we did the call to order and saluted the flag I'm going to read the statement of public notice now this is a regular meeting of the Board of Education of burnner Township notice of the time and place of this meeting was provided and copies of that resolution were forwarded to the official newspapers as designated by the Board of Education and to the Township Clerk and a copy of the notice was posted on the Bolton Board of the Board of Education offices for those members of the public who cannot attend our meeting in person a live stream link to the meeting is posted on the district website we very much welcome input from the public there are two times during regular meetings that the public is invited to speak one time is early in the meeting before the board votes when you may speak about any item that is listed on tonight's agenda towards the end of that uh the meeting there is another public form to address any matter of public concern related to the schools when you approach the microphone please state your name and address each statement made by a participant shall be limited to three minutes duration no participant may speak more than once during a given public comment session the first public comment session will be limited to 30 minutes and the second will be Unlimited in order to run efficient meetings and to allow a maximum opportunity for members of the to speak the board reserves the right to set a different time limit for individual comments and the overall time limit for the public comment portions of the agenda all statements shall be directed to the presiding officer no participant May address or question board members individually no uh please understand that public comment portions of our agenda are not structured as question and answer sessions but are offered as opportunities to share your thoughts with the board the board and administration will respond to public comments to the extent possible any board responses to public comments will generally be addressed during board form or committee reports however all comments are considered and will be investigated and addressed as appropriate please be courteous in mind to the rights of others when speaking comments may not be abusive obscene threatening or irrelevant please understand that students and employees have specific legal and privacy protections the board is not permitted to respond in public to comments about students and employees please also understand that the board will not be responsible for the content of comments made by members of the public members of the public are cautioned that they are speaking at their own risk and any personally directed statements that they make May subject them to Legal liability to the affected individual if it is necessary for the board to go into executive session at the end of the meeting we we will provide an estimated length of time for the session and whether any is anticipated to be taken Upon returning to the section to public section um Jim can you call the rooll Please Mr samon here miss white here miss light miss curado here miss mun Mr Molinari here Mr am here M chipo and Mr Shaw here uh okay we have a quorum uh so we're off to superintendent points there's um four items there uh can I have a motion for that please uh Jen and Dave Nick okay good evening everyone um so tonight's superintendent's report five items the hi report from this month uh we also have our virtual remote instruction plan which has to be updated on an annual basis and submitted to the doe uh there were really no subst sub changes to the virtual remote instruction plan uh the language instruction educational program uh three-year document has to be submitted for the county office as well uh we're certifying the number of Ridge High School graduates and accepting the state assessment results from the spring of 2024 which have to be provided to the board within 60 days of receipt any questions about that from board members no okay can you call the rooll Please Mr salmon yes M white yes Miss curado yes Mr molari yes Mr am yes and Mr Shaw yes great thank you we are up to public comment uh on agenda items um please come up to the microphone write down your name and address state your name and address and then you have three minutes thank you hi I'm Desiree Noland I live at 88 Harrison Brook Drive in Basking Ridge um I came last year in August for a similar um discussion about class sizes and yet again our fifth grade class size is astronomical and I did notice on the board agenda that we do have a first and second grade teacher being um hired I'm assuming for maternity leave in LCS but our fifth grade yet again is um pushing the 25 limit in fact this last year it wasn't taken into account that some of the classes were at 27 which we're in Basking rdge that's really high um and tough on our teachers especially given the academics and the rigor that they are expected to accomplish in these classrooms they have expressed their concerns so I'm speaking on behalf as a parent and the teachers in our own District we're going to lose these valuable teachers they're going to get burnt out we need to listen to them they know our kids and what is needed the policy that we have um um policy District policy 2312 is from 2013 what we were teaching in the classrooms in 2013 is much different than what we are teaching in the classrooms now and the only people that are standing in the way are the administrators and that's very disappointing that they don't have the teachers backs or the parents backs we've expressed our concerns the parents at LCS we've sent multiple emails I have spoken to Dr Oliver I've spoken to Mr Mark caran regarding this issue I've spoken to the board last year please please please do something about this one of the teachers from fifth grade was moved to fourth grade so yet again the same grade that was hit during covid is losing out again and we're going to lose out with these teachers we have kids pushing in that are missing out on these opportunities the lld kids that are pushing in which pushes those numbers up as well so please take this into account I would really appreciate it thank you thank you Mrs Nolan any other public comment tonight on agenda items hi everyone thank you for your time uh dou Patel along with my son Gavin Patel and my wife uh NE Patel uh we live at 17 ver Farm Lane we actually attend Liberty Corner uh school so we wanted to give our thoughts first as uh Gavin's gonna speak as a student there and then I was GNA give some comments as a parent um my name is Gavin Patel my twin sister Arya Patel and I will be fifth graders next year at Liberty Corner we wanted to let you know that fourth grade classes were very crowded last year Arya had about like 27 kids in her class and space was very tight I also had about 25 in mine this made it very hard for the teacher to give appropriate time to each student and her all the classes we are excited about fifth grade because it's important is and important year to help us get ready for Middle School we really hope you don't cut a fifth grade class at our school because too many too many students in one class is not a good learning environment thank you for your time thanks k i just Echo what he said and I think the thing I wanted to say as a parent is we understand it's tough choices there's lots of kids in the school district lots of classes and um you know the way I I looked at it is unfairly the class of 2032 is the one that's been burdened with you know having to deal with uh the budget issues and everything else that we have to deal with we know that there's only so many dollars for everywhere to go but this one class has had for two years already had their class sizes at Liberty Corner um you know at a higher level than they would normally be because they've had that that year has seen a class cut and now we're hearing yet again fifth grade which is a fairly important year considering it's a transition they're going to be preparing for middle school and the work is only getting harder yet again again they'll never have that opportunity to have a normaliz classroom they're going to again have a class stripped away from them and you know I think that there should be just a more practical approach is something that would be plausible is like okay second grade third grade whichever one it is but each year that's the grade that you guys decide which one gets or um you either if you have the resources you supply them for the full amount or that grade is the one where there's a cut if you keep rotating and it's each year changes with grade is going to have that number cut then the same group of that 2032 class is overburdened with that um you know that issue of the budget being uh too you know to too limited and they're the ones that lost out on three straight years whereas other classes if you just happen to be born in the different year you might not be impacted at all and I it's not fair it's not fair to everyone but I think it's unfair the people that it's the most unfair to is our kids that are in that class of 2032 so I hope that you know as a group you guys can make a decision that seems more appropriate and is spread out so that the whole town can help you know share that burden about uh budgets and other issues that you might be facing hi um just going to EG what my husband said I think you know the important part is fifth year for all these kids is a very transitional year it's supposed to prepare them for middle school so I think