Good evening everybody. Welcome to the Kennalan Board of Education regular meeting for June 9th, 2026. The New Jersey open public meeting law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meetings of public bodies of
which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon. In accordance with the provision of the act, the Kennelan Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be published in the suburban trends on December 28th, 2025, posted in the Kennelon Public Library, filed with the
burough clerk, and posted on the district website. Caitlyn, would you roll call the board, please? >> Yes. Mrs. Geyser, >> Mrs. Leonard, Mrs. Pella, >> here. >> Mrs. Donaldson, >> here. No close session at this point is needed. Please stand for the pledge of
allegiance. Uh so I understand that uh Luca this is your last meeting with us and thank you for all your work um this year. We're going to miss you next year and um when we go through the agenda I'll read the resolution for you. Okay Dave,
>> is that click already? Okay. All right. Well, thank you, Mr. President. Welcome everyone. >> And so, while we have two meetings in June, this meeting is always the best because we do recognize our students, our student athletes. In and this year, we split it up in May. We recognize our
K to5 students and now for this meeting, our 612. But before I get started with updates, I do want to call up Mrs. from the HSA. She does have a quick announcement and it's a good opportunity for us when we have a good portion of folks here with us to uh to get this message and hear this message out loud.
So, ML, >> thank you very much. Hi everybody. Um so, we delivered this message to the K through five kids as well, but um you're going to be getting some information about a change within the HSA. Um as you guys know, as the older uh
students There's always been three HSAs. One that covers the elementary, one that covers PRM, and one that covers the high school. And it gets kind of confusing sometimes. Did I buy my lunch for one kid versus another kid? Did I pay dues
for this HSA or that HSA? Um, it just gets a little bit confusing. There's also competition. I mean, you've got a tricky tray for Kesha. You have a handbag bingo for the high school. Um, glasses are either on or off. Um, so
there's a lot of things that and there's overlap. Um, there's also cost overlap in that we pay three different technology fees, we pay three different insuranceances, we pay three different taxes and accountants. Um, and it takes a lot of volunteers to run the boards of
these three individual HSAs. So, as a smaller town, um we've gotten together and determined that it really makes the most sense to consolidate down into one single HSA. So, the Kennelon HSA, um you're going to have better
communication and technology experience. So, you're going to have one membership toolkit, which fortunately you are going to have to re-register for, but it's only going to be one registry. All your kids are going to be there. Um we're going to
townwide gala type event rather than having multiple events that everybody can participate in. Uh we're going to increase efficiency with volunteerism. Um and really have a lot of cost savings and hopefully streamline a lot of the
volunteering. Um we have reduced our our board for three HSAs was either 15 or 16, I forget. We are down to nine members. Um, and hopefully it'll just be a little bit more streamlined. You are not going to notice a difference at the
school level. Everything is going to be the same. All of the programs that you had are going to be the same. All the committees that you had are going to be the same. This is more of an executive change and more of a technology change. So, keep an eye. There will be a mailing
going out um I think in late August I think right before the um start of the school year with a lot of information. If you have any questions you can email kalanhagmail.com we can answer any questions for you but we just want to kind of make the
community aware that this change is going to be coming. Does anyone have any questions now? All right. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. McLaclin. And um I I shared during the May public meeting,
I'll give the HSA a plug. Our first big uh fundraiser, or should I say the HSA's first big fundraiser will be on September 27th. It's a Sunday here at the high school and it's with a professional wrestling organization. And I know there's some videos out there and
kind of folklore of uh Dr. Suda, now Dr. and I taking on PRM's Mr. Contella and uh Evil Kip from the ISPW. That is they they are out there. Um we do have a return match on September 27th. I believe we might be one of the highlights. So, not that I'm looking to
put myself back into a hospital, but I think it'll be a night and an afternoon of fun. So, come on out when you see those brochures and those tickets. So, thank you, Mr. McLolin, and thank you to HSA. All right. So, now we're going to move forward with regular business. And as we
always just some of my districtwide news and just updates, quick ones, things that are on tonight's agenda. Um, not on tonight's agenda is the graduation ceremonies. We revised them. Mrs. Alawal and Mr. Dr. Suda had a conversation and
we're trying to beat the rain. If you've heard or watched any of the news, I know the weather's about to change drastically and they're talking major thunderstorms on Thursday into Friday late uh morning or early morning Friday, not We think we could squeeze in the high
school. We were concerned about PRM, so we worked together with our buildings and grounds. And so PRM's graduation will be at 9:00 on Thursday morning. And then what'll happen for the high school, for our seniors, they'll have their final practice at 11:00 a.m. because
typically the P prm graduation is roughly an hour, hour and 10 minutes max. So everybody's on hand, everybody's on staff, it's everybody on deck. So that is our goal because if not, and we did have to to the weather, mother nature, rather than being a hot gym,
we'll be right back in this room where Mrs. Utel was today. And Mrs. Utell, you had a great ceremony for Stony Brook fifth graders moving on. We'd be in here. So, uh, we're going to hope, keep our fingers crossed that it's not. I know it's going to be hot. We'll have tents. We'll have water available for anybody that has any health concerns or
issues. So, fingers crossed there. Um, tonight under the D section for first reading and approval is the parental rights policy. I've been asked a lot of questions about this. These are all current existing board approved policies. And to the
board that is here tonight and to the board that couldn't make it tonight, I do think a good uh job in due diligence after going through these policies, some of them date back to 1990, some 98, some 2003. I believe that we should look at a
district goal for 2627 for the policy committee to revise, readopt, bring back to the board all policies through our whole album. So, we have that there. That's all it really is. I'm never crazy about my picture on film, but that's fine. I don't like to
look a little heavier than I really am. >> And so, um, that's where we are. I'm not somebody who's of high alert, so I don't know, might be somebody's cup of tea. Maybe not, but they are existing policies which we follow plain and
simple. So, Mrs. Scalla, I think I Are you back there? Hi, Mrs. Scalla. Mrs. Scalla, I feel is like the ex official board member that we don't have. And uh tonight, she's on our agenda for approval as our library board representative. So, Mrs. Scalla, I know
you do a great job. So, thank you. I know we still have to vote, but thank you for all your hard work and the Let program. Excellent work. And also, I'd be remiss, Miss Portman, who was one of our board members who did tremendous work, actually assisted a great deal with the parental bill of rights policy
in the draft before she stepped off the board at Christmas. So, I just want to thank her. She's watching and listening in in cyerspace somewhere. So, also a few thank yous. We have Miss Ellis who's here, our teacher on assignment. Miss Ellis, I want to thank you because I know it's not easy to walk into a high
school and fill a position. Mr. Aoyo's been here well over a decade. coaching, his teaching and assistant principal position. And um for anybody in this room that is in education, high school is a different animal. It is a flagship, but it's a different it's a different breed. And uh you walked in with no high
school experience. You did an excellent job. And uh I thank you for that. I'm sure that the high school staff thanks you for that. >> And then also obviously we had um an incident here last week on Wednesday that kicked off.
