Bayonne mayoral candidate Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski is blasting the city’s decision to discontinue having a school resource officer at All Saints Catholic Academy.
Instagram photo.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“As a mother, I am outraged. Parents deserve to know why the city would suddenly remove a police officer from a school that has relied on that protection for years,” she said in a statement.
“At a time when school safety is on the minds of families everywhere, this decision sends the exact wrong message.”
A letter from All Saints Principal John Rios to ASCA families indicates that the City Council voted to discontinue the service, which they referred to as the “Officer of the Day,” going forward, noting that the matter was out of their hands and they’re reviewing alternatives.
“The decision is a significant blow to our school community and understandably creates uncertainty regarding the support we had relied upon to create a safe environment,” he also wrote in the letter.
“While this change is outside the school’s control, please know that the safety and well-being of our students remains a high priority.”
Ashe-Nadrowski called the move particularly irresponsible given that the Peninsula City celebrated the hiring of 14 police officers in January and that the interim Mayor is Robert Kubert, who is also the public safety director.
“Parents deserve a clear explanation for how this decision was made and why protecting students at a local school is no longer considered a priority,” she concluded.
“This decision should be reversed immediately, the city should restore the Officer of the Day at All Saints Catholic Academy, and apologize to the families who are now being told that the safety presence they depended on is simply gone.”
The non-partisan Bayonne mayoral race is one May 12th, with Ashe-Nadrowski, Councilman at-Large Loyad Booker, and Business Administrator/Board of Education President Mary Jane Desmond all certified ahead of Thursday’s ballot drawing.