A seemingly innocuous conversation about a draft policy revision erupted into a stare-down between New Westminster school district secretary-treasurer Brian Sommerfeldt and local parent Paul Johansen.
Johansen, speaking at Tuesday night's regular school board meeting in city council chambers, said he was disappointed that the district intends to remove the parent representative from the district review committee that is part of policy No. 500.1, appeals by parents and students.
And at Tuesday's meeting, he laid the blame at Sommerfeldt's feet.
"I understand the secretary-treasurer has tried to change on the fly (the policy)," said Johansen.
School board chair James Janzen tried to cut off Johansen at that point, saying, "It's not true," before Sommerfeldt rose to defend himself.
"I'm taking this as an attack on my professional credibility," said Sommerfeldt as he then tried to turn off the microphone Johansen was speaking into.
Sommerfeldt then stared intently at Johansen before Janzen warned Johansen that this was the second time he had made an incorrect statement about Sommerfeldt.
After Johansen finished his comments, he left council chambers immediately.
When The Record tried to get comment from Sommerfeldt about what happened Tuesday night, he deferred comment to Janzen. Janzen, speaking to The Record on Wednesday morning, said Johansen had made a similar statement at a district parents' advisory council meeting earlier this month.
Janzen said the issue centres around a proposed policy change from last year when the district was advised by the privacy commissioner that it should remove the parent representative from the district review committee.
According to director of instruction Janet Grant, only two of 59 districts in the province - New Westminster and the Gulf Islands - have a parent representative on their district review committee and the Gulf Islands has not convened a review committee meeting in recent history.
When the district put its report together on the proposed change, Sommerfeldt signed off on the document, and that's why Janzen believes Johansen is targeting the district's secretary-treasurer.
"It's nothing Brian did. Brian is not trying to sneak this thing through," said Janzen. "Yes, it has Brian's name on it, but this is a recommendation coming from the board, acting on a letter from the privacy commissioner.
"I don't know why (Paul) has a real hard-on for Brian on this, . but this is the second time I've had to warn him," said Janzen.
The Record contacted Johansen on Wednesday morning for further comment on Tuesday night's confrontation.
"This wasn't meant to be a personal attack," he said, adding that he has sent repeated emails to Sommerfeldt asking him to appear at district parents' advisory council meetings to discuss why the district has put forth a recommendation to take parents out of the district review committee.
In addition, Johansen would like Sommerfeldt to explain several financial issues, including why the district reported a deficit position in last year's budget.
And as for why he left Tuesday's meeting so abruptly, Johansen said he had another commitment.
