Teachers say planned schedule change would erode Bayonne High School science labs

Two Bayonne High School educators told the Bayonne Board of Education that a proposed scheduling change in the district’s Genesis program would remove a dedicated science lab period for level and honors classes and significantly reduce hands‑on laboratory instruction.

Patricia Monaco, who identified herself as an educator with 37 years in the district, said many lab activities cannot be completed in a single 40‑minute class. "There is no way that all of the labs that I currently do in my A‑level class can be accommodated in a 40‑minute class period," Monaco said, adding that breaking labs across days would reduce instructional continuity and could increase expenses for disposable safety equipment.

Andrea Ritar, also identified as an educator at the high school, echoed those concerns. Ritar said sanitizing goggles and preparing equipment take time that is not easily compressed into a short period between consecutive classes. She said some labs cannot be paused and completed over two days without harming learning outcomes and that the change appears driven by scheduling pressure (including more students taking PE during zero period), rather than instructional needs.

Both speakers said they had not received a clear explanation for the schedule change from district staff and urged the board to reconsider. They questioned whether the district's adoption of scheduling practices used elsewhere (they cited Jersey City and other nearby districts as comparisons in remarks) was a sufficient justification for reducing lab time in Bayonne.

The board’s public record for the March 18 meeting shows these concerns were raised during the public‑comment period; the transcript does not record a board vote or formal administrative response on this scheduling issue during the session. No specific written proposal or board agenda item adopting the schedule change appears in the public portion of the meeting transcript.