and that advanced notice required therein has been provided. This is a meeting of the board of education of Branchburg at which formal action may be taken. The public will have an opportunity to be heard as shown on the agenda. Can we all stand for the pledge of allegiance please?
I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisibley and justice for all. And can I please have a roll call?
Mr. Halenbeck here. Miss Joyce. Mr. Krishna Murdy here. Mr. Mater here. Miss Shaw here. Miss Smith here. Mr. Tuma here. Mr. Sai here. Mr. Carpentier here. And I will pass it over to Dr. Burton for her report.
Okay. On. So this evening we have two presentations and I'd like to introduce uh the middle school life skills program uh headed by Mr. Miracle to share about the program and also about the details
of their coffee cart that they provide for both the middle school and the board office. And I will say we are we so look forward to what they're going to share. So right now I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Miracle and he has with him this
evening uh two of his students uh Cade and we have his name here. Charlie Charlie, thank you. Who will also be sharing about the work that they do with the life skills program. Mr. Miracle,
floor is yours. Um, good evening. Thank you so much for having us here. We are honored to be here. Um, I my name is Zach Miracle. I do teach uh the life skills program here at at BCMS. And u, as Dr. Burton said
this is Charlie Wright, Kate Zeban, two of our uh outstanding leaders in the class. Um I'm just gonna do I press this button here? Yep. Okay. So um with in our life skills class, we we kind of have a vocational component. Um so one
class period a day, the students have jobs that they do around the school. Uh one of them is the coffee cart that we're super excited about. Uh we uh do baked goods. Um so so kids learn about math and measurement and um food safety
and and everything else. And uh we also deliver the the teachers mail around the school as well. So so that's one of our students there. This might be a good time for my student uh assistants to to put in a good word. Mr. Wright, did you have something you want to talk?
Uh yes I do. Um so hi, this is Charlie Wright. So I am the youngest kid in the school at sixth grade. And so um so
um so in life skills we do field trips. one alone. I have um at uh I we we do um we do uh the
the mall and and at the mall I bought my sister Ally a gift. Uh she is in the audience so I can't so I can't bring her up right now. So yes, it's a secret and next thing it
and that we do field trips which another field trip is uh shop right we we split into groups which um which one person we have toured the little kids the
whitens around the school. They're not third graders. They're like little many ages but not third graders. And um that's it. Thank you, Charlie. Thank you. Hi, my name is Cade. Um I'm going to say
this class is wonderful. Um we do have fun. Um we for life skills, we did go pumpkin picking with the Whiten kids. It was pretty fun. Um, I mean baking is fun, doing the
measurements and mail is fun and sometimes we do media center and we go sort out the books and yeah, absolutely. So, um, a couple other things that we do, um, in in our autism
class, the the life skills class that I teach has our our LLD class plus our autism class together. Um, and so so our autism students also work on some self-help skills. So, we um with the help of uh Miss Pollinger and and uh
Miss Nash, we set up a a little miniature apartment um right off of our our classroom. And um the students learn how to fold clothes, put clothes away, uh make beds, vacuum, clean, those kinds of things. Um so that's that's been a a
really fun component to see. Um some other vocational skills that they address in the autism class is um uh learning we have kind of a miniature shop, right? Um so so the students learn how to to restock shelves or uh they they get a task card that they would
work on. Um we uh our uh autism teacher, Miss Nerdan, also developed a sensory space for those kids um as a place to to to decompress or reenter or refocus. Um as Charlie and Cade mentioned, we've had
a lot of fun with our our counterparts from from Whiten. I did see Miss Idell in in the audience as well. Um so back during Thanksgiving, as as Charlie mentioned, we went over to Shopright. We gave the kids some shopping lists. We uh descended upon Shopright um two days
before Thanksgiving. I'm sure they were so happy. Um and then then we came in and uh we we bought supplies to make sugar cookies to decorate. And then the next day our friends came over and we uh decorated sugar cookies. Uh our OT
specialist uh Diane Schulp uh ran some sessions where where kids played some games. Uh lots of smiles. Um, we had uh some crafts. There's Charlie doing a Was it sweet potato on a stick or or was that the
I think that was like the potato thing. The potato race. Potato race. Absolutely. So, that was a lot of fun. Um, uh, Kade mentioned our our trip over to Norill Farm. Uh, we were able to go over and do some pumpkin picking and and meet the the the farmer and and learn a
little bit about the farm there. And um this is another picture of our Thanksgiving extravaganza having all of the kids uh from both the the autism and life skills class at Whiten and and our classes here at BCMS.