I want to KPD, Chief Napano, his crew, county officials, our class threes. This is my 30th year in education. Unfortunately, I have dealt with an array of security concerns through the years, as you can imagine. Um, it always
amazes me how quickly law enforcement responds to the rapid pace and how prepared they are. So, my message here is twofold. A, I live in this community just like I'm going to assume are the people that are here tonight. When you see our law enforcement, thank them
because they are on the first line. They are the ones that come when we need help. Not just here at school, at our homes, everywhere. And secondly, I would say I would be remiss if I don't use this as an educational opportunity to say this is also why in my notification
last Friday, cell phones, student identification, it's mandatory. And when I hear or that some of our own students are taking pictures of our law enforcement staging and then sharing
that at home. Parents, I need you. Like, no. We all know that cell phones in an occupied space under those circumstances, not a good idea to be on one for multiple reasons. And then to take pictures and post them online, now you compromise the very security which
we have. So, please work with When we have these small initiatives, trust me, ID Paul Pam School District back in 2018 with their accident, you need identification. And
those of us here that are my age bracket, right, north of 50, how excited were we when we had a driver's license and we actually needed it and used it. And then you would use it if you went to a gym or wherever you were going. They asked you for ID. This is no different.
It's actually exacerbated because you use your ID. for everything. So already in the high school, we use the idea for the media center. We use it in uh my school bucks at lunch. Next year, we're going to use it to for the bathrooms. You need your ID. That's it. And I know
I like to dress, but I always wear this. I know it's not fashionable, so I'm asking please. ID, cell phones. That's why we do what we do. Small reasons. So I'm putting that out there because we do need parents to give us that hand. So, last but not least, our
CAC. Our next meeting is August 19th. We do have two more board meetings. We have one on June 23rd. That's just a cleanup meeting here. No bells and whistles. And then our July meeting, we are going to have to agree. Obviously, not tonight. We're going to adjust it whether it's a week up or it's a week back or we could
you could keep it that week when I'm not here and Mrs. Tromba could sit in. So, we have options, but you know, however, we have a majority of the board. And then we have August 19th, which is the week before our students and our staff come back, which will be here before we know it. Not that I'm wishing anybody's
life away. And just so you know, some summer projects I shared this last time, our culinary arts here at the high school, art room relocation, bathroom renovation, auditorium lighting right here, our electrical upgrades, all of this, majority of it, the outdoor patio,
the paving, the cafeteria, all that. you're looking all through June right up into October. So, the backside of our high school will look a little bit different with the construction that starts the week of June 15th next week. So, as soon as our students and our
staff are out, we're going to kick it off. So, I just put that out there in case you're looking to use the back road. There might be times that that back road and access might be shut down starting next week depending on what our construction companies need or not for access.
Some dates to remember. June 11th, obviously Thursday, 8th grade moving on here at the high school, nine o'clock. We're going to hope for nothing but sunshine, not too hot. And um June 12th, we have our ceremony at 10. Same deal. And in the middle, we have our balorette
in this room Thursday night at 7. So we This is it. After tonight, it's a sprint. So, um thank you for all that. And I know you just didn't come to hear me. So, I'm going to kick off student recognition. And I want to start by calling up our very own Luca and Elo
Fina. Luca, come on up. Okay. So, you're taller than me. I'm I'm shrinking in age, taller than me. So, um each year boards of ed are required to have a student representative. And the this year for us it was Luca. He's done
an excellent job, tremendous job. If you look up at the screen, you see his leadership abilities. And that's not by accident. And I remember and I and Mr. Mangan had a conflict. He couldn't be here tonight. But um do you remember the
first time you you met me? I'll tell you when it was. So it's January of 2023. At that time, PRM would still dismiss all the way down by the board office. They were they we would follow that procedure at that and we've changed it since. I had just had neck
spinal fusion surgery and I was back and I had a neck brace on and I'm standing off to the side because I didn't want to get bumped into by anybody. I was just watching and there you come. You got out of line. You make a beline to me. Put out your hand. You asked me how I was.
You told me your name. I was floored and you were in eighth grade. And I after you had got on the bus, I said to Mr. Mongan and I believe later Mr. Buer, um, who was that? and they both just said no that's Luca and ever since then from
then on the impression you've made on me on our staff on your peers is huge I mean folks if you just look here he has all of the attributes from the music distinctions he's been up here multiple times for um for all his awards and his accomplishments if you've never heard
him play on that stage really I'm telling you come back next fall next winter and watch him play his musical instruments I mean, it's amazing. All state, all area, constantly competitive. His athletic achievement, second team, all NJAC, plus all academic. The Otani
award, he was the more Sussex baseball player of the week award this year. And you were part of Mr. Contella's uh teams. And we've had two teams that Mr. Cella PRM coached to the county championship. Luca and his friends were on the first one, and that was in 2023. And then to boot, all the honor
societies. But that's not what makes What makes Luca is Luca and it starts at home with his mom and dad because this young man well spoken, well-dressed all the time. All the time.
And mom, I know that that's I know where that comes from because I I had a little bit of that in my life, too. And just and don't get mad at me when I say this. He's just a kind guy. He's just kind, nice, respectful. Like if this was the 1980s, he'd just be a good
guy. That's what we'd say back then. He's just a good guy with good parents. And this is just an example of that. Another award on another night after work as if you haven't done enough in your career. So we'll miss you. Um but
you're still here for another year. You know where we are if you need anything. So obviously you just keep advocating and do the things you do. We do have a certificate for you on behalf of the board. Now, I know you get a lot of other you receive a lot, but trust me, save it all. Give it to your mother
because one day, you know, maybe when you're 30s and you if you decide to have a family or not, that's your choice. You have an office somewhere at work or at home, you're going to want to put your accolades up and look at and this is a body of work. This is just a piece of it, but thank you for everything you do. I'm looking forward to your senior year
and I appreciate and so now I'm going to call up Dr. Suda and Mrs. Joseph. We're going to run through our PRM pillars of character awards. So floor is yours. Thank you, Mr. Mango. Luca, uh, Mr. Mango said everything perfectly. Very
proud of you. Congratulations. You deser You deserve every accolade. You are an amazing student. Thank you. Thank you to the parents. Um, it's my honor to be here again this evening to discuss our pillars of character at the middle school. I'll tell you my um I couldn't
be happier as an as an educator, as an administrator working with such an amazing student body and staff. It is absolutely inspiring and uh each and every day. Uh we just as administrators,
we just embrace everything that is happening at the middle school and what a what a just fantastic educational experience. and we get to honor some of the students here this evening for all that they do throughout the year and uh
it's truly special. I have anidotes probably for each one. I'm just going to mention a couple. Um but first off, I'd like to call down Emma. Is Emma here? Emara. So, Emma is the pillar of caring and
it's awarded to students who are kind, compassionate in their interactions with others. The way in which they carry themselves makes PRM a warm and welcoming place to be. And Emma embodies this. And Emma was one of the first
students I met back in August. And I just remember being floored. And I used to be a middle school teacher for five years and I coached and I was in high school for six years and then the next 19 or so in administration. But I'll never forget Emma walking down the hall
with the first day just the responsibility to honor and just to embrace serving her and all the students at PRM. and uh you know I I try to reach out to her each day in lunch and it's always fascinating what she puts on her
sandwich and all the great things and and how curious she is. So Emma, you know, if if you embody the pillar of caring and I want to thank you. >> I'm gonna read the pillar of citizenship. It is awarded to students
to make choices that protect the rights and safety of others, demonstrate the qualities of being a good community member, and cooperate well with others. Simply stated, their actions make our school and community better. The following students received the pillar of citizenship in the fourth marking
period. Nathaniel Rosen, Amaria Naidu, and Tyler Shbar. And if I could just share one quick thing about Amaria, he has taken over um every morning we have different students do our morning announcements and Ammartia has just um I would say become
the best of the best and he's done them every single morning with such enthusiasm and expression that um it really puts a smile on everybody's face every morning. So, it's a little snippet about our mortaria. >> And what is your record saying? Good morning, PRM. 10 or 12 seconds.
