Ridgewood NJ, At all regular meetings, two opportunities are provided for citizens to make comments. The public comment periods will be scheduled after presentations and approximately 9:00 p.m. or just prior to the end of the meeting, whichever occurs first. The first opportunity may be limited by the presiding officer to conclude at about 8:00 p.m. in order for the Board to continue with its scheduled agenda. The second opportunity will occur at about 9:00 p.m. at the discretion of the presiding officer taking into consideration a break point in the agenda.
At every opportunity for public comment, citizens are invited to comment on subjects on the agenda or general topics.
At the discretion of the presiding officer, public comments may be permitted at other times.
Persons wishing to speak must, upon being recognized, rise, sign in, and state their names and addresses. Each speaker shall be limited to four minutes. The Board Recorder will note the time. A speaker who has not finished in the allotted time will be directed by the presiding officer to summarize quickly and relinquish the floor within 30 seconds.
Comments shall be limited to issues. If personal remarks or discourteous statements are made, the presiding officer shall require the speaker to stop. No person will be recognized for a second time until all others asking to speak have been heard.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Board of Education is considering changes to the 2019-2020 school year calendar that would increase the number snow days, schedule a full week for the February Recess and maintain the April Recess intact. A brief survey will be emailed to parents, guardians and staff to get feedback on the options under consideration.
The survey will be emailed on Thursday, May 31 to all Ridgewood Public Schools parents, guardians and staff with emails addresses on file and be open through Friday, June 8.
Survey takers will be asked to provide input on a draft calendar for 2019-2020 that raises the number of snow days from two to four, with a proviso that unused snow days will be converted to long weekends after the winter season ends. Under consideration is a start date in late August in order to provide a full week off for each of the February and April breaks and end school the third week in June in time for summer camp start dates and college orientations.
The draft revisions for 2019-2020 were developed to address the issues that arise when there is an excess of school closings due to weather emergencies. This year the district used four snow days, requiring students and staff to make up two instructional days during the Spring Recess week. The Board also is interested in offering a week-long February Recess, which this school year consisted of a long weekend.
Ridgewood NJ, Dr. Fishbein pens letter on school bus safety .In light of the tragic Paramus school bus accident, Dr. Fishbein addresses safety concerns of parents and guardians in this letter dated May 29, 2018.
May 29, 2018
Dear Parents, Guardians, and Staff:
I know you share my thoughts of sympathy and prayers of healing for our neighbors in Paramus as they cope with the tragedy of the recent school bus accident. As student and staff safety is our top priority, I also would like to share some thoughts about school bus safety in Ridgewood.
Our district has a small fleet of three, 16-passenger buses. Bus transportation for our daily routes, both regular education and special education, and field trips and athletics, are handled by contracts with some of the largest school transportation companies in the state whose buses are designed to be highly visible and include protective seating and structural elements that make these vehicles safer in the event of an accident.
According to the National Highway Safety Administration, school buses are “the most regulated vehicles on the road.” New Jersey is among the 49 states in the nation that require seat belts on all school buses. Each bus is inspected by the state twice a year and also by each driver before every trip. Additionally, school bus drivers must follow road safety rules that are not required of drivers of regular passenger cars.
All school bus drivers undergo a criminal history review when hired, and each year thereafter the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE) requires a review of their driving history to be provided by the Department of Motor Vehicles. (These driver abstracts are not public documents and can only be viewed by the driver, government, and employer.) Bus company owners are required to submit driver credentials to the DOE County Office in which their company is located.
Individuals who incur violations while employed as drivers are required to notify their employer immediately. Our drivers, as well as contracted drivers, go through additional yearly training such as defensive driving, city driving and overall transportation safety, along with regular safety meetings. Likewise, students and staff perform emergency drills on a yearly basis. Drivers must also pass periodic medical exams and drug screenings. In Ridgewood, even before the Paramus tragic accident, we developed a process whereby our Coordinator of Transportation will conduct morning spot checks of contracted drivers to make sure they have the proper credentials.
I understand everyone’s concern about their child’s safety. I also understand any reluctance that our parents and guardians might have at this time about their child riding on school buses. The district respects the decision of parents and guardians who choose not to send their child on field trips or to athletic events that require bus transportation even though their child will miss the activity. It is the responsibility of parents and guardians who choose not to send their child on the daily bus to coordinate their transportation.
