good evening uh we're going to call the order the public meeting um at North Hunter bores Regional High School this Tuesday February 27th um the north Hunter vor's Regional High School District Board of Education meeting on Tuesday February 27th is now called to order in accordance with requirements of the open public meeting Act njsa 10 4-6 Etc adequate notice of the meeting has been provided by submission of notice of the time date location to The Star Ledger on December 5th 2023 and the hunteran county Democrat on December 7th 2023 subsequent notice of this meeting location has been provided in the hunteran county Democrat on February 22nd 2024 notice and to the extent known the agenda of the meeting has been posted at the North hunon High School and vor's High School um High School provided to the municipal Clerks of Bethlehem Township Califon burrow town of Clinton Clinton Township Franklin Township Glen Gardner burrow Hampton burrow hybridge burrow Lebanon burrow Lebanon Township and tubry Township and Union Township as well as other interested parties and posted on the district website fire exits are located in the direction indicated there's here and back yeah um uh if alerted to fire please move in a common orderly fashion to the nearest smokefree exit at this time please silence all cell phones roll call M pagno here Mr Chapman here miss Gallow here miss H here Mr mcac here Mr M here M Reyes here miss selino here Mr here M here we have a okay wonderful okay all rise for the flag salute the flag is located right there 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 okay good evening uh we'd like to have our board student Representatives report out in all right hello thank you for having me so um I'll just yell out um so these last these last few months have been filled with a lot of eventful work in the clubs and sports at North hunon before I get into any of that I wanted to recognize the event that I just came from uh we just had the north unified versus teacher basketball game and fundraiser here one of the great ways that North incorporates unified students into the community it was very fun and hopefully raised a lot of funds moving on in the past months we've had successful Seasons from winter sports uh I specifically want to Shad some light on the six wrestlers making it down to Atlantic City for the state tournament five from the boys team and one from the girls team this year in terms of sports we've had remarkable success all right and looking ahead uh the spring promises to be equally exciting the theater department is gearing up for the performance of Freaky Friday running from Thursday until Sunday and additionally the National Honor Society has two upcoming events the blood drive on the 6th and the trivia Bowl on the 7th Spike for cure will also take place on that Friday the 8th and I want to commend the theater group for their efforts in collecting donations for the food pantry especially follow following the devastating T fire in Clinton on the club front we're eagerly anticipating the start of Special Olympics on the 12th and the release of our North news Ro report videos the marching band will be participating in the St Patrick's Day Parade on March 17th followed by the prism concert on the 23rd lastly I'm honored to mention and help organized this year's Relay for Life dedicated to the memory of Joey Edwards we encourage widespread Community participation in this meaningful event overall we're thrilled about the exciting start to the spring thank you thank you thank you and then our VOR representative Voris is busy this evening I understand with Mr VOR so there won't be a report out from Vorhees and I apologize I jumped ahead um I need to have a call for a motion in a second to approve it agenda items 4.1 and 4.2 second Kim Kim and second all in favor I any Nays exension 41 41 okay Mr mik okay and now we'll have the chief School administrator's report thank you very much uh first first thing I'd like to do is ask Dr kwell to come up he has some student recognitions he would like to share with the board of and the community all right it's my pleasure to introduce our senior officers of roaa which is our social studies Honor Society so the mission of roaa is to work with members of the school and Community to promote civil awareness and civic duty and to get our community involved with with government so this past year roaa has really gone above and beyond from what they've you know done in the past they really achieved more than usual and starting with our bulletin and our social studies hallways with this group has done a great job of maintaining currently the bulletin board is featuring a black history month theme and then after that we will be looking forward to a notable North alumni theme which is new to us and then they're going to work on promoting the election so they're going to share some unbiased information about what to expect in this year's coming election and then they're going to be a um senior class uh voter registration specifically uh focusing on mail and ballots because what's interesting about our current seniors is next year when they go to vote most of them will be in college so they're going to get them registered and learn how to do that also starting this year something new that roaa has done is started our leading our morning uh announcements Pledge of Allegiance so in the past we would make our morning announcements to say please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance and then we would leave it up to each class to do that on their own well this year a member of rppa comes down each day day and over the PA system leads the the Pledge of Allegiance and you can see kids stopping in the hallway to actually do the Pledge of Allegiance these days so that is great so thank you for that additionally they' worked with our diversity Club to um to uh deliver weekly announcements related to Black History Month so every week we do a Black History Month theme announcement that is in collaboration with our diversity club and roaa so to specifically acknowledge the folks uh standing in front of you today we have Miss Nik the adviser who is uh does a great job of leading our students we have uh Emma Malay who is the president of roaa she is excited to P pursue J journalism in the fall she is a uh member of our National Honor Society Latin English Honor Society and also a member of our dance team model un and Wham we also have Sophia Roberts who is the vice president of roaa and she plans on majoring in mathematical economics in the fall in addition to roaa she is also a member of our National Honor Society a member of the math science Spanish and music Honor Society she is is also Varsity of lacrosse player sectional leader of Madrigal and is a member of Wham and model un she's also the vice president of the