>> It's kind of like the good morning Vietnam, but the good morning PRM and he just goes and they're timing him. It's hysterical. It's awesome. The pillar of respect is awarded to students who are considerate of others feelings, courteous to others, accepting
of differences, and who treat others as as they would like to be treated. They let those around them know that their words and actions are valued. And the following students receive the pillar of respect. Chase,
Caitlyn Book, Oakley Shaw, Valerie Sone, and Charlie Kotai. Any of those students are here? Can you please come up? Okay. The pillar of responsibility is awarded to students who consistently try their best, persevere when they face challenges, demonstrate self-discipline,
and are accountable for their words and actions. They set a positive example for everyone with whom they interact. The following students received the pillar of responsibility in the fourth marking period. Sanv Patil, Madison Ler, Matilda Deja, and Will
Cleitets. Okay. The pillar of trustworthiness is awarded to students who are honest, loyal, and follow through on what they say they will do. These students can be relied upon in any situation, and their integrity shines through in their
actions and interactions each day. Like to call up Sophia, Shellacer, Scarlet, Michael and Vanessa How. The pillar of fairness is awarded to students who are fair and just, are
impartial, listen, and are open to differing viewpoints. The following students received the pillar of fairness in the fourth marking period. Ryan Prey, Victoria Deator, and Grace Nasimento. Thank you for to all of our award
winners. And now I'd like to call up Anushka. Is Anushka here? Okay. I will speak just briefly about Anushka. Anushka was the recipient of our superintendence middle school leadership
award presented to one of the students from each middle school in Morris County. Each honore is the student whose academic extracurricular and community leadership shines through and has a positive impact on our school environment.
had the privilege of attending a dinner at the Hanover Manor in East town over with Mr. Mango Anushka and her father and Anushka is the quintessential Renaissance woman and she you know from
her accolades in the arts athletically and academically and more importantly similar to what Mr. Mango said about Luca and Luca, do you know Anushka? You you share a lot of the common traits u at the different levels and she may end up one day sitting at this table because
she's on the same track shows a lot of the same character qualities that you have. But Anushka is is truly amazing in that she navigates our school and that kindness, the smile, the eye contact, the hello, those little moments when
nobody's watching and she has the ability to be kind, caring, and just considerate to both adults and to students. And that's an attribute. I see Mrs. Eer, Mrs. Barnes sitting back there. There's some of the attributes through values and the character, the of
character that the staff at PRM Institute year in and year out and I can tell that and that's why it is so very special. But to Anushka who couldn't make it this evening obviously um truly amazing and she's off to the high school and from her premed to everything she's
looking forward to in the future. Uh she's going to be amazing here at the high school. Congratulations to believe I would like to call up Mrs. Whitmer. >> Thank you, Dr. Mafites. Congratulations to everyone getting an honor tonight. Uh
it's really awesome to see what everyone does outside of the athletic realm where I see most of it. Um we're going to about PRM sports first. Uh we had some really nice successful seasons and what the awesome part is there was 150 athletes in PRM this spring alone. Um
track had about 95 um and between the other two there was about 50. So it's really awesome to see so many of our kids participating in sports. Our softball team finished four and three um and in counties got knocked out in the quarterfinal. Um our baseball team which
I'm sure uh Mr. would love to hear. Just like uh Luca and his group, they made it to the county finals. Unfortunately, they lost in the bottom of the seventh inning um on a run. So, um they made it there. They actually knocked off um many seeds
ahead of them. So, they had uh Chris Portman had 18 strikeouts in the first round to knock off Memorial. Will Klesitz pitched an entire game in the second round to knock off the number one seed. Um in that same game, Vhon hit a three-run homer over the fence uh to
lead them to the county finals and they pulled off multiple double plays, played really good defense, but unfortunately led up that last run at the end um in the bottom of the seventh and lost, but they had a really really successful season um and a lot of a lot of baseball players coming up again, which we're
excited to see. Uh in in track and field in the county tournament, the boys finished third and the girls finished fourth. And the nice thing about track and field is while as a They finished at those ranks. Um, we had a lot of county champions. So, in sprints and mid
distance, Grace Nasnto got first place. Adrienne Carowski got third place in the 100 meter. Uh, 400 meter, Adrien Kowski got third place. 1600, Addie Galiscoco, fourth place, and the 1600, Tommy Matoa
first place. So, we had a couple county champions in mid-distance and sprints. Coach CHS G, I know you're gonna be excited. these kids coming up in relays. The girls 4x two finished fourth. That was Sienna, Emily, Olivia, and Grace. And the 4x4 for the boys finished sixth.
Um that was Aaron, Nathan, Adrian, and Jacob. In field events, we had girls long jump. Mattie Taylor finished sixth. In the shot put, Stella first, Olivia Bika second. And in the shot put for the
boys, Paul Claus got third, and Gabe Batista fourth place. For discus, girls discus, Sienna Battlee second place, Sabella Badila sixth place, boys discus, Gabe Batista second place, and Colton Huber third place. So,
we have a lot of great athletes coming up to join CHS uh and GB at the next level. Um, and we're excited for them. So, congratulations to all our middle school athletes on a great season this spring. So, now that we've finished middle school track and field, I'm going to
invite uh Coach Chegwin, Coach Ghart, and the rest of the staff up to speak about our high school track team. Uh we have a lot of really great athletes that our our high school track team accomplished this season. Um some state champions, some record breakers. So, I want to call them up with some of their athletes to speak to them. they know
them best. So, they're going to go through the next few slides and and talk about some of their awesome athletes. And the slides that are up here are only about half of what coach gave me because we don't have time to go through every single awesome meet and first place finish that they had throughout the
season. Come on up. >> Okay. Uh, thank you for having us. Um it's always nice to be here to um honor our kids when they have some success. Uh we're very lucky over the years that our uh track and field team is consistently competitive at the conference county and
section and state level. Uh uh I know we feel very grateful to be able to coach these kids each and every day. Uh definitely the highlight of our day. Um this year we had some great honors and we have three of our athletes here who were sectional state champions and I felt it important that they be here. So, I'm going to go over their accolades and
then I'll kind of go through the slides, but we had a pretty successful season. Um, Olario um not only was first team conference as you can see um with Gavin and Sophia um they also won their sectional title. Olario and um Sophia
are also were selected to the all county team and I always say it's really hard to get on that. It's the super standards and the qualifications. It's almost near impossible to make it. So, if you make it, it's a great honor. Um we they each broke a school record as well this year.
