More N.J. schools requiring ‘psych clearances’ for kids to stay in the classroom

The Bayonne mother wasn’t surprised to get the call in October that her third grader had a meltdown at school — again. Since the start of the school year, the 8-year-old boy had regularly lashed out at classmates and teachers and refused to do his school work. This time, he was kicking, spitting and throwing things in class, his mother was told. The boy, who has autism and other disabilities, had just transferred into a new elementary school and was not adjusting well to his general education class, his mother said. He needed more specialized help than the Hudson County school district was pro...