Parent wanted more information from school district
Iread with disappointment your article on the substitute teacher who had an (alleged) alcohol problem at Pine Brook School ("Substitute Faces Charges After Classroom Incident," News Transcript, Dec. 12, 2007). It is one of several differing "news" reports of the incident.

The principal sent a letter home only to the parents of the one classroom directly involved. I learned of the incident from the rumor mill perpetuated by the rest of the students as my fourth-grader was not in the specific classroom that earned notice.

I have since heard and read varying accounts of the day, but nothing directly from the school. The entire school, if not the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District, should have received the letters as a courtesy.

It disappoints me that it took two fourth-graders a good portion of the morning to realize the teacher had a problem. Is there no administrative interaction with teachers that report to work before they enter the classroom? Is there any interaction with other adults during the course of the day?

The outcome is that this teacher will not be on the substitute list for the district in the future, but what about the next inappropriate teacher?

The daily process needs scrutiny. The officials can pat themselves on the back for the handling of this day because nothing more serious happened. But will they always be this lucky? I certainly hope so.

Fran Goldenberg

Manalapan