NJ Education Report

On October 12th, Asbury Park School District students entered buildings to eat breakfast before taking the state Start Strong diagnostic assessments. This is what they were fed:

What is that? According to staff members, exactly what they got for breakfast four other times this past six weeks: a shrink-wrapped cold slice of sausage pizza, warm milk, and an orange. Many kids tossed it in the trash and so didn’t eat until lunchtime.

It’s unclear what they were given for lunch.

We understand there are problems in the pipeline: other districts have had problems procuring appropriate meals for students too. But really? Cold sausage pizza for breakfast?

It could be worse. They could live in Paterson.

In other Asbury Park news, word is that at tonight’s School Board meeting the agenda will include new business items not listed in the current agenda. Among those is the promotion of Lauren Jackson as the principal of Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, replacing Reginald Mirthil. Mirthil resigned after a series of retaliatory actions against him because he wouldn’t “play ball with the Carteret Cartel,” the clique that revolves around former Carteret principal/Asbury Park superintendent/Gov. Murphy’s Commissioner and current Kean University president Lamont Repollet. Mirthil was a well-liked principal who became even more popular after he wrote a letter, published here, explaining he spoke for the “silent majority who are publicly misrepresented as the minority through fear and coercion,” which has resulted in “families fleeing,” “lack of an instructional program,” “disregard of the special ed population,” and “manipulation of federal dollars to meet the personal needs of the gang/organized crime group.”

Jackson, say inside sources, lacks the three years of teaching experience required for a principalship but the Board has changed the job description to accomodate her inexperience.

Also, rumor has it that the Board may go ahead and appoint Acting Superintendent Rashawn Adams as permanent superintendent after paying the NJ School Boards Association $12,500 for a legitimate search.