I couldn’t believe my ears, at last board of ed meeting where parents screamed about lack of communication about the “INCIDENT.”
Fishbein went through the schools with powerpoint and pointed that they want the taxpayers to come up with MILLIONS of dollars to upgrade the windows and bathrooms and other cosmetic fix ups , so the kids can have a good environment in which to work, words like appealing, good condition, safe. ( only justified change I thought was new fire alarm system at high school if really needed, it would cost over 100K if I remember correctly)
Hey, Fishbein , how about being able to communicate properly to parents during a crises.
So what about not allowing kids to bring in Smart Phones and text while class is going on, Fishbein. Apparently only one teacher has that rule in a German Class, I think it was middle school. Kids have to put Smart phone on shelves during class.
What about teaching about Social Media dangers. Maybe that would provide a safe and appealing environment.
NO MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT ON THESE COSMETIC CHANGES. IF A TOILET WORKS KEEP IT. IF WINDOWS ARE NOT BROKEN KEEP THEM. LUX schools are UNNECESSARY
MANY GREAT INTELLECTUALS , writers, scientists, did not have Lux schools and they did great things. Stop this materialistic nonsense and get to work teaching values.
It’s really not that complicated. Kids were kids.
And evidently a young girl has not heard that sending inappropriate photos of yourself to teenage boys can end up badly.
The one kid who was vilified is hardly the villain he’s proclaimed to be, and the hero is hardly the hero he was touted to be -BY HIS FAMILY MEMBERS!!! And shame shame shame on them for that and for using their long standing Ridgewood connections to try to garner sympathy???? SHAME on them.
Both are wrong. Unfortunately one ended up with a worse injury. That’s terrible. But it happens when children act foolish.
And for the record calling this particular injury a “skull fracture” is a touch of an exaggeration…..
Both need a lesson in how their actions have consequences and both should be (and I hope were) suspended. So should the girl!!!!
Ridgewood High School biggest problem right now is not THIS incident. It’s the rampant out of control obsessiveness of social media and not enough supervision and direction in that building. Period. Where in the hell are our tax dollars going?? No substitute teachers! Instead? Free periods! Open campus, drug sales in the bathrooms, drinking and pot smoking all day everywhere. No repuscussions.
Our damned obscene school budget in this town really out to stop funding silly chrome books which are barely used, half of the problem and totally distracting-and many other foolish initiatives, and get on board with making sure we aren’t raising a group of social media obsessed, desensitized, spoiled mongers.
This situation speaks more about a much bigger problem. This is a fight. Pure and simple.
Dan the man Fishbein no longer has an excuse to delay taking “appropriate” action.
This is a leadership failure by the super and worthless principal This is our fault for accepting the steady decline of our schools and the high school
The high school needs a strong leader, we went the easy route and picked some local without the right skills who is not very concerned about or able to lead when challenged
For school budget of 100m plus a year we should have the best there is in these positions, not just ones that meet the job posting within 5 miles
That is what we have Really a sad state for the kids.
Ridgewood NJ, according to North Jersey Media two boys a 14-year-old boy and 16-year-old boy were charged in the Oct. 28 incident. The boys have been charged with assault following a violent school incident in Ridgewood at Stevens Field and Brookside Field.
The Record reported that Police Chief Jacqueline Luthcke announced on Thursday. After an “extensive” investigation police charged with 14-year-old with aggravated assault and simple assault, and the 16-year-old with simple assault. Both teens have a juvenile court date pending in Hackensack.
With the Village still reeling the school district and police have kept relatively quiet on what led up to and what caused the incident . However parent exchanges on Facebook have described what happened Oct. 27 and 28 as either a series of arranged fights or an outright assault, and the culmination of weeks online bullying. Some have questioned the account as being one sided ,and others have postulated far deeper issues than the public has been led to believe .
The Ridgewood school district still has to answer as to who knew and when did they know and why were school anti bullying policies not acted on .
Ridgewood NJ, The debut concert of our middle schools’ Honor Band is Saturday, November 18 at 2 p.m., RHS Little Theatre. $10 at the door. Please plan to attend!
The District Honor Band was designed to recognize Ridgewood’s middle school students who excel in music performance and who would gain from an additional opportunity aimed at providing differentiation for advanced and advancing musicians. Unlike many honor ensembles that simply provide an “all star” conductor-centered ensemble experience for like-aged, the Ridgewood 7th & 8th Grade All-District Honor Band goes several steps further by partnering advancing middle school musicians with advanced student mentors from the RHS Band Program, while also providing the students with small group instruction led by professional certified music teachers according to instrument group. Leading up to the November 18 concert, the Honor Band will meet for three four-hour rehearsals, including sectionals, mentoring sessions and full band practice.
