AP Chinese, Homeroom Changes and Meeting Access Draw Public Comment at Montgomery BOE Meeting

Nicholas Mistretta

MONTGOMERY, NJ — Calls for expanded Chinese language opportunities, concerns over changes to the student schedule and renewed criticism of the timing of public comment and executive sessions dominated the public portion of the Montgomery Township Board of Education’s Aug. 25 meeting.

Several speakers addressed the board, including a rising sixth-grade student, a district alumna and community members who urged officials to reconsider policies they said affect student opportunities and the public’s ability to participate in Board of Education meetings.

Student Calls for Chinese Language and Culture Program

A rising sixth grader asked the board to consider adding a Chinese language and culture class to the district’s curriculum.

He told board members that neighboring districts, including Hillsborough, West Windsor and Princeton, offer Chinese-language programs and argued that Montgomery students should have a similar opportunity. He said offering Chinese during the school day would also allow students who currently attend weekend language schools to reclaim Saturdays for sports, family activities and other interests.

He also said a district-based program could help students of Chinese heritage share their culture with classmates while giving non-Chinese students an opportunity to learn about another language and culture.

He described visiting the Chinese immersion program where his mother works in West Windsor and said he was surprised to see that many of the participating students were not of Chinese heritage but had nevertheless developed strong language skills.

He concluded by asking the district to consider restoring Montgomery High School as a testing location for the AP Chinese exam, noting that high school students who serve as teaching assistants at local Chinese schools can have difficulty finding locations where the exam is offered.

Parent Questions Three-Minute Passing Period

Another speaker raised concerns about a new homeroom program and changes to student passing time between classes.

The speaker said they did not oppose the concept of homeroom or providing students with a “soft start” to the school day, but questioned the reduction of passing periods from five minutes to three minutes.

They argued that three minutes may not provide enough time for students to move through the building or return to lockers when necessary, and asked the district to evaluate whether the shortened transition period is practical.

The speaker also questioned how the homeroom pilot was communicated to families, saying students had reportedly been surveyed but that survey results and the rationale for making the schedule permanent had not been shared with parents.

They asked the district to make that feedback available and provide families with additional information about how the final decision was reached.

Public Comment Timing Again Raised

The same speaker also asked the board to reconsider when public comment on new business occurs.

They said placing that opportunity late in the meeting can make participation difficult for working parents and especially for students who may want to address the board.

“If the community is encouraging the kids to be engaged citizens,” the speaker said, the board should consider a way to provide students or other members of the public with an earlier opportunity to speak.

The speaker summarized three requests: review whether three minutes is sufficient passing time, share results of any student survey concerning the homeroom program and consider moving public participation earlier in the meeting.

Alumna Urges District to Restore AP Chinese Testing

A Montgomery alumna also appeared before the board to advocate for reinstating Montgomery High School as an AP Chinese testing site.

Identifying herself as editor-in-chief of Chitchat Magazine, a student-run nonprofit founded in Montgomery that produces bilingual publications intended to connect American and Chinese cultures.

She said the organization’s members range in age from 12 to 17 and that many attend Montgomery Township schools, demonstrating what she described as strong local interest in Chinese language and culture.

She told the board that although the AP Chinese testing site at MHS closed in 2020, Montgomery students have continued studying the language through weekend schools, tutoring, after-school programs and at home.

Citing school performance records, she said 58 Montgomery students over the past six years had traveled elsewhere to take the AP Chinese exam. She said that figure was nearly three times the number of students taking other AP exams not offered by the district.

She argued that restoring the testing site would not require the district to reinstate an AP Chinese course or hire a teacher. She said students may take an AP exam without completing a corresponding course and argued that the number of students taking AP Chinese has historically been sufficient to offset administration costs.

“My peers here in Montgomery don’t have that option today,” she told the board, saying students are being forced to travel for an exam that could potentially be administered at their own high school.

She urged the district to “bring the AP Chinese testing site back to MHS.”

Executive Session Format Draws Renewed Criticism

Karen Anderson used her public comment to again raise concerns about the Board of Education’s practice of holding executive session during the public meeting.

Anderson said the issue has been raised repeatedly at recent meetings and through emails to board members.

She emphasized that she was not asking the board to shorten executive session or limit the amount of time members need to discuss confidential matters. Instead, she questioned why executive session is being conducted in the middle of the public meeting, leaving attendees waiting for the board to return.

“You used to start, I believe, at 5 or 6:00. You did your executive session and then the rest of the meeting was for the public,” Anderson said. “You didn’t have us all of a sudden spend an hour and a half waiting here for you to finish.”

Anderson said the previous format did not generate the same complaints and ended her remarks with a direct request to the board: “Fix this.”

Photo Credit: Nicholas Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomery.com