senior class and and as you may know is the president of our senior class we also have Aaron Jeet Dylan uh she will be majoring in biology in the fall focusing on a Premed track she is the secret Secretary of roaa and is is in our biomed Academy she volunteers at the hospital in her free time and is a member of the diversity Club in addition to rppa she is also a member of the National Honor Society English art and North technical Honor Society and last but certainly not least is Megan lawn Megan is thrilled to be attending villain NOA in the fall and plans on double majoring in political science and Communications Megan is the communications chair of roaa and is a member of our National Honor Society English and French Honor Society is and is a member of the model un it's a lot to get out but these ladies have done a lot of work for North hon and they have a bright future High to them so round of applause for [Applause] photos don't go anywhere Emma [Music] so all right thank you Dr Mrs nnick and all the members of roppa the worst part is following after them any of our students at Northern VES it's hard to follow so I have a few other announcements I'd like to make uh North hun in high school was selected to participate in the National assessment of educational progress also known as the nation's report card this assessment will be administered to select seniors on March 5th and this is used to collect n National Data on our schools both of our high schools will been administer the New Jersey graduation proficiency assessment to all Juniors on March 11th through the 14th uh we will have two bus runs on these days and that provides an optimal testing environment for our Juniors who are taking the test and then we bring in the rest of the students after that so that um everybody gets a day of school one uh the midpoint of the third Martin period believe it or not was February 22nd so uh we are slowly inching towards the end of the school year and then finally I'd like to read the following statement regarding um some topics that have been of Interest lately uh during the January Board of Education meeting we heard from many students parents and community members on the subject of library books and we want to again thank them for sharing their thoughts and concerns with the board I wanted to provide an update for the that the administration recently received a formal complaint regarding one library book let's talk about it a teen's Guide to Sex relationships and being a human as outlined in board regulation 9130 a committee is being established to review the complaint received once they complete the review the committee will submit a recommendation to the Board of Education the board will then vote on whether to accept the committee's recommendation at its next scheduled meeting following the receipt of the recommendation and if you want you can review board regulation 9130 through our district website uh we also have uh the report on hi so I'd like to say that um during the last month since our last meeting we had two reported cases of Hib one was founded one was unfounded okay and I don't even call Great uh I need to call for a motion in a second to affirm the determinations on the hip incidence reported at the January 30th 2024 board meeting so move second all in favor I I any extensions any Nays okay thank you and your monthly reports are there for your information if there's any questions let us know and um the school president's report um the March 19th 2024 that we will adopt our preliminary 2024 2025 budget and a regular meeting will be at 700 pm. at The District administration office at this time we're going to have opportunity for public comment during this portion of the meeting the public is invited to to address the Board of Education with comments you were requested to sign the register provided for this purpose and state your name Municipality of residents group affiliation if applicable and direct your comments to the school board president while all comments will be considered by the Board of Education and a response may be forthcoming if and when appropriate individual school board members may not respond to the speakers at the time of their appearance the public comment period will be a maximum of 30 minutes and L unless there is unusual circumstances you will be allow allocated 3 minutes to speak and no one will be permitted to speak more than once on the same topic until as all others who wish to speak on that topic have been heard please keep your comments respectful and non- defamatory and maintain a level of decorum appropriate for a public meeting where students may be presence and in attendance Marrin would you like to open up the good evening my name is Enrique Hernandez I live in Lebanon Township uh my comment pertains to um the issues that were raised at the previous uh board of AD meting in January and specifically I uh I noted uh that several individuals Rose to publicly reveal that they had been victims of sexual abuse and frankly I was saddened I was disappointed but the reality is that I was not shocked sexual abuse sexual harassment is prominent it's pervasive everywhere and it is something that I think we can all agree every one of us that no person no adult no child no man no woman no straight or gay or anything in between s should be subjected to sexual abuse or sexual harassment now this is a board of education so the tool that you have at your disposal to help address this issue is in the name education education I'm not naive enough to think that education is going to prevent also sexual abuse or is going to get rid of it but I do know that sexual abuse and sexual harassment thrives in a climate of ignorance and shame and we need to work actively to create a climate of knowledge and acceptance that human beings are sexual beings so please use your power for good and promote education and promote knowledge thank you [Applause] good evening I'm Eric Doyle from Readington Township father of a junior at North Hunan um when I was at the January meeting I I heard about the uh the book um that has since been challenged and I was wondering what the fuss was all about so I ordered it on Amazon and it arrived in a couple days um and I went through it and I will have to say it is graphic it is not pornographic there is a great difference difference between what we see as pornography and what was depicted and spoken of in this book um by 21st century standards none of these images are considered salacious or um anything more than a little titillating to juvenile Minds um in the um protection of Innocence that was uh pleaded for in the January meeting I was wondering to myself what that innocence they were talking of is and that is an appropri appropriate ignorance to um mature issues um this book is um it it it cures the ignorance but there is