Mike Watson of Mendon has filed assault allegations against Mendon Upton Superintendent Dr. Joseph Maruszczak and Upton Selectman Bob Fleming.
According to Watson’s community facebook page he is claiming Maruszczak threw a paper folder at him and called him a jerk and other names at the multiboard meeting held at Nipmuc on Thursday February 19. Watson also claims Fleming verbally assaulted him at the meeting; in one statement Watson said Fleming approached him from behind, in another he said he approached him from the right.
Upton Police Chief Michael Bradley confirmed that Watson of Mendon filed a complaint with the Upton Police Department on Thursday night. Bradley said, “We will be investigating his claims.”
The Milford Daily News is reporting Mendon Selectman Rich Schofield defended Dr. Maruszczak saying Maruszczak’s character was being attacked.
Watson has been relentless with his criticism of Mendon and Upton officials and especially critical of Dr. Maruszczak and the Mendon Upton School Committee. Watson frequently writes lengthy emails to various board members often carbon copying state officials and reporters. Watson and town officials often disagree on facts stated in Watson’s emails.
Maruszczak said, “The accusations are completely baseless.”
…developing
UPTON DAILY 
We all need to stop replying to this article and put our support behind the school system and our town leaders. The more we write the higher he goes on his soapbox, and now he is threatening to summons people. We are not allowed our freedom of speech when it is spoken ill of him. He is a coward, over and over people have said step up and run for school committee or a town office to be truly involved rather than making assumptions from the sidelines. He doesn’t he would rather bully and promote ridiculous accusations.
Let’s all stop so we will have this site to inform us of real news in the future. I would hate to see summons and other legal issues stopping this blog. It is way more important than he is.
There is no arguing with this man. His narcissism and God complex impede any rational conversation or reasoning. It’s not only Dr. M and the school district. This man will stop at nothing to boost his own ego by trying to be our savior. We’ve all seen it in countless situations. He harasses but complains of being harassed. He defames the character of others yet complains when his character is attacked. He is above us, he will do unto us exactly what shall not be done unto him. His egocentric delusions and pattern of behavior/harassment and lack of remorse, empathy or guilt are clear indications that this man needs a mental health intervention. We need to focus on working with and supporting Dr. M and the school district, our local businesses, teachers, and town officials. This man will at some point cause irrevocable harm in some form or fashion to an individual or some group/organization but our hands are tied as far as making him stop. Yes, Mr. Watson, we do all have fears. Congratulations on being one of them. Please move, please leave our school officials, town officials and local businesses alone. I realize this will fall on your deaf ears but hopefully your family is of sound mind and can influence you to stop and get the help you need. You are causing far more harm than good.
You do realize your IP address is recorded when you post right?
We’re all entitled to our opinions.
But we’re not entitled to slander and defame a private citizen by name and bring their family into it. Don’t bother deleting it, I’ve already copied it.
And now you’re threatening me?
Lol…not unless you consider a summons a threat. Keep it up…
I realize what I wrote was extremely harsh and I absolutely should have thought twice about hitting the reply button. I do not know you, I cannot say anything about your actual character – I was strictly trying to voice an opinion – that the causes seem to be abundant and seem to always be approached negatively. For the tone and words used I unequivocally apologize – it was not called for. I don’t think anyone, even those of us who disagree with your approach, could argue that you have good intentions and want good things for your town & school district. But there has got to be a better way. I’m sure Dr. M had absolutely zero intention of assaulting you. He is a phenomenal superintendent (my opinion) who we’d like to see focus on continuing to improve our schools, not have to worry about assault allegations and other investigations.
Regardless of what I think of your approach, I will agree with you that I was completely out of line and I do apologize for that.
Can’t we approach issues with the school, town or businesses more civilly? (certainly I did not set a good example). This article infuriated me and I was quick to react. You certainly didn’t deserve my reaction & I’ll leave it to Upton Daily to delete the posts.
I wouldn’t know this man to see him on the streets, but personal attacks are out of line here and the blog owner should remove those comments ASAP!
This could be simply resolved by telecasting on town cable the school committee meetings, why isn’t that done? Then anything inappropriate on the part of ANYONE in attendance would be recorded and available for court should a need arise.
We must have students at the high school who are capable of providing this service for the school as part of some class or club.
Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines a bully as “a blustering browbeating person; especially: one habitually cruel to others”. That in tern also defines a community member in Mendon who is determined to put a black mark on our school system.
