Crescent Elementary School

I cannot understand how this principal remains in his position. In my opinion, he should have been fired, sued or worse long ago. In our experience, the principal's ego is the most important priority at this school. I have witnessed him yelling at parents and have been yelled at more than once myself. With our child, who has learning and emotional health struggles, we have had to fight tooth and nail to get any kind of support. In discussing this with other parents, there seems to be a trend of them pushing therapy with a thinly-veiled goal of getting kids medicated so they are "easier to manage". Meetings with this principal are nothing short of parent-bullying sessions where any and all concerns are downplayed and parents are treated as nuisances to be dealt with. Although we have had some good experiences with teachers, we have also had experiences with teachers who are just extensions of the principal's ego- with concerns being met with dismissiveness and annoyance. A school should not care more about the staff reputation than the students they are meant to serve.The classwork and homework are stuck in the past- uninspiring, task-based, and without any understanding of children's need for creative thinking. Children are encouraged to "eat quietly" and recess is so short!! Not to mention that in the school handbook both lunch and recess are called "privileges" that can be taken away at any time. This happens to be against NJ law! I am surprised they continue to get away with it.We have also witnessed very concerning behavior by the principal around the young girls at the school as well as had discussions with multiple fellow parents who have been uncomfortable with how he acts around their daughters. I have personally witnessed him petting girls on the head, patting them on the back, giving them unsolicited hugs, holding their hands and more. I have not seen him do any of this with the boys in the school. He also tends to single out non-white students in a negative manner. As mentioned in previous reviews on this site, minorities at this school are consistently treated with a lack of respect. Again, I am surprised this principal has not been fired as he clearly has no business working with or around children.

Eastern Christian has provided both my children with a loving academic environment. My kids are happy to go to school, they feel loved by the teachers and their peers. We have also utilized the service of the in school counselor who is on site a few days a week, she has been a great resource for our kids, especially coming out of the covid pandemic. We were really impressed with the worksheets and discussions that were done as a whole class, but also independently as needed. The mental and social health awareness of the school has shown a lot of growth and the services are great. Eastern Christian School Association provides a significant opportunity for parents to be involved with their kids learning and the extra curricular activities. We love the community night options and the relationships we've developed with teachers and fellow parents. We have really appreciated the attitude of the teachers that we are partners in our children's learning. When my kids have had matters that required a parent/teacher discussion or a principal/parent discussion, they have met with love and understanding. We have also come to a solution that everyone felt good about. Regarding safety which is an important school topic, Eastern Christian has a strong security plan and communicates with parents regularly. We feel very safe sending our kids to EC and know they are in good hands. In our opinion, the one area that has been a growth opportunity for the school has been challenging higher level academic children. In 2022 and 2023 we have been so impressed with the progress the school has made in this area. We are so happy with the new services offered in the elementary school and also the open dialogue between teachers, administrators and the parents. We feel heard, seen and appreciate all of the hard work the administrators are doing to ensure a premier learning experience for our children.

The education, environment and community couldn't be a better fit for our daughter and family. Supportive staff, dedicated teachers and terrific parents all support our child's educational and social successes. I can't say enough.