e e e e e e e e good evening everyone adquate notice that this meeting was provided by sending such notice The Hasbury P press the Middletown patch Middletown Township Public School District website and the posting of such notice at the forus te minor administrative offices and each elementary middle and secondary school in the district R Mrs cetti yeah Mrs Farley here Mr Fitzgerald here Mrs minues here Mrs scalas here Mr to here Mrs wght here Mrs toac here Mr K here I now need a motion for executive session to appe up and all in favor see you little while 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 good evening everyone with sadness we share the passing of Carolyn wol gersi this wolf Ki with facilities work the district we extend our deepest condolences to the world Ki B District employee har G has pass away the SC a teacher in District of 39 years before retiring from toon Middle School July 2005 our deepest condolences extended do now please stand for the pledge and moment the United States of America to the repblic indivisible thank you I'm gonna start with Dr carrian presenting our 2023 24 NJ NJ GPA and access tests all right good evening everyone happy summer we made it we here um this is the first round of testing results that have come into the district the njs delay results for grades three through eight in the high school will be out in September at this point in time we have the results of our spring 2024 ngpa which is our high school graduation assessment as well as the access for E students so just as an overview this is year three of ngj GPA testing it is a test we give to grades 11 students in math and EA this is one of the options for graduation if students pass it they're good to go for graduation if they don't pass it there are a number of other um metrics that we could use to get their graduation ready this is just some additional information about the mgpa as I said there's a couple of other ways students can meet it including PCT scores at ACT scores if none of those work we also have a portfolio appeal option that students can complete during their senior year we are very happy to report this year that in both Ela and in mathematics our district had a graduation ready percent that was above the State graduation ready percent in both spots for ELA specifically our graduation ready rates for high school north and High School South are 84.9 and 91.3% respectively for mathematics our rate for High School North is 59.5% and our rate for High School South is 74.1% in terms of the whole um District we have 91.3% for High School South for LA versus 81 88.1% for the district graduation ready for mathematics for High School South 9 74.1% for the school versus 66.8% for the district for High School North 84.9% graduation ready compared to 88.1% for the district for mathematics 59.5% graduation ready compared to 66.8% for the district it's notable to mention that in both Eli and math we exceeded the state average as a district so while they both have different scales both Ela and math we were above the state leveling for graduation commy so we're really happy about that and then in terms of participation in the exam we always try to make sure that at least um 95% of our students sit for the test hopefully all of them but due to the diligence of our our teachers and our guidance department and our main office staff we did have a very very high participation in the exam um students sat for the exam they took all of the ELA and that sections and we're really proud of them we continue to work on the njpa it's been three years of this test um they haven't released a copy of what one looks like so we go based off of uh one sample test that's put out as well as what we hear from other colleagues and and what the department of Ed puts out and some of the work that we do here to make sure our students are graduation ready are having data meetings with Ela Math teachers through unpack what these tests are about and how we can get students ready for them we bring data to learning design teams that work in the schools to see how we can support mathematics and English language arts learning across other subjects like social studies and science we also get these evidence statements reports they haven't come yet for this year but they should be out in the next couple weeks but this will show us where our students performed on state standards and we can really take a close look at where students are exceeding and where we as a district might need need to provide additional support and wherever those areas are we'll Place uh an emphasis on them over the course of the Year revisit those standards and integrate those across other subjects as well we did a practice njpa this past year in December in lie of an 11th grade link Benchmark to get students ready and exposed to the types of questions they would see our interventionist at each High School would push into classes and work with um students who were on the cusp of of passing and not passing so we try to Target that group because they're most likely to move into Proficiency in our Algebra 2 courses our interventionists did a problem of the day they would push in or send the teachers a a math problem to get students ready throughout the course of the year because this assessment is cumulative so when they take it in 11th grade it's covering a lot of what they learned over a couple of years so we try to have the interventionists and the teachers take on that work to get students fully prepared and you know it doesn't just begin in high school we also work with intervention in our lower grades as well early and often to build uh a prerequisite knowledge for a school we have to report out on subgroups as part of our state required reporting so this is just a subgroup performance chart for ELA of a variety of of subgroups where our count was at least 10 students this shows the percent graduation ready by subgroup and we also have the same for Math and we use this data as well as the other um methods I mentioned on the two slides ago to really uh Target our instruction and our efforts to make sure every student is graduation ready moving on to access results this was another assessment that was given to our our multilingual language Learners back in uh March this is an English language proficiency test that assesses comprehension and communication in English and is given to our English language Learners there are four domains that the test covers listening speaking reading and writing and then they are given overall scores in those areas the uh the scoring for it is based on six different levels it goes from entering to reaching one through six as opposed to an njsla where scores reported from like 600 700 800s the access test is a simple one through six and students can score um with decimals in between so again we are happy to report growth in this area as well I included uh 2024 results and 2023 just for a side by side but I know the teachers really especially in this group have been working hard to get our students really fluent in in English listening and comprehension and this year in particular we have fewer students in that entering to emerging area and more students reaching expanding and bridging we ran data this past week and we're having kids exit our program in Greater quantities than they did before and I think it's just a testament to the home the school and the community really working with our students and just as we get students ready for the ngpa we do the same for the access test as well through things like uh before and after school learning academies our students took I ready benchmark assessments as well we have the mtss model that we've been using for for quite a bit now and more recently we've had a collaboration with Haslet we teamed up with their uh coordinator of ESL and the teachers that teach those students and we had a little PLC together on June 10th at ran high school where we had a guest speaker come in and talk about um teaching math and Ela to these students and we're looking forward to meeting again in Greater frequency next year whether it be through after school meetings or half days or things like that but there are next door neighbors and and they're um you know dealing with the same kinds of things we are so we're excited to start that partnership and increase achievement just with any test data this is just one piece of information this is not the be all end all regardless of the assessment this is just useful information for us as a district to analyze our curricula reflect on our teaching practices and inform future strategies for remediation enrichment differentiate instruction and goals of the