Mother urges Gloucester Township schools to review special‑education placement for her son; superintendent pledges follow‑up

Kelly Porter, a parent, addressed the board during public comment with an emotional appeal about her 10‑year‑old son's special‑education placement and communication failures from the district's child study team (CST).

"My son is on the spectrum...He has severe sensory processing disorder and autism and a communication impairment," Porter said, describing that district staff assigned her son to a general‑education classroom with pull‑out support despite his prior LLD (learning and language disability) placement. She told the board she and her husband moved back to Gloucester Township specifically for the district's services and said multiple emails to the CST director had gone unanswered since June.

Porter urged immediate action and requested a meeting with the superintendent and CST staff, saying she would pursue the New Jersey Department of Education if local steps did not resolve the situation. "I will spend every day advocating for Gregory...I will not sit idle," she said.

District response: The superintendent (addressing Porter from the dais) said his office would arrange a meeting and that his assistant would reach out the next day to schedule it. He said he would review the case with special‑services staff and that further investigation might be necessary. A district staff member informed the public during the meeting that Erica Wisely, who Porter had emailed, is no longer employed by Gloucester Township Public Schools.

Why it matters: The exchange raised an active, unresolved parental complaint about an individual student's placement and communication from CST. The superintendent's offer of a meeting starts a local process; Porter indicated she would escalate to the state education department if the family felt local remedies failed.

Next steps: The superintendent committed to arranging a meeting; no formal board action or vote on the individual case occurred during the session. The family and administrators are expected to meet and review the child's documentation and placement as the board's staff investigate further.

Sources: Kelly Porter (public commenter), superintendent remarks recorded during public comment.