[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-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],{"_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",6496575,"mediaKeyId","5607351-9799325dd8100b2091dba1db6a36b142","parentId",5607351,"title","Montville board terminates Hilldale contractor, pledges changes after special‑education bus incident; district highlights $240,000 savings from in‑house fleet","audioSeconds",5014,"startMs",391000,"endMs",5405000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5607351-9799325dd8100b2091dba1db6a36b142&start=391&end=5405","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5607351-9799325dd8100b2091dba1db6a36b142/thumbnail_391000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6496575/New-Jersey/Montville-board-terminates-Hilldale-contractor-pledges-changes-after-specialeducation-bus-incident-district-highlights-240000-savings-from-inhouse-fleet","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6496575-a858962cce4f3edcbe58054f08252d9a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177044&Signature=kFFCFS9ULYZwwnCOayfKloylRqzZl-y1tOs8ag-CkZfSzERVynRAHAMnH2xvaW6p5H7AUioAteZ65kDafWmRgXFNzdWeNhZlwtq8pBI6LdkMTzoXXuOs-Pi3CNH2dqF9VpAw3Mi69ooY4r5AQ0IV2tDMxaoPa3fZ9f1ZJddSUb58DAm2J-6Csq7W~sKHapxpg3a1Frma11PQZLomZoHqaPkAOFli09hA5nptuUHJlNCEvSAoRlD7kTQvPNuWpJsHzUllqAKlEuaHp3tNzXg3-c1uyRbZkWk-577~sV-jNBs4qFnAU3gpx-vTXfpe8cKj3b~jyXTmxzunC8It8hmP-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Montville Township School District","date","2025-08-20T12:10:40.073Z","article","The Montville Township Board of Education approved an addendum terminating a contractor working at Hilldale Elementary and discussed new safety measures after a special‑education student was left on a bus for about two and a half hours, officials said Wednesday.

Superintendent Tom Gorman told the board the Hilldale construction work ‘‘has not been satisfactory’’ and the district will seek a new contractor to finish the project. The termination was part of the consent agenda and was called out as an addendum for action. During the subsequent roll call the board approved the consent items; one board member abstained specifically on section K, the addendum.

Separately, the board spent substantial time addressing a safety incident in which a student in the district’s ESY program was left on a bus. Parent and community speakers described delayed notification and urged stronger, nonhuman safeguards for vulnerable students. ‘‘This lack of a policy in place to account for our most vulnerable students is frankly unacceptable,’’ said Katie Sobel, a parent who addressed the board during public comment.

Superintendent Gorman and other officials said multiple immediate steps were implemented after the incident. Gorman said the district notified police and child protective services, cooperated with a criminal investigation and tightened procedures the following day. He said the district is moving further to reduce future risk by bringing more runs in‑house: the district has added three new small buses this year to reach a fleet of five (four 24‑passenger vehicles and one nine‑passenger vehicle) and estimates net savings of about $240,000 annually from returning contracted routes to district management.

Gorman said the in‑house fleet will be equipped with internal cameras and GPS tracking and that district staff will ride special‑education runs to provide a second safety check. ‘‘If I take the amount that we are saving by not offering those contracts outside of the district against the cost of the drivers, and the maintenance of the vehicles, we are netting a $240,000 profit or savings as a result of pulling those particular routes back in house,’’ Gorman told the board.

Board members said they were alarmed by the incident and wanted stronger, technology‑backed checks. Parents suggested automatic student check‑in systems and ID badges that trigger a parent notification when a student boards or disembarks. The superintendent said district staff are evaluating software for parent notifications and for bus check‑in, and that a recent special‑education parent meeting and Q&A has been posted to the district website.

The superintendent also told the board that the bus driver involved failed to follow the statutory procedure requiring a driver to walk the bus and check for students when arriving at a school and when returning to the depot. The driver has been charged in the matter, the superintendent said; prosecutors have been involved, and the district said it will not continue to use the contracted provider named Jersey Kids transportation on those runs.

Board members commended the administration for rapid procedural changes but several parents said they were not notified promptly and asked for better, faster communications. The district said it will continue to evaluate technology and staffing changes, and to report back to special‑education families.

