[{"_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",6480841,"mediaKeyId","5487157-fafe379c477f3e6511d889d22650d4a1","parentId",5487157,"title","Resident raises complaint at board meeting about HR handling of employee disability benefit denial","audioSeconds",376,"startMs",3615000,"endMs",3991000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5487157-fafe379c477f3e6511d889d22650d4a1&start=3615&end=3991","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5487157-fafe379c477f3e6511d889d22650d4a1/thumbnail_3615000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6480841/New-Jersey/Resident-raises-complaint-at-board-meeting-about-HR-handling-of-employee-disability-benefit-denial","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6480841-d6d24512f9bcfce8afbe9b121f3975d0/orig.mp4?Expires=1774893089&Signature=ZW861OflRuNZbjvhI5pN5i7Chh6qzAna7yrhLoIBBAEQZag38JrrYt9LM0HP~00BXmP2AyvHsy8Lduj251Bp64m15O-xPs7hmAd4j1iGu5ZQJZFS-DR6091QJ~1wdO9DtdJdMzd05nus52mTRhZLWYvKr-bDsW1yC2fpFeMVo5uzptfO2iVR6mKZUxxc5CiboA5WGm0C-VlrJXxKhuAauFTfzX7SOQ4SjVKChZQxEgafvFK9D2m3E6dj-VhIg5PX798H9NXF-nJF3wzG1Mtt4yYBCjSKp569W4EXoDOknvCLGcG5E6cBLPXdIEMTkutrzXczrTcXvySIwJw31Cf2gw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Vernon Township School District","date","2025-07-28T12:20:04.04Z","article","During the public-comment period a Vernon Township resident, Robert Kennedy, read a letter written by his wife, who is a district employee and a special-needs aide. The letter said that in February 2025 the employee was granted family leave after a stage-3 cancer diagnosis but that a state temporary-disability claim was denied in March because the district’s human-resources records indicated she had not worked the 1,250 hours required in a 12-month period. The writer said the employee had worked summer hours across nine years and questioned the HR accounting.

The letter and Mr. Kennedy’s remarks described repeated attempts to reach human-resources staff for an explanation and a timeline of follow-up calls. The couple reported that HR later identified an additional 80 hours, which they said came after an extended period during which their messages were not returned. The letter also described being redirected to an NJEA representative; the NJEA contact, Mr. Kennedy said, was working to escalate the matter.

Board members briefly discussed procedures for public comment and meeting rules during the exchange but did not take formal action or direct immediate personnel follow-up in public session. The board chair reminded the speaker of public-comment time limits. Administrators and board members did not dispute the public commenter’s account on the record during the meeting; staff response offered on the record was limited to procedural reminders about internal processes and referrals to union representation.

The matter appears to be a personnel-level dispute concerning benefits eligibility and HR recordkeeping. The public record does not show any board-level intervention or a formal HR response during the meeting; the commenter said he would pursue follow-up with the NJEA and expected direct HR review of the employee’s hours. Board members did not vote or set a timeline for a board-led inquiry during the public session.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","BOE Meeting 7 25 25 Part 2","oneSentenceSummary","A resident read a letter from his wife — a district employee diagnosed with cancer — alleging that human-resources accounting of hours led to a temporary disability denial and that HR communication was delayed and unhelpful; the matter was presented as public comment and board members did not take formal action during the meeting.","taxTitle","Vernon Township School District, School Districts, New Jersey","taxId",54426,"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},6480845,"Vernon board approves superintendent and business resolutions; wide-ranging personnel, contracts and purchases cleared",501,4573000,5074000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5487157-fafe379c477f3e6511d889d22650d4a1&start=4573&end=5074","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5487157-fafe379c477f3e6511d889d22650d4a1/thumbnail_4573000.jpg","/articles/6480845/New-Jersey/Vernon-board-approves-superintendent-and-business-resolutions-wide-ranging-personnel-contracts-and-purchases-cleared","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6480845-9dd2c9a139f1fc6b86092afa30017112/orig.mp4?Expires=1774893089&Signature=BGKBn7aZ-ursb5z83li3XyMUYHlPIoSGbNqQTNdKa~-8TjuLusZW-fSls-ozRogukMa-vCrzddgOKFi3bx1IdT-xGq1TRz-Q~K~BGW27myhHCNLL00rYtfl8D2uXQNbuGV~Xcmjbpa1Je8q4o9QkXJ4qAOP2KudySlxmoRS2IH6fi36IiMm3eN8oKNigvjU-lyHROMB7QgiG2Kcsi3BPkHy7hkY7lFTwVvvukZ~nSs1V8YrRSe7LQj19-zLpyde1GEa4ph~mCdpHUDgaw7QHyqaAPZV-9KvGNwtsKS30n1eyh6UtQwqhzzUDFs9Mj6WBSpvRlO8rafZEKiMU0BerAQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the July meeting the Vernon Township Board of Education approved two large packages of resolutions covering personnel, program approvals and business items. The board voted, by roll call, to adopt the superintendent’s itemized recommendations (listed in the agenda as N2A–N2U) and separately approved the business administrator’s resolutions (O2A–O2AA), which included contracts, transportation awards, grant applications and routine purchasing and capital items.