For the inaugural season, RHS Band Directors Jeffrey Haas and John Luckenbill are serving as the conductors. The band’s concert program will include “Into the Storm,” by Robert W. Smith, “Evermore” from the recent Beauty and the Beast movie, “West Highland Sojourn” by Robert Sheldon, and David Shaffer’s “Pinnacle March.”
Any 7th or 8th grade student who is enrolled in his or her school’s curricular band program was eligible to participate in the Honor Band. Although an audition was not required, participating students submitted a video recording via Google Classroom, which included specific scales and a musical excerpt used to determine placement within each section of the band.
Funding for the District Honor Band was provided by the Ridgewood Board of Education in cooperation with the Ridgewood Friends of Music. Sheet music and folders were provided by the education division of Music & Arts retail music store.
A late speaker at the 2nd session of public comment at the recent Board of Ed spoke of some ‘adults” cyberbullying. If this is true, it would be hypocrisy at its worst and perhaps they should be held accountable if their clear intent was to defame, especially since the question of who actually bullied who leading up to this fight is still being determined by the authorities. High time for some ‘adults” to walk their talk and teach their kids how to respect due process.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police Department Chief Jacqueline Luthcke presented Certificates of Appreciation from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to Patrol Officers Michael Karcher and Kyle Monton during a meeting of the Ridgewood Village Council held on Wednesday, 11/08. Officers Karcher and Monton led the Ridgewood PD in the number of drunk driving arrests during a recent designated crackdown period. Karcher joined the force late in 2013; Monton has been on the job only since early 2016. Message to all: DON’T DRINK AND THEN DRIVE THROUGH RIDGEWOOD.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Schools are presenting an important program on digital mindfulness, Nov. 29: The Wellbeing series combines with the Tech Nights initiative to host Devorah Hetiner, Ph.D. on Wednesday, November 29. Dr. Heitner’s program, Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World, will cover criteria by which parents and guardians may judge the quality of their children’s media experiences and offer tips to help them become tech-positive parents.
Dr. Heitner is an experienced speaker, workshop leader and consultant, and a professional development resource for organizations wishing to cultivate a culture of responsible digital citizenship. She holds a doctorate in Media/Technology and Society from Northwestern University and is the founder of Raising Digital Natives, for parents and educators seeking advice on how to help children thrive in a world of digital connectedness.
The evening with Dr. Heitner will take place from 7-9 p.m. at the George Washington Middle School Auditorium, 155 Washington Place. It is free and open to the adult public.
Dr. Gorman’s letter is even wordier than Fishbein’s letter but essentially the same.
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I guess the Ridgewood Schools administrators just can’t help themselves… they must feel compelled to paint with a broad brush and send a message blaming all of the students and the parents and everyone else rather than focusing on the small number of “offenders” (instigators, participants, recorders, watchers) by sending a positive message of “bad apples don’t spoil the bunch”.
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I guess if the only tool you have is a broad brush then every problem is treated as a whitewash of communal blame.
Let me preface by saying what happened to this boy is extremely sad. Nobody should ever have to experience what he is going through.
Every single day we see bullying happening. Whether it is the current over protective idea of bullying or straight up bullying – this isn’t a new thing. Almost everyone on this site “bullies” other commenters on a daily basis, parents are bullying other parents on the Ridgewood Facebook group, other towns are bullying Ridgewood residents on social media by associating every Ridgewood resident with this incident and worse, grown adults are bullying the one who threw the punches to the extent of wishing the worst upon him without knowing the full story.
I’ve seen the expression “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” when referring to the boy who threw punches numerous times. Why don’t we take a minute to stop and think about his parents, about his siblings, his teammates, coaches, etc. People who were ultimately shaping this boys life up until this moment. How dare we point fingers i’m sure i’m not the only one who feels as if I’ve let loved ones down on more than one occasion and wish they didn’t have to deal with the consequences of my own actions. Our children see everything, they hear everything, and even mimic most things (whether we want to believe it or not). The behavior that is going on in this town on all sides is baffling and embarrassing. Words being thrown around, parents who don’t even have children in the school system pointing fingers because they want to be involved, gossiping everywhere like it’s a recreational game of telephone and we’re letting our children think this is appropriate behavior.
As for our children- what are we teaching them? That a girl who sent inappropriate pictures (doesn’t matter to who)is having her honor defended? Because that has got put on the back burner. To believe That one side and only one side only is completely innocent should be assumed bible? Yes violence should not have been involved. 1000%. But let’s all take a second to band together as a community and realize that yelling and accusing isn’t getting us anyone. Let’s take a day to not judge another parent, another child, another administrator.
I’ challenge all of you…let’s try to help each other, lift one another up. Put our trust in the justice system. Go a Day…maybe two with trying to see positive instead of negative. Go a day without checking every social media for the latest town gossip and basing our opinions off one side of the story. We will not get anywhere with the way things are going now. The children of this community are counting on each of us.
