Robin Shaffer, Catherine Panico, and Liz Nicoletti support every parent and every child in Ocean City Schools. Sensible education requires that parents are informed and involved in their children's education. 

Robin Shaffer is passionate about education and has dedicated his adult life to serving communities of children, parents, and educators. He is a third-generation educator. He holds a master’s degree in education with extensive experience in the field of education for 29 years and counting—as a teacher, Special Education administrator, principal, and graduate professor for Towson University and the College of Notre Dame. His deep experience and scholarship in education and federal, state, and local leadership inform his decision-making in serving OCNJ as a board member. 

He is a father of two sons and makes his home in the north end of OCNJ. He has undertaken many challenges, big and small—from driving a Zamboni for an NHL team to climbing Kilimanjaro to running a federal government food drive.

Shaffer was twice elected president of the Maryland Special Education Advisory Board, which advised the state Board of Education and state Superintendent of Schools on Special Education matters. He completed a Fulbright fellowship in 2011, surveying the Japanese public education system from pre-K to college. Following a career as a teacher and school administrator, he continued his service as a Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation specialist. In the 2010s, Shaffer worked in three top-secret roles with the State Department and DoD, first as Director of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement at the US Embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan. Upon his return to Washington, he worked in counterterrorism for the State Department and Department of Defense. 

Shaffer volunteers with the Humane Society of Ocean City as a dog walker and event photographer. He also substitute taught and volunteered with OCNJ’s schools. In addition, he participates as a contributor for the OCNJ School Discussion group on Facebook, and is a founding member and President of the Ocean City Alliance for Sensible Education.

Shaffer focuses on the following key priorities as a board member: 

• Academic Excellence 

• Common Sense Solutions 

• Restoring Decency and Trust 

• Parental Rights 

As a parent, I support the right of every student in the Ocean City School District to feel safe and accepted in the public school system.  

I am opposed to incidents of bullying, intimidation, or harassment against any student, staff member, administrator, coach, or board member.

I believe that a parent has a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of the parent’s child.

I believe that the right to raise one’s child is deeply embedded in our history and culture, and it is a fundamental liberty interest protected by our Constitution.  The custody, care, and nurture of the child reside first with the parents. 

In supporting the right of parents to make decisions for their children, I strongly encourage the OCNJ School District Board to pass new policies which provide unwavering support for the right of parents to make decisions regarding the education of their children.

These new policies should state that all lesson plans for every class, in every grade of every school from pre-K to HS, must be posted promptly on the school’s website and will include teaching material, readings, handouts, activities, videos, and assignments.  The materials must be available with sufficient advance notice to allow for parents to meaningfully exercise their right to opt out their child of objectionable material.

These policies should unequivocally state that parents have the right to make medical decisions for their children. 

These new policies must also state that no information about a child known to school staff, coaches, or volunteers, shall be withheld from a student’s parent.

Finally, I am dedicated to making this Board more transparent.  If a presentation is given in a public forum and a parent could not attend the meeting, those presentations must be available on the website.  If the administration said they would give the teachers scripts to present new standards, then those scripts must be provided to the public for review.  

I stand with only one agenda: to protect my right as a parent to know and approve what my child is being taught.  I do not hold any animosity towards any group or any other parents who may disagree with me.  My interest is singularly focused on retaining my parental rights concerning my child.  I can only speak for myself.  So, any assertions, criticisms, or outright allegations made against me to the contrary are simply not true.

My name is Liz Nicoletti. I am a mom of three students at Ocean City high school and one in the intermediate school.  My husband is Bill.  I’ve lived in Ocean City, New Jersey, vacationed here all my life, and now reside here full-time for the last three years.  

I went to Saint Joseph’s University and studied elementary education and played field hockey for four years, and walked on the basketball team for one.  I was a school teacher for three years and a tennis teaching pro for 10.  One of my favorite summer jobs was working at the Ocean City Recreation Department.  As a member of the school board, I vote according to the values of the historical roots of Ocean City, New Jersey, the world's greatest family resort.  

I am for the students.  I am for parental rights. I am for moral integrity and conservative values.  I am for strengthening and refocusing our attention on core subjects such as reading, writing and arithmetic, and science and social studies.  It is my privilege to have the opportunity to work amongst the current board members and administrators here at Ocean City School District.