So Allaria broke it in long jump. He jumped 2210 and a half in long jump. Gavin broke his uh pvolt record multiple times. Uh 13 feet he jumped in pvolt. And just to give you some perspective as a freshman he started at eight feet. So
just how much growth is that? And um we get to hang on to Sophia for another year but she broke the discus record through 110 feet 2 in. and um looking to break the javelin record next year because she won the sectional meet for Javelin um and they also made me meet
champs as well for javelin and placed at me champs and that's every school big small private public you know to make the meet of champs is a amazing honor um and Gavin also competed at the meet champs by getting second at the state
group meet unfortunately after he won sectionals we went to the county meet and the competitor he is it's his senior year. He wanted to do all four of his events and you know we listened to our seniors. They earned that right and uh he came up on the 200 around the turn
and and pulled his groin. Um he rested and I we give him a lot of credit because to be honest he he really stepped up and he still got fifth in the state. Um unfortunately not quite enough to get him that meet a champ ticket but I we know obviously he is the caliber to
be there. So, they had a great season. But just to go through, we also had uh Morris County Scholar athlete Kay Lombardo on our team as well this year. As you can see, our first team I just went over. Our second team, we had Ron, Hunter, Kieran, Zach, Ella, Caitlyn, Lily, and our Henry, and Susie. Just
click it just down. Sorry, I'm not. Okay. Um, there's our school records that I just went over. Um and uh obviously the Morris County results again every school in the county
big small doesn't matter. Um state sectional results which I just went over. We also had um besides these three qualify we also had Caitlyn qualify in triple jump and our boys 4x8 team as well. And then the next uh slide is the state group results as I mentioned
before how they did and here's our meet champs results. So again they had an amazing season. I just want to give also a shout out to our our staff. Um obviously GB and Coach Hall and we have Coach McKeen and Coach Jay. Um but they
without them it doesn't work. They we really are a welloiled machine. We work super well together. Really grateful to be able to work with Greek people like this. thanks to uh my AD and administration as well, especially at PRM always being understanding of me having to get on a bus and um you know and the board and everything like that
and our school nurse and our maintenance guys who do everything they do with very I don't know how they get it all done with only having a couple guys they have. They really do a great job. So, uh super proud as usual and I don't I know I'm on a limit. Sorry I I
rambled, but uh thank you again for having us and uh we look forward to uh the next school year and have a happy summer. You did great. >> Thank you, Coach CHS. Um I just want to say that when she says welloiled machine, she's absolutely right. I met
with that staff last week to wrap up the season and they just get each other. They finish each other's sentences. They know what each other needs. They know how to be there for each other. Um We've really got a great staff on on our track team. So, thank you guys and great job to our student athletes. We're going to
move on to boys tennis. We had some first team honores in Max Hallnik, first team NJC, first team all academic. Sam Baldino, second team NJC, and all academic, Noah Evans, second team Njac, all academic. And Jonathan Sprag and
Michael Sprag were honorable mention for our tennis team. for golf. Coach Souls also had quite a few honores. And what's awesome is you're going to see all of our sports have first and second team honores and we have some really great athletes um along with some really really fantastic
teams. Brady Grippo was first team Njac and all academic at the NJAC meet. He went into a tiebreaker and lost on like the last stroke. Came in second, but he had a tremendous tremendous season. Kenneth Klein was first team Njack and all academic. Dylan Eslani, second team
NJAC, all academic. Gabriel Rodriguez, second team NJAC, all academic. And Joseph Ferrara, honorable mention. For boys lacrosse, they play in the NJILL, which is an intercolastic lacrosse league, which is done based mostly on strength of program. So, we're
playing teams that are equally as good of us as us, if not better. Um we had Peter Carrera Carrera uh Koreah first team NJIL Jesse Chomik first team Pat Descowitz first team Joey Batesil second team and
Matt Weiss was third team and that was in the risk division which is one of the higher divisions of of the NJILL. For girls lacrosse they had a tremendous season. They actually just finished up last Thursday. They had quite a few individual honors as well as as team
honors. Mattie Jaganti was first team NJIGLL all academic and third team Morris County. Madison Mortimer was first team NJIGLL all academic and second team Morris County. Lauren Mortimer was first team all academic NJIGLL
and first team Morris County. Kelly Donaldson was second team NJIGLL. All academic Morris County scholar athlete and honorable mention Morris County. Nicole Kates was second team all NJL and all academic. Emily Valle was second
team all academic and honorable mention all county and Olivia Tori Cello was honorable mention NJL. Notable milestones they had quite a few this year and it caught me off guard in the beginning because um some people don't know what some of these things mean but when you're scoring 200 points
it means you combine for a lot of goals and a lot of assists. Uh Mattie Jaganti finished her career with over 200 career points. Um she had over 200 career ground balls and over a 100red career goals. So she
actually finished with 140 goals, 227 career points, and 206 ground balls. And those are all really awesome accolades uh for her. Madison Mortimer was a goalie and finished with 100 career ground balls, which if you don't know anything about lacrosse is not easy because you're in goal. So, you're
coming out and picking up ground balls, which is a really aggressive goalie move. She finished with eight over 800 career saves over the course of her four years. Lauren Mortimer finished this second year of her career, she's only a
sophomore, with a 100 career goals. Uh she has over 200 career ground balls, 100 career force turnovers, and 300 career draw controls. So those are just where she's at right now. She's over those milestones. Um and she between the
two of them, uh Madison and Lauren broke quite a few school records, which I'm going to go over on the next slide. So Madison Mortimer holds a school record for career saves at 804 and saves in a season at 244. Uh, school records that Lauren Mortimer
holds as a sophomore is 149 single season ground balls, 200 career ground balls and counting, 239 single season draw controls, 378 career draw controls and counting, and 61 season cause
turnovers. Um, a lot of really great milestones for them and they just finished up last week. They had a a best record in the last 15 to 16 years. 16 and five. Of those five losses, three of them were by a goal. So, this easily
could have swung the other way to to an 18-2 season. Um, and they had a they had a really really great season and um really happy to watch them play. For baseball, uh, they were NJAC Independence Division co-champs. So,
congratulations to our baseball team on that. We had quite a few honors there as well. Brandon Nigel was first team all Njac and all academic. Dylan Castalano Smith was first team Njac and all academic. Uh Dylan Nyagel was first team Njac and all academic. Joseph De Jagger
was second team Njac. Braden Jones second team NJ and all academic. Those are two freshman. And Luca of course second team NJC and all academic. Luke Eisenanger was honorable mention NJ. A couple noteworthy things for our baseball team. We had D Castalano Smith
was a Morris Sussex player of the week uh for April 25th and he was also nominated to be a part of the NJC underclass all-star game. Uh he also I got an opportunity to watch him crush a ball over the over the fence this season. Um and it was about the 350
mark. So he he crushed one pretty good. I don't know if he had more, but he definitely had a really nice one at home here in our our park. Luca was the Morris County Player of the Week for May 15th. um having a really great week that week pitching and hitting. And Brandon
Nigel had over a hund currently at over a 100 career strikeouts and counting because he's only a junior. And he was also nominated for the NJACK underclass all-star game selection. That's actually going to be played on Monday night in Augusta Stadium out in Sussex County. So we're extremely proud of our baseball
team, NJAC Independent Independence Division Co-Champ. So congratulations to all of you. Thank you everybody. Okay. So, thank you again. Parents, students, you're welcome to stay if you'd like. I know you have other things you'd like to do, so I I get that. Um,
so what we'll do now is we'll return to regular business. And we do have a hardline stop at 8:30 for a very important executive session. So, um, I'll take a seat, Mr. President. Thank you. Give me one minute.
