[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6382483,"mediaKeyId","2126902-0d086b30ecc883f0e83c2f2d9ff0ce8b","parentId",2126902,"title","Board approves consent agenda, personnel hires and several committee recommendations; votes at a glance","audioSeconds",2563,"startMs",1913000,"endMs",4476000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2126902-0d086b30ecc883f0e83c2f2d9ff0ce8b&start=1913&end=4476","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2126902-0d086b30ecc883f0e83c2f2d9ff0ce8b/thumbnail_1913000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6382483/New-Jersey/Board-approves-consent-agenda-personnel-hires-and-several-committee-recommendations-votes-at-a-glance","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6382483-f22ce932a658c17cea1bf365e99c09ec/orig.mp4?Expires=1773693166&Signature=g6NBQno18YU81C8j4faUC~oLWddHa8Yx2lgqNp5ty08aYGrfS25IWmUBg1agEr0FehtXlgz~Y3c~u8lxu21Mx~Ly-lrmXbK7iB8jU6rkPMcO8~KV~HdtpgtdhK9ZPr59CCJjLUcvr7xhPcCYq5-hxbCICo0VFB1efMX4nramb0BB8FKd3nr30je0DjAG8ht1XFWfRfESoyTW0P9ckIwKnK123UV4HWjISMxYWJ2nhwSaz51Zuz9a4yq5ZClZpycKmCKQr2IWnlUYHOKJlcZsdn~yzsJH1swaEDIRRL-LJRfryNZApHuMT0zp16dWdl22bzkX1JhKvdmqsxnHZp~nRw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Summit Public School District","date","2025-01-17T12:56:53Z","article","At its Jan. 16 meeting the Summit Board of Education voted on multiple consent and action items across the agenda. The board recorded roll-call votes on the superintendent’s report, curriculum and finance packages, personnel approvals (including the new director of facilities), committee recommendations and policy readings. Most motions carried by recorded roll call; a few individual votes recorded dissent on specific appointments.

Key outcomes

- Superintendent’s report items a and b: Motion moved and seconded; the motion carried on roll call (Stanton: yes; Mahecha: yes; Kelly: yes; Erde/Erday: yes; Cho: yes; Vice President Koehn/Cohen: yes; President Justice: yes).

- Approval of December meeting minutes: Motion carried on roll call with unanimous yes votes recorded.

- Curriculum, instruction and grammar items (a–c): Approved on recorded vote.

- Finance items (a–q): Approved on recorded vote after committee discussion; roll call reflected unanimous yes votes by members present.

- School Board Operations appointment(s): The motion to appoint both recommended representatives carried. One board member expressed a preference to split the vote and recorded a no vote on one candidate (see vote_record). Outcome: both appointments approved.

- Personnel (items a–p, including addendum): Personnel slate approved by roll call. The agenda included the formal approval of the new director of facilities, Chris Bick, whose start was announced and whose employment contract was noted on the personnel addendum (contract start date March 1, 2025 or sooner for the 2024–25 school year).

- Policy and regulation readings (first and second readings where scheduled): Motions for first and second readings carried by roll call.

Other procedural votes included motions to open and close public comment and a motion to adjourn; each carried by roll call.

Where specific roll calls were recorded in the transcript, board members voted as follows: Kelly Stanton (yes on recorded motions unless otherwise noted), Carlos Mahecha (yes except where noted), Eileen Kelly (yes), Miss Erde/Erday (yes), Yan Cho (yes), Vice President Melanie Cohen (yes), President Walida Justice (yes). One recorded dissenting vote occurred on a parcel of the School Board Operations appointment: Carlos Mahecha voted no on one named appointee and yes on the other.

