Assistant principal says he won't hire conservatives, Catholics as teachers: Project Veritas video

A Connecticut elementary school principal detailed his aversion to hiring Catholics, conservatives, and older people to teach at his school due to ideological differences in a recent Project Veritas video.

Speaking to an undercover journalist with the outlet, Cos Cob Elementary School Assistant Principal Jeremy Boland appeared to admit to discriminating on the basis of both age and religion during the hiring process, in a conversation the journalist secretly recorded.

The educator discussed his efforts to teach kids how to take "progressive" approaches to issues.

"You’re teaching them  how to think. That’s it. It doesn’t matter what they think about," he said. "If they think about it in a logical progressive way, that becomes their habit."

The journalist clarified that Boland sought to teach kids to think in a more liberal manner, to which he replied "Mm-hmm. Believe it or not, the open minded, more progressive teachers are actually more savvy about delivering a Democratic message without really ever having to mention politics."

He also discussed his disinclination to hire Catholics and drew a contrast between them and other, more liberal religious groups.

"I’m not a huge expert on religion, but Protestants in this area... are probably the most liberal. But if they’re Catholic, conservative," Boland says to the journalist. Asked if he would ever hire a Catholic, Boland responded "No, I don’t want to."

"Because if someone is raised hardcore Catholic, it’s like they’re brainwashed," he explained. "You can never change their mindset. So, when you ask them to consider something new, like a new opportunity, or 'you have to think about this differently,' they’re stuck, just rigid."

He went on to discuss his preference for hiring younger teachers.

"So, because Greenwich pays very well, you get teachers from other districts who have been there for a long time, that want to come to Greenwich," Boland said. "But if they’re older... I can’t tell them, 'I’m not interviewing you because you’re older.' I just don’t interview them... Because sometimes the older you get, the more set in your ways, the more conservative you get.”

Boland also confirmed he would not grant teachers the leeway to dispute transgender ideology. The journalist presented a scenario in which a religious or conservative teacher expressed concern that young children were ill-prepared to define their gender identity and asked the educator what his response would be.

“You’re out. You’re done," was his reply.

Local reactions to the video's release were overwhelmingly condemning of Boland's comments and he was placed on immediate leave following the video's Tuesday release, according to local News 12.

Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo on Tuesday night called for a full investigation “into not only this administration but the damage caused to applicants, past and present."

Greenwich Schools Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones issued a statement after the video went public.

"Late last evening, we were made aware of a video that had gone viral with a current administrator from Cos Cob School," Jones said. "We intend to do a full investigation and until that time, we will not make any public statements. We ask that you respect the investigation process during this time.

"We do not, however, support any opinions that promote discriminatory hiring practices based on race, religion, gender, or age in any way, and we want to remind our entire community that our curriculum policies and procedures are strictly enforced by our Board," Jones asserted.