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Parents tell Caldwell West Caldwell board the middle-school 'deprivation of privileges' policy punishes vulnerable students
Summary
Three residents said the district’s middle-school rule barring students who fail a core class from end-of-year activities amounts to punitive exclusion for vulnerable students; the board thanked speakers and the superintendent offered to meet to discuss next steps.
Michelle Quick, a West Caldwell resident, told the Caldwell West Caldwell Board of Education on Monday that a middle-school policy barring students who fail a core class from end-of-year activities is “cruel and unjust punishment” that disproportionately harms vulnerable children.
Quick said the policy keeps students who fail a core class from attending events such as the pool party, the promotion ceremony and the class trip, leaving “one or two” students each year excluded from celebrations their classmates enjoy. “These social activities have nothing to do with academics,” she said, arguing exclusion can make already at-risk students into social outcasts and worsen barriers related to language or difficult home circumstances.
Another speaker, Michelle Coro, said she supports Quick and asked the board to align the middle-school rule with the high-school policy, which links loss of privileges to habitual disciplinary referrals rather than a single academic failure. “The academic concerns is the thing that needs to be removed from this policy,” Coro said, noting that a single failed class alerts the whole grade and can lead to public embarrassment.
Carmel DeMarzo, also a resident, urged the board to favor constructive remedies such as remedial instruction or summer help instead of exclusion, saying: “This policy is ridiculous…they're punishing the child for failing a grade.”
Board members responded by thanking the speakers for raising concerns and stressing the district’s commitment to supporting the whole child, not only academic metrics. The board president said the administration will discuss the issue further. Superintendent Dr. Punggol offered to meet with Quick over the summer to review the policy and possible alternatives: “If you could just send me an email, I'll schedule some time to talk about [this] with you over the summer. I'm happy to meet with you.”
The public comment exchange wrapped with the board saying it would take the concerns to staff for follow-up; the meeting then proceeded to an executive session.
Ending: The board invited the public to return for the next regular meeting July 29 at the high school and said it would continue to consider the concerns raised about the middle-school policy.
