PTO president says news coverage unfair — Freehold school is safe

There are so many great things going on in the Freehold Borough public school system I am curious as to why the News Transcript (June 11) devoted three different articles and over two pages to three isolated incidents that happened in the intermediate school this past year? The coverage was redundant and it exaggerated the incidents of a single Board of Education meeting into an unnecessary frenzy.

Where is the press on all the sports teams that did so well during the year? What about the students who received special academic recognition?

What about the music and art special programs? What about the reading challenge and other academic programs throughout the year? Where are all the articles on the positive achievements of the students and the school? Could we stretch some of these events into three articles?

I was extremely disappointed to read the three articles pertaining to the "safety issues" at the Freehold Intermediate School in last week’s News Transcript. While there were a few fights at the school, as I am sure there are at most intermediate schools (reported or unreported), the school is [by] no means "unsafe."

As the president of the intermediate school’s PTO, I have spent more time in the school during school hours than most parents.

This includes time in classrooms with the students, in the hallways between classes, lunch periods, assemblies and field trips. The school that was portrayed in the articles last week was not the school I have spent my time in over the last few years and certainly not the school my son attends.

The school I have spent my time in has a wonderful diverse group of students who go through their days at school like any other group of teenagers with a dedicated and caring staff to guide them through their school days.

While I am dismayed at reading such great detail about incidents that involve less then five families, some good has come out of such inaccurate press. Watch-ing and listening to the kids in school the day after the articles were published, I did notice something positive.

The students were talking about the articles, and many of them were very upset about the content. When I asked the students what they thought, several seventh-graders told me, "Our school is safe; I am not afraid to walk in the halls." The group I was with all agreed. Many of the students have become very defensive and feel the need to speak up about their school.

So the positive is, school pride has been increased among the students as well as the hundreds of families who have sent, are sending or will be sending their children to the Freehold Intermediate School.

Debbie Esola

PTO President 2002-03

Freehold Intermediate School

Freehold Borough