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Residents press Rochelle Park board on missed flag salutes and Williams Street parking safety
Summary
During public comment residents said students were not consistently reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and raised safety concerns about parking on Williams Street; administrators said the pledge is being directed in classrooms and the board is monitoring parking plans tied to county road work.
Two residents raised separate but related community concerns at the Sept. 24 Rochelle Park Board of Education meeting: one about safety at the Williams Street parking area and another about inconsistent performance of the Pledge of Allegiance and missing classroom flags.
Resident Mr. Puzzuto told the board he had "close calls where people have almost been hit" in the Williams Street parking lot and said his wife nearly was struck. He also reported that his daughter told him "the students are not doing the flag salute in school and on back to school night the flag in his daughter’s classroom was not hanging up," and asked why that was happening and whether the district was complying with state law.
Superintendent Dr. Sue DeNobile responded that every classroom should have a flag and that teachers can submit work tickets if a flag is missing. On the pledge, she said the practice had been inconsistent across classrooms; "This year it has been directed to be done in the classroom vs over the loudspeaker," she said. Dr. DeNobile explained that morning meetings will bring K–5 students to the gym so they can do the pledge together and that older students will continue with their established routines.
Board President Matt Trawinski and member Scott Kral said new morning procedures — including the temporary gym closure and changed drop-off routines — may have contributed to inconsistencies and emphasized that safety and getting students into the building are priorities. Township liaison and former board member Mrs. Judge Cravello, speaking both as a liaison and a resident, praised the 9/11 ceremony and said she had never found the school to be "unpatriotic."
On parking, the board explained it had delayed parking-lot work because of pending county decisions about Rochelle Ave as part of Rt. 17 expansion; Mr. Kral said the district wants to wait for county plans before making changes to the teacher parking lot and Williams Street access.
Administrators said they would remind staff to activate existing air-purification units and will continue communication with parents about routines and safety.
