Police Won't Enforce Ban Against Resident From Attending BOE Meetings

A resident who was can't be arrested simply for attending them, said board member Louis Valori.

Valori, who is also a sergeant in the Parsippany Police Department, said he was told by Parsippany Police Sgt. Yvonne Christiano, the department's public information officer, that Chief Michael Peckerman had determined charges of  "defiant trespassing'' couldn't be filed against resident Pat Pettacia if she showed up at a school board meeting.

Board president Anthony Mancuso had signed a letter last week informing Petaccia that she would be banned from BOE meetings until April 8 because she had used profanity at two meetings in 2009  and was disruptive at a meeting on February 7.

Valori said he was asked to relay the police department's message to the school board before Thursday night's meeting. Petaccia, who is often a vocal critic of the board, attended but didn't speak when it was opened to the public for comment.

"They already know how I feel,'' she said.

Defiant trespassing charges--which Mancuso invoked in his letter to Petaccia--could only be filed against someone who showed up on private property, or against a criminal restraining order, Valori said.  It's not a charge that would apply to someone attending a public meeting.

According to Petaccia, who met with Peckermen after receiving the letter, he said she couldn't be arrested at a public meeting unless she was truly disruptive.

"He said I would have to do something really obnoxious,'' she said.

When asked if he thought it was appropriate to ban Petaccia from meetings, Valori said he thought everyone should have the right to attend.

But he also thought that the public should be "respectful.''

"I think that's all anyone wants,'' he said. "I think emotions got involved on both ends.''

Petaccia received a letter last week