No individual ordinances or numbered resolutions requiring external citations were adopted at this meeting; approvals were primarily routine agenda and consent items. Minutes and full roll-call tallies were recorded in the official board record and are available in the district files.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","BOE Public Meeting: January 16, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Summit Board approved the superintendent’s report items, curriculum and finance items, personnel hires (including the director of facilities), policy readings, and other consent items. Roll-call votes were taken and motions carried as noted.","taxTitle","Summit Public School District, School Districts, New Jersey","taxId",53276,"location","New Jersey","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6382488,"Residents urge action on student cell-phone policies and raise concerns about Challenge Day facilitators",265,3219000,3484000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2126902-0d086b30ecc883f0e83c2f2d9ff0ce8b&start=3219&end=3484","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2126902-0d086b30ecc883f0e83c2f2d9ff0ce8b/thumbnail_3219000.jpg","/articles/6382488/New-Jersey/Residents-urge-action-on-student-cell-phone-policies-and-raise-concerns-about-Challenge-Day-facilitators","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6382488-cb5c68783f3b6b9c2f00d4dbdabbfaee/orig.mp4?Expires=1773693166&Signature=bhVqALC8u3mST78Ilnx4oEVZ9wfl3OfVAexWhMeAAq9I~suBRC2FO8v0Td-SbaEropDJrVdZVrgOGzL4WhiXTs6Tv6y5UQNEWAGPTBUdXFD2BE8corGUnTQ0tqqTXftZRB5ZMVRW6iPVVArbiEN2pB0ridb4qAJUXgrJobX-6O5W-lqUTj4M5t~gq32aSbcO0StS2nJUxY4Hwf4EIwyWzOnta1aR2tDaI~yu8doEZ08kgMJndCoXAA8cXqRT~3dAg3FpJgj4mG3fVrymodPRjBCAnyHsiXyRjSWwut9YyNdSmD~u49O576TuXR9PZvOr1dkUC8-FrSvKeUnoCUpGqw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","During public comment at the Jan. 16 Summit Board of Education meeting several residents raised two recurring themes: (1) concerns about student privacy and facilitator qualifications in social-emotional learning programming such as Challenge Day, and (2) community interest in limiting student smartphone use in schools.

Rob Devries of 153 Maple Street asked about data privacy and protocols for students who disclose private family information during SEL activities. \"What type of protocols are in place to protect families if and when students share obvious private family information with a teacher or group of other students?\" he asked. The board said staff would follow up with details.

Several parents and community members urged the district to support or amplify a local chapter of the national group Wait Until 8th, which encourages families to delay issuing smartphones to children until the end of eighth grade. Tracy Kleinman, a parent who helped start the Summit chapter, said the group has collected more than 350 parental pledges locally and asked the board what the district is doing on cell-phone policy. \"We started a Summit chapter of the organization, Wait Until 8th...our goal ultimately is to shift the cultural norm and to prevent people from just kind of giving their kid a cell phone at the end of 5th grade,\" Kleinman said.

Formerly elected official and educator Mike McTiernan described municipal efforts to create phone-free events and urged schools to empower principals and PTOs to promote similar norms. \"We've embraced this at the municipality level...I would really encourage...empowering principals to promote this with their local PTOs and PTAs,\" McTiernan said.

Parents also raised concerns about Challenge Day, a daylong SEL program used in district schools. Kevin Smallwood, who said his daughter was selected to participate, described being troubled by questions he saw listed in Challenge Day FAQs and by facilitator qualifications. \"It sounds more of like a group therapy session...I'm concerned at how it is actually administered,\" Smallwood said, and asked the district to review the qualifications of external facilitators who run the program. Smallwood referenced facilitator names from materials he later received: Michael Anthony Lowe and Pam Dunn.

Board president Walida Justice said the district would provide follow-up information to speakers on both privacy protocols for SEL activities and the district's review of facilitator qualifications. The board did not take immediate action during the meeting on cell-phone policy or Challenge Day but several members said they would refer questions to administration for follow-up and further reporting.

