e good evening and welcome to the the the June 25th 2024 meeting of the bridgew raron regional board of education education meeting at the Wade building in compliance with the open public meetings law of New Jersey notice of this June 25th meeting of the bridge Ro ARs and Regional Board of Education was posted electronically on the dritic website and provided on June 21st by sending a 48 hour written notice to The Courier News Star Ledger Bridge Town Clerk Baron B Clerk and by posting on the bullet board in the Harmon v Wade administration building if you're able please join me in this pure Allegiance I to the flag the United States of Amica America and to the rep for it stands one nation God indivisible withy andice all do you m call the RO please Mrs Freelander absent Mrs Lee absent Mr Yoshi here m kist stre absent Mr singer here miss Huna here Mr Pepe here miss loin absent Mr Walker here we have five members so we have a quum correct correct great thank you whereas the discussion of the board is required on matters that that are exceptions to the requirement that a public Bobby holds its meeting in public and whereas the topics of discussion are brpa grievance and Personnel whereas it is expected the details of the discussion may be made public as soon as the issues may be acted on publicly be it resolved that the board enters into close session of the time is there a motion so moved second there a second all those in favor I I all those opposed we're now in close session e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e I normally would ask for the student represent report but they all have graduated so we no longer have any student represent we thank them for what they did and wish them the best but next up on the agenda is the superintendent report Mr beers thank you Mr Walker so tonight on everyone's agenda there's an attachment for the uh student safety data report this this is uh presented to the Board of Education every six months and and I just ask you to I know uh prior to the meeting of sure you've taken a look at it but it will come up for a vote and and what happens is it does track certain um certain disciplinary actions and uh harassment intimidation and bullying throughout the district and and we report that to the state on a six-month interval so so as we know uh we had graduation last week and uh now that we are in our first full week without students there's there's a buzz of a of a different type throughout the district and that's of construction if you've driven around any of the schools you'll see that there's quite a lot of activity that really started the moment teachers and students left last week so just a a quick overview of what has started this week and what will start in the next couple of weeks if you if you drive past basalone field you'll see that there's a quite a bit of work going on there both on on the grandstands and on the Fieldhouse work for that is due to be completed at the end of the summer I believe they they're delivering the aluminum for the new Grand stands on July 7th and 8th and then that will go up in a matter of weeks so so work is is progressing pretty quickly over there every school in the district is getting a security vestibule I I take that back the high school is not that's that's another case but every primary um Intermediate Middle School is getting a a uh security vestibule installed middle school bathrooms are are being gutted as we speak right that's that's uh phase one of the project if anyone has visited one of the middle school bathrooms I don't think being pulled up and uh that's going on as we speak uh Windows phase one and and the windows phase one project will happen at Hamilton school um JFK and Van Halton and phase one of of the HVAC project will will begin in those three schools as well and the reason is that all three of those schools have the same footprint so that was the place where our Architects and uh and we decided to start and then phase two and three will be will be starting soon after and uh and look we we'll provide updates as we uh as we get them but it's an exciting time and uh I know I I see Kevin back here I know he's he's going crazy going around uh making sure that the systems are operational for those secure vestibules uh it's not just the security of the vestibule but the technology that we have for the buzzers the cameras Etc that all has to be integrated in and I applaud the efforts of our Tech Team for really helping to lead that project and and as we as we talk about what's going on right now you should know that that uh we're in the process of planning for 6 months from now and a year from now as well one of the major items that is going to be on the agenda over the summer is uh we have a scheduled date in front of the planning board for the municipality and that's on August 6th at 7 o' and it's a courtesy review and and it's for the middle school edition for for the sixth grade Wing that's going to be going on and again we go in in front of of the planning board and uh they're able to to ask us questions the architect Architects will be there as well and um and then we'll move forward but it's right about the time that we're going to put this out out to a bit as well and there is one final thing wanted to go over so at the end of the year I also sent a letter of thanks to mayor MCH of Bridgewater Township Tim ring who is the uh Township uh council president and the chief of police John mitac really thanking them for the for the collaborative spirit that we had all all throughout the year with our security and our SRO and class three officers I'll just read a little bit you know the first few paragraphs for you and uh I signed this and sent this this to them as again a letter of thanks I said the purpose of this correspondence is to personally commend the outstanding work of our district security team specifically our school resource officers and class three officers who visit our schools every day in an everchanging landscape of security challenges their professionalism vigilance and commitment to fostering a secure learning environment are an invaluable asset to our community I want to take a moment to applaud the ease of communication our two school resource officers offers have demonstrated with our District administration security leadership and campus monitors Anthony molo and Brian nner have worked seamlessly with our district security team to share information coordinate efforts all in the name of student safety had high expectations for the level of collaboration possible between the school and the Bridgewater police department and these two officers have