001body and welcome to our March policy committee meeting. Um we have a pretty light agenda today. Um but I do want to get started because we have another meeting at 7 o'clock. Um so we are going to be continuing with our policy wellness check. Um today this week we're going to be tackling the 3000s and 400s for the policy and regulations where there were recommendations. Um, so there aren't a lot of huge changes, but I'm going to turn over to Dr. Le just to get started. >> So, uh, we'll go down the agenda. So, the first two items, uh, conduct of reduction in force and withholding an increment. Those two, uh, were identified as needing citations updates. So, down at the bottom, they're just updating the code references, uh, literally at the bottom of the
002page, right above the adopted readed dates. Um, so we've adjusted those. There's no changes to any of the content, just the citation notations. Um, the third one, evaluations of teachers. So, that title has been changed. Uh, it's the same policy. They revised the the title of the policy. So, we're just recommending changing it. Um, that's a again just a title update. >> The next policy down tutoring services uh would be a new policy. So, that is a policy that was not in our policy uh manual >> and uh it's called tutoring services and basically it's a policy that is um referring to that we recognize that staff members um do tutor outside of school. Um we do have a regulation in place already that addresses uh the parameters in which stu uh the staff members
003can engage in the tutoring. This is uh a policy that just kind of over oversees that. Um >> is that regulation also 3232 or is it a different number >> services? 3232. It should be 3232. >> Okay. Just cuz I can't pull it up, but I know like we normally wouldn't have a regulation without a policy, right? >> Which is why we uh were surprised we didn't have the policy. So it was created in June 20 2013 by Strauss Esme. >> Okay. >> Um so we recommend it. the standard policy for adoption. And like I said, it basically says that as a district, we recognize that school staff members routinely provide time beyond the assigned responsibilities to students who need additional help in their academic programs. Um the board of education recognizes school staff member
004may be privately contracted to provide these tutoring services to a student in addition to any extra help and services they receive before, during, and or after the school day. Um, and again it just speaks to the uh to the content we already have in the regulation. >> Any questions? All right. >> This is like I I would assume a stipen. >> This is unrelated. This is private contracting outside of what we this would be a parent contacting a teacher said, "Hey, do you do you tutor outside of school?" This is us as a district saying, "We recognize you guys do that, but also like in the in the regulation, teachers don't tutor students in their own class. They can tutor students outside of their class, but not their own students and things like that." >>
005So, so like if uh you know, my son is playing the trumpet and I want Mr. Ratner to teach a trumpet. Not that I would because he's >> trembling the trumpet, >> but anyway, that that that's okay for >> So we So I like to use like a mathematics example. We have teachers that uh teach mathematics as their primary content area, say at the high school. They may have had a student and it's students older now, like maybe they're a junior or senior and they want tutoring services to help them in their current math. That teacher could be contacted by that parent and they would tutor at the library or something, you know, outside of the school. >> Can they not school related? >> Can they be the child's current teacher? >> No, I guess.
006Nope. So just to piggyback if it's the opposite situation where you have a teacher, a student working with the teacher, but then that student is assigned for whatever reason to that teacher, but they already have that relationship in place. Is are they allowed to continue working with that teacher? Do they then have to cease the tutoring relationship? >> Uh they there should be no teaching or tutoring of a student that's in your classroom. >> Okay. Okay. >> There's a pretty apparent conflict of Yeah. If the if the student needs that support, our position as a district, they should be receiving that support within the school day from that person. Now, if they need extra help from someone else, that's fine. But it's that's the, >> you know, >> there's a potential for creating your own
007business, >> Right. But they, you know, so that's why again, we don't believe that happens, but um that's a reason why you don't tutor students in your classes. >> I have a question. What about if the student is hospitalized? Do we have certain um tutors that are just take care of hospital? >> That's called home instruction. So that's home instruction. Home instruction. They're in the hospital and they have to go to the hospital for say long through for this for the So we pay we pay for that as a school district and we often times will use the the the schedule teacher to provide that. >> So this this is just you're talking about specific like additional income that's not in the school. Yep. It just so happens that we know, you know, student A
008knows the teacher and teacher B knows the student, right? >> I do believe, I'm not sure if this is across the district, but that there are some schools that have a list of teachers who are willing to tutor available if it's needed. >> Yep. >> Yes. Okay. >> Um, the next one is employment contract, and we actually already have the employment contract. We just didn't have the adopted date printed on the >> So, we have it adopted. Um, Miss Sinsky went back, found the adoption date in the board minutes. Um, so we're just going to add the adopted date to this policy. >> That was easy. >> Yep. Um, freezing or reducing wages. That's another one where the NJ uh AC code was uh updated. So we are just updating the code to align with
009uh the new code. >> So we were referred to update the citations there. >> This is outside activities. So we're updating this one. >> So that's 4230. Yep. We're keeping track. >> Yep. >> So we uh we're just revising the updated date. It's uh last updated in 2013. So they just revised that we updated So, just for readion. Yep. >> So, this one says um support staff members, correct? Is that >> Do we have one that's not support staff? Like I know sometimes it's split. >> There's a P there's a certificated staff and a support staff parallel. Yep. >> Okay. >> And then that's that's the reason why there's a recommendation for updating. >> Okay. Y >> jury duty. This is a new one. So, we were surprised we do not have this one. Um
010so, this is 4438 jury duty. And this one basically says uh the board of education will identify all full-time employees against loss of pay incurred by call to jury duty. Uh and it just goes to outline an employee should be uh summoned to jury jury duty should promptly report that summon to his or her immediate supervisor. Um on return from jury duty, the employee must submit his or her uh immediate supervisor a court record of the number of days served on jury duty. Um, so basically we're just acknowledging that you should do jury duty. You're not penalized if you're going to do jury duty. What was happening before that? >> Nothing. >> It was the same thing. >> They let us know we don't hold them accountable. You know, I had recently >> that that
