Ridgewood NJ, A French drug manufacturer Valneva has announced that they have successfully completed the first-ever human trial of a vaccine against Lyme disease. The vaccine, which is reportedly up to 96% effective, might soon be available in the UK and US at a “reasonably low” price.
Lyme Disease is one of the most common and widespread vector-borne illnesses in the Northern Hemisphere. After a tick bite, it typically kicks off through an expanding area of redness on the skin, though about one in four people don’t get a rash at all. If untreated, the disease can cause the loss of the ability to move one or both sides of the face, joint pains, severe headaches with neck stiffness, and to top it all off, the symptoms can resurface months or even years later. In some cases, the symptoms can re-emerge even after treatment, so it’s no wonder that Lyme Disease has become so feared.
According to the CDC, Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics. Steps to prevent Lyme disease include using insect repellent, removing ticks promptly, applying pesticides, and reducing tick habitat. The ticks that transmit Lyme disease can occasionally transmit other tickborne diseases as well.
Valneva’s vaccine candidate, VLA15, is currently the only active vaccine program in clinical development against Lyme disease. The program was closely followed by national and international health bodies, being granted Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July 2017.
Village Council Special Public Meeting
VILLAGE COUNCIL
SPECIAL PUBLIC MEETING
JUNE 6, 2018
7:30 P.M.
1. Call to Order – Mayor
2. Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meeting Act
MAYOR: “Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided
by a posting on the bulletin board in Village Hall,
by mail to the Ridgewood News, The Record, and by submission to all persons entitled to same as provided by law of a schedule including the date and time of this meeting.”
3. Roll Call
4. RESOLUTIONS
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 18-166 THROUGH 18-167 ARE TO BE ADOPTED BY A CONSENT AGENDA, WITH ONE VOTE BY THE VILLAGE COUNCIL. THERE IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION BESIDE EACH RESOLUTION TO BE CONSIDERED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. EACH RESOLUTION WILL BE READ BY TITLE ONLY:
18-166 Authorize Grant Application for Kings Pond Park Development/Phase II ($58,580) – Authorizes a grant application be sent to the Bergen County Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, Farmland & Historic Preservation Trust Fund for improvements to Kings Pond Park Development/Phase II. This is an Open Space matching grant application, with both the Village of Ridgewood and the County contributing $58,580 towards the project.
18-167 Authorize Grant Application for Zabriskie-Schedler House/Phase 3 ($75,000) – Authorizes a grant application be sent to the Bergen County Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, Farmland & Historic Preservation Trust Fund for rehabilitation and restoration of the Zabriskie-Schedler House. This is an Historic Preservation Trust Fund matching grant application, with both the Village of Ridgewood and the County contributing $75,000 towards the project.
5. Adjournment
Village Council Work Session
THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL’S
PUBLIC WORKSHOP AGENDA
JUNE 6, 2018
7:30 P.M.
1. 7:30 pm – Call to Order – Mayor
2. Statement of Compliance with Open Public Meeting Act
Mayor: “Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by a posting on the bulletin board in Village Hall, by mail to the Ridgewood News, The Record, and by submission to all persons entitled to same as provided by law of a schedule including the date and time of this meeting.”