nothing in it that I consider to be um predatory or perverted or or obscene uh it will lead if properly followed to healthy active young lives being being able to explore what maturity is and um it is only people who have already those inclinations for th that perversion to use it for anything other than the it its intended purpose and I do want you to think very hard when you're making your uh assessment of this book just so we can lead to healthy communication for our young in a very sensitive topic thank you um John draw I'm a Franklin Township resident um I just have a brief statement um to make I'm a a father of three children who all pass through North and are no longer here uh they're out of school and I'm here cuz I care about this community I care about this school and I care about the country that's the only reason I'm here it wasn't long ago where there was right wrong and common sense just a short time ago you knew it would be wrong to have Juniors demonstrating to 14 and 15year olds how to put condoms on yet as part of the Teen pep curriculum that's what happens in our school system today we have children teaching children how to put condoms on just a short time ago you knew it would be wrong to have books in the library that depicted sexual acts of all sorts that I'm embarrassed to speak about in public yet last month at this meeting you had teachers administrators and union leaders from within this District the state and Beyond fighting for the right to have this type of sexualized material available in the library for our high school children who again can be as young as 14 and 15 years old and the one I get a kick out of when I think about team pep is the reward system the reward for answering questions about sexually explicit topics is the handing out of Candy by student pep team Representatives that is the one of the first topics that you learn from from uh your parents when you're a kid don't take candy from strangers especially when you're talking about sexual materials am I the only one that sees wrong in all of this I greatly respect the elected members of this board for the personal commitment that you make to our community I truly do the community needs you more today than it has ever needed you before can we please get back to Common Sense and have Clear Vision for what we all know is right and wrong can we refocus on what these kids need which is math science literature history and the other courses that truly prepare them for their future postco it's truly lacking while many in the mob Cloud common sense with complex narratives about what they think the right of the Stu the what is right for the students when it comes to to various topics including the sexualization of our youth I suggest we do like many generations before us did without issue that is leave it to the parents to do their job this is a very well-educated rural community with a valued history parents are fully capable and we all know that let's not get caught up in this era of chaos let's refocus on what will make our children great scientists great business people great teachers great leaders and great adults please apply common sense to the nonsense that's wasting all of our time board this community needs your help and we're counting on you to focus on what's really important thank you who may I address president board president hint tonight acting president vice president acting excellent thank you uh good evening my name is Guy Citron I'm a resident of tberry and a member of the north hun and Vorhees intellectual Freedom Fighters allow us to describe a problem at our Board of Education meetings a vocal minority has been attending to publicly humiliate school librarians staff students and and books instead of using the rules and respecting the process their extreme Behavior threatens our Blue Ribbon District it does not have to be that way we can role model democracy for students with the community our board district and state policies can Empower real discussions and parental engagement to protect everyone's Freedom these conversations can even be public transparent and inclusive of all voices that is public service acting president hence because reading passages of books at meetings along with person personal attacks and name calling represents an attempt to ban by intimidation an awardwinning title that is widely recognized for its educational value the Board of Education and the administration must follow their own policies and best practices or this toxic intimidation May grow and may continue to require our time and money that could be better invested elsewhere we pray you stop the disruptive behavior of a small group of people whose goals are clearly political the public demands appropriate healthy avenues for expressing parental and Community concerns lastly we have drafted a set of guidelines for constructively dealing with this situation and we'll deliver it shortly acting president hints thank you for your time good evening my name is Alexa offenhauer I'm a resident of the town of Clinton and I am also here representing the North hund in Vorhees intellectual Freedom Fighters a successful resolution to these contentious board meetings would benefit everyone so what does that look like the North hund and Vorhees intellectual Freedom Fighters have a vision for students we desire the freedom to read vibrant relevant material without threat of criticism or accusation in a school library that nurtures Curiosity social emotional learning mental health support and inclusivity we recognize that not every book is suitable for every student rather every student deserves to have access to materials that are suitable for and relevant to their identities experiences interests and questions for staff we desire the ability to attract and retain highly qualified Educators drawn by a district culture that respects their expertise and the importance of their role in serving the whole student body and the curriculum the default position position of the board and administrators in that culture is to trust the staff and the curation process for parents and the community we desire parent School communication based on civility open discourse tolerance and respect we support a parent's right to limit their own child's access to certain materials but parents rights also include respecting the rights of other families to allow their children to access certain materials for the Board of Education we desire a district in in which the board can focus on the important work of Education Without continual confrontation and Chaos we believe that increased awareness of the purpose and authority of the board will lead to a more fruitful relationship between the board and the public therefore to reach this desired State a book challenge should be an unusual event that requires deliberation and rigor the onus should be on the challengers to show an abundance of evidence that a book does not belong in the school library because because it is not suitable for for any student not simply for some students in addition the board should rigorously follow its own policies and actively manage meetings the board should be willing and able to redirect members of the public who approach it with complaints and challenges that circumvent the board's policies whether those complaints are about books or about specific staff members thank [Applause] you good evening I'm Amy Barrett from hybridge and I'm also representing the north hunterton Vorhees intellectual Freedom Fighters I'd like to suggest some near-term actions that the administration and the board can take to reduce disruption at meetings and perhaps avoid such frequent book challenges first the superintendent does have the discretion to reject the current book challenge it should be rejected because the submitted form does not conform to the requirements specified in regulation 913 it is missing several items including listing specific portions of the work by item and page number nor does it make a convincing case that the complaintant is familiar with the entire work the substance of the complaint consists of 26 words an inadequate basis for launching a reconsideration process that will cost the district at least 1,600 in time and materials as stated in policy 2530 the district's default position is is to defend students right to read and the professional Integrity of the librarian therefore the burden should be on the complainant to prove that the book should not be in the library longer term a more rigorous reconsideration form should be adopted by the district second if the current book reconsideration process moves forward the recommendation committee should be formed thoughtfully and include members with expertise in adolescent literature and sex education these experts would include a teacher of sex education a member of teen pep and an outside expert on sexual health education you also have a board member with expertise in literature for young adults in addition an impartial principle should be assigned to the recommendation committee third the recommendation committee should use the reconsideration rubric previously created by the librarian which evaluates books against the selection criteria specified in policy 2530 and finally fourth starting at the March 12th board meeting the board should manage public comments by modifying the presiding officer's preamble to include these words no criticism of Staff by name or policy will be permitted in accordance with policy 9130 on public complaints and grievances complaints about District Personnel the educational program or District Operations should be made in conversation with the school building principal or the superintendent complaints about materials should be made in writing after this Preamble is read when a member of the public addresses the board about a book complaint without first filing a written challenge the board should stop the comment and direct that person to follow the policy similarly when a member of the public complains about a specific staff member the board should stop the comment and direct the complaintant to follow the policy I urge the administration and board to take these actions before and during the March 12th meeting thank [Applause] you uh hello uh Jennifer cusac uh resident of hybridge and parent of a student um my family we vegetarian uh my kid has been a vegetarian his entire life he really doesn't like smelling meat I have never petitioned this board to remove all meat from the cafeteria at fores high school my child has a right to not eat meat but that does not mean that he has a right to insist that every single other student in this school district is denied access to eating meat similarly my child has a right to read the books that the librarian provides and just because another student has a problem with those books or in this case people whose children went to the school years ago and aren't students anymore does not mean that he should not have a right to read those books you know you parental rights stop at my child I have parental rights for my child but I don't have parental rights for every single other student in this District [Applause] thank good evening board members my name is Denise Hixon and I'm from hybridge and I am also a member of the north hund and Boris intellectual Freedom Fighters we're all probably familiar with a quote widely attributed to philosopher George Santi santiana uh those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeated it as the district prepares to undertake yet another book challenge I'm here to help you remember the past specifically the numerous lapses we observed during the reconsideration progress that began in the fall of 2021 uh in January of 22 we submitted to you a 17-page analysis of that process which identified numerous irregular ities and we urge you not to repeat the same mistakes now and I've got five of them that I'm going to say the composition of the 21 reconsideration committee did not conform to the requirements of Regulation 9130 specifically it lacked a late person with expertise in the area of the work for the current challenge your committee should include an individual not employed by the district who is knowledgeable about sex education for adolescents we also recommend including uding a student representative on the committee we ask that a written rationale be provided for each committee member's appointment two the 2021 committee did not evaluate the books against the selection criteria specified in policy 2530 those are the only criteria which Library materials should be evaluated as the current Committee conduct its work please refer to policy 2530 and the rubric created in the wake of the 21 challenge the the 2021 report contained no evidence from the text to back up its claims in addition the writing mechanics of the report were poor we expect the current committee to produce a thorough factual well- written report that includes substantial evidence for the 2021 committee's recommendation violated the district's own goals and the New Jersey state inst structural standards in evaluating the currently uh disputed book the new committee should should be mindful of of District goals curriculum State and structural standards students civil and human rights the First Amendment establish precedence and the district's own commitment to intellectual Freedom as outlined in policy 2530 five the four month timeline for delivery of the 21 report was excessive we believe that the current challenge was submitted on February 13th 30 working days should be sufficient time to read and discuss a 20 33 page book that is heavily Illustrated therefore the committee's report