Nutley residents tell board unsafe drop-off, uncleared sidewalks endanger students
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Summary
Two residents urged the Nutley Board to address pickup/drop-off safety near Radcliffe School and to seek crossing guards and sidewalk clearance after near-miss incidents; the superintendent said the district is coordinating with Public Safety and will revisit problem areas.
At the Nutley Board of Education meeting Jan. 6, two residents described recent safety incidents around school arrival and dismissal and asked the district to help facilitate solutions with town agencies.
Kim Van Wert of 34 Ivy Place asked for a clear update on the middle-school transition and raised concerns about drop-off at Radcliffe School, saying that narrow two-way streets and double parking create dangerous conditions. "The rumor mill definitely flies ... are we gonna get an actual update about how it's going?" she asked, and described worries about heating, bathrooms and whether sixth graders would have gym class.
Superintendent Mister Benya replied that facilities work is progressing, noting rooms are framed and the district is working through final stages of HVAC and electrical. He said staffing surveys have been completed and administrators are scheduling classrooms and programs: "Everything's on track with our middle school media center," he said, and added district staff will continue to communicate and meet with principals.
Venus Hernandez of East Passaic Avenue said children have been struck or nearly struck near Center & Franklin and Center & Ravine and asked the district to help secure crossing guards. "There's been a lot of kids getting hit by cars," she said, and noted sidewalks near schools were not shoveled, forcing children into the street. Superintendent Benya said crossing guards are a Public Safety responsibility, but the district will continue conversations with the department to see what can be deployed.
The board closed the hearing-of-citizens portion after additional procedural motions. No formal board action on traffic engineering, crossing guards, or sidewalk enforcement was taken at the meeting; the superintendent said he would revisit specific locations with the principal and the chief of police and offered to follow up offline with residents.
