united States of America or acted upon in accordance with the provisions of the act before the board of education as part of this meeting to be published on January 10th 2025 and posted on the district website at www.fl.com lb.com publish in the board's designated
online media outlet newspapers the record of the star ledger file with the clerk of burough Fort Lee and mailed to all persons if any who have requested said notice please be advised this meeting is being recorded and may be broadcasted on local TV and online at a future date the open public meeting act allows for remote participation at board
meetings and defines meeting as any gathering whether corporal or by means of communication equipment which is attended by or open to all the members of a public body held with the intent on the part of the members of the body present to discuss or act as a unit upon the specific public business of that
body Roll call please My Kang Miss Kath here Miss Curry here Mr Knight here Miss Kotang here Mr Lopez here Moral
Mr Rabino here Miss Victor here The board will be convening to executive session to discuss legal personnel and other confidential matters The board will reconvene into public session at approximately 7:30 p.m I have a motion
to go into executive session Motion second Motion Curry second All in favor any opposed pledge to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it
stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all The New Jersey public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice and to attend the meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their
interest is discussed or acted upon In accordance with the provision of the act the board of education has caused notice of this meeting to be published on January 10th 2025 and posted on the district website at www.fle.com published in the board's designated online media outlet newspaper
the record of the star ledger filed with the clerk of the burough of Fort Lee and mailed to all persons if any who have requested said notice Please be advised this meeting is being recorded and may be broadcast on TV and online at a future date The open public meeting act allows for remoteness board meetings and
defines meeting as any gathering whether corporeal or by means of communication equipment which is attended by or open to all of the members of a public body held with the intent on beh curry here Mr Knight here Miss Kotag
here Mr Lopez here Miss Morell here Mr Rino here Miss Richtor here The board convene executive session at 6:30 p.m to discuss legal personnel and other confidential matters Dr Kravitz will you begin by sharing the superintendent
yes good evening everyone Thank you for joining us I would like to remind everyone that April is autism awareness month I'm happy to say that this week for the special education parents advisor group known as CPAC will be hosting Terry Mangro and I'm sure our CPAC leadership will be discussing this in a few minutes Um the for high school
winds performance from the Metropolitan Wing Band Invitational at Roxbury High School was this past Saturday We received excellent comments about our student musicians being prepared as well as a repertoire that was performed After the performance there was a 20-minute clinic with all the ch with all of their
clinicians as well with more information about what's going on in the high school We have Sam and He will talk to us Thank you Good evening My name is Son Hun and I'm a current sophomore My name is K and I'm a current junior And today we're here to represent
Fortley High School So on Thursday March 13th the Portland High School class of 2026 hosted their biggest event of the year the Harlem Wizards game Thank you to our incredible Portland community who came out and supported And we would like to extend a special thank you to all those who have volunteered The following
cast members with scholarships from the NYC of theatic arts Ashley with $10,000 Sophia for 10 $20,000 M standards with $15,000 Hudson Alps with $1,000 Jessica
Hall with $1,000 TG King with $1,000 Nelson Richard with $1,000 with $1,000 from Julian Chen an honorable mention cinematography with her film at the breem Stephie Song attended the Teran North Jersey STEM Fair this past weekend
and won four different prizes for her research project which was instantaneous and seasonal variation of particulate matter concentration in New York City as a means to evaluate the potential potential of ventilation to improve air quality Awards included second place in our category the genius Olympia award
the field research award and the geoccience award High school environmental club visited schools 2 three and four to teach K to3 students about environmental topics The lessons and activities included air pollution insect classification animal prints and fossils and leaf
identification Our club members taught 718 students in 31 classes over a year From March 31st to April 4th the high school launched a block scheduling trial week allowing for extended class periods and encourage deeper learning and collaboration The feedback from both
student and staff was overwhelmingly positive On Wednesday April 9th all 11th graders will participate in SAT testing and report to school by 7:45 To accommodate this there will be delayed opening for 9th 10th and 12th graders on that day Report to school at 95 Senior
