By Sunayana Prabhu
COLTS NECK – U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s recent visit to Cedar Drive Middle School has sparked a protest that won’t go away. The visit has left the small town sharply divided, with board of education (BOE) members, parents and residents clashing publicly at the latest board meeting over the event’s purpose, transparency and political implications.
McMahon, accompanied by an entourage and heavy security, visited Cedar Drive Middle School Dec. 5 as part of a 50-state “History Rocks” education program tour. District officials said the event was intended to showcase student achievements and highlight the district’s commitment to civics education ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Criticism of the event grew stronger at the BOE meeting Dec. 17, but it was countered by others from Colts Neck and the BOE members themselves.
Several parents and advocacy groups accused the board of failing to provide timely public notice of the event, bypassing its own transparency policies, and bringing “partisan politics” into the classroom by hosting an event with ties to groups such as Turning Point USA, PragerU, and Hillsdale College. Those entities were listed in the government’s press release about the event and mentioned in the board’s letter to parents as organizational partners in the History Rocks coalition.
Defenders of the board, including Angelique Volpe, Colts Neck Board president said the visit was nonpartisan and focused on American history trivia, with questions vetted by district administration for age-appropriate accuracy.,
According to Volpe, the event was structured around a trivia game in which students answered around a dozen questions about U.S. history, such as “How many people signed the Declaration of Independence?”, “Which person from Pennsylvania sewed the first stars and stripes of the U.S. flag in 1776?” and “What type of government (did) the founders establish? A democracy, a constitutional republic, a monarchy or a theocracy?”, among others. Volpe said students used flags to indicate their answers, and only the board president, superintendent and school principals addressed them. She said the administration reviewed all materials in advance, even requesting corrections to ensure accuracy.
Volpe stressed that there was “pure history, no hidden agenda” and that “everything presented was aligned with our curriculum and was a factual representation of American history. There was no whitewashing of history. There (were) no false facts.”
During the visit, McMahon participated in a roundtable discussion with a small group of students, administrators, and board members, in which participants discussed student experiences and broader educational topics.
Contentious Meeting
At the Dec. 17 meeting, several residents from Colts Neck and neighboring towns praised the event, but many then criticized the board. Dan Finney of Colts Neck thanked the board for its “dedicated service, courage and common sense; also for your leadership and initiative that resulted in our small town being selected for Secretary McMahon’s visit.” He condemned the protestors outside the middle school during McMahon’s visit.
Danielle Bolomo, a Marlboro parent, said the event was “not about left or right or politics at all. It was about recognizing the importance of education in our country by those who lead education in our country and instilling pride in being an American.”
Many others also applauded the board for the controversial Parental Bill of Rights passed Nov. 19. “Thank you for taking a stand for parents, children and teachers,” said Manalapan resident Kim Linley.
Yet concerns and questions over civic curriculum oversight from within the school district and beyond persisted.
Roy Kaplan, a Tinton Falls resident, is a longtime educator and was recipient of the Education Heroes Award from the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary Richard W. Riley in 1988. He praised the board and superintendent for bringing the Secretary of Education to Colts Neck. But he also expressed serious concerns about organizations such as PragerU and Moms for Liberty sponsoring “History Rocks,” McMahon’s America 250 tour through schools in all 50 states with stops in Delaware, Pennsylvania and at Cedar Drive Middle School.
“I have a fear that the people behind this History Rock tour might have ulterior purposes,” Kaplan said, warning against “intentional distortion, misrepresentation, or exclusion of historical facts.” Kaplan urged the board to avoid “perpetuating myths and stereotypes that separate and divide us” and ensure students receive honest, comprehensive and inclusive historical education.
“I just want you to understand that our country was based upon the contributions made by all the different groups,” Kaplan noted. “Diversity, equity and inclusion are not dirty words.”
Janie Schildge, a Colts Neck resident speaking on behalf of the nonpartisan advocacy group League of Women Voters, argued that the History Rocks curriculum is “inconsistent” with the tenets of public education. “History must include the perspectives and experiences of marginalized groups,” she said, warning that patriotism should not override “truth in history or inclusivity.”
“Nobody wants our history erased – the good, the bad, the ugly,” Volpe said, addressing Schildge. Volpe said she doesn’t believe the History Rocks program is “whitewashing history,” reminding attendees that the assembly was for students from sixth through eighth grade. “I’m sure this tour isn’t going to get in-depth on certain historical things.”
“If studying history always makes you feel proud and happy, you probably aren’t studying history,” said one resident (whose name was not available) who strongly criticized the involvement of PragerU and the other conservative-leaning organizations involved in the tour. He described PragerU as a “nonprofit, not accredited educational institution, despite its name, focusing on conservative ideology” that, he said, is accused of “distorting history, downplaying slavery’s impact, and whitewashing figures like Columbus by contextualizing their views through modern morality.”
He noted that the nonprofit promotes “misleading claims on climate change denial, whitewashing fascism, distortion (of) science and anti-LGBTQ+ content.”
Sue Henderson, co-chair of GLSEN, a national nonprofit that supports an inclusive K-12 school environment for LGBTQ+ youth, asked the board whether a “civic tool kit” was given to them during McMahon’s visit. Volpe said no tool kit was provided, and all materials were checked “inch-by-inch” by MaryJane Garibay, Colts Neck School District superintendent, and Colin Rigby, principal of Cedar Drive Middle School.
Henderson urged the board not to accept a tool kit if offered, noting that Turning Point USA had a “big part” in its creation.
Parent and resident Alison DeNoia argued that the lack of public access to the event violated the Open Public Meetings Act. She noted that parents were not given access to event materials for McMahon’s visit or to the process and questioned the event’s ties to politically conservative organizations. DeNoia said a social media post by Volpe indicated that no representatives of any of the organizations that partnered on the History Rocks tour were present at the Cedar Drive event, yet “there are photos online of people from American Policy Institute” at the event.
“I think the public needs an explanation,” said DeNoia, a former BOE member who also ran for Monmouth County Clerk in 2025. She has requested minutes of the meeting with McMahon.
Board officials said all records relating to the event and communications with federal officials would be made available for public review upon request.
“This wasn’t months in advance,” Volpe said about the visit. “I didn’t know about this at all. The way the federal government works, they fly by the seat of their pants.”
She also denied accusations of withholding information. “There (were) no secret doings or anything. It was just a fantastic way to just have a conversation, really. I’m just so saddened by the three-ring circus this turned out to be because of the media and certain members of the public.”
The meeting concluded after nearly four hours of comments, with critics vowing to seek answers through open-records requests, advocacy and continued public comment at future meetings.
“I will never apologize for inviting Secretary McMahon to this district to highlight our children and to boast the fantastic district we have in Colts Neck,” Volpe said in her final comments. “We will remain steadfast, united and committed to giving our kids every educational opportunity that’s available to them, whether the public, the media or people that are just out to smear us like it or not.”
The article originally appeared in the January 1 – 7, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