should be available by March 27th and in the interest of transparency we ask that the report be made public within 10 days of a board vote and finally we are concerned that the new committee is already doomed for repeating these past mistakes the same administrator accountable for the 21 lapses has been charged with overseeing the new committee Karen go of hybridge I'm speaking as a parent and a taxpayer not as a school board member but um I do want to not speak about the challenge book but about a different policy and remind the board that you are a policy-making body and that policym should not be based upon politics School boards are not political bodies um a few months ago a donation was tabled because the board wanted to look at the materials to see if were appropriate and now I see that there is a revision to policy 7230 about um grants gifts and donations that it now includes a piece that says the board reserves the right to refuse to accept any gift that does not contribute toward the achievement of the goals of the district um I I feel like we're sneaking this in there so that we can refuse to accept the donation of books from the glees and again I want to remind you you are not political we're here for this student students thank [Applause] you good evening my name is Jay Hoff I'm from Flemington burrow I'm one of the co-founders of Flemington qts Flemington queer trans we're a community advocacy and mutual Aid group for the lgbtqia community in hunterton county and Beyond I'm also a lifelong hunterton County resident I grew up in West dwell and I graduated from South hunterton in 2014 at South our school mod was four simple words work hard be kind I'd like to reflect in the latter half of that motto as kindness seems to be lacking here in Hunter in many ways kindness is intentional it is choosing to have respect for all others and living not just for the good of ourselves but for the good of the community kindness asks that we approach everyone with empathy a willingness to listen and the humility of knowing that we are capable of both great good and great harm kindness also demands accountable ility for when we've not been kind it cannot tolerate bigotry or discrimination because it to leave harm un addressed allows it to continue to be kind we must address harm we must call it out and name it so that can we can solve it last week a teen in Oklahoma was beaten by three older students in a school bathroom and later died from his injuries his name was next Benedict and he was only 16 he deserved a long life to grow up he will not get that chance I am sick and tired of talking about dead children all I can ask is how did we get here how do we become the nation where trans and queer students make the news not because of their accomplishments but because their dignity humanity and lives have been stolen from them we may not be in Oklahoma but in order to prevent a similar tragedy here in our community we must recognize where this hits home we cannot sing Kumbaya with those who actively wish for and even encourage harm against any group while there are far more things we can disagree about we cannot simply agree to disagree about the humanity of our fellow human beings when we talk about different groups of people and ways that dehumanize them and incite violence against them we cannot be surprised when the worst happens you want to represent this community then show us what this community represents how do we treat each other how do we learn from each other no matter who we are or where we from what dreams and hopes do we have for the rising generation and how are we going to work to accomplish them the least we can do is Do no harm but the best we can do is work to reduce harm and we are asking you to do your best thank [Applause] you good evening my name is Piper Doyle and I am a junior at North hunteran I am here because I am a growing teen telling you that this book is an incredibly useful and healthy tool also being someone who has grown up on the internet I have been exposed to porn people younger than me have been exposed to porn this book is not pornographic I would also like to note that banning this book isn't just Banning a a comic book about sexed art literature sex at as a whole and even science are now at risk I have seen naked bodies in my biomed class all the time since I was a freshman saying that human bodies as a whole are pornographic is just entirely wrong thank [Applause] you hi my name is Rose Hamley I'm uh from Bethlehem Township New Jersey I'm also a 1987 graduate of North hunon High School so longtime proud uh resident of our our community um also a former New Jersey public school teacher one of the hardest jobs I ever had I didn't stick with it it was so hard um so I have great respect for our uh teachers our Librarians and all of our professional highly trained dedicated staff um I'm very grateful to have the strong educational system that we have here in our community to benefit all community members uh grateful as I said for our highly skilled dedicated Librarians teachers and staff and I'm very concerned about the harassment that I have seen on social media in this room in these meetings and in our community and I would like to ask that the board actively and publicly support and protect our Librarians our teachers and our staff I'm also concerned about the potential Banning and removal of books from our library whether it be the book that is being discussed now or really any any books I ask that the board ensure that District processes and policies are followed in Fair unbiased and unpolitical manner ask that the board protect the rights and interest of all students to read professionally curated materials of interest to them individually I'm hopeful that we can continue to be proud of our school district and our well-educated and inclusive community and I'm looking to our board to help support that thank you I'm just make a motion for us to continue the last two we're almost at the 30 minute Mar motion to all in favor hi hi uh folks my name is John Hixon I'm from hybridge New Jersey and not being a doctor of social science or psychology I'm not really qualified to give an opinion and whether the content of this book is worthy of being in the lobby or not I'm just not a qualified person fortunately I have a quote from Lisa Shelby uh executive director of hightops a Princeton base organization that provides youth informed sex education for youth throughout New Jersey high Toops is the provider of the district's own teen pep curriculum miss Shelby a professional writes let's talk about it as a developmentally appropriate book for teens that provides medically accurate and positive information about the physical and emotional changes that happened during puberty developmental phase that all humans experience and for which open access to