regardless of looking at just the a number saying one grade is have a have a higher enrollment compared to another we should look into the other factors that are really going to help our kids especially the fifth graders to set up for success for middle school and if you guys could look at all those little details and kind of look at the look outside the numbers and look into the details to really make a a a decision that will impact them in a positive way versus just looking at the numbers be like okay this grade gets four classes versus this grade gets three thank you for your time guys thank you patels any other uh bu anybody else for um public comment on agenda items hi everyone um my name is Erin Rowan I live at 83 Church Street um and I've been a resident of burns Township since 2009 so starting to amazingly come on 15 years now uh I have two kids at LCS um my oldest Trot is going into the fifth grade and my youngest L is going into first grade um I did send an email to the board and to Mr marcarian earlier this week but I wanted to down in person because a lot of times I wanted to make sure that as a member of the community and I know all of you are members of the the community as well that you're hearing what are the really important issues to the parents so that you're still staying in touch with that and as Des had touched upon this issue has been going on for a while so if you would bear with me I wanted to read a couple of the Salient points from my email just to make sure that those points um you know resonated with everyone I know it was a little bit long but I just wanted to touch on some of them so when Co first hit it definitely Ed this class I remember bringing Trot to kindergarten and walking in meeting his teacher he was so excited and then an unprecedented Global pandemic hit and all of a sudden we were all forced home I was doing gym classes over Zoom with him uh we were doing classes like late at night I was working parents so I was working all day and then my son wasn't going to bed until like nine o'clock at night because I'd be like a that's when Mama has time to do work but we got through it Desiree ran a learning pod and my son was getting extra help from her we pulled together as aity Community to Rally around all of the students and to make sure that they got the educational support that they needed through this you know crucial time now that you know we were back into school again and there was some semblance of normaly you know say second and third grade we started to see the class sizes um increase again around fourth grade and as they said we're at about 25 um this year I think the total number counting those who pushed into my son's class was about 27 um I wasn't a class parent my mom's in in uh tr's class but I did volunteer for a couple events so I was in the classroom to see just how crowded it would feel at times um and Miss bar Sonic's teacher did an amazing job with those kids she had them you know she would clap her hands they'd clap back uh they'd immediately uh silence like when she asked them to so she was doing a fantastic job as a teacher but I could not imagine her having to deal with that on a daily basis again she's a fantastic educator really valuable asset to the LCS Community but is undoubt l a challenge to our staff and also to our kids to have to constantly deal with just physical space limitations as well as attention um limitations as well and now when I was in the classroom and doing the volunteering it was the same thing you know trying to gather people around um explaining you know instructions again for all the multiple like small groups and so it starts to cut into time that you're actually executing on learning or on the fun part of the things that you do so there is a residual effect so even if the teacher is able to spread themselves out and you know connect with the kids the overall effect is a little bit you know distilled when you look at the overall impact of how long it actually takes to get around to that many kids and then there's also kind of reduction in the time to go that second pass around to make sure a lot of the kids really understand um and now personally I my son's always loved school he's been a really bright student he especially loved um math U I'm not a math person so I don't know where he that came from but I was always very thrilled about his interest in um math in particular this was the first year that he began to come home from school upset about math he'd be like Mama I just can't get it I'm really starting to struggle um you know I I starting to feel uncomfortable in class he also has um an IEP for a stutter so he was starting to get a little bit affected about like raising his hand in class so I met with Miss barisic on a couple of occasions to say this is what he's feeling and this is what he's experiencing in a classroom um how else can we you know support him through this uh she was very open and retive to hearing it but I began to get the impression that bandwidth was actually an issue and that sometimes it's you know both ends of the spectrum kind of get a lot of the attention and you're you're exceptional kids that have very confident speakers raising their hands you know really jumping out there of course they're going to get you know a lot of the attention like within the classroom and then the other you know end of the spectrum a lot of the kids that clearly need you know extra help and support they also receive that wonderful help and support in the environment at LCS now a lot of times just I'm sorry M um could you you have three minutes so you mind kind of finalizing your thoughts pleas thank you so I worry about the kids in the middle and again when you talk about retain retention of teachers impacting kids like overall we want to make sure that every single kid in um burnner Township is receiving the education that they um deserve and that they are promised as being a resident here as well um I fear that I'm starting to question the value of a burnner Township education after 15 years here and being really excited to get my kids into the school system um I just want to make sure that I'm doing right by my kids and speaking up on an important issue to make sure that they're getting the attention and the care in the school system that they deserve thank you thank you m r anybody else for public comment tonight on agenda items good evening I'm part of this same crew I think I'm the last no so I wrote it down unlike the other guys um we're here tonight to ask sorry' would you just mind say I'm sorry I wrote it yeah Karen apar 21 century Court thank you sure I we're here tonight to ask you to please reconsider the number of classes for our Rising fifth graders at Liberty Corner this is the second year in a row my husband and I are personally reaching out voicing Our concern our son ended fourth grade with 27 students in his class we believe the quality of education does in fact suffer in a classroom this size as of today it's my understanding we're starting the year with 20 with 73 kids and again only three classes that puts each class at 24 to 25 and I don't think that number includes the children who do push in during the school day uh it definitely doesn't include the kids who will move into town during the school year in 2019 our kindergarteners started with 61 kids in three sections this group has consistently grown year overy year we are now at 73 and still only three classes this will be their first year in at least six years that fifth graders won't have at least four classes during their platooning I believe this will be a disadvantage to them as they prepare for whams uh we heard about some of the effects on academics so I'm not going to read that piece that I wrote um but I do think that there is an impact on the uh social socialization uh there's literature to support that smaller classes has a positive impact on school climate as you know we're seeing an uptick in verbal violence over the last few years in District having smaller classes allows staff to be better in tune with what's happening with their students greater opportunity to hear how they're speaking to each other and be better positioned to intervene when needed there are many reasons we're asking you to consider what fifth grade will look like for our kids but it's just as important to consider what it will look like for our teachers we have the best staff and we want to retain them they shouldn't be overworked and overwhelmed year after year trying to ensure that no student gets lost please reconsider the headcount at LCS and support our kids and our teachers bying during a fourth section for our Rising fifth graders thank you Miss atar anyone else for public comment on agenda items tonight okay we'll close public comment on agenda items Nick do you have any comments sure so obviously thank you to our parents expressing their concern for their kids at Liberty Corner um I can say that the the number of uh classroom teachers at Liberty Corner is is unchanged from last year to this year in terms of the building uh in and of itself as a whole I understand that there is a change in the number of sections for fifth grade but that is not a a decrease in the number of teachers in the building uh every year principles have to try to align their staff to uh the enrollments at the grades to maintain the board's uh guideline of no more than 22 students k12 and 25 students grades 345 so that's what um the principles generally do as they work