NUTLEY -- To save money in the district’s $59 million budget, two Nutley board of education members want to pin some parents with the detention bills.The board members, Steven Rogers and Walter Sautter, say they are hoping to adopt a policy by next school year that would charge parents for detention, which they estimate costs the district $10,000 a year in overtime and maintenance fees.
"It may not seem like a lot of money, but it adds up over time," Rogers said. "Parents need to step up to the plate and to be held responsible and accountable for their children’s habitual actions."
During a board meeting last month, Rogers, who also works as a police officer in town, and Sautter, a former science teacher at Nutley High School, outlined a proposal to fine parents whose children are consistently sent to after-school detention. Rogers and Sautter have not determined the size of the fines or how to define a student who is habitually in detention.
The proposal, which is being reviewed by the school board’s attorney, would be the first of its kind in the state, said Frank Bellusciop, spokesman for the New Jersey School Board Association.
The idea has drawn opposition from other board members and residents who say detention is an integral part of a public education.
"I understand what they’re trying to do, because we’re very conscious of the budget, and there’s going to be a tremendous amount that we’re going to have to cut in the upcoming year," said board member Kenneth Reilly. "But I don’t think it’s legal, because we’re responsible for detention."
Belluscio said although districts may charge for some extracurricular activities and field trips, charging for detention may be in violation of the state Constitution.
"Discipline is part of a public education," he said. "Since detention would have to be used to enforce discipline, it is doubtful that you could charge for that, the same way you can’t charge for someone taking a history class or math class."