exceeded our lofty expectations our class three officers Mark Christensen Chris Fischer and Kurt Bernard also provide an integral part of our overall security profile working collaborative I'm sorry collaboratively with our security leadership they consistently provide much-needed security coverage to the 10 schools located in Bridgewater Township and uh kudos to the Bridgewater ritan police leadership for providing opportunities for training and for for participating in District sponsored training including active shooter emergency response evacuation and re reunification drills working directly with OEM Personnel crossing guard trainer and an active shooter incident management course that would be held at the high school in July we're looking forward to future plans with school staff and your officers utilizing our school buildings uh for emergency response training we hope to continue this partnership to benefit the students employees and parents who represent our school Community I'm always available to discuss how we can enhance our operations and how we can continue this positive relationship between law enforcement and the school Community have a great summer so that went out to uh to those folks again as a letter of thanks and um we really did have an excellent year with our security staff as well as the officers from Bridgewater PD the reason I didn't mention the riton burrow Police Department is that we don't have um SRO or class three officers that are paid for through through uh RIT and burrow instead and it and it's just as ative anyone that they have on patrol visits our schools as part of their patrol and and walks the Halls on a consistent basis so we we ended this the school year as you know on a high note uh hopefully we started a new tradition at Rucker University by having graduation at uh Jersey Mike Arena I think it was it was quite fitting where it was probably the hottest day of the summer thus far I don't I don't think I think if we had taken a poll during the ceremony to say uh who wants to move it back to the field on on a day like today I I think it would have been overwhelming to uh keep it at Jersey Mike so we we do intend to to uh continue that tradition the only thing that could be a sticking point in the upcoming years is that one of these years whether it's next next summer or the summer after they're going to do a massive renovation of that facility so even though we want to continue this partnership uh there may be a year in the next two to three where it is back at our place so that's it so that's it for tonight thank you Mr Walker thank you Mr beers um to follow on that I think it's been I'd like to thank the staff the community the students I think we've had a pretty good year you know I mean was a perfect no but we've made steps and Evolutions moving forward um the final the third referendum vote happened in November where you know after 30 years of talking about it 20 years of maybe getting moving forward 10 years of since I got in the board to have we now are going to have full day kindergarten operational in two years and so that's very important and and and the referendum also helps put us in place where as the school years kind of gotten longer when I was a kid you went back after Labor Day and you got out of Memorial Day and you had a full 12we summer it's a little shorter now air conditioning and with global wi air conditioning wasn't always needed so we're getting that so our environments for kids are great um again following up on graduation I think it was a a wonderful privilege that the board members are there and Mr Joshy gave a rousing speech and the student speeches were amazing at at at the at the at the Jersey mikx Arena um the high school was a little bit not so it was warm it was a very warm and enriching environment at for the Middle School graduation so you know when I I had perspiration you know all you know dripping off the back in my ears so it was quite quite warm so but I enjoyed it and seeing all the kids and smiling faces so thank you um we've made great progress towards our district goals and so it's kind of nice to say how we're doing with those District goals so we optimize the condition conditions for learning imp infective instructional practices that support all students I think we've represented that in many areas that the staff and the administration brought that forward and being seen on the schools we've ensured a health and safety environment by refining operations providing opportunities that Foster students and staff so social emotional well-being I think we've addressed that in all situations both curricular eyeses operations communication and programs we brought in um ensure Equitable allocations of all district resources to support the district's mission and goals including access and utilization of grade level materials and um resources and programs I think we've moved that moving the needle there and getting better so we're not perfect but we're making those moving forward through those goals making good progress so thank you to everyone who's involved with that the staff the community and the students and the board so we also have been doing well as a board so moving forward looking at District goals coming up so we have a little bit vacation but we're going to come back in August and look at District goals which guides G BS we've been doing we've been trying to H we've been doing a great job on policy I want to thank everyone for doing that um we did a gra I think we did an admirable job supporting the referendum in November it passed so we we're done with that moving forward and supporting the strategic planning initiative to engage all community members and collaborative process for the Improvement of our schools we we went through the process the strategic planning I think you got it moving forward I'm sure the stat the board should continue to review that those areas and our goals from that and the actions as well as the it helps Drive our decisions moving forward and as any plan it's only as good as using that plan to move forward so and and a plan can change so I'm very excited about the year we've had so thank you all and um relax this summer we only have one me meeting next month and one meeting in August but I can tell you our staff is busy at work as you see all all the buildings being worked on the staff is working in other areas in curriculum and technology and and hiring and best practices there so they're very busy too so wish you a good summer and also get some vacation and that's all I have thank you very much um next on the agenda is committee reports Mr Joshy