Ethics board recommends suspension for BOE prez
Commission dismisses charges against board member Talty
BY COLLEEN LUTOLF
Staff Writer

The School Ethics Commission— an investigatory body of the state Department of Education (DOE) — has recommended a two-month suspension for Brick Board of Education President Sharon Kight for ethics violations, a DOE spokesman said.

The Dec. 20 recommendation is an advisory opinion that will be sent to acting DOE Commissioner Lucille E. Davy, and is a result of ethics violations charges filed by resident Richard Lanzieri against Kight and board member John Talty.

The commission voted to dismiss the charges against Talty, DOE spokesman Richard Vespucci said.

Lanzieri filed the charges after heated exchanges with the two board members following a March 25 public board meeting.

Kight and Talty appeared before the commission Nov. 12.

“The commission voted to find Mrs. Kight in violation of the code of ethics for school board members and recommended she be suspended for two months,” Vespucci said Dec. 22.

A final decision is slated for Jan. 24, Vespucci said.

Kight has until that date to file an exception to the recommendation, he said.

“By the 24th we may or may not have commission feedback whether any filed exceptions compel or persuade the commission to change its recommendation,” Vespucci said.

If the exception is not granted and the commissioner does penalize Kight, the penalty may not be as harsh as the commission recommended.

“The commissioner has the right to accept, reject or modify the penalty,” he said. “That’s how it works.”

“I’m going to reserve comment until we receive a written decision,” said John G. Koufos, Lanzieri’s attorney. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if that is the recommendation.”

Kight, Lanzieri and Talty declined to comment Monday.

Kight and Talty are represented by Thomas Monahan, of Gilmore and Monahan, Toms River.

No one at the firm could be reached Monday.

Lanzieri is the former president of Parents of Autistic Children (POAC), a local nonprofit organization that advocates for special needs children.

Lanzieri had initially filed assault and harassment charges in addition to the ethics charges against the board members after the March 25 board meeting.

Lanzieri claims Kight “ran up the aisle” after the meeting had adjourned and physically assaulted him. He also claims Kight’s son, Jared, assaulted him.

After the Kights were led away from Lanzieri by her husband, Richard, Talty also spoke with Lanzieri.

Talty admits he touched Lanzieri’s shoulder twice in an effort to calm him down.

Days after the March meeting, Lanzieri filed assault and harassment charges against Sharon and Jared Kight and John Talty, which he dropped Sept. 29.

Lanzieri had also filed ethics violations against the pair.

He claims Kight and Talty violated a section of the School Ethics Act, which states a board member will not “take any private action that may compromise the board.”