Collingswood residents to get answers on Call 911 policy
On Tuesday evening, dozens of Collingswood parents clad in matching blue will descend upon the Collingswood Senior Community Center, demanding answers from the school district and borough and law enforcement officials on a controversial policy to report nearly all incidents of student misbehavior to police.
On Tuesday evening, dozens of Collingswood parents clad in matching blue will descend upon the Collingswood Senior Community Center, demanding answers from the school district and borough and law enforcement officials on a controversial policy to report nearly all incidents of student misbehavior to police.
The 7 p.m. public forum - which many parents consider long overdue - will include Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo, Mayor James Maley, School Superintendent Scott Oswald, Police Chief Kevin Carey, and School Board President David Routzahn.
It will also welcome a new player into the fray: dozens of parents united in one voice as the newly formed Collingswood Educational Advocacy Group, which includes about three dozen parents who are the most vocal members of a more-than-300-member Facebook group.
The group has met several times in advance of Tuesday's meeting to strategize and compile a cohesive list of questions and demands, as well as assigning people who will tackle different agenda items.
Presenting a unified front - in ideology and appearance - has been a priority, parents said.
"We wanted to let them know we're coming in together as a group," said Lori Kerfren, whose daughter will start kindergarten this fall. "It's not just one person out there sort of on their own. There is a large number of parents who are really concerned."
They plan to ask questions ranging from details of how the policy was first implemented to what steps the district plans to take going forward.
And they have a few ideas of their own. Their demands: that their group meet regularly with district officials to discuss procedures within the schools; that the district amend its current policies so that parents are informed before police interview students; and - although not all parents agree - that Oswald resign.
That demand signals that the blame for the policy, which was in place from May 25 to June 17, has largely fallen upon the school district. After weeks of finger-pointing - the district said the Prosecutor's Office had issued a new policy while the Prosecutor's Office denied that - officials issued a joint statement July 5 saying the policy had been the result of a misunderstanding.
District parents, who were not notified about the new procedure until June 27, were hardly satisfied.
"There needs to be accountability. We're expecting that of our children," said Clinton Connor, who has two young children and has emerged as a leader in the group. "When they do something wrong, there's accountability. They don't get to just say it's a misunderstanding."
Oswald said Friday he had not heard of anyone calling for his resignation.
"To the contrary, those who have reached out to me directly have received timely responses complete with accurate information," he said. "They also seemed quite satisfied with the responses."
Still, all officials involved have conceded that communication was lacking.
Maley said he hopes Tuesday's meeting will clear up remaining confusion among parents, but said he doesn't "know that there will be much new to be said."
Still, "town meetings are always good," Maley said.
The Prosecutor's Office also expects a productive meeting, according to a spokesman.
The forum will begin with brief comments from officials, and then open to public comment. It will be streamed live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/collingswood-town-forum.
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