‘Our children are counting on us’

Last Thursday, September 18, the New Jersey Council for American Private Education, a coalition of organizations representing nonpublic and faith-based schools across the state, hosted a solidarity event at Saint John Vianney High School in Holmdel in response to a shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis last month.

Two children died in that attack, and 21 people, mainly children, were injured.

The gathering was coordinated in partnership with Teach NJ, an organization that advocates for equitable funding for nonpublic schools on behalf of Jewish schools in the state, as well as the Catholic Conference of New Jersey, the Council of Islamic Schools of North America, and the Association of Christian Schools International – New Jersey.

“As I’m sure unfortunately we’re all aware, over the past couple of years we’ve certainly seen an increase in violence, especially violence targeted at faith-based communities,” Katie Katz of Teaneck, Teach NJ’s executive director, said. “The tragic shooting in Minneapolis just a few weeks ago was not in New Jersey, but as members of the faith-based school community, it certainly was something that I would say shook our community, really reverberated through all of us. I think when one faith-based school is targeted, every school feels the pain, so it was really important for us to take this opportunity to gather together.”

Get New Jersey Jewish News's Newsletter by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

It is particularly important to “show our unity” at a time when “there is so much division,” Ms. Katz added.

In addition to Saint John Vianney, the Catholic school that hosted the gathering, three other New Jersey schools participated in the multifaith program — Hillel Yeshiva in Ocean, Timothy Christian School in Piscataway, and Baytul-Imam Academy in Hazlet. Each school represented one of the faith-based sponsoring organizations. Leading up to the unity meeting, students in each of the participating schools created artwork and messages of solidarity and support for the Annunciation Catholic School community. The drawings and notes from the diverse group of students were compiled into a book that student representatives presented at the gathering to Dr. Vincent de Paul Schmidt, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Trenton, for delivery to Annunciation. The book was intended “as an expression of support and to let them know that we’re thinking of them,” Ms. Katz said.

The classes in each school that were involved in the project generally ranged from fourth grade through middle school because “it was important to us that the participants’ ages were representative of the students who passed away at Annunciation,” she added.

The meeting also was an opportunity to “thank our state leadership for the security resources that already exist for faith-based schools and ask them to continue to keep students safe in their schools,” Ms. Katz continued. Before the program, students created notes and artwork expressing thanks to Trenton legislators. That work was compiled into a second book that student representatives presented to state Senator Vin Gopal (D-Dist. 11), chair of the Senate education committee.

With all the division in the world, “it’s so important for us to think about what are the things that unify us and that we really can galvanize together around,” Ms. Katz added. “And so I think this is a meaningful opportunity for us to be working together, regardless of religion or political background. It’s something that is really important to all of us and so it was a really meaningful opportunity to be able to engage students, to engage leadership, and to work together on something.”

And of course, security is a particularly pressing issue for schools now, Ms. Katz said. Security costs “for our Jewish schools have increased tremendously since October 7 so this is certainly something very much at the forefront of our minds.”

Teach NJ is a division of Teach Coalition. A study recently conducted by Teach Coalition’s Office of Policy and Research found that “in the past two years, security expenses for our member schools have risen by 62%,” Ms. Katz continued. “The average school is now spending over a quarter of a million dollars — $285,125 — each year on security. That is $550 per student, which is over twice the state allocation right now.”

Leslie Ostrin is a member of Teach NJ’s executive committee. “I think every school has been taking a very close look at upgrading their security systems, certainly since October 7, but before then, security was also an issue,” Ms. Ostrin said. “Schools and faith-based organizations are real targets.”

Students “need to be safe,” she continued. “It’s just untenable to have kids, and for that matter, teachers and administrators, looking over their shoulders and being worried or stressed about whether they are going to be safe during the day.

“This is not a partisan issue,” Ms. Ostrin added. “It’s about the safety of all of our children.”

A handful of students and faculty members from each of the participating schools attended the meeting, along with representatives from each of the sponsoring organizations. In addition to Mr. Gopal, a number of other elected officials were there as well, including Assemblywoman Margie Donlon (D-Dist. 11), Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (R-Dist. 13), Assemblyman Avi Schnall (D-Dist. 30), Monmouth County Commissioner Erik Anderson, and Ocean Township Councilwoman Gitta Kaplan.

Bonnie Milecki, the president of NJCAPE, opened the program. She described NJCAPE as “a coalition of organizations that advocates for the needs and services to which all children are entitled — regardless of the type of school they attend —  [including] transportation, nursing, security, technology, and other supports that keep our students safe, healthy, and able to learn” and she talked about the reason for the gathering.

“When one school is targeted, every school shares the pain,” Ms. Milecki said. “That is why we are here. To stand together and to say: the safety of every child must be a shared priority. Families should never have to question whether the school they have chosen—a school that honors their traditions, supports their values, and partners with parents in raising their children—is a safe place to learn. Every student, no matter their faith or background, deserves access to the resources and protections that make learning possible.

“This interfaith gathering is about solidarity. It is about affirming that, across all traditions, we are united in insisting on safe schools.”

Mr. Gopal also stressed the importance of security. “The tragic attack in Minneapolis is a painful reminder that student safety must always be a top priority,” he said. “It is our responsibility to ensure that every child can go to school without fear. Here in New Jersey, I remain committed to working with my colleagues to strengthen school security funding and provide the resources our schools need to keep students safe.”

“Every child deserves to be safe in school,” Ms. Katz said when she addressed the gathering. “And we are grateful to New Jersey’s leadership for the security funding for our schools. It has saved lives.

“No community should ever have to choose between educating children and protecting them,” she continued. “Yet that is the impossible choice many of our schools are facing today. This is not a Jewish issue, not a Christian or Catholic or Muslim issue. It is about every parent who kisses their child goodbye in the morning and deserves to welcome them home safely in the afternoon.

“Thank you to our legislators and law enforcement officials for all you do to keep our children safe in school every single day,” Ms. Katz concluded. “We will work to meet this moment together — because our children are counting on us.”