building learning design teams so I I leave you with that note that you know this is just one piece of a greater puzzle but we are are um focus and when these reports come in we do spend the time to look at them analyze them and work with staff on the results to make instruction better if you're interested um both of these assessments have corresponding web pages through the doe that list out more detailed information resources Etc the NJ GPA results should have arrived home um but hopefully by Monday we sent them out last week but if they haven't I'm sure they'll be coming we also have all of our test scor on link Parent Portal so you can access them there and that includes I ready it includes uh njsla when it comes out NJ GPA anything we do locally we'll we'll put into link it as well that's it for me thank you very much thank you Dr caran we going to go committee refs curriulum instructions thank you we met on June 6 uh we reviewed all of the curricul that are up for adoption or re adoption this year um in a variety of subjects um there's still a few that are going to need to be approved they're being worked on literacy grades K grp two and 3 gr five but uh the majority of them are on for vote tonight um we talked about how there is a report card redesign for grades four and five they're going to be getting a mix of of um a percentage grade and the sort of Standards based feedback that's being tweaked a little bit um compared to how they have it now so this the design of this is to get them uh further prepared for middle school so that they're better um ready for those number grades that they'll receive there we also talked about um high school students transcripts currently they have an unweighted GPA based on the 100 point scale and moving forward there will be an option to include a weighted average this is something that um some students and parent reached out about uh as something that is necessary for some college exceptions and scholarships so we are providing that opportunity um try to see if there's anything else I think that was about it thank you moving to Student Services Miss po thank you yes we also met on June 6th um covered a lot of ground although it was it was a curriculum heavy meeting with all the the adoption but um few exciting things we talked about one um an ongoing goal as we report over the past year or so is minimizing um contractors for different services like Physical Therapy occupational therapy and glad to hear there's already been some progress there we've hired two two new occupational and physical therapists um as employees in the district um and I believe more to come on in that area too right um so that's good um also we do still have um tier 2 counselors from ESS that are kept on to perform fit to return evaluations however they're not always doing fit to return so the the um Administration has you know worked on identifying other roles they could play with the skills they have um to make the most out of those counselors in the schools even when they're not doing fit to return valuations um and then also the ESS program we have that the tier three program that's been at Ocean AV is uh moving over to Bay View um and remaining uh with those resources that are already at Thompson and Thorn um so those I think uh those are the highlights for our committee thanks thank you Mr B thank you mov on to facilities Mrs d uh our committee met on June 17th we covered a variety of topics a few of them you'll see on the agenda this evening uh the first thing we talked about were project updates uh at the time of the meeting we said that they will be mobilizing equipment and materials to start work on the High School North Turf and track uh that's actually happened because we're in past graduation now so we uh have already got started on that project and look forward to completing that this summer uh we have met with the with our new District architect to review um the expectations and the wants for our linkr Annex renovation project uh they are working on doing plans for uset will what they call permit ready we'll be doing uh a portion of the work or inh house and also trying to get some things installed with some rebates so we're still putting the pieces together but uh they are currently working on plans for us that will have to submit to the doe uh for approval you know to get that approved as an instructional space so we continue to move forward with that project uh on the agenda this evening is our renewal for our property casualty and Workers Compensation Insurance um that is on the agenda there is about an 8% increase in um in premium from last year uh and it is again with the diploma J we will be going into our second year of our three years uh commitment to the diploma JP actually came in right where we budgeted so that's good uh we you know we were expecting this much of an increase uh another item that's on the agenda this evening we are going to be doing a renovation of the food service area at High School North uh that is U the only secondary school that we really have in tou in the last several years as far as improvements to the food service area uh we do have some funds that were accumulated in our food service account uh over the past few years primarily due to the pandemic and the increased reimbursements we've received from the federal state governments on meals and so forth uh it's something that a lot of districts actually are in the same situation so we are using those funds uh to fund this renovation will'll be uh redoing the service lines uh inside the kitchen area where the students get the food uh we will be also adding an additional service station in the cafeteria itself to alleviate crowding at the uh at the main area for food service so it it's much needed we I know we haven't done any Replacements of that equipment since I've been here and you know that's been 14 years so and talking to the staff over there the equipment is probably close to to 20 years old over there so we're happy to be able to put that together it's on the agenda this evening that that money there can only be used for the Food Service correct correct we did talk about that as I said it's coming from the Food Service fund and you have to reinvest it in the Food Service program so that's a good point so we are doing that uh this summer hopefully if that gets approved this evening uh we are also uh I I want told the committee that we had applied for a grant from the uh local Recreation Improvement grant program for River cla's playground uh we were notified that we did receive a grant that the district had applied for $100,000 that was the maximum amount we could apply for uh we were awarded 67,000 not what we asked for but we'll certainly take it so we've already been communicating with the River Plaza PFA they have also raised funds to supplement that project and uh they are working on finalizing a plan for an equipment purchase so we can move forward with that so that was good news uh there is also an item on the agenda this evening regarding the dist a few some of the district's vacant properties uh we've been discussing in committees uh you the V various vacant lots that we have and as we went through with the uh Port mmth parcel which we actually are selling uh in order to even uh make property available in the future to sell you can't do anything without getting doe approval so we decided as a committee to go through the process of getting doe approval to make these Parcels available for sale in the future if the board chooses it doesn't commit anybody to putting anything for sale but you just would not have that option without the deal we approving it and as we're seeing with the portt mammoth uh property it does take quite a while to get those approvals so uh we are going to do that process for these properties so it would give the board the option in the future if they want consider selling it we would not have to go for that waiting period with the nve doe uh to get that approved so that is on the agenda this evening uh we also have on the agenda this evening an item to terminate the linkof annex lease with the township the township has removed all of their uh all of their equipment and supplies from the building this has been something that's been ongoing and you know as we know we're doing the Improvement project but uh the board just has to approve the termination of the lease since we are in the middle of the lease period we also have on the agenda this evening a renewal of our agreement for our class three our sleo for the district uh if you remember we approved this two years ago in the initial term of the agreement was two years the contract provides for