School or no school? Proposed brick “home school” raises questions among neighbors

Testimony before the Brick Township Zoning Board of Adjustment in the matter of Liberty School Association. (Attached photo)

The proposal to house a facility in an existing church in a residential neighborhood that would provide community learning for home-schooled children continues to face significant opposition from local residents, and the case will not be heard again before the community’s planning committee until October.

The Liberty School Association, founded by Rebeka Snegon, a township resident who had previously tried to locate the facility elsewhere without obtaining a building permit, would operate out of the Fellowship Chapel of the Jersey Shore at 170 Duchess Lane. The church site is surrounded by apartment buildings, so neighbors objected to the proposal, not only fearing additional traffic and activity in their neighborhood, but also the possibility that the building could be used as a school permanently. In theory, a much larger school could open on that site should the building be sold to a new owner in the future without major legal hurdles.

Basic questions about the school’s land use were largely secondary at a meeting last week, compared to a lengthy discussion about what exactly the Liberty School Association is. It is described as a “private membership association,” but board members and experts at the hearing seemed unclear about what type of facility they should approve.

Fellowship Chapel, the site of a planned school, 170 Duchess Lane, Brick, NJ (Photo: Shorebeat)

School board attorney Ronald Cucchiaro explained that private schools, religious schools, daycare centers and homeschooling all have varying degrees of regulation in New Jersey. While some school facilities require nurses, structural requirements and certain licensed personnel to operate, homeschooling in the Garden State is largely unregulated. Religious schools may fall somewhere in between, as while they must ensure student safety, they are not subject to the same requirements as a nonreligious private school. Homeschooling has traditionally been in a residential setting, while the Liberty School Association attempts to operate from a fixed location and has previously charged tuition.

Snegon has wavered on the issue of tuition and never mentioned a religious component in previous documents. But at last week’s hearing, Snegon testified before board members that the school follows a curriculum called “The Good and the Beautiful,” which can be officially purchased online and incorporates Christian values ​​into daily school life.

“They have no plans to register as a school, and the statement that was made previously was not a real plan either – has that changed?” asked Cucchiaro.

Snegon initially testified that the school – a so-called “homeschooling cooperative” – ​​would not charge tuition to its estimated 30 to 40 students, ages kindergarten through 8th grade. But attorney Edward Liston, representing the neighboring homeowners, produced a flyer from the 2022 school year that included a fee schedule and instructions that it was a “non-refundable fee” that was “due along with a signed agreement.”

Shorebeat obtained a copy of that flyer and it’s embedded below. Even more confusing, another document from September 2022 (also embedded below) states that the Liberty School Association is “not a homeschooling co-op or typical private school.” It also touts “highly educated teachers.” However, the association’s attorney later told board members that the school does not employ staff.

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Snegon testified that she had a degree in forensic psychology from Southern New Hampshire University, but could not remember the year she graduated. She also testified that she had begun doctoral studies, but briefly forgot the name of the school she attended before referring to an online college.

“I think it was Capella University – it was an online school – it was a lot of work and with three kids and full-time work, there just wasn’t enough time,” she said in response to Liston’s question.

The question of whether Liberty School Association must follow private school or homeschool regulations led to a discussion about tuition – a potential factor that could determine the school’s status – with representatives struggling to explain the concept. When asked if the school charges tuition, Snegon said some parents have paid tuition in the past and others have not, which conflicts with the requirements in the 2022 flyer. She said the school should not be judged based on the 2022 requirements.

“If we want to play with linguistics, I guess we can use that word, but it wasn’t a mandatory requirement,” she said of the tuition fee concept. “There was a recommended amount, but not everyone paid the same amount.”

Snegon testified that some parents gave lessons, others provided teaching materials, and still others supported the association financially.

“It costs money to run the whole thing,” she said. “Of course, parents have to contribute. Some simply choose to contribute financially.”

Snegon said she plans to run the school under New Jersey’s minimum homeschooling requirements.

“The current conditions on the ground would of course lead to different situations than back then,” she said, referring to the 2022 flyer.

The Liberty School Association will rely on parents to teach their students in groups rather than at home, she added.

“Mothers don’t spontaneously get more arms when they have children, they need help,” Snegon said. “So this was a way for parents with multiple children to get that help, and the children liked it. They liked being together.”

“In my personal opinion, sending my children to public school was not an option,” she continued. “Having them at home all day was not fun for them, and there were other families who felt the same way. We are volunteers. We don’t take a paycheck.”

Snegon also said that in addition to the exemptions for homeschooling, her association should also be exempt from the regulations that New Jersey daycare centers must follow. One of the exemptions under New Jersey state law is for “centers for primarily religious instruction.”

Cucchiaro, the panel’s attorney, explained that if the facility were to be considered a homeschooling cooperative, as required by state law, traditional homeschooling policies would apply.

“Unlike private or public schools, the state does not require (homeschooling) teachers to be licensed or have any special qualifications or background to teach students,” he said.

After hours of testimony, the matter was ultimately left to the committee members to make a decision based on the evidence presented to them and the testimony of the witnesses.

Fellowship Chapel, the site of a planned school, 170 Duchess Lane, Brick, NJ (Photo: Shorebeat)

Fellowship Chapel, the site of a planned school, 170 Duchess Lane, Brick, NJ (Photo: Shorebeat)

A planner hired by the Liberty School Association later testified that such a facility would be a fundamentally beneficial use under New Jersey’s Municipal Land Use Law, meaning that in order to deny the application, board members must determine that the facility would pose a “substantial disadvantage” to the community.

“There are no negative impacts such as are normally found in land development,” he said.

The hearing will continue at 7:00 p.m. on October 1, 2024, at the Civic Plaza, 270 Chambers Bridge Road. Due to the size of the facility, the hearing will be held at the Civic Plaza, which is necessary due to the high level of public interest in the application.