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Appearing to yield to community pressure, the Middlesex Borough school district has informed parents they must re-register all current students to verify residency in advance of the 2025-26 academic year.

Notice of the requirement was given in a Monday, May 5 message to parents from School Superintendent Dr. Roberta Freeman. In a social media post, parents said they received It via the district’s Genesis online communications portal.

The message, which was sent in both English and Spanish, advises parents how to re-register online, noting that the effort has begun and will continue until the last scheduled academic day on June 25.

During the past 18 months, as Freeman has spoken openly about a space shortage and potential steps to address it, a number of community members have called for a student re-registration.

Their premise has been a suspicion that there may be a sizable number of pupils attending local schools who do not truly reside in Middlesex Borough.

The district conducted a re-registration roughly 15 years ago. Recalling that effort at a recent meeting, Mayor Jack Mikolajczyk said it discovered 69 students attending Middlesex Borough schools who were not truly residents of the municipality. The mayor was Board of Education president at that time.

Still, several district parents who commented on Facebook recently questioned why they were being required to re-register their children, noting they have not had to do so previously.

Re-registration was suggested by a school board member at an early 2024 meeting. According to minutes of that session, Freeman responded that if one were conducted, it would need to be done over a period of years because there is only a one-person district attendance office.

Freeman was asked about the re-registration in an email from Inside – Middlesex on Tuesday, May 6. As of Thursday, May 15, she has not responded to that email.

Among the questions Freeman was asked in the May 6 email, was whether the current re-registration was a response to community critics who have pushed for one, and whether she had changed her own opinion on the need for residency verification.

The email also asked if the district would reach out to current families who do not re-register by June 25, and whether the residency check is the first step in proposing a school construction referendum.

Freeman’s parent message appears to reference the student residency concerns held by some community members. “The reregistration process helps to ensure that all students attending school in the district are residents of Middlesex Borough,” Freeman wrote in the first paragraph. 

The second paragraph of the May 5 parent message is titled “Why Reregistration Matters.” 

“Timely and accurate registration is essential to ensure that our schools are staffed appropriately, classrooms are balanced, transportation routes are planned efficiently, and all students have the resources and support they need,” Freeman wrote. “Completing the registration process helps the district make well-informed decisions that directly benefit your child’s educational experience.” 

Freeman’s May 5 parent message notes that each school family will fall into one of three categories and lays out the documentation required during re-registration.

The categories are homeowners, renters, and those living with a family member or friend.

Each category has different mandated primary documents. Homeowning familes can produce a deed, mortgage statement or borough tax bill. Renters must produce a current lease. Families living with a family member or friend must supply an affidavit of residency, and meet with the district’s attendance officer to verify the paperwork.

All families must also produce two of the following secondary documents: recent utility bill, vehicle registration or insurance card, driver’s license, recent bank statement, or voter’s registration.

Families only need to upload documents once, even if they have multiple children in district schools.

Freeman’s parent message notes that re-registration will be an ongoing requirement each year for specified district gade levels. Beginning next year, re-registration will be required each spring for pupils entering grades 3, 5, and 8.

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