Community Voices: Mountainside Resident on COPAA’s Advocacy for Students with Disabilities on Capitol Hill
Lisa Hernandez is a resident of Mountainside, NJ and member of the Board of Directors, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) There are approximately 240,000 students with disabilities in New Jersey who are eligible for special education and related services under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA). The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) is an...
Response to “A Tale of Two Systems: Comparing City and Suburban School Districts in New Jersey”
The following email was received from Fred Buglione, M.A., M.Ed. – CEO for All In for Inclusive Education in response to “A Tale of Two Systems: Comparing City and Suburban School Districts in New Jersey”, and is being published with his permission I run an organization called All In for Inclusive Education (formerly the New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education). We...
Parent Expresses Concerns on BHPSNJ Raptor System
The Following email to the Superintendent and the Board was received from Michael Leblond who is a resident of Berkeley Heights and a parent with children in our School District. Dear Dr. Feltre and members of the School Board, Last week, Dr. Feltre sent an email to parents regarding the Raptor Visitor Management System. A quick google of the Raptor...
BOE Representative Joly’s Comments on CMS Lease Agreement During the 03/25/2025 Town Council Meeting
The majority of residents who attended and spoke at the 03/25/2025 Town Council Meeting expressed concerns about the project, the information published by corporate media and/or the process surrounding the agreement. Most residents were not aware that the meeting was zoom-only. As predicted the measure passed with Foster and Poage abstaining due to their employment with BHPSNJ – though both...
Journalism in New Jersey Is Under Attack—And Berkeley Heights Just Joined the Pile On
Arik Samson is a resident of Berkeley Heights and was a 2024 Candidate for BOE In a deeply troubling move for civic transparency, The New Jersey Monitor reported on March 21, 2025, that Governor Phil Murphy’s latest budget proposal would eliminate funding for the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium—a bipartisan initiative he launched in 2018 to support community-based journalism. Over...
Refocus the Referendum: Spend Wisely, Not Widely
The Following Community Voices article was received from Helen Gabara who is a resident of Berkeley Heights and parent of a child in the District The PR firm told the BOE during his presentation, that the way to get the public to vote for the referendum is to include “something for everyone.” That is lousy advice. The temptation would be...
Parent Acknowledges Improvements in Communication and Student Activities
The Following email to the Superintendent and the Board was received from Michael Leblond who is a resident of Berkeley Heights and a parent with children in our School District. Dear Dr. Feltre and members of the School Board, For a person to have credibility, they must be willing to acknowledge and highlight positive experiences and improvements instead of only...
Berkeley Heights Resident Writes to Town Council On Continued Power Outages
Michael Leblond is a resident of Berkeley Heights Dear Mayor Devanney and members of the Town Council, I am writing to express my growing concern regarding the frequent power outages in our community and their negative impact on daily life. As a fifteen year resident of Berkeley Heights, I believe it is essential that our local government addresses the ongoing...
Why Is Our Volunteer Fire Department Being Sidelined?
Arik Samson is a resident of Berkeley Heights and was a 2024 Candidate for BOE Public safety decisions should be made with transparency, accountability, and a clear focus on the well-being of the people they affect. That’s why I, like many others in our town, am deeply concerned about the recent decision to move the Fire Prevention Bureau from the...
Instability and Controversy: The Devanney Town Council’s Police and Finance Departments
Steven Kark is a resident of Berkeley Heights, NJ The Devanney Town Council has a notable history of instability in two key areas. Berkeley Heights Police Department In June 2024, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office concluded an investigation into the former Chief of Police, uncovering multiple instances of misconduct. The findings revealed that the former Police Chief engaged in inappropriate...
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