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Jackson Township pauses common lunch and tables mental-health grant for proposed flexible learning academy after public outcry
Summary
Superintendent Permeli described a grant-funded pilot "Flexible Learning Academy" to support students with chronic behavior and absenteeism; parents, students and residents said the pause of common lunch and use of mental-health funds for a small pilot unfairly penalized the larger student body. The board voted to table the grant allocation pending further information from the state.
Superintendent Permeli and district staff presented an early draft of a Flexible Learning Academy — an after‑school, short‑term, tier‑3 intervention aimed at students struggling with chronic discipline, substance-related incidents, tardiness and absenteeism. Dr. Galeski, assistant superintendent, described a pilot of two in-person classrooms running roughly 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., with transportation, counseling, a coordinator, nurse and security, paid initially through a newly awarded mental-health grant.
The superintendent framed the change as a response to a troubling shift in high‑school culture and student safety. "This pause gives us the opportunity to work through those challenges and build a version of common lunch... that achieves all the benefits we love about common lunch without the risks," Superintendent Permeli said, adding that the pause is "a pause, not an end." Dr. Galeski said the pilot is intended as a short-term support to return students to the typical high‑school schedule once they demonstrate readiness.
Public commenters — students, parents, and residents — pressed for data and questioned the proposal's design and equity. Students said losing common lunch removed club meeting time, rehearsal and a critical decompression period; one student said the change has disrupted band practice and clubs. Parents raised concerns about transportation, staffing, sustainability beyond the pilot year and whether grant funds should be deployed to serve a small cohort instead of broader mental-health supports. One parent questioned whether the program would inadvertently reward misbehavior by offering later hours.
Board members and administrators acknowledged the concerns and said more information is needed. The board voted to table programs item 22 (the proposed use of the mental-health grant to stand up the pilot) pending additional information from the Department of Education and further internal analysis; the motion to table carried. Superintendent Permeli said the district will share additional details about program costs, anticipated enrollment, and whether the grant could be resubmitted or repurposed, and reiterated the district aims to restore common lunch once problems are resolved.
Next steps: the board requested specific reporting back from administration and the Department of Education about grant conditions and potential alternative uses; item 22 will return to a future public meeting only after those questions are answered.