Jaylen Balwena finished fifth at the state at the New Jersey State meet of champions and first at the prestigious Eastern State Championship in the long jump Senior Jayen Belg and junior were invited to compete at the national level at the 19 and new
national competitions These are the biggest in the country Jaylen Amu and Hazel earned all North Jersey This past winter four athletic teams won big North American League championship titles 57 students student athlete earned first
second and honorable mention all league accolades while seven earned all county recognition Coaches Neil Grant Nicole Pashani and Nicole Pachani were named Big North Conference American League coaches of the year for both boys and girls bowling and luch Coach Neil Grant
also earned his 100th win for girls and will be inducted into the Burton County men club Fort Le Key Club shines at 2025 New Jersey Key Club Decon conference Our students have represented Fort Lee High School with incredible voice leadership
and dedication and their efforts were recognized on the district-wide level Here are some of the highlights from the 2024 to 2025 service year recognitions Um the year in review scrapbook contest winner Our club was honored for creatively documenting our service
journey fundraising initiatives and collaboration with Kiwines Award celebrates our impact and commitment throughout the year Outstanding advisor award go to goes to Susanna Ketchin She was humbled to receive this recognition for her role as faculty advisor Student
recognition for district governor's award goes to Abigail Lee District secretary award goes to Harry Perry de Jesus Lieutenant Governor and District 21 goes to Andy Dong Lieutenant Governor and District 5 goes to Jer Park And third place oratory contest Stephano
Particulo Stephano delivered a compelling speech reflecting on how Key Club has shaped his personal growth and what the next century of service could look like Congratulations to all on an outstanding job And thank you Thank you
We have on the agenda two founded HIV cases Also on our agenda this evening is the updated calendar Please note the change to utilizing the unused snow days We are unable to give the Friday back There is an AP exam scheduled for that Friday So unfortunately it will be the
Tuesday and Wednesday That's the adjustment So keep those AP students happy Um additionally we have a walk-in resolution walk in addition to resolution 4P adding the name to say Ashley Blair the middle school That concludes my report Thank you very much
Thank you Do we have any committee reports yes the uh policy committee met before our private session tonight Um we looked at our attendance policy um and we're
looking at the HIP policy to um conform it to some changes in state regulations as well as our electronic surveillance in schools on school grounds and our cooperation with law enforcement agencies We're looking much closer on
the use of electronic commun communication devices phones Apple watches etc in our schools Um we've received recommendations from our administration Uh right now we're looking at a two structure a K to8
policy and then a different policy for 9 to 12 But uh we intend to meet again on it as we reflect on the recommendations So last week on um Tuesday April 2nd the negotiations committee met with representatives from
Portland Education Association We made really uh good progress The focus of the meeting was to really review um proposals that had been submitted from the education association to address any questions and to gain
clarity on certain items Um we have another meeting scheduled for this Wednesday the 9th So um more to come on that Thank you very much Thank you The curriculum committee also met last week Um we discussed a number of topics Um
this first we discussed the financial literacy course that will be offer online in in 2020 starting in 2025 to 2026 It will be a self-paced um class and um even though it it it's
going to be online I hope students will give a lot of focus on it um financial literacy is or well-being is directly connected to our physical mental well-being So I hope that um even though it's going to be online that our student
will still benefit from it Um the summer program for title one student uh will be offered this summer in both in person and virtual format and you'll find more detail in in minutes Um we will be
launching a new English language art program for K25 next year It is currently in in pilot and we're down to two programs that um the education educator curriculum committee is
reviewing Um so we're looking forward to a new program to help um to help strengthen our K [Music] to5 And then lastly um discuss chronic absent
absenteeism Um it is um it is a a challenge for many of our schools We we want to do better Um we have room to do better and um and it is tied to our school performance It is tied to our
ranking Um so I hope that parents you will also work with work with our building principles work with our administrations to uh strengthen that Thank you Are there any other committee members
okay Do board members have questions or comments on tonight's agenda or other topics i just have one There was there was one of the I don't have a copy I think it might have been 4F 5F It's a company like that we use It has nurses teachers
um like not not the sub company I think it begins with D like delta T delta 4 delta TF So have we used that sounds familiar to me have we used them and I do not know if delta t was used before We