information and support is critically important there is ampal evidence uh demonstrating that access to Resources with scientifically based information about sexual health such as let's talk about it decreases the risk of STI teen pregnancy sexual violence and increases School graduation high school rates healthy relationships positive communication skills and self-esteem curiosity about bodies and sexuality is a completely normal aspect of puberty young people who lack access to vetted information from libraries or lack the support from trusted adults often seek information through the internet there's an overwhelming amount of content protecting sex as sexually violent abusive misogynistic and disrespectful learning leaving young people to make sense of it all on their own amplifies the potential for emotional distress and skewed Notions of proper Dynamics consent and mutual respect in human relationships it is essential that the teams have access to books like let's talk about it in contrast to the concerns raised about this that this book's pornography let's talk about it is in no way salacious anatomically and scientifically accurate drawings are included in the service of providing essential information about Anatomy bodily diversity consent and respect health communication boundaries libraries and schools are designed to be sources of information and knowledge which empowers the students to make positive informed decisions that enables them to live their best lives removing L's talk about sexual in the North huton High School library would be a great disservice to its students high top stands staunchly opposed to the proposition Banning of Let's Talk About Sex from the north hunon Library that's Lisa Shelby who's a professional in field of sex [Applause] education hi I'm Sandra marzo I'm from Franklin Township and my primary reason for coming up here is frankly I'm just appalled that the superintendent is not here time and time and time again not just for clearly I mean you can tell by the way I'm dressed which side I'm on and where my opinion Falls regarding the books but for all parents like he's not here I mean I think that sends a pretty loud clear message about you know does he really value parents community's opinions feelings and by the way I have a child in this high school right now and I have one that graduated a couple years ago and I'll add I'm a daughter of a superintendent he retired not once not twice three times because his school board liked him so much that they had him come back to help out when they needed to replace a superintendent when a superintendent left for another job and my father I will add also during his long career in education was serving in the North Carolina National Guard and retired as a full Colonel so I don't want to hear about being busy and he didn't have two schools like this one he had 20 schools cuz he served a whole County so this is insane he should be here here every time every time for all of us on both sides of this issue I'm a former teacher [Applause] also so next up we're going to have um committee reports we'll start with curriculum instruction and technology which is best but Jessica is going to give the report this evening yep thank you uh so the curriculum committee met on February 21st we reviewed the um items on the agenda that are up for vote um the committee supports the items under the curriculum agenda and agenda um so we are we are recommending that uh we approve those uh we reviewed a presentation on the common assessments administered in the district and the presentation um has links in the agenda um the conclusion was is that the common assessments are way to monitor student progress along with the standards of the district and that we'll also have some summer hours to develop common assessments for sophomores on the April uh Personnel agenda which we'll uh we'll be looking at at in the coming months we reviewed the second marking period grades for the year and um an estimate of about 85% of all the grades were A's and B's um the second marking period grades uh for 20123 and 24 were very similar to the grades that we um that were reflected during the 2223 school year as well um we will continue to monitor grades as uh the semesters Move Along uh we also discussed the PSAT the PSAT Chang this year to computer adaptive which is more difficult if students get questions correct or could be easier if students get questions wrong um the results of the students in 10th Grade were better than last year um while the results at the students in 11th grade decreased from the last year we're going to continue to correlate the results with the njsla and we'll continue reviewing the PSAT results each each year is there any questions about the curriculum meeting okay so um no questions thank you okay so we'll need a a motion in a second to approve agenda items 9.1 through 9.5 so moved second all in favor I any Nays any extensions okay all right next we have um uh policy and school security committee report Kim uh yes uh we discussed second reading of policy 8500 uh that is where the only discussion was to confirm that the language related to covid and the need for a walk pickup site was removed um and modified to better represent our district um everyone was in agreement with the new language and we are moving that to for second reading and approval um abolishing policies 8540 and 8550 because they will now be they're all encompassed in 8500 so no no further discussion um we're recommending the abolishment uh board moving to approve this policy uh thirdly we had a discussion revision of policy 7230 gifts grants and donations we discussed the monetary threshold that would allow the superintendent to accept gifts and donations um without board approval um added to uh the agenda and recommend for board approval we also had discussion for policy 2530 uh that has been was was tabled um but we did consider a discussion we discussed the two forms of uh book reconsideration presently in use one is for the public to fill out requesting reconsideration while the other is used for the committee to report their findings to the board we agree that the forms can be reviewed and for potentially uh mod modifications or future reconsideration requests um we also um um had an admin update as to how the school handles a complaint of harassment by an employee um Mr bers reviewed the steps taken to ensure an employees safety if they are subject to harassment or intimidation from parents Community or the general public and in every situation the committee was assured we um the information we received to law enforcement to determine if criminal charges should be filed and that the district also takes necessary steps internally such as asking security to be more present in the areas where the staff member Works offering escorts from and