Important Message from Dr. Gorman
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November 7, 2017
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Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s) and Students:
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Two weekends ago, a serious situation occurred involving Ridgewood High School students that is still being investigated by the high school administration and Ridgewood Police Department. The investigation will be resolved as quickly as possible and the consequences for those involved will be appropriate, educational, and, if need be, therapeutic. Because the situation involves minors, the details and consequences of the case cannot be shared and will remain confidential. To protect all RHS students, we ask the public to please refrain from comments, speculation, and judgment. Every day we are trusted by the community to educate the children of RHS, supervise them in their activities, and partner with the parents/guardians when they are in need. We ask you to continue to trust us in this situation to be diligent and thoughtful in our investigation and determination.
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The recent altercation that occurred after school hours but on school grounds, is greatly troubling and upsetting to us on many levels. It saddens me and the entire high school faculty that some RHS students did not use their best judgment regarding this situation. This event now gives us all a chance to pause and reflect upon what is truly important in life. We ask all parents/guardians to please engage in a meaningful conversation with their children and encourage them to be open and honest with you and/or the school about anything that may be on their minds.
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At RHS, we pride ourselves on being a family that shares many of the same values – friendship, trust, appreciation, caring, and open and honest communication. Whether as a member of a team, the band, a club, or an academic class, this is the students’ home away from home. We strive to make Ridgewood High School a safe and welcoming place for everyone.
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Unfortunately, some feel that they can say or do whatever they wish when there is no adult watching over their shoulder. Having this kind of attitude pays a disservice to their family, teachers, religious communities, and classmates here at school. Students know better and should expect better. Remember the Platinum Rule – treat others as they wish to be treated. We teach this to our students as soon as they enter our doors and I am sure it is taught in your homes.
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Parents, as adults we need to model responsible use of social media and to refrain from using disrespectful or threatening language online. We cannot expect our children to behave better than we do. What we are learning about this situation is that it centered around the misuse of social media on the part of some students. We ask parents to take an active role in monitoring their children’s use of social media and to partner with the schools to educate our students about this crucial issue.
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Students, when we adults cannot be with you and you are under your parents/guardians’ care, we expect you to uphold the same values that we, here at RHS, and your parents/guardians, have imparted to you. You are responsible for your actions in school and when you are under your parents/guardians’ care after school hours. In addition, we expect you to hold accountable others who are not living up to these same values. As John Wooden, a famous basketball coach, once said, “The truest test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”
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Social media posts that are malicious in nature can be psychologically damaging to all parties involved. Any such post should be reported immediately to an adult so that it can be addressed appropriately. We ask students not to participate in any negative chatter online through social media, to help monitor each other, and to stand up when someone fails to adhere to the value system we embrace when in the classrooms, halls, locker room, theater, or on the athletic fields. Finally, we ask you to keep an open and honest line of communication with the adults in this building. We are here to support you.
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Throughout a student’s experience at RHS, he or she will be exposed to many educational programs, academic lessons, and positive values and messages that reinforce what it means to be a RHS student. Such experiences include, but are not limited to, addressing all students at the beginning of each school year about HIB; participating in the #Day1 Tyler Clementi Foundation Upstander Pledge; exploring many student topics with peer counseling through Freshmen F.O.C.U.S.; educating all athletes about sportsmanship; teaching students about the dangers of texting and driving, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and vaping; teaching students through classroom lessons about respect, tolerance, and conflict resolution; and having students listen to guest speakers presenting first-hand accounts of genocide and the Holocaust. These offerings help to foster positive relationships between students and faculty, allowing students to feel comfortable sharing their problems with staff members. We believe that these programs also have reduced instances of bullying at Ridgewood High School.
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The policies and code of conduct that govern the high school are strong and have served us well. However, in light of recent events, we are revisiting them to determine if changes are necessary. Throughout many of the students’ classes at RHS, they are taught the proper protocols of technology and internet safety and responsibility. We will be revisiting these lessons and protocols to determine their effectiveness. We are also working with law enforcement officials to find appropriate future programs that can help further educate our students on the perils of bullying and harassment and how to stop volatile situations before they go too far.
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One of the school’s responsibilities is to ensure the safety and well-being of all the students and staff. When students experience problems, they are encouraged to seek out a teacher, counselor, or grade advisor. In addition to a student’s parents/guardians, these staff members are excellent resources from whom to get assistance on any issue. To ensure student success of all kinds, the school and community must work cooperatively to inspire and implement this shared vision.
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Sincerely,
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Thomas A. Gorman, Ed.D.
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Principal
Question: What do you call a person who rushes to the scene of an unfolding fight, starts recording video and still images of same without otherwise getting involved or trying to de-escalate the situation or protect the person who lost the fight?
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Answer: A reporter!