Okay, we'll go ahead and get uh started with the rest of the meeting. Um the committees did not meet this week due to um numerous uh district-wide events because we just could not everybody was so busy. So, um
there are no committee reports um but uh there are under finance of facilities several summer projects. So, we're approving all the summer projects that have been on our capital improvement list that we've been discussing, I think, at Nauseium for quite a few
months now. Um, and then the other big one under education, I will read resolution for Luca when we get to that policy and governance. Uh, we do have the parent bill of rights which was, um, as Mr. Mango said, a lot of work was put into that. We started working on that
back in December and we've been going through it with our lawyer and just reviewing um it links to all of our policies. So it was a lot of review on what we were how it was all linking together. So it took us quite a few months to put that together and that's under first reading for today. Um so
it's really it for committee reports and um our leazison since nobody's really met. All right. So, that brings us to petition and hearings for citizens for agenda items. If anybody has anything they want to speak to for agenda items, um you're welcome to come up. I'm going
to limit each person to three minutes so that we can move on because we do have an executive session at 8:30 if you could just um state your name so I know who you are. That's >> okay. And when my three minutes are up, my daughter's gonna take over. When my
three minutes are up, my daughter is going to take over. Okay. Her daughter can speak first, so yeah, that's great. Yeah. Okay. No, I'm just saying that if I go over the three minutes, she's going to pick up where I left off. >> Okay, folks. I'm I'm just going to put out a ground rule before we get started.
>> As I said, we do have an 8:30 executive session. We're not going to run a filibuster. Each person has their three minutes. >> We're not going to have a back and forth. Obviously, we realize why you're here. That's fine. You're welcome here. >> Thank you. >> Thank you.
>> Okay. Hi. Um, my name is Audrey Solarino. I've been 28 year resident here in Canalan. Three kids, they've all gone through the schools. Two have graduated, one's still in. Um, I'm here to continue the dialogue about the
parents bill of rights. Um, I'd like it said for the record and for everybody here, sounds innocuous, a parents bill of rights, right? Sounds harmless. Um, uh, I don't know. I had uh some questions at the last meeting about what
motivated it and I don't think we can talk about a parental bill of rights in Kennelan without talking about the parental bill of rights nationwide and in New Jersey and and uh specifically tied to the groups Moms for Liberty. Uh
for those of you who don't know, Moms for Liberty is a conservative American political organization founded during the pandemic that advocates for parental rights and public education, but is according to they themselves anti-public education. It claims hundreds of
chapters in many states, New Jersey included. The Marstown chapter encompasses Kimmelon. Um I could read you all of what's cited on their website. Um but I know its founder statements are religious in nature. The
ACLU, other organizations have called it a Christian nationalist group. Uh it sits on the advisory board of project 2025 and receives financial support from the very conservative Heritage Foundation. It calls public schools government schools. It calls teachers
unions terrorist organizations and advocates for the abolishment of the Department of Education. The NEA and the AFT teachers unions, the two biggest teachers unions, say that Moms for Liberty manufactures artificial chaos to undermine public education.
Okay. It also sees social emotional learning and critical race theory, which is not being taught. I work in higher education publishing. Critical race theory is not being taught in K through 12 as far as I've ever seen. It has an obsession and a mistaken belief that
government schools are sexualizing and indoctrinating children, advocating for laws like Florida's don't say gay bill, and openly calling transgenderism a mental illness in direct contradiction with what the American Psychological Association says.
Civil liberties groups such as the SPLC, the ACLU argue these bills compromise student privacy. They erase accurate minority and LGBTQ plus history and effectively weaponize public education. Okay. They also force the outing of homosexual
and trans kids, violating their rights and exposing them to abuse at home. I no more for liberty. Uh bringing it to New Jersey now. This bill of rights that was posted Friday is almost identical to the controversial one in Colts neck
and one of the first of a handful of New Jersey towns to try this. Okay, it's not specific to Kennelan but I could see at all uh there are rights left out of it. It's not a compendium of the rights here. There are paragraphs that have led to
legal morasses in other towns, okay, that I feel are going to waste vital resources, human and financial otherwise here. Uh, you know, the US attorney, New Jersey attorney general charged these towns
with violating New Jersey's law against discrimination. >> Listen, if we're going to make it to our A15 and you want more folks to speak, >> I have one more sentence, sir. >> Okay. >> Okay. Um, I worry that this so-called parents bill of rights will cause harm in a myriad of ways from further
dividing the town to putting teachers in impossible spots to inviting legal scrutiny that could waste vital resources and most importantly harming children. Hello, my name is Sophia Solarino. I
graduated in 2022 and before I speak, I'd like to urge everyone here just to consider what it means to be kind and to have a community. I am reading 3.3 from the parental uh bill of rights. Gender identity and
personal identity changes. The Kennalan Board of Education affirms the rights of parents or legal guardians to inquire and receive from school staff truthful and to the extent known information about their child. This
information includes but is not limited to any change in a student's asserted gender identity, pronouns, or preferred name expressed at school when different from those assigned at birth. This also includes information about their child's request to participate in
specific athletics, teams, or activities organized by sex. Parents or guardians have a right to inquire and receive truthful and to the extent known information about their child's use of sex specific facilities such as bathrooms or locker rooms. This parental
right is not intended to violate students legal rights, but promote parental involvement in accordance with prevailing law. Just Anyone who has not yet Carrie Wel, Kennelan High School, parent for the next three days.
When my children arrived in this district nine years ago, I saw a district working to expand access of rigorous curriculum, support all students through tiered supports, INRs, mental health, and equity initiatives. While no district was perfect, certainly
not this one, the direction was clear. Although there are still amazing teachers and counselors here, the last several years I've noticed the stark difference and where we are trending to an education from the 1980s where compliance over support is the focus.
Mr. Mango has mentioned many times that parents need to work harder and do better. As an educator, I appreciate the partnership with my families in my district. I continuously work focus groups, parent seminars, family meetings to help students. Expecting parents to support their
children and encouraging collaboration does not remove the district's responsibility to support its students. It is with that spirit that this board is advocating for the Bill of Rights. However, a parents bill of rights, a
true one, would not focus on only topics initiated in the culture wars. It would not omit the many rights parents actually do have while naming elusive rights that encourage silencing students. The Bill of Rights serves to increase lack of support for students
and decrease strong relationships between students and teachers. Right now, the only thing that parents have access to is what's written down under Furpa. Do teachers have to write down every time a stu student reveals something about themselves? Why only
transgender students? Are they writing down when a child tells a teacher, "I think I might be pregnant. I had sex yesterday." These are things that teachers do hear from kids. Are you going to police your teachers on what children are saying to them? The document also fails to
enumerate many rights parents already possess. They're under 15, 30, 40 polic policies that are confusing, but they don't specify the parents have the right to appeal discipline decisions, HIVs,
Title 9, Affirmative Action, special education, 504. They have a right to seek investigations and file complaints when they believe their child's civil rights is being violated. A true parents bill of rights would inform families of these rights rather than focusing on
divisive culture issues. We are so focused on culture wars, we are failing to acknowledge the school climate is falling apart in this district. We are failing to acknowledge that racism, anti-semitism, homophobia are all here
and stronger than before and the last two perpetuated by this board of education. So I ask, when is the new B bullying curriculum being brought in? Where is the district in its process of implementing multi-tiered systems of supports? I've been told by your
supervisor that you are way behind. It is time to do work of educating children. Hi there. My name is Elizabeth Bement. Um, when my husband and I moved to Kennelan five years ago, we did so with the intention of planting roots. >> I'm sorry. Could you say your name again?