academic committee uh next meeting is this Thursday June 27th virtually at 5:30 um community relations Miss kist is not here I'm sure she'll that it's still be to still be still to be determined thank you um Finance facilities and transportation that's Mr singer we have it on July 15th I'm not sure it's virtual or in person it be July 15 virtual in person okay thank you um personal Comm me Miss Freelander yeah looks like I'm the only one tonight um let me just make this lower so it doesn't sound like I'm shouting um okay so we met on June 18th at 5:00 p.m in attendance was myself Mr Pepe Miss Lee Mr Walker Mr fonder and Mr beers um first we went over the draft for the Personnel addendum which is before you this evening the committee supports the action items um next was the comprehensive Equity plan statement of insurance um committee discussed this Equity plan and the need to approve a statement of assurance for 2024 202 the committee supports this action item any questions on that okay security Personnel was next uh Mr fer Mr beers discussed the security Personnel needs for next school year recommend and recommended Staffing levels the committee members ask questions about the different security positions in our schools and the committee supports the security Staffing plan next up was a policy review we in continuing our policy review of the 1000 series we looked at 13 1310 1320 1350 and 1400 the committee discussed these policies from that series and note changes were recommended and no action was taken um there were some walk-in items we um Mr Pepe had brought up um some language regarding policies uh 0164 and 0171 um and we talked about it would be a situation when neither the president or vice president is in attendance at a Board of Education meeting um this is something that will be looked at with the Strauss Esme and will be a future Personnel agenda item uh Mr fond also provided good news on some of our teachers including um there was an instance where we're waiting for an update on approval of an H1B Visa which has been approved uh we adjourned at 5:32 p.m. and our next meeting is not until August 20th thank you thank you Mrs Freelander other any delegate or liaison reports Mike no history lessons tonight nothing tonight nothing all right just checking Lucy anybody else thank you um item nine open to the public action items only indivi individuals individuals and or groups are invited to present their concerns comments and requests regarding the following action items to the board of education at this time in accordance with board policy members of the public are allotted one opportunity to address the board for a maximum of five minutes during this period of meeting please be advised that a video recording of this meeting will be posted on the district's website okay seeing none item 10 approval of minutes for June 11th regular and Clos session do I have a motion so moved is there any discussion see none Patty can you call the rooll please so so thank you I just yeah no problem no no no no the first public comment section let me I'll explain so the first public comment section is for the action items that we're doing the second public comment section is that so yeah we'll it usually moves pretty quick you give us a few 10 15 minutes somewhere in there all right thank you I appreciate you coming and being patient for those who arrived at 6:30 I appreciate you also but you know it's a business meeting too so thank you after that Mrs Freelander yes Mrs Lee yes Mr Joshi yes Mr singer yes Mrs Huna yes Mr Pepe yes Mr Walker yes motion passes Personnel 24-40 through personnel 24-4 is there a motion so move second is there any discussion seeing none Miss Rogers can you call the role please yes Mrs Freelander yes Mrs Lee yes Mr Yoshi yes Mr singer yes Mrs Huna yes Mr Pepe yes Mr Walker yes MO motion carries curriculum 2471 through curriculum 24-72 is there a motion so move second is there any discussion see none Mr Rogers can call the roll please Mrs Freelander yes Mrs Lee yes Mr josi yes Mr singer yes on curriculum 2471 abstain on curriculum 2472 Mrs Huna yes Mr Pepe yes Mr Walker yes motion carries motion carries business 24- 1555 through business 24-1 166 so so moved it's there second second is there any discussion yes I would like to have a question can you speak into the mic cu you okay is it better now yes okay thank you um if I can get another uh get some understanding of uh business 24 160 do we know how much we're transferring to our capital reserve account not until the audit is complete sorry not until the Auditors fin we don't know yet yes not at this time okay thanks any other questions i' like to take this opportunity we have many gifts which are wonderful they come to the district the Crim PTO um for the field level field trips the building Wellness initiatives for Crim PTO we have the field trip field day and t-shirts for the staff and students from Crim primary from Pratt personal training jym in Martinville there are 51 relay jackets for the bridgeboard athletic department from the panther Athletic Club and also 35 pink jerseys from the bridge Athletic Club and that for that goes to the volleyball team so thank you those for those gifts any other comments M Rogers can you call the role please Mrs Freelander yes Mrs Lee obain um 160 yes to other Mr Joi yes Mr singer yes Mrs Huna yes Mr Pepe yes Mr Walker yes motion carries special services 24-40 through 24- 49 is there a motion so moved second any discussion but I think the settlement agreements those areas would have to be done in close session see none Miss Rogers can you call the rooll please Mrs Freelander yes Mrs Lee yes Mr josi yes Mr singer yes Mrs Huna yes Mr Pepe yes Mr Walker yes motion carries other 24-48 through other 24- 52 is there a motion so moved is there a second second is there any discussion where the items do not go need to go into close which would be the Hib investigation reports I would like to discuss the calendar if we can sure um so was curious can can you remind us what is the revision from last time we what is the revision that needs to to be updated at this point the revision is that we were off on October 31st for devali and I believe it is now being recognized on November 1st yeah and I think that was in Gold notes correct yes so it was documented in Gold notes okay I'm sorry so there was a we had the calendar set up for what was the holiday Steve Dali Dali on October 31st and so we moved it it was actually on November 1st correct and yes the board was notified of that we get an update with notes from the board the superintendent and gold notes and that was documented