200 Supporters and STRONG!!!!

We would like to thank all the supporters and concerned families with over 200 signatures driven organically and $81 dollars in support to this petition.  

In the last update we shared genuine concerns of broad impact. With school opening, this is now a reality. 

1. A parent has had to change the hours he/she can be at work impacting livelihoods.
2. A parent shared that "Mandatory return to work" policies have put parents in the line of job loss jeopardy.
3.  A parent told us that they are spending over two hours running across town to pick up kids from various schools. 
4. Parents are being forced to buy cell phones and other communication devices breaking their own desire to keep children device free - which also 

We are overwhelmed with the amount of stories and concerns. Parents are mad. They are worried. They are concerned. 

What can you do?

On September 18th, at 6pm on Wednesday, the is a public board of education meeting starting at 6PM. The events page says "BOE - Regular Public Meeting." Missing information is location and room. Go to the High School south west entrance (200 Lake St, South Plainfield, NJ 07080).

ASK: Your presence to demonstrate support and if willing speak up. You will have less than 3 minutes. Talk about how this has impacted you. Be polite and respectful. 

Some of you have asked what is BOE - It stands for Board of Education. 

A WIN: In last months meeting parents missed the chance to speak due to confusing information in the events page. You will see that In August, public session started at 7pm when in fact it was held between 6-7pm. Parents wasted over a month and lost time to find alternates.

Our emails have resulted in the district changing all meeting times to 6pm and a single line item. Thank you BOE. Oh! We were thanking Board of Education. 

How Piscataway Board of Education keeps children first. 

A parent in Piscataway told us a story where 4 children were impacted because the district moved a bus stop from outside their neighborhood (150 yards to furthest house) out in the opposite direction from the school resulting in a 10 minute walk (0.4 miles).

A single parent spoke to the district who explained to the parent that the district had to make the change because of bus route changes. The bus was being rerouted away from that stop. The parent explained:

1. They live 0.6 miles, or a 12 minute walk to middle school
2. The new stop is in the opposite direction and a 10 minute walk, or 0.4 miles. 
3. Are paying for subscription bussing AND the only time they really need the bus is in winter or bad weather. The parents commute and could be stuck in traffic in those situations. 
4. Only four 10-13 year olds impacted in that school year. 

Guess what Piscataway did? Reworked the routes and changed the bus stop back to where it was. Why? Children and safety matters. 

Fun puzzle: Here is the Piscataway Townships website. Can you find the transportation page and details? Yep easy. Its on the main left hand navigation page.

Lets look for this on spboe.org . Oh SPBOE stands for South Plainfield Board Of Education (this is the "South Plainfield Schools Website" incase you were wondering). Did you find the information on the main page? Perhaps you typed "transportation" in the search bar. Yep no luck.

Here is how you find it:

1. Click on Menu
2. Look for "Bylaws, Policies, and Regulations" and click it. 
3. You will be navigated to a black and white page. Don't worry we know that the logo is broken and a five year old made it. Its legitimate and safe. 
4. Click on Policies. 
5. A search bar will appear. Type in "8600" (don't ask why, we will explain later)
6. A table will appear. Click on "8600 Student Transportation."
7. Ta Da!!! You have now successfully reached a page that your $1000 dollar per hour retainer lawyer can interpret for you.  No. On a serious note, its to make sure parents maintain a healthy mental state.

Check out Edison - if you are interested. Simple. 

Email us parentsofsouthplainfieldnj@gmail.com, keep sharing, and please send your concerns to BoardMembersEmail@spboe.org

Safety and Security of our Children is Non-Negotiable