through their scheduling process on an annual basis um and I I want to recognize too um we have certainly been sensitive to the challenges that Co has created over the years and we've tried to run summer programs I I look to the person on my left for all the work that she does to coordinate that with the principles and the supervisors to try to create opportunities for kids in the summer and there is a cohort of Staff members at all of the elementary schools that are there to support the needs of the general education students uh in mathematics and language arts support opportunities so there there are a lot of resources to use to try to make sure that um students are supported so on an individual basis I would encourage families to consider that and to talk to the school staff if they feel as though their child is missing something or falling behind what kinds of supports can the school put in place with other staff besides the regular our classroom teacher I I can uh articulate that the number of 73 is the number that I have as well right now that's inclusive of all of the fifth grade students at Liberty Corner school and I will certainly monitor those numbers and keep the board apprised if it looks as though we're going to exceed our guidelines all right thank you we are up to uh approval of minutes um there's one item there can I have a motion for that please Dave and Janice Jim can you call the rooll Please Mr salmon yes M white yes Miss Cado yes Mr Molinari yes Mr am yes and Mr Shaw yes great thank you we're up to the finance committee report there's 40 items can I have a motion for that please Keith and Jen uh the finance committee report I have is from our meeting on June 4th um the first item for discussion was facility rental rates for the upcoming School year um Mr R reviewed facility use schedules for Somerset Hills Franklin and Montclair um to see where burner's Township um rate schedule fits in there each district defines its use categories differently and some districts have minimum time blocks for rentals for example 4our uh minimums for a gym however it appears that each district charges the most to for-profit entities for using facilities um we went over our current facility schedule and um last year we raised the facility use fees for all groups uh the committee discussed raising the fees for categories C and D which are for-profit entities to be commensurate with neighboring districts and raising custodial fees for all categories to keep up with the increased cost of Labor Mr R recommends a 10% increase on the custodial rate change which has not been raised in several years and the custodial expenses are currently expected to increase by 16% in 2025 and in recommended a 5% increase on the fee for category C and D in our raid schedule the committee supported that recommendation uh the next item was uh the thought exchange application uh Mr Maran and Miss mchu reviewed comments provided about thought exchange from the PTO advisory meeting on Monday June 3D parents liked the concept and thought the interface was user friendly the parents asked questions about skipping thoughts instead of having to rate each one and whether the application knows where you left off or starts you back on the first thought uh we met with a thought exchange a rep from the thought exchange um company and asked the following does the application know where user leaves off in ratings yes how do thoughts get presented the system randomly delivers thoughts but avoids presenting similarly thoughts consecutively however the system is trying to show each thought the same amount of times across all users could the ratings be a thumbs up thumbs down instead of a festar rating uh the answer is no does the license offered by thought exchange allow unlimited District use uh no the license is for seven user logins which is the minimum uh that they that they provide in their package so this would uh likely not be used by uh this would likely be used by administrators and building principles not really in the classroom by students uh however a building principle could run a thought exchange for a group for example the student council the PTO or group of students uh but the principal would be the moderator how is thought exchange used for strategic planning the rep from thought exchange would work with the district to create a timeline and exchanges and surveys to carry out the strategic planning the cost offered for a one-year license with seven user logins was $34,000 Mr Marken was going to speak with the administrators and building principles to gauge interest and ask how fre frequently they might use thought exchange for the upcoming school year uh Mr R will determine whether any remaining Grand funds could be used to purchase the one-year license uh the next item was the uh wham's donations a series of donations from the whams PTO which is really great uh the first one was for a new whams school sign which will be an electronic sign uh it will be put at the uh the exit out of the parking lot um opposite the corner with the the old sign the stone sign so that the new sign will be the new digital sign will be opposite the old sign um we Mr R uh said that he talked to the town construction Township construction Department uh and the town indicated the project did not need require planning Board review and Mr rol was going to develop a timeline for installation um the whams PTO also donated $1,000 for um uh in recognition of the whams teacher of the year for professional development which was great and donated also s uh sound equipment for upgrading the sound system in the whams auditorium um and that was it as far as the agenda items tonight um there's uh kind of the normal standing items and uh a bunch of student services at the end but I wanted to point out in particular item nine um Jim can you kind of relay what's going on there as it has to do with busing uh for the extended school year I'll do my I'll do my best any any motion that's two and a two and a half pages uh take some work to summarize um what happened with our extended school year uh busing our uh busing transportation provider informed us on the very first day of the extended school year program that they had a massive driver shortage and would not be able to perform all the uh routes that they had uh bid on through our quote process um so what ensued was a bit of a a scramble to Source bus companies who could provide the rest of the round so that we could get the kids uh on time that that first few days the kids were getting to school significantly late um so what um the resulting motion that you see before you Awards to the bus company the routes that they can do that they have enough drivers to do um and the two other alternate Transportation companies that we were able to source to do the routes that the first company could not um and as well as it pays the first company for the routes that they they ran late for the first few days before we reallocated their routes to the other two companies all right any questions for about Finance yeah Dave I just want to say on the busing you know we all know how disappointed we were with that and they showed up on day one they were supposed to have 11 buses and they showed up with five so I mean that it was ridiculous and Jim scrambled to get it all set up but it was just a terrible terrible situation so I'm glad Jim was able to fix it but it really was did not come out well any other questions for yeah Janice I also just want to acknowledge the work that Jim and Janet WUSA did in trying to resolve that issue um as quickly as we could and we want to thank the parents who made us aware of the um the situation and you know thank you for letting us know so that we could get to work on it anybody else for about Finance no okay Jim can you call the rooll Please Mr salmon yes Miss White yes Miss curado yes Mr molari yes Mr am yes and Mr Shaw yes okay great thank you we're up to the Personnel committee report there's 44 items uh can somebody make a motion for that please Jen and Dave and Jen you're gonna read the report Nick GNA read the report I'm going to jump in on this one so uh the committee met on June 21st at 9 a.m. um some of the items we can't get into detail about uh as they're confidential but um one of the items we discussed was uh Elementary sectioning review uh as I mentioned earlier we uh keep tabs on enrollments uh carefully throughout the summer and we'll continue to keep the board advised but as of now we are still within the Board of Education guidelines for elementary sectioning and class size uh there was a discussion with respect to a new stip in for an assistant dance team uh coordinator uh the committee uh approved of the item uh to get an additional staff member to help assist given that the uh numbers in the program have grown um there was a discussion about uh increasing uh the compensation for our teacher of the death uh since we're unable to uh Source another teacher on a part-time schedule uh there's enough uh work to uh essentially do something similar to what we do with regular classroom instruction uh relative to additional uh workload so we're able to do that for our teacher of the death uh there was a confidential request made by an individual staff member uh there were some confidential discussions with regard to uh btea impact negotiations as it related to uh the new start times uh and a update from Mr SC on vacant positions that was it great any questions for or about Personnel