Pre-K now included on boro registration forms
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer

FREEHOLD — School registration forms in the Freehold Borough School District have been updated to reflect the new pre-K school location at the First Presbyterian Church, West Main Street, and the hours of operation.

Jim Keelan, president of the Board of Education, gave a presentation on the updated registration forms at a recent Freehold Borough Human Relations Committee meeting on Dec. 5.

Keelan explained that according to New Jersey education residency laws, the pre-K program is open to all children who reside in the borough.

He discussed what school officials are permitted by law to ask for as identification, and what they are not allowed to ask for. Keelan said they are limited in this respect.

“We can’t insist on certain information. We can’t force them to provide certain information if they do not have it,” Keelan said.

Certain groups of children documented as affidavit students present their own set of issues. Adults who are registering students through affidavits are those who claim they are taking care of a nonresident child for hardship reasons, according to Keelan.

For instance, a child may be living in the borough with a grandparent or other relative who is solely responsible for the care of the child, while his or her parents may actually live in another municipality. Under these circumstances, school officials are allowed by law to insist on the presentation of a deed, certificate of occupancy, or rental registration, for the student to be enrolled in the school district.

According to Keelan, a database has been created in order to track the type of documentation that is provided. Letters will be sent to each family each spring to remind them that they must provide a new affidavit and documentation.

“Any student file that is still open due to a lack of required number of proofs was sent a letter in October,” Keelan explained. “A follow-up phone call was made to those who did not respond. A second letter was mailed today, referencing tuition payments required due to the lack of response to the previous letter, and the family will have 21 days to appeal to the commissioner of education.”

Keelan said that 21 students were sent letters originally; nine students were sent the second letter. He added that if the forms are not produced, school officials will have the children removed from the district or begin charging them tuition for their education.

Keelan said the district may resort to asking borough officials for tax records to provide proof of residency. He said if they did this, they would have to ask for all tax records, and not single out any one family.

According to Keelan, the physical condition of an applicant’s housing or an applicant’s compliance with local housing ordinance or terms of lease shall not affect eligibility to attend school.

Immigration or visa status does not affect a child’s eligibility to attend school either. Any student over 5 years old and under 21 is entitled by law to receive a free public education.

Keelan added that any child who is residing in the district or otherwise eligible will be enrolled in the school district without regard to or inquiry concerning immigration status.

Keelan presented committee members with a copy of Elizabeth O’Connell’s superintendent’s report dated Dec. 4. The report included documentation that were acceptable for proof of eligibility.

The list included documents such as property tax bills, deeds, contracts of sale, leases, mortgages, signed letters from landlords and other evidence of property ownership, voter registrations, permits, financial account information, utility bills, delivery receipts, court orders, state agency agreements, receipts, bills, canceled checks, insurance claims or payments, medical reports, counselor or social worker assessments, employment documents and unemployment claims.

In addition, affidavits, certifications and sworn attestations pertaining to statuary criteria for school attendance from the parent or legal guardian or person keeping an “affidavit student” with whom a family is living. Any document pertaining to military status may also be used.

The form also states in bold print that the board “shall not deny enrollment based on failure to provide a particular form of documentation, or a particular subset of document, without regard to other evidence presented.”