[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-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",6491147,"mediaKeyId","5680796-5298b3745b5e48ad570dbd0e7c017061","parentId",5680796,"title","Board pulls parts of staff handbook and pauses sick-bank language amid teacher-morale, privacy concerns; several routine consent items approved","audioSeconds",1995,"startMs",2305000,"endMs",4300000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5680796-5298b3745b5e48ad570dbd0e7c017061&start=2305&end=4300","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5680796-5298b3745b5e48ad570dbd0e7c017061/thumbnail_2305000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6491147/New-Jersey/Board-pulls-parts-of-staff-handbook-and-pauses-sick-bank-language-amid-teacher-morale-privacy-concerns-several-routine-consent-items-approved","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6491147-11cf298e06c09c8455069cfff360f393/orig.mp4?Expires=1771196752&Signature=lfa3GVKT2i1tGvfJmZazTN-BYuiv2XF7PnEUHkhbF5fQciQZ6MHNrUgrgQYie~UiKgzGijjreKuTjROuKOD-kXl6X3kuSm5fxepAMYpNJ~ZOt-H2s1~n7AFi4TdnQk-V~yRBLbDuTJvteBOe6oBf0dcTVo09xZmNsLVeeJzmoghQY0XKdzYVu6p8sHM7CWRzReu3txNEPF9Af82aSjqjCar4tFuKEsYMoFN8lUcYmY1RmU~ia6jD3ChP0tYRhgBOsYW-v2WsUcqRhdcya3HHY9vmeDG-IcOrA5Nher2Fic21qge9HrwqYmGVWz6s38lh8-qZpgCVRxUwdkuzZPQOpg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Pleasantville Public School District","date","2025-08-26T23:39:15.4Z","article","Kathy Watson, president of the Pleasantville Education Association, urged the board Aug. 26 to delay approval of the proposed staff handbook and related human-resources provisions, saying the 108‑page document was delivered to union leadership too late to review. \"I am requesting that the Board of Education, please table the handbook,\" Watson said, adding that she believed portions of the handbook conflict with the collective bargaining agreement and New Jersey law.

Board members and the administration discussed an employee sick‑bank procedure and the privacy risks of routing medical information through a review committee. Board member discussion focused on compliance with HIPAA and FERPA and whether the sick-bank language required rewriting. Dr. Martinez said the administration would send the sick‑bank language back to the board's committee and to counsel for further review; the board also agreed to pull specified handbook items for additional labor and legal review to avoid violating privacy or contract law. \"We will work to make sure that that writing is correct,\" Dr. Martinez said. The board indicated the revised language will return for consideration at a future meeting (board members discussed a Sept. 16 follow-up opportunity).

The meeting also included public comments from parents and residents about teacher morale, late notice of schedules and classroom rosters, pest reports in schools and athletics. PEA president Watson said a union‑funded survey of roughly 400 educators showed morale near 30% and that teachers were concerned about measures in the new handbook, including attendance discipline language. Several parents and public commenters urged faster and clearer communication of staff and student schedules before school opens.

Despite the disagreement over the handbook, the board approved several routine consent items by roll call. The board carried the yearly fire and safety drill report for 2024–25 and approved finance consent items numbered 3.1–3.12 (with one abstention recorded by a board member on item 3.4). The curriculum consent package (items 8.1–8.3) was approved. Human-resources resolutions were discussed at length: the board briefly pulled and reviewed contested HR language and later approved HR items 6.1–6.10 with an addendum, while agreeing to revisit specific personnel-policy language in committee before finalizing that part of the handbook.

Votes at a glance
- Approve superintendent’s report (agenda item 1.5): motion carried by roll call (8 yes, 0 no, 1 absent). Motion by Miss Silver; second by Miss Alberto.
- Yearly fire and safety drill report (agenda item 1.7): approved by roll call. Motion by Miss Silver; second by Miss Akins.
- Finance consent items (agenda items 3.1–3.12): approved by roll call; Miss Rowell recorded an abstention on item 3.4.
- Human resources package (agenda items 6.1–6.10 with addendum): board approved the package while agreeing to pull and rework specified language (sick‑bank/privacy language and a staff‑handbook page) for legal and labor review and return it to committee/board (next review discussed for Sept. 16). Motion carried.
- Curriculum consent (agenda items 8.1–8.3): approved by roll call.

The transcript shows several board members requesting that the administration consult labor counsel and the district's general counsel before returning revised handbook language to the board. Board members emphasized the need to protect employee privacy and to avoid conflicts with existing contracts or state law. Quotations are taken verbatim from the meeting record and attributed to speakers in the transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Pleasantville Public Schools Board Meeting August 26, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Teachers' union leader and board members debated a new staff handbook and an employee 'sick bank' process during the Aug. 26 meeting. The board agreed to send language on the sick-bank and privacy protections back to committee; several consent motions (fire/safety report, finance and curriculum items) were approved by roll call.","taxTitle","Pleasantville Public School District, School Districts, New Jersey","taxId",70399,"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},6491152,"Pleasantville district finalizes start date, student meals, buses and Chromebook rollout ahead of Sept. 4 opening",809,953000,1762000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5680796-5298b3745b5e48ad570dbd0e7c017061&start=953&end=1762","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5680796-5298b3745b5e48ad570dbd0e7c017061/thumbnail_953000.jpg","/articles/6491152/New-Jersey/Pleasantville-district-finalizes-start-date-student-meals-buses-and-Chromebook-rollout-ahead-of-Sept-4-opening","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6491152-d38b66acadcde85bc85bdc2cea8f5d63/orig.mp4?Expires=1771196752&Signature=Ybn~bl39Yy5z4ONaNtJJgcmHs53YZlAJruSwTnuEKz4kb~F7SPDxPm-LfjLxyxtfN9UzQpeltv5X9kdd9fJjD1uY7sZXWjCraeEwpMDZO5LHc9qmMsCVLgYd5lrmdNqkMJzwNI9RwZrB31NNmJMSgQJtanAQmFFCr2nkj5G5ek41p11roelfