By Donald Gilpin

Following a series of concerns and complaints that started in the first weeks of the school year and a week of petitioning, meeting, and alarms raised over the safety and well-being of the elementary school children in the program, Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Superintendent Carol Kelley announced last Friday, September 22, that the afterschool services provider Right at School (RAS) had announced its intention to terminate its contract with PPS and that a transition plan is underway to choose a new provider.

“I’m not a parent who complains too much,” said Sarah Tannenbaum, who has two children in the Littlebrook School aftercare program and has been a leading voice in raising concerns about the program. “I’m quiet normally, but this was really risking the safety of the children. It was pretty ridiculous, and that was clear to everybody. They didn’t have enough staff. The kids were crying and screaming. They were not taking them outside. At Riverside they were just watching kids roughhousing.”

Tannenbaum noted, on Tuesday, September 26, that the current transition period seems to be working smoothly. Apparently RAS has replaced some of its workers, and the district has its own staff members on the job in addition to the RAS staff. “They’re watching the kids,” said Tannenbaum. “Things are very well structured now. The parents feel that their kids are at least safe now with this transition plan, but they’re upset that this even happened.”

Kelley wrote in her September 22 statement, “On Thursday afternoon, Right At School … informed us of their intention to terminate their contract with the Princeton Public Schools. We will make every effort to continue before and after care school services without disruption as we work to identify a new provider.”

Kelley went on to comment on the transition process and the selection of a new provider. “Effective immediately, each site will be staffed by Right At School employees and a Princeton Public Schools staff member to ensure our students receive the best possible care. A transition plan is being developed by

the administrative team which will include parent participation on a selection committee to choose a new provider. A timeline for the selection process  and committee formation are forthcoming.”

Kelley added, “We are appreciative to all of the elementary school parents who came forward to share their concerns with district officials. I am confident that through continued dialogue with parents we will be able to select a new provider that meets the needs of our students and their families.”

As of noon on September 26, PPS reported that there was “no new information to share.”

A petition, originally submitted from Riverside Elementary School parents on Friday, September 15, then repeatedly updated and expanded to include additional concerns and additional parents of students at all four district elementary schools, declared a loss of confidence in RAS and a request for PPS to terminate the contract with them.

“We the undersigned, as parents of children enrolled at Princeton Public Schools, have come together to express our shared alarm about the safety and well-being of our children in connection with the RAS aftercare program,” the petition read.

It went on to state a number of issues with “a small, constantly changing, and deeply unprofessional staff”; safety violations and lack of access to the playgrounds; and a lack of transparency and community involvement in the selection process that led to RAS being selected to run the aftercare program instead of the YMCA, which had run the program last year.

At a September 20 Zoom call scheduled by the district for elementary school parents, Board of Education members, district officials, and RAS representatives, many parents apparently voiced concerns raised in the petitions, recounted a number of unfavorable incidents that had occurred during the aftercare programs this year, reiterated their lack of confidence in the aftercare provider, and called for a termination and transition to a new provider. RAS apparently provided explanation and promised improvements, but the following afternoon they announced their intention to terminate the contract with PPS.

“The district seems to have responded appropriately,” said Tannenbaum. “They took action. They responded in emails. They met with us. And the provider is terminated. RAS needs to be investigated. There needs to be more investigation into how many corners they are cutting.”

She continued, “RAS is a rapidly growing for-profit private company. They’re cutting corners, and I worry about districts that don’t have parents who can fight back and argue and have influence. I worry about districts that don’t have that advantage. I worry about how their kids are being treated.”

She went on to note that an interview process is now in place with one or two elementary school parents on the interviewing committee to help select the next beforecare and aftercare provider.