It saddens me that this blog had to report on such a sad and pathetic attempt for this member to gain attention yet again. Since 2011 this bully has set out to fight every initiative the school system puts forward and nit picks on ridiculous points.
Hundreds, even thousands of schools across our country have ipad initiative programs. Everyone but him seems to realize that technology is the future and whether we like it or not that is the way learning is going. He acts like he is the snow savior…and sadly he honestly believes that our leaders would purposely put the students of MU at risk. They were doing their due diligence and working hard long before he brought in the cops once again. He knows going to them will bring him public attention.
Being in fear of Mr. Flemming or Dr. Maruszczak is a joke. Yes, people are afraid daily but not of two GENTLEMEN who put the interests of residents and students first. Again, he seeks attention in a very public way. If you are afraid of folders and words then you shouldn’t leave the house. People are tired of being berated and nit picked for doing good.
I implore everyone to just ignore him and his theatrics. The best way to stop a bully is to ignore one. Enough is enough, let’s not give him the attention he sadly craves. I honestly feels bad for his family, I can’t even imagine all the fun times they could have if he spent time with them instead of professing how he is the savior of Mendon.
This may be the best one yet! So working to change a policy that was denying kids equal access to educational opportunities based on their economic situation is nitpicking? And I’ve said time and again, I’m not against iPad use as long as we can afford them as a community and SD, can limit screen time to AAOP recommended levels, can block porn and other sites guaranteed, provide equal access, don’t charge parents and leave them in the classroom. No problem at all. Same for 3D printers, white boards etc. Digital textbooks we can do without.
As for the snow…come on. The first time they lied to public safety and the press and this year I stood at doors our kids use, looked up and photographed ice dams and icicles overhanging the doors and massive amounts of snow on the roof for weeks.
Bully? Me: Joe, do you have a copy of the handout I could have?
Our Superintendent: Reached in his bag, pulls out a folder, throws it at me and when I tell him not to throw things at me and act professional he has a mental breakdown in front of 12 plus witnesses calling me all kinds of names while he’s flailing about. Them his pal the elderly gentleman jumps in. I’m the bully? If the dictionary also describes a person who stands up for what he believes in and doesn’t back down to public bullying, name calling and pressure….I’m guilty.
As for my family, I run a home based business and we don’t use daycare so I assure you we have plenty of good times. But thanks for your concern.
Please let me know what kind of home based business you run because I want to make sure I am never supporting it in any way. You are tedious.
We’re all embarrassed when our camp gets caught. You’ll be ok. And I raise Eastern Blueback pygmy Emus from Costa rica…
Lol…we did sell our home and now take care of my deaf mother in-law as I hope our kids might do for us someday if we ever need it. It’s not easy taking care of a parent. And we do pay RE taxes, PP taxes, business tax, fees, excise and meals tax but even if we didn’t we are residents and citizens and that’s ALL you need to be Einstine.
1. iPads: The ACLU is not a governing body and does not have any legal authority over anyone. The ACLU files lawsuits. Once the district learned that the ACLU was considering filing a lawsuit against them they negotiated with the ACLU and came to an agreement which I’m guessing was less expensive then defending a lawsuit.
2. Snow: Yes under a different SC and Super there was a snow issue on school roofs. There has been no issue this year. My child at Miscoe has heard them shoveling on the roof since the first Blizzard. I drive by Nipmuc and have seen them shoveling the roof there after several of the storms.
3. Patriotic songs: Upton Daily should not have reported on this story, Sometimes there are privacy issues and public statements cannot be made by employers. Remember this when reading about employee/employer relationships.
4. Assault: “Joey called me a jerk and threw paper at me” – really?
Wrong on all three points but nice try…
1. In the end DESE shut down the IPad scam NOT the ACLU
2. I’m not going to post the pictures again from a few weeks ago before I called Chief Horn but are you serious? They did just about nothing but keep drains open until I posted the pictures and called horn. That was weeks after the first deep snow!
3. The songs had nothing to do with an employer/employee issue other than a long time dedicated educator being told she could no longer start class by singing patriotic songs. I called them on it, they said I lied, them the educator corrected the record, stated the district was in fact wrong and then they let her start singing. The PC police got shut down and hopefully understand now that they work in a prodominately Christian community that leans Consertive.
Nice try with your own spin though….
1. It was not a “scam”.Some value technology and recognize that it has a cost; you happen not to.
Name-calling anyone and anything that you are not in agreement with hurts your credibility.