>> Sure. It's Elizabeth Bment. >> Be bott. That's a tough one to spell over the phone. I'll give you that. When my husband and I moved to Kennelan 5 years ago, we did so with the intention of planting roots and raising a family here. Though we did not yet have children, we felt comfortable settling
down here because we heard really great things about the school district. Now, we are blessed to have an almost 2-year-old. And so far, we have loved raising him in this beautiful little corner of New Jersey. And being here tonight and seeing some of the wonderful and accomplished students of this district being celebrated makes me look
forward to sending our little one off to school one day. But we also have concerns about the changing climate of the school district. And I feel the proposed parental bill of rights reflects that changing climate. Now, at first glance, like a previous speaker mentioned, such a policy may seem innocuous, but portions of this policy
are very closely aligned with the agenda of far-right groups that vocally oppose LGBTQ and racially inclusive curriculum and advocate for the suppression of historical accuracies and even book bans. I am concerned that portions of this policy will have a chilling effect that will negatively impact the depth,
breadth, quality, and accuracy of the education my child will one day receive. I am worried that students who identify as LGBTQ plus who feel most comfortable confiding in a teacher or a school counselor, no matter the reason, um will no longer feel safe doing so. I am
worried that making such pointed efforts to single out issues impacting already marginalized groups will make the learning and social climate of Kinolan schools less friendly and welcoming to its diverse student body. And I'm not alone in this. I know there I know other young families with young children approaching school age who feel
similarly. We just want our children to have a rigorous education that in an age appropriate way reflects the complexities of the real world and for all students to feel safe and welcome and supported at school. So on that note, I urge everyone in this room to think more care carefully about the impact that passing this policy will
have on educational quality, student safety, and enrollment. A school district that aligns itself with the policies and priorities of far-right groups runs the risk of damaging its reputation and desiraability for the majority of families who are not actually interested in fanning the flames of the culture wars. Thank you
for your time. Jessica Ramola. Sorry, I could say that again. Jessica Ramola. I'm a little short. My concerns with the proposed parental bill of rights far exceed the time that I have at this microphone. Know that any
complaint raised here today regarding this policy, I likely share. And I am hoping to continue this conversation when there is a back and forth. Because there's not. I want to use my time a little differently. Starting with a poem by Pastor Martin W. Mhler.
First they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I was not a communist. Then they came for the socialists and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade
unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me. and there was no one left to speak out for me. This poem was written in 1946. I may be white, cisgender, and straight,
but I am also Jewish. I have been taught from a young age to watch for the signs of history repeating itself. The Holocaust did not start with death camps and gas chambers. It started like this. Policies that are worded in a way that sound reasonable to an untrained eye.
fringe perspectives held by people in power claiming to be representing the majority. Attacks on public education and books. A community full of people who may whisper their disapproval behind closed doors but turn a blind eye in public forums. When I first moved to
Kennelan in 2019, I lived for several years in Faith and Lakes, a community where I would not have been permitted to reside as a Jewish person just 70 years ago. But at the time, I didn't know that. All I knew or thought I knew about the town was that it was quiet and
beautiful and had an impeccable school district. So when it came time to buy our first house together in 2024, my husband and I had our hearts set to be back in Kennelan permanently. It was the best we can imagine for our then six-month old child. I hear people talking about how
anti-semitism in Kennelan is rising. To me, it sounds like it's simply back in vogue to be open about it again. And the funny thing about anti-semitism is that it's the canary in the coalmine of intolerance. Hate begets hate. And when anti-semitism rises, so do attacks on other vulnerable communities. I know
that you're not coming for Jewish students today. You're coming for trans students. But I know the playbook, and I won't wait for you to come for my child to start speaking up. If this is the town Kennelan is truly proud to be, exclusionary, intolerant, fixated on purity of race and culture, oppressive
toward anything that challenges your already held worldview, then it isn't the town that I thought it was. And Kennelan School District is certainly not the education system that we moved here for. Every time you attack culture and diversity, our school ranking goes down. And with it, our reputation, our
property values, and I'm guessing, your enrollment rates. So, let me state this for the record. If this is the path you are choosing for Kennelon schools, my household will become one more that would rather opt for a private education than expose my child to a culture that wears hatred and intolerance like badges
of honor. Thank you. >> Hi, my name is Natalie Edelhouser. Can I go ahead? I know it's hard to have lived in Kennelan for 13 years and I've come to know this town as my home. It is where my husband and started our family and we are now raising two children enrolled in Kennelan schools.
My husband and I, like many families in Kennelan, chose this town because of the reputation of its schools. I'm very concerned about how this bill parental bill of rights will impact the school's reputation, our district, our town, and the parental rights movement comes as the parental rights movement comes into
focus as a priority for this district. I am further concerned how such a reputation can impact student enrollment and our district's ability to attract talented and skilled educators. In June 2023, four New Jersey school districts adopted parental rights policies addressing topics similar to
those in Kinnowan's parental bill of rights, including provisions related to a protected class of students who are addressed in Kennelan Bill of Rights under section 3.3. It's titled gender identity and personal identity changes. Those districts faced lawsuits for discrimination and ultimately lost their
cases and were required to stop policy enforcement. In November 2025, Coltsneck district adopted a parent bill of rights which appears nearly identical to the Skinnelon parent bill of rights. That policy has proven divisive, controversial, and polarizing within the Colts neck community and has serious
potential for legal challenges. The kinolan parent bill of rights unnecessarily stokes division in our community and opens our district to vulnerabilities for costly legal challenges that can serve as a distraction from important and pressing matters our district currently faces.