needed it was an urgent matter We had to have someone in house excuse me come in Uh with a student and because there was a process for us I wouldn't have that um take a delay We wanted to make sure we could get someone and we were able to secure someone with one of our students
that needed uh services immediately Oh so our goal is like limited I mean because the list of positions are everything that we have in the district and they're like independent contractors So I was just wondering how that actually works with these If you look there's like
custodians and nurses and teachers and so those are to use actually it's identified as interim professionals So there there's one particular uh category we needed someone immediately and they were able to supply that person to maintain compliance with an IEP Got it
We put that person in play Thank you Um I just wanted to real quickly acknowledge the school 2 PTA on Saturday held a Easter egg hunt for our kids with special needs And I just wanted to say it's like absolutely incredible Um the
kids had a blast They danced They do all kinds of crazy stuff Did balloon animals Um but I think the most important and I think the biggest take from the event was the incredible sense of community that you know was formed at the event A lot of the students were were talking with folks that they had never sp spoken
to before A lot of friendships were made and I just wanted to um congratulate school 2BTA for really successful and really thoughtful thing that they Thank you Yeah we
I don't have words Um Oh it is um sadness Don't worry we still have them for a while You can do a big speech in another meeting I just wanted to um you know say it's
happy for you but also um a mixed bag of emotions [Music] We'll talk more I have a question um about the half school bathroom The one that is um the
boys looks pretty good I just went home from the outside I was there for an event the other night but the girls bathroom that's right outside the cafeteria That bathroom is in dire need of help um the floors the the
the screen on the wall some of the the doors don't even uh shut So if you're if you need to use the restroom um the door doesn't shut Um it's very old Um that bathroom is in dire need of attention Um
a couple years ago before Dr Travis came we were on a mission uh where we were going through the district and we were doing one bathroom divorce bathroom in the district um helping it redoing it uh one at a time so that it wouldn't be such a huge amount of money But I feel
that that bathroom in particular um I don't know what the rest of the bathrooms in the town in the in our buildings look like but I know that that bathroom in particular that girls bathroom that sits right beside where the trophies is is very
bad I'm trying to use nice words Um but it it's in dire need of attention and um yeah if you if we could see somebody can look at that it's really appreciate it because people come to our building
especially when we have it it's just that's where they use the restroom and people come and the students have to use it every day not even visitors adults but students have to use that every day and um it would be nice if we could have
it doors that shut and make it Yeah two Yes something We'll take a look at it tomorrow Thank you I do just have a statement change in wording that was made to 5F I do greatly appreciate um
how more specific um what they use um what that uh what the is It's kind of vague hard to understand I appreciate the change in the wording and you know I think uh if we could be more specific on
um you know general so we apologize that there's a cross between two companies actually so it is a program that we currently use for two components one is the technology we use what's called school dude and we
also use school dude for our builders and ground this particular program is oneird cost and has more interactive features in multiple languages and that addresses an accountability piece that we currently don't have So by switching over uh gives just for the buildings and
grounds at first we're saving money and it's more accountable Um the other one was a TLE which is the uh strategic planning that the strategic planning committee met with uh there was a few companies that presented and I think it's good to have that just so that even moving forward there's always this is
the goal and we'll be working with them from now to unless you come out we'll be moving forward and still working with them and I'll be working with them as well to you know try to develop that plan long term so that there's always a goal set and the same thing to address the bathrooms as you
discussed Yes as far as can that you know we have a we'll have that long range plan soon which will indicate everything will be the public knowledge everything in the district what's the lifespan and what's necessary so that you know we can have an agenda as to what should be replaced on a yearly
basis to really knock it off and know what it costs for everyone so that no hidden fees I think it's a great way to to start I think next phase of what really needs I hear it now That's totally different So for those in Zoomland we have a
beeping going on that probably is very faint We don't know what it is It's been going on since 5:00 So we're not sure what that is It's a different beeping now though It smells more serious like almost like
