Monday School Bd. Meeting Set to Include Topic of 'Student Stressors'

The Monday night Board of Education meeting, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the , is a regular monthly meeting expected to include a discussion of "student stressors."

The topic has arisen at previous board meetings, including at an informal discussion near the end of the Sept. 12 session.

Some board members have said there may be too much stress placed on overbooked students, and want to take a closer look at that concern. Ridge High School was one of schools that last school year hosted a showing of .

The film, described in its publicity as "the dark side of America's achievement culture," has been shown at many other high schools in high-achieving school districts, School Board Member Robin McKeon said at that time. The showing of the movie at was hosted by the Parent-Teacher Organizations of all six Bernards Township schools, including Ridge High School, William Annin Middle School and the four elementary schools.

During the board's discussion two weeks ago, School Board member Michael Byrne said he feels part of the supposed stress that students feel is caused by extracurricular activities and other obligations he said students have outside of school.

Byrne said he would not favor weakening academic demands, especially in a competitive economic environment.

McKeon and Board Member Audrey Cohen Sherwyn urged Byrne to attend PTO discussions on the topic, and to perhaps view the movie where it is being shown.

During the public portion of the meeting, parent Carolyn Gaziano said she has noted a huge difference in the amount of homework given in regular college preparation classes at the high school, and the many hours of work that as of mid-September already were being assigned to students enrolled in honors classes at Ridge.

The scheduled meeting is a regular monthly business meeting and will include personnel, finance, curriculum, facilities and policy items, according to the district's school website.

The website also advised that the Somerset County Educational Services Commission has been looking at the potential rerouting of some school buses. Parents and some board members two weeks ago said buses had been arriving either too early or too late, along with other mixups during the first day of school.

The school district's website said the SCESC transportation offices have been examining routes and fielding information from parents. Students may receive updated bus passes this week. However, the current bus routes will remain into effect until next Monday, Oct. 3, even if a student's route may be modified after that time, the website said.