no uh I just wanted to say because we did talk about um class size and we are continually monitoring class size and kids coming into the district going out of the district um and and we hear you parents about uh class size um and I I think for me when I'm looking at it uh obviously we have our our policy guidelines as our back stop um but the the hardest thing I think is is when you introduce um you know a teacher that bringing a teacher into a section uh into a a grade and create a new section and how does that look across the all the elementary schools in the district not just the grades within that school but within the with the other schools in the district so if you have another school in the district that has other fifth grade with big classes um and you bring a teacher to Liberty Corner then you probably should bring a teacher to another school uh and then that could be all the schools uh and then you look you know kind of across schools across grades um so I think you know for me we're I'm constantly using kind of our our policy guidelines as the back stop and then we are looking every month at whether the numbers are are changing or not um so uh we do get your emails we look at them and we are talking about it every month so we do hear you um and I know sometimes it could be um frustrating but when look across the district um we're trying to maintain equity and the way that I do that and what I'm thinking about the issue is is kind of relying on our policy um so I just wanted to make that comment um any anything else about yeah nimish yeah just to add to what Tim said we had a very similar discussion last year at Personnel committee and that was exactly what what Tim alluded to looking at what other schools in the district are also um where they are at at class sizes and it's not a matter of having one extra teacher it's a matter of maybe having four extra teachers and if we can do that great but we don't necessarily want to have Liberty Corner Mount Prospect or Oak Street or or Cedar Hill to have different class sizes um within the district anyone else okay Jim can you call the rooll please I'm sorry I was page turning the first and the second on these did oh I'm sorry did I get a motion I you did yeah I thought I did I I may have missed it yeah it was Dave and um Janice apologies worries Mr salmon yes Miss White yes Miss curado yes Mr Molinari yes Mr mean yes and Mr Shaw yes special uh Personnel announcement yeah breaking new so just a a little uh collaboration and uh Public Service Announcement some folks might have noticed in uh one of my recent uh SOS expresses that uh we are trying to help promote the advertisement of our crossing guards uh crossing guard posts are are run staffed and um um compensated through the burnard Township Police Department however obviously this is a a key uh position for our schools and I understand that there are several posts uh that still need to be filled for next school year so in communication uh with our our police chief uh he advised me that I could share uh some information in in my news letter which I did do um he also noted that the uh hourly rate of pay was $80 an hour um which is the compensation for an AM job and then separately the same compensation for a PM job uh if anyone is interested um as I mentioned this is staffed through the police department uh they should contact Lieutenant ammerman at the PD that's it great thanks uh we're up to the policy committee report there are two items can I have a motion for that one please uh Keith and Janice um Dave policy yeah there were two policy meetings so I will try to keep it as quick as possible and combine them as much as possible um there was one on June 14th and then July 12th uh the first policy of the committee discussed potential amendments to regulation 5600 related to discipline focusing on racial and ethnic code of conduct violations at the middle school The Proposal was further developed to include three levels of off each each with specific types of discipline this added Clarity is intended to help parents and administrators understand the potential disciplinary actions the committee made minor change suggestions which were in Incorporated by Mr merary the next policy um School volunteers so the committee reviewed and decided to add a requirement for criminal background checks to school volunteers additionally it was agreed that a principal could request the superintendent to require a volunteer obtain a sub certificate this change aims to enhance the safety and reliability of school volunteers uh next policy 9181 volunteer athletic coaches uh the committee proposed requiring annual criminal background checks for the volunteer athletic coaches and co-curricular activity advisers the decision does not to mandate substitute certificates for these volunteers was also confirmed um next um um policy extracurricular activities and non-enrolled students um policy 9270 the committee discussed specifically addressing whether non-enrolled students including those from private schools could join extracurricular activities like the ridge cheer team the committee recommended maintaining the current policy due to potential risks and complications such as insurance and accountability issues um the com the next policy or regulation the committee reviewed Reg ation 5112 which pertains to admission and grade placement particularly for kindergarten registration it was just minor wording updates were made to reflect the transition from manual to digital practices over the past few years these updates aim to streamline the registration process and ensure Clarity in the policy um next policy which was quite a bit of discussion was on smartphone use in schools policy 2361 uh the committee began by reviewing the policy on smartphone usage in schools the current policy prohibits the Bice usage for kindergarten through fifth grade students during the instructional day and allows limited use for grades 6 through 12 a more comprehensive review including data collection and Community input is planned and then at the next meeting we dis we continue the discussion with committee recommending two minor changes one was splitting the six through 12 12th grade policy into separate policies for 6 through 8 and 9- 12 and removing language allowing administrative discretion for classroom use the proposed changes aim to create a more consistent and clear policy the committee suggested working with the community to develop new policy language effective for the 2025 calendar year the next policy um p141 is related to a board member number and term of years the policy change are statutory removing redundant language already covered in policy 0143 this streamlines the policy ensuring it remains clear and concise the committee recommends adopting these changes uh next policy 01646 remote public board meetings the policy initially enacted for covid it's recommended for abolishing as no longer necessary this refle to return to normal operations policy 22000 curriculum content the policy now references the students learning standards instead of listing them simplifying the policy and making it easier to update the committee recommends adopting these mandatory changes policy and regulations 3160 and 4160 physical examination updates to these policies and regulations align TB testing requirements with current guidelines removing detail outdated requirements this change ensures the policy remains relevant and compliant with health regulations regulation 5200 attendance the regulation now includes an allowance for excused absences to attend Civic events supporting student engagement in community and Civic responsibilities the community recommends this mandatory change policy 5337 service animals minor changes align the policy with the ADA requirements ensuring Clarity and consistency in the use of service animals within schools the committee recommends adopting these changes policy 5350 student suicide prevention the policy now includes comprehensive training requirements for new and exist existing staff as well as substitute teachers this aims to enhance awareness and response protocols to better support student mental health policy 8420 emergency and crisis situations the revised policy ensures students with special needs can participate in all drills requiring written plans for necessary accommodations this change promotes inclusive inclusive inclusivity and safety for all students and then policy and regulation 8467 firearms and weapons minor minor wording changes and section relocations improve the clarity of the policy without introducing any new requirements the committee recommends adopting these new mandatory changes so just just one point of clarification I think for you know we went back back and forth on the on the two volunteer policies so many times so for the school volunteer policy since they're under the direct supervision of staff at all times there is not a requirement for a background check unless that school volunteer is going to work in an unsupervised capacity in which that case the principal would ask me if we could get that person certified with an actual subser versus the volunteer athletic coaches and co-curricular activity advisers the decision there was to require a criminal background check once annually but not a subur okay good just want to make sure we're on the same page on that one because we back if I read that wrong yeah I'm Sor I just want to make sure because we did go around on that one any questions