in there and Mr beers I double checked and it is the first is correct okay so we're in good shape depends on which calendar but most are on the first some are on the 31st most are on the 1 so we're good got a say the day after Halloween it just works out really well obviously the wall is important but the day after Halloween that's also a Friday is a little bit of a boon some people wanted the 31st does work out this year if you celebrate H Halloween All Souls Eve and All Saints Day on another religious calendar too so any more discussion what I noticed that the snow takeback day is now only January 29th that's for the Chinese lar New Year or the New Year per se uh do we do we cover ourselves enough with just one day of snow takeback day there I think there are two there's one now if you see had the bottom left find there shouldn't be a change to the snow give back days because we just shifted a holiday from one day to the other so there's no there's no difference in in give back days or anything like that it would it was literally moving Dali from October 31st to November 1st that's the only change okay there still is just only one snow takeback day I don't know if that's going to be sufficient that's my concern there are actually two if you look at the calendar the bottom right hand cors say superintendent will close schools on the following days if snow days are not used Monday April 21st and may Friday May 23rd am I correct yeah and that's what was the board was PR approved in the board calendar previously so the only modification with the board's counter was moving Dali correct Mr beers okay so this is the just one change the board calendar which have been board approved 18 months ago I'm I'm referring to the the column on the bottom left that's the snow or the inclement weather takeback day means that a scheduled off day needs to be open if there's excessive snow days that was used or inclement weather day that was used correct and that was the same as what was approved 18 months ago this board calendar for this school year was approved March of 22 a March April 22 I'm reing the concern whether one day is enough I I'm still confused where I'm seeing two you're looking on the right side she's looking on the left side bottom but if you add them together there's three days correct they can be used no oh no you know what you know what you're talking about here Lucy it's not the give back days let's say we we burn through all of our snow days by January 29th I'm sorry if we utilize all of our snow days early we can open school on Wednesday January 29th that's what that means that's what that means so it's not a give back to because right now that's a day off I'm sorry I was confused I just had a question on the U security drill report it made I just made me think of something are are schools uh sending home notices for security drills I know some schools in the states have been they've been getting those just curious thanks email emails yeah we got um an email um from the school letting us know that a drill has taken place and usually pretty quickly yeah okay yeah know I I that's what I expected I knew it was relatively new though so I thought I'd ask any more discussion Mr Rogers can you call the role please Mrs Freelander yes Mrs Lee yes Mr Joshi yes Mr singer on other 2449 abstain on 26636 and no on 26677 yes on everything else Mrs Huna yes Mr Pepe yes Mr Walker yes motion carries policy 24-30 is there a motion so moved second is there any discussion see n none Miss Rogers can you call the role please Mrs Freelander yes Mrs Lee no Mr Joi yes Mr singer yes Mrs Huna yes Mr Pepe yes Mr Walker yes motion carries item 12 open to the public individuals and or groups are invited to present their concerns comments and requests to the board of education at this time for any matter in accordance with board policy me members of the public are allotted one opportunity to address the board for a maximum of five minutes During the period of meeting please be advised that a video recording of this meeting will be posted on District's website I please ask that you state your name in town of residence when you do it thank you good evening to the board my name is Aisha Williams I'm a resident of District 13 in Bridgewater Township I speak tonight to emphasize the need for increased education and programming in our school district in the areas of diversity and inclusion specific to race and ethnicity I made a prior public statement to the board on this topic in May and I'm compelled to reinforce this need given clear and escalating instances instances of negative student experiences in these areas across our district at that time I shared that I am a mother of children who have experienced repeated disparaging racially charged remarks across their experience in our district in schools at the primary intermediate middle and high school levels it is important that the board understand the hurtful nature of these remarks not for sensationalism but to bring the experience of my children and others to life for our superintendent and elected School Board in our experience my child has been told that his skin is the color of excrement when entering the school bus my child was told get to the back of the us get back to where your people belong on the playground a child saw a piece of curved plastic on the ground picked it up and said come over here so I can whip you like we used to whip your people back in the day in math class when raising a point on an assignment my son was told shut up you stupid inword and in recent weeks a child told my son you monkey get back to work get back to the fields when I share these experiences with other parents friends and families they are appalled they tell me how sorry they are to hear that our children have these experiences and then they go home for my children these words cut they stick with them they internalize them and they believe that their only choice is to accept them so much so that my son told me mom talking to the school won't do any good when these kids say these things to me all I can do is pretend that their words don't hurt me and hope that they will stop for a little while I refuse to accept my son's assessment as the best that this School Board District and parents can do I ask more of all of us on this clear issue within our district some may say well file a harassment intimidation and bullying report to this I say yes but this mechanism does not substitute the need for definitive and purposeful School Board action and programming to address this clear undercurrent within our school district on June 7th principal tally Axelrod