s private information is a clear FERPA violation.
While Hughes and the remainder of the board didn’t address the FERPA violation, they did affirm that the district is dedicated to the safety and well-being of students and staff.
In response to Gogoleski’s initial comments about entering schools unannounced, Hartland parent Cori Charboneau started a Change.org petition calling for all board members to have background checks. The petition has received over 1,000 signatures, and the idea was supported by all members of the board, Gogoleski included.
Gogoleski later promised to back down and follow security protocol. Nevertheless, he clarified that he “made no apology for [these comments].”
Similarly, Keller quoted a ‘Did You Know?’ put out by the board in December 2022, noting that “the Board of Education speaks for the community during meetings of the public only; outside of meetings of the public, you represent yourself as a community member who happens to sit on the Board of Education.”
Board President Chris Costa explained that censuring Keller and Gogoleski “makes it clear to the community that… [they] do not speak for the board.”
“This statement is not to silence anybody,” Costa added. “It’s exactly what it reads: that [Keller and Gogoleski] participated in something, we feel it’s irresponsible and inappropriate, and it’s had a negative impact on our community.”
Vice President Kristin Coleman elaborated that the information detailed by Gogoleski and Keller on the podcast was not intended for public consumption. Additionally, she said that while there were certainly misconceptions about what exactly was or wasn’t said on the podcast, the board needed to distance itself from the “lack of professionalism, lack of respect for the position, lack of respect for the district and the people who work in it” that was conveyed by Keller and Gogoleski.
The three board members who opposed the censure were Gogoleski, Keller, and fellow ‘Clean Slate’ member Michelle Blondeel.