for or about policy no okay Jam can you call the rooll Please Mr salmon yes M white yes M Cado yes Mr Molinari yes Mr am yes and Mr Shaw yes great thank you we were up to the Comm curriculum committee report there is one item can I have a motion for that please Jen and Dave and Jen going to give us a report sure um the first thing we discussed was um a recommendation by Dr huner for an AP seminar elective textbook um he requested the purchase of the updated sixth edition of they say I say the moves that matter in academic writing uh the course will be running four sections in the fall up from two sections this year here so more textbooks will need to be purchased question discussed was whether to purchase outdated textbooks for the additional two sections or the new addition for all sections the new textbook has notable improvements in particular how IT addresses AI for high school students such as had a site while using it this was shared with both middle and high school teachers and will be discussed during summer curriculum writing the College Board has updated the course curriculum for AP seminar and research to include Ai and included examples of what is and is not acceptable in terms of use of resources and AI will be more integrated in AE Capstone courses teachers are now required to have three individual conversations with students during the course to ensure full understanding of the use of AI submissions need to be made by teachers of these conversations as part of the AP test score in those courses then Dr huner discussed the addition of an eighth grade creative writing elective at whams uh which will be running in the fall Brave the Page by Rebecca Stern and Grant fauler Intro by Jason Reynolds is the book recommended for the course the text is geared towards the young creative writer it's hard to find a text that's geared towards middle schoolers so this is a great find the course will not March chapter by chapter or drive lessons every day however it will be used throughout the semester course and then another new eighth grade uh elective it will be TED talks and it will run um in the fall TED Talk Tu the official Ted guide to public speaking uh by Chris Anderson and the text is not geared towards Middle School it's the official guide to TED talks and the teachers are well-versed in its use and will guide students through any difficult book comprehension and language this is a public speaking course summer curriculum writing will take place and after running the course in the fall it will be determined if additional resources are needed and could be recommended later then we had a number of discussion items uh we started with the summer reading the final four student selected titles um their two fiction Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass uh the fifth Wave by Rick yansy and two non-fictions the other Westmore one name two Fates by Westmore and stolen focus by Johan Hari when students choose what they want to read it increases engagement and student involvement in the process of selection began in 2017 uh and they voted again this year on the final four titles students taking CP courses need to select one book to read honors level students select two books to read AP Lang students must select one fiction and one non-fiction to read as well as any other course assigned summer reading summer website uh can be viewed um to see details about the books The Selection process has been reviewed and updated for the coming year the Ridge High School summer reading book club advisors and co-advisors will oversee and facilitate the activities of the schoolwide student St L group um then we had a discussion with Lisa vital stancy own she shared that the annual uh presentation for the title one Grant was held on May 23rd Cedar Hill Liberty Corner and Oak Street schools qualify for Title One Target assist funding for struggling Learners the district's tiered system of support was reviewed as well as best practices on how to provide professional development to enhance and strengthen teachers ability to meet the needs of all students especially struggling Learners the RTI framework and professional development for teachers are goals of the title one Grant within the RTI framework the district includes the state mandate for all second grade students to be discre screened for dyslexia the screening tool utilized by the district Dynamic indicators of early literacy skills often referred to as Dibbles is state approved and evidence-based students that are below the grade level Benchmark on Dibbles are given a diagnostic assessment in the area of phonological awareness the paci Andor phonics the PSI to identify their specific area of need from there interventions and instruction are developed to Target the specific skill deficits that are needed to meet benchmarks general education teachers instructional support teachers and intervention teachers all work collaboratively to deliver the skill-based instruction the different the district schoolwide assistant team also called the SWAT team of Administrators the in administer the assessments which are no more than 5 to S minutes in length per student the SWAT teacher for each building includes instructional support literacy teachers and special education teachers SWAT and general education engage in a professional development day after assessments are administered to analyze all student data and identify skills to Target for all students the student results from June will be reviewed and analyzed to support students in the fall and their results will be shared and discussed in the fall Miss Vitali stanson reported that these testing instruments clearly demonstrate if students are making progress in the identified Target skill deficit areas and that due to the implementation of the 95% group phonic core program in tier one general education curriculum for grades K through three the need for targeted skills intervention has decreased significantly we then had an update on Panorama eser grant money was used to purchase the Panorama education platform we purchased the Panorama survey instrument for students in grades 3- 12 and the Panorama Student Success platform for students in grades 6 through 8 while survey results are not Anonymous they are confidential and it's a district decision as to who can see the data as of now only counselors and administrators have access to data the Student Success platform integrates data from our student Information System Genesis uh including absences tardies and specific academic data with the Panorama survey results a training session has already taken place to train the administrative and counseling team on how to access and analyze the data this work will continue the summer with further training and planning for implementation next year and the team will consider when to implement the survey again next year our Panorama license runs through January of 2025 and therefore discussion will take place in the fall as to whether this tool is valued and if we would like to renew our contract the survey topics are common across all grades and are intended to take students an average of 15 to 20 minutes across all grades assistance was provided to students particularly for students in lower grades or for students with accommodations part of Summer discussion will include a debriefing on how the process went and making any adjustments to the implementation process or the survey questions then we had an update on wham's professional development planning includes a consideration of when and how to review the Panorama survey results with staff the question is how could this highlevel data support teachers in their work with students for example one survey question ask students if they feel they have a teacher to go to if they need support Beyond Panorama a focus has been placed on how to provide support to staff who have been asked for training to be provided to them so that they have needed tools to use with students when the need arises to talk about difficult uncomfortable issues bringing in outside vendors or Consultants have been explored but not settled upon in the meantime this spring a modified version of the creating a safe and supportive environment Staff College course was provided to Wham staff the district instructional courses ran the course and it took place over a series of six meetings the course was just completed a goal of the course is to create an environment where Staff feel they belong and are able to talk about different topics sharing personal experiences and listening to perspectives of others the coaches and administration will debrief the course as part of planning for next year the biggest response from sta was that they do not know what to do when something occurs and they don't want to make it worse so staff reported that they would like training that provided specific case scenarios that are concrete examples Miss Fox and miss hudok and her admin team attended an NJ Bar Association conference that included a workshop on restorative circles and approaches under consideration for whams they were particularly interested and impressed with Greg Lucas of Joy Roots a powerful and engaging speaker he's worked in Mont clay and other New York schools and the team is working with Mr Lucas on a proposal to provide professional development at whams next year to include continuing our work this year and moving towards an implementation of restorative justice the committee is working with Mr Lucas