sent a a letter to the parents of Hillside Intermediate School speaking of the upswing and racial and hurtful name calling at Hillside School in this letter Dr aelod states that comments make our students feel put down or shut out and that they don't belong here she stated that our students learn best in environments that Foster respect and celebrate diversity she asked for families to help to ensure that no student experiences racist language are um excuse me are denigrating name calling within the school district she asked that families assist in countering this type of speech by helping children understand that racist language and name calling of any kind will not be tolerated at the school I fully accept Dr axar Rod's request of our family and I likewise request that our school board do the same so what is my specific ask my family ask that the school board take definitive action to increase education and programming in the areas of racial and ethnic diversity and inclusion starting in the fall of 2024 and that the board formalized an objective on fostering respect for racial and ethnic diversity within the district strategic plan goal one of the newly developed District strategic plan is student experience it says to create a culture encouraging diversity including diversity including cultural competency yet the stated objectives for this goal do not specifically mention nor insinuate any objectives related to racial and ethnic diversity it speaks to Equitable programs and services to interdisciplinary and experiential learning opportunities a rigorous curriculum matching student abilities and the recruitment of Representative staff given the clear upswing of discrimin events noted by Dr axar Rod at Hillside and those experienced by my children and others adding a definitive and specific objective a fostering acceptance and respect for racial ethnic and other forms of student experience is critical I offer my time and expertise to support the board with ideas with content and through bringing parents together to make this increased education and programming a reality for our students and I will do all that I can to hold myself this board and others accountable for this action because our students deserve it thank you good evening my name is Monique Thomas um I come to you today not as a parent that has personally experienced racial discrimination but as a concerned parent and a friend of many families that have I also come as a representative to L and Eugene taiwa who could not be here today because they are out of state their daughter who recently very recently experienced racial hate at Eisenhower school was called a and told to go back to the field while making Mo um whipping motions for accidentally touching a student with her hair the area that I would like to discuss today is consequences I believe that the school system needs to set the tone at the beginning of the year that racial discrimination and any discrimination will not be tolerated and consequences such as um suspension or um detention should be known and communicated so perhaps these children will think twice before spewing hate we need to make sure that all of our children feel safe and empowered in school and that by accidentally touching another student even after apologizing quickly will not result in hate another factor that I found interesting in this case um is that the school administration would not disclose what the consequence was um for the student that was found guilty of this act I think it's important to be transparent and even if it's just for ease of mind that parents parents involved should be made of made aware of exactly how the school is handling these situations I have four kids in this school district um in three different schools I'm dreading that one day one of my kids will come home with a similar story I want to feel confident that the school has my back and will not will not tolerate hate in any form I think this can be done with preventive me uh measures such as programming I believe One Missed opportunity was on June juneth um all of my kids were in school that day and not one of the teachers made any acknowledgements of the day and its significance educations and consequences for actions are key and just to reiterate um the ask that we're asking of the school district take definitive action to increase education and programming in areas of racial and ethnic diversity and inclusion starting in the fall of 2024 and that the board formalized an objective on fostering respect for racial and ethnic diversity within the district strategic plan thank [Applause] you good evening my name is Chiron Davenport I live here in Bridgewater I am the mother of Andre Langston a recent graduate graduate of the middle school we moved to The District in 2019 with high hopes for for the educational opportunities it promised today I am here to reflect on my son's experiences particularly the unfortunate and troubling incidents he's endured to date Andre has been the subject of five harassment intimidation and bullying investigations all racially driven initially I believe these incidents were isolated and would pass however by the fifth investigation it had become a distressing routine for us on February 13 2024 I sent a message to the superintendent to bring attention to a pressing situation instead of addressing it directly my email was rerouted back to the principal effectively dismissing my call for Action my attention was not to blame to put place any blame on the Middle School administration but it was to seek intervention unfortunately my plea was ignored as I stand here today I must emphasize that there is a systemic problem within this district one that extends beyond that Administration it is it is my understanding that the school board reviews these hip claims and decides whether a student is a victim my child has had five in five years two of which we were covid at home at what point will this District board and administration acknowledge the pattern and Implement necessary changes I have decided to leave the district due to these incidents and the district's failure to protect my child Andre's experience has been traumatic and overwhelming for our family we chose Bridgewater for its reputed School District but statistics failed to reflect the racially driven hibs that occur here my request today is for their District to be again tracking these Trends and make them public families should be informed about the environment their children will face furthermore I urge the district to take proactive measures to prevent such Behavior this includes educating students and implementing