Below are links that might be of interest to you and contain additional information regarding bus safety and driver qualifications:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety#2331
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/…/legal-notice-motorcoach-operati…
https://www.state.nj.us/…/inspection/schoolbus/noflash/endor…
https://www.nj.gov/…/transportation/training/requirements.pdf
Again, I understand everyone’s concerns. I am sure there will be bus industry follow up to the many questions raised by the Paramus tragedy. While we wait for answers, Ridgewood will continue to explore opportunities to further enhance our bus safety protocols.
Sincerely,
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Ridgewood Public Schools
Ridgewood NJ, On Friday, June 8, the Ridgewood High School Band Program will host a picnic barbecue to welcome alumni band members back to RHS, and to offer good luck wishes to the 34 members of the band who will graduate from the high school later this month. The event will be held on the RHS Front Lawn from 5 – 7PM and is free to band members, alumni and their families.
The band has had a long tradition of honoring its senior members with a reception following their final performance at the annual “Tunes in June” concert. In 2015, that reception was moved to a date following the concert to encourage greater attendance. The band had also established an annual fall tradition of welcoming former band members back to Ridgewood as alumni, but with the football team no longer playing on Thanksgiving morning, the band lost its traditional pre-game “Breakfast with the Band” alumni gathering. Now, with the hundredth anniversary of the band just a few years away, the band directors are making a concerted effort to connect with band alumni. It is hoped that the Friday evening date in June will allow for both celebrations to take place concurrently.
All current band members, seniors, alumni and their families are invited to attend the Alumni Welcome Back & Senior Send Off Barbecue, which will feature hamburgers, hot dogs, and other traditional picnic fare, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Admission to the event is free, thanks to the generous support of the RHS Band Association, Inc. However, those planning to attend must RSVP to be placed on the list for admission. To RSVP, please complete the response form at https://tinyurl.com/RHSBBQ18 or complete the RSVP form on the band’s website at www.rhsbands.org.
For more information, contact Jeffrey Haas at (201) 670-2800 x20639 / [email protected] or John Luckenbill at (201) 670-2800 x20744 / [email protected].
Trenton NJ, The Senate Labor Committee (Chairman Fred H. Madden, D-Camden/Gloucester) and the Senate Education Committee (Chairwoman M. Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex) will meet jointly Thursday, May 31, at noon to hear testimony from invited speakers on the topics of teacher sexual misconduct, the reporting of child abuse in schools and the process for tenure charge arbitration in the case of teacher sexual misconduct.
Speakers will include child advocates, state education officials and representatives of school boards, school administrators, teachers’ unions, county prosecutors and parents.
The joint hearing has been called in response to the release online of several videos showing teachers’ union officials in several New Jersey school districts telling individuals that they do not need to report alleged cases of teacher-on student assault or teacher-on-student sexual assault.
The hearing will be held in Committee Room 6 of the State House Annex in Trenton.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Library presents traditional Italian songs with award-winning tenor Salvatore Chiarelli and pianist Ishmael Wallace. All welcome; donations greatly appreciated.
Salvatore Chiarelli, a native of New York City, was vocally trained in both Italy and New York City for the opera stage. Mr. Chiarelli has been heard on Television and Radio as well as on the Opera Stages of both North America and Europe. He has performed as a soloist on satellite television reaching seventy five countries around the world. At the very outset of his vocal training he was one of only three Tenors chosen in the United States to participate in a five week concert tour of Europe.
In a short time, Mr Chiarelli has established himself as a “world class performer and entertainer receiving rave reviews from his critics. Performing to capacity-sold out crowds. Mr. Chiarelli has an excellent reputation on and off stage and has a loyal and dedicated following of fans.
Some of the venues he has performed at include: concert halls, opera houses, theaters, auditoriums, corporate events, playhouses, catering halls, country clubs, restaurants(dinner/lunch shows), churches, synagogues, colleges, universities, cultural centers, community centers, libraries, private gated communities, civic organizations, cruise ships, hotels, clubs, parks, outdoor festivals and stadiums.
