UPDATE: N.J. dad was banned from graduation after football dispute. Here’s how he got to go anyway.
An Ocean County father says he has been barred from attending his son’s high school graduation ceremony this week following a lengthy dispute that began with a disagreement over the student’s role on the football team.
Point Pleasant Borough’s school superintendent defended the district’s decision, saying the father was banned due to “multiple instances of inappropriate conduct” toward multiple staff members.
Michael Ollendorf is contesting the superintendent’s version of his interactions. But, he said he will comply with the graduation ban.
He is planning to watch Point Pleasant Borough High School’s outdoor graduation ceremony from the public sidewalk or street on Wednesday to see his son get his diploma, he said.
Ollendorf also said he had no involvement with a social media post saying there will be a protest at the ceremony over his absence.
“I don’t condone it. I don’t want the graduation ruined for anyone, including my son,” Ollendorf told NJ Advance Media.
Ollendorf was barred from school district property by Point Pleasant Superintendent Adam L. Angelozzi following a series of disputes dating back to 2023 centering on his son’s playing time on the football team, according to Point Pleasant Patch.
In April, Ollendorf requested an exception to the ban so he could attend his son’s graduation. But, the superintendent declined to grant it, saying in a letter “you will not be permitted to be present on school property for the graduation ceremony.”
When asked to comment, Angelozzi sent NJ Advance Media a statement saying the district typically does not comment on matters involving student’s families and “cannot provide a full accounting of what occurred.”
“However, without going into specifics, the District’s decision in this instance was based on multiple instances of inappropriate conduct over a period of time directed towards and against multiple staff members,” Angelozzi wrote.
“The District remains committed to following all applicable laws, policies, and regulations in its decisions and actions, as we have done in this matter. The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our top priorities,” Angelozzi wrote.
A police report shows Ollendorf was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct following the fourth game of the 2023-24 football season after he became irate and started yelling and cursing at the football coach and other school officials, Point Pleasant Patch reported.
He later pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace and was banned from attending football games, though that ban was was later lifted, the news outlet reported.
Separately, Angelozzi filed a police report last fall accusing Ollendorf of threatening the high school’s principal and himself, according to Patch.
Though no charges were filed against Ollendorf, the superintendent eventually banned him from all school property.
Ollendorf denied he threatened anyone and described the superintendent’s allegations as “a fake police report.”
School superintendents in New Jersey do not always have the final say on who attends graduations.
Anyone banned from attending a public high school graduation ceremony has the option of appealing to the state’s education commissioner, who can issue a ruling after a hearing by an administrative law judge, state Department of Education spokesperson Mike Yaple said.
However, Ollendorf said he decided not to appeal.
“I can’t find an attorney that will go up against the school,” he said.
Ollendorf said he is contemplating watching the graduation ceremony while standing in the back of a pickup truck on the street.
“I’m going to do the best I can,” he said.
Please subscribe now and support the local journalism you rely on and trust.
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.