A controversial application to locate a school inside a Brick Township church drew such a large crowd of objectors at a meeting Wednesday night that the matter will be adjourned until May so it can be held at a larger location.
The adjournment of the case, which would allow the school to operate at the Fellowship Chapel of the Jersey Shore, located at 170 Duchess Lane, comes as residents fear the school – which is described, at the current time, to be a meetingplace for children who are normally home-schooled – would add traffic and activity to their neighborhood. They have also expressed worry that once a variance is granted to Fellowship Chapel, the variance permanently carries over to future owners who may seek to expand the facility, which is almost completely enveloped by residential homes.
Fellowship Chapel, the site of a proposed school, at 170 Duchess Lane, Brick, N.J. (Photo: Shorebeat)
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Fellowship Chapel, the site of a proposed school, at 170 Duchess Lane, Brick, N.J. (Photo: Shorebeat)
Under the current proposal, Liberty School Association, headed by Rebeka Snegon, would occupy the building during the week. An attorney representing the church, Richard C. Sciria, said the school would serve between 30 and 40 students with a small number of buses that are “smaller than daycare” buses, he said.
“I think it would make sense for me to re-notice to describe the scope of the application,” Sciria told board members, after addressing a crowd of objectors who flooded the hallway outside the council chambers at the municipal building.
“To talk to the neighbors and communicate would be the best idea,” he said, adding that he may “supplement the application with a narrative” better describing the school’s operation.
The nexus between a “home school” association and organized classes with buses to transport children to a church facility was unclear, and another question brought up by neighbors on social media platforms.
Snegon and another individual, Robert Colontino, are already suing the township after being ejected from the premises at 11 Princeton Avenue for running an unpermitted school in that location. Colontino, in their court papers (embedded below this article) described themselves as “sovereign living souls” and “Judicial Power Citizens by right of blood” who filed the court papers under a “non-domestic mail” address that traces back to an Italian takeout restaurant in Ortley Beach. The language in the lawsuit resembles that of court documents filed in the past by those who affiliate with the so-called “Sovereign Citizen” movement, though there was no direct reference to the controversial political ideology in any of the school’s documents.
Responses to their pro-se motions from Superior Court Assignment Judge Francis Hodgson indicated the court found the briefs filed by the pair unclear as to the complaint they were stating and asked for documents and exhibits to be re-submitted. A re-submission resulted in a second letter from Hodgson, largely re-stating the initial explanation.
Fellowship Chapel, which is not itself a part of Liberty School Association and is seeking the variance on its own behalf as owner of the physical property, has already received a violation notice for allowing the school to operate on its premises. Documents requested by Shorebeat under the state’s Open Public Record Act, indicate the chapel received a summons in 2023 for “Failure to obtain the required site plan approval and change of use approval for the use of the property or portions of the property as a private school by Liberty School Association.”
Fellowship Chapel, the site of a proposed school, at 170 Duchess Lane, Brick, N.J. (Photo: Shorebeat)
Fellowship Chapel, the site of a proposed school, at 170 Duchess Lane, Brick, N.J. (Photo: Shorebeat)
Summonses were issued to the chapel itself as well as its tenants, listed as Snegon and Colontino.
Sciria requested the board take up the case after Easter, since the church hosts activities around the religious holiday. Ultimately, the board and Sciria agreed that the hearing would be held May 1, 2024 and 7 p.m. at Civic Plaza, 270 Chambers Bridge Road, where large gatherings can be accommodated in the township’s recreation center.
Board Attorney Anne Marie Rizzuto said Sciria should be prepared to address occupancy limits in the facility, the details of the lease between the church and school, and the school’s business operations.
Sciria indicated he would be sending fresh legal notices to neighboring property owners as part of the rescheduled hearing.
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Read the Lawsuit Regarding Liberty School Association’s eviction from 11 Princeton Avenue:
One of three violation notices issued to 170 Duchess Lane, Brick, over the unpermitted operation of a school. (Source: Brick Township)
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