Two Monroe high school students were kicked out of the Monroe Recreation Center because they lived in Jamesburg. These students should have the right to use the Rec. center because they have no Rec. center in their town, and the students also play on Monroe Rec. teams.
On January 26, 2017, Nick Lupiano and his friend were forced out of the center by staff because they lived in Jamesburg. Lupiano enjoys shooting hoops with his friends or even joining a game, and never seemed to have an issue before when going into the Rec. center.
The Rec. center website states that “a valid Monroe Township Recreation Center ID will be required to enter the new facility….The cost for an ID is $10.00 per person. Proof of Monroe residency required.”
Although the rule was made in 2010, Jamesburg residents never seemed to have a problem entering and using the facility. Despite the fact that this rule has been around since 2010, many residents never knew about the rule.
Freshman Ashani Patel says, “That’s such a horrible thing that Nick was kicked out. I personally think the staff didn’t do the right thing. I still don’t understand why they would kick him out for living in Jamesburg.”
Jamesburg does not have a Rec. center to call their own and Jamesburg kids also play for the Monroe Rec. soccer, softball, and basketball teams.
It’s a safe place to go where students can participate and interact with other high school students instead of having them hang out on the streets.
It also encourages a feeling of a community in the citizens. The Rec. center is a meeting place where teens and adults can meet new people and even try new things. Denying Jamesburg residents the use of the center creates a bad reputation.
Many Monroe residents feel it’s a bad idea to allow Jamesburg citizens to use the Rec. center since it will make it more crowded, but there’s only about 200 Jamesburg high school and they will barely affect how crowded it may be.
Freshman Shannon Leff says, “It is unfair because Jamesburg kids go to Monroe Township High School and they do not have a Rec. center in their town. They should be allowed to use all the amenities because they live right next to Monroe. There’s no reason to kick somebody out of a community center.”
There are solutions to the problem, like making Jamesburg residents pay a higher monthly fee to use the Rec. center.
Not allowing Jamesburg residents to use the center only divides our community. Jamesburg and Monroe share a lot of activities and buildings already, and this one rule makes the towns feel like two separate worlds instead of uniting us.
Should Jamesburg residents be kicked out of the Rec. Center even with no place to go? Where do you think they’ll go, and what will they do without a safe place too hang out?
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