stricter punishments my son has been a victim of hate speech and despite a proclaimed Zero Tolerance policy no action was taken because no other student could corroborate his story against a known bully at the school what is the tolerance threshold the mes the message conveyed to my child was very disheartening his voice doesn't matter it's acceptable to be threatened and he is not protected so in closing I implore the board to recognize these issues and take concrete steps to ensure no other child has to endure what Andre has experienced we need transparency accountability and a commitment to a safe and inclusive environment for all students thank [Applause] you good evening my name is Kimberly Williams and I have been in the Bridgewater District district for 26 years today I stand before you as a concerned parent and an ordained minister in our great nation We Begin each school day with a powerful statement of unity and Justice the Pledge of Allegiance let us reflect on those words for a moment I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all all these words are more than a daily practice they're a promise a promise that every child in our school deserves liberty and justice yet we know that for many of our students This Promise remains unfulfilled racism and inappropriate language towards our students are pervasive issues that undermine their education and their well-being as we confront these challenges I'm reminded of the powerful words of Shirley Chisum the first African-American woman elected to congress she said service is the rent that you pay for a room on this Earth our service as parents Educators and leaders is to ensure that every student feels seen safe valued and respected it is our duty to pay this rent by addressing and eradicating the racism that poisons our classrooms and our hallways the Reverend Dr Martin King Jr once declared Injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice everywhere this profound truth calls us to action when any student faces discrimination and hostility it is not just their problem but our Collective problem it is a threat to the very fabric of our educational system and the moral Integrity of our society we must not remain silent or passive in the face of s such Injustice instead we must actively work to create an environment where every student can thrive in our quest to address these issues let us also draw inspiration from Mother Teresa who dedicated her life to serving the marginalized and the oppressed she reminds us if we have no peace it is because we have forgotten that we all belong to each other our students belong to us and we belong to them to them we must Foster a community of love respect and understanding where differences are celebrated and every child is given an opportunity to succeed therefore I urge the members of the board to take decisive action and Implement comprehensive racial and ethnic diversity inclusion training for all staff and students create policies that hold individuals accountable for using inappropriate language and engaging indiscriminantly Behavior promote a curriculum that reflects the the diverse history and contributions of all Races and most importantly listen to the voices of all of our students and their families let their experiences their voices guide our efforts together let us fulfill the promise of Liberty Injustice for all let us serve with Dedication that surely Chism envisioned confront Injustice with the courage of the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr and create a community of belonging as Mother Theresa envisioned thank [Applause] you good evening my name is Lindsay lii and um I am a a resident of the Bridgewater districts I have four children of three of which are in three different schools uh with them Bridge order and one who's um who will be in the district in another two years um I have not personally experienced any of the horrific um incidents that some of our fellow friends have however I am coming to you as a concerned parent as well but also as someone who is an educator an educator who is in a rather large District as well Oldbridge high school and I can say that it does come from home what is taught at home and education is coming from within the school we are Educators we are here to educate our students on what they may possibly know a little bit about but give them more in-depth history and of course a lot comes from at home I understand Rome was not built overnight the pyramids were not built overnight but we do have to take a step somewhere so I am coming as not just a parent but also as someone who is on the other side who works for the school some of the things that we do in our district and like I said it is a rather large District as well we hel we hold assemblies for our students um at the minimum once a marking period uh in an auditorium or a gem because we have about 2400 students at the high school level if I didn't say I am a high school teacher and I teach business courses and we talk about very sensitive issues uh suicide because that is a big one that has now come about for teens especially with all the social media and things of that nature um and I think that that's a start for us to point out these objectives that we have out there in regards to educating our students talking about sensitive matters and I think it's it's better that we get ahead of it um Mrs Williams stated that she thought it was a great idea for us to start this in the fall of 2024 we just recently had a teen suicide because of bullying nobody wants to have anyone's thought of their child's death on their hands or thoughts because their child was being bullied and I think no matter what the situation is even if they're bullying it has nothing to do with race but if it starts with race or anything else that is something that we want to take a stand on and we want to jump in front of it I teach students of all different ethnicities backgrounds I am very close with my students black white asian Hispanic all of them okay and I don't believe that kids are brought into this world birthed as racist I believe a lot of the kids they don't understand what what it is that they're saying and I talk to my principles my vice principles because I'm very close with them and I said starts with education when things like this happen yes they are suspended but I think more importantly besides withholding them from school educate them have them write papers understand why does this word or why is it that whatever it is said to students why is it so bad I think a lot of it comes from education and if we work together and we have some type of