Mr. Chiarelli has been a finalist for several regional vocal competitions through out the U.S. and has been the recipient of several distinguished artist awards.
Mr. Chiarelli has a wide singing range, sings in seven languages and many different styles and genre of music. In addition, he has sung as a church soloist in Manhattan and the N.Y. Metro area for over fourteen years.
Ridgewood Public Library Presents a Sunday Concert- “from italy with love”
Sun, June 10, 2018
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Ridgewood Public Library, 125 N. Maple Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Ridgewood NJ, this email was sent to the BOE and various Ridgewood school officials on the bullying problem in Ridgewood elementary schools.
To the administration in Ridgewood public schools:
Let me ask this district a question.
How does addressing a known and long term meanness and bullying problem in elementary school, by threatening suspensions and community service, actually help the problem??
The underlying long term problem of meanness and nastiness within your school? I’m saying you’ve known. I’m saying you’ve added to it. I’m saying you’ve done NOT ENOUGH to stop it. For years.
You did finally actually address the problem. But you did it in the manner of putting out the fire once started, Rather than actually address the problem at the root.
Threatening community service and suspension from school to students who are 9 years old does nothing except to add drama and angst to a situation you ignored long enough to become this big of an issue.
And yes. I posted about this on Facebook. I intend to make this VERY public. Very. I intend to take the (many) Mother’s on board with me who want to see change and not simply threats, and we will publicly hold all Ridgewood School accountable for the children they’re responsible for. Mothers who for a variety of reasons don’t want to rock the boat about how badly our kids feel and are treated in your care.
There are many. You have a wide spread problem. We want to see these kids CHOOSE KIND and we want you to help.
It’s remarkable how many mothers you can mobilize in 24 hours and if There’s a lull please be advised we are working on it. It won’t last.
Please know. YES. There will be no hiding from what goes on anymore. We expect to see how you implement CHOOSE KIND and we expect to see it swiftly.
This district will no longer happily raise our taxes and in conjunction provide less for our students. Particularly students who have an IEP and should be protected from the bullying, assaulting behaviors which brought this about.
Your method of threatening students with detention suspension doesn’t work. It’s putting out fires. What you need to do is become proactive and stop it at the source. Be a leader. Make your school one which chooses to be kind, choose kind, show kindness. Not one which threatens bad behavior in to secrecy and blame.
I say enough and I’m bringing a Mom army with me.
CHOOSE KIND should be a dominant statement within Ridgewood schools and homes starting NOW. What are you going to do to help that.
Ridgewood Nj, from “It takes a Ridgewood Village Facebook page ;
“Please join me in contacting Mr. Jeffrey Hauger, Director of the Office of Assessments for the NJ State Department of Education as we have just been notified that students in the class of 2020 no longer meet graduation requirements if they did not take the PARCC this year. The previous requirements meant that if you took the PARCC ELA Grade 9 and PARCC Algebra 1 and passed, you had met the requirements.
The Department of Education did not notify RHS of the updated requirements until after our tests were already administered, forcing them to be partially re-administered next week. Our school has tried unsuccessfully to appeal this decision and it has been denied. I have many issues with this test, but I really have an issue with them continually adjusting their requirements. Enough. He can be reached at 609-376-3960 or [email protected] “
Ridgewood NJ, shades of the Garden States future , Illinois is losing more citizens than nearly every other state, and according to reports, the biggest reason citizens are leaving is that they can no longer afford to live in the Land of Lincoln.
In Illinois like New Jersey , the major reason people leave is because the state is simply taxing them out of their homes, according to Chicago’s WGN TV.Illinois lost 33,703 citizens to outward migration last year. In 2016, the state lost another 37,508 people. A report by the Chicago Tribune also noted that Chicago has been a net loser of its citizens for the last three years running. And the surrounding county were also a net loser of its population.
Changes in federal tax law , have made it exceedingly expensive to live in high tax states like New Jersey .
Will Governor Murphy’s massive tax increases , and forced over development , be the straw to break the camels back and locally will the massive new $110 million school budget ,plus millions in school bond financing finally force the last tax payers to head for the hills ?
Will this years school year end with massive flight from town?