did you change yes I have to change the whole just want to make sure Okay May I have a motion to open the floor to the public second Motion moral second Kobath Um all
in favor any opposed or abstensions okay We will hear first from any members located physically in the cafeterium Then we will take questions and comments from those participating remotely Participants are limited to three minutes in which to make your statement For remote participants please select
the raise hand button District technology coordinator Mr Roger will recognize you Uh in order of raised hands please remember to unmute your microphone Everyone please state your name and address for the record and begin your comments Please limit your comments to three
minutes Oh there we go John go ahead Hi John Chairman 1045 Anderson Avenue quickly Um I'd also like to talk about three Uh M privates I've only had two personal interactions with you One was you know when my daughter had a teacher
drop very short notice You helped create a solution where they had they went online That solution not only was a great idea that worked extremely well She she's been so happy with clips this year and I understand that's been an issue in the past and that the solution is something
that can be used for for scenarios like this in the future I love the creative solution that was brought up there Second I had specific issues that I wanted to talk to somebody about I emailed you and the same day or the next
day you got back to me You listened patiently You asked for any questions you showed real concern and for those personal reasons and many others that I've just observed over the years you will be missed and I really thank you for everything you've done
[Music] Thank you very much As far as virtual learning uh that's something new that we're looking at and as I've said some of the leave replacements you will see for in the next couple months as we put that together uh that we will be able to shift So when we have the absences and
we can't find them we'll be able to go right into virtual learning A very smooth transition 2185 Avenue of the special education parents advisory group As Dr Krabbit said I'm going to mention this Wednesday night 7
p.m we have Dr Carrie Mangro um an autism an autistic adult and also an advocate uh for all special needs So we're very excited for that So please RSVP There's a link in the email you sent if you didn't get an email and you
want to attend because anybody can attend because it's a webinar You can email cebboe.com [Music] Um and another reminder please remember nominations for the leadership positions are going to be accepted until the May
21st meeting where candidates will be able to speak about why they want to take the leadership position they've been nominated for and then the election will start on May 28th Everybody will receive an email from the district Um
lastly I want to talk about 3P not gonna cry or maybe I will I don't know Uh but Dr Kravis we love working with you and we appreciated everything you've done We know we haven't gotten everything that we wanted but you've given us a lot You've given us your time
You've showed up at town events and you've just uh you supported Fort Lee overall and all the students not just our special needs students but we appreciate it Um we know you relate to us and um we do wish you well and we'll work
together a little more Uh so just thank you And uh the question I have for you is was it the blocks kept going you're going to ask me about bus tracking but that's okay It's coming through That's your legacy We're good
Anyone else in the room wish to speak catherine 1565 Anderson Avenue I wasn't particularly a fan of yours when you first came but you changed my mind Um HR has two components of
turnover regrettable and healthy This will be a regrettable turnover for us So I thank you for your service and I thank you for the time that you've been here and hopefully you can leave a to-do list for what's next to come for you and what can be worked on at the board Um as we
saw in the the retreat there were some things that you had mentioned that I hope that continue to be worked on But again I thank you for your time Okay Mr Roger it's your turn Andrew you've been promoted to panelist Please unmute your microphone and feel
free to share your video Please state your name and address for the record You have three minutes Andrew Hi good evening Andrew Gman 326 Bridge Plaza North here in Fort Lee Um two things Um as Keith mentioned this
Wednesday at 7 p.m we have our our monthly CPAG meeting Please note that the date was changed to our regular scheduled Okay that is to accommodate the speaker again is April 9th It is via Zoom We're very very excited to have
this great great speaker Dr Carrie Margo Also um as the vice president CPAC I want to say to Dr Kravitz it's been a pleasure working with you this year Um I know every time we asked you a question you only had one thing to say and that
was yes Um we really really you know appreciate your hard work and dedication district and thank you very much and good luck in in your in your next uh endeavor Good night Beth Katso you've been promoted to panelist Please unmute your microphone
and feel free to share your video Please state your name and address for the record You have three minutes Hi Steph Cotzo Uh Fort uh Tom Hunter Road Fort Le New Jersey I just have two quick things One is I don't know who's in charge of