3. Patriotic songs are great! But when they disrupt other classes then it’s within the rights of the school administration to restrict them. I want my kids to be able to learn without disruption, and believe that singing can take place in chorus/music class. Asking the teacher to refrain from singing is a management decision. Some may disagree, but that does not make it wrong.
It’s focus on petty issues like this that hurt your credibility when there are legitimate issues that may be worthy of addressing.
Regardless of your intent, it’s this type of thing that causes people to believe that you are against the schools and education. Reading your writings would lead most reasonable people to think that you had some sort of a personal vendetta against the schools, like you were somehow slighted and now are obsessed with getting revenge.
It’s too bad, because it’s so divisive to the towns.
Again, don’t hate tech. I use it all the time and enjoy using the iPad? Laptop, kindle, iphone and iPods with my kids. We love them but limit them and directly monitor them. As for the scam, I called Joe weeks before I was forced to take any action to correct the policy myself. I advised him that I had read the case law and legal opinions and he could NOT charge a fee for non consumable school items, a tech fee or allow some students to take them home and not others. I passed on the case law asking him to take a look and change the program. I advised that I did not want to make it a public issue. He said no. So I made the change.
As for the songs she’s been singing them for years and someone just now complains? Come on
As for a grudge. Not in my DNA. I was trained to have people try to kill me and afterward take care of them if need be. However, if you lie to me I will look into and varify everything you tell me moving forward. And they did…..
Mike: I have looked into the budgets, not this particular year though, I have looked at the per pupil spending over years compared to surrounding areas, the test scores for the district etc. We are not out of line, we have great scores, and we have budget issues like most towns around us. Everyone seems to be doing the best they can under less than ideal curcumstances. Not everything in the district is perfect but show me anywhere that is. From what I can read (and I don’t attend the meetings because I school choice in so I don’t feel I should get to voice any opinion, and if I didn’t like the system I’d not choice in…), you’ve created an adversarial relationship that is counterproductive to your cause. Yes I’ve volunteered, yes I’ve sent money, and yes, there are things that drive me crazy. But I do not get lost in the weeds, I’m looking at the whole forest. I have a child who graduated and made a very easy transition to college, said she felt well prepared by the teachers. I have another child heading off next year and I see the same preparation and path for him. So THAT is how I judge this system, and from where I sit, it’s been pretty darn good. Is there room for improvement? Always. But good leaders persuade people to their ideas, points, methods… They don’t alienate and instigate them. There may be times when you have or had a valid message, but you’ve landed yourself in a situation where it will fall on deaf ears I’m afraid. Filing a report with the police over a paper folder and mean words is just petty and a distraction for the district. And it’s time the police aren’t spending on more important matters…..
I guess you’re right, my message has been lost on you. I’ve said from the start in 2011 (all recorded in print) that we have excellent teachers and school community. Our family is very happy with the TEACHERS. In fact much of my fight revolves around them. If you overspend on ipads, smart boards, technology upgrades to support 1:1, Apple TV’s, raises for administrators, wind mills, green houses, 3D printers, staff trips etc., you end up laying off teachers when the money runs out. At the meeting I attended he once again layed out teacher cuts! The same teachers I asked him NOT to hire because he had no way to pay for them in year two or three and that wasn’t fair to them. And what about keeping the ones we have? They need raises, PD etc. My fight is with the administration who is not managing the districts finances and policies. Town employees and honest public officials agree with me so I must be on to something right?
Then we have town services and in particular public safety. They are one of the first to take cuts when the schools run up their budget without worrying how the towns and taxpayers will pay for it! Tony did it and now Joe did it despite the warnings every year. I told him and town officials he was bringing us to a massive override and cuts at then schools and town side and…..HE DID! The guys from the Mendon Fire Dept. and PD saved the life of one of my family members due to their quick response according the the ER Docs. Soon after budget cuts because of the school brought us to one cop and no ambulance at night. NEVER AGAIN!