renewal for another two-year term uh so we will have that's on the agenda this evening for the board to uh consider for approval and that renew this agreement for the 2425 and 2526 school years uh and on the agenda we see the resignation for our assistant director facilities we are in the process of conducting interviews to replace that position and that's a question um we have to renew the diploma GIF every year there yes it's it's an insurance premium that you know so we get that uh we get a proposal or or basically a premium assessment every year that has to be approved but are we approving continuation no we're not no we already committed to a three-year commitment with the jet so this is just the premium for the 2425 school year for the workers comp and the Property and Casualty Insurance so there's no way for us to get out of this diploma J until at this time I I don't I don't believe so I mean we we we'd have to explore that legally um you know we haven't looked into that but you do make a three-year commitment to being the fund the same school board's Insurance works the same you know when you're in a a Combined Insurance Fund you commit to not every year it's a three-year period so that they know who is in the pool and what you know what they're managing so let's just assume if this got voted down tonight what's the next step we would have no insurance July 1st so we can't even table it so we see a contract contract I wouldn't recommend it if because I don't think the district wants to be without liability insurance obviously not recommending that the district do that insurance I'm just wondering if we're able to switch to a different J because we've had some many the issues we've made a three-year commitment you know I don't know I've never gone through the process of to extricate from a threeyear commitment to any insurance do they give us an agreement or do they have terms and conditions that we I guess that's what we have there are there are terms and conditions I don't have them in front of me because we've just you know I've never been in a situation where we've been looking to break out of the threeyear commitment just so the rest of the board knows what we're talking about if you don't already the diploma Jeff has um rejected our request to add our new special ed attorney Oh I thought told me you accepted him there there's a con that you told me no I didn't I couldn't have told you that because that wasn't a fact theyve never approved him talk to July 1 I have a question about that Jackie yep if they didn't accept it right or whoever answers this how do we don't we have use somebody that no so we don't you want to answer I'll answer and if I I miss anything you can respond um the diploma J only covers litigation costs so our general hourly Bill billing for any attorney that represents the district is just our responsibility so we are able to use who we have approved on our RFP process we're able to use the new attorney that we wanted for special ed but when it goes to litigation we have to use someone who's part of the JF so in that case right now we have like we still have our other attorney who's been litigating the cases so we'll go back but for the you know for the day-to-day and for the mediation all that we still can use the new attorney because it's our bill no matter what so we don't they can't dictate who we're allowed to use and who we have to pay but when it comes to that the insurance company kicking in to cover litigation costs then we have to use only who's accepted in the J and their reason for rejection is that he's involved his firm is involved in another case that they're in so they've rejected him on that basis could the new attorney still be used as as like second Council though or yeah you have to pay for it we pay for it Y and we can use them for PD we can use them for the DAT of day we Michelle we can use them for anything that we have our daily billing for but I just wasn't happy with their response to not allow him to be in the GF yeah done I am Mr Jo do you want to add anything no well just that um the project for the North Field that we have toing and that was good Community has seen it they're happy to say because with all those rumors that it wasn't going to be started or done so that that was a good thing and um just go back to the annex project we have a goal that we would like to see we don't know if we could achieve it but hopefully get it up and running by January February so it's not you know indefinite it's just if we could reach that goal then we can start that all right moving on to policy Mrs deac uh policy committee met on June 10th um we met to discuss creating a cell phone restriction policy for the district and uh tonight there is a proposed policy on the agenda tonight for first read uh Kate Farley spearheaded this policy um with get some help from Gary so K if you wanted you tell the rest of the board you're probably better at it sure I'd be happy to um I'm really thrilled to see this policy on the agenda tonight for our first read um as I mentioned in the last meeting I think this topic is extremely important uh particularly at this point in time we have so much research and information out there after a decade of teens and smartphones indicating unequivocally that these devices could be very harmful for children whose brains are developing and who are navigating social situations that come along with learning how to be an adult um just a few examples that sort of um to exemplify what was driving the need for this policy at this point in time academically uh students regularly are who are regularly interrupted by text messages had test scores 10.6% lower than students whose phones were often away studies show that when smartphones are away test scores increase up to 14% among the lowest achieving students terms of mental health teenagers in the United States who spend three hours or more per day on electronic devices are at a 35% higher risk of suicide than those who spend less than one hour on them schools that have implemented en forced away for the day cell phone policies have seen a reduction in mental health issues and an increase in academic performance one recent study for example showed a 60% decrease in referrals to mental health professionals for female students after their school enforced in a way for the day policy uh in terms of Social and emotional um a troublingly high number of alleged harassment intimidation and bullying incidents HIV incidents reported to this board each month involves student use of cell phones and without the distraction of cell phon during the day students engage in more face-to-face communication develop stronger interpersonal skills teams who decrease overall smartphone use report building better stronger healthier relationships with themselves and others so well I think that the policy that's on for tonight is a strong start um I think there's a lot further we can go with this but I'm very happy that the board has identified this issue that's very important to our students and our community and it's committing to a mindset shift it's clear to me from the parents and the teachers that I've spoken to that this is a much needed thing and that uh it will deeply benefit our students both academically and socially and I understand that change is hard there were a lot of there will there will inevitably be numerous iterations um as we seek to implement the policy and figure out what is the most effective way to accomplish our goal of providing a truly safe space in Middletown for all students to learn flourish and Thrive as children's and children and young adults in our community uh but I know that we are up to this task because we all share a common goal which is doing what is best for our children in Middletown thank you and I will just let everyone know that uh there is will be an accompanying regulation I believe the administration and yes no Gary Gary was part of it as well yeah I just as part of the committee this is something I'm I care a lot about and I was excited that we were able to to address it um it's a first read which means we're not voting on it yet but when the time comes hopefully next month I would urge our our fellow board members to support this and vote for it um our role as board members is to listen to what our community our teachers our administrators report to us about what's happening in our schools that that they're charged with running day-to-day um so we can improve or enact policies that um ensure our district is well-run and ensure that our students have the best opportunities for Success here and when they move on um if that role our role is to mean anything