 Accusations about mayhem at the school have come from not only its teachers and students but also representatives at the Paterson Education Association, including its former president, Peter Tirri, 

On February 14, 2008, John F. Kennedy instructors and the Paterson Education Association filed a complaint towards the school to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development's Office of Public Employee Safety, citing lack of discipline on students using vulgar language towards personnel, physically assaulting teachers, urinating in non-bathroom areas, and protesting the school's schedules by pulling fire alarms.In 2014, Ted McNulty, a former metal shop teacher who retired from the school in July 2014, has expressed his testimonies through interviews by sources such as the talk show "Chasing News" and education reform news service Choice Media; and a book he wrote and self-published on January 11, 2017 titled "RUINING a NATION and Nobody Cares".Superintendent officials have denied McNulty's claims.