And uh yeah, Charlie mentioned our Bridgewater Mall trip. We we did that as a as a again a life skills component of uh budgeting uh learning how to comparison shop. uh sca we kind of did a scavenger hunt learning how to read a map of the mall and and that was a lot
of fun and um this is a trip that actually we took last year that we're hoping to take again this year. Uh there's a facility um called Lifettown and they have a miniature city inside a building and kids get to uh experience
all kinds of different um uh kind of community skills exploration uh in that program. So that's a lot of fun. So we're looking forward to that uh hopefully in May, I believe. Right. Yeah. And um I would be remiss not to
thank all of the amazing staff because really uh what we're able to do with this program um we couldn't have done with with all all of these people that are that are listed up there. So many people make this happen and uh yeah and
without further ado um if you would like any coffee or black or green tea um these gentlemen look forward to serving at this time. I was going to say their energy is probably better than any coffee. Absolutely. Absolutely. They are. Uh
yeah. Um I think one of the the things that I love about this program is just the um the pride that that my students bring to to what they're doing. So um if if you have any questions, I'm willing to feel those. But um
Yes, sir. Yeah. So um I I never made up my bed when I was younger, so this is great. the program. So, how many how many years has this been program? So, that's a great question. This is only the second year that we've we've had a life skills component here at the middle school. Um, we started it last
year and and kind of um every year we're adding something new. Um, so so last year we did work in the media center and uh we did the mail around the school, but um this year we decided to add in the the coffee cart and uh it's been uh it's it's been a
great experience. Yeah. Love it. I mean, do we have this in the newsletter as well? Or could we in the future? Absolutely. Okay, great. Sure thing. Thank you. Absolutely. I have a question for the for the kids as well. Oh, yeah. I know. They're making coffee. So, I saw a lot of events on there.
What's each of your favorite events out of the mall? The mall. Okay. I think mine was Shopight and uh the mall. Absolutely. I really like my group of the uh the people that from the friends.
Awesome. So, one thing I I wanted to mention um teachers pay a dollar for a drink and and also for the for the baked goods. And as a result, um this dur during Thanksgiving, we were able to make a generous donation to the Somerset County
Food Bank. And then um these guys also wanted to make a donation to the um adopt a student program that was was held kind of the giving tree program that we had here at at the middle school and we were able to buy some gifts for for kids in need. So yeah, absolutely.
That's great. Thank you. Thank you. One uh this is a wonderful program. So I I so happy to learn about it. Somerville actually has their their own similar type of program where they're also trying to foster um independence and life skills. So, it could just be an interesting connection point with the uh
Dr. McDonald over there who's running there because there could be just some really nice overlaps and just common sharing of best ideas that that could happen across both those districts. Absolutely. Yeah. Especially because a lot of our kids will be going over there and and yeah, it'd be a good good way
for them to meet their their classmates as well. Yeah, I think it'd be really Yeah, it' be really nice synergy uh to have those discussions. Absolutely. Yeah. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it. YEAH. OH, hi sweetheart. Okay, thank you so very much. And I know
they want to continue giving some coffee. Mr. P. Mr. Yeah. at your birthday party. Um, I can't drink it this way, but if you have green tea, I'll take a little
green tea if you have it. Thank you. Yes, sir. I think you can do if you're comfort. Okay. So, as they are finishing up with a coffee, because I'd like to let them have the opportunity to do that, I'll just um I'll move to our November
employee spotlight um acknowledgement. And just to give a a reference point for the the Thank you. This is great. Thank you so much. The spotlight just to give you an Oh,
here we go. Tony, we have to show just to give you an idea what the spotlight is. Again, it's just an opportunity on an annual on a monthly basis to recognize and celebrate the the exceptional work of our staff. So, the process is that employees can nominate
monthly their peers. Um, we'd like to have one in each of the respective schools, one at the district, and one transportation. Again, for for a variety of reasons. So, they're nominated uh and each month they are highlighted and get an opportunity to be recognized at the
board level. And again, they are nominations are open to um all staff in the district. So, starting out, we actually have a teacher. Is Jacqueline here? She just wants to be recognized. So, just to give you a sense of the uh
the Jackie stands out, this is from the staff that nominated Jackie. They referenced that Jackie stands out as a spotlight of the month for consistency uh consistently going above and beyond in her first year at BCMS. She has taken
