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A Safer, Smarter, Stronger School System, Built for Every Student

My name is John Fluet, and I am running for a seat on our town’s Board of Education because I believe our schools are at a crossroads. As a recent graduate of our public school system, I have seen firsthand how institutional failures and a lack of leadership have created unsafe environments, broken learning experiences, and wasted opportunities to foster real growth in body, mind, and spirit.

This campaign is not about politics. It’s about action. It's about listening to students and families, then doing something about what they’re saying.

I. School Safety & Law and Order: A Safe School is a Smart School

Let’s not beat around the bush, fights have become disturbingly common in our schools. Drugs are present in the bathrooms. Many students, myself included when I was enrolled, do not feel physically or emotionally safe. This is an unacceptable breakdown of leadership, and it cannot continue. It demands a firm, compassionate, and immediate response.

My Plan:

Full-time Security Presence: There should be one trained and equipped school safety officer or school resource officer stationed and patrolling every hundred section of our high building at all times during the school day. Visible security prevents violence, de-escalates conflict, and reassures our student body that someone has their back.

Harsher Consequences and Zero-Tolerance for Violence: Fighting is not a rite of passage. It's a breakdown of order and a threat to safety. A one-day in-school suspension doesn’t cut it anymore.

 Fighting should come with mandatory out-of-

school suspensions, with a minimum of 10 days for repeat offenders, combined with restorative discipline sessions, mental health evaluations, and parent-administrator meetings before reentry.

Better Surveillance, Smarter Supervision: Security cameras must be installed in blind spots and regularly reviewed. Staff training in identifying early signs of escalating behavior is essential, especially during hallway transitions and lunch periods.

Bathroom Patrols to Stop Drug Use: Bathrooms have become hotbeds for vaping, pill trading, and drug use. The incumbent Board has failed to properly address the drug crisis. In one meeting, they celebrated changing the word ‘will’ to ‘shall’ in a drug policy as if it was a grand victory for our students. We must assign officers to patrol or monitor high-risk bathrooms regularly throughout the day. If you're not using the restroom for its intended purpose, you shouldn't be there.

II. Mental Health and Proactive Counseling: Addressing the Root Cause

The rise in fights is not random, it’s a symptom of a broader mental health crisis among our youth. Students aren’t just misbehaving, they’re hurting. This is not a discipline issue, it's a cry for help, and we are failing to hear that cry before it erupts into violence.

My Plan:

Proactive Counseling for At-Risk Students: We realistically know which students are most often involved in these altercations, or who are most likely to be at some point. Our school counselors need to stop waiting for problems to land on their desk and start identifying and engaging with at-risk students early. We must be proactive and not reactive. This includes regular check-ins and mental health screenings to intervene before the next punch is thrown.

Expand Mental Health Staff: Each school should have a sufficient number of trained mental health professionals, not just guidance counselors managing college applications. This is a crisis, and our district must meet it head-on.

Normalize Mental Health Education: Let’s destigmatize getting help. Regular classroom workshops on stress management, emotional regulation, and conflict resolution should be embedded into our physical education curriculum to acknowledge the need for both physical and mental health.

III. Academic Accountability: Ending Administrative Neglect

When I was in AP French this past year, we had no teacher for two months, and were given empty busywork from the Language Department. Then we had an unqualified one, where we learned nothing and got free A's. When he randomly left after Spring break ended, we weren't even given the dignity of busywork, and were essentially given a free study hall. The Language Department didn't respond to emails with concerns over grades for nearly a month. Half of the class unregistered for the AP Exam, and half of those that took it likely failed. This was a complete and total abdication of responsibility from the administration, and it cannot be allowed to happen again.

My Plan:

Transparent Hiring & Vacancy Reporting: The administration must be held publicly accountable for unstaffed classes. If a class is without a certified teacher for more than two weeks, the Board of Education and parents must be formally notified, along with a published plan for resolution. Silence is no longer an option.

Emergency Instruction Protocols: When vacancies occur, stopgap lesson plans must be designed and approved by the Board, not just a stream of meaningless busywork. Students in advanced courses should be assigned enrichment projects, lectures from online educators, and real learning experiences.

Evaluate and Replace Incompetent Instructors: It’s not enough to just hire someone and call them a teacher. We need regular evaluations from students and faculty peers. If a teacher disappears mid-semester or fails to provide basic instruction, there must be immediate administrative review and potential removal.

IV. Physical Education Reform and Fitness for Everyone

Our current gym and health programs are simply not up to par. Team sports dominate the curriculum, rewarding the already athletic while alienating those who need movement the most. Meanwhile, health class is often a placeholder with no real content.

My Plan:

Individualized Fitness Focus: Replace the outdated "choose-a-sport" model with structured, rotating fitness circuits that are tailored for different ability levels. Students should engage in a balance of cardio (jogging, jump rope), strength (push-ups, sit-ups), and wellness (yoga, tai chi, stretching).

Real Health Education: Health class should not be a period of idle chatter. It must include instruction on hygiene, nutrition, mental health, sleep, and substance abuse prevention taught consistently by qualified staff, not just once from a guest speaker. Students should walk away with life knowledge, not just a grade.

