In a district ranked among the top 1% of public schools in the nation, parents and students might expect stability, communication, and mutual respect between the Board of Education, parents, and the educators who make that excellence possible. Instead, Montgomery Township has become defined by tension and distrust, a conflict that threatens the very quality of education that earned it such distinction.

Montgomery High School Principal Heather Pino-Beattie took to the podium at the Montgomery Board of Education on September 16 and was one of several educators who expressed concern about “toxic behavior” of some members on the board. “Montgomery High School is in the top two percent of public schools in the nation — top one percent of non application high schools,” she said. “We are a place families move to for excellence, stability, and integrity.