New Jersey Elementary School Is 'Dangerous' And 'Out-Of-Control,' Officials say

Officials say something must be done about a New Jersey elementary school that has been plagued by violence to the point that it's "dangerous" to be there.

A teachers' union representative said the Trenton school is plagued with fights, and students are getting "physically hurt," according to a report in The Trentonian.

And it's gotten to a point where staff members are "being assaulted," and "it’s being done without proper reporting measures," the publication quoted Trenton Education Association President Naomi Johnson-Lafleur as saying.

Johnson-Lafleur was referring to the P.J. Hill Elementary School, which drew headlines recently when a 911 call made by the principal was published by nj.com, revealing a teacher yelling and cursing in the background during an apparent dispute.

The Oct. 3 dispute between P.J. Hill Elementary School's principal, Monalisa Kalina, and a first-grade teacher, Ayanna Lafleur, led to a request for police assistance, and Kalina later filed a citizen's complaint against Lafleur alleging harassment, according to nj.com.

Here is the audio of that 911 call:

Efforts to get comment from the school were not immediately successful Thursday.

During a school board meeting on Monday, Johnson-Lafleur spoke publicly about how the atmosphere at the school has has prompted Assistant Superintendent Wilfredo Ortiz to make daily visits to the school, according to The Trentonian.

P.J. Hill special education teacher Rhonda Williams said the school is understaffed and that classrooms are being split because there are a shortage of substitutes, according to the report. General education students are being thrown into special education classrooms and, as a result, "there’s fights ... I’ve been out twice and both times I was out the same kid has attacked a teacher and has been suspended.”

The school also drew headlines earlier this year when nj.com reported that an after-school program for children with special needs was being displaced at the school, leaving its future in limbo.

The program's director said it was a setback for special education students — especially after the district announced 164 layoffs that could disproportionately affect the district's most vulnerable kids, according to the report.

"Our special needs kids are being targeted," Nicole Whitfield, who started the Special Needs Community Resource Center, said in the report. "I think it's discrimination. Those are the programs where they make their cuts.

Photo: N.J. Department of Education - Department of Children and Families Commissioner Allison Blake read to kindergarteners at Trenton’s PJ Hill Elementary School in 2012.