at all at a minimum I think it means identifying if there's something harming our kids and then doing something about it um and I think that's what the policy that we're talking about tonight does I think it's us doing something about our kids undeniable dependence on these phones and on social media apps it's us doing something about the Mental Health crisis plaguing young people everywhere including Middletown and that's a crisis undoubtedly that's fueled by the anxiety um that social media Fosters by constantly barraging our kids with you know the requirement that they're always comparing their lives to that of their peers um it's us doing something about rampant bullying um that festers on social media which is a place where faceless tormentors uh thrive in the shadows there's no there's zero accountability um you know Kate mentioned the the the hi reports we get harassment intimidation and bullying reports that this board is presented with every month um I took some time this week to look over all the hi reports alleged hi reports um that were reported in all 16 of our buildings over the past three months there was almost a hundred different um incidents reported and I did some analysis I was horrified not surprised but I was horrified to see that one in three almost one in three of those reports involved a cell phone you know cell phone camera cell phone video cell phone social media app and online chat that's one in three of those um that requires action it doesn't invite um just a hope that things will change even if we don't change our approach um any of the arguments I've heard in opposition to this I I understand and they're they're rooted in a concern for security I get that um the idea that parents certainly feel more secure when they have real time constant access to their kids in the event of an emergency in the building I get that but uh that concern is not implicated by what we have on the table plate because our policy that's out there now is it allows the students to have the phones with them it's not some like some other districts uh where they take the phones away and remove them from the kids access that's not what this is the point is that the phones need to be off and put away polici is designed to eliminate distractions in a routine school day it doesn't hinder students from contacting the parents if there actually is a building emergency of course um so I don't think that safety that security concern which is totally valid is not implicated by this particular policy um in any event that kind of a Security emergency I think is already guarded against better here here uh in Middletown than a lot of other places we have our armed police officers which I understand we're uh voting to renew that that Arrangement tonight um and other enhancements that we've made security related um but thankfully that is an infinitesimally small probability um more pressing to me is the immediate actual emergency that's confronting us right now and that's the serious harm to our kids happening every minute of every day as these devices and these apps just saturate their lives we as a board have an opportunity and an obligation I think to do something about it at least during those crucial hours when they're in our care in our schools um so that's why I'm in favor of it I would urge my fellow board members to to give it a close look and uh vote to support it next month thank and thanks Gary and I'll just also clarify for the public and the community um which I'm not sure if everyone is aware but when it comes to the hip law the harassment intimidation and bullying law this board is responsible for social media bullying or text bullying outside of school hours so if we get a report that girls had a sleepover and there was text messages sent or Snapchats or anything like that we have an obligation to affirmatively investigate that and to handle it um while we cannot control what goes on outside of school hours I do feel that at least this is for someone who um you know as a board member that I have to look at the pictures that are put on social media and the bullying and I have to be watching videos of kids is being humiliated over and over again um by phones you know I feel like it is my affirmative responsibility to have some kind of reaction to that and take a step towards trying to at least control what goes on in our school buildings because we can't control at any other any other place but I really do hope that the board takes policy seriously I hope the community supports it and helps us to implement it um we all understand that you know there's been a lot of chatter there's been a lot of Facebook stuff going on we understand that it's a big sea chain um but I do think um you know Middletown has been a leader of as long as I've been here we've been a leader in many policies that have been groundbreaking in New Jersey and I do feel like this is us is taking a stand to at least be a leader and trying to combat the social media bowling and the and the stuff that goes on in the school building and try to get these kids back on track I I have a question um is there a way that we're going to are we going to do a survey out to the parents so that we could get their input before the next meeting I would recommend I think that would be that would be good so that we could all see you know where they're going because there's two sides to every story and I think that you know I'm not against a policy I think we have a policy now but I'm not against another policy I do when reading it I'd like to see a few tweets if that's going to happen between the board and the committee um you know just to hear our recommendations I think it's a well- written policy but I do feel that there could be a few tweaks to it and curious I'm also curious um Jessica what does Administration think um so obviously the cabinet group has had experience at all three levels and we do believe that there needs to be a delineation of what that policy implementation looks like developmentally dependent um elementary middle and high school all have very different developmental needs um middle and high schoolers are much more autonomous from their parents so there is a greater need for communication for variety of reasons um I do know that all administrators are on this 100% same page of saying during instructional time we need to have limited distractions for our kids they need to be you know off put away um out of sight and their needs to be more stringent implementation of our code of conduct to ensure that you know there is follow through with consistency um you know classroom for classroom um so what that policy practically implementation looks like at all three levels will shift a little bit um you know I agree that there's probably some slight language shifts that we would need to make because the reality of implementation is going to be a little more challenging I mean a high school of 14500 kids um that are in constant motion during lots of times of the day it it is it will be a challenge to ensure that um you know high schoolers aren't on social media that's you know that's that's a that's a a definite challenge um and what we don't want to do is tip the scales where our focus is solely on teachers and staff members policing cell phones so um I think organically and at its core and Foundation the administrative team does believe that we need to minimize impact to instructional time um I also just want to point out that you know I'm as a parent myself every single parent has the right or the choice to send their child to school with a phone or not um so you know I think that's part of the equation here and as Mrs tobacco said we all have to work hand inand and partner on that and and certainly you know there is you know there is a partnership that happens between home and school in enabling students to navigate um you know their phones and the social media in the world as it exists today um you know and I've talked with my fellow administrators at length about that who um have all run high schools and you know High School is where we look at the most autonomy so um I think we're all on the same page in the sense of this is a really important issue um certainly it's something that we all are challenged with dealing with to ensure that our kids have the best experience and have the most opportunity for Success um but I also am a believer that it's part of the world now and and what that how we navigate that is going to matter for the future um so I think this policy is well intentioned um and and we all are on the same page of trying to do something proactive to ensure that our students have limited distractions and we also