District claims it isn’t involved in security guard lawsuit
TRENTON » Better late than never.
Superintendent Fred McDowell finally issued a statement about Friday’s security guard “walkout” that led city officials and educational stakeholders to cry safety crisis at Trenton Public Schools.
But McDowell apparently didn’t take time to fact check it or run it by people who should be in the know.
The school chief’s letter, addressed to “Trenton Families,” claimed the contract dispute that led to this week’s security flap that left Trenton Public Schools vulnerably exposed and required Trenton Police to step in as last-second replacements involves only Motivated Security Services and Patriot Security Group “and not Trenton Public Schools.”
The lawsuit brought by Motivated Security Services clearly lists Patriot co-founders Gary Slodowski and Bryan Granelli, Patriot Security Group and the Trenton Board of Education as defendants in the case, contrary to McDowell’s claim.
Further, an Oct. 4 consent order that froze the school district’s contact with Patriot Security Group was signed by all litigants, including Perry Lattiboudere, the attorney for the Board of Education.
The Trentonian reached out to McDowell by cell phone asking for him to explain the misinformation in the statement, but just like he has done in the past, he didn’t call back.
Board counsel James Rolle Jr. responded instead saying he believes the statement accurately conveyed the scope of the dispute. He acknowledged the Trenton Board of Education is a named defendant but said that was done for “procedural” reasons.
He contended the district isn’t accused of any wrongdoing.
“The disputed action is not an action taken by the Trenton Board of Education,” he said. “There’s procedural reasons why they had to name us.”
Motivated Security Services has claimed Slodowski, a former employee, was responsible for preparing and submitting the firm’s bid to the BOE. The lawsuit accused Slodowski, also a co-founder of rival Patriot Security Group, of using the insider knowledge he gained working for Motivated to sabotage the security firm’s bid to benefit Patriot Security Group, which was awarded the $2.5 million contract this August.
Attorneys for Motivated Security Services, which was the district’s security provider since 2015, notified the district of Slodowski’s alleged actions but the board still voted to award the contract to Patriot.
Rolle didn’t agree that amounted to any potential wrongdoing on the district’s part.
“They did inform us that something happened. But they were not able to provide proof,” Rolle said.
He said the district had an “obligation” to hire a security firm and couldn’t have “foreseen” this “horrible, horrible” situation.’
When asked about the erroneous information McDowell sent out to the public, Gusciora said he wasn’t in “a position to dispute that.”
He restated that he was “disappointed” with how district officials handled the situation.
“I need to have a discussion with him, and I need to have a discussion with the school board if they find this acceptable because, ultimately, they are the ones who decide his fate,” the mayor said.
Leaders from the Trenton Education Association weren’t inclined to give McDowell a pass about the inaccuracy claiming they felt he intentionally misled the public to try to diminish the school district’s culpability in the security guard fiasco.
“We have been lied to at every level of people who are running this district. It’s just lying and covering it up,” TEA grievance chair Janice Williams said. “They should all be fired and let go.”
Williams said she read McDowell’s and board president Gene Bouie’s absences from the late Friday meeting at City Hall called by the mayor to address the security flap as them saying, “I declare war.”
“You just got punched in your face, Mayor Gusciora. What are you going to do about it?” Williams asked. They said, ‘I declare war. I’m not coming to your meeting. I don’t have to report to you.’”
The mayor only said it was “unfortunate” that McDowell and Bouie didn’t attend the meeting.
Bouie didn’t respond to request for comment about the superintendent’s erroneous statement, which went on to say: “Nothing is more important than the safety of our students and staff. Yesterday, [Thursday] the District was informed that there was a strong possibility that the contracted vendor for security officers may not be able to provide the full compliment [sic] of Security Officers in our schools.” McDowell seemed to confirm what the TEA said when it claimed that principals were basically left on an island to fend for their themselves and get the message out to students, parents and teachers that they’d be without security guards Friday. “School Chiefs directed Principals to have a contingency plan to support students in the event that security officers did not report to work,” McDowell wrote. “Central Office Staff were also deployed to every school to assist schools with student supervision during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal.” Classes were interrupted by a bomb scare at Trenton Central High School’s visual and performing arts campus. Police dogs swept the school but did not find any explosives. The mayor didn’t think it was a coincidence that someone phone in a bomb threat the same day of the security guard walkout. Police continue to investigate who was behind the hoax. The school board meets Monday, and the superintendent intimated it’s almost a foregone conclusion that Patriot is out as the district’s security provider. “We want to assure you that we are working diligently to secure a Security Company that will be able to provide high level services to our students, families, and staff,” he wrote.