JACKSON – For months now, Board of Education meetings in the township have been forums to oppose Governor Phil Murphy’s school mask mandate and call for officials to fight against them.
This week parents did more than raise their voices at the podium during a public comment period. They engaged in what was called “Operation: Shoe Drop.”
If the governor imposes a vaccine mandate for students, then parents are threatening to pull their children from the district. On December 12, parents further showed their unity by posting photos featuring signs and shoes that were placed at the school administration building property. One of the signs left there featured the words, “Don’t be Phil Murphy’s puppet.”
A message posted to the Facebook page Jackson Fresh Faced Schools stated, “the shoes placed in the parking lot of the Jackson Township Board of Education administrative building are to represent how many students will be pulled from the Jackson Township School district and homeschooled should further mandates be put into effect.”
The statement added that while “Governor Phil Murphy said there are no plans for a student vaccination mandate at this time, that could change, as the governor added, ‘Nothing is off the table.’”
Among the concerns expressed by parents include further COVID-19 mandates such as vaccinations and that a mask mandate set to expire on January 11, would be extended.
Parents in the Jackson School District have voiced opposition to the governor’s executive orders calling them “unconstitutional.”
It added, “we will not live in fear and oppression, we will not teach our children to fear one another! We believe we know what is best for our children and these decisions should be left to us.”
Dozens of pairs of shoes were left at the door of the building on Don Connor Boulevard, adding they would pick them up at 10 a.m. on December 13.
In recent years Jackson Township has seen a decline in enrollment at its 10 public schools which has resulted in a reduction in state aid funding. The state bases its funding on student enrollment.
Resident Nicole Grzyb told The Jackson Times today, that while she was not the leader of the group that she was “a member helping out. We got together last night and set up a display showing how many students will leave Jackson public schools if a vaccine mandate is given.”
Parent Jennifer Gallagher who is an administrator on the Jackson Township Fresh Faced Schools Page posted that she “collected all the shoes and Mrs. (School Superintendent Nicole) Pormilli came out and was talking to me about the display. She took every note off of every shoe and read all of them. She understands our frustration but still is passing the buck, saying there’s only so much they can do.”
Officials have explained that they can’t break state law, and that there could be serious consequences for doing so.
“I disagree, but I do understand to a certain extent that they could potentially face some type of backlash. I would take the backlash and stand up for my parents if I were in her shoes. She has an entire district under her belt to protect and defend and staying silent, throwing your hands up and saying you understand doesn’t cut it anymore,” Gallagher’s post added.
She stated, “we’ve created some uneasiness and fear in that building this morning, let’s keep it going.” Gallagher also noted a scheduled Board of Education meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Fine Arts Center at Jackson Memorial High School.
“We need to keep this momentum; nothing changes if nothing changes! Let’s do it together. We need as many people to show up as possible. We need bodies to back up these shoes,” Gallagher added.
“We are hoping it showed we mean business and now we all need to continue the momentum at the meeting Wednesday,” Grzyb told The Jackson Times.
Officials from the district said that about 50 pairs of shoes were delivered. Notes and signs asked the district to end the mask mandate and to oppose any future mandates related to masks or vaccines. The display was up until about 10 a.m. when organizers came to retrieve the shoes. While they were there, Superintendent Pormilli came out to speak with them and to hear their concerns directly.
“I spent some time this morning viewing the demonstration and reading the notes that were shared with us,” Pormilli said in a statement to The Jackson Times. “I was also able to talk with the parent organizers when they came to retrieve the shoes later this morning. What I saw was a peaceful and passionate display from parents advocating for their children.
“It’s important to me that our parents know that their thoughts and perspectives on masks and vaccines have been heard – whether they were shared through a creative display such as this, or at a board meeting, email, call or personal conversation. However, there are also requirements we must follow. The Jackson School District will follow the mandates of Executive Orders, as well as the guidance of the NJ Department of Education and NJ Department of Health.
“Our focus is on operating within these requirements – using input from staff, students and parents – to create a safe and engaging learning environment. The district is expanding programs and services to repair what we have lost and to move forward. We are currently utilizing federal American Rescue Act (ARP) funds for after-school programs, to increase staff to lower class sizes, to make facility improvements, for professional development and for academic and social services our students need.
“We are proud of the lessons and activities taking place inside our schools every day. Our staff has demonstrated tremendous grace under pressure and have dedicated themselves to ensuring students climb out of this pandemic, both academically and socially. Our students are working very hard to resume some kind of normalcy. They are resilient, even though we wish they did not have to be,” she said. “As we continue to navigate these challenges, we hope our parents will continue to champion their children’s interests, and we will continue to listen and to be as responsive as we can within the mandates and executive orders we are required to follow.”
