To: Metuchen Board of Education

Make Edgar Middle School safe and welcoming for our children

On Thursday, my child arrived home to tell me that the 7th graders at Edgar Middle School had to sit in silence during lunchtime because of several disruptive students in the lunchroom. The students remained in the lunchroom for so long that an announcement was made that the students would be late to their next class.

This is one of a series of judgment calls made in the last year by school administration to manage student behavior (2024 police threats in classrooms is another example).

Hearing these stories about our children brings forth confusion, anger, and frustration.

Even more, since last year, numerous parents have sought to meet with and learn from Edgar administration and Metuchen’s superintendent about the circumstances of these events. Very few, if any of them, received clear if any responses.

We deserve answers for our children.

I am asking you to join me, and other parents, in seeking an explanation about the climate at Edgar and the rationale for the behavioral approaches we have consistently seen in the school.

I believe the following areas will help us gain immediate clarity:

1. Comparison to other Metuchen schools

a. Disciplinary statistics for the past 5 years, since this administration took over.

2. Follow up from the 2024 “parent survey”

a. Detailed information for the fall of 2024 “parent survey” beyond the short summary provided in December 2024.

3. Comparison to NJ schools

a. Results of the NJ School Climate Survey from March 2025

Many of us has tried alone. It’s time to come together.

Why is this important?

Please comment on the change you’d like to see at Edgar, and share with others if you feel so inclined.

Updates

2025-05-20 14:57:10 -0400

We’re scheduled for Thursday afternoon. I also have another talking point:
3. Parents feel as though administration is unwilling to listen to concerns from the community. This is the likely reason for the poor response rate for the parent survey.
Will let everyone know how the meeting goes, and please feel free to contact me with additional issues you might have. Thank you!

2025-05-19 19:10:54 -0400

Thank you all for signing, there’s power in numbers. Just a quick update - Mrs. Acevedo heard about the petition and asked to meet with me to discuss the community’s concerns. It’s not scheduled yet, and I’ll keep you posted but in the meantime here are the things I intend to discuss:
1. End or limit collective punishments. Don’t punish a whole class for the behavior of a few.
2. Review infractions in the context of the offense and assign a penalty that fits the offense. This might mean leniency for first time offenders and a more harsh punishment for chronic offenders. Utilize restorative justice whenever possible to emphasize the importance of fixing the problem the offense caused.
These are the issues I’ve heard most often, but I know there are more. Please feel free to email me [email protected] if there are any other trends you’ve noticed and would like represented. Thank you!

2025-05-15 00:54:04 -0400

25 signatures reached

2025-05-14 07:53:20 -0400

10 signatures reached