Parents Press School Board Over Shortened Lunch Time At William Annin

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Parents and board members spoke at length about lunch at William Annin Middle School at the Board of Education(BOE)'s Monday meeting.

The revised lunch schedule is under review, and a final recommendation is expected by the end of the marking period.

Subscribe

The issue first came to light in September when a group of parents started a petition formally requesting school district leaders to review the recently reduced student lunch period at William Annin Middle School.

A letter and the petition with more than 700-plus signatures were sent to the superintendent, Board of Education members, school principals and district administration.

The issue came up again during public comment at Monday's BOE meeting.

Frank Klausz said parents appreciate the recent shift from a 25-minute lunch to 30 minutes, but argued that students still lose meaningful free time because of the flex period that follows.

Klausz said students may have only a few minutes after going to lockers and homeroom before moving to the next class. He asked the district to "please restore the 40-minute period and give students the flexibility to choose how to best use that time."

Tat Ambartsoumian said parents were able to meet with school administrators and had some emails answered.

She said she left that meeting "very happy" and with "a very positive feeling" because she believed concerns were heard.

But she also said a later request for a small parent observation visit was denied, with district Policy 9150 cited.

Ambartsoumian said parents reviewed the policy and found that it "didn't explicitly prohibit parent observations" and that access was "at the discretion of the administration."

She also quoted Superintendent Kristen Fox's earlier email response to parents: "this level of detailed questioning is not the best use of the administration's time."

Fox also wrote, "If our students were in any way being harmed, a different response would certainly be warranted."

Ambartsoumian asked the board to share the evaluation criteria and well-being metrics being used, and to release findings before a final decision is made.

Fox responded at the meeting that the district is "not dismissing those claims."

She said administrators have "responded many times, held a meeting, listened, documented" concerns and that "The team will take that into account when they make their sort of final recommendation in at the end of the marking period."

Parent Gayatri Joshi used her public remarks on the WAMS lunch restructuring to call for more transparency from the school and a broader discussion about behavior, accountability and fairness across the community.

Joshi framed the issue not only as a school operations question, but as part of a larger concern about how adults and institutions respond when student behavior affects others.

"How we frame an issue matters. A partial account can become the accepted narrative," said Joshi.

She called for the school to share more information tied to the lunch schedule change, including "the consultants' findings, student and staff feedback, any other data, and specifics of staffing constraints."

Joshi said that information would help the public "understand the full picture to contribute to solutions."

Fox said she appreciates "the passion that you're bringing, the concern you have for your children. I know what it's like as a parent when you have concerns. And what I wanted to convey in my message to you, but also now, is that we're not dismissing those claims. We're just asking for time for the team to do their job, listen to your concerns, but also run the building and take their own information into account when reaching a conclusion."

Several board members said they want the administration to have time to collect and review data.

Board member Janice Corrado said Principal Karen Hudock explained at a Sept. 25 PTO meeting that William Annin has "nine fewer staff members," which limits available locations for students during lunch, and that safety is the first priority.

Corrado also said lunch operations are being monitored and that the 30-minute lunch period is now in place.

"I do feel it's important to point out that students also had a 25-minute lunch period in elementary school and they seem to have been able to eat their lunch in that setting. I wonder whether their concerns raised are less about the minutes allocated for dining and more about the opportunity to socialize with friends. And that is a valid concern and it's one that Mrs. Hudock and the district administrators will consider as they review scheduling options beyond this year."

Board Vice President David Shaw pointed to safety as a reason for the lunch schedule shift.

"One of the reasons I know we made this switch was because of the extra time. There are behavioral issues in the last 15 or so minutes. So, I know part of the reason for that was to try to combat that when it's a little less structured time. So, we have had less, as far as I understand, we've had less incidents in the lunchroom from that. So I think safety is maybe the second most important piece of the lunch period," said Shaw.

Other board members said they also want to see the metrics used in the review.

Adam Lefkowitz said he is "curious to know what the metrics would be and how the data will be analyzed," while Keith Molinari called parents' request to share that data "a very reasonable request."

Board President Jennifer White said a decision timeline has already been stated, with an update expected at the end of the marking period.

White noted the balance in trying to "make a schedule that is not only appropriate but allows everybody to be successful and that will include lunch flex time, learning labs; everything is being explored but it does take time."

"I know when you're concerned about your child and you think that they aren't happy or they're not getting what they need, your immediate instinct is to jump in and be like I need it now. I want this fixed now. I want it fixed today. I don't want my child to be upset to not be having their needs met," said White. "And I totally understand that. But at the same time, with a situation like this, it's not going to be a quick fix. It is going to take time. And I think it's fair for us to support the administration while they do this. They have the best interests at heart."

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.