meeting or type just started off with at least an assembly giving that education it has to start from somewhere um again as I State before my kids have not experienced this but I am someone who believes that we can make a change and I hope that you are willing to put forth effort in creating what needs to be created and making this change going forward thank you for your [Applause] time any further public comment I want to thank you all for coming and speaking seeing I'm going to close public comment thank you um well now up to Old business is there any old business is there any old business see none is there any new business I you could go first Lucy I'm sorry no I I I know this is out of line I'm just trying to digest a lot of what I what I've heard and and from me I I I want to tell all all the folks here in the audience tonight that that our aim is to have your children to have the best possible learning experience they can have right and um and I hear what what everyone has said and um and as a district we do take this very seriously and we've done quite a bit to to uh you know to provide programming Etc to address these issues obviously it's not enough right and and and I hear what you're saying it's not enough um but what I what I do want to say is that you don't have to to motivate us to address this issue and and I I appreciate um just how how everyone has spoken to us tonight and and and your kindness and sincerity and I mean that sincerely and um you know I I I think someone said at the end we we don't have a magic wand right none of us have that and this is a long process um and nothing's foolproof but we certainly share your goals and and I just want to say that publicly that that I do and there's nothing that I disagree with you about as far as what you want to see happen you know when it comes to programming Etc now how we go about that we may disagree right but but again I these are issues that certainly are on our radar and and um and we're not even tackling um you know making sure that Bridgewater Raritan is you know that there's equality for every student in this District no matter what race religion Etc and we've said over and over no matter if you're a student who enters our schools at Hamilton school or JFK school or what have you we want to make sure that you have the same environment the same opportunities to grow and to be your best self so so again I appreciate the comments and I I appreciate the uh the decency that everyone portrayed tonight sure thing I just wanted to quickly pipe in as well because I spoke with it's Mrs Williams Miss Williams in the in the spring actually about the same topic and so one of the speakers mentioned that you know it's important I love this what you said that it's important for all students to feel seen safe I missed one of the words and valued and and I completely agree with that we we agree with that and when I spoke with Mrs Williams in the spring we talked about you know all the different subpopulations and minoritized groups that we have and the importance for all kids to feel that they're safe at school and that they're represented in our curriculum and in our resources because that's how they access learning and I talked a little bit about some of the things that we are doing and and this is not in any way suggesting that we can't do more and we shouldn't do more because as Mr beers just said um we recognize it and I actually took some notes for ideas as you were speaking but you know there's a diversity equity and inclusion mandate by the state and so we're required at a state level to integrate it into the curriculum and it's integrated into the curriculum um we I think have done a pretty good job of with resources because that's been something that's been important to us for for many years now that we're getting when we review resources we're looking that they're representative of all students that they are culturally um linguistically sensitive materials I think we did a particularly good job actually in the elementary school with some of the literature units because it's all focused on you know there's a Multicultural and diversity aspect to it where we're making sure that the authors that we have the stories that we tell are representative of all students because you know we talk about in education um windows and mirrors and it's the idea that mirrors you want to be able to see in the resources that we use like you looking back at you that you're being represented but we also want to provide and I think this is really important for the discussion that you just had windows so that all students have a better understanding um of of other people so that they can be um accepting and responsive and so that everybody does feel safe so it's resources it is curriculum we have done professional development we've been doing ongoing professional development actually with staff and it is cultural competency our entire staff actually of a thousand people have been trained at this point but it has not been specific to race and ethnicity which which is what I heard it was really um as we've changed our ESL program and spread like our ESL into all the schools we wanted to make sure that all teachers were um had an understanding of of you know how to teach multi-lingual Learners and support the different learning needs of people who come from different cultures or have different um languages so that's certainly an area to work on um data as far as student achievement when we're doing reports throughout out the Year this is something we really carefully look at and that's why we changed a lot of our um programming and we changed the way that we uh provide access to programming we provided the PSAT for all students all of these things were driven and and our change that we did in the gifted and talented program in the primary school all these changes were driven by the fact that we did see some disproportionality in our data and so we don't want to see disproportionality in the data and we've seen that it's beginning to move in the direction that we would want it to is there still work to be done absolutely there is um and then finally I think the last piece because I'm not going to really go into the reactive disciplinary piece because you know I'm curriculum and instruction but is character education program and that's another area that we have been working on and I would say truthfully at the intermediate school and the middle school this year we we don't do it hasn't been through assemblies but we are teaching uh the castle competency and character education through um the counselors generally and in health classes