Hackensack NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announces the formation of the Bergen County Safe Schools Task Force. The Task Force will take a multi-disciplinary approach to the issue of school safety, with the primary focus on developing best practices for prevention and response to potential school shooting situations.
According to Acting Prosecutor Calo, “The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office (“BCPO”) and all of Bergen County Law Enforcement place the highest priority on the safety of our children, our schools, and school personnel.” He also noted that the BCPO has been at the forefront of the effort to ensure the safety of our schools and communities. For example, in 2013, the BCPO introduced a School Security Initiative comprised of officers from various Bergen County municipal police agencies. To further this effort, the BCPO sponsored training by Texas A & M University Engineering Extension Service (“TEEX”). As a result of that training, 56 police officers and 41 school security professionals were certified to conduct risk and vulnerability school assessments. Since then, Bergen County has coordinated the security assessments of 165 public and 56 private schools. The BCPO has also partnered with Bergen County municipal law enforcement agencies, the New Jersey Department of Education, and the New Jersey State Police to conduct unannounced visits to local schools to monitor and provide technical assistance for the enhancement of their lock-down procedures. To date, these unannounced visits have involved 66 schools from 42 school districts.
In 2017, the BCPO totally overhauled Bergen County law enforcement’s active shooter policy and training curriculum. Together with Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino and the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association, the BCPO trained every police officer in Bergen County in these new response protocols. Additionally, the BCPO, in conjunction with the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department, instituted the Regional SWAT Team’s mobile patrol, which puts specially trained and equipped officers on routine patrol throughout Bergen County for a more rapid and effective response to emergency situations, such as active shooter calls.
In addition to law enforcement’s efforts, many Bergen County school, mental health, and private sector professionals have been hard at work to address the dangers presented by active shooter situations. It is the goal of this newly formed task force to bring all of these professionals together under one umbrella to identify and implement best practices to address this problem in Bergen County.
The Acting Prosecutor has appointed Senior Assistant Prosecutor Martin Delaney, the Prosecutorial Chief of Investigations, as Executive Director of the Task Force. Assistant Prosecutor Delaney, who oversees all of the BCPO’s specialized prosecutions, has deep experience in crime prevention and response and serves as Legal Advisor to the Regional SWAT Team. Other members of the Task Force are drawn from the law enforcement, educational, mental health and business communities. These members and their affiliations are as follows: Chief Robert Anzilotti, Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office; James J. Tedesco III, Bergen County Executive; Michael Saudino, Bergen County Sheriff; Park Ridge Police Chief Joseph J. Madden, President of the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association; Joseph Zarra, Interim Executive Bergen County Superintendent of Schools; Joseph Masciandaro, President/CEO of CarePlus New Jersey; Harrington Park School Superintendent Adam Fried, Ed.D., President of the Bergen County Association of School Administrators; Saddle River Police Department Sergeant Timothy Gerity, President of the New Jersey Association of School Resource Officers; Jonathan Miller, Bergen County Association of School Security Professionals; Julien Neals, Esq., Bergen County Counsel and Acting Bergen County Administrator; Mary Amoroso, Bergen County Freeholder Pro Tempore; Matt Zames, former Chief Operating Officer of JP Morgan Chase and board member of Tomahawk Strategic Solutions; Agent William Stallone, Risk Mitigation Planner/Critical Infrastructure Coordinator, Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.
The Acting Prosecutor stated with reference to the Task Force members, “These busy professionals have committed themselves to study and advise our school districts on best practices to prevent school violence and to keep our children safe. Part of that effort is identifying dangerous individuals and situations and addressing them before they turn into tragedies. The Task Force will also advise on the best law enforcement responses to violent situations.”
The Task Force is charged with making its initial recommendations by October 2018. However, the Acting Prosecutor emphasized that he envisions the Task Force as an ongoing endeavor to provide ever increasing safety to our schools and children.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, May 21, 2018. The Board meets at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3 at 7:30 p.m.
The public is welcome to attend the meeting, or to watch from home on Fios channel 33 or Optimum channel 77. Meetings are also streamed via the “BOE Webcast” tab on the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
Meeting webcasts are immediately available on the district website.
