Parents in East Hanover are sounding the alarm about some proposed changes that may come to their children's schools.

For nearly two hours, parents packed East Hanover Middle School, pressing district leaders for answers.

At the center of the debate is a plan to move fifth graders from Central School to the middle school for the 2026–2027 school year.

The plan comes a couple of years after Central completed renovations to expand its fifth-grade space.

"They lose their elementary leadership role but are not fully integrated in the middle school community. That is not a cohesive educational structure," Lucy Forte, a parent.

Administrators say fifth graders would be separated from older students, with their own lunch, recess and core classes and escorted to specialty classes. Start times would change and grading would shift to letter grades.

District officials say the recommendations are based on long-term planning and growing enrollment.

"These recommendations are based on instructional needs, leadership planning and long-term thinking. We take our work very seriously, and we focus on doing what's best for our students and the district as a whole," said Superintendent Natalee Bartlett.

Parents say they are worried about the stability of growth for their students, both inside and outside the classroom.

"I just feel like he's going to be missing out on all the things that fifth graders get to do, and as a fifth-grade teacher myself in a different district, I know the impacts," said parent Cara Muscillo.

The board is also proposing principal reassignments and the adoption of a pre-K wraparound program.