it but the buses we are having an issue with the school buses not putting out their stop signs This has to be done So I don't know if it's a school bus but
the buses dropping off the children at the special needs school um on my block they do not put out their stop sign This is the third time I've brought it up I have video from today again without stop
signs coming out on the bus which is very dangerous on that turn So if that could be addressed I would really love that Number two is um I think it's Miss Coteng who's a a head of
um curriculum I'm not sure why we have not implemented Hooked on Phonics for our kindergarten first and second graders but they literally have a 30day either your child reads or you get
your money back for the system I don't know if there's a way to bring it into the district in an easy manner but it's helped so many children learn to read and read quickly And I really believe getting the joy of reading when you're
young is you know something that follows you just for your life So if we can look into a system like this because I sat on the mathematic um curriculum and I was very concerned about the robotic voices being used especially for children with
sensory needs or um oral communication needs The the robotic voices are a big problem for me when children are being taught and hooked on phonics I think those are two things that could really help our younger grades maybe learn um
in a better manner That's that's all And thank you Dr Kravitz for your time in our district As far as the buses I know we've spoken to our drivers but I'm I'm wondering and I just mentioned to Mr Simons our business administrator we do have students that come from another town
They are receiving students So we'll reach out to them to see if they could confirm with their bus As far as phonics Mr So talk about that Yes So two things with regards to phonics instruction in our elementary grades So currently as um
Miss Kotine announced we are in the process of piloting um new English language arts programs in grades K through five One of the requirements of the program we select is a program that's going to provide comprehensive instruction in the five elements of lit literacy which includes phonics and
phmic awareness to ensure that our um young learners have a strong foundation in phonics About 3 years ago we also implemented an evidence-based ONX program called Wilson Foundations or Foundations actually If you don't know about it it's based on the premise of
Orton Gillingham which is multi-ensory um word learning which is evidence-based and is meant to also assist not just um you know um students that read at an average pace but also students um with learning disabilities And we are also looking at additional um evidence-based
programs for our reading intervention um um services There are no more raised hands We have a motion to close the floor to the public Motion Morell second Rabbino All in favor any opposed or abstensions
okay moving on to resolutions May I have a motion to approve items 1B through 4B motion second Roll call please Kang yes
Yes Murray yes Mr Knight yes Mang yes Mr Lopez yes Miss Morell yes Mr Rino yes Yes May I have a motion to approve item one cur
motion Second Motion Moral Second Kobath Roll call please Miss Byers Kang Yes Miss Kath yes Miss Curry yes Mr Knight yes Miss Coten yes
Mr Lopez yes M Moral yes Mr Rino yes Miss Rtor yes I have a motion to approve items 1 F through 6F Sorry it's a six at a moment 1 F through 7F Motion Motion Curry Second Second
Pull back Roll call please By Kang Yes Miss Colbath Yes Curry Yes Mr Knight Yes Miss Coten Yes Mr Lopez Yes Miss Morell Yes Mr Rubino
Yes Miss Rtor Yes May I have a motion to approve items 1 P through 10P 4P as amended by Dr Kravitz motion Second Motion Morell Second Curry Roll
call please Missy K Yes Miss Kath Yes Miss Curry Yes With regards to 3P I'd like to express my sadness as well but thank you Dr Kitz for contributions to Mr I just want to wish Dr the best and
also let them know that we're going to still make your life difficult for several months to go Thank you so much every Lopez Yes And uh thank you very much to Eva Ron as well for her years of service who's retiring um to Pete
and my final farewell Thank you for your service Yes Yes Say no on repeat Yes I did Thank you very much He's still leaving [Music]
Yes 4 Yes Um is there any old business any new business [Music] congratulate um the Asian Student Alliance in the high school Um they host
an annual AAPI night of culture and they just recently received a Michael grand $500 from AAPI New Jersey So I want to congratulate um Miss and the students for jobs well done And then second order
of business I wanted to let students in the district know that there is currently um a shorts challenge that is hosted on our district's website It's hosted by a number of local organizations to encourage AAPI and
Jewish students during the uh Jewish and AAPI heritage month to create a three-minute shorts Um and and the theme is if only you knew stories across generation um where we are invited to interview an elderly in the district in
in the in the in the life and and um uh create a threeminut short So please go on our website and take a look at it Thank you Okay May I have a motion to adjurnn motion Second Motion Rabino
second morale All in favor thank you everyone