Secaucus district outlines plan to relocate lower-grade special education classes to Huber Street School

School district leaders described an operations plan to reorganize lower-grade special education services, moving roughly 21 students from Clarendon School into Huber Street School and starting two full elementary special education programs in September.

The operations presentation said the move will begin with kindergarten and first grade and will not affect upper grades or existing sibling placements. Staff assignments and classroom space have been evaluated and nearly finalized, and the district said the relocation will inform a five-year facilities plan to be discussed with architects. Transportation arrangements were emphasized as a key element that the district must finalize before implementation.

The district said the early summer Extended School Year (ESY) programs already used Huber Street School and that the current plan builds on that experience. Officials noted they had been evaluating enrollment and address data to balance elementary assignments and that any future redraw of elementary attendance lines would depend on that analysis and the architects' recommendations.

During the public forum, Anthony Grenieri, a Secaucus resident and parent of a child with special needs, asked about the naming of "Mill Ridge School," inclusion practices and nurse coverage. The administration replied that inclusion will be used "when appropriate" and acknowledged challenges finding substitute nurses; the district said staff work each morning to secure substitute nurses and that recruiting remains ongoing.

Officials characterized the proposal as a planned change that still requires logistical work for transportation and final classroom assignments before the September start.