Effort and Growth-Based Grading: Grades should be based on effort, consistency, and personal improvement, not athletic skill or arbitrary participation. If you show up, work hard, and try to grow, you pass. If you don’t, your grade reflects that.

Mandatory Participation and No More Opt-Outs for Sneakers: Not wearing the right shoes should not exempt a student from class. Not wearing gym-appropriate shoes is not a valid reason to skip class. Students will be required to participate to the best of their ability, with points being deducted, but effort still being expected.

Athletic Exemption for Student Athletes:

Student athletes dedicate countless hours each week to practices, games, strength training, and conditioning, often far exceeding the physical activity offered in a typical gym class. Requiring these students to participate in redundant physical education wastes their time, wastes school resources, and increases risk of burnout and injury. Student athletes should be able to choose between a study hall or an extra elective to replace gym class. This policy has actually been advocated for by student athletes to the incumbent Board, and they have failed to act upon these calls.

V. Leadership and Communication Reform: We must end the culture of silence from administrators and department heads. When parents and students raise legitimate concerns, whether about absent teachers or unsafe conditions, they deserve a response. Ignoring emails, concerns, or student emergencies is not just bad policy, it’s a betrayal of trust.

My Plan:

Enforce Response Standards: Department heads and administrators must respond to inquiries within five school days. Failure to do so should be formally documented and reported to the Superintendent.

Review Department Performance Annually: Just like teachers are evaluated, so too must be the department heads and administrators. If a department ignores its students for an entire semester, leaves students without a teacher, ignores their emails, or fails to meet core curriculum requirements, there should be consequences.

Hold Departments Accountable: If half of an AP class drops out of their exam due to negligent instruction, the department head must explain why and face administrative review.

VI. Fair Compensation for the Critical Work of English Teachers:

Let’s talk about the most underpaid and overworked educators in our system: English teachers. They read and give feedback on every word students write. They grade essays, run discussion-heavy classes, prepare students for state exams and college writing, and unlike other subjects, there's no automated grading for English. It's personal, human, and exhausting. The reality is that Many English teachers take home piles of grading every weekend, it’s not uncommon for English teachers to take on second or even third jobs, and their workload is disproportionate to both their pay and their peers. Without proper investment in our English educators, we risk burnout, turnover, and declining instruction in one of the most foundational subjects in education.

My Plan:

Raise Salaries for English Teachers: We will advocate for a targeted pay raise for English educators, or at the very least, differentiated stipends recognizing the volume and intensity of grading they perform.

Cap Grading Loads: No teacher should be expected to assess 120+ essays in a week. Class sizes must be kept reasonable, or grading support must be provided (e.g. teaching assistants or essay review teams).

Add Grading Prep Time to Schedules: English teachers should have built-in release time during the school day for grading and feedback. This work is part of teaching and should be treated as such.

Closing Statement

As someone who just walked the same halls, ate in the same cafeterias, and sat in the same failing systems you or your children are experiencing, I know the truth. I’m ready to fight for the change we’ve all been waiting for.

We need a Board of Education that isn’t afraid to call out dysfunction, fix what’s broken, and rebuild a system that respects every student, not just the ones who can jump highest or shout loudest. Let’s build a school system where students can walk safely, learn fully, grow physically, and be heard clearly.

Vote for sensibility. Vote for sensitivity. Vote for security.

Vote John Fluet for Board of Education.

About John Fluet:

John is a proud graduate of Hillsborough High School’s Class of 2025 and will be starting his journey as a history education major at Raritan Valley Community College this coming fall. With a passion for learning, leadership, and service, he is committed to giving back to the community that shaped him.

A lifelong resident of the town, John has developed strong roots through his faith and community involvement. He is a member of the Neshanic Reform Church, where he was baptized a year ago on his 18th birthday. His deep religious values inspire his dedication to integrity, compassion, and responsibility.

One of John’s most formative experiences has been his involvement with Boy Scout Troop 1776, where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. His Eagle Scout project was a testament to his leadership and commitment: he successfully organized and led a construction project to build a new sign for the Flagtown Fire Department, a project that required careful planning, coordination of volunteers, and hands-on management from start to finish.

Leadership has been a central theme throughout his Scouting career. In 2023, he served as Senior Patrol Leader, the highest youth leadership role in the Troop, equivalent to being the Troop president. In this position, he was responsible for guiding fellow Scouts, organizing troop activities, and fostering teamwork and accountability. Over the years, he also held numerous other leadership roles, each building his skills in communication, problem-solving, and motivating others. These experiences taught him invaluable lessons about what it means to lead with humility, fairness, and determination.

As a recent graduate who has lived through many of the challenges our schools face today, John brings a fresh, firsthand perspective to the Board of Education. He understands the importance of safety, quality education, and strong leadership in creating a school environment where every student can thrive.

With his background, values, and dedication, John is ready to serve our schools and ensure they are places of safety, learning, and opportunity for all.