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Parents and preschool staff press board for a dedicated preschool building and stronger special‑education engagement
Summary
At the Gloucester Township Board meeting, preschool staff and parents urged the board to pursue a dedicated preschool facility to address space and supervision problems; special‑education parents asked for better outreach to families and confirmation that choice/homeschool options won’t jeopardize IEP services.
Preschool teachers and parents urged the Gloucester Township Board of Education to move forward on a district goal to study a dedicated preschool facility, and special‑education families pressed administrators for more consistent outreach and parent involvement.
Taylor Burke, a Laurel Springs resident and preschool teacher at Glen Landing, told the board the current preschool program faces persistent facility challenges — shared bathrooms, limited outdoor gross‑motor space and disruptive transitions — and said a dedicated building would allow the program to serve all preschool‑age children who live in the township. “We have constant obstacles due to our program being housed in facilities that weren't built for preschool,” Burke said, adding that a dedicated building would reduce transitions and increase support from the special‑services team.
Assistant Superintendent Tro said the district placed a goal on the agenda to “explore options for a dedicated preschool building” and noted the board’s ECAC (Early Childhood Advisory Committee) and preschool supervisor coordinate family and community engagement. In response to questions about ECAC membership and meeting cadence, Tro said staff try to include teachers, parents and community stakeholders and that scheduling and parent participation can be challenging.
On special education, Dr. Martin (Department of Special Services) said the district conducts periodic parent surveys and hosts meetings, including a series scheduled this year (Dec. 10, Dec. 14 and March 12) to increase outreach in partnership with the Camden County family‑support organization. He acknowledged past low turnout despite outreach and said administration uses surveys and varying meeting times to improve attendance.
Parent Kelly Porter said she recently moved her son to homeschooling after he struggled in a classroom setting and asked whether choosing homeschool or applying to outside choice schools would threaten her son's rights to services. Board attorney Dan Long and district staff said the district would follow up in writing if any application issues were identified and reiterated that families generally retain rights to services while pursuing choice or homeschool options.
Why it matters: the requests touch facilities planning, budget and equity. A dedicated preschool building would require capital planning and funding decisions. Greater family participation in special‑education planning would affect how the district implements supports and communicates available services.
Next steps: staff said they will share additional information about ECAC membership and meeting notices, post relevant files to district folders on request, and follow up directly with concerned parents about choice/homeschool applications.
