JERSEY SHORE — The gulf between the Jersey Shore School Board and their constituents seemed to widen — literally — at the board’s meeting this week as members of the audience were kept at a distance as the board was cordoned off behind a newly erected barrier.

According to Superintendent Dr. Brian Ulmer, the move was just an attempt to bring order to a situation that had become chaotic as some of those who attend the meetings would not heed updates to the board policy pertaining to public comment.

Ulmer said that they had asked people not to approach the table where the board is seated, but that people were not listening.

Raye Bierly, a resident of Piatt Township, shared during the public comment portion of the meeting that at the last meeting she had been escorted from the board room by a security officer after the meeting had adjourned.

“Unbeknownst to me, the superintendent had enacted a new board procedure that had gone into effect that evening,” Bierly said “I had violated that procedure.”

Speaking the day after the meeting, Ulmer said that the updates to the policy had been introduced at earlier meetings.

“I went back and reviewed the board meetings. I presented this policy to the Board on April 22, 2024. It was approved on a second read in May and we have been operating this way since,” Ulmer said.

He also pointed out that the rules for commenting at board meetings, which are included in Policy 903 are posted on the screen in the board room.

What those commenting seemed to be reacting to was the physical barrier that appeared for this week’s meeting. It was not solid, but it was a reminder not to go any closer to the board.

“You know, this is kind of interesting. I’m looking up here on your guidelines, we added one — please do not approach the board table. Does this have anything to do with this? Or maybe the books you were given,” asked district resident Shelly Helm.

“Raye and I are always, can we approach the board, give you some handouts, stuff to look at. Does this mean we’re not allowed to do this now? That’s a very easy question. Can you answer it,” Helm said.

Board President Michelle Stemler told Helm that no one should approach the board during a meeting.

“Please do not approach the table. It means exactly that,” Stemler said.

Helm then accused the board of creating a “ridiculous” policy.

“We don’t even know what your policy is,” she said.

Helm, who is a former board member said that when she was board president she made sure that everyone had a copy of Robert’s Rule of Order.

“Because your policies do not supersede the law,” she said.

Bierly also raised concerns that everything concerning the board has to come through the superintendent.

“This has prompted me to come to the podium this evening to ask this question: Who is in charge of our school district? Is it the duly elected board members whose duty it is to execute the business of the district or the superintendent? Does the board direct the superintendent? Or does the superintendent direct the board? I don’t know,” Bierly said.

“On several occasions, what seems to be business of the board has been carried out by the superintendent without, it seems, a clear directive from the board to do so,” she stated.

Bierly claimed that Ulmer had set up the hearing date to discuss closing Salladasburg and using taxpayer dollars for it, drafted a new athletic policy and now a new board procedure she said “prevent taxpayers from speaking with board members all with board direction.

“All of these actions, to the best of my knowledge, were taken without a board motion, without a board second, without public discussion and without a board vote,” Bierly said.

“When asked if it was his authority to do so, the superintendent cited board policy that he believes gives him that power. But do they or is that simply his interpretation and not necessarily the correct one? I don’t know,” she continued.

“So again, I ask who really is in charge of the Jersey Shore Area School District — the board of directors or the superintendent,” she said.

She alleged that “restricting communication with the public has become quite extreme” in the district, and “that’s not a good thing.”

“When the public speaks at meetings, we are not permitted to direct questions or comments to our representatives, the superintendent responds. We’re limited to only three minutes to speak, at which point a buzzer sounds and we are soon cut off by the board president. When we email the board with questions, again, the superintendent responds, and now when we approach the board after a meeting to talk to our representatives in person, we will be removed by security, and we’ve got a fence. Now I don’t know what that’s all about,” Bierly said.

“Are the members of the board afraid to interact with their constituents? We aren’t the enemy, and I will remind them that it is, in fact, their duty to do so,” she said.