The Board of Education and Superintendent Get Served

News Release June 24, 2013

PERTH AMBOY —Parents affected by the change in schedule for both the middle school and high school graduation ceremony submitted a Petition of appeal with the NJ State Commissioner of Education yesterday. The graduation time change controversy arose when Dr. Janine Caffrey change the time honored tradition of holding the High School ceremony from 6:00 PM to 9:00 AM. The graduation ceremony has historically been held at 6:00 PM for almost 40 years. In changing the high school graduation ceremony time, the middle school’s graduation ceremony was also changed to June 26th, when normally it would have been scheduled on the same day as the high school ceremony at an earlier time.

The change in graduation schedule and time has caused a financial hardship to individuals who are not able to take a day off of work or who cannot take two days off of work. “I have two graduations to attend, and I can only lose one day of work, [and] I am barely making ends meet, and surviving paycheck to paycheck” Elizabeth Morabito-Gonzalez said. “Being that the high school graduation time was held at 6:00 PM for so many years, I made the plans with my company around that time, and now may not be able to see one of my daughters graduate from middle school,” she said.

Concerned parents and students voiced their concerns publicly at the Board of Education meetings on May 23rd, and June 17th, presenting them with findings of a survey and petition collected on June 1st. The results of these findings were emailed to Dr. Caffrey on June 7, 2013, however, despite the survey and petition efforts, it was resolved by the school board and Caffrey that the graduation time controversy would not be voted on, or be placed on the June 20th agenda.

“I’m saddened that due to the time change, my own family can’t see my daughter graduate from high school,” Vanessa Fernandez said, “Considering this is a milestone event, and she is the oldest grandchild, and the first to graduate high school,” she said. “We did the superintendent’s job, and gathered a survey, that should’ve been done at the beginning of the school year so that the parents and families could have planned accordingly,” Fernandez said. “In our survey, over

90% of the participants believe the new time of 9:00 am is an inconvenience, and favored a 6:00 PM time.”

The petition filed before the the New Jersey Commissioner of Education alleges policy

violations, and seeks the Commissioner to intervene on the parents and pupils behalf: “We

brought up this graduation issue numerous times to both the board of education members and to Dr. Caffery but our voice fell on deaf ears,” Anthony Bermudez said. “Dr. Caffrey never contacted the families to discuss the issue of changing the graduation time, and how it would impact families and students. She made the decision on her own to change the graduation time, which is why we had to take this matter to the next level.” This hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, June 25, 2013 at 1:30 PM in Newark, NJ. The next board of education meeting is

scheduled to be on Tuesday, June 25, 2013 at the McGinnis School at 6:00 PM because the

previous June 20th meeting had a fire alarm evacuation.