Has the board determined that current existing New Jersey law is not sufficient in allowing apparent access to student records. So much so that it requires the time, energy, and resources from our board to create additional policy that singles out topics like gender identity, and expansion of opt-
out preferences. Has legal defense been incorporated into the district's 2027 budget? And if so, how much are we willing to spend on litigation defending this policy? As a parent, I respect that other families may find some of the topics in school curriculum objectionable or
concerning. However, I'm concerned that in an effort to minimize the logistical complications of separating children out during the review of certain topics, the school will self censor or modify the curriculum in a way that limits my children's educational opportunities. What new rights does this bill actually
provide to parents where existing New Jersey policy doesn't already address the need of the for the right to opt out? Parents should control opt outs for their own children, but no parent requests should be allowed to censor or limit access to curriculum, books, or instruction for children whose families
do not wish to opt out from curriculum. I am requesting specific language be added to this policy prior to any vote that details the specific optout out processes, who decides whether opt- out requests affect only one student or the whole class, how teachers will be trained to navigate opt-out expansions,
how the district will ensure nonopted out students still receive full instruction without limitation, modification, or elimination of any content outlined in the curriculum. I further request that these changes be presented in a public redline draft before the next reading and vote by this
time. >> Thank you. >> Hi Lou, it's good to see you. >> Hello friends. >> How are you? >> Louis Wel, the younger one. Same address though. >> Um, my name is Louis Wel and I'm a graduate of the 2023 class of Kinan High School. And I don't think it's shy to
believe that parents love their children. They want to know what's happening in their lives. They want to protect them, guide them, and be involved in important decisions. Those are natural fears and concerns. And I do not believe parents should be excluded from their children's lives. But I also want to consider another group whose fears are often missing from the
conversation, at least during mine, the students themselves. As an LGBTQ plus student that grew up in Kennelan High School, the public school system, I lived with fear, too. I was frequently called slurs in the hallways. There were times when I was threatened because of who I was. I was also outed by another
member of the Kan High School before I was ready for the world to know. And suddenly, a deep personal part of my identity was no longer mine to share. Someone else had made that decision for me. Those experiences caused me not always feel comfortable seeking help. I did not see visible support for LGBTQ plus students, and I was not convinced
that speaking up would make things better. That feeling of isolation is something no student should have to experience. In fact, was one of the reasons why I helped start the gay straight alliance at Kan High School with the help of the last superintendent Diane D. Jeppi. I wanted LGBT plus students and their
allies to have a place where they felt supported, valued, and safe. I wanted students who came after me to know that they were not alone. When I read this proposed policy, I knew that some students would feel the same isolation that I want felt. Your policy specifically addresses a student's gender identity, pronouns, preferred
name, participation athletics, and the use of facilities as stated before. Whether one agrees with the provision or not, it is important to recognize who is being discussed. We're talking about young people who already faced disproportionately high levels of bullying, harassment, and violence. Across the country, transgender students
have been beaten, hospitalized, and targeted simply because of who they are. In Minnesota, a transgender student suffered a broken jaw after an attack outside the school bathroom. In Massachusetts, a transgender teenager was left with permanent nerve damage after being assaulted by a group of peers. In Washington State and other transgender students suffered a
traumatic brain injury after being targeted by their gender identity. These are extreme examples, but they highlight a reality that many LGBT plus students already understand. Being different can make you a target. That's why trust matters. For some students, school is the place where they find trusted
adults, supportive peers, and confidence to eventually have difficult conversations with their families. Policy policies should encourage these relationships to have difficult conversations and not create new fears about whether seeking support will lead to consequences that they are not prepared
for. This is not a choice between parents and students. We should reject that false choice. Strong schools depend on strong partnerships between students, families, educators, and administrators. My concern is simply that in our efforts to address one set of fears, we do not
unintentionally create another. As someone who's walked these hallways, who's experienced harassment, who was outed before I was ready, and who worked to create a more welcoming environment for your future students, I urge the board to carefully consider how this policy will affect the most vulnerable students in our district. Every student deserves to feel safe. Every student
deserves to feel supported, and every student deserves to know that their school is a place where they can seek help without fear. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good evening, board. My name is Matthew Debrino. I have a child at Keel School.
I didn't quite come as prepared as many of the people came with written statements and I'm happy I didn't because it gives me an opportunity to first commend everyone that came and spoke on their beliefs because everyone is going to have different beliefs and I think in the spirit of finding a solution is that everyone listens to
each other and I heard a lot of uh very interesting comments. What I find that ironic about this is this is following an award ceremony where we pointed out how compassionate and kind and wonderful the children of
the Kinolan school system are and that's a testament to the administration and that's a testament to the policies that the board of education has put in place. It is my understanding that these polities are policies are all pre-existing. They're just now getting
codified in one bill of rights. And when I think about it, we've heard a lot throughout the course of all the comments about what happens on a national level. But we can't look at this as a national level because that's not the way government works and that's not the way politics works. We are our
own community. We're a kinolan. We're a wonderful community. I fought my ass off to make sure I could get here and raise my child within this school district. And I fully support the parents bill of rights. And the reason I support the parents bill of rights is that there's
no greater trust a child could have than with his family. We have to keep parents involved in the education. We have to make sure they know exactly what's going on. No one delivered a child and expected the state or the board of education or the teachers to raise that
child. That's our responsibilities as parents. And I hope that parents start to foster a more trustworthy environment for their children. So as these situations come up, there is no fear. If there's fear of a child and having their
parent know something about them, to me, that's more a parental familial issue than it is an educational issue. Um, I think that family and the family unit and structure is the basis of everything we have in this country. And as we see that start
to falter is when we see a lot of the issues that we see facing ourselves within this community but also on a grander national scale. I have heard a lot of my biggest fear is that we're talking hypotheticals. We're talking what may happen. There have been some very good examples and I empathize with
the examples that have been presented. Uh we're human. We love each other. I love everyone in this room whether or not you have the same beliefs as me or not. But we cannot take away a parents rights. the parents ability to raise their children to share their values to build the morals based on hypotheticals
that may or may not happen. I fully support the parental bill of rights. I fully support uh some of the discussion that they want back and forth is some of these policies need a little tweaking. That's what we're here for is to make sure that the language is correct. But in no way, shape or form should a
parent's rights ever be taken away to have involvement in their children's education or decision-making. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good evening everyone. Louis Wel the fourth the fifth. Um so I just want to go a different direction. I'm very much
fact based and I think board of education should be fact based as well. I don't think some of the parent bill of rights reflects that. So 14 and six 14% of straight kids think about committing suicide.
% do 37 and 19 gay and lesbian 37% of gay and lesbian kids think about suicide 19 committed and then 48 and 27 48% bisexual youth
think about suicide 27 committed it is not because LGBTQ is wrong it's because the people are telling them they're wrong and I section 3.3 is pointing us down a path where we're
telling these youths they're wrong. So 62% according to the CDC of LGBTQ youth say they do not have an affirming household. That's almost two
out of three households. They do not have the support of their family. So school like my son was a safe space for him. And I think what we're missing here in the parent bill of rights is the students rights. We're so concerned
about the parents rights. We haven't thought about what students need. My son needed space and time until he was ready to tell my wife. That was very important. Some staff and other adults knew before my wife and I
did. I am not upset about that. He needed to tell us, our students need to tell their parents on their own time. 3.3 basically tells our LGBTQ youth, if you tell us, if you trust us, we're
going to tell mommy and daddy. We are pushing our kids back into the closet while they're still living in our community, while they're still in our classrooms. We're telling them, don't tell us. Don't be you.
I'd like you to table the parent bill of rights until you can further develop it. I agree parents do have the right to I really appreciate the gentleman who came before. I agree with his wish of that.
But I do think you need to work on this. I ask you to take So there was an email that uh was also sent by Mr. Frank Hohorse. Um he had an issue with um the excusal
from class or program is already referenced within this proposed parents bill of rights through an embedded link that clearly outlines a process by which parents may excuse their children from instruction they find morally consciously or religiously objectionable given that these protections already
exist is unclear why section 4.2 to expands upon those rights with additional language mentioning interference with religious development or empowering parents to guide their ch child's moral and religious upbringing. Um he then goes on to say uh the rights of
parents who are stopped out is equally important to explicitly protect the rights of parents who want their children to receive the curriculum which was already stated by a previous person. And I request that the policy include language stating that nothing in the Bill of Rights shall be interpreted to remove, dilute, delay, or otherwise
restrict instruction required by law. It does we couldn't do that anyway. And it clearly does state that it would not violate or restrict required things required by law. So I'm not really sure what he's alluding to. I'm concerned that the proposed policy provides little
detail regarding implementation. the public not informed what procedures will be created, how staff will be trained, what resources will be required or how alternative assignments will be developed, administered. These responses will fall on teachers, counselors, nurses, administrators who are already under significant workloads. Uh adopting
additional requirements board should clearly explain the operational impact, staffing needs, associated costs. Finally, asked where the board has evaluated potential conflicts between the policy and the professional, ethical, and legal obligations of district employee counselors, nurses, and mental health professionals as legal reviewed these issues and advised the
board. Yes, we we did uh use legal counsel and they have advised us. Uh my concern is that this policy appears to create significant administrative instructional burdens in area where existing district policy already provides parents without rates.
