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Parent urges clearer communication on Campbell–Moss cohort, raises safety and calendar concerns
Summary
A Metuchen parent told the June 10 school board meeting that families of a ‘boomerang’ kindergarten cohort need clearer messaging about transitions between Campbell and Moss, and raised safety concerns about construction worker parking during drop‑off and confusing calendar formatting.
A parent told the Metuchen Board of Education on June 10 that families in a “boomerang” kindergarten cohort need clearer, proactive communication about transitions between Campbell and Moss elementary schools, and raised safety concerns about construction workers parking on Bounty Street during student drop‑off.
“ I do feel like there is a lack of communication with the parents of this cohort specifically around what is going to happen and how it's being messaged to the students,” said Jen Zimmerman, a parent of four in the district, during the public comment period. She described students who will alternate between Campbell and Moss in successive years and said not all families heard the same messages; some parents, she said, were not present at graduations or orientation sessions where the topic was discussed.
Zimmerman said she appreciated Moss Principal Aspercolos’s remarks at Moss graduation but asked the district for a combined, proactive message from Moss and Campbell for families in the cohort, including suggested language parents can use at home to prepare children for the change. She also urged clearer advance notice about start times.
Zimmerman raised a safety concern tied to parking near Moss during PM drop‑off: “Parking on Bounty has been incredibly difficult, due to the construction staff members parking on Bounty ... I had to walk past all these cars, for construction workers who were parked on bounty. And I did not really understand … is there a way the board or whoever owns the contract could have these workers park at a different location?” she asked. Zimmerman noted the street is public but said the situation creates hazards for families with small children.
Board members responded that they welcome parent feedback. “We're always happy to take in feedback and think about how we can continue to improve with respect to communicating with our families,” said the board president during the meeting.
Separately, board member Mister Glassberg, reporting for the construction committee, said the district will hold an open public meeting on Monday, June 16, at 7 p.m. in the Metuchen High School library for construction updates and that referendum progress and new photos are posted on metuchenSchools.org under referendum updates.
Zimmerman also proposed a clearer school calendar presentation and suggested the district offer a downloadable Google calendar noting that “in service” days are not school days for students. The board thanked her for the suggestions.
No formal board action was taken at the meeting on the Campbell–Moss concerns; the comments were recorded during public comment and the board acknowledged the concerns and pointed to an upcoming construction update meeting and district communications as potential avenues for follow up.