3. Roll Call – Village Clerk
4. Flag Salute/Moment of Silence
5. Public Comments (Not to Exceed 3 Minutes per Person – 40 Minutes in Total)
6. Discussion – Operations
a. Kings Pond Bergen County Open Space Trust Fund – Phase II
b. Zabriskie-Schedler House – Historic Preservation – Phase III
7. Motion to Suspend Work Session and Convene Special Public Meeting
8. Special Public Meeting – See Attached Agenda
9. Motion to Adjourn Special Public Meeting and Reconvene Work Session
10. Presentation
a. Acacia Financial Group
b. Licensing Sellers of E-Cigarettes
11. Discussion
a. Ridgewood Water – None
b. Parking
1. Valet Parking – Broad Street
c. Budget
1. Appointment of Municipal Humane Law Enforcement Officers
2. Contributions as Tax Payments – Charitable Contribution Law
3. Award Contract – School Bus Transportation – Recreation Department
4. Award Contract – Vehicle Emergency Equipment – Police, Fire and Emergency Services Departments
5. State Contract Purchase – Finance Department Carpet Replacement
6. Quarterly Financial Report
7. Award State Contract – 2018 Chevy Tahoe SUV – Fire Department
8. Proposed Ordinance for Hillcrest Road Streetscape Project
9. Proposed Ordinance for North Pleasant Avenue Streetscape Project
d. Policy
1. Public Health Nuisance Code
2. Ban on Plastic Bags
e. Operation
1. Authorizing the Age Friendly Application for the AARP Community Grant
2. Amend Designated Individuals to Issue Notices on Dead Trees
3. Authorization to Join U.S. Communities Cooperative Purchasing Program
12. Manager’s Report
13. Council Reports
14. Review of June 13, 2018 Public Meeting Agenda
15. Public Comments (Not to Exceed 5 Minutes per Person)
16. Closed Session
A. Legal – Potential Litigation – HealthBarn
B. Personnel – Village Council Appointments for Reorganization Meeting
17. Adjournment
Ridgewood NJ, Sweet&Sassy will be offering fun Summer Camp activities at their location.The camps will be on Monday-Friday 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
We will be offering a variety of workshops for kids. More information will follow.Save $50 on early registration Now- May 1st, 2018.
The cost is $70 per day or $250 for the week.
Please call us at (201)670-0123 or visit our store at any time to reserve your spot!!
Sweet & Sassy Summer Camp Dates
Mon, July 09, 2018 – Sun, August 19, 2018
Time: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: Sweet&Sassy Store, 216 E. Ridgewood Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
SEATTLE WA, Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) today announced that Howard Schultz is stepping down as executive chairman and member of the Board of Directors and will be honored with the title of chairman emeritus effective June 26, 2018.
During his four decades as ceo and chairman, Schultz grew Starbucks from 11 stores to more than 28,000 stores in 77 countries, while demonstrating that a business can simultaneously deliver best-in-class financial performance and share success with its people and the communities it serves.
Under Schultz’s leadership, Starbucks has delivered a 21,000% gain in the value of its stock price since its initial public offering in 1992. The company’s growth was fueled by his decisions to provide uncommon benefits for those who work for Starbucks, including comprehensive healthcare, stock ownership and free college tuition, even for those working part-time.
“I set out to build a company that my father, a blue-collar worker and World War II veteran, never had a chance to work for,” Schultz wrote in a letter addressed today to past and present Starbucks partners. “Together we’ve done that, and so much more, by balancing profitability and social conscience, compassion and rigor, and love and responsibility.”
Schultz’s journey began in 1981, when he walked into the first Starbucks store, located in Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market. The following year, he moved with his wife, Sheri, from New York to assume the role of director of operations and marketing. Schultz’s passion for the highest quality coffee heightened on a business trip to Italy, where he was captivated by the sense of community, romance and theater found in Italian coffee bars. In the years following his return to Seattle, Schultz purchased Starbucks with the support of local investors and dedicated his career to bringing his vision of a modern coffee house to life in America and around the world.
Schultz elevated the concept of Starbucks as the third place between home and work: a comfortable, welcoming environment that provides uplifting experiences, community and human connection.
Among his many accolades, Schultz has been named as one of The World’s Most Influential People by Time magazine as well as Business Person of the Year by Fortune. Most recently, Schultz has received the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award and has been presented with the Atlantic Council’s Distinguished Business Leadership award and the NAACP LDF (Legal Defense and Education Fund) National Equal Justice award.
This year, Starbucks was named the fifth most admired company in the world by Fortune, marking the 16th year in a row that the company has appeared on the global list. Starbucks was also named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute for the 12th consecutive year and was ranked as one of 2018’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company, most notably for its social-impact work.
On April 3, 2017, Schultz transitioned from ceo to executive chairman, shifting his full-time focus to the company’s social impact initiatives as well as innovation and global development of the company’s premium Reserve brand, including Starbucks Reserve Roasteries, Reserve stores and the Company’s partnership with renowned artisanal Italian bakery, Princi. Following his transition off the Starbucks board at the end of June, Schultz will oversee the opening of the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Milan on Sept. 6 – marking the company’s long-awaited entry into Italy – and the New York Roastery in late October.
