Continue reading Ridgewood BOE Special Public Meeting on Friday August 28th at 3pm
“In my opinion CoVid has only exacerbated a dynamic that exists in any place of employment: Some people going above and beyond (whatever the motivation may be for their extra efforts), a lot of people meeting expectations and doing the job they are paid to do … and then the people I would describe as the Takers. No place of employment, public or private, is immune to this. Some of my kids’ teachers were very much present and obviously putting in a great deal of time and effort to make remote learning as good as possible. Others – crickets. Posting assignments, assigning kids to watch YouTube videos in lieu of teaching and just not interacting w/kids even remotely during the spring. In my (private company) – no different. Some decided to take advantage of WFH to not do all too much. I’m not speaking about people who had to care for sick family or step in to school their own kids. I hate to break it to people, but there are always Takers in society. The issue is if there is a tipping point, and productive people start to feel that they’ve been ‘had’ and decide why bother. In the private sector, it probably isn’t the right decision (in the long run) to so obviously show that you’re not really needed for the success of your enterprise.”
“If the BOE wants to be taken seriously (including those at the top with very obvious and unethical conflicts of interest, who shall not be named), they should remain keenly focused on what an overwhelming majority of parents want for their kids, which is more in-person learning…5 days a week. The taxpayers already pay way to much for the school budget, and while we may tolerate some non-sense and waste in the spirit of town civility, the one thing that will most certainly cause residents to “storm the castle” is if we are forced to spend our hard earned dollars to incentivize lazy and ineffective teachers, who are using COVID as a tool for their personal agenda. Every profession is exposed to the risks of COVID, so why should they be preferentially treated at our expense? Either opt out if you are truly scared, or just follow the damn protocols…”
Hackensack Meridian Health Clinical Contributors to this Story
Aysha Seeni, M.D. contributes to topics such as Internal Medicine
Pamela Orellana, M.D. contributes to topics such as Family Medicine.
Ridgewood NJ, Until there is a vaccine created, or we have achieved herd immunity, COVID-19 must remain top of mind when it comes to you and your family’s health and well-being. As we head into flu season, this year, we need to protect ourselves from COVID-19 on top of seasonal flu. Here are tips for staying healthy.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) released COVID-19 Public Health Recommendations for Local Health Departments for schools.
“The Department of Health in collaboration with the Department of Education, has developed guidance to help local health departments assist schools in providing a safe environment for students and staff,” said Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. “Understanding that COVID-19 may impact certain areas of the state differently, the Department will provide data by 6 regions of the state to inform local decisions.”
Continue reading New Jersey Department of Health Releases COVID-19 Recommendations for Schools
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Ridgewood NJ, Many parents, caregivers, and guardians face new and difficult choices about how their child will return to school in the fall, such as deciding between in-person and virtual learning.
According to the CDC, schools play an important role in students’ educational achievement, health, and wellbeing. Working with local health officials and with parents and caregivers, schools also have an important role in slowing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) while protecting students, teachers, and staff and helping ensure students have safe and healthy learning environments.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, With reopening schools being a hotly debated topic and in-person learning essential for letting parents go to work this fall, WalletHub today released a nationally representative School Reopening Survey, which found that 55 percent of parents want their children to learn in person. Below are highlights of the survey, along with a WalletHub Q&A (audio available).
Continue reading School Reopening Survey: 55% of Parents Want In-Person Learning
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Continue reading Time to “Re-Imagine” The Ridgewood School District
“Bureaucrats, administrators…they definitely get paid by the word. No parent will suffer through this mess of information relating only to process. Moreover, the state is asleep at the switch. The districts and the NJEA know this and are confident that any scrutiny they receive for this mumbo-jumbo will end up being untimely and will only be partial. Nothing more than a post-game wrap-up. Therefore, they do as they please, everyone gets paid, nobody gets laid off or rendered superfluous, and the quantity of information absorbed by the students in the form of “learning” will continue to wither and shrink.”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Washington DC, according to the group America’s Frontline Doctors , “American life has fallen casualty to a massive disinformation campaign. We can speculate on how this has happened, and why it has continued, but the purpose of the inaugural White Coat Summit is to empower Americans to stop living in fear.
