The obvious disrespect for others that was apparent at the most recent Levittown Board of Education meeting was appalling.

At nearly every school board meeting a former board member gets up and attacks the board, the superintendent, and/or the PTAs. He nitpicks at the wording of the minutes and shows general disrespect for those involved with the district.

In a united display of disrespect for this individual, over the last several months, the PTA members who attend the monthly meetings have taken to walking out as a group when the former board member gets up to speak during the Public Be Heard section of the meeting.

This mutual disrespect hit an all-time low at the March board of education meeting. The former board member stood up at the podium and stated that he would wait for the "shopping bag ladies" to leave before he began.

The board demanded that the individual apologize to the PTA members but he demanded an apology from them. Neither side received their apology.

The line has been drawn in the sand. On which side do the district's children fall? Maybe they are the ones who should receive an apology.

This disrespect for others continued when the issue of who should be able to use the school playing fields was raised. One group got up and spoke, while the opposing group sat in their seats and grumbled. When the grumblers got up to make their statements the first group not only challenged the residency of the speakers but then went on to yell remarks from the back of the room while they were speaking.

The issue of playing fields may have started out as being about the children who would be playing ball on those fields but by the time the leaders of the organizations got up to speak about the issue they had long since forgotten the children and were focused on their own personal grievances.

When did school board meetings stop being about the students and start being about personal vendettas? Success for every student, the district's motto, was certainly not evident at the March meeting, if it's ever evident at these meetings which seem to be more political than student-oriented.