where they push into classes but this is something that was done monthly really in the primary grades and then as you kind of moved up into the intermediate and middle school that wasn't as consistently being done and so this year we we really did actively push towards um increasing that but in many cases we were designing lessons that were somewhat reactive to you know some of the things that we heard or that we you know saw through HIV reports or or just were you know things that we were discussing that's something we're working on this summer we're actually in the process of doing summer curriculum writing so we're creating lessons and as I said at some point we have a K4 resource but we're working on adopting a 58 we have not started that process yet when we do we plan to involve parents in that process as we do when we're adopting new resources we take feedback from you know all our stakeholders so that's where we are but I certainly hear what you're saying and and I agree with everything Mr Beer said as well so thank you thank you Karen Mr beers new business Miss Lucy Miss Lee I I want to tack Along on What U uh Mr beers and um M Jones was saying uh thank you for coming out to speak with us um I think that the incidents that you shared that your children have experienced I feel there must be a lot of weight I hope everything went fine I hope that our school has a mechanism to support those kids for the negative experience that they've had and uh I want to thank you for sharing with us your experience and your ideas today thank you I just had one comment um and as I was just putting my notes and my notepad on my computer um I did want to ask I know that it is a weird time of year um but I have been asked in the past about what we do in school on June 19th for juneth um I know unfortunately this year um it was graduation and next year it is scheduled to be the last day of school in a 4-Hour session but I know that that is it is an important um day and um at that time of year it is difficult to teach new Concepts sometimes children don't want to put on their learning hats but um if we could find some way since we are not off um to have some sort of districtwide juneteth Celebration um and not just rely on the county um programming it would certainly benefit so many kids um I know that I learned a lot myself uh this past year and the year before by attending the uh juneth programs um at Somerset County courthouse and I would love to see us um try to do some more here I again would like to thank you for coming to speaking it's a tough subject to address and I appreciate your candidat and straightforwardness um the board takes this very seriously as the administration did said you you Enlighten a lot of areas and sometimes we need to it it we will all reflect on this both the district and personally I I I have those I ask everyone and I think it St me said it starts at home you know I mean having a conversation with my daughter about it you know she's out of school but has been you know those areas please have that conversation with your kids appropriately there is a you know and that's we do our we're going to do better and we're going to work on that as Karen said we have areas please I ask you please um talk to your kidss you know there's an appropriateness and you know you spend a lot of time with them you know we get to put down our phones have that conversation like is how was your day what was going on how can we make it better how do you cope with that how do you bring it to the attention appropriately so I want to say thank you um I wish everyone a good summer again take your time and a break and relax I know and and start a new come September so thank you so much and we're thinking about this I just uh just at the board level for thank you everyone for for coming it means a lot um I I know in the past the board has had before I was on the board board Level Training on this is there anything that the njsba offers specific to this topic I think there had been a speaker a couple of months before I came on the board is that something to look into as we had next year at least at for for for this body that's actually a good day Mike and following our goal to get certified board that'd be a good area too to look at and see how Falls in what programs are available for both Us and how we initiate them other places and it's also talking to other board members how they do it other districts are addressing this situation too what is their how steps are that are working for them and be successful too so having those conversations with your colleagues but I will look into it with Gwen and the School Association get in here and see if we can get down thank you thanks we also get a lot of reports so a little bit information the data is shared with us so we we get the information when you look at the Hib and we should have a report out again on the um usually we do a report out on on those areas and what are the main areas that are coming from from different both discipline and area and um HIV what the types what they come from what's their frequency um I think the climate survey you know we look at that and the climate survey came up some information also to point those areas so we we do look at it you know and both from a operate from a board level standpoint we we don't we're not in the we're not in the district every day but we do work on the goals and make sure we move that forward our job is at a very high level and so in our goals I was looking at that we had that our goals and we need to reflect on that some more but thank you one more comment sorry thank you as well for coming um the email that you mentioned that came from Hillside I didn't get my daughter's in high school um but I did see it posted on Facebook and it was very moving and I would love to see something like that to be shared with all of our students and parents as opposed to just one school this is very good any other new business see none we have to go back to Clos session um I apologize and we W take no action after close session so I'm going to have to read read a resolution here um close session whereas discussion by the board is required on matters that an exception to the requirement that a public body hold its meeting in public and where is the topic of discussions discussion is now where is it expected that the details of the discussion may be made public as soon as the issue may be acted upon publicly be it resolved the board answer in in close session this time is there a motion so moved is there a second all those in favor I I all those opposed we'll be entering in Clos session thank you