Starbucks also announced today that its Board of Directors has appointed Myron E. “Mike” Ullman as its new chair of the Board and Mellody Hobson as vice chair of the Board effective upon Schultz’s retirement. Starbucks world-class, values-based board is comprised of accomplished leaders representing diversity and excellence in global technology, retail, consumer experience and other relevant skill sets.
“There are no words to fully express our gratitude to Howard for the extraordinary company he has built,” said ceo and member of the Board of Directors Kevin Johnson. “He’s helped Starbucks earn the respect of millions around the world by always being true to a higher calling, and always being bold in creating a better future. He’s taught all of us that it’s possible to be a very different kind of public company. That must, and will, continue on my watch.”
In Schultz’s letter to partners, he thanked them for their collective efforts to build a different kind of company. “Because of your creativity, your hard work, and the love that you have poured into the company, Starbucks today is widely embraced and respected. As I prepare to step away, I’d like to humbly remind you not to lose sight of what matters most: your fellow partners and our customers.”
He also expressed deep confidence in the team that will continue to lead the company. “Kevin Johnson is a true servant leader, and he will lead Starbucks as this great company enters its next journey. It’s our duty as leaders to constantly reimagine Starbucks. I am honored to call Kevin my friend and partner. And Starbucks is fortunate to have him. This leadership team is extraordinarily capable. They, too, believe that Starbucks has a responsibility to use our scale for good.”
Schultz is looking forward to spending more time with his family this summer. He is also writing a book about Starbucks social impact work and the efforts to redefine the role and responsibility of a public company in an ever-changing society.
“To facilitate this review, the Governor directs each of you to submit updated plans describing the essential activities of
your department, meaning those necessary to maintain the health,safety, and welfare of the citizens of the State, and to prevent
the damage, loss, or destruction of property, if any. As you know, these activities should be limited and directly related to the
preservation and protection of life, safety and property; the care of those in State facilities, hospitals, centers, and homes; child
welfare; disease prevention and control; emergency and disaster response activities; transportation safety; the preparation and
adoption of the State Budget; and similar activities.”
Short of putting a Hex on them, can anyone come up with ANY ideas as how to get the council to open their eyes and ears? Discussing, speaking up, writing letters–the council seems to be surrounded by an invisible force field. We don’t have the money to augment all their fancy ideas but they seem to think it grows on trees or falls from heaven for them. Does the allegory “little kids in a candy store” hit home? Their continued adoration of the Health Barn is only one of the places they absolutely refuse to see a problem. With all the ways the original lease has been defied, there should have been many adequate reasons to cancel their contract. Instead the council hurries up and produces generators so The Health Barn could continue with their profit making activities while almost everyone in Ridgewood lacked power. If our town lawyer said that was a necessity, then he should be replaced with a lawyer who will research the facts instead of responding with whatever comes to the top of his head when asked a question.
Paramus NJ, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor announced today that a Bergen County neurologist indicted last year on third-degree charges in connection with a statewide medical kickback scheme now faces additional charges of health care claims fraud, misconduct by a corporate official, and other second-degree offenses, as the result of a newly returned superseding indictment.
The superseding indictment alleges Dr. Terry Ramnanan, 65, who operates the Interventional Spine and Pain Treatment Center facility in Paramus, used his medical facility to fraudulently bill insurance carriers for more than 637 medical procedures totaling $682,000 related to patients involved in the kickback scheme. The 10-count superseding indictment was handed up to Superior Court Judge Peter E. Warshaw in Mercer County yesterday.
“The deeper our investigators dig, the more dirt they uncover on doctors who conspired to buy and sell patients for profit in this statewide kickback scheme,” said Attorney General Grewal. “Upon further information and review, additional, upgraded charges against Dr. Ramnanan are appropriate, given his alleged role in this conspiracy to corrupt New Jersey’s health care industry.”