011judge didn't let me get off. I It didn't matter what I said. >> Actually, I tried to get off. I was um the 36 weeks when you have um >> grand jury. I had a grand jury when I was working in New Brunswick and I happened to go in the elevator with one of the district attorney rep and I said I knew two people said I don't care. He said that's your problem. >> He said it goes to town. The real you not even doctors can get off nowadays. Nobody. >> Yeah. The judge was like oh yeah I got I got teachers all the time. >> Yeah. You can't. >> So just so they just put in before and then it was it was just a list. >> Well they notify they always notify their
012supervisor. This doesn't change what's happening. This is just we're adopt policy. What's >> our goal? Yeah. >> Right. So, we're notified that goes in get a teacher a substitute. Um, this isn't about us >> trying to get our employees off of it. This is us saying, >> "Yeah, I'm just surprised it wasn't there, right?" >> Yep. Because there's I hadn't even gotten through a tenth of the policies that we >> Yeah. There are very few policies that were missing and uh we were like, like I said, we were surprised. Um, this one was created back in >> it was a while ago. >> Yeah, it says 2013. Uh, 1987. Sorry. 1987 is when this one started. >> When I was born. >> Yep. So, >> we just haven't adopted it since 1987. >> All right.
013Um, so just clarification because I know that when I was when I was teaching our policy was the teachers had to submit something to the court saying that, you know, we're a teacher and it would create an issue like I I don't remember if it was in the policy. It was just a procedure and then obviously if they said, you know, tough luck, you need to come in, then everything that is there was there, but that's not required in regards to our our staff. like if they receive a summons for jury duty, they just >> I would question whether whether an organization could require someone to get excused from it. That's probably >> I mean this was like a separate question, but >> yeah. So this basically says when you're summoned to jury duty, let
014us know and do your civic duty. If an employee says that they have a conflict or whatever, you know, then that's on them. But >> this is just basically saying do your civil service, >> right? >> When you come back, start pick up where you left off. >> Okay. Um, last two, these are abolished regulations. >> Um, so they're evaluation of non-tenure administrators, evaluation of tenure administrators. So they're to be abolished. Um, they're replaced by another one that's in there. Yeah. So >> they're just they had already been replaced. They had just not been uh abolished. That's what we have for our three two 3000s and 4,000s updates. >> It is wonderful. We will be continuing through this uh policy audit summary and uh like I said we will tackle them in chunks and the
015next chunks we'll probably go through is to start at the 5000s and maybe 5,000 6,000s if there's enough in the 5000s we'll separate it right but we'll >> whenever that new alert comes out we're probably going to need to slow it down a bit because they'll be >> Yep. There's some things we're looking forward like uh stress estimate is in the process of revising their uh cell phone use >> in schools policy. >> So once that >> heard anything about that >> yeah once we they released their temp their updated guidance on that um you know we're already working internally on uh some of the things that they're expected us to put in the policy or at least what was in the initial one that was released so we can you know get that moving
016when it comes out. Do you know what the off the top of your head what the deadline is for that for? >> It's to be implemented for the beginning of the school year next year. >> So, we have a little time. >> Yeah. And they have like they're on the as soon as they get us the template document, we'll take action um probably at the next meeting. They give us it the week before. We'll need another chunk of time to do it, but um they typically, you know, give us some lead time, but they said they're fasttracking that one in terms of their updates. >> Dr. Wait a minute. I know they were putting forth bell to bell districts. Did the districts have to comply with that or they do it for what's good for
017their own district? >> Belt to bell is the requirement. >> That's requirement, right? >> Yep. And what it looks like in terms of how that's enforced, >> right, >> or monitored is is up to the districts. I can tell you across the board right now, >> um, elementary schools have minimal changes to do. Those the cell phones are out of sight, out of mind. They're in their backpacks. They're the kids are not sitting at their tables with them. >> They only have two bells, too. At elementary school, it's a little easier. >> Yeah. Well, in Bella Bell, in essence, they mean the beginning. >> Um, middle school, same thing. After talking to their administration, overwhelmingly, anybody that has a phone, it's away in their backpacks, which is in their lockers. Um, so there's minimal issues
018there, although maybe a few more than at the elementary level. >> Right. at the high school. Um they they'll f their focus will be uh hallways and lunchroom because they've uh really been the past few years focusing on keeping those personal cellular devices out of reach in the classroom. Um so they kind of have that and they have a process in place to manage that. Now they're looking at hallway and cafeteria use and that will be really for our students kind of the change in in how we how we work with them. So I think for for me there's a couple of things because with Bell to Bell I'm assuming that doesn't mean like the buses but then also like if there's field trips during the school day is that going to be something that
019like especially for the high school kids that they're going to be allowed to use their cell phones or because it's still within that time period and I guess you know I'm assuming that the regulatory will sort of >> just real quick to piggy back because you got that from me the um you did I told you about it there in there's a policy currently right now that says that kids are allowed to have cell phones on their field trips currently, >> right? So, and that's part of the ripple effect of what this what this will do. And they actually in the state's guidance um give examples of where uh I don't want to call exceptions, but where the districts have to think about how to adapt. So, many of our students, not many, there are
020some students that utilize their cell phones to monitor their glucose levels. Right. Right. They have insulin and things like that. Now, there are alternate ways, right? There are other glucose monitors and the cell phone in many cases is the preferred use because everybody kind of has them. But um from some of the staff that have glue uh the same kind of process, there is a glucose monitor. So um we will work with individual students on individual medical plans, but that'll have to be defined as an exception. Um and we'll look at other potential, >> right? >> I have I've said this before. or I have this 955 rule who spend 95% of our time dealing with 5% of something. >> So 95% of this policy is going to be clean and easily understood, >> right?
