Paramus Schools Pitch in With Supplies ; West Brook Students’ Second Day at BCC
By GIOVANNA FABIANO, STAFF WRITER
PARAMUS Borough schools are providing West Brook Middle School students and faculty with basic supplies as they attempt to resume regular lessons at Bergen Community College.
Students had left most of their textbooks, notebooks and other supplies in their lockers when West Brook was abruptly shut down last week after soil on school grounds was found to be contaminated with pesticides.
Couriers spent Tuesday morning shuttling between district schools and the college to drop off books, pencils, paper and crayons, said Assistant Superintendent Owen Snyder.
“It’s not a desirable situation given the circumstances, but we’re making do with what we have,” Snyder said.
“I can’t say enough about the teachers and how they’ve been able to pull this together on such short notice,” he added.
The staff has not been allowed back in the building to retrieve any supplies, forcing some teachers to hold lessons without instruction materials.
Parents have been up in arms over the contamination scandal and held a protest outside a closed-door meeting of the Board of Education on Monday night.
“They don’t have books, just paper packets, so I don’t know how they can study for finals,” said Kashmira Malkan, whose son is in eighth grade.
However, school officials said students are still getting the benefits of a normal school day, including a few perks: The fifth- and sixth-graders ate lunch outdoors Tuesday and they had physical education class on an immaculately pruned soccer field almost twice the size of the one at West Brook.
Snyder toured both Pitkin and Ender Halls where the school’s 700 students are being housed on Tuesday with Bergen County Superintendent Aaron Graham and sat in on several lessons, including language arts, science and music.
“We’re relying on something as old as sharing,” Snyder said.
Although some extra textbooks were sent from East Brook Middle School, teachers relied on photocopies and had students look on with partners.
The students also have access to a music room, art supplies and a computer lab, Snyder said.
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