minimize some of these other things that we're seeing but then again doing it in a developmentally appropriate way that creates those middle grounds because there are a lot of I mean there are so many negative uses but there are some things that cell phones are used positively for for instance like uh communicating with more autonomous children navigating um rdes pickups and you know some of the stuff while great in theory is a little bit more impr practical with implementation because it's not realistic to think that high schoolers will come down to the office to make a phone call when something changes and shifts during the day I have a high schooler and that's not the reality of their existence um but I but I'm I was also an elementary school principal and I see no need for a elementary school student to have a cell phone at all during the day so you know like there's differences depending on the level you're talking about and how were you saved up too right like at those levels where they are allowable when how what are the parameters and what I think is the most crucial key is consistency and expectation across all classrooms and within the buildings because that's where we get into tricky territory I mean if you ask a high schooler I'll take that as an example you know um you know can you use your cell phone they will have a variety of answers dependent upon the class they're in so the consistency and the enforcement of our code of conduct which is actually really strong when we started to look at it are really the important pieces of this in in the Practical imple implementation of this and really trying to change the dynamic of what's happening with cell phones in our schools and I'll just address the question of um whether or not we're doing a community survey that's obviously an administrative decision but I will say that the board of elected officials has never once done a community survey regarding what board policy to implement and that I believe it is my responsibility and yours to protect our students is crystal clear that we have dozens of bullying incidents every month if not more made by cell phone recordings that are harming students and I'm following my ethical and legal obligations to have a response to that arguing with you I'm just asking a question because I wasn't here last month when this whole topic went down I wasn't really discussed last month but I would also argue that um in terms of community input that's exactly why we have public meetings where and why we have two readings of and publicly advertis it and people can come out and express their opinions one way or the other they can email which there has been a I just think that it doesn't hurtt to do the survey I don't think it's going to change much if a lot of people feel that way theate I do agree that we have never done that before for another I would like it wouldn't be about the policy though it would be more about the Practical implementation of the policy um I would also just like to point out Mrs off to your point about the differentiation me the policy does call as you know the differentiation between the school levels in response right just that everyone understands the proposal is that for elementary where we don't have any by the way bullying incidents involving phones because most elementary students don't have their phon so it's really not a concern uh and in the Middle School um the school the Fones would be away all day and in the high school they would be away during uh instructional time educational time um and then they would be permissible um you know in the in the hallways and during this 80 minute open block so there's no problem there is no question about high schoolers having to go to the office to make a phone call they have an 80 minute unsupervised block every single day which they have to use that cell phone and they also have passing time between classes which we had conceded to allow them to use those cell phones and I would also point out that in terms of the uh reference in the policy to social media the point is that even in the high school level where they have this autonomy that they're being given you know the responsibility to use their phones in the correct way the understanding of the the district is that those phones will not be used to access social media during the day so certainly no one is envisioning a police state where all the teachers are doing is walking around checking everybody's phone to make sure they're not on Snapchat but should a student be taught on Snapchat should they post a photo or a video of someone that they tip during their open block and use social media for that that would then implicate additional code of conduct violations because it's built into the policy and it is understood that that is not acceptable in Middletown schools I just want to add on the topic of doing the survey I just and I get it we do those or Administration does those for different things on this issue because like as been pointed out the code of conduct that's not really being enforced fully enough already Outlaws all of it so any survey to change to to kind of weaken that or change that or allow it in more context than it already is is that essentially inviting a policy that becomes more lenient than what our code of conduct already has and what the you know kind of model policies out there would would require around the state so I think it's a little different issue from something that's not already um allowed in first place and I just I I do want to say respectfully that I do think the perspective of high school parents is often different than Elementary School parents and and I think our principles at secondary level can attest to that because they've all lived in a high school with lots of high school age kids and it's a very different Dynamic but again I don't know what that necessarily has to do with the responsibility of this board to set policy that's protective of our students because I do believe that there will be some high school parents that probably May believe that this is too restrictive for the high school par so they're going to walk them during the educational time no not educational time I'm just saying talk about no carrying to the bathroom no um that they're off during the day not just silence like there's a lot of nuance things that I that are going to be really hard to enforce as I had brought up and listen you have four administrators that have all operated in a high school and and I know the policy is well intentioned but I also think you have to think the perspective of the people that have to implement this well that's where the regulations and the C of conduct come in I believe and I also believe that you can set an expectation without having to create a a mask police state in our buildings like we used to have during the mask P where the teach all they did was police Mas all they I believe this is can be set as an expectation and and a culture shift without it being having expectations see if what the what the community's perspective on this is it still doesn't change if we have five board members that push a policy through that doesn't change what the community survey said that's fine but it's a piece of evidence I hope you know the we I don't it is a Board responsibility to set policy for the school district I certainly hope that the parents of high school students who would appreciate their children not being filmed in the bathroom would weigh that into consideration on responding to the community service and I think you're I think that it paints a picture of a very small sector of the population that are Bad actors at times and they don't make good choices but that isn't necessarily our entire Community but respectfully the data like just a sample of which I provided because on on is about we have no data on both sides data about the Improvement in in academic Mental Health social and emotional well-being and academics does not have anything to do with a few bad factors it's a it's a cultural shift but that's the instructional time piece we're talking about no it's not social emotional and mental is not the instructional I I can't sit here and pretend that we don't have a problem with bullying in this District I will not sit here and pretend that we do not review hibs every single month that include pictures of what our students are doing to fully other students in our school buildings within the classroom in the hallways in the bathrooms I will not deny that we sit here and review there there's been more than one instance of a kid being videotaped in a bathroom going to the bathroom there has been the the amount of of things that we