Superintendent package (N2A–N2U): The superintendent’s slate included ESY (extended school year) and summer staffing appointments, curriculum and summer-work authorizations, mentoring and bedside tutoring approvals, harassment/intimidation/bullying reports, adoption of the district policy manual for 2025–26, and several memoranda of understanding with the Vernon Township Police Department (including live-streaming and law-enforcement instruction for certain grades). The board moved and seconded the superintendent resolution package; a roll-call vote followed. Board members recorded “yes” votes from Dr. Ross, Mr. Sweeney, Ms. Facarello, Mr. Zimmerman, Mr. Semaglia, Mr. Contino, Mr. Fisher, Mr. Krauss and Ms. Pellet; the motion carried.

Business-administrator package (O2A–O2AA): The business package included approval of monthly finance reports and the board secretary/treasurer reports (attachments provided), contracts for special-education placements, renewal agreements (including an agreement with Atlantic Health System for medical services and testing), acceptance of donations, the Perkins CTE grant application (preliminary acceptance subject to later adjustment), the safe school insurance-fund assessment, a snow-plowing services award, food-service supplemental billing for labor differential, additions/deletions to the fixed-asset list and a modest meal-price increase (25 cents) for breakfast and lunch. The board approved the business package by roll-call vote with the same set of board members recorded as voting in favor; the motion carried.

Votes, procedure and follow-up: In both cases the board chair called for motions, members moved and seconded the packages, and roll-call votes were recorded. Where questions arose during discussion, board members asked staff to provide follow-up detail (for example, requests for a breakdown on out-of-district special-education placements and further explanation of year-to-year changes in student-safety incident reporting). Staff said they would return with the requested analyses in subsequent meetings. Some approvals were conditional on later documentation: the Perkins grant amounts were accepted with the expectation the board would receive a revised resolution when final allocation figures arrived.

Notable individual items and financial notes: The board approved a supplemental food-service billing to Masio’s (the district’s food-service vendor) for a $66,900 labor differential tied to wage and staffing adjustments during 2024–25; administrators reported the program still produced a net surplus that is restricted to food-service operations. The board also accepted donated technology and science equipment from a private donor; staff said district technology personnel reviewed items before acceptance.

No individual motion-level tallies naming a mover or seconder were recorded in the public transcript; roll-call votes were recorded by name for each package and each package passed.","The board voted to approve the superintendent's recommended personnel and program resolutions (N2A–N2U) and the business administrator's finance and procurement resolutions (O2A–O2AA), including contracts, grants, transportation and capital-related actions; roll-call votes recorded unanimous approvals on both package motions.",{"_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},6480850,"Vernon reports higher NJGPA graduation readiness and outlines supports for students who did not meet cut scores",2897,69000,2966000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5487157-fafe379c477f3e6511d889d22650d4a1&start=69&end=2966","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5487157-fafe379c477f3e6511d889d22650d4a1/thumbnail_69000.jpg","/articles/6480850/New-Jersey/Vernon-reports-higher-NJGPA-graduation-readiness-and-outlines-supports-for-students-who-did-not-meet-cut-scores","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6480850-e016e896375fd8fc0b2928d4f34278bd/orig.mp4?Expires=1774893089&Signature=GrMfbBBqV9QDCr~qyyeNzWPX5yQDY~fqa9s84A-1frvJDDBgtL63uHekLlsPdSedCMnri8~NVXZ8nM8EKwYbfoH5TfmFHmmGhpsjAL0HBn-DH2~GGqcCfT~~kw4HJyR4iDlLhzHJq8DMfU87g58iXjb-rNWSZDWJMT5kp-dEe8qA2-iqoWlp0n93JKVK-xgAR65v~t~bGdx-5cy2c0s-XDRzeEYgkrlnDA5Pi6xQsy42Sy60dKkf0EWkAmTfCaPV6NFjWVmeJw~bZvgMuVEFemBbgE3BxFhyIwyZXReWCr9XzpE2TkELUfDMJvoAaG-eOeGiRsyfrFCwZC3D~ipl6w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Vernon Township School District administrators presented the district's spring 2025 New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) and NJ ACCESS (WIDA) results at the July board meeting, reporting higher graduation-readiness rates in both English language arts and math compared with the statewide averages and describing the district’s retake, alternate-assessment and portfolio pathways and targeted interventions for students who did not meet cut scores.