The termination of the Hilldale contractor and the transportation measures were included in the consent agenda the board approved that evening. The board asked administration to return with details on software options, timelines for GPS/camera installation and procedures for staff to accompany vulnerable students on runs.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Montville Township Board of Education Meeting August 19 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The board approved terminating the Hilldale contractor after construction problems and discussed steps taken after a special‑education student was left on a bus; the superintendent also reported the district’s new in‑house mini‑fleet is projected to save about $240,000 annually and will include GPS and internal cameras.","taxTitle","Montville Township School District, School Districts, New Jersey","taxId",72499,"location","New Jersey","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6496580,"Montville board asks policy committee to draft stricter high school cell‑phone rules after wide debate",0,1154000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5607351-9799325dd8100b2091dba1db6a36b142&start=1154&end=1154","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5607351-9799325dd8100b2091dba1db6a36b142/thumbnail_1154000.jpg","/articles/6496580/New-Jersey/Montville-board-asks-policy-committee-to-draft-stricter-high-school-cellphone-rules-after-wide-debate","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6496580-3b96d56f6404118e4e4cb8bdabb69c51/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177044&Signature=H8v7p97kOP-GLoWC25uoTjMZ~tBe4rHbaXaE0DOMjQCLWWGxrXqN0WFZEjjloF8hYOl6YOXqT7HozJDqN2oHd7uQyE3OT43T1dMBk3IlL8AyMTobkl77kyFJ-WvOj7pa5lLAdOm8ifgM7zMN2v21Q1IhkOWpdxlzs2iYJ~ql9CsTTxT-d3iLK1O6n8u4QM50HkiC4Mmp3P0rmFIvj1nyRMC3~BPJXhtOAtCWHmO13PQKwgm-N3gsTssSXyAzN24LZgjgHtAgG~MaYdUYigKZE6yVUGgrczdss2R4SLl8HytRnb2nn4HcJxQ13R9aPINFSXU4jXmPMpr3UmvYQAVIsQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Montville Township Board of Education asked its Policy Committee on Wednesday to draft multiple options and circulate surveys to students, staff and parents about limiting cell‑phone use at Montville Township High School after an extended discussion that produced no immediate ban.

Board members debated three near‑term approaches — keep teacher discretion, ban phones from classrooms but allow use at noninstructional times, or impose a full ban — and a longer‑term process to study ‘‘wander’’ pouches or other enforcement measures. The board agreed by consensus to ask the policy committee to prepare a set of policy options that span the range of views, and for the superintendent and administrators to prepare surveys to run this fall to gather community input.

The issue drew repeated comments from board members about classroom disruptions, student mental health and preparing teens for adult life. ‘‘I think a lot of the teachers are just having a lot of problems with saying, I can’t compete with Instagram. I can’t compete with TikTok. I’m trying to teach, and the kids are texting somebody,’’ said a board member during the discussion, noting that teachers want clearer district guidance. Several board members said they favored stronger limits in class; others argued a full ban would be too paternalistic for high‑school students and could harm students who rely on phones for safety or health reasons.

Board member Caitlin said she opposed a blanket ban. ‘‘I am very against a complete ban. I think that’s treating them like toddlers,’’ she said, adding that policies should reflect developmental differences between elementary and high school students. Several other board members said they favored a classroom ban at minimum, while public speakers and some board members urged a full‑day ban to reduce distraction, cyberbullying and anxiety.

Superintendent Tom Gorman suggested the policy committee and administration work together on two tracks: (1) an interim policy for the coming school year, and (2) a more permanent policy developed after surveys and further study. Board counsel Steve (last name not specified in the record) reviewed state practice and noted there is no statutory requirement to permit or forbid remote participation at open meetings, a separate agenda item the board addressed that evening.

Public commenters included students and residents who urged the board to adopt a strong policy. ‘‘Most of the people I know that are in high school or going into high school would all, like, love a break from their phones,’’ said incoming freshman Rebecca Korchman. A parent, Yolena of Towaco, cited national research to argue a ban would reduce bullying and improve focus, and urged the board not to let emotion override the evidence.

The board did not vote on a ban. Instead it directed the policy committee to prepare multiple draft policies for consideration — including at least one more restrictive option and one less restrictive option — and to review the surveys before release. The superintendent said surveys could be ready in September or October, with a more formal policy discussion later in the fall or winter.

The board also instructed the policy committee to consider scope questions raised during the discussion: whether any policy should apply only to the high school or district‑wide, how to handle smartwatches and emerging wearable technology, what exceptions (for instructional use or special needs) are appropriate, and reasonable notice requirements for implementation.

Next steps the board identified included: policy committee drafts of multiple options; superintendent/administration preparation of surveys for students, staff and parents with demographic questions to separate responses by school level; and follow‑up visits or research on other districts’ approaches. The board president asked for the policy committee’s options to be ready for the next regular meeting cycle.","After a lengthy debate, the Montville Township Board of Education asked the policy committee to draft options and run surveys this fall on restricting student cell‑phone use at Montville Township High School rather than immediately imposing a full ban.","actionData","errors"]

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Montville board terminates Hilldale contractor, pledges changes after special‑education bus incident; district highlights $240,000 savings from in‑house fleet

Montville board asks policy committee to draft stricter high school cell‑phone rules after wide debate