have to deal with as a board member and and look at and know that these kids that who have been victims have not you are irreparably harmed when you are a victim like that and we've had very bad outcomes in this entire State due to bullying so at least this is a step in the right direction to take one stand towards trying to curve it and that is all that this is trying to do um and it's very innocuous very innocuous the high schoolers have the ability to use their phone whenever they want no one's asking for anyone to police the bathrooms if a kid wants to sneak and look at her phone in their in their bag no one cares if they get caught using it to bully we want punative action cell phones are I don't believe that that is a parental right to have your kids access all day long in school building I believe it is you have the kids have their phone with them all day nobody is taking the phones away if there's an emergency a to use it if they need something else they able to use it if if your kid has an I I've questions from parents if your child has an IEP or 504 plan and the child uses that as a an educational tool or an assist for their for their day that is an completely different uh question category if your child has an anxiety disorder and needs to check in on their phone with their parents and they have an i AP or a 504 completely different story those are different instances that we are able to adjust and accommodate children for but in general If the child is using a phone for a bullying situation this policy will at least give give this board teeth to enforce our code of conduct which has not been being enforced consistently in our schools for years now and it will give us the ability to have punitive down now we can say to someone if you are caught using that phone you your your cell phone privileges are suspended you're it is a privilege to bring that phone to school and have access to it so now you can have that cellphone privilege suspended and that's however the administration wants to administer that handed in when you walk into school in the morning call the parents and say they're not allowed to bring their phone to school I don't really care how it gets implemented I just care that we are at least taking a step to control what has gone on and what we have borne witness to in this District no I mean I listen I just want to say as I said to kaon and I said to Jackie you know after we discussed this at the last meeting I'm really happy that we're finally tackling this as a district we should have done this years ago in my opinion and yes it's going to be hard and I am not discrediting anything that you are saying or any of the administrators or the principal you know at the building level um like Kate said change is always very hard this has been a huge issue that I think all of us have really been sort of asleep at the wheel um not only with our own kids but for us you know we're in charge you know of basically trying to help steer every single student in this district and I think that in many ways we've been failing them along this and we're not the only ones who are finally starting to tackle this you're seeing this in other districts throughout New Jersey you're seeing this in New York as ready to put a state ban on it Los Angeles County one of the biggest counties right in school districts is doing this and they're starting to figure out what their regulations are and it's going to be difficult but this is something that I think we need to do um you know for me I think some of this honestly may not have gone far enough as I said to Kate you know privately but at least we have something here we have our other you know policy that's been in place since like 2016 I think it was and still you know references beepers you know and other things it's so outdated but it was just never enforced we actually had something but we just never really enforced it and I think that's what we finally need to start doing and really see the difference that this can make you know other states are also tackling legislatively you know finally pushing back on all the social media companies right because the federal government's not going to step in and do it so states are finally doing it on their own and so it's about time that we're actually looking to see what we can do for our kidsbody else have a comment to me this is definitely a step in the right direction I just I just want to go back to what I originally said I'm not against you I just I just want to know if there's a few things that could be tweaked I my concern and maybe nobody else shares it so it'll go as it goes but my one concern where it says um that the students are not allowed to use it during transition time you know in the Middle School right well yeah in the Middle School well the middle school they shouldn't be using it at all that's right but high and and the part about and I have to be honest with you have Middle School grandkids and they have to turn them off and leave them in their backpacks in the middle school they're not allowed to have them on their body so I I don't think that's a bad thing I think that's a good thing I'm just concerned about the turn off too because once you turn your phone off you lose the ability to track your child so is there any way that we could say silence them I think that the problem with I mean look we can talk I think the problem with silencing is as we all know your phone still buzzes and as one of the steps that I read it's that constant I think it's something like they get like 60 notifications an hour something it's it's constant buzzing so having that now if you want it to do something where the phones are collected and they're kept at the front of the classroom while the teacher is teaching but you can keep it on silent so a a parent could I guess confirm that their child is still sitting in History Class where they're supposed to be by tracking their phone then I get you know sure I'm just asking for suggestions that's I think but that's that's the difference it's a trade-off right like parents have expressed they don't want the phones taken away they don't want them physically collected even though a lot of teachers would far prefer that because it's very difficult for them to manage the the phones being in the backpacks being in the pockets so trying to strike that balance okay keep your phone on your person turn it off so that it's not distracting you're not tempted I understand it buzzes you're tempted it's it's a human reaction I guess they could turn the volume off too buildings that success that we have seen are the ones that have kids put their phones in Pockets because I I point blank asked my high schooler what would you do and he said I would use it anyway and like they would all they're going to they're going to find a way so like we have to find a way to get all these things because we're all agreeing that they're important but we have to find a way to manage it with the process that's going to be ideal so we don't get into the because once we put this into motion teachers are going to make it it's going to become the focus because they're going to be wanting to visualant implement the policy right all the practices with absolutely right so the places we've seen that have the most success are those that have to put them into some kind of holding position in the that's within a sight line so the child can see their phone and the other piece of it which I think is important is that they do not have the ability to carry them with them to the bathrooms I complely agree right so it's more so in the and like I said no one is in disagreement with this I think it's more so the nuances of the actual policy language where we don't want to become handcuffed as an administrative group and building leaders and having this be the focus all day because now you're going to have he's on social media he's on social media somebody's going to tell this it's it it will kind of get a life of its own unless we can kind of Corral it into some kind of process that works for us you can also put your phone on do not disturb there vibration right that kind of stuff find my iPhone is available even if the phone is turned off we're dead what's up find my iPhone is available if the phone is turned off or dead so for the the tracking the track just for the tracking you can still track your kids phone if it's I wasn't talking about tracking no no but I mean it's not about tracking the phone I think it's tracking too yeah lot lot of use like 360 like there's lots of other I try I in the school when he's like in his classroom for the day not necessarily if he's going on a trip or there's after school activities