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Frances Cogelja

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Hackensack Board Member Who Opposed LGBTQ Curriculum Resigns After Embarrassing Zoom Incident Hackensack Board Member Who Opposed LGBTQ Curriculum Resigns After Embarrassing Zoom Incident
Hackensack Board Member Who Opposed LGBTQ Curriculum Resigns After Embarrassing Zoom Incident A Hackensack School Board member who made national headlines by opposing a LGBTC curriculum has resigned after an embarrassing incident during a Zoom meeting. Frances Cogelja didn’t realize she’d left her laptop camera on when she took it with her while going to the bathroom during the public comments section of a board meeting Monday night. Nearly 150 participants, including students, apparently saw Cogelja relieve herself. No one immediately said anything when she returned from her trip to the toilet. A short time later, Vice President Scott James-Vickery reportedly told Cogelja: “You n…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Schools
Racial Tension Divides Hackensack BOE, Black Teacher Resigns Citing Years Of Racism Racial Tension Divides Hackensack BOE, Black Teacher Resigns Citing Years Of Racism
Racial Tension Divides Hackensack BOE, Black Teacher Resigns Citing Years Of Racism Longtime Hackensack Middle School teacher Raquel James-Goodman tendered her resignation Tuesday, following a Board of Education vote that she says was just another example of systemic racism in Hackensack. James-Goodman, who had been with the Hackensack School District for 13 years, was saddened and disappointed by the fact that BOE Trustee Frances Cogelja refused to vote on a resolution to promote diversity and abolish racism in the district. The referendum was otherwise passed unanimously by the board’s eight other members. To James-Goodman -- who is black -- the problem is not just Coge…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
County Executive: Hackensack BOE Trustee Who Called LGBTQ Teaching 'Repugnant' Should Resign County Executive: Hackensack BOE Trustee Who Called LGBTQ Teaching 'Repugnant' Should Resign
County Executive: Hackensack BOE Trustee Who Called LGBTQ Teaching 'Repugnant' Should Resign Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco on Monday called for the resignation of a Hackensack School Board trustee who called new state laws that require teaching about LGBTQ history “repugnant.” “Bergen County’s diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and the thousands of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender help make us all stronger, and help make all of our 70 communities stronger," Tedesco said. “It is important that we stand in solidarity against bigotry, violence, and discrimination and continue to reaffirm our commitment to equal rights for everyone, especiall…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Ethics Complaint Filed Against Hackensack BOE Trustee Who Called LGBT Teaching 'Repugnant' Ethics Complaint Filed Against Hackensack BOE Trustee Who Called LGBT Teaching 'Repugnant'
Ethics Complaint Filed Against Hackensack BOE Trustee Who Called LGBT Teaching 'Repugnant' A former Hackensack Board of Education member filed a complaint with the state School Ethics Commission on Thursday over a current trustee’s contention that new state laws that require teaching about LGBT history are “repugnant,” “incredibly disturbing” and “frankly shocking.” Frances Cogelja also wrote that the new laws, which require that the curriculum be incorporated in New Jersey middle and high school beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, are a waste of time. Former board member Jason Nunnermacker, in turn, filed the ethics complaint. Nunnermacker, an attorney from Hackensack, ac…

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by Jerry DeMarco