Schools

Bike-In Protest Planned at Hillside School This Morning

Parents and children are expected to arrive after 9:00 a.m. to protest the rule against bike racks

Montclair Mom Jen Savitch is bracing herself for what might well be a bumpy ride on Monday morning. 

Savitch, who regularly bicycles to Hillside school with her son Luke, has organized a “Bike in” to take place about 9:00 a.m. Monday.  The “Bike-In,” a gathering of Montclair parents and children who want to park their bikes on school property, is to protest the current rule against it, set by Principal Mike Chiles. 

Savitch says she tried to discuss it with Chiles in his office but the discussion didn’t go as planned. 

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“He said in a booming voice, ‘Nobody bikes to my school.’  I said respectfully, “I don’t think you have a choice’.” 

The discussion got heated, she says. “I threw in obesity, health, going green.  He wasn’t listening to me.  He said he owns everything up to the curb.  Eventually he said, ‘My wishes are that you don’t bike, but if you do, I don’t want it visible’.” 

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Savitch is quick to point out that Chiles’ unflinching stance is in response to a Hillside child who died in a biking accident in 1993. 

“From what I’ve heard, he was at her deathbed.  Her name was Kia Carnegie.  There is a plaque and tree dedicated to her in front of Hillside,” says Savitch. “It’s a personal issue for him.  I know he’s scared [that other children will be injured in biking accidents.]” 

According to Savitch, Chiles agreed to installing a bike rack across from Hillside school, near the Pre-K Center.  But that was not optimum, she pointed out.  The bikes could get stolen from that spot, she feels, and the children would have to cross the street twice to park and retrieve the bikes. 

“I want a bike rack and I want it where it used to be in 1993,” she said.

Savitch went to the local police who, she says, told her they weren’t sure where the school property ended and the township property began.  They advised her to lock the bike to a tree.  Not satisfied, she next spoke to Township Attorney Ira Karasick about the matter. 

“He was busy preparing for a Board of Education meeting Monday night,” she says.  “He said, ‘I can’t imagine [locking a bike to a tree on school property] is going to be illegal,’ but he didn’t give me an official positive.   So I called the Board of Education.

“They sent me an official email saying that it’s fine if I bike to Hillside.  It didn’t answer my questions, which were very specific.  Dr. Clarence Hoover wrote this email.” 

In the email, dated June 14, 2011, Hoover wrote:

“I followed up our conversation from last week with a meeting with the principal of Hillside, Mr. Chiles, to discuss your concern about biking. There is no district policy regarding how parents choose to bring their children to school or take them home after school.  The streets surrounding Hillside elementary school are extremely busy and as a safety precaution, Mr. Chiles believes that encouraging students to bike to school would put students in harm`s way. The district is participating in the Safe Routes to school program in conjunction with the city and as a result a discussion about next steps will occur this summer.” 

Savitch still plans to hold the Bike-In tomorrow anyway, rain or shine.  She says she is not afraid of reprisals for her actions, despite some parents’ warnings that she should back off. 

“Everyone knows [Chiles] hates it, is against it.  Some people hide their bikes in the bushes.  They just want to please the principal,” she says.  “This is so bizarre to me.  People have told me to take my child out of Hillside.  I’m not afraid.  I feel like principal Chiles doesn’t have it in him to take it out on a kid.” 

She pauses and adds, “If, for whatever reason, he does, I’ll do something then.”


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