Parents and students ask board to fund Jewish Student Alliance after advisor steps back amid contract impasse

Several parents and a former club advisor supporter told the Montgomery Township Board of Education the Jewish Student Alliance (JSA) at Montgomery High School has operated without district funding since it formed in 2022 and is currently unable to meet after its faculty advisor stepped back amid the districtcontract impasse.

Elliot Samble, a parent, described the club's origins and its role for Jewish students. "The purpose of the club, like any cultural club, was meant to create a space for Jewish students to celebrate Jewish culture, traditions, and allow students of similar faith to interact, feel seen, and included," Samble said. He told the board that in October 2023, following mass-casualty events overseas, the club became "an invaluable asset" for students seeking mutual support.

Samble said the club operated with volunteer faculty advisor Matthew Pflug and with student bylaws and leadership, but that the advisor is no longer available to serve because of the ongoing contract negotiations. "So, we are left without an advisor and the JSA is unable to meet," Samble said, and asked the board to explain why the club remains unfunded nearly four years after formation.

Landa Samuel, also speaking on behalf of the students, said the JSA is not listed under the high school's co-curricular activities on the district website and that the absence of funding and an advisor meant the group could not meet during recent moments when students sought peer support and celebration.

Speakers asked the board to consider funding the club or otherwise enabling it to operate with an advisor in place; no formal board action was taken during the meeting. Board members did not announce new funding for the JSA at the session.