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Parent urges board to move special‑education classrooms out of basements
Summary
At public comment, a parent urged the board to prioritize relocating special‑education classrooms out of basement spaces, saying basement placement harms students’ dignity and that many families fear speaking up.
At the June 16 meeting, Katie McDerm spoke during public comment and urged the Roselle Park Board of Education to make moving special‑education classrooms out of basements a priority.
McDerm, who said she was speaking as an individual, told the board that placing special‑education classes in basement spaces “affects a child's sense of self” and that silence from many parents should not be read as indifference. "Their silence isn't the same as indifference," she said, urging the board to address classroom location as part of facilities planning.
McDerm asked the board to treat relocation as a substantive priority rather than a peripheral maintenance issue. The administration previously highlighted ongoing facility upgrades during the superintendent’s presentation; however, no formal motion to change classroom locations was recorded during the meeting and district leaders did not announce an immediate timeline for moving any classrooms.
The comment adds to the record of community concern about facility equity and will be part of standard public‑comment minutes; affected parents said they want the board to include space equity in its strategic‑plan and facilities prioritization conversations.