No changes to existing district policy were adopted at the meeting; community members asked the board for more information and for a dialogue with principals and parent organizations about cell-phone norms and vendor oversight.","Multiple residents spoke during public comment asking the board about privacy and oversight for SEL activities, urging district support for a 'Wait Until 8th' effort and questioning qualifications of outside facilitators for Challenge Day.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6382494,"Summit Board gets midyear update on equity, data, STEAM and strategic planning goals",1189,171000,1360000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2126902-0d086b30ecc883f0e83c2f2d9ff0ce8b&start=171&end=1360","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2126902-0d086b30ecc883f0e83c2f2d9ff0ce8b/thumbnail_171000.jpg","/articles/6382494/New-Jersey/Summit-Board-gets-midyear-update-on-equity-data-STEAM-and-strategic-planning-goals","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6382494-530c09f328946c26ebe45793025f76be/orig.mp4?Expires=1773693167&Signature=bf2q~xjHCKKMzpr~ZRAYe7wRqr2IbStoAvvr1u6EEPuR8aX9hd-axKX2qsXTEVYkW5XWaJ~lRGXL~6SaCimHue8-KoPiUMh4O2VPTRHT9-RApQhkdqBm~1qTYB-b8CQmZri7Kx-sOuTq~KHZ-iZIAtRTkuGn0QDjEWnCFxDRHWsSL-KVCw0CDwBQLyBvksCBjr2A9kXHsAyY7Id~YqNKoMzxVBDNzJ6hq2~JvXzidmGJ3UgPQhZSf2ENyQlzP7rYgmyquve43PbTVAro3jMX6Qk6Q2hZaJQbbwNoNgWlA1VBcegMpkDiN~IAga12mThryj7yxPMEOp3lZDFBk2hInQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Superintendent Scott Huff told the Summit Board of Education on Jan. 16 that the district is midway through work on four board-approved goals for the 2024–25 school year: fostering inclusive school communities and social-emotional learning, strengthening data use for instruction, expanding STEAM programming, and launching a multiyear strategic planning process. \"I'm really really proud of our team for every year on the effort and, you know, the consistency that goes into delivering these goals,\" Huff said during the presentation.

The presentation detailed specific outcomes and pilot programs tied to each goal. On equity and social-emotional learning (SEL), Dr. Crystal Moore said the district expects \"data collected from our strategic equity plan...and stakeholder feedback will be used to further ensure an equitable educational experience, a sense of belonging, and mutual respect among students, staff, and families.\" Moore highlighted the rollout of a Panorama SEL survey for grades 3–12, staff professional development on culturally responsive teaching and belonging, Challenge Day events at the middle and high schools, and Anti-Defamation League \"No Place for Hate\" designations across schools.

On data and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), presenters described a pilot of Panorama's Student Success Platform at the middle school that consolidates attendance, discipline and assessment data in one place. Moore and other staff described continuing training on small-group instruction, Genesis discipline-module integration and expanded intervention programs. \"It really does take the legwork off of the teachers...so they get to spend their time doing the thing that matters,\" Moore said of the platform.

Director of curriculum and instruction Heather Rocco updated the board on STEAM work, saying elementary teachers have new rubrics for grades 1–5 and that secondary STEAM subcommittees have drafted course proposals, including new computer-aided drafting options and expanded arts offerings. Rocco said middle-school construction tied to STEAM spaces is substantially complete and that Summit High School construction is expected to conclude next year so programming can expand.

On strategic planning, Huff said the district has engaged the Madison Institute to facilitate a year-one process that included community meetings, core-team work and surveys. Rough response estimates cited in the presentation were \"a little over a 1,000\" students in grades 6–12 completing a survey, \"over 400\" parents and about 400 staff respondents; the district will report final core-team participation numbers soon. Huff said the first-year action plan will be completed and implemented next year and that additional focus groups for parents and implementation-team meetings are scheduled.

Board members asked clarifying questions about how effectiveness will be measured for pilots. Moore said there are no additional bespoke quantitative metrics for the Washington Elementary inclusion pilot beyond the district's standard assessments, and that staff will review I-Ready and NJSLA results to evaluate outcomes. On data tools, presenters emphasized that Panorama allows district staff to disaggregate by student, class, grade and subgroup to create targeted interventions.

The presentation included several planned next steps: February professional development time devoted to Panorama analysis for counselors, February STEAM teacher training on robotics for elementary staff, continued writing of secondary STEAM curriculum and rollout planning tied to high-school construction completion.

The board did not take action on the presentation itself; the midyear review was presented for update and discussion.","Superintendent Scott Huff and staff presented midyear progress on four district goals—equity and social-emotional learning, data-driven instruction, STEAM expansion and a new strategic planning effort—highlighting pilots, professional development and planned next steps.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board approves consent agenda, personnel hires and several committee recommendations; votes at a glance

Residents urge action on student cell-phone policies and raise concerns about Challenge Day facilitators

Summit Board gets midyear update on equity, data, STEAM and strategic planning goals