Today, June 19th, the State of NJ School Ethics Commission indicates that it will review the complaint in case #C75-18, Pagan v. Ardie Walser.
Ethics Complaint filed against Teaneck Board of Education President.
You can view the complaint here: Complaint against Ardie Walser, President of the Teaneck Board of Education
President Walser moved to dismiss the complaint, as frivolous and requested sanctions. The Ethics Commission received responses from the parties on the motion and issued it’s ruling on May 3rd.
Decision of the Ethics Commision
The Decision of the State Ethics Commission indicates that they denied the motion (to dismiss the complaint as frivolous) and denied any requests for sanctions..
Based on the foregoing, and in reviewing the facts in the light most favorable to the non-moving party (Complainant), the Commission voted to deny the Motion to Dismiss in its entirety. Notwithstanding this determination, the Commission notes that, because the Complainant agreed to voluntarily withdraw all allegations against Respondent Arjumand, Respondent Walser is the only remaining Respondent. The Commission also voted to find that the Complaint is not frivolous, and to deny Respondents’ request for sanctions.
The next step is for President Walser to file an answer to the Complaint.
The decision can be found here:
2019-05-03_Decision on Motion to Dismiss Ethics Complaint
This complaint is frivious and I am really trying to understand the motivation for it. If services were provided to one part of the community or some group was excluded – maybe. But for years, on Saturday mornings, Dr. Ardie Walser, Associate Dean and Professor in Engineering in CUNY, has been volunteering his time to help kids get a better understanding of math and reading. Realizing he could help the kids in our community with a subject that he loves; math, he has been doing this for free. With a dedicated group of volunteers, for years, all kids in Teaneck have been invited, regardless of whether they attend a private or public school and without regard to race, color, creed, ability or income, Dr. Walser volunteers his time and expertise as a tutor. Flyers have been distributed throughout Teaneck. St. Mark’s has made their facilities available to make this happen. It is really grass-roots and accessible to all kids. The last thing we should be doing is criticizing the folks who make the time and effort to help the kids and families that need it.