Update: Congregation B’Nai Israel has issued a statement regarding this incident
Statement from Sharon Wagman
Executive Director
Congregation B’nai Israel
Prior to Judy Schelin’s employment in the infant program at Congregation B’nai Israel, she underwent a background check administered by the Florida Department of Children and Families and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. This is the standard employee policy for Congregation B’nai Israel for all teachers and teaching assistants in our Pre-School and Religious School. In both cases, she was cleared with: “A check of this agency’s records failed to indicate an arrest history for this person.” (Background check documents attached). This means she was cleared by the State to work on our campus. In addition, Ms. Schelin signed a document in which she attested, under the penalty of perjury, that she has never been fined or the subject of a disciplinary action.
Months into her job, she alluded to past legal issues, but did not disclose a felony conviction.
The welfare and education of our children is of the upmost concern and our top priority, and Ms. Schelin’s care of the infants in our program was superb. Ms. Schelin did not at any point have access to school funds, nor was her salary impacted by VPK funds, as she worked in CBI’s infant program (children ages six weeks to two years).
However, in further review of her background and concealment of her conviction, Ms. Schelin has been terminated from CBI effective immediately.
The release included documents from both the state Department of Children and Families as well as the county sheriff supporting that they did a background check and that it was clear.
West Boca’s Congregation B’Nai Israel is in the center of controversy after our friends at Boca News Now alleged that they are employing a convicted felon as a teacher. Two readers contacted us about it.
Back in 2010 a woman named Judy Perlin pled guilty to accepting $40,000 in bribes while running a youth education program. Not long after that the Palm Beach Post reported Ms. Perlin continued to receive a lot of federal and state money while running day cares serving kids in Broward.
Now Boca News Now says that Ms. Perlin is working at B’Nai Israel under the name Scherlin (which might be her maiden name). We called the temple to see what they had to say and we got a quick “No Comment.”
After that call we heard from an irate reader who self-described as a member of CBI Boca and asserted that the management at CBI knew about Ms. Perlin/Scherlin’s history and hired her anyway.
Please note that, mainly because of CBI’s “No Comment” response, we are unable to verify that the woman working at CBI is in fact Judy Perlin. But we do have more than one source saying it is her.
Ms. Perlin is listed on the property appraiser’s website as co-owner of a home in Boca Grove.
This is the second recent controversial incident involving CBI. A couple months ago one of their former maintenance workers was arrested on child pornography charges. At that time: “The school also said all employees and permanent vendors must pass a full background check before they’re allowed to work on campus.”
Considering that statement we wonder how Ms. Perlin/Scherlin managed to pass a background check.