on 8th grade ELA special ed small group instruction co-advising student council all while completing her master's program. Her work again with student council has been remarkable including volunteering
weekends for events like the whiten trunk and retreat. uh she listens, supports and uplifts both her colleagues and students and she has already a meaningful impact at the middle school. So we want to recognize, you know,
Jackie. CONGRATULATIONS. Next is Kelly Bole who is a literate literacy coach. Again, the staff who nominated her said that Kelly is the backbone of literacy instruction in our school. Uh teachers rely on her expertise to strengthen their practice
um by setting mag uh meaningful goals whether in reading writing or in this year uh in their foundations lessons. She is always available to provide problem solving for student needs, models lessons and offers thoughtful coaching. Her steady encouragement reminds them of the the strengths
especially on her overwhelm the overwhelming days this particular teacher mentioned. uh she is deeply grateful for the support she gives the entire staff and she references they are absolutely fortunate to have her. SO AGAIN
next is Colleen Barnett instructional support teacher. Uh staff comments again is that Miss Barnett has an incredible gift for supporting students who need extra help in fourth grade math. Her positivity, her energy makes students feel comfortable and confident and engaged. She also quietly strengthens
our school by sharing ideas and stepping in for colleagues, helping plan staff activities. With her more than 25 years devoted to Branchburg Township students, her commitment and care have left an lasting impact and again truly deserving
of this recognition. So, Kelly Barney Next is a bus driver, Antonio uh Cornaceia. He's a bus driver and they referenced that Mr. Tony, as he's referred to, um is more than an exceptional bus driver. He is a cornerstone of our transportation team.
His bus safety record and rapport with students are exemplary. He is an NJ state certified trainer and he has taught countless drivers across multiple districts generously sharing both technical skills and real world wisdom. Every day again he brings a a huge level
of positivity, professionalism and a team first attitude. He leads by example, treats everyone with respect, respect and makes the entire team feel better. And again they reference we are so lucky to have him again. And last but not least, um Dominic Zona,
he's one of our uh members of our BOE tech team, has been an outstanding addition to the Branchburg technology team. He not only re resolves tech issues quickly and accurately, but also empowers staff by explaining the solutions and helping prevent future problems. Dominic routinely goes above
and beyond expectations by following up on lingering issues, assisting students when he can when he can, and researching answers outside his typical duties. He's dependable, flexible, committed. He has already made a very strong and positive impact on our community. And again, they
are very grateful to have him. THANKS. No thanks, honey. I can't at this time. Uh I'll just mention that they have um as being a um monthly uh spotlight member there is a uh parking spot uh that they have for the month. Um they
are also given a certificate and a gift card again for recognition of their of this honor. So again congratulations to all of the November spotlight. And I'll mention that again, if you ever have someone with whom you have worked and engaged within the district, again,
you can certainly take advantage of nominating them for a spotlight award. Okay. Okay. Just a couple other uh elements uh on the agenda this evening. The board will be accepting a number of donations
including from the um Branchburg Ed Foundation in the form of grants for a science heroes assembly, a drum circle, and a 3D printer at Whiten School. The Branchburg PTO donated funds for trifold boards for a history fair as well as small gifts. Again, the the gifts cards,
they were donated again by the PTO. And then finally, the Megan Rose Bradley and the Rotaries of Branchburg and Somerville Bridgewater all donated coats to keep our students warm this winter and the Somerville Pioneers Wrestling Club donated warm-up shirts. So again, thanks for all of those great donations
to the district. Uh I do want to mention that this evening uh Terry Joyce and Bindu Sha's uh last board meeting uh we come to a close of the calendar years and we want to send a farewell wish uh to both Miss Terry Joyce and Spinda in their last
meeting. I'll mention that Miss Joyce was appointed to the board in 2011 and then elected in 2012. So she spent the last 14 years on the branchburg board serving on many committees as well as the board president and vice president. Michelle again has served on committees many committees as well. She's also the
liaison to the Somerville board of education. We want to send our sincerest thanks for their time, talents, and expertise in their service at the board uh to support the students and families in Branchburg. And we wish all them the very best and hope that they come to visit us in a next upcoming board
meeting. So, thank you very much. And finally, it's my hope um that this winter season offers each and every one of you a wonderful opportunity to rest, recharge, and enjoy quality time with those that matter most. Whether you are traveling or enjoying the peace and tranquility of home, uh I hope that you
