Parents Furious After Kingston Superintendent’s Hot Mic Comment Goes Viral

A controversy involving the Kingston City School District superintendent has many parents calling for his resignation after comments he made during a recent Board of Education meeting were caught on a hot mic.

Hot Mic Comment Sparks Outrage in Kingston, NY

It all started back on June 3rd during a Kingston City School District Board of Education meeting when a group of guidance counselors approached the podium to speak about the district's recent decision to eliminate two guidance counselor positions.

As they approached, Superintendent Paul Padalino was caught on a live microphone allegedly saying, "Here's the GLP-1," a reference to a popular class of weight-loss medications. According to the Times Union, the comment was captured during the meeting's livestream and quickly began circulating after a parent posted a clip of the original recording on Facebook.

You can listen to it here.

Kingston Board of Education Meeting

Video Posted Later Without Comment

Normally the district posts videos of each meeting on its YouTube channel shortly after the live stream is done, but this meeting wasn't posted until a week later. When it was posted, the superintendent's comment was no longer included, leading to some saying the edit was a violation of New York's Open Meetings Law.

However, according to the Committee on Open Government, the district did not violate the law by removing the comment from the recording.

The committee noted that because the Board of Education provides written meeting minutes and is not relying on the video recording as the official record of the meeting, the district was permitted to edit the video before posting it online.

Superintendent Issues Apology

Following backlash over the incident, Padalino sent an apology email to faculty and staff, according to the Kingston Wire. He also shared a statement with the Times Union saying,

"I acknowledge that my comment during a recent Board of Education meeting was inappropriate and inconsistent with the standards of professionalism and respect I expect from myself and from others within our district."

He continued, "I apologize, accept responsibility for my words, and understand how hurtful my remarks were to those involved and to members of the school community." Padalino also said he was "deeply disappointed" in himself and is committed to rebuilding trust within the district following the incident.

Kingston High School

Parents Demand Accountability

Despite the apology, criticism continues to grow among some parents and community members who believe the superintendent's comments crossed a line. Some are publicly demanding Padalino's resignation.

The incident comes at a time when tensions were already high over the district's decision to cut guidance counselor positions, an issue that prompted the counselors' appearance before the Board of Education in the first place.

It's unclear if actions will be taken following the mishap. If anything happens, we will update this article.