What's New In The Lacey Township School District

LACEY, NJ — Summer is coming to a close and students will be heading back to school soon. And over the summer, the Lacey Township School District made several updates and changes.

Superintendent Vanessa Pereira shared the news at the August Board of Education meeting, as she does every year.

"Our schools don't just magically come together," she said, explaining all of the work the district completed over the summer.

The biggest change in store for the district is reconfiguration. Now, Mill Pond School will house preschool and kindergarten, while Cedar Creek, Lanoka Harbor and Forked River schools will serve grades one through five. The Middle School will now contain grades six through eight.

"As you can imagine, there was a lot of heavy lifting involved," Pereira said, thanking the grounds and maintenance crew for their work.

They also organized 650,000 square feet of school buildings in addition and cared for 150 acres of school grounds, she said.

The district also prepared 4,000 student schedules and more than 160 bus routes.

"That's also going to be interesting because we've never had to transport just our kindergarten students to one building," Pereira noted of the busing. "So we've had to think about busing for those situations."

She said she was certain the district would have a successful opening on Sept. 6.

"It takes a concerted effort," Pereira said. "And I am so grateful for our amazing staff."

RELATED: Back To School: Lacey 2023-24 School Calendar