Ramnanan, who lives in Upper Saddle River, is one of dozens of health care practitioners charged in connection with an ongoing investigation by the Attorney General’s Commercial Bribery Task Force (CBTF) that was formed in January 2016 to target commercial bribery in the health care industry. The task force includes deputy attorneys general and detectives from the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor and the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau.
The CBTF investigation has uncovered a statewide criminal enterprise in which doctors received hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal kickbacks in return for providing patient referrals worth millions of dollars to other doctors and medical service providers.
In August 2017, Ramnanan was indicted on one charge each of third-degree conspiracy, commercial bribery, and criminal use of runners for allegedly paying Totowa chiropractor Ronald Hayek in exchange for patient referrals.
Ramnanan is now accused of bribing another health care professional, identified only by the initials A.A, for patient referrals and then fraudulently submitting insurance claims for medical treatment performed on those patients.
“Dr. Ramnanan’s alleged crimes are greater in number and more serious in nature than we originally believed. The charges contained in the superseding indictment reflect the true nature of his involvement in this scheme,” said Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Tracy M. Thompson. “Our Commercial Bribery Task Force will continue to run down tips and follow leads to ensure that all those involved in this criminal enterprise are held fully accountable for their actions.”
In addition to the previous charges against Ramnanan, the superseding indictment contains additional charges of:
Misconduct by a Corporate Official (2nd degree)
Health Care Claims Fraud (two counts, 2nd degree)
Theft by Deception (2nd degree)
Commercial Bribery (3rd degree)
Criminal Use of Runners (3rd degree)
It also upgrades the previous count of Conspiracy from 3rd degree to 2nd degree.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
According to the superseding indictment, between January 2012 and April 2016, Ramnanan conspired with both “A.A.” and Hayek in a kickback scheme in which Ramnanan paid them for referring patients for treatment at his medical facility.Hayek was among dozens of doctors charged in two prior medical fraud investigations that led to the formation of the Commercial Bribery Task Force:
An investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau that led to guilty pleas in 2016 from Dr. Manoj Patharkar and his associate Mohammed Shamshair on charges that they hid and laundered approximately $3.6 million in income from the doctor’s pain management clinics to evade taxes, and “Operation Rayscam,” an investigation by the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor that led to guilty pleas in May 2015 from Rehan Zuberi, his wife, and three other defendants in connection with commercial bribes that Zuberi paid to doctors in return for the referral of patients to his medical imaging centers.
In July 2016, Hayek pleaded guilty to two accusations. The first accusation, filed by the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau, charged him with second-degree conspiracy, second-degree money laundering, six counts of commercial bribery, (four in the second degree, two in the third degree), and one count of third degree failure to pay taxes. The second accusation, filed by the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, charged him with one count of third-degree conspiracy. He is awaiting sentencing.
In pleading guilty to the accusation filed by the Division of Criminal Justice, Hayek admitted he accepted tens of thousands of dollars in kickbacks from Shamshair, Patharkar, Ramnanan, and others, in exchange for referring patients to them and their related medical facilities. He also admitted paying commercial bribes to attorneys in exchange for the referral of clients to his practice. In pleading guilty to the accusation filed by the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, Hayek admitted to receiving kickbacks in exchange for referring patients to diagnostic imaging facilities owned or controlled by Rehan Zuberi.
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 Police Department is pleased to announce the 5th annual Chief Michael Feeney, Jr. Police Academy scheduled from Friday June 22nd through Friday June 29th 2018, at Benjamin Franklin Middle School. The Academy is open to Ridgewood residents entering 5th 6th and 7th grades in the fall of 2018.
Last year’s academy featured demonstrations from The Ridgewood Police Department, Bergen County Sheriff’s Department K-9 and Bomb Squad, Police Motorcycles, Ridgewood Emergency Services, FBI, Ridgewood Fire Department, State Police Helicopter landing, Tactical driving, as well as demonstrations from various other agencies. A field trip to the Bergen County Law and Public Safety Complex in Mahwah is also scheduled.
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.
