SOURCE

The Department of Children and Families is hosting information sessions throughout the state regarding our new case practice. Community partners can learn about the changes that DYFS is making to improve the way we work with children, families, stakeholders, providers and the community.

Join us at one of these events in your area. Please check back soon as additional sessions will be added in the next few weeks.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009 – 3:30 p.m.
For Burlington and Mercer Counties:
DYFS Burlington West Local Office
200 Campbell Drive
Willingboro, NJ 08046
R.S.V.P. to Dawn Wanson at 609-777-2021 by May 1, 2009

Friday, May 15, 2009 – 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
For Morris and Sussex Counties:
Lincoln-Roosevelt Elementary School
34 Hillside Avenue
Succasunna, NJ
R.S.V.P. to Ruth or Mary at 973-490-1958 by May 11, 2009

Tuesday, June 2, 2009 - 3:30 p.m.
For Warren/Hunterdon/Sussex Counties:
Phillipsburg Housing Authority Meeting Room
530 Heckman Street
Phillipsburg, NJ
R.S.V.P. to Amy at 908-730-7782 x 2012 by May 20, 2009

Wednesday, June 3, 2009 - 3:30 p.m.
For Warren/Hunterdon/Sussex Counties:
Bridgewater Library Meeting Room
1 Vogt Drive
Bridgewater, NJ
R.S.V.P. to Amy at 908-730-7782 x 2012 by May 20, 2009

Thursday, June 4, 2009 - 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
For Atlantic/Cape May Counties:
Atlantic County Library - Mays Landing Branch
40 Farragut Avenue
Mays Landing, NJ

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 - 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
For Ocean County:
Ocean County Library, Toms River Branch
Mancini Hall
101 Washington Streeet
Toms River, NJ 08753
R.S.V.P. to Lulu Lee at 866-662-5127 ext. 2010

Thursday, June 11, 2009 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
For Monmouth County:
Monmouth County Library, Manalapan Branch
125 Symmes Drive
Manalapan, NJ 07726
R.S.V.P. to Jackie Flynn at 866-598-5574 ext. 2132

Thursday, June 11, 2009 – 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.
For Hudson County:
DYFS Hudson West Local Office
Gateway Plaza
1 Harmon Meadow Blvd., 5th floor
Secaucus, NJ 07094
R.S.V.P. to Kimberly Swain at 201- 863-3179

Monday, June 22, 2009 - 3:00 p.m.
For Middlesex County:
DYFS Middlesx West Local Office
53 Knightsbridge Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854
R.S.V.P. to 732-980-9312 ext. 3801 (Peter Mancusi) or ext. 3802 (Connie Fraler).

Bergen/Passaic Counties - To Be Announced
Camden County - To Be Announced
Cumberland/Gloucester/Salem Counties - To Be Announced
Essex County - To Be Announced
Union County - To Be Announced

Saturday, May 02, 2009
By JASON LADAY
jladay@sjnewsco.com

SOURCE

VINELAND - When Sen. Jeff Van Drew and Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matt Milam on Thursday arrived to tour a school set to close in 2010, they were initially denied access.

According to Albano, as the three state legislators entered the New Jersey Department of Children and Families Cumberland County regional school - which teaches handicapped, adjudicated, cognitively impaired and developmentally disabled children and adults - they were at first turned away by the supervisor there.


"She told us she couldn't let us go in, that the state office called and told her not to let us in," said Albano. "Jeff (Van Drew) then spoke with them and they eventually let us in."

The legislators had been invited on the tour by officials at the school. Van Drew, Milam and Albano have recently tbegan lobbying to keepthe school open, stating they fear for the 31 students if they are forced out of the closing school.

Vineland Mayor Robert Romano has also visited the school.

Lauren Kidd, a spokeswoman for the NJDCF, stated the department's no-entry policy is a matted student confidentiality and privacy.

"People cannot be allowed inside schools unless it's something coordinated in advance, and we obtain the necessary consent from parents, and it has to be coordinated with school leaders and the governing agency," said Kidd. "There are confidentiality issues involved, especially given the fact that some of the children have specialized needs."