Etc school's an school is not during school and a trip is not school so so I think we're at a point that obviously we have this policy I think it's overall 90 95% heing there let's bring this back into policy we see we have for next Mee that make sense yeah right public comment on gender items only anybody public comment please St to the microphone state your name and address for record and you have three minutes hello my name is Genie ISAC I live on roord business La can you hear me yes I think so I just want to touch on your cell phone policy because I actually run a Facebook page for parents and teachers middl Tab and I did do a survey regarding cell phones and 80% of the people that voted said that kids should be able to keep their cell phones in their backpacks free time should be spent interacting with students or finding other activities to do other than being on a device um I know for my son in middle school he had one teacher that had a basket in his room and he would tell the kids to put their bones in the basket and he also did an incentive with that where he would check their times so if they were on screen time under an hour he would give them a couple extra points on an assignment which I thought was good um the only issue I see with it is hate to put it on the teachers but I know that any free time that he would have the teachers would say go on your cell phones so I think that going to be a big issue hopefully it wouldn't be if like this was the policy I hope not but understand what you're saying there's no doubt that currently there's an issue in the building my other thing is like they have an advisory class in middle school which is a big waste of time and I know and my son's going into high school and I know that they also have like an 80 minute block of like a free-for all I don't understand why we can't bring back another useful skilled course for these kids to be a part of that would help prepare them for real life experiences I don't I mean in high school I don't remember any free minutes we always had a class that was you know filling our day I mean I understand we send these kids to school for six hours a day and now we 80 minutes of free time to do nothing I mean let's let them out 80 minutes early and let them come home now I mean I can find a lot of productive things for them to do um but that's my P resp thank you thank you would anyone else like to make a public means for at 16 w for Boulevard um I also wanted to comment on the cell phone policy um a few months ago I started asking about what the policy was for middle school as I had a r in sixth grader and I was honestly shocked when I found out that there was no formal policy being enforced in the schools and that kids were using their phones throughout the day in the cafeteria uh during their open walk times honest real quick to to about advisor in the open walks if kids don't have enough homework to be doing during these times not sure what's happening in school because there's plenty of homework and studying can be done to use that advisory and open block that's what I did at high school with my study hall um I've spoken to many parents and Educators in another district and even New York City there's a no phone policy in Middle School appears to be the standard um children need to be focused on learning and socializing face-to-face conversation they should not be distracted by texting and social media or taking pictures or videos of other students which can later be used against them to bully a child I am 100% in favor and supportive of middle school policy but I believe the high school policy needs to be further amended in the near future um allowing students to use their phone while passing during lunch in open block seems completely counterproductive to what we're trying to accomplish here uh we're all unfortunately aware of the dangers of social media and honestly in my opinion giving kids access to it while on school property is negligent this students should not be able to use their funds throughout the de I don't care what grade you're in kindergarten to 12th grade I I trust all of you that you have put in place a secure school we have armed police officers which is a huge issue to get ped here we have security guards and social media is dangerous to our students of course we want to be able to contact our kids I'll call the school if I need to contact my kids that's what we all did here that's how we all grow up I am quite frankly a little disgusted by some the comments that I've heard from people here tonight since Co Middletown district has been a leader of change and I would like for us to continue down that path and Implement a policy that makes sense and keeps our children safe because without question other districts are going to follow in our footsteps and this is what makes Middletown a great place because we have always been the ones to take a step away way and not follow what everybody else is doing we have no problem doing it during Co and so let's do it now let's continue to put children first and move forward with a policy that makes sense thank you that was very emotional um so my name is Sarah Weinstein 30 Kings Highway um I've been thinking about like so many aspects sorry fired up um so you know listening to you guys actually made me change what I wanted to say and it kind of comes into like vulnerability and autonomy my kids just going into first grade so these are like our most vulnerable children they have no thums right God I'm G to hold off on that as long as possible I trust like you said in this school to keep them safe and to know when I need to pick him up when I need to be there as you get older if you become more autonomous why do you need to talk to your parents all day long autonomy is the opposite of that it's called planning your day Mom I have sports I'm not going to be on the bus I need a pickup at this time Sports got cancelled call after school yet had arrive with a friend friend walk take the bus I'm not really sure outside of the Jackie like the special instances that you were talking about why you need to be talking to your parents during the day when you're in high school you're about to go to college there is no reason for that in my mind you need to start separating being mature planning your day and being responsible for what you're going to need after school um I'm just I'm struggling you know after all the comments that you guys are saying it kind of sounds like the policy needs to be more strict because what you have in place now is going to be difficult to implement it's going to be hard on people in the schools because I understand that now it's giving you a line for like if somebody starts bullying you have a way to go after them and be able to make sure that they can't bring their phone to school but how about we do something to just stop it from happening in the first place so you know instructional time no brainer the concept to me that kids are even on their phones in a classroom is like unbelievable and in the first place but you know using it in between Class using it on this 80 minute free period or lunchtime or whatever it is that's probably when all those problems start in the first place so if we don't want to be policing kids all day long maybe we should just look into making it even more strict and prevent all of these issues from happening because let's be honest if you want to be autonomous grow up figure out your schedule figure out your communication make your plan and get it done ahead of time and then when it's there and there's an emergency and you need to access your phone it's there on your person but otherwise it should not be out during the day at all for all of the reasons that everyone just stated Mark 30 I agree with what everybody said here tonight the cell phones are an issue my kids are young still um there's a really cool pledge that's out called wait until eight to get parents to band together at a young age to keep kids off starting them at a young age keeping them off the phones keeping them off social media can get the ball rolling so that by the time they get to high school they're used to not having a cell phone and the policy I agree should probably be stricter or you know have more detail to it um and after a very short period of time the president will be set that that that will be the new way people will get over it about growing things for a year or two months or however long it'll be and then the community will be better off and safer in the long run and there are ways to get in touch with kids and this schools are safer now than they've ever been having an armed security guard armed officer in the front