Citizen’s Campaign’s Aneil Mohammed (left) with Board of Education Member William Ortiz

PERTH AMBOY – Our “Empowering Perth Amboy Parents & Students” Conference was a great success!

1. We learned that a Code of Student Conduct is a document that establishes standards for positive student development, but is more effective when thought of as a “Covenant” of Student Conduct, constructed and agreed to by the entire community so that it becomes more than just a piece of paper.

2. We learned there is a legal requirement that the Code of Student Conduct be renewed annually and that it involve parents, students, and community members. This means parents, students and the community have a legal right to be involved determining our children’s standards of behavior and the things that we do to help them meet those standards.

3. We learned that there are proven best practices emerging in forward-thinking cities that are increasing graduation rates and decreasing dropout rates when the community takes responsibility to implement them.

4. Finally, we learned that the Perth Amboy BOE, under the new President and Interim Superintendent, are fully committed to improving our City’s Code of Student Conduct with the help of the entire community. They have already taken important first steps towards this goal by establishing a Code of Conduct Committee.

I hope we can work together to continue developing best practice solutions to address issues affecting our educational system. All are invited to our next Education Subcommittee meeting on Thursday, April 24 at the JRMC at 275 Hobart Street, in the 2nd floor Community Room at 5:30 p.m. We’ll discuss the next steps for increasing parental engagement in the decision-making process in Perth Amboy. RSVP at Aneil@thecitizenscampaign.org or (732) 548-9798 x3.

Keep the conversation going on our new online forum onNJSpotlight.com. We are co-hosting this forum to provide the opportunity for those interested in education to engage in a discussion of ideas and best practices. Log on to NJSpotlight.com and join the conversation with the state’s opinion leaders and education experts.

Thanks to all who came out, and all those who are committed to taking on this important task as we move toward a brighter future for our youth. I look forward to working with each of you!

– Aneil Mohammed