Albano has stated he and his District 1 colleagues have received "tons and tons" of mail from parents of students at the regional school asking them to help keep the school open.

"These places are crucial; if you close this school, you might as well take away three quarters of the life support," he said Thursday.

However, Kidd stated the NJDCF is aware of the potential difficulties in moving the students to other schools and programs.

"We care very much about the education of these children, and we will work to ensure that their education needs will continue to be met," added Kidd.

According to Kidd, the decision to shutter the NJDCF's 18 regional schools is not a budget issue, stating the closings are due to decreasing enrollment.

The NJDCF closings are unrelated to Assemblyman Louis Greenwald's (D-Camden) proposal to shut five of the state's seven institutional developmental centers, moving their residents to "community-based" care. However, one of the developmental centers slated to close is located in Vineland.

Kidd also refuted a claim made Thursday by an attorney representing employees at the Vineland NJDCF school that it "only" costs $4 million to operate all 18 schools.

"The $4 million is not the total amount to run the regional schools; it is considerably more than that," said Kidd. "When we look at the entire budget, some of the money comes from the state budget; some is tuition funding aid to the state by local school districts.

"There is a reduction shown in our proposed budget of $4 million, but that is a partial reduction because of the planned phased transition."

Kidd said she did not have an exact figure on what the department spent to run the schools, referring the question to state budget officer Tom Bell. However, Bell could not be reached for comment Friday.

Wednesday, May 06, 2009
BY SUSAN K. LIVIO
STATEHOUSE BUREAU

SOURCE

State officials promise that no children will be left hanging during the phase-out of 18 state-run special education schools, including one at Mercer Campus on Stuyvestant Avenue in Trenton, but some parents and teachers continue to worry.

More than 50 parents and teachers staged a protest in Trenton yesterday as members of the Assembly Budget Committee pressed Department of Children and Families Commissioner Kimberly Ricketts to explain her decision to begin shutting down the 18 special education schools over the next 13 months.

DCF spokeswoman Kate Bernyk said yesterday the agency hoped to complete the Mercer Campus "transition" off state books by August, but accommodating all of the school's 38 students would be the priority.

"If we have an instance that there are students that are not ready to transition, we're not going to stop providing services for that student," Bernyk said. "We will continue doing that ... until that student has appropriate educational needs met."

She said state and local officials would be meeting to develop a plan for each affected student.

Bernyk said yesterday the "transition" did not necessarily mean "closing." In some cases across the state, county school districts have expressed interest in taking over the "building and program as it stands," she said.

It was unclear late yesterday whether the Mercer County Special Services School District would be interested in taking over the state-run Mercer Campus. Bernyk did not rule out that possibility.

MCSSSD currently operates four schools in the county, according to its website.

Yesterday, Ricketts said she chose to close the schools and transfer as many as 560 children into their local or county school districts because enrollment has declined from about 1,200 from more than a decade ago. Operating these schools also no longer fulfills the department's "core mission" of child protection, she added.

But Ricketts confirmed she has delayed the first round of closures -- from June to August -- to allow more time for school district employees and the state to work with parents and find a fit for each child's "individualized and specialized needs," either within the district or the county or a private school.

Still, some lawmakers criticized Ricketts for rushing the closures before a clear transition plan was developed.

"There seems to be a lot of confusion over the placements of children and placement of workers," said Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose, R-Sussex. "It appears to me this is being done willy-nilly."

The decision to close the schools was not driven by economics, Ricketts said. When children transfer to county or local districts, tuition money will follow them. The districts can apply for more financial aid if the costs exceed what they can pay, she said.

Teachers and parents, some pushing their children in wheelchairs, packed the committee room at the Statehouse during the hearing, and later met with reporters to react to the commissioner's statements and describe why the schools are worth saving.

These special schools and their highly-skilled teachers welcomed children local school districts have rejected, said Jocelyn Reyes of Elizabeth, whose son, Jonathan, attends the school in Essex County. "They have had many successes with them. Now they are being thanked for their services by getting kicked to the curb as if this dedication didn't matter," Reyes said.

Amy, a 16-year-old girl living in a group home, said she has tried but failed to succeed in public school, and appreciates the extra attention she gets from her teachers at a regional school.