find ample time to rest and with a company of loved ones. May your holidays be filled with laughter, kindness, and moments of joy that create lasting memories. and we look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed, recharged, and ready for the next set of learning adventures in 2026. And that
concludes my report. Thank you very much. Awesome. Okay, I'm going to move on to public comments or public comments on agenda items only. Anybody who was here for the
festivities, feel free to leave at this time. and I know the rest is boring. So, um, anybody who has anything to talk about on the agenda, please come up to the microphone and state your name of residence. I'm going to move on to governance. Um,
I have a quick report. Um, I just wanted to give an update on the superintendent search. Um, and just give you a reminder that on our website there is a link to the super uh intended search page that we've created from the header. All the input sessions are completed. The job
advertisement was opened on November 18th and it will remain open until January 4th. On January 20th, the board will meet with Kathleen Helawa to kind of review the candidates and choose who we'd like to move forward with an interview. And during that process, so as things progress, I'll continue to
kind of give everybody updates. Um like Dr. Burton. I also wanted to unfortunately give my goodbyes to two people that have been um just a joy to work with and who have been very very valuable members of the board of
education. So, first Bendu, um you've just been a really fierce advocate for our students. You kind of have like this bulldog mentality that I lack as a human being, but I you kind of like give me some you empower me to kind of take that
on a little bit here and there. Um, we're going to miss that spirit along with your fun and vibrant energy that you bring to this room every time we meet together. Um, thank you for your commitment and your friendship and we're going to miss you and hopefully you're not a stranger. Thank
um Terry who's not with us tonight. Um, it's really hard to imagine a board of board of education meeting without Terry Joyce here, right? I think she's probably like part of the furniture at this point. Um, so I just wanted to basically say that her dedication is an
understatement. It can't I really can't even begin to fathom amount like the amount of hours and the amount of energy that she's dedicated to to this school, to the township, to the community, um, her impact during her time as a a board
member, time as the president the last few years where she's pretty much just acted as a mentor to all of us. Um, she's our resident historian. she can pretty much tell you why any decision over the last 14 or 15 years was made and kind of give you a little backstory
about it. So, um just going to kind of like miss her, her institutional knowledge, her leadership. Um she's always just a phone call away and I've always appreciated that. So, it's going to be um sad to see her go, but I'm sure she's going to enjoy those extra few
hours that she gets every week. So, um we wish her all the best. Um and just if you see her in passing, really just thank her for her her dedication to the community of Branchburg. She's been a tremendous asset. Um from a governance
perspective after that, um I don't know if I'll be president next year, but if we are, just email me kind of like the committee assignments that you would like to have going forward. I know a couple of you already have, but if there's anything in particular that you want to do, um, just let me know and um,
either I'll make that decision to try to make it right or somebody else. I know Dr. Burton and I have kind of chatted about where we think people can make the biggest impact. So, u, we'll try to accommodate you, but we also want to do what's best for the board and kind of use your attributes to their to their
best ability. Um, that is all I have on the governance front. We do have some voting items. We have one approval of minutes, two approval of HIP investigative report and three approval of HIP findings report. Can I have a motion to move those? Motion
and Mr. Sai um any questions, comments. Oh, sorry. It was sorry. Uh can I roll call please? Mr. Henain from one, two, and three. I missed the last meeting.
That's on all of them. Yeah, they all had something to do with last meeting as well. I wasn't here. Mr. Krishna Murray. Yes. Mr. Mater. Yes. Miss Sha, abstain on one and three. And is two what we just talked about? Yeah. Two is what we just Oh, okay. And then yes on two.
So all of them abstain on one and three. And then yes on two. Miss Smith. Yes. Mr. Tuma. Yes. Mr. Desai. Yes. Mr. Carpenter. Yes. Next up is policy. Mr. Bside, you have a
report. Um, no report. We'll be meeting in the new year and we're just approving today uh second readings for the ones that we discussed last week and then uh first reading for the new policies that are new and some are revised. Okay.
So, we have some voting items. We have one policy and regulation second reading and two policy and regulations first reading. Can I have a motion to move those? Motion. Second. Miss Smith. Any questions or comments? Can I have a roll call, please? Mr. Hollandbeck. Yes.
