SOUTH BRUNSWICK – A school board member has been disciplined after social media posts she made on her personal Facebook page came under scrutiny.
Board of Education Vice President Deepa Karthik was removed from the Policy and Education committees during a special school board meeting on June 4.
The issue arose over a Facebook post Karthik made in May about Halal certification, which ensures a food product meets Islamic dietary laws, and will be made available in district school cafeterias.
“As a Hindu I don’t consume Halal products. Halal is a specific method of slaughter and contamination. There is no reason for tea, coffee, rice, wheat, spices, vegetables, milk, sweets, etc. to be Halal certified,” the post stated.
Board of Education President Laura Hernandez said the board determined that Karthik violated Policy 0169.02, which governs the use of social networking by board members.
“I want to reiterate that we do not condone what has transpired and want all to know that these types of actions are not accepted by this governing body,” Hernandez said.
“Our primary responsibility is to ensure the success, safety, and wellbeing of all students while maintaining the trust of the community we serve,” she added.
Karthik said she is deeply saddened and hurt that her thoughts were misunderstood.
“What I meant to convey was that the method of slaughter is to restrict contamination per Halal, not that the Halal food was contaminated in any way,” she said.
She said she regrets that her comment was not clear and apologized for the hurt it caused.
“My comment came from my deeply held Hindu belief of nonviolence and non-consumption of Halal products,” she said.
She added it was never her intention to “insult Islamic religious beliefs and practices.”
Karthik said her life has been in a turmoil perpetuated by a “smear campaign” since the incident. She said that multiple emails were sent to her employer, seeking to harm her professionally.
Several in the audience applauded Karthik at the conclusion of her comments during the tense special meeting.
A South Brunswick High School sophomore said he feels it’s important to lower tensions in the community.
“This is not what civil debate looks like,” he said. “We should focus on reducing tensions and we should focus on understanding that despite all our religious differences, we are all Americans.”
The next Board of Education meeting is June 19.
Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com
Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
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