Holmdel Parent Wants School Board President Out of Grad Ceremony

HOLMDEL, N.J.—A Holmdel parent has written to the Board of Education and school officials, asking that Board President Elizabeth Urbanski resign or be removed, and not give her daughter her diploma at the high school graduation on June 21.

The letter June 8 from Lisa Ledo comes months after Urbanski and Ledo's daughter Amanda were involved in a minor car accident at the Satz School School parking lot on Nov. 11, 2021. Urbanski in March had pleaded guilty to two charges connected with the accident.

But last week, news about the accident was published by the Asbury Park Press and the Ledos commented in the article that, among other things, her daughter felt she was owed an apology and they wanted Urbanski to resign.

This week, Urbanski's attorney Kevin Buchan has contacted the media. He said on Friday he was just provided videos of the incident and says they show Amanda Ledo also ran a stop sign and questions if Urbanski actually struck her vehicle. See the video here.

Buchan also provided a portion of the investigating officer's bodycam footage in which he says it was "possible" Urbanski didn't realize she made contact. See the video here.

"Ms. Urbanski stands by the determination that she made to accept responsibility for failing to yield and not timely reporting the incident. Her intention was to resolve the matter expeditiously, in the interest of all parties involved.

"The recently released video, however, sheds further light on the situation. Exactly what happened with respect to whether or not any contact was made between the vehicles remains unclear," Buchan said in a news release.

But when contacted Friday, Lisa Ledo took issue with Buchan's commenting on the incident in the media.

"She (Urbanski) is pushing her lawyer to smear my daughter, saying she ran a stop sign. She rolled through it, like everyone else on the clip," Lisa Ledo said when contacted by Patch on Friday. Amanda Ledo received no summons in the incident.

Ledo wrote to Superintendent J. Scott Cascone and others asking, among other things:

• Can Urbanski be asked not to attend graduation?
• Can Urbanski be asked to step down and resign from the board?
• Can Holmdel High School Principal Matt Kukoda assure her that Urbanski will not hand her daughter, Amanda, her diploma at graduation (and that Kukoda would give her the diploma)?

So far, no information has been released from the school about who will distribute the diplomas, as is traditionally done by the board president.

"Over the next week the high school principal will be finalizing all preparations for the ceremony. Our primary goal is ensure that the event runs smoothly and safely and, as importantly, that students and families have a positive experience. It is with that charge in mind that I have always strived to make decisions and will continue to do so," School Superintendent J. Scott Cascone said in a statement.

A 'hornets' nest'

Lisa Ledo said the matter has "snowballed" since the accident. Although she said she did not originally contact any media outlets about the accident, she said, word eventually got out and much social media comment in town has weighed in on the incident in support of her, she said.

"It's a hornets' nest," Ledo said, referring with a laugh to the school mascot, the Hornets.

Ledo told Patch this is not about "entitled kids or parents in Holmdel." She said she works full time. "I am not a helicopter mom." She said her daughter "knows everyone at school, is very popular."

Amanda Ledo had never been involved in a court case before, her mother said, and she was "infuriated" that Urbanski's charge of leaving the scene of an accident was dismissed. Urbanski pleaded guilty to disregarding a stop sign and failing to report an accident when the case was heard in Freehold Township Municipal Court (a change of venue from Holmdel).

"My daughter was extremely verbal on the virtual court case, saying she didn’t agree," Ledo said in her letter.

According to the letter, partially quoted here, immediately after the accident: "My daughter pulled over thinking she (Urbanski) would do the same but Urbanski bee-lined out of the parking lot. When my daughter realized she wasn’t pulling over she proceeded to follow her, beeping the whole time for her to stop. My daughter called me to tell me what happened. ... I then called police to alert them that my daughter was following a car that just hit her and gave the location so they could send out a police officer. When my daughter reached Urbanski’s home, Urbanksi came to the end of the driveway asking her what she wanted. My daughter Amanda told her she hit her car and didn’t stop. ... Urbanski denied it."

Differing Accounts, One Video

But Buchan, in his news release Friday, said "What is clear, however, is that Ms. Ledo (who is 18 and publicly quoted in the Asbury Park Press) ran a stop sign herself and at higher speed than Ms. Urbanski was driving. Ms. Ledo then changed lanes without signaling.

"What is very clear is that Ms. Urbanski did not make a “bee-line” out of the parking lot as was alleged.

"What is clear is that this incident (not accident, but incident) was very minor in nature and is being deliberately blown out of proportion," the release states in part.

Buchan said he takes particular issue with Ledo's media comments that his client did not take responsibility and was not being accountable:

"What is clear is that Ms. Urbanski did take responsibility for what happened in that video and subsequently pled guilty and paid a fine.

"The matter is closed. Try as some people might to sensationalize this incident for whatever political motives may exist – this was a minor incident, plain and simple. I repeat that Ms. Ledo’s version of what happened that day is not an accurate recitation of the facts. At no point did Ms. Urbanski either request or receive any special treatment in this matter," Buchan said in his statement.

"Ms. Urbanski wishes to put this incident behind her and move forward with all the good work she is doing with the School Board," Buchan said.

Rebuttal From The Ledos

That may be, but both Lisa and Amanda Ledo released rebuttals of their own Friday to Buchan's statement in which they reiterated their positions regarding the accident.

Lisa Ledo's statement reads, in part, "Mr. Buchan, the attorney for Mrs. Urbanski, was given his day in court, but he is now reaching for anything to defame my daughter and deflect blame away from the Holmdel School Board President Mrs. Urbanski."

Amanda Ledo repeated that her version of events was accurate, and added in her statement "Mr. Buchan is missing the most important part of the story which is most upsetting to me and
those Holmdel residents following this story: Mrs. Urbanski never apologized to me." Amanda Ledo said her interaction with Urbanski was "unexpected, especially for a person in her position of authority who should be a role model for the school district and community."

Buchan had no comment regarding whether Urbanski will resign from the board. She became board president in January. Urbanski did not comment Friday on the matter.