"I understand that we would eventually find another school, but I think this isn't right or considerate of the students," Amy said. "What about our stability? I'm also a foster child, and I know how important stability is. I feel like everything is being taken away from me."

Nancy Brooks, a teacher at Bergen Regional Day School, took offense at the commissioner's comments that "these children without voices are no longer part of the Department of Children and Families mission."

"We are teachers who have answered a special calling, teachers who are adept at forming relationships so that we may hear children who cannot talk, nurse hearts that are broken . . . and inspire children to work toward their greatest education potential," Brooks said.

More than 500 teachers and other school personnel would lose their jobs when the schools close, although Ricketts said she believes many local districts will be looking to hire many of these professionals for their expertise.

Of the 560 students, 248 have "severe disabilities" while the rest are pregnant, have already given birth, have had brushes with the law, or otherwise could not succeed in public school.

Besides Trenton, the schools slated to close in August are in Egg Harbor, Mt. Holly, Newark, Avenel, Ocean, Totowa, Wanaque and Port Murray. The remaining schools will close in June 2010, Bernyk said.


Times staff writer Ryan Tracy contributed to this report.

Declining enrollment is cited in decision to close 18 institutions
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
BY SUSAN K. LIVIO
STATEHOUSE BUREAU
SOURCE


As more than 50 parents and teachers staged a protest nearby, members of the Assembly Budget Committee yesterday pressed Children and Families Commissioner Kimberly Ricketts to explain her decision to phase out 18 state-run special education schools over the next 13 months.

Ricketts said she chose to close the schools and transfer as many as 560 children into their local or county school districts because enrollment has declined from about 1,200 from more than a decade ago. Operating these schools also no longer fulfills the department's "core mission" of child protection, she added.
But Ricketts confirmed she has delayed the first round of closures -- from June to August -- to allow more time for school district employees and the state to work with parents and find a fit for each child's "individualized and specialized needs," either within the district or the county or a private school.

Still, some lawmakers criticized Ricketts for rushing the closures before a clear transition plan was developed.

"There seems to be a lot of confusion over the placements of children and placement of workers," Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose (R-Sussex). "It appears to me this is being done willy-nilly."

The decision to close the schools was not driven by economics, Ricketts said. When children transfer to county or local districts, tuition money will follow them. The districts can apply for more financial aid if the costs exceed what they can pay, she said.

Teachers and parents, some pushing their children in wheelchairs, packed the committee room at the Statehouse during the hearing and later met with reporters to react to the commissioner's statements and describe why the schools are worth saving.

These special schools and their highly skilled teachers welcomed children local school districts have rejected, said Jocelyn Reyes of Elizabeth, whose son, Jonathan, attends the school in Essex County. "They have had many successes with them. Now they are being thanked for their services by getting kicked to the curb as if this dedication didn't matter," Reyes said.

Amy, a 16-year-old girl living in a group home, said she has tried but failed to succeed in public school and appreciates the extra attention she gets from her teachers at a regional school.

"I understand that we would eventually find another school, but I think this isn't right or considerate of the students," Amy said. "What about our stability? I'm also a foster child, and I know how important stability is. I feel like everything is being taken away from me."

Nancy Brooks, a teacher at Bergen Regional Day School, took offense to the commissioner's comments that "these children without voices are no longer part of the Department of Children and Families' mission."

"We are teachers who have answered a special calling, teachers who are adept at forming relationships so that we may hear children who cannot talk, nurse hearts that are broken ... and inspire children to work toward their greatest education potential," Brooks said.

More than 500 teachers and other school personnel would lose their jobs when the school close, although Ricketts said she believes many local districts will be looking to hire many of these professionals for their expertise. Of the 560 students, 248 have "severe disabilities," while the rest are pregnant, have already given birth, have had brushes with the law, or otherwise could not succeed in public school.

The schools slated to close in August are in Egg Harbor, Mt. Holly, Newark, Trenton, Avenel, Ocean, Totowa, Wanaque, and Port Murray. The remaining schools will close in June 2010, department spokeswoman Kate Bernyk said.


Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@starledger.com or (609) 989-0802.

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