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Parents raise concerns after East Rutherford pre-K placements send some students to Rutherford; district says bus service will be provided
Summary
A crossing guard told the East Rutherford Board of Education that parents are upset some pre-K placements are at a Rutherford facility; district officials said limited classroom space required the placement but that courtesy bus service will be available and sibling placements will be preserved when possible.
Cornelia Weiss, a crossing guard who lives in East Rutherford, told the board on June 23 that parents are “up in arms” after learning some pre-K students were assigned to a Kiddie Academy in Rutherford and asked whether families would have to transport children themselves.
“We're getting a lot of scuff from the parents regarding the pre k bus,” Weiss said during the public‑comment period, asking how the district will handle morning and afternoon drops when children switch between Mackenzie and the out‑of‑town site.
Interim Superintendent Frank Scarifield said the assignments were driven by a shortage of classroom space in the district and by the partner facility’s experience implementing the state preschool expansion program. He said a courtesy bus will be provided for pre‑K students who opt in, but that parents are free to drop off and pick up if they prefer.
“It all depends because…we're limited on space within Mackenzie. So that's why we have…3 classrooms over there. There’ll be 45 students in that particular school,” Scarifield said, describing the initial classroom and student counts for the off‑site placement.
Board members and administrators told Weiss that families had been notified of placements and that the district collected information about before‑ and after‑care and whether parents intended to use bus service. They said siblings already attending Mackenzie would not be split up “for everyone's ease.”
District staff encouraged parents with questions to call the district for clarifications and said families could opt onto the bus after enrollment if they initially declined.
What happened next: The board moved to executive session and returned to complete business; the district did not announce any policy change at the meeting. The district’s statements at the meeting indicate the placement is a response to limited in‑district capacity and that the district intends to provide transportation for enrolled pre‑K students who request it.
Evidence: The public comment and district responses were made during the public‑comment segment beginning with Cornelia Weiss’s remarks and the superintendent’s replies during the June 23 meeting.
