Racism Accusations Strike Central Regional School Board Again

BERKELEY, NJ — The Central Regional Board of Education is under fire again, this time for accusations of racism, after a Black coach was not rehired for the upcoming school year.

The controversy stems from the May school board meeting, where the board was voting to reappoint staff members.

A small group of mothers and their daughters protested the reappointing of Agnes Whitfield, a physical education teacher and girls' field hockey coach, saying that Whitfield was abusive. They had been asking the board for months to do something.

Ultimately at that meeting, a motion to appoint Whitfield as head coach failed. And at the latest board meeting, dozens of parents, colleagues of Whitfield and her former and present students spoke out to ask this motion to be reconsidered - and accused her critics, a group of white women, of organizing a racist campaign for the removal of Whitfield, who is Black.

Whitfield was "never given a reason why she's not going to be hired back," said Central Regional's Willie Jacobs, there to represent the teachers' union.

The board did not address any of the accusations and voted to approve coaches for the upcoming school year, which included the appointing of Madison Demand as head coach of girls' field hockey.

Those who have worked with Whitfield spoke not only of her field hockey expertise, but of her personal character as well. Whitfield, a coach of more than 32 years, was also one of Central Regional's star players herself when she was a student in the 1980s.

"My life would certainly not be the same had it not been for someone there like Coach Ag to guide me," said Caroline Burns, who played under Whitfield during her time at St. Rose.

Those words were echoed by other players, who reiterated that Whitfield, often referred to as "Coach Ag" or "Coach Whit," was passionate, honest, dependable and incredibly hard-working.

One of the mothers who said her daughter was harassed by Whitfield, Jennifer Bickford, spoke up at the meeting to defend her child's honesty and integrity, as some critics said that the complaints were only made because some players were unhappy when awards were given out.

"It's not about points and playing time and whatever," said Bickford. "It's about intimidation. It's about body shaming. It's about bullying. Those are a problem."

But other parents noted that the harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) investigations into Whitfield were unfounded.

Some board members were even accused of being linked personally to the families who complained about Whitfield.

It reminded some of a similar situation in 2022, where board member Heather Koenig came under fire for racist social media posts. Read more: Racism Permeates Central Regional School Culture, Students Say

"Time is up," said parent Joeshun Miller, whose daughter was targeted by racial slurs last year in the midst of the social media posts scandal. Miller said she would be filing a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights, which oversees the funding for the Department of Education.

"I really question whether or not the same investigation or the same conclusion would come if Agnes was not a Black female," said parent Lisa Pericciuoli Reilly.

Whitfield herself got up to speak, though she admitted she hadn't planned on it and thought that the support from others would have been enough.

"But since going through this process, I've learned a lot," Whitfield said. "And I've learned that only a guilty person would have laid down already."

Whitfield said on the day of her appeal, she was asked if she could change anything, would she. Saying "yes" would have been "an admittance of guilt" in her mind, she said. But she said no, and said she would still say no if asked again.

"I did many things right for all these girls that I coach the way a coach is supposed to coach. And if a question was posed again, I would not take a second guess myself. I will say no again, for all the great things I do for Central Regional field hockey," Whitfield said at the end of her speech.

She was met with thunderous applause.