to the employees Car checking in regularly with the employee to ask how they are doing and following up on any additional information the employee can provide to substantiate any claims and lastly um briefly um regulation 9130 um was uh proposed for dis was on the agenda for discussion uh we discussed the terminology used in 9130 such as the term department head which is also on the reconsideration committee reporting form we will be looking at that language as compared to stra Esme and make changes to present to the committee if appropriate this will be discussed at our next meeting and that was it okay any discussion I have a question about polici 723 um it's it's titled gifts Grant from donations and as reading it as a new member I just wanted to find out if it talks about land grants so would that also include grants that are awarded through the department of Ed and also monetary donations it's not clear whether that's in the work as well it it wouldn't yes okay okay okay any other discussion okay hearing none can I have a motion in a second to approve agenda items uh uh 10.1 through 10.3 so moved okay all in favor hi any Nays any extensions okay all right good Katie okay and the next on it is uh John mik it's Finance facilities and transportation committee report sure thank you terara um our committee met February 20th uh virtually at 6:30 everybody was there our big topic uh conversation was uh this year's budget uh we're into budget season at this point uh even the governor gave his address today I believe you Katie correct if I'm wrong he he wasn't touching everything still as as we expected um with um the one item that we're we were aware of this is the last year of the uh phased in reduction in our in our state aid so this is the last of six years but that that we will be um you know that will be part of this year's budget um we're uh we'll be coming with our preliminary budget uh at our meeting in March on the on the 19th attentively uh we're looking um we're looking at a 2% tax levy increase to offset uh you know the in the increased items um you know that make that comprise most of our budget uh and we've been working on this uh Katie and the committee um for the last several years looking at a potential fiscal cliff approaching um our uh our district uh it seems to be a little bit dampened however um we are concerned about the long term um so you know that's why we're anticipating keep keeping a 2% tax uh increase um in past years we've been able to um utilize some Bank cap and savings from uh referendum referendums to help all set some of the increases but uh we'll have certainly more much more discussion at the committee level in March and uh you'll see the preliminary budget next month um one of the ways in which we're looking to offset some of the anticipated uh increases um will be the uh the addition of the Polytech uh North hun campus which we hope uh will be online by uh in in a year so that'll help to offset some of those uh those cuts uh the additionally uh we talked about the transportation study that uh was commissioned from Somerset County Unfortunately they were unable to really come up with any significant recommendations that uh could help us so we're um you we're still going to look the Streamline where we can possibly asking parents to um opt out of Transportation so we can tighten up some of those bus routes but even if a parent opts out potentially then they could uh opt back in in the middle of the year so we have to PR prepare for all these eventualities uh last thing um on my report uh was the uh agenda preview um this um not a lot on on here um we um uh let's see um yeah so the 11.1 contract with us uh the uh New Jersey School uh School Board Association for um a change in uh leaving Strauss Esme and going to school boards for um for our policy review and recommendation so that's number one um additionally um uh we have a donation from a North hund in senior um additionally there were uh basically just the monthly reports um unfortunately when we met last week there was another item that was uh uh wasn't part of our agenda last last week at the committee level um it's on tonight's agenda so I would recommend tabling um 11:5 so we can discuss that at the committee meeting next month otherwise um I recommend adoption of our 11.1 through 11.12 I'll make that motion okay questions yeah any questions discussion I do um I understand you wanted to um table 11.5 but who is the donations that were provided to the school um who's in charge of researching or how do we accept donations what's the policy for that typically we get a a report like we did on 11.3 at a committee meeting um and then you can ask those those questions which did not occur last week oh you didn't have a chance to cover it was on the agenda oh oh wasn't on the agenda yet no so as our policy you know we discuss things in right Comm committee and then make recommendations Bo that so I don't anticipate any problems uh putting that on our agenda and having it go through like like everything else okay just cares yeah it just wasn't there yeah couple couple members noticed that as well other discussions Brendon um budget question bank I know with s years of reduced state aid are we positioned that we're still able to use Bank cap or is that strategy run its course there is no more Bank available we have used everything that is available to us correct anybody else I had a question about the the I guess the district property that's damaged or obsolete um there's some VHS equipment there's some library books um and I like on the library books about what like what the reason was for it but how do we determine how those books are replaced um if they're what determines it that they're outdated there's just a lot of specifications I don't think that is kind of relayed to figure out how these have been selected um I've seen a couple of this coming but I haven't seen anything coming from Vorhees so I'm kind of just kind of questioning the whole process yes so I I don't know about bores I'd have to check to see when we've approved any um weeding lists but it's a standard process that our librarian has explained before they go through they determine what books are damaged no longer used um or there's low circulation you know like is there is there a process also similar to like when things come in that as they go out there's certain like either the supervisor or assistant principal or somebody has to review them coming in and out yeah it's my understanding the assistant principal is doing some basic research he can't read every book that comes in or goes out so I get that you know but they do whatever they can to make sure it's appropriate I know best practices are usually books that have outdated information if they're informational in nature or they've been superseded by a more recent