Frank Neglia Puts His Political Ambitions Before School Safety

PARSIPPANY – Last week, the Parsippany Board of Education published a false statement claiming that the township is ending the School Resource Officer (SRO) program, a shared service which provides police officers for Parsippany schools. The Township put out a statement correcting this false claim. Mayor Soriano is a strong supporter of the SRO program, and is looking forward to continuing the agreement for years to come.

The Board’s blatant lie about the township’s position serves a single purpose: to further the Council campaign of Board President Frank Neglia.

Neglia clearly believes that his campaign is well-served by lying about the SRO program. Parsippany has seen this type of deception tried before; it’s no coincidence that Neglia is running on a ticket with former Mayor James Barberio, and intends to return the Inglesino-Barberio administration to office. However, using the safety of our students as political pawns is a new low.

“To be clear: I fully support renewing the SRO program and Class III officers,” said Mayor Michael Soriano. “The SROs are more than just police officers. They are trained in understanding teenagers and have built trust with the youth in this community.  The program needs to be fully funded. The only conversation happening is how it will be funded between the Board of Education and Township of Parsippany Troy-Hills.”

Mayor Soriano continued, “Negotiating through the press is a childish and dangerous practice.  I am calling on Board President Frank Neglia to stop using our students as political footballs, and start treating our schools and children’s safety with the seriousness it deserves.”

That the Board’s statement invokes tragedies such as Columbine, Sandy Hook, and Parkland to further Neglia’s political agenda is perhaps the most disgusting tactic ever used in the tortured history of Parsippany politics.

If Frank Neglia is unable to balance his position as Board President with his Council campaign, then he does not deserve to hold either office. Parsippany voters deserve honesty and accountability from their elected officials, not Inglesino-style politics. By using education resources to publish politically-motivated lies, Neglia is setting a rotten example for our children from the Board of Education dais.