By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
Beginning in September, high school age children who live on Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck will attend Colts Neck High School.
The Department of the Navy announced the news on April 19. The students’ move from Monmouth Regional High School in Tinton Falls to Colts Neck High School is the result of an agreement between the Navy, the Monmouth County school administration and the Freehold Regional High School District.
About 15 students who currently attend Monmouth Regional will enter Colts Neck in September, according to the Navy.
“This is great news for Earle’s children,” said NWS Earle Commanding Officer Capt. Jay Steingold. “I want to sincerely thank the Monmouth County school administration and the Freehold Regional High School District leadership for their outstanding support.”
The change will shorten the Earle students’ commute time to and from school and provide access to additional academies and programs such as the Navy’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, which is a Freehold Regional High School District course that is offered at Colts Neck High School.
“Our sailors regularly interact with our neighbors in Colts Neck,” Steingold said. “Having our children educated in that same community only serves to strengthen that bond.”
Charles Sampson, superintendent of schools in the Freehold Regional High School District, said, “The district will be happy to welcome the students from Naval Weapons Station Earle to Colts Neck High School this fall. The transition process is being finalized. Building administrators will create a smooth transition for the students, ensuring they are able to continue pursuing their individual academic goals.”
Elementary school pupils and middle school students who reside on NWS Earle in Colts Neck will continue to attend the Tinton Falls School District as they have done for many years under an existing agreement – even though those youngsters do not reside in Tinton Falls, according to the Navy.
The attendance of youngsters who do not live in Tinton Falls has been a point of contention for members of the Tinton Falls Board of Education for several years. Board members have sought, unsuccessfully, to require the Colts Neck K-8 School District to educate the children of Navy personnel because those youngsters live in Colts Neck.