Mr. Krishna Murie. Yes. Mr. Mater. Yes. Miss Shaw? Yes. Miss Smith? Yes. Mr. Tuma? Yes. Mr. Sai? Yes. Mr. Carpentier? Yes. Uh, next up is curriculum and instruction. Mr. Howen Beck, do you have a report?
Not an official report, but there was one point in the last meeting we had um where Mr. ran shared that the panorama report our survey results came back with 97% precip precipitation precipitation participation um which is really giving us a insight
into the community of the students the community and what they need from us so that's fantastic news and I'm really hopeful that will continue and we'll get all the feedback we need to make this better school for them thank you sir we have some voting items we have one conferences and travel two
approval of service agreement three approval of 2526 out of district program, four, approval of contracted service, and five, approval of 2526 school field trips. Can I have a motion to move those? Motion second. Des Smith, any questions or comments or concerns?
Just a question. So on the panorama, do we know when that will be shared out the results or will it be shared out back to the I don't believe the results are shared out, but they use some analytics to make better decisions in the school district and figure out like where they can do better. kids are feeling not like they
don't have enough grit, they'll try to kind of introduce that into the curriculum, etc. And we're going to move be moving forward with a program as a result of getting that that data will help inform where we move in next steps with a particular program that the district is going to look to adopt.
Got it. Anybody else? Can I have a roll call, please? Mr. Halbeck. Yes. Mr. Christian Mury? Yes. Mr. Mayor? Yes. Miss Shaw? Yes. Miss Smith? Yes. Mr. Tuma, yes. Mr. Sai, yes. Mr. Carpenter,
yes. Next up is personnel. Miss Joyce is not here. We did meet on December 4th. Um, we talked a little bit about recruiting and staffing. Um, the rest was sort of confidential in nature as personnel tends to be. Uh, we also have
some voting items. We have one approval approval of recision of school clubs. Two, approval of leave. Three, approval of personnel. Four, approval of revision of leave. Five, approval of mentoring. Six, approval of substitutes. Seven, approval of retirement. Eight, approval
of revision of school clubs. Nine, approval of title one tutors. And 10, approval of extra duty pay. Can I have a motion to move those? Second. Michelle, Miss Smith, any questions or comments? Seeing none, can I have a roll call, please?
Mr. Hollenbeck. Yes. Mr. Christian Mury. Yes, Mr. Mayor. Yes, Miss Shaw. Yes, Miss Smith. Yes, Mr. Tuma. Yes, Mr. Sai. Yes, Mr. Carpenter. Yes. Next up is finance and facilities. Mr. Tuma, do you have a report? No report. We'll be meeting in the new year.
Okay. Thank you, sir. We have voting items. We have one, billisting payroll. Two, secretary and treasur report. Three, line item transfers. Four, approval of donations and grants. Five, approval to enter into agreement with the Somerset County Educational Services Commission. Six, approval to enter into
agreement with the Hunton County Educational Services Commission. Seven, approval of transportation jointure with Somerville Board of Education. Eight, approval of non-public technology and non-public security aid. Nine, approval of purchase of of kitchen equipment. And
10, approval of purchase of 154 passenger school bus. Can I have a motion to move those items? Motion second. Miss Shaw, Miss Smith, again, any questions or comments? Just a quick comment. Yep. Um, I'd like to thank everyone for their donations to the district and some
of them were very generous and some of them were very well needed. So, it's always appreciated. And also, just to bring everyone's attention to it, we are keeping our schedule of buying a new bus every year. So, the 54 passenger bus is part of that replacement schedule that
we follow and uh hopefully if we can find more money, we can buy another one, but for now, I'd love to settle in one. Thank you. Has the lead time on those buses like a year? It's still pretty good. I have a quick question. Why would the payroll be $275,000
more one payroll period to another more because stipens are paid in December? There's also probably included in there are last snow. What does that mean? So there might be overtime purchase uh
uh time in there. Anybody else? Can I have roll call, please? Mr. Hollandbeck. Yes. Mr. Chris Murdy. Yes. Mr. Mayor, yes. Miss Shaw, yes. Miss Smith, yes. Mr. Tuma, yes. Mr. Sai,
yes. Mr. Carpenter, yes. Uh, next up is public comment on any particular topic. Anyone who wishes to speak is more than welcome to come up and do it. Good evening, uh, President Carpentiier,
board members, Dr. Burton, and members of the community. I'm here tonight on behalf of the Branchburg PTO to share a brief update on our recent activities and upcoming events. As we wrap up the first part of the school year, the PTO would like to sincerely thank the
township admin the administration, school staff, parents, volunteers, and our PTO members and board. Since the start of the school year, we've accomplished so much together, and none of it would be possible without this continued partnership and support.
Earlier this month, the PTO hosted a 3D printing lab event in Flemington, um, which was well attended and enjoyed by families. Events like this continue to give our students hands-on, engaging experiences beyond the classroom. We are
also proud to share that we recently launched our new PTO website, which serves as a central hub for families. It includes membership information, newsletters, volunteer signups, and events calendar, and important PTO resources. We're excited about how this
will improve communication and accessibility for our community. One of the one of our most important initiatives this season is holiday happiness, our annual program that supports children in need within our
community. This year, donations are being used to provide Amazon gift cards so each child can have a gift open during the holidays. I'm happy to report that we are currently at 88% of our fundraising goal and we are so
incredibly grateful for the generosity of our families and community. Looking ahead, we have several exciting events planned uh in the new year. Our me and mine dance for Whiten second and third graders will take place on Friday,
January 23rd at the Whiten gym. Tickets are currently on sale. We are also thrilled to announce that the Harlem Wizards will be returning to Branchburg on March 20th uh 2026 here at the Branchburg Central Middle School. More
details will be shared after the holidays and we're excited about bringing this popular event back to our district. In addition, we continue to support our schools through volunteer opportunities, including library and lunch volunteers
at Whiten and through local restaurant fundraisers, um, which allow families to support the PTO while also supporting those local businesses. We'd also like to remind families about PTO membership, which helps fund the
many events and programs we offer. We also have a a phenomenal spiritware program which promotes school pride across the district. What's really nice is that we're launching some new designs in January.
And as this is our final PTO newsletter and update of 2025, we want to again express our gratitude to everyone who supports the PTO in our schools. We look forward to continuing our work in the new year. Thank you for your time and hope you have a wonderful happy holiday
and a new year. Thank you. Thank you, Tony. The the PTO website that's the same one that's available from the school. It's like Okay. Thank you. Um, anybody else?
Hi everybody. Uh, Ross Copelman. Uh good evening to the board. Um thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. I'm here to raise several concerns and inconsistencies uh between district policies and day-to-day practices at Whiten Elementary School. My goal is
clarity, consistency, and alignment with board approved policy and state regulations. So I'm going to go through a few things and then so number one, the homework policy which is 2330. Board policy 2330 states that all homework must be
evaluated by the teacher and that this evaluation must be communicated to the student. Homework is not a learning activity if the student received no feedback. At Whiten, a teacher told us that the homework is not being checked and is primarily intended to teach responsibility with the explanation that
teachers cannot know if the whether the parents completed the work or not. This directly contradicts the board's policy and leads to inconsistent expectations across classrooms and grades. I respectfully ask that the board review the implementation of
policy 2 2330 to ensure districtwide consistency. Uh the second thing I want to go over is communication with the families. Recently, I was contacted by a sick child from a phone number that is not listed on the district website or any official documentation and did not
display caller ID identifying it as the school. As a result, I did not realize it was the school calling and my child waited nearly an hour for pickup. Rather than an apology, I was told, "Thank you for ensuring you receive our communications," which places responsibility on the families rather
than addressing the communication breakdown. I asked the board to clarify or establish a policy requiring that health and safety related calls come from an identifi identifiable published phone numbers. The other topic is electric electronic
devices policy 5516. Policy 5516 states that students use of electronic communication devices should be limited. It does not require phones to be stored in lockers or prohibit electronics outright. However, the Whiten family handbook mandates locker
storage, bans other electronics, and imposes confis confis I can't speak tonight confiscation and discipline. This is more restrictive than the board policy and appears inconsistent. I asked the board to review the handbook language to ensure alignment with the board approved policies.