on the details of the proposal and he'll be attending the June 20th Wellness meeting to answer questions and provide added information on his services to the committee and our goal is to bring the proposal to the full board at some point this summer for approval for the 2425 school year lastly we um had elementary school project update the elementary administrative team worked this year to consider revision to our Elementary schedule and we have finalized a revised bell schedule and content area time allotments that will be implemented in all four elementary schools the needs of special education students will require some adjustments to specific grade levels with these revisions we met the following goals the bell schedule at all four elementary schools will be same and consistent in the fall the special education schedule though may be different and is still being worked on there will be 25 minutes of builtin when time what I need at every grade level one idea being explored is to implement a six- day rotation schedule and lastly um we discussed this at the previous meeting there was an update to the program of studies um a change as discussed at the previous meeting additional language was needed in the course of studies to address the passing credit the language now is as follows in order to earn Credit in a ful year course students must earn a passing grade in two marking periods one in each semester Thanks Jen any questions for about curriculum no I'm very excited for the wham's Ted Talk class I think public speaking opportunities are great and uh should be a very cool class uh Jim you want to call the role Please Mr salmon yes Miss White yes yes Miss Cado yes Mr Molinari yes Mr am yes and Mr Shaw yes great thanks we're up to the wellness committee report Janice you have the report yes I do have a report um the committee met on June 20th and uh the first part of the meeting was spent discussing some of the M William man and Middle School events uh we discussed field day this past year and in 2021 wham's field day was re imagined from a seventh grade only event to a schoolwide day to Foster connections and build relationships across all grade levels following the pandemic however in recent years attendance on field day has declined among eth grade students for this year's Field Day 46th graders 107th graders and 248th graders were absent based on feedback from students and parents Mrs Udu and the whams uh Field Day committee are in the process of revamping Field Day for 2025 making it a sixth grade only event in addition they are looking at other grade specific activities geared to each of the three grade levels we also discussed the co-curricular activity attendance policy board policy number 5230 requires that pupils be in attendance for the full school day and policy 2430 states that no student who has been absent for a school day May participate in a co-curricular activity scheduled for the afternoon or evening of that school day unless they receive approval to participate from the building principal this year some families were under the impression that arriving late or leaving school early would prohibit students from attending after school or evening activities however board policy considers four hours attendance a full day in extenuating circumstances families are encouraged to email Mrs udak to advise her of the situation so that she may approve a student's attendance at a given co-curricular activity families will be reminded of the specifics of these policies in their welcome back emails we also reviewed the eighth grade events at whams Mrs hudok um reviewed the various events that have been scheduled for eighth grade students in recent years these include the annual field trip to Hershey Park the eighth grade celebration and the eighth grade dance a board member suggested adding a fall and a winter event to the eighth grade activities calendar and Mrs udak will discuss this with the e8th grade leadership team another board member asked about the status of the Washington DC eth grade trip which the school had sponsored in previous years but administrators explain that difficulty in finding staff members to chaperon an overnight trip makes this trip no longer feasible in terms of sixth and seventh grade events sixth grade students participate in several events throughout the school year including Camp Bernie to connect with their new grade level peers a Veterans Day meeting with area veterans the character Ed challenge all in the fall the talent show in Winter and field day in the spring seventh grade students currently participate in the Holocaust remembrance event in the winter and the Medieval Times Field Day in Spring the committee suggested researching additional seventh grade specific activities for both fall and winter and Mrs udak will work with Mr shares and the seventh grade leadership te team on these the whams leadership team will also review recreational AC activities for each grade level scheduled for full winter and spring and will explore additional fun activities with student input in terms of schoolwide events Mrs hudu shared with the committee some of the schoolwide events and activities offered at whams including the annual family fun night and family evening on the oval with food trucks and outdoor games both sponsored in the fall by whams PTO the Wham slam basketball game and movie at the Bernardsville Cinema in the winter and the whams musical and whams Expo in the spring Mrs udak reminded the committee of the important role that the whams PTO plays in the planning organizing and fundraising of these events the committee also discussed cell phone usage and school policy Mr marar and Miss Fox shared that the administrative cabinet has engaged in preliminary discussions regarding cell phone policy as part of an overall review of The District's approach to the use of technology and its effect on student Focus learning social interactions and engagement interestingly a member of the ridge student government has expressed great interest in this topic and said that high school students already recognize the effect the constant call of the internet is having on their learning Mr marar noted that the administrative cabinet and board members have been invited to read and discuss the anxious generation how the great rewiring of childhood is causing an epidemic of mental illness by Jonathan hate one board member outlined three levels that they believe should guide the discussion one school policy and enforcement two social media usage and influence and three anxiety depression mental health effects the administrative team sees this as a broad Community conversation that will happen over several months throughout the 24 25 school year we also had a Middle School uh professional development presentation by Greg Lucas of Joy Roots uh in the committee's continuing efforts to research professional development for the Middle School teachers in the district the committee met virtually with Greg Lucas an educator trainer and consultant who has worked with New York schools and the Monclair School District among others to improve School culture and climate Mr Lucas shared Joy Root's approach to engaging School staff and students in a way that helps them resolve conflicts and helps build community Miss Fox will contact administrators at Monclair to get their feedback on their two years experience with joy Roots she will also explore the possibility of grant funding for this and she and Mrs Udu will develop a more specific plan to present to the board at the August executive session meeting the next Wellness committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday September 26th thank you Janice any questions for about Wellness yeah ke yeah I thought um a lot of younger parents in the audience tonight they probably don't remember when we used to do to Washington DC trip which I think went went by the wayside during Co unless I'm unless I'm mistaken um I think it's really disheartening to hear that we can't have it anymore it's un feasible I wonder how hard we've actually explored that because that was actually one of the most special moments for the eighth graders to graduate go down as D to DC as a class uh be together see our nation's monuments the Smithsonian uh you're not going to get that out of Hershey Park and honestly I go down to DC uh quite a bit for business I was there a lot last summer and I saw all sorts of middle schools down there from places a heck of a lot further away from than Basking Ridge so um I think that's a I think that's a disheartening answer one I think it's one we should re-explore because that trip was really something special and if we could at all reconstitute that I think that'd be great um as far as Mr Lucas I did have a couple questions um I know we're exploring utilizing him um do we have any of his materials available for preview um I know we're didn't quite get there this week but maybe by next time um any any data he might want to bring along to his presentation as far as you know what outcomes he's appr improved him mon Clair U what you know what his programs have actually accomplished I took a look at his website and you know it wasn't a lot on there so I would be interested to seeing whatever you can present to the board to help us make a decision anything else for about Wellness nope okay facilities operations Keith sure take it away so uh we didn't have our meeting uh last week because there wasn't uh many updates just a few things on