Ridge High School Parent Starts SAT Petition

BERNARDS TOWNSHIP – A Bernards Township parent has started a Change.org petition which advocates Ridge High School holding college admissions testing during regular school hours this fall. Jeff Kramer, the parent of an incoming senior, said cancellations, scheduling backlogs, and safety concerns all led to starting the petition.

“My daughter’s test has been canceled three times since the spring,” Kramer said, “and with the incoming juniors starting to take their tests, the pool becomes more crowded with less spots.”

Kramer said that the COVID-caused cancellations had forced many families to look into traveling to take the test when suitable sites were not available in this area. According to The College Board, the nonprofit that administers the SAT, the test is typically given on Saturday mornings.

The petition, which is more than halfway to its goal of 200 signatures, asks that “Bernards Township School District seek to administer the ACT and/or SAT college admissions exams for Ridge students during the school day in the Fall of 2020, preferably as soon as possible.”

The petition also claims that students have been forced to travel out of state “to a test site only to learn on the day of the test that the test was no longer being conducted at that site.” Kramer said his daughter was planning on traveling to South Jersey to take the test, but that session was also canceled.

"Having the tests given at Ridge would avoid dangerous travel and interaction with people,” Kramer said. “The board of education has done a great job with the COVID-19 response, but this could alleviate a major stress point for a lot of our kids.”

Ridge High School and the Bernards Township Board of Education did not return requests for comment.