door every door locked in the school I can't even go pick my kid up from school I can't walk in to pick my kid up I have to stand outside whether it's raining and let them bring the kid so if it's a security issue I think the security the schools are safe so good job on the policy I hope you can f- tune it keep it thank youse else to the superintendent do so just want to first off congratulate our high school graduates um we had two outstanding graduation ceremonies um very well attended um great ceremonies so best of luck to our graduating seniors um also we had three Middle School promotion ceremonies so I just want to say best of luck to those eighth graders who are heading into their freshman year of high school um thank you to all our school administrators and staff members for a successful set of Ceremonies it really just takes a lot of work to pull off um those events so they wouldn't happen without the teamwork of all of the individuals that are involved and thank you to the board members um who attended all um all of our ceremonies we had you know attendance at all of them so thank you for that um tonight we were also able to recognize staff members that had retired this school year um and I can't express how much gratitude I have and the district has for the dedication and commitment that they've given to the children of Middletown um they have just touched counth lives and they will be missed and so I just wanted to publicly congratulate them on their retirement um if you've driven by High High School North um uh progress and work has started on the High School North Turf and track project um the Old Turf has been removed and we will be looking to repurpose pieces of that Turf to um repair some of our batting cages and other places where um it could use a bit of a a spruce up and that Turf while it's um you know end of life for a larger turf field some of those pieces are salvageable and we'll be repurposing them to other places in the district um tonight I will be recommending Dr Christopher virino to take over as the new principal at new Mammoth Elementary School um I am confident Dr virginio will continue the fine work that Mr Ferry has done um with the school Community later in the summer there'll be a meet and greet with the new Mammoth Community so that everyone will have the opportunity to meet Dr virginio in person and then next month at our July meeting we will hopefully have a plan in place to um name a new principal at Village Elementary School as tonight we um will be accepting um provided the board votes that way the the retirement of Mrs Moren McCormack our esy and summer programs are getting ready to begin July 1st starts our esy program at new louth and Bayshore and our sore program will begin shortly after that in August we will also have our jump start math programs and our jump start AP programs which will be held at High School South this year um just I want to thank the community for a wonderful school year um I think the board and the administrative team and the community at large has accomplished just a great deal in a very short period of time um I do agree with one of the public commenters who said Middletown is often ahead of the curve in a lot of ways and that is 100% the truth and while we may all have opinions that are really strong I think I forget who said it we all are in for the children of Middletown and I think we all pride ourselves in this District on being Progressive and doing things ahead of what everyone else has done um and people do look to us so um I certainly respect all the opinions that were shared all throughout the years and certainly tonight as well um because those opinions are what make this community um and the school district what it is so um I just want to thank everybody and I'm just Express how proud I am of the collective efforts of the district and it is it does take a village to raise children and certainly this is a great Village to be in um so have a fantastic summer and we look forward to seeing everybody in September when many of our um new initiatives will be rolling out for the school year thank you Dr okay I need a motion to approve the meeting minutes 9 a through d all in favor henss I am abending on um May 21st I am also need a motion to approve no I'm sorry we have a board of education on agenda resolution honoring 2324 student Representatives we further resolve the member of the Middle Town Township Board of Education extend your best wishes to Jak bskin Adriana we all the futurs need a motion to approve 11 a through S business all this consent agenda discussion all in favor oppose extensions I need a motion to approve recommendation of the superintend of school's intent agenda a through U minus U number 10 discussion all in favor I oppose I'm oppos I'm sorry you said just trying so right it's Dr um I'm oppos on iust it's u21 hr7 know that I'm opposed on 12 U 21 and I'm also opposed on 12 p and Q I'm voting no on any yes H and yes any un I'm opposing you21 hr7 good yes I a motion to approve you yes Mrs CTI yes Mrs Farley yes Mr Fitzgerald yes Mrs minues yes Mrs skolaski yes Mr to yes Mrs W yes this is tobacco yes District K yes congratulations Dr okay we have anybody who has old business old business no we to new business we have new business I have new business very un I just wanted to my notes here just want to let the board know that each year we submit our comprehensive financial report for review by the international ASO Association that's the association of business officials uh we do that to get a reviewer comments on the uh completeness of our disclosures everything that's in the report I mean you've all seen the report it's it's quite lengthy there's a lot of information that goes in there uh We've submitted the last 12 or 13 years we've received the award uh we did receive the award again for this year for the report a year end June 30th 2023 I just want to take the opportunity to thank uh Dan Valente he's our assistant VA Moren ciano our accountant and everybody in the business office because and they come in and do the audit and they look for the information it's all hands on deck everybody has to participate and I without all of their uh good work we will be here so I just want to look forward know that good news thank you very much anybody else new business now open up mic for public comment on anything you want you anyone have anything s I came tonight in regards to the security guards I know that they all need to reapply to be rehired um our security guard baby of elementary school is G make we love Mr Steve I actually did a petition online for him because we would love to have him back at bab school all of my children attended bab my daughter's a former student and she's like he can't leave there um I did acquire 280 signatures for the petition for him and these girls like to see hi my name is Ella hilon I live on on Roxy Road in um I'm a former student at baby Elementary School I'm here to talk about Mr C the school security guard Mr Steve should stay at baby elementary school because he bring so much care and joy to the students there my brother and sister are now in first grade they look forward to seeing Mr Steve in the hallway and the walk home Mr Steve is someone who puts his time to say hi to the kids and also knows everybody's needs Mr Steve is the greatest security guard that I know and this is why I think that he should stay at bab Elementary School hi my name is Grace B I live on Church Street in belur I am also a former student at bab Elementary School I currently go to bore middle school and my little sisters attend b elementary school as well I believe that Mr Steve should stay at B he is not just an average security guard who checked IDs and sets at a desk he is actively saying hello to the students at bab always making them feel special and makes everyone feel safe and protected he truly loves the students at B and when you love someone you want to protect them even more he keeps the students safe um and Mr Steve is the best security guard B has ever had B would not feel would not feel complete without him there and he's a part of the baby family this is why Mr Steve should remain at a security guard at baby Elementary School when I pass by the school I do see Mr Steve walking about the playground when the kids are out there and I I do like that just because I know that we have a situation in our area um and he knows every kid name he's he is a great guy and I would love to keep him at I mean this is stepen PA he is awesome thank you would anyone else wish to make a public comment see else stepping forward wish toj the meeting motion to all in favor have a great night everyone