BRICK — Parents of first graders at Emma Havens Young Elementary School in Brick told the township Board of Education on Thursday that their children have been hit at school and are afraid to go to class. They asked the district for a clear plan to keep classrooms safe.

At least four parents spoke during public comment at the board's Oct. 29 meeting, which had opened with student recognitions and reports. One of them noted the "very uplifting meeting" before saying she didn't want to make it "downtrodden."

A mother who said she is a former teacher told the board her son, a 6-year-old first grader, had been "physically struck at school twice." She said compassion for children with behavior problems has to be balanced with the safety of the other students in the room. "A quiet classroom is not necessarily a safe classroom," she said.

She asked the board to consider a classroom observation policy that would let parents set up a short visit to watch their own child during class.

Another parent, whose family recently moved to Brick, said her son was hurt twice in back-to-back weeks. The second time, the school nurse called to say he had been hit in the eye with a thrown object. She said she learned of the first incident only because her son told her, and she asked when parents are supposed to be told about the state's harassment, intimidation and bullying reporting process. "I'm not a parent that's going away," she said.

A third mother said her son, also a first grader at the school, told her that day he didn't want to go to school, even with a Halloween party and parade planned for the next day. She said she had written emails and spoken with teachers but kept getting "very blanketed careful responses."

A fourth parent, a business owner who said she grew up in Brick and went to its schools, said her daughter's class had been disrupted since the first week of school. She asked board members to imagine someone in the room "yelling, throwing chairs, damaging your belongings," and then being expected to keep paying attention.

She said she supports the district and its teachers and wants help for the student who is struggling as well as for the class. She asked for district leaders, staff and families to work together on a plan, with resources behind it and a date to review it.

Later in the meeting, a board member thanked "the moms that came from Emma Havens" for speaking and encouraged them to keep coming to board meetings.

Earlier that night, the district's anti-bullying coordinator presented the annual self-assessment that New Jersey requires districts to file under the state's anti-bullying law. A board member said investigations under that law are "very arduous" and must meet several criteria before an incident counts as harassment, intimidation or bullying.

Near the end of the meeting, a board member said the district is in active litigation with the state over school aid, which the board member said has been cut for about six straight years. The board member said the cuts affect the district's push for smaller class sizes.