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The district wants to restrict the spread of facts. It does not want the truth of the matter to be revealed. It is now scrambling to literally bully and thresten all students from telling their parents or the news media what they know, or from showing the fight video to anyone the district doesn’t want to see it.
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Law enforcement in Las Vegas was busy confiscating concert-goers’ cell phones in the immediate aftermath of the Mandalay Bay shooting. Why did they do this? To delete any and video of the “incident” from those cell phoned so they could take control of the “narrative”, and start spreading disinformation and propaganda. This cap has got to stop.
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Ridgewood NJ, in the first Ridgewood Board of Education public meeting since news broke of the series of fights starting at Stevens Field and then on Brookside Field that sent a high school student to the hospital severely beaten , the Board of Education seemed to be in full CMA (Cover my arse ) mode .
While blog readers have understood with the Ridgewood Police Department now investigating,”This is far from cut and dry. Authorities are doing the right thing by exercising due diligence and making sure they have the full story and truth rather than rushing out to appease with a half informed statement that could expose them to a potential suit especially by the accused. Fishbein’s generalized comments are appropriate at this time , the immediate concern should be injured’s recovery regardless of who and what .When the real story comes out then people can assess whether suspensions or penalties are warranted . This is not going away for anyone anytime soon”
The angry crowd of parents and residents wanted answers .
In a message put out by Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools to parents and guardians ,Fishbein wrote “It is important to address and dispel rumors that are circulating in our community and to ask for your understanding that this issue, like all student issues that involve minors and are also part of a student’s record, is, and will remain, confidential. Just as we protect the privacy of your child’s record, we are compelled to do the same for all children involved in this incident. For this reason, we cannot comment on the episode or on the eventual outcome, but I do want to reassure you as both a parent and also as your Superintendent, that I trust the administration to act in the best interest of all the students involved, as well as the entire school community. Anyone found to be involved in this incident will be held accountable in an appropriate way, including possible legal proceedings, school discipline and/or counseling.”
While parents play the blame game the Ridgewood blog will continue to focus on who dropped the ball and who didn’t report the brewing conflict between the kids? Unless this happened over night someone at the school or a parent had to know something .
The policy is that the Ridgewood Board of Education explicitly and unequivocally prohibits acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying of its students. “Harassment, intimidation or bullying” means any gesture, any written, verbal or physical act, or any electronic communication, whether it be a single incident or a series of incidents, that is reasonably perceived as being motivated either by any actual or perceived characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or a mental, physical or sensory disability, or by any other distinguishing characteristic, that takes place on school property, at any school-sponsored function, on a school bus, or off school grounds pursuant to law, that substantially disrupts or interferes with the orderly operation of the school or the rights of other students and that:
a. a reasonable person should know, under the circumstances, will have the effect of physically or emotionally harming a student or damaging the student’s property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm to his person or damage to his property;
b. has the effect of insulting or demeaning any student or group of students; or
c. creates a hostile educational environment for the student by interfering with a student’s education or by severely or pervasively causing physical or emotional harm to the student. !
More importantly an event must be reported , “Any school employee, contracted service provider, Board of Education member, student or volunteer who has witnessed, or has reliable information that a student has been subject to, harassment, intimidation or bullying is obligated by law to report the incident to the school Principal. !
An act of student harassment, intimidation, or bullying must be reported verbally to the Principal on the same day the person witnesses or receives reliable information regarding the incident. ! The incident must then be reported to the Principal in writing, using the appropriate district form, within two (2) school days of when the incident was observed or the information was received.
As a permanent or substitute school employee, a contracted service provider, a Board of Education member, a student or a volunteer in a New Jersey public school district, one of your responsibilities is to know how to respond if you become aware of harassment, intimidation or bullying that needs to be reported.”
“Do you also think Fishbein’s responsible if your kid sneaks alchohol from your cabinet before going to an event?”
NO, I do NOT, but he does.
The school will discipline students who don’t behave according to the school’s “standard of conduct” even if the child (not student) acts off school property, after school hours.
This is the twisted world we live in.
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That said, Fishbein SHOULD NOT PRETEND to be transparent and dispel rumors when he does not (and cannot) disseminate any tangible information about the incident. But he is too busy patting himself on the back, being pious and covering his behind. He is more interested in guilt spreading and punishing the 99% innocent children who WERE NOT at the fights and DID NOT have any knowledge of the incidents until after the fact by forcing useless “witness training” on them. Instead, he should JUST address the guilty.
No “witness reeducation training” assembly is necessary. If he feels compelled to have an assembly, it could just identifying the bad actors for all of their peers to see.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Board of Education meeting is on Monday, November 6th at 7:30pm, 3rd floor Education Center.If you are concerned with the current state of affairs, lack of communication, serious issues being swept under the rug, BOE being concerned with the school reputation more than well-being of our kids, please come to the meeting!! Make our voices heard beyond social media.
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.
