In the wake of a series of bias incidents across the school district, including the discovery of swastikas at Timberlane Middle School, Hopewell Valley’s superintendent and school board president issued impassioned calls at Monday night’s board meeting for unity, civility, and accountability — both inside schools and across the broader community.
“Students cannot thrive in an atmosphere of hostility,” Superintendent Dr. Rosetta Treece said during her superintendent’s report. “And educators cannot do their best work when distracted by conflict and tension.”
The remarks came during a packed meeting, as parents and community members expressed concern over rising incidents of harassment, particularly those targeting students based on race, religion, gender identity, and other forms of bias. Multiple parents shared emotional stories about the toll recent incidents have taken on their children — especially at the middle school level.
“This is a cancer,” Treece said of the escalating vitriol and harassment. “It’s already beginning to erode the very fabric of our community.”
Citing hateful slurs and hate symbols discovered at multiple grade levels — not just the middle school — Treece called on residents to recommit to the district’s mission of creating safe and inclusive environments for all students.
“It is the hate symbols and racial slurs that are written on the walls in our schools and on the desks in our schools,” she said. “Not just in the middle school. It’s happening at the elementary level as well. It’s happening at the high school level.”
Treece also shared that she has been subjected to intimidation, including a recent incident in which she was followed through the community by someone in a Jeep. “Those of you who know me and have known me for some time should know that I don’t intimidate easily,” she said. “I don’t bully easily. And I don’t turn away when I think I’m doing the right thing.”
School board president Anita Williams Galiano expressed full support for Treece and the administration, saying, “This board is fully — 100% — behind this administrative body and absolutely behind Dr. Treece with full confidence and support.”
“We are at a tipping point in which we get to choose what kind of community we raise our children in,” she added.
Community Voices Speak Out
During public comment, parents echoed concerns about the school climate, calling for greater action and accountability — particularly at Timberlane.
April Johnson, a Pennington parent, said her son has been the target of hateful slurs on three separate occasions, each involving a different student. “He’s done restorative circle with the child that had said the slur. He’s gone to see the counselor. He’s active within the school,” she said. “Is there any additional support for a child who has been a victim three times?”
Another parent, Catherine Fulmer Hogan, said her once-confident middle schooler now frequently asks to leave the school. “Whether it’s centered in your culture, your religion, your racial identity, gender identity, orientation — you name it, students are going for it,” she said. “I am deeply concerned that appears that much of this dialogue is coming either from home or from social media.”
Kelly Beamon, whose daughter participates in the restorative circles at Timberlane, said such programs are valuable but insufficient on their own. “She still comes home with stories,” Beamon said. “It’s difficult to keep the morale up… and a confidence level in the faculty that they’re going to do something.”
Several speakers addressed the rise in antisemitism specifically. “As a Jewish American, it was only after I read the article about the swastikas that it caught my attention,” said Lee Rosenfield, a Hopewell Township parent. “And I didn’t realize that there have been other incidents of bias and hate in the district. I understand this is a much deeper problem in our society and in this community and I hope that we will all take a very active role in dealing with this.
District Takes Steps, Reevaluates Timing of Meeting
In response to the incidents, administrators at Timberlane have begun meeting with homerooms to discuss the hate symbols and broader concerns, emphasizing expectations around respect and community values.
The district is also working to reschedule a planned parent meeting originally intended to address these issues. The original date conflicted with Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah.)
Student Safety Report Presented
During the same meeting, district administrators presented their midyear Student Safety Data System (SSDS) report, detailing disciplinary data and incidents across the district from September through December.
The report showed zero weapons-related incidents during the first half of the school year, but an increase in certain areas — particularly out-of-school suspensions (OSS). Officials attributed this in part to stricter code-of-conduct enforcement, parent preferences for OSS over in-school suspension (ISS) and repeat offenses requiring steeper consequences.
“If there are issues where students are physical in nature, [administrators] are splitting the ISS and the OSS up,” Assistant Superitendent Tana Smith said. “Some students had repeat offenses, so they received more days than first-time students.”
The SSDS report also included two confirmed threat assessments that required police involvement, as well as four other screenings that were ultimately deemed not to be credible threats.
In addition to reporting data, administrators highlighted ongoing efforts to promote safety and emotional well-being, including restorative circles, character education, mental health resources, and partnerships with outside organizations such as Rutgers University Behavioral Health and local law enforcement.
“We strive to create safe, welcoming and respectful environments for all,” Smith said. “And in fact, that is part of our mission.”
