Westwood interim superintendent abruptly resigns amid several district controversies

The Westwood Regional interim superintendent abruptly resigned from his position on Monday in the midst of several controversies that have surrounded the district in the past months.

A community letter was sent to parents Monday from Superintendent Jill Mortimer, who had been away on medical leave, announcing interim Kenneth Rota's departure, citing personal reasons. Mortimer officially returned as superintendent Monday at 4 p.m.

In the letter, Mortimer said she is "happy to return to the district" and looks forward to "planning for a highly successful 2023-2024 school year." The letter said another parent letter will be forthcoming.

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Hundreds have turned out at recent school board meetings to debate a spate of controversies in the K-12 district. In March, two board members commented that teaching children about same-sex parents was a "sensitive topic," while another advised residents that they could opt students out of such lessons, which some in the LGBTQ+ community saw as an insult. The board then created a committee to study and possibly challenge new state curriculum standards on sex education and gender identity.

Recently, an LGBTQ+ pride lawn sign was removed from the grounds of Westwood Regional Middle School, after the district said it violated a newly approved flag policy from May, which allows for the flying of only American and state flags on flagpoles. A new pride lawn sign, which removed the flag motif in favor of rainbow dots, is being proposed to the district, but there has been no response from school officials yet.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Westwood NJ schools superintendent abruptly resigns