Mt. Hebron Staff Outraged by Removal of Principal

The following letter was distributed to Mount Hebron families on Saturday morning by the Mount Hebron staff in reaction to an announcement on Thursday night that Principal Guy Whitlock would be transferred to the district's Central Office this summer. The letter came from science teacher Nino LaStella and was simply signed "Mount Hebron Middle School Staff." LaStella said the letter was written after Mount Hebron staff held a meeting Friday afternoon.

Dear Dr. Frank Alvarez, Dr. James Patterson, Members of Montclair School Board of Education, Mt. Hebron PTA Co-Presidents Ms Melissa Bigelow, Ms Liza Cohn, Ms Sue Obidditch and Members of the PTA,

The Mount Hebron Middle Schoo Staff wish to express our outrage at the removal of Principal Guy Whitlock. We were not apprised beforehand, nor given the opportunity to weigh in on this matter.

Furthermore, it is horrifying to learn of this change through several news media sources and, sadly, hearsay. We need to effectively communicate about the future of our school amongst the staff, with the parents, students, and the community at large. Clearly we are unable to do so at this time.
    
Given the emergent crisis, which impacts the entire Mount Hebron community, it is imperative that a meeting with the Mount Hebron community be scheduled on Tuesday, May 22nd and our suggested time is 7 p.m.

In the spirit of transparency and accountability, we request two representatives from the Montclair Board of Education, the members of the Mount Hebron PTA, the PTA Council, and Dr. Alvarez attend this meeting.

Sincerely,

The Mount Hebron Middle School Staff