facilities so I'm going to do the minutes from June 11th uh I'm just going to hit them on a high level and if anybody wants to take a deeper dive they are published um our work orders continue to improve um there were 21 HVAC orders older than 90 days there was 27 general maintenance orders work orders open more than 90 days and that was a pretty big improvement from uh from May that was down from 48 in each category then so Improvement is happening maybe not as quickly as we would like and the committee did request a breakdown of on data of incoming versus completed work you know what's a steady state we want to be at like how how many work works are coming in how many are going out um what's the most efficient we can be there um determine what good our service rate is uh we also requested a closing time to see average closing time for maintenance orders to see how uh many new tickets are added per week versus closed per week um we hired a plumber on 610 that should happen that should help with open workorders all around and Mr mickley is continuing to reach out to votex trade schools and other avenues looking to bring skilled people on board to the district uh we also agreed to try to extend the HVAC Tech currently assigned to the district from mlus into the summer if Poss possible and the idea is to establish continuity as much as possible until we find a permanent [Music] H uh facilities uh condition update uh received June 10th um just received an updated draft and it came back came out late in May so there was some info to add hence the delay let's see Mr R sent out updates uh just uh the other day on our ongoing summer projects it's not part of the minutes but it's a addendum that attached um Ridge High School unit ventilator projects 15% complete uh the Ada walkway is 53% complete so that's moving along that should be ready by school year uh the Anin Paving project is scheduled for completion August 4th so that's moving along as well let's see liberty quarter director scho 45% uh complete uh Ridge cafe aark general maintenance uh fixtures replaced with LEDs new ceiling boards being installed um Bridge gym B the AR Mark general maintenance the painting is complete lining is been upgraded LEDs gym floors are scheduled to be refinished uh Liberty uh Corner canopy post repair uh that's uh begun work has begun and schedule to be finished uh mid August we just got that update today uh Varsity Field Complex spoke directly with Mark Harris at the uh Department of Environmental Protection um it's going through Boswell engineering has been somewhat unproductive uh Mr Harris said that setbacks and concept plan uh look to be okay but he's requesting an on-site visit to review some swes with Dave Krueger that's Boswell's environmental subcontractor in the next two weeks uh Dave who knows Mark well and has several products before him on a review feels that Mark could issue the LOI by September so hopefully we are seeing progress there uh Boswell will likely have some have to submit some revisions to the conent plan based on what Mr Harris says when he visits the site again uh also we are exploring uh Mr Ro is exploring an energy audit with jcpnl it's been I think he said since 2012 when we did one so it's uh it's probably timely you might be able to expand on that a bit uh let's see back in minutes um transportation recap um we are going to uh refund some fines to Barker this year um they did improve their service toward the end of the year and that's going to help keep our Avenues of communication open and not burn any Bridges there that's Barker Transportation uh okay we had a discussion about affordable housing obligations coming up uh now when the hills were built Mount Prospect was built by by the contractor Mount Prospect School the thought is with new development coming can a TR can whatever developers come to town can they be worked with in a similar fashion we talked about starting exploring the expectations of units buildings locations details and incorporate that into our strategic plan uh busing redistricting expansion of current facilities um as you all know uh basing rdge has affordable housing obligations coming up so there is going to be housing expansion in commun um a first step would be reach out to the town and see the current state of affordable housing Nick's going to follow up he's already spoken with the township administrator and uh can maybe elaborate on that a bit and that is about it thanks Keith any questions for about facilities and or operations NOP okay we up to Liaison committee reports johnice you want to do Somerset County ed services yes I have a very quick update um um the committee met on June 5th and I wanted to give you an update on the um expansion at the career center in Bridgewater which I spoke about at the last uh quarterly meeting the career center has serviced 325 students this school year their summer program will service 65 to 70 students um SCC had been considering renting space in a closed private school in the area but this was is determined to not be viable instead the career center will retrofit office space within their administrative Suite to create three additional classrooms at an estimated cost of between 500,000 and $650,000 three additional teachers will be hired construction is slated to begin in October or November of 2024 special education transportation services are also growing there are currently 350 routs with 65 vendors and this is still expanding thanks Janice any questions for Janice or any other liaison committee reports yeah have some so um at the zoning board meeting I think it was I think it was last week um I just want to thank Mr markarian for taking the time to come and join our board attorney and uh as some many of you are probably aware the Board of Education sent a letter to zon board we weren't take we're not taking a position on the Allen Road Project one way or or the other the letter just detailed some concerns that we have as far as student transportation and how they're getting to and from school and Crossing some of the lines of traffic with the anticipated truck uh truck traffic that's going to happen so uh you know thanks Nick you stood up there for an hour and probably more and took uh a lot of questions from uh community members as well as uh some skeptical attorneys so uh you know thank you for that you handled that very well and I think represent our district well all right any other Le on committee reports no okay uh we are up to our general public comment period so if you have a matter relevant to the schools please come up and speak you have three minutes uh state your name and address and sign in please um good evening board members I'm arav duri AR Rising senior from bridge High School uh a few months ago I read an extremely concerning article the UN estimates that around 19 communities just from New Jersey will be underwater by 2050 due to rising sea levels caused by climate change we live in New Jersey and yet there's not a single substantial thing that we as a high school have done for this crisis it's time for R to step up and take action why are we not not doing more I'm here today with a proposition for an issue that demands our immediate immediate attention climate change is not a distant threat we have seen substantial problems right here in Basking Ridge yet we have not acted to show our commitment to preventing this I have reached out to multiple individuals on the board in Ridge and in the town and I've have brought a resolution which I have made regarding this urgent issue it is time to act now the resolution consists of five main points the first point is about conducting an energy audit it is absolutely confusing why we still haven't undertaken one considering the fact that the state has made them completely free for all high schools I've talked to the project manager of the local government energy audit company and she is completely on board with this and the resolution that I'm proposing as well I'm willing to talk with the board about further actions regarding this step after the meeting and thus I suggest that we move forward with this as soon as possible she also informed me that the state negates all costs for a solar energy audit making it easier to analyze how much we can save and transition to renewable energy that brings me to my second Clause the resolution also advises the board to create a renewable energy plan which will set future goals while laying down the path to achieve them this will ensure that future sustainability measures are not put on the back burner as the school year starts it will also Kickstart the overall cleaning up of ridges Energy System as future upgrades will be more ecologically Centric the resolution centerpiece is the Clause that will spark a massive Improvement installing solar panels as the roof of Ridge high schools parking lot this project isn't just about making Ridge more environmentally friendly it's not just about creating green energy it is a powerful step towards energy Independence the solar panels will generate massive amounts of clean energy significantly reducing our Reliance on the grid and alleviating Financial Financial burdens as associated with the energy usage this initiative has garnered strong support from within the school Community itself and Dr lazovic Mr Graber and Mr R have endorsed this my discussions with local politicians have also revealed their excitement for this project the root for the building itself is not being used