Fund raising campaign under way for chair lifts Maneuvering through high school difficult for handicapped students BY DANIELLE MEDINA Correspondent BRICK TOWNSHIP - It should be easy for C.J. DeCarlo and his Segway Scooter to get around Brick Township Memorial High School, because the school is handicapped accessible. There's just one problem. DeCarlo, a sophomore, attends Brick Township High School, which is 144,117 square feet, has six different levels, numerous stairs and no elevators. "It's unacceptable for children to attend kindergarten through eighth grade and then have to leave their peers and get sent to the other side of town to attend high school," Terry DeCarlo told Board of Education members at the Jan. 24 board meeting. "These children deserve to go to their home school. They have difficult time making friends because of their handicaps." That's why DeCarlo, her son and the Brick Township High School Parent Teacher Student Association (BTHSPTSA) have embarked on a campaign to install chair lifts at the school to make it accessible. The chair lifts cost $25,000 each to purchase and install. Brick Township High School Principal Dennis Filippone says one chair lift would make the school 60 percent accessible; two lifts would make it 70 percent accessible; and four lifts would make it 80 percent accessible. "The two upstairs areas that house 300 Science and Social Studies and 400 English would never be accessible," Filippone said. "There are some areas of the school that are almost impossible to get to from the inside, despite shuffling around classes to more accessible rooms. "You can't get to the library unless you go outside," said Terry DeCarlo. "In bad weather, that's a pain." Two other children who currently attend the high school also use wheelchairs to get around. There are also two children in wheelchairs that currently attend Lake Riviera Middle School who will attend the high school within the next two years, Filippone said. Terry DeCarlo said the lifts are needed not only for handicapped students but also for students with injuries and other members of the community. "A handicapped parent or grandparent can't get around back-to-school night. They're stuck," DeCarlo said. "This is a community building. It's used for a variety of purposes." So far, the BTHSPTSA has raised $6,700 through a clothing drive, a walka thon and from donations from Braces @ Brick, Commerce Bank, Crystal Point Yacht Club, the Elks, PNC Bank and from Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis, Terry DeCarlo said. Another walk-a-thon is scheduled for April 16 and another clothing drive is slated for May 10, Terry DeCarlo said. "If every kid at Brick Township High School raised just $10, we would have $16,000," DeCarlo said. The Brick Township High School Carnival Committee has earmarked $2,500 toward the effort, said Richard Kight on behalf of the committee. Tim Puglisi, president of the Brick Township Education Association, also pledged up to $1,000 in food and supplies for the BTHSPTSA to hold a fundraiser at Windward Beach. DeCarlo said that township officials are looking to see if there is any money they can contribute and the township's grant writer is also looking for any available grants. "If the whole community gets on board with this, I think we could have two lifts installed by September," De- Carlo said. "We need a little more support, but it can be done." To make a donation, contact Terry DeCarlo at (732) 920-2648 or (732) 477- 2777 ext. 25.