“Dr. Maruszczak said the district’s iPad program was thoroughly legally vetted and disagrees with the ACLU’s conclusion. He also said the district will respond to the ACLU regarding their concerns.” Upton Daily Article
How’d this turn out? Had to change their whole program and repay parents fees they legally could not collect. The district claims I’m wrong, reporters refuse to follow up but write that I’m wrong and them I’m proven right. I’ll be right this time folks…
I don’t like the iPad lnitative, but that being said, laws are open for interpretation and you give 10 lawyers the same case and you’ll probably get 5 different opinions on it. If the district did get a legal opinion that deemed it was okay to do, then they did their duty. Just because it was ultimately ruled against them doesn’t mean they were ignoring the law. Look how many lawyers thought the SC would deem the ACA unconstitutional (as I still believe it to be), yet, that’s not what happened. The interpretations are made by individuals, who are human and bring their own views, intended or not, to the interpretation of the law.
“Dr. Maruszczak responded to the allegations and the petition on his facebook page. “Apparently a petition has been started because there is a “ban” on the singing of patriotic songs in the MURSD. I would react to this, however, this is COMPLETE FICTION.” Upton Daily Article
How’d that turn out for him? Complete fiction?
Believe it or not folks not all of us act like sheep and just hand over our kids and money without asking questions of those in charge. As I’m sure the majority of folks commenting here don’t attend meetings, don’t request and review budgets, case law and policies and don’t check “facts” with the DESE or DOR I’ll say the level to which you are misinformed doesn’t supride me. I think this is a good guess as I was the only parent and taxpayer at the meeting where they were to discuss a Joint District Meeting and a potential override for each town at over 1M. I bet you folks were all to busy to make it?
Mike: I’m 5′ 11″
V concerned: I very concerned that you are uninformed about our Superintendent and District. He is doing exactly what Tony did. He has spent 2.5M dollars on Technology, spent over 1M dollars of one time money out of E&D on reoccurring budget items, has rolled huge yearly budget surpluses (some close to 1M dollars) into the budget, lost grant money but rolled that spending onto the backs of the taxpayers, lied to the public about patriotic songs, violated the equal access to education clause, violated state law by charging for iPads, misled parents in Upton about school district security, misled the community about snow on the roof and now he’s lied about what took place at the Multi-Board. He has also grown the budget so large in such a short period of time that we now face a 2M dollar override and guaranteed cuts to town service and override requests in FY17 and beyond. Yes, he’s been great! WOW!
Wondering where you live so I can move next door.
Moe: Why not just fix it and make our folks do their job in an honest and transparent manner? When they screw up I call them on it because no one else will. When they do good I congratulate them and point out their good work. I’ve raised close to $20,000 dollars for them, volunteered, sent in personal checks, given free security consulting, passed on grants etc. You?
Steve: What do I deserve?
Folks, I can assure you what I state happened did in fact happen. I trust the police report will be telling.
Schofield is pals with Joe and I’ve voiced my deep concerns about both of them. It’s not surprising Schofield would support him. But he also said he would not have thrown the folder and that Joe was yelling. Just stand by for the report folks.
Town and school officials do dispute my claims but never prove me wrong. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever made a claim that wasn’t proven to be true. Budgets, iPads, patriotic songs, Green Repair, snow on roofs etc. But no one seems to report on that?
As for filing a report, it’s a record of the incident so if it happens again, it’s documented. As for fear, we all have fear no matter how big we are. If you day you don’t you’re not being honest. Folks who have kids, a business, a house, a family and a knowledge of the law fear getting into a school yard fight with two subjects who they know nothing about. Think of the hockey dad. One punch and he’s jailed for 30 years. I love politics and I enjoy using my legal right to petition my public officials trying to right wrongs, but not that much. Thanks for the mature comments folks.
Mike Watson
508-244-9601
There must be a lot of assault charges out there. This guy probably gets called a jerk every time he opens his mouth. Hard to believe a 6ft plus 250 plus former law enforcement officer felt threatened from these two guys. Surprised he didn’t have someone there to film whatever he could stir up.
If this man was not as ignorant as he is, he would realize that he is single-handedly running the man that helped bring this school system back on track after the demolition that occurred under the hands of his predecessor. Won’t he please just smarten up, shut up or just move. Perhaps get a hobby, a job, another hobby other than trashing our school system and Superintendent??????? Please???
wondering when this guy will move?
Good grief, like the police don’t have more important matters to attend to??? If someone hates everything about the school system to the point they make it their life’s purpose to trash it every which way from Sunday, why don’t they just school choice their children elsewhere? Problem solved! And without knowing what did happen at that meeting, I can safely say I would have a thicker skin than to go to the police because someone flung a folder at me or said mean things to me…
The Superintendent and the Upton board should be commended for not giving that idiot what he probably deserved.