Camden schools chief vows outreach

CAMDEN Following an alarming survey in which more than half the students in some Camden schools said they felt unsafe, the district superintendent announced at the monthly school board advisory meeting Tuesday a series of town hall forums and focus groups on the state of the city's schools.

Paymon Rouhanifard said he would hold town hall meetings at Creative Arts Morgan Village Academy on Nov. 12, Bonsall Family School on Nov. 14, Woodrow Wilson High School on Nov. 20, and Molina Elementary School on Nov. 21. All meetings are scheduled for 6 p.m.

He will also hold focus groups with students, teachers, parents, and support staff, all part of what he calls his listening tour.

Rouhanifard, appointed this summer by Gov. Christie after the state took over the struggling district, has said he will release a districtwide plan in December. In an interview after the survey was released Monday, Rouhanifard promised to implement "dramatic changes."

He said improvements were underway, saying the "safe corridors" program, which includes increased patrols near schools at arrival and dismissal, has already resulted in drug-related arrests. He has more plans to involve the community in the program in the next two weeks.

Nearly half of 2,500 students in grades three to five, and a third of 1,750 students in grades six to 12, said they did not always feel safe in hallways and bathrooms, according to the survey, conducted in June by the district and Rutgers University's Bloustein Center for Survey Research.

856-779-3876 @juliaterruso