Parents call out school board saying district has done nothing to stop harassment in school

Parents in Orange say they are thinking of transferring their kids out of Amity Regional School District. Some parents say they already have because nothing is being done to stop harassment in the school.

News 12 Staff

Jun 15, 2021, 2:19 AM

Updated 1,183 days ago

Share:

A school board got an earful from parents and students who say they do not feel safe or welcome in the halls of their own schools.
Parents in Orange say they are thinking of transferring their kids out of Amity Regional School District. Some parents say they already have because nothing is being done to stop harassment in the school.
Boniface Nganga's daughter transferred to Amity High School from Kenya this year.
In five months, she's told him about five separate racial slurs and incidents that have happened to her.
"My expectation as a parent is that if such cases are reported that action should be taken and students should feel like they are being heard," said Nganga.
Many say they aren't being heard, which is why on Monday they showed up to a Board of Education meeting wearing shirts that say, "You Matter" to share their stories.
After the public hearing, Superintendent Jennifer Byars told the community she was grateful to hear these stories so they can keep taking steps to make change. Byars said before Monday, no one had reached out to her office speak to about this issue.
This is not the first- or second-time students and parents have addressed these types of issues at the high school. In 2018, swastikas were found drawn throughout the school.
This spring parents protested the use of a Kanye West video that called for the abolition of Black History Month.