BRICK – A few residents attended the most recent Brick Board of Education meeting to talk about the tragic accident that occurred on Lanes Mill Road. Jackson Mueller, who was a freshman at Brick Memorial High School, was hit and killed during his morning bike ride to school.
While acknowledging the fact that the Board of Education has very little power to make the school trip safer, those who approached the podium to talk about the tragedy asked for the board’s support in their push to make Lanes Mill Road, which has three schools on it, a safer place for children to be.
Many of the same issues that were brought up at a recent Brick Township Council meeting were mentioned here as well. One resident talked about how drivers constantly ignore red lights, for example.
Residents believe that affecting change on this road is going to be a four-pronged effort where the residents will need cooperation from the township, the board of education, the county, and the town’s local assemblyman. This is because Lanes Mill Road is a county road, meaning that only the county can change the speed limit, but the town can do things like replacing the blinking lights on the 25 mph school signs, which were not working for some time, according to a few residents who attended the town council meeting.
One strategy to help resolve this issue that was brought up by citizens to the board was to have the bus drivers call it in when someone runs a red light near them. In New Jersey, bus drivers can provide police with reports of people running red lights if they offer dashcam footage, a license plate, and a vehicle description. The police would then review the evidence and issue a summons if they can verify the claim. Bus drivers calling in these issues will help record exactly how many infractions are made on Lanes Mill Road, and give local governance more information on the severity of the issue.
The board has already been in contact with the county to see what they can do to help the situation, with Superintendent Dr. Thomas Farrell having met with county officials about traffic safety.
According to Farrell, the county engineer contacted him the day before the meeting. One suggestion that came of that conversation was that the district ramp up education not just for young drivers but also for those who walk and ride their bikes to school so that an incident like this might be prevented in the future. Farrell finished up his statement by saying that the board will help in any way that they can; however, the bus driver reporting initiative brought up by the citizen speakers at the meeting was not directly addressed by the board.
In addition to the discussion about how to make the school trip safer, the district also honored those who received the 2025-2026 Governor’s Educator of the Year award. More information about the various recipients of the awards given out at this meeting can be found online on the district’s website.
The next board of education meeting will take place on June 25 at 6 p.m.
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