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is suspended, a parent must come to school for a “re-entry meeting,” otherwise that student “can’t come back.”

The parent who spoke out at the reorganization meeting emphasized from her seat that, “We need solutions,” causing the superintendent to reply, “We are working on some things.”

“We didn’t get here quickly,” Havers added. “It is going to take a lot of work to get us out of this.”

That remark from the superintendent, however, caused the parent to emphasize to him, “We have to act fast – this is a mental health crisis in our schools.”

The parent’s account followed a board meeting this past October in which Rob Horn, president of the Pemberton Township Education Association (PTEA) described “out-of-control behavior” in several district schools, including at that early point in the school year, “50 fights at the middle school already,” in addition to “assaults on staff members and students.”

A district administrator, Rita Jenkins, at a subsequent board meeting this past November, acknowledged that there had also been “inappropriate touching among students.”

A school spokeswoman, when later asked about the remark, contended the incident happened at Helen Fort Middle School and “there were students playing tag and one student inadvertently touched the chest of another student during the game.”

And also during the November session – the last one before the Jan. 6 reorganization meeting – a veteran educator of two decades told the board, “I am getting close to being at the end of my rope,” due to the behavioral issues, noting school security staff had been called to her classroom several times over the last couple of months.

Sworn-in to three-year terms on the board Jan. 6 were Carmen Bivens (who had been filling an unexpired term since last year), as well as newcomer Roberto Fernandez (who has been a Pemberton resident since the 1970s and was a 26-year district teacher, in addition to serving in the National Guard for 27 years). Newcomers Robert King (a scoutmaster and coach who has lived in the township since 1996 and has three kids currently in three of the district’s schools) and Lionel Lee were also sworn-in to one-year terms.

Lee – a now-former basketball coach for the district who pointed out that his military service was what brought him to the township – was the only board member to address the ongoing concerns head-on during the board’s reorganization meeting, noting he believes in the school’s mantra, ‘You can get there from here,” because all of his kids, who attended township schools, got college degrees – including master’s degrees.

“I don’t subscribe to the notion that Pemberton is a bad school district and you can’t get things accomplished here,” Lee asserted. “It is all about the individual, and if you want education, you can get it from around here.”

Lee, who pointed out that he is a retired federal corrections officer who worked at Fort Dix (Federal Bureau of Prisons) for 25 years, and spent 15 years in the military, said to the concerned mother that his history with the local school district goes back some 20 years [with his daughter having graduated in 2007, and later his boys] and “all those things you brought up, I’ve done here before.”

“The ‘Dad’s on Duty’ was called ‘Pemberton Parent Control’ in the early 2000s,” he said. “And a couple of my guys from the federal prison over here walked the halls and were welcomed by the superintendent and principals. I have had inmates in here talking to students. I have taken students inside the jail to talk to inmates. So, over the last 20 years, all the things you referenced, I have done.”

Havers was seen taking notes as Lee spoke. Lee noted he will be “getting in here” and will “not be hard to find” during his term and “is committed to this,” adding he had already advised the superintendent of that.

“I am 100 percent for the kids, and I have been doing that for the last 20 years, and that position is not going to change,” Lee declared. “I welcome the opportunity to work with you guys and am looking forward to it.”

It was not a decisive decision for the board’s leadership choices in the new year.

When nominations were opened for board president, Board Member Sheri Lowery, who recently discussed her experience working in several inner-city schools, nominated Board Member Wanda Knox. The latter did not secure enough votes, however, for the top post, and had even voted against herself for the position. Instead, a nomination for Bauer to again serve as board president passed 8-1, with Lowery casting the lone opposing vote.

Lowery, following that vote, nominated Knox for board vice president. However, Bauer nominated Terry Maldonado, the second longest serving board member, serving the public body since 2013, and who previously filled the post.

But Knox became the board’s new vice president in a 6-3 vote. Voting in opposition were Bauer, Maldonado and Bivens. Knox noted it was “very hard” for her to cast a vote for herself, instead of Maldonado.

Havers – in a rare move – asked to speak again at the very end of the reorganization meeting to further address the concerns of the parent who spoke out. He noted “one of the biggest challenges” that the district has right now is “fighting to keep our schools open.”

“It is not easy,” he maintained. “I applaud our staff – they have done an amazing job throughout. … We are moving people around and everybody is pitching in – because we have a lot of staff out. But we are managing, not as well as we want, but certainly better than having kids stay home. With the impact we saw from remote learning last year, I feel like any more remote learning will set us back socially and emotionally, in addition to academically. So, we are going to try to stay open!”

Having to close schools for the pandemic, he acknowledged, “set us back socially, emotionally and academically” and “it is going to take years to recover.”

“And I don’t want to go backwards anymore,” he added.

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