The other item I want to bring up is the removal of students from academic instruction. There have been instances where students were removed from academic instruction for non-rine private questioning without parent parental notification. This implicates FURPA New Jersey student
support regulations, curriculum access requirements, mandated reporter limitations, and federal equal access protections. This is not about preventing normal teacher student interactions. It's about ensuring that non-rine counseling like or investigatory conversations, especially
those that interrupt instruction, occur with appropriate parental knowledge and consent. I ask the board to reinforce compliance with these requirements districtwide. The other HIV reporting and training, I strongly support the district's commitment to preventing harassment,
intimidation, and bullying. At the same time, it may be beneficial to review training and guidance around HIV reports are appropriate. Specifically, clear clear guidance distinguishing development to typical teasing or peer conflict from conduct that meets
statutory definition of HIV could help ensure consistent application across classrooms and schools, appropriate use of investigative resources, fair treatment of all students, and confidence among families that the process is being used as intended. I
respectfully ask the board to consider whether additional staff training or clarification would be helpful in this area. The other item is facility maintenance. There are visible maintenance concerns at whitening including water stained ceiling tiles and then obviously here we have the rusted fixtures
um the the dryer that we saw there. These raise questions about building upkeep and health and safety oversight. I asked the board to review maintenance reporting and remediation timelines. In closing, I'm asking for consistency between the board policy and school level practice, clearer communication
with families, protection of instructional time, thoughtful use of HIPP procedures, and attention to facility conditions. Thank you for your time and service to the district. Thank you, Russ. Anybody else? Okay, I am going to close some public
comments and sorry, lost my place. I'm going to move on to the board lison on reports. Um, first up is Somerville. Yep. A short report. Um, this Tuesday, this this earlier this week was the last meeting for the year for Somerville. So,
we had a few treats. One was the Somerville High School Chamber choir. They did a lovely performance, holiday performance at at the board meeting uh 15 20 minutes and they were fantastic. Um we also were introduced just like here their life skills program. So that was great. They had a lot of treats and
coffee and all that. So it was really nice to hear a little bit more about that program there. Um a few just housekeeping things. The biggest thing is that uh senior yearbooks are still on sale. It will go up in price um I think after February. So, if anyone is looking
to get a yearbook, they should look at the prices right now. Um, and then just one other note, as I know electronics was mentioned, I will say that for the high school, they started to implement the um the pouches where all the kids walk in, they put it in there. And while
I know my kids didn't love that, when I went to back to school, all the teachers talked about it in every single session, how much they were appreciative of that new policy from a staff standpoint of the kids having to put their phones in the classroom, right? They take it back out when they leave the class. But it
was something that the staff noted and appreciated and made a difference with the kids, high school kids at least, and with their attention. That's it. Thank you very much, Bob. I'm skipping you. what she said.
Uh, Somerset County Ed Services, they did have a meeting on Tuesday. I unfortunately it didn't make it. I don't think when I read the agenda, there was nothing groundbreaking. Um, New Jersey school boards. Just a reminder, the Somerset County virtual meeting is going to be January
26th. Okay. Thank you. Branchburg Township, no report. No report. BF, sure. Got to put it back on. Put it off. I put on Charlie. So, it is Grinch night at Panitary's
Pizza and Pasta. Step into Whoville for Grinchy good time. Apparently, the Grinch was made an appearance earlier this evening and was replaced by the a big teddy bear. Came out of nowhere. I know. But you it's there's still time to go out there. It's open pretty late
tonight. Uh and it is obviously part of a fundraiser for the BEF. part of the proceeds do go to um kids and education foundation as well. So it's our kids. Uh second is uh kind of superstars. A
huge congratulations to our kindon winners who went above and beyond spreading kindness and raising funds for our schools. Uh these students will be invited to our January BE or their January BEF board meeting and officially recognized at an upcoming township
meeting where they receive a mayoral proclamation. You ever got one of those? Pretty good. All right. Yeah, that's that's the one I was impressed, but it's okay. All right. Very good. That's that's a
great program. Um and let's see, got one more thing here. Yeah, couple more items here. Uh they're still selling uh blankets. Uh BEF blankets. Again, it's a fundraiser. Um, finally, there is be ready for a murder mystery fundraiser in
April of 2026. And as Dr. Burton mentioned, they uh BEF did a couple of grants. One was for uh in December. One was for 3D printing at uh for tiny techies at Whiten and then a drum circle grant for at Whiten as well. That's all I have.
Thank you, sir. Um seatback, I have no report. Um can I have a motion to adjourn the meeting? Motion. All in favor? Thank you.