Charlton Select Board Votes 4-1 to Send Antisemitism Letter to Regional School Committee

CHARLTON -- June 10, 2025, Charlton Select Board votes 4-1 to send a letter to the Dudley-Charlton Regional School Committee requesting a public stance against antisemitism. The letter, which will first be reviewed by Town Counsel, was the result of a months-long effort by Select Board member David Singer, who had raised concerns at the March 25, April 8, and May 27 meetings over materials distributed by the Massachusetts Teachers Association related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. The letter asks the school committee and Superintendent LaMarche to release a public statement condemning antisemitism, to refuse to use MTA materials on the Middle East conflict, and to reaffirm the district is "no place for hate." Chair Tina Warofsky cast the lone dissenting vote, arguing the board risked overstepping its authority relative to the independently elected school committee. Earlier in the meeting, Dudley-Charlton School Committee member Jean Costello appeared as a private citizen to call Singer's May 27 accusations against her, that she was "pro-Hamas" and "anti-Semitic", "entirely false and defamatory" and to call for a public retraction. The board also unanimously ratified a police union contract covering July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027, and confirmed the promotion of Timothy Smith to sergeant, effective July 13, 2025.