OPINION | Paleologos: No Trespass Order for Bad Behavior

He was elected on November 7th, has yet to be officially sworn in, and yet New Bedford School Committee member-elect, John Oliveira, has managed to get a No Trespass Order barring him from appearing on any school property unless summoned by a school official!

Oliveira was issued the No Trespass Order for a variety of safety issues including the well-being of the staff being compromised. By his own admission on WBSM, Oliveira said maybe he should apologize for losing it by showing up unannounced and without an appointment for a second meeting to "clear the air" with Dr. Pia Durkin.

He admitted to using vulgar language by dropping the F-bomb, raising his voice loudly and slamming the Superintendent's door to "let her have it." He needs to know that confidence is silent. Insecurities are loud.

We often hear complaints about our juveniles acting out in school negatively, but isn't this the kind of example that parallels bad behavior? Even though age is no guarantee of maturity, I hope Mr. Oliveira isn't like a tree that takes a long time to grow up.

Editor’s Note: Phil Paleologos is the morning talk show host on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6am-10am. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.