publication um and I think that's the most typical responses I can see out superseded with a new title that's presumably already in the outdated one and we did try to at least label them that way so at least the board members know whether or not something is superseded whether or not it is um in poor condition damaged or low circulation okay Brian the uh this is a question on 111 the school board's uh contract is is this a so we have some discussion of this in the policy committee is this a um assessment we're just signing a contract for them to do a one-time thing or is this the contract that switches us over or you know this is this would be turning to njsba so it would take it's rolling all of our policies over from stme to njsba so that is what the contract is for so it's like there's a 9k charge which is just kind of like initial assessment and and then is it in here and I just missed it what the subsequent deal is I mean the financial deal are we so we sign we're saving ask Katie yeah yeah the $9,000 was they have to read you know all kind of assess what what what the number have we introduced to the policy manual as a board but is there a piece of this that says and then from here on out every year we're going to pay them X yeah that part of the contract is not on here yet but there is a um a contract to have them there is going to be another contract to have them host our policy site just like stra does okay so today tonight's vote is on spending $9,000 or yeah $9,000 to have them this kind of evaluation like how hairy is this going to be you you guys have a lot of no it's not an evaluation conion convert our policy and then once they convert all of our policies over to their version of the policies then we will um have a contract that will allow us to host that on web on a website so that we can then have that available for the public that's already negotiated correct correct yes why why was there a decision made to separate those two contracts the the conversion and the continuing obligation stop me if I'm wrong based on the budget year so we would be taking this contract into account in this budget year 23 24 and then we would go to renew with their services for next budget year so that would be a separate contract okay it's going to be a four to six month process is what we understand to convert the current policy manual into their format and we don't want to spend the annual fee for their hosting during that 4 to six month complet okay so one last question is is this like irreversible like like so so let's say when this new contract comes up it says yeah we're going to give them a million dollars a year to host uh to make our changes and we go whoa whoa whoa that's I'm not signing up for that because I don't know what we're signing up for other than the initial $9,000 reboot sure so the the the annual fee that school board charges is 1995 a year 95 yes okay so yeah and then it's it's a saving it's not human but it's a few hundred a month savings per stra cost corre yeah little less than 100 we know when the conversion is done do they do sort of like line item comparison to represent or capture dimensions of policy that the district may have um designed or enhanced or added over the years to give us that recognized opportunity to say all right at some point we modified a policy to say this that and the other it's different than Strauss smme and different than School boards and they will draw attention to here is something that you've changed in the past that's perhaps not in either policy and we want to see that that's preserved and cared over I don't know the process that's why it takes so long because the policy committee will be reviewing all of those items okay and then recommending it to the board okay anybody else any other discussion okay so can we have a call and a motion um a call for a motion a second to approve agenda items 11 .1 to 11.12 sanss the 11.5 at this time do we need to have a motion to remove 11.5 we do wait well the motion was to approve all those with including a table of that to review next month okay we Andrew do we need to do you can do okay all one okay so motion is second uh to approve agenda items 11.1 through 11.12 Sans 11.5 that will be put on policy uh facility committee for next month's discussion so yeah so move all um all in favor I um I'm voting Yes except for no on 11.6 okay and I am voting no on 11.6 11.6 no Rees I vote no on tabling 11.5 and I also stain from 10 to 12 any other Nays or extensions motion Carri okay is there anything else should do the math I'm just doing the math oh okay you were looking at me I was like motion carries okay motion carries they were looking at okay thank you um next is community relations and student affairs which the committee did not meet this month we will be meeting next month and our next line item is the delegates and ad hoc committee uh was there any uh County meetings no um unsung heroes is March 12th Rich correct me if I'm is that correct 12 14th and I believe North hunon already has a um uh unsung hero submitt it wonderful I haven't seen Bor we have Bor I haven't seen it yet so we'll ask on that okay okay okay wonderful and um delegate is not until May um so we will report out on that after that delegate meeting uh next agenda item is Personnel for committee report Jessica it's very brief we met on the 21st we discuss the agenda wonderful thank you uh and then our next is we need a call and a a motion and a second to adopt resolution 00 0 22724 D2 uh for executive session to discuss matters falling under category 8 as reflected in the attached resolution the board expects to be an executive session for approximately 1 hour and upon return to the public session action will be taken uh I need a v voice okay any okay all in favor I exensions n yeah okay executive session you motion a second to reconvene public session so moved second all in favor I any Nays exstension we're back in session okay um I also need to call for a motion in a second to approve agenda items 17.1 to 17.3 and and to include hand carries if Pro provided is that Brendon motion motion second all in favor a roll call a roll call call sorry mno yes Mr Chapman yes Miss Gallow yes Miss hin yes is absent Mr MAAC yes Mr M yes uh except for 17.2 I'll stain M Reyes yeah Miss seleno yes Mr Spanton yes and Miss VI yes wonderful okay um open it up for any old or new business I do okay um maybe Marin can help is there an updated 2024 committee assignment in our folder on the drive I didn't see it I saw a 202 I I know I put it on those say I'll double check the Google and can we have the weighted vote on that thank you thank you okay any other older new business okay well seeing there is none I'd like to call for a motion to accept to adjourn so so mov all in favor all in favor I any NS extenstions we're out of here thank you