If Americans continue to let so-called experts and media personalities make their decisions, the great American experiment of a Constitutional Republic with Representative Democracy, will cease.”
I will not post the link as this will then be deleted as have all similar posts have been removed around the globe by social media. Dr. Stella Emmaneul: (05:27)
“the costs to bring our school buildings to an adequate level of safety for students and staff are astronomical.”
There’s no need to do any of that.
New Jersey’s top high school graduates, as a group, outstrip the academic achievements, performance, and potential of those of every other state. This is borne out by the fact that the cutoff for National Merit Semifinalist status, which in every state consists of the top half of the top one percent of PSAT test scores among Junior Year PSAT test takers in that particular state (the Junior year being the only year that counts for purposes if National Merit competition), is higher in New Jersey than it is for every other state, year in, year out. In fact, in recent years, the PSAT cutoff in New Jersey for achieving National Merit Semifinalist status has typically been only one point away from a perfect score. Mind you, every Junior in every U.S. state who elects to take the PSAT to get involved in the National Merit competition takes the exact same version of the PSAT test on the exact same day. So there is no funny business involved, and it becomes possible to do a perfect apples-to-apples comparison data between states to see which states are producing the greatest number of top-shelf college-ready students as a proportionate to the total number of high school graduates they certify in a given year.
Continue reading Reader says , “Teachers and administrators should get over themselves “
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Ridgewood NJ, with the discussion on back to school heating up many concerned parents are looking for alternatives. On of those options are home schooling, which some parents are investigating after positive experiences with remote classes this spring after most schools closed. While these options may appear similar on the surface, remote classes and home schooling are very different. Home school options vary widely, including utilizing existing curricula or developing personalized course work, and the standards and requirements vary from state to state.
While online classes and home school may be effective, they may not be viable options for everyone. These options may require computers, tablets, or smartphones and reliable high-speed internet service to fully participate, particularly for live-streamed classes or video sessions. Availability for both computers and internet services may not be feasible for lower-income families or those living in remote areas, and many parents may not be able to continue to work remotely or remain at home in order to supervise their children during the day.
Continue reading Parents Take 2nd Look at “Home Schooling” in Era of COVID-19
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Steve Beatty Secretary-Treasurer of the NJEA said in a Facebook post ,”At our meeting with the acting commissioner of the Department of Education and his staff last week (and our on-going meetings), we engaged in a discussion, albeit mostly one-sided, on the issues and concerns surrounding the re-opening of schools in September.
Our clear message was that there is no way the state can push to re-open schools in a way that would account for the health, safety, and educational integrity of our schools and all that enter them.
We have been consistent in our guidance and growing insistence along with our education stakeholder partners and an ever growing chorus of our members.
Keep the pressure up. On the local level by joining and/or communicating with your re-opening committee. On the state level by calling and emailing your elected representatives and the governors office as well as the commissioner and state board. We know the power of sustained and organized collective action. Our voice is being heard and must be heeded! New Jersey Education Association New Jersey Department of Education Governor Phil Murphy”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood BOE member Mike Lembo said in a Facebook post ,”The Ridgewood School Board has called for a Special Meeting this coming Thursday July 23rd at 5pm. The topic will be the school reopening plan for the district. We know that parents, teachers, and students have many concerns, questions, and comments on the issue. Please let your voice be heard, as we called this meeting for all of you.
The meeting is going to be held remotely, you can find the BOE Webcast link to the meeting on our website homepage. Members of the public can call in comments during the public comment period of the meeting or write-in comments online prior to, and during, the Board Meeting. These comments will be heard, but any offensive, lewd, or obscene language will not be tolerated. There will be two public comment portions, one at the beginning of the meeting and one at the end. Do not forget to mute your broadcast when speaking to minimize sound feedback and do not forget to identify yourself before speaking!This is a special meeting concerning the school reopening plan only, the regular Board of Education meeting will be held on Monday July 27th. Comments, questions, and concerns related to other issues besides the reopening will be more appropriate then.”
