Trenton Central High School (TCHS) is the primary high school in the Trenton, NJ school district. Sadly, it is falling apart; and students are stuck with an unsafe school, pitiful conditions, and uncertainty in their future.

Your support can change that.

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What needs to be done

The school needs immediate repairs.  There are crumbling walls, missing ceiling tiles, water damage, broken floors, damaged windows, mold, and the roof leaks throughout the building.  Students eat in a cafeteria with a cracking, crumbling ceiling, have classes in rooms with broken floors, and walk halls with electrical outlets in need of immediate repair.  This is going to require everyone to come to the table, plan this properly, and act on a comprehensive repair plan.

There has been a lot of political wrangling from all sides and red tape to add to the confusion, but the goal is clear.  While the State's School Development Authority (SDA) has promised, in January 2013, a plan to do marginal repairs, these repairs would not begin until the middle of Summer 2014 and the school's interior would not receive repairs until 2015.  Each time the school district has requested to perform large-scale repairs on its own, the SDA turns down those requests citing that these repairs are best completed by the SDA.  The SDA has since fallen far behind in keeping the public informed (promised monthly and quarterly reports have not been released and as of the New Year, follow-up meetings with the assigned working group have not happened according to the District) and it is not clear when these repairs will actually start. Furthermore, the scope of the repairs will cover just a portion of what's needed - and given the known existence of asbestos in the building, these students need a complete remediation.  A comprehensive solution and complete transparency is all we humbly ask for.

We need, as a City, community, and State, to come together, to work together, and to act immediately to craft a better way forward.  Governor Christie has shown willingness to lead in other pressing issues; we just ask him to be a part of this effort for worthy students - some of whom have shared with me that they want come back to teach at TCHS, but are worried that the school may not be there to welcome them back because of all the compounded damage.  We ask him to visit, see things for himself, and to make sure our students receive the complete attention that they deserve and have patiently waited for for over a decade.

Who we are

S.O.S.TCHS is an independent, non-partisan, volunteer organization led by Trenton Central High School (TCHS) alumni, former educators & administrators, and concerned city residents.  We care deeply about TCHS because we have deep roots in the school, its city, and most importantly, we want to support the students who proudly attend and excel at TCHS.

How you can help

Simple: sign the petition by clicking the 'Sign' button.  To make more of an impact, share this petition with two friends - just two - and tell them that they can share it with two friends.  Your impact will multiply powerfully.

We would also love to have you share your story and your thoughts, whether you are a parent, student, teacher, or concerned citizen.  You don't have to be from Trenton to care about this issue; safe, healthy, and empowering learning environments is something we should all support.  Find us at sostchs.org - facebook.com/sostchs - twitter.com/sostchs - or contact me at adam@sostchs.org.

Thank you for your support!

Best,

Adam Porroni / SOSTCHS / Trenton, NJ