Citizens stunned as school board walks out of meeting - Students, supporters of reassigned teachers protest to empty chairs

A crowd of students and citizens of Guilderland, N.Y., gathered last week at a public school board meeting to protest the questionable reassignment of two teachers, only to look on in disbelief as the school board stood up and left the room.

“Shame! Shame! Shame!” chanted the crowd, as the board retreated to another room to hold a more closed, executive session.

Without their intended audience, supporters of the teachers continued the meeting, addressing their comments to one another, to television cameras and, as one student stated, to “the empty chairs.”

Undaunted, Guilderland Town Board Member Mark Grimm declared, “We’re going to have the meeting we should have had.”…