Residents Continue to Support Principal Frank Sanchez & Want Him Reinstated After the Trial

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ – During the April 25 South Orange-Maplewood (SOMA) Board of Education (BOE) meeting, members of the community continued to praise former Columbia High School Principal Frank Sanchez and request that he return after the trial.

A resident thanked the BOE for launching an investigation into the unauthorized leak of the faulty draft report to the Maplewood Police Department. “I want to acknowledge that this must have been for many reasons and an unpleasant decision to make. But sunlight is the best disinfectant. It's imperative that you expose the rot, so the community can begin to restore its faith in this body,” she said.

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She also reported that the SOMA community has raised almost $75,000 for Sanchez’s legal defense and collected over 1,000 postcards to send to the prosecutor's office in support of Sanchez. “These postcards have been written by former prosecutors, parents, community members and students ranging from CHS class of 1968 to 2026. This community stands firmly in support of Mr. Sanchez,” said the woman, adding, “The community is united about the outcome we desire, which is not only a dismissal of the spurious charges against Mr. Sanchez but a reinstatement of his primary school.”

Mary Ellen Dawkins introduced herself as a CHS parent and longtime school and community volunteer. “I spent much of 2021 and 2022 in the high school working for the South Orange Maplewood Adult School. Currently, I am the HSA safety and security. I also serve on the school's culture and climate committee,” she began. Dawkins spoke about the district's HIB (Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying) policies and addressing school climate and culture.

She defined culture as the traditions, rituals and expectations that take time to establish, and climate as how people or places make you feel and how you perceive others and they perceive you. Dawkins shared, “When Frank Sanchez started at CHS, we appreciated the immediate positive impact on climate. His enthusiasm and optimism resulted in students and staff feeling better about their school experience and about themselves.” Dawkins continued to say that Sanchez’s absence has been detrimental to both culture and climate. “As we've heard from our student reps, admin and staff in the interests of Columbia’s culture and climate, I implore you to do everything in your power to restore Mr. Sanchez once the charges against him are dropped,” she concluded.

Kathy Greenstone talked about safety and the need for teachers, administrators and counseling staff to feel protected and appreciated, asbestos-free classrooms, lead-free drinking water and maintaining facilities so that “building parts are not falling on students and staff.” Greenstone commented, “Safety is also safe spaces for all types of learners, artists, music, sports and theater kids.”

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She mentioned that the student representatives’ survey on safety results showed that they felt less safe without Sanchez. Greenstone said that Sanchez voicing his opposition to students being interviewed by the police in school without their parents present was correct.

Kate Crowley described herself as a New York City public school history teacher and a restorative justice coordinator. “I'm here tonight to express my continued unwavering support for Frank Sanchez. I want to apologize on behalf of our SOMA community to Principal Sanchez and to the Columbia staff.” She added, “I'm sorry that the initial investigator bungled the investigation, and that [former BOE member] Elissa Malespina took action when she knew Dr. Gilbert had already taken all necessary steps.”

Crowley stated that SOMA is fortunate to have “a brilliant team of teachers and devoted administrators at Columbia.” She pointed out that the teachers and staff must be wondering who will be ”targeted or falsely accused next.” Crowley also shared an incident that happened at the school where she teaches. She saw a student beating another student over the head and said she instinctively jumped between them to stop the aggressor.

“We in education protect and advocate for children all the time. Frank did this all the time. There are principals who sit in their offices. Frank is not that leader. He was out there in the mix building relationships every single day,” Crowley reported. She added, “Teachers and administrators, we see you, we support you, we will always assume [you have] best intentions.”

She remarked, “We have a lot of restorative work to do in order to repair our community. I want the Columbia staff to feel that we as the SOMA community will take care of them as they take care of our children. I hope that they can see that the few misguided individuals who are using Frank to achieve their goals will not get to ruin other careers and lives.”

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