021But the 5% that's left over, which are these kind of one-off situations, is going to spend 90 95% of our time, right, working those out. Play out of state if you're doing a trip out of state or or even like like the >> kids in um you know, the middle school went to Atlantic City during the school day. Like that's >> Yeah. As a father, I would want my kid to have access to cell phones, especially if I'm not down there. >> And and those are the things we'll look at because the state is pretty clear on certain guidance. Like they basically say when their bell to bell, there are processes for a student to get in touch with their family and there's a process for their family to get in touch with them, right?
022Through the main office or whatever the the the standard protocol is because they recommend um you know, having them in lockers andor, you know, and we're not buying magnetic bags and stuff like some of the districts, but some of them, you know, you put it in a bag when you walk in, you unlock when you get out. That's not on the table for us. Um, >> do you know because the other thing I remember seeing in the legislation, I don't know if the STS estimate is going to adhere to this, is it didn't even say cell phones. It said internet enabled devices, >> personal communicated devices. >> Okay, so that's where they're going. >> District device. A district device like our iPads. >> That's fine because it's on our network. It's our device. It has
023the applications and the communication tools that we have issued. So if you if you look at I believe it's called personal communication devices personal >> saying that includes a watch it includes a cell phones >> right? >> Yep. But they they make it clear it does not include a flip phone >> a phone that >> just internet right >> now that's what they're going to create you know internet >> like I have an Apple watch. So how would you regulate something like that? like >> they wouldn't be able to use a >> how is the teacher going to like say like can you prove this is an Apple watch >> well it's a personal any personal communication device it'll be communicated on the front end and uh I suspect that would be you know there'll
024be a tiered piece we you know we'll say you have to remove that maybe communicate with the parents to say hey this is our you know required policy d and go through that process so >> yep you guys are going to have >> well and and they're they're pretty clear they're pretty clear in their dei in their guidance that it's all about um >> fidelity of implementation. >> Right. >> So, >> and again we're not looking to lock them up and lock the phones up and magnetic bags and things like that. But we do have to comply with them. >> So we do have to comply with this and uh you know like I said elementary and middle school are are in a really good place right now and I think the majority of the
025high school day is in a solid place. It's really looking at the call it the unstructured times right the hallway and the the lunchroom in terms of you know the students are listening to music they're on their iPads and things like that. So, how do we kind of address that? And that's what they're working on. >> And I guess you or or maybe maybe it's even a board issue would have to figure out if a child's, you know, walking around with their cell phone in the hallway or or they call, you know, what what the >> right. So, they recommend >> consequence of >> and we do have stuff embedded in our code of conduct about technology and um you know, having devices that you're allowed to bring in and stuff. So, there is a
026tiered system, you know, >> so we can kind of have that modified so >> whatever you need to do. Yep. If it needs modification, again, that's 955, right? Spend 95% of our time on just the fine-tuning and the those one-off scenarios about field trips and things like that. So, but yeah, that's to be determined and uh again, we're having those plans. We're making having those discussions, but uh that template is really going to be grounded in the law >> uh and which is what we need to ground our uh you know, our policy off of, which is why like bring it this month. So, >> because I'd ask if we wanted to look at that if it was coming. So, but yeah. All right. >> So, that's it. And like I said, we'll move to
027the 5,000s and then maybe the 6,000. We'll look and see at how many are in the 5,000s if we tack it on one meeting or when this next alert comes out and things like that. So, but it's our project we've been working on. >> Yeah. Appreciate it. Yeah. Very nice job. >> All right. That is all. Thank you everybody. Have a great night.