The presentation said the State Board of Education adopted a cut score of 725 for the NJGPA components on May 3, 2023. District staff reported that on the English-language-arts component 211 students were tested: 188 (89.1 percent) met the graduation-ready cut score and 23 (10.9 percent) did not. By comparison, the state’s reported figures were 80.7 percent graduation ready and 19.3 percent not graduation ready. On the mathematics component 210 students were tested: 137 (65.2 percent) were graduation ready and 73 (34.8 percent) were not; staff said the state’s comparable math readiness rate was roughly 58 percent.

District staff described the stepwise options available to students who do not meet the NJGPA cut scores. The district will offer a fall retake of the NJGPA; students who still do not meet the cut score may take alternate assessments such as the SAT, PSAT, ASVAB or ACCUPLACER. If those assessments are insufficient, students can pursue a portfolio appeal that is submitted to the state. Staff said high-school teachers and guidance and MTSS teams support students through retakes and portfolio preparation.

Administrators also presented NJ ACCESS (WIDA) results for the district’s multilingual learners (ML). At the time of the presentation staff reported 66 students tested (the district said that number had since increased to 72). Across the district cohorts combined, staff reported 13 students at ACCESS level 2 (20 percent), 14 at level 3 (21 percent) and 29 at level 4 (44 percent). For kindergarten through grade 5 the district reported 36 students with 20 scoring at level 4 (56 percent). Presenters cautioned that many subgroup cells were suppressed where cohort counts were under 10 to avoid identification, so some subgroup lines appear as “<10” or NA in the published tables.

To address gaps identified in the data, presenters described district interventions already in place and planned expansions: instructional coaches who work with teachers (K–12) and sometimes pull small groups; math labs at the high school; dedicated teachers who support portfolio development; and multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS) that provide targeted tier 2 and tier 3 interventions. Staff singled out special education and multilingual-learner populations as groups the district will examine closely and said they plan longitudinal tracking to determine whether program changes are producing sustained gains.

Board members asked for further question-level and item-type breakdowns (for example, open-ended word problems versus computational questions) and whether the district could show how reading levels affect math performance. Presenters said the NJGPA does not produce the same detailed question-type evidence statements the district receives from NJSLA, but the district uses multiple local assessments and prior NJSLA evidence statements to target instruction. Board members also asked about subgroup comparisons with the state; staff said they would attempt to break those comparisons out and report back.

Presenters underscored the district’s communication plans: the full slide deck and data tables will be posted to the district website for public review, and staff added a new FAQ section to the presentation to explain what the cut scores mean and the options available to students who do not meet the threshold. The presentation also noted that NJ ACCESS results are used to inform individualized instruction and IEPs as appropriate.

District staff framed the overall result as positive: the district is above the state average for ELA and reported year-over-year increases in several cohorts. They recommended continued emphasis on curriculum alignment, targeted interventions in math, and supports for multilingual learners and special education students to increase equity in graduation readiness.

The board did not take formal action on the assessment presentation itself; staff said follow-up data and more detailed subgroup comparisons will be brought back to the board in future meetings.","Vernon Township School District presented spring 2025 NJGPA and NJ ACCESS results to the board, showing gains in graduation-readiness rates versus the state and laying out retake, alternate-assessment and portfolio pathways plus targeted interventions for multilingual and special-education students.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Resident raises complaint at board meeting about HR handling of employee disability benefit denial

Vernon board approves superintendent and business resolutions; wide-ranging personnel, contracts and purchases cleared

Vernon reports higher NJGPA graduation readiness and outlines supports for students who did not meet cut scores