So there's a couple of things I'd like to state. Um and uh I I I don't I have heard of Moms of Liberty. I don't really know much about them. This has nothing to do with Moms of Liberty. I thank you for the synopsis of them. I I don't um this really
nothing about Moms of Liberty. Um we are always compliant with law, state law and policies and um we always support our students. That that's the intent of us being here. We support our students and our parents. Um
the I think um there's a lot sometimes where people kind of go down like this isn't going to affect like there there's this is a an a synopsis of existing policies. Opting
out is always an option for parents and there has they have been able to opt out since 2021 2022 when we redid them the health curriculum that that it just links to that opt out policy. Many people complained about they wanted to
opt in. They they they would have preferred that when we had a room full of people here back then and that was not allowed by law. They can't opt in. So they can only opt out. So if they don't opt out, their kids get that instruction. So, we've been doing that already. We have very few people that
opt out. Um, but it's in there and it's just all linked and if you want to use it, it's it's there for you. Our goal that when I got on the board was to try to make things more transparent, easier for people to use. We set up Colt Connect, which has all of our um our
data points of what we're doing and how we're accomplishing it. We now send out emails, synopsises of our board meetings, so it's easier for people that links the board agendas and the board me kind of synopsis um provides a synopsis
of the board meeting and lays down all the things that we acted on and voted on. This is just another um goal for the board to be more transparent and make it a little easier for parents. So, we put all of the policies are at the end. Not
all of them are linked in the directly in the document, but they're all under each section. There's several and that just helps people because when you go on the policy part of the website, it's very large and you have to know exactly under what section you might find
something. So, we just were making this easier for people. It all pre-exists. There's nothing new here and we had it vetted by our lawyer. There's no, it actually states that if any law changes, new curriculum comes out and we haven't
adapted the policy, that supersedes the policy as it always does. And the intent is just to provide an ability. Parents should know what's happening with their kids in school. That's all. They should be able to support them because the parents are their number one
educator and they have their be the kids' best interest at heart. Now, Mr. um senior did bring up a good point about um we will we're not this is the first reading. We have an opportunity to take some of the information that was
shared tonight and look at the language and make some changes before the second reading. Um so I do like what you said about um there there's probably some nuance there about when something's shared privately with someone whether it has to be
reported or not. and I I've read it a couple of times and you do bring up a good point. So, um I think we'll have to take a look at that and we'll look at that with the lawyer. So, thank you for providing that that comment. That was that was an interesting comment. Um Dave,
>> so I I just have a few things. Um number one, I believe the gentleman who spoke, Mr. I don't have my de Bruno, what you said I I uh I appreciate, but Um I also agree with I also agree with
with Mr. Wel senior but I always enjoyed watching Junior and hearing Junior speak. So I think that um everybody has good points of view. Try to take as many notes as we can. We did receive one in exact uh not exact session before the board meeting through email. So that'll
all be taken in consideration. Obviously it's a living breathing document. Um so there's time. I'm also going to say this. So, you wanted to come here tonight so you could film this. I am a
proud third generation Italian American Catholic. My grandparents faced enormous bigotry and racism in this country well
over a hundred years ago. My grandfathers won a war hero against the Nazis. one a chemist for Vince Dupont. Don't ever use Nazi and look in my direction.
Everything else that was said, no problem. I'm letting you know straight. Thank you. We have regular business. Let's just move forward. >> Okay, that closes the public comment section.
All right. So, what I'd like to do is have a motion for roll call on a block vote for agenda items A, B, C, and D. Can I have a motion? >> Motion. >> Second. Okay. Discussion. Um, like I mentioned, there are some uh
projects that we're approving that are based on um previous discussions. I'm actually really excited about some of the work we're doing the um path from the athletics and actually the visitors stands which we really do need um and
improving bathrooms in the high school which we're doing them bit by bit um but they really do need to be done um and then I want to read Luca's resolution okay so
whereas Luca Anelo Fiorina has served with distinction on the Kennelan Board of Education and whereas through his leadership, the Kennel Board of Education has gained fresh insights into student concerns, student priorities, and what is on the mind of young people in the community. And whereas he has further contributed to
the community by serving as a valuable spokesperson, sharing the student perspective at board meetings. And whereas Luca Anelo Fiorini's exemplary commitment to fellow students and the school district has promoted clear communication between the board, district administration, and the student
body. and where as Luca has maintained professional decorum at board meetings, shown respect to board members and strived to learn the proper etiquette of serving on the school board and he has demonstrated a commitment to advancing the education of all students without neglecting their own responsibility to
strive for success in the classroom. Now therefore, be it resolved that the Kennelan Board of Education recognizes Luca Enelo Fiorini dedication and commitment to advancing educational opportunity and open communication between the board, district administrators, and the student body.
And be it further resolved that the member the members of the Kennel Board of Education extends their sincere appreciation to Luca for his dedicated service on the Kennel Board of Education. and be of further resolve that the members of the Kennel Board of Education extend their best wishes to Luca in all his future endeavors and
we'll see you next year. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Does anybody have anything else? Any comments on any of the agenda items? No. Okay. Can you pull the board, please? >> Mrs. Geyser here. >> Mrs. Leonard? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Pella? >> Yes.
>> Mrs. Donaldson? >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Okay. So, committee of the whole nothing. Unfinished business. Anyone? No. Unfinished business. New business. Anybody? Nothing new. Okay. Correspondents already read the one. Okay. We have
petitions and hearings of citizens non-aggenda items. So, anything you want to say to us like how awesome we are, how excited you are for the summer, it's going to storm during graduation week. Nothing. Okay. All right. Um,
we're going to skip board member comments and we are going to go to exec. So, can I have a motion to go into executive session? >> Oh. Oh, sorry. Yes. Yes. We didn't vote. Sorry. I'm so sorry. Um, you're right. So, can you No, she did. Oh, you did.
>> Yeah, she did. >> Oh, you do. Okay. So we have to unvote. All right. So >> Okay. So I need a motion to resend the vote for the >> right. So for the uh roll call on block
uh block vote on ABC and D. So can I have a motion to resend? >> Motion. >> Second. >> Okay. Now I'd like to make a motion to for a block vote on agenda items A, B, C, and D with the exception of
Okay. What's up? >> Okay. Sorry. Right. >> So, vote to resend. >> Mrs. Geyser. >> Yes. Mrs. Leonard. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Pa. Yes. Mrs. >> Yes. Okay. Now, motion to revote. >> Motion.
>> Okay. >> Mrs. Geyser. >> All right. But this is with the exception of the >> Yes. The Stony Brook which is number 24. >> Mrs. Geyser. Yes. Mrs. Leonard. >> Yes. >> Mr. Carella. Yes. And Mrs.
>> Yes. Okay. And the So then we are now from um HIP number 24. We are going to um Yes. We're going to um postpone the vote and refer this back to policy. So, can I
have a motion to postpone the vote on the HIP number 24 to uh refer this back to the policy committee? Motion >> and vote on that, please. >> Mrs. Geyser, >> yes. >> Mrs. Leonard, >> yes. >> Mrs. Pella, yes. >> Mrs. Donaldson,
>> yes. Okay. Lot of talking. All right. Now, unfinished business, new business correspondence. Okay. Back to no more community member comments. Okay. Now, can I have a motion to go into executive session?
>> Motion second. >> Vote. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Okay, that concludes the public part of our meeting. Thank you so much for coming and uh yeah. Oh, sorry. Yes, this
is their student matters