because it will tamper with the roofing warranty and it will be a big hit to the school's finances I also mentioned multiple grants and subsidies in the resolution provided by the federal and state governments which reduce and negate the cost of many items listed for example the New Jersey clean energy program can cover a significant portion of the school of the solar panel installation costs making it a more feasible and cost- effective option for the school the last Clause calls for the board to utilize a local contractor for the project there is not only to support local businesses but also because the locals know the school the best which can lead to a more efficient and Community centered uh project moving forward the steps outlin in this resolution should offer a clear and achievable path towards a more sustainable and prosperous future for Ridge High School by taking these steps we have the opportunity to set an example for other schools demonstrate our commitment to environmental responsibility and leave a lasting positive impact on our community our will contact you soon after this to get the details of the resolution in order so that it can be discussed in the next meeting in August here's to Greener Ridge thank you thank you Mr durri any other public comments right um hi my name is Haley apar I'm a rising eighth grader at William Annon um I live at 21 century Court fasking Ridge I just wanted to bring to your attention that the bathroom at whams need a little bit of like Renovations um in most of the bathrooms that I've been at like in the past year um locks are falling off of the Stalls and there's like usually only one that works so there's often like lines to use the bathroom um I wasn't sure if this was brought to your attention yet so I just wanted to like let you know so that you have like you know um thank you thanks haly any other public comments tonight hi Cesar Nolan 88 Harrison Brook Drive um I just also want to bring up I know that uh you had mentioned that there is the policy that we have maybe it's time to change the policy I think that's a viable option at this point um the fact that we've kept the same amount of teachers in all the schools kudos to you but that's not doing well for our kids education I saw my daughter's map scores go down this past year and I know other um fifth grade parents also saw their kids map scores go down and if we're going to look at uh similarities across the schools well Mount Prospect had 72 kids last year but they had four teachers um for their fourth grade class or Rising fifth grade class so that's not really equal between the schools because we only had three um so I think that's something as well to look into especially given that we have um Mrs stanion looking into these alternative interventions but they're not acceptable for all students my daughter my my daughter also has an issue with speaking up in the classroom so when you start pushing to the 25 to 27th her anxiety pops up and you can see her in the pictures of her class off to the side car ing over to the side in her jacket because she's really uncomfortable so those large class sizes are having an impact in the way our kids um are speaking up within the classroom and how the teachers are able to assist these kids so I think it really is time to change this policy and make it more manageable for the teachers the students the parents all of us thank you thank you Miss Nolan any other public comments tonight hi Ain Rowan A3 Church Street promis this comment will be shorter than my last one um now I just with respect to the numbers across the schools um I do ask that the board takes a look at that because it's coupled with looking at the age of the policy and if that is still the right policy you know for the distribution of kids across the schools uh I just want to make sure that that is what's driving the decision because anecdotally as we've been trying to piece together information about the class sizes across the schools we have seen a disparity in that so we just want to make sure that the board puts you know the the time into looking at that rather than just monitoring the um in you know any of the students that are coming in um and I will say to Mr moliner like when you were campaigning uh some of the thoughts that you were expressing about how your kids went through the school system here really resonated with me and you talked about how great the school system was was for your kids and that you had so much pride in their experience here and you wanted to carry that through as a board member um and I believe in that and that's why I'm here advocating for you know my children and their future and I just want the board to put the time and effort into looking at the same thing thank you thank you Miss Rowan any other public comment tonight hello my name is Shia ganju and I wanted to talk about an issue that's pretty prevalent at least in Ridge High School it's that a lot of the bathrooms that are generally accessible to students are closed for a majority of the school year like I and a lot of these reasons are for things like vaping and marijuana and stuff like that which I understand our issues but most students don't have access to bathrooms most of the day because of these issues even though these bathrooms are put in lockdown that means innocent students don't have access to them and also like I have a dream that one day we're going to have all toilets be open to use for everyone I like I feel like things such as smoke detectors or other appliances could be a lot better for solving these issues rather than just closing bathrooms which one makes it Harden the students and two isn't doing much to solve the problem thank you thank you for public comment any other public comments tonight hi nestan Monch 41 ess6 place um just a bunch of uh hitting on a bunch of things that were covered today um it's so awesome when the students come to the meetings it's it's so great to hear from you guys directly and uh you're definitely the best source of information but um I commend that student from Ridge what an impressive young man talking about the environmental concerns and it sounds like the renewable energy sources and all of those things that he's proposing in this resolution are definitely worth looking at um and the student comments about the bathrooms I I can speak personally to the wham's bathrooms that the PTO undertook um a concerted effort last year to go through every single bathroom we had all of the student bathrooms repainted we went stall by stall by stall and had each of the handles that were broken replaced the missing ones we got new ones so um maybe that needs to be redone but I would encourage you to bring it up to the PTO and we also had a PTO beautification committee at whams that did a fabulous job refreshing the staff bathrooms so we do try to keep those concerns in mind um but but uh anyway back to whams thank you guys for supporting the LED sign we're really excited about that um it's in the works we think it's going to be a great update and a really valuable source of information for the community um but uh two other things one is just the I don't really know about the LCS class sizes but I do know that so many parents have been reaching out to you guys and the fact that so many are here tonight show that it's definitely still an issue of great concern to them and I think it might be helpful for the board to share a little bit more information about like what goes into the decision making on this and how it's taking into account um you know like our affordable housing needs and the other um things that we can expect to be raising the number of students there because it doesn't seem like that's been discussed at all and that might help the community understand better what's going on rather than just hearing class sizes are going up again um and finally something near and dear to my heart is that eighth grade Washington DC trip and Keith mentioned like we've been talking about this since Co what a huge loss it was and it may sound kind of silly but you know Hershey's wonderful for fun and everything but it doesn't hold a candle to what that DC trip represented to the kids and we were told at the time you know given covid that there weren't accommodations available and then it was a transportation issue and then it was like Staffing but when it had been done in years past we did get a good number of parent chaperon who were willing to do it and I'm just wondering what can be done to kind of think outside the box and incentivize the staff to want to you know step up and make it happen again because it's only one night and it's so valuable it's such a wonderful learning experience for the kids and you know going on roller coasters is fun too and seeing Hershey Park but let's face it you know many other schools who had to cut it out during covid have brought it back again so I'm hoping that we can do the same because it was a wonderful experience so thank you thank you Miss Monte any other public comment tonight no okay we'll close public comment um Nick do you have any you want to say thanks for sharing the information about the uh Hardware on the bathroom stalls at an and we'll definitely follow up on that um that's really it thanks okay we're up to board Forum does have anybody have anything they would like to raise tonight noakers okay um um we are up to adjournment motion for adjournment Jen Dave all in favor I all right everybody we'll see you in August thank you