Parents press Secaucus board on inclusive special education and homeschool access to athletics

At the public‑comment portion of the Secaucus Board of Education meeting, parent and resident Anthony Grenieri urged the board to adopt fuller inclusion for students with IEPs and to reinstate regular reporting on special education. "This town must follow suit," Grenieri said, urging the board to expand integrated K–5 classrooms and to plan for future grant requirements.

Grenieri said he believes the district currently offers only one second‑grade classroom that combines students with and without IEPs in a full‑day, dual‑certified setting with aide support, and he pressed the board to broaden that model across K–5.

Another resident, Rizalyn Campo, asked the board to allow homeschooled students to join Secaucus high‑school athletic teams. She said her son, now enrolled in an online high‑school program, would like to play his senior year and pointed out that "the state does allow homeschooled students to participate in interscholastic sports," adding that many New Jersey districts permit such participation with district approval.

A board member responded that the homeschool participation question was discussed in 2022 and said that to reopen the policy for committee consideration the board would need majority interest. "Until a majority of the board wants to get on board and have a conversation about it, we cannot make any changes to the policies or bring it up in committee," the board member said, noting the procedural requirement of five members to move the item to committee.

Board members also acknowledged Grenieri’s concerns about special education, with the chair saying the district takes special education seriously and thanking him for raising the issue. No new policy was adopted at the meeting; both public requests were acknowledged and the board indicated next steps would require committee support or further administrative follow up.