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Attorney General William Tong said Thursday, Sept. 1, he plans to investigate the Greenwich Public School District for any potentially illegal discrimination or other actionable misconduct related to the video that "appears to contain troubling, discriminatory statements that appear to have been made by a Greenwich public school official."
The video, posted online by the organization Project Veritas on Tuesday, Aug. 30 features Cos Cob Elementary School Assistant Principal Jeremy Boland making comments in several different situations about not hiring the elderly, Catholics, conservatives, or anyone not progressive.
"Discrimination, hate, bigotry against any person, and against any religion or on the basis of age, is reprehensible," Tong said. "The video is disturbing, and if teachers, school staff, or applicants for education jobs have been illegally discriminated against for any reason, I will take action."
After the release of the 12-minute video, Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo also called for a full investigation.
"The Veritas video just released, and I see no reason to suspect it is not accurate, is shameful and needs a full investigation into not only this administrator but the damage caused to applicants, past and present," Camillo, a Republican, said in a Facebook statement.
District Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones immediately placed Boland on leave following the release of the video and said that although they could not comment on an ongoing investigation, the district does not " promote discriminatory hiring practices based on race, religion, gender, or age in any way, and we want to remind our entire community that our curriculum policies and procedures are strictly enforced by our Board."
There has been no comment from Boland since the release of the video.
Tong said the investigation will be thorough and will take time.
If anyone believes they have been the victim of discrimination—at this school or elsewhere—Tong said he wants to know. You can report discrimination via the AG's website at dir.ct.gov/ag/complaint or by calling 860-808-5410.”
This remains a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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