CNBNews

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (October 14, 2023)--The photo of the bench was taken on October 7, 2023, in the dumpster area behind the Cold Springs school complex. We first noticed it several weeks prior. Around the same time, and over the next few weekends, we saw lying on the asphalt 10-foot tables, several student desks, two metal bookcases, a small file cabinet, and office chairs. The only time we walk in that area is on weekends. We do this to check out the trash dumpsters, as we are curious about what the custodians are throwing away. There have been times that we have seen men in pickup and panel trucks picking through the trash and loading the stuff they want in their vehicles. Some items are damaged, and others have nothing wrong with them. 

CNBNews photo

Behind the Cold Springs School is an area explicitly used for trash and broken school equipment that is being thrown away. Usually, there are several dumpsters sitting there, also.

When you sit on the bench, you will notice right away that the bottom of it isn't level, and, as a result, one end rises in the air while the other becomes lower. It appeared that someone had taken the supporting brackets off, maybe to try and fix it, as the nuts and bolts were scratched, putting the frame back in place. It was not built for adults as it sits low to the ground. We had intended to try to fix it and, if successful, give it to one of our grandchildren. If not, we were going to put it out for trash.

In recent months, we have begun to document the items being thrown away by the school district. We were collecting details for a potential article addressing the issue of the Gloucester City school district discarding perfectly functional office equipment and school supplies, so we purposely took photos of this bench. It's important to note that the state's ABBOT program financially supports Gloucester City schools. According to a former elementary custodian, due to its district status, Gloucester City Public Schools allegedly disposes of this equipment in anticipation of receiving brand-new desks, chairs, and other items.

As mentioned, when we were informed that the bench was not trash, we notified the police and returned it shortly after. End of story, we thought.  

We circled where we found the bench, close to the loading dock on the right; trash was piled on the dockyard. The camera also shows some student desks. In the distance, the blue storage trailer on the left is where many discarded items are usually placed. There is a fenced area with a padlock on the gate where items not being thrown out are kept. 

The image was taken from the GCPD Facebook page. The police continued to play the video recorded on the school's security camera even though the bench had been returned on Monday, October 10, when it first went live. That video has received over 7000 views. 

It's pretty perplexing that this matter has not been resolved yet. The only plausible explanation we can come up with is that our fearless reporting over the last 50-plus years may have ruffled some feathers among certain members of the City Board of Education, the City Council, or the police department. However, we sincerely hope that this is not the case. It would be disheartening to think that someone could bear such animosity towards us to take such drastic and unfair actions for reporting the news as we see it. 

~ William E. Cleary Sr.

CNBNews Editor

Publisher/Editor Emeritus Gloucester City News & Camden County Record

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