Ridgewood NJ, a coalition organized as the New Jersey Coalition for Diverse and Inclusive Schools, including the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and the Latino Action Network, and Shiloh Baptist Church, the African American Chamber of Commerce and others, decried the existing, still unrectified educational divide in this state and have filed a lawsuit to force integration in New Jersey Schools.
The groups filed the suit yesterday on the 64th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v Board of Education decision, which ruled school segregation unconstitutional. They argue that New Jersey’s segregated school system violates the state constitution and ask the court to stop the further assignment of students solely on the basis of residency. They also ask that the Legislature and education commissioner be ordered to devise a different system for placing students in schools. It is the first lawsuit challenging statewide school segregation filed anywhere in the nation in more than a half century.
The suit is highly critical of the state oversight of charter schools, alleging that segregation in these schools occurs not only because they are predominantly located in communities with large minority populations, but also “results from the failure of the State Commissioner of Education to perform his statutory and regulatory duties.”
The state’s largest teachers union, the New Jersey Education Association, also backs the effort.
“New Jersey’s public schools are as segregated by race and poverty today as they were in 1954,” said Ryan P. Haygood, President and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. “Sixty-four years after Brown, we have important promises to keep and still others to make to New Jersey’s students. This case is about finally making good on our promises.”
Haygood noted that the state’s racial diversity and racial segregation, in combination with its extreme wealth and punishing poverty, has fostered some of the fiercest segregation by race, ethnicity, and poverty in this country:
The median net worth for New Jersey’s white families is $271,402—the highest in America.
The median net worth for New Jersey’s Hispanic and Black families is just $7,020 and $5,900, respectively, together totaling less than 5 percent of the net worth of white families in the state.
Of the approximately 585,000 Black and Latino public school students in New Jersey, 63% of them attend schools that are more than 75% non-white.
Nearly half of all Black and Latino public school students attend schools that are more than 90% non-white.
More than 40 percent of white students attend schools that are at least 75% white.
“New Jersey cannot fulfill the promise of Brown, or the promise owed to our kids, without this lawsuit,” said Haygood. “No amount of good will, well wishes, or optimism will accomplish the systemic relief and fundamental transformation that is required. Integration is possible, it is necessary, and it is long overdue.”
Ridgewood NJ , Join Pro Arte in the last concert of the season, and the last concert with 2017 Grammy nominated Maestro Steven Fox. “Masters of Baroque” – Vivaldi’s Gloria and Handel Coronation Anthems. This will be a spectacular concert featuring members of Clarion Orchestra, NYC, and Soloists Esteli Gomez and Mikki Sodergren. Tickets can be purchased at the door the day of the event, or discounted tickets online: www.proartechorale.tix.com
For more info www.proartechorale.org or 201-497-8400.
Ridgewood NJ, Anyone interested in running to serve on the Ridgewood Board of Education? Currently the school budget is over $110 million and makes up the majority of the Village of Ridgewood’s property taxes.
Last contested Ridgewood School Board election was in 2012.
If you are considering serving on your school board, take advantage of NJSBA’s online briefings that provide details about the responsibilities of serving on a local board of education. NJSBA’s online briefings include three videos that address leadership, legal issues, and the role of a board member. Candidates can also listen to a recorded online radio broadcast, “What Board Members Need to Know When They’re Elected.”
July 30 4 p.m. is the deadline for candidates to file nominating petitions with the county clerk.
Nov 6 Annual School Election NOTE: Board members must undergo criminal history record checks through the New Jersey Department of Education within 30 days of election or appointment.
Trenton NJ, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed a bill Wednesday that allows New Jersey college students who are in the country illegally to obtain financial aid and pay instate rates for their college education.
Murphy called the United States the “world’s melting pot” where people come “in the hope of a new life,” when he signed the legislation at Rutgers-Newark, according to NJ.com.
Not a melting pot for everyone however, Governor Murphy’s bill to extend financial aid to illegal immigrants now makes New Jersey is one of the few states that discriminates against legal residents .
While legal immigrants are forced to pay out of state or international tuition rates , illegal immigrants pay instate tuition fees, treating legal immigrants as third class citizens .
For example at Rutgers University instate tuition is $11,619 while legal immigrants face a huge 116.19% gap paying out of state tuition of $27,560 . Gov. Phil Murphy is telling people crime pays .