Trenton NJ, Governor Phil Murphy’s administration put New Jersey’s state agencies on notice Friday that they should prepare for another state government shutdown if a state budget isn’t signed by the June 30 deadline.
In a letter to Murphy’s cabinet members, the Governor , asked them to update shut down contingency plans for their departments.
Trenton NJ, State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio on Friday directed all state cabinet and agency heads to immediately freeze all hiring, promotions and discretionary spending until further notice in order to ensure General Fund resources are adequate to support essential state operations.
“I have repeatedly made it clear that we face extraordinary fiscal challenges due primarily to the structural imbalance in our General Fund. Given the uncertainty about bringing Energy Tax Receipts on budget before the close of the fiscal year, we have to reserve all available resources in order to ensure we close out the General Fund in a positive position.
“Because the General Fund accounts for roughly 55 percent of state funding, it is essential that we freeze all discretionary spending to ensure we can support the crucial functions that keep the state operating – everything from caseworkers for children in foster care to the operation of our developmental centers to the safety and protection provided by State Police.
“To that end, I have sent a letter to all cabinet and agency heads today ordering them to freeze all hiring, promotions and non-salary operating and discretionary funding,” said Muoio.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Health Department and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration want you to know that a child’s body temperature can rise up to five times faster than an adult’s. Heatstroke begins when the core body temperature reaches around 104 degrees; death can follow in a child when that temperature reaches 107 degrees.
Even with moderate temperatures outside, the inside of a car can heat up to well above 110 degrees in minutes. But with summer upon us, and daytime temperatures in many areas across the country shooting well above 90 degrees, vehicles will heat up even faster.
That makes it vitally important to be aware of the dangers that vehicles—especially hot ones—pose to children, because tragedies can, and do, happen.
In fact, from 1998-2017, 718 children across the nation died due to heatstroke in a hot vehicle. In 2017, 18 children have died due to vehicular heatstroke, and that number continues to climb. On average, a child dies every 10 days from vehicular heatstroke, with an average of 37 children per year. Such deaths are the leading cause of non-crash-related fatalities for children 14 and younger. Just as tragic, between 1998-2016, over half (54%) of the child heatstroke deaths were because the child was forgotten in the vehicle by a distracted parent or caregiver.
No parent ever thinks that it can happen to them, but a quietly sleeping child in the back seat can be forgotten, even by a great parent. And part-time caregivers who are unaccustomed to regularly transporting children can be especially prone to forgetting.
That’s why all adults should always remember to “Look Before You Lock” to make sure there are no children left in the vehicle. Some other simple reminders include:
• Write a reminder note about the child and put it on the car door or dashboard to see it when you leave the vehicle.
• Set a reminder on your cell phone to alert you to check that you dropped your child off at daycare.
• Place a shoe, purse, briefcase, or cell phone next to the child’s car seat to remind yourself that your child is in the car.
• Keep a familiar object, like a stuffed toy, in your child’s car seat. When you remove it to buckle up your child, place the object in the front seat. It will serve as a reminder to always check the back seat for your child.
• Never let kids play in an unattended vehicle or leave a child alone in a car, even if you leave the windows partly open or the air conditioning on—even for just a few minutes. Also, keep car keys away from where children can reach them.
If you are not a parent or caregiver, you still have an important role to play. If you happen to see a child alone in a hot vehicle, make sure the child is okay and responsive. If the child appears to be okay, quickly do everything you can to locate the parents.
If the child is not responsive or appears to be in distress, call 911 immediately and follow their directions. When the child is out of the vehicle, cool the child rapidly (not with an ice bath, but by spraying with cool water).
Sometimes bystanders are reluctant to get involved; surveys suggest that 63 percent of adults just assume the parents will be right back. But what if they aren’t?
Bystanders should know that states have “Good Samaritan” laws that protect them from lawsuits for helping a person in an emergency. So if you happen to see a child alone in a hot car, do not hesitate— please act!
We need parents, caregivers and bystanders all working together to help end these tragic heatstroke deaths—because hot cars kill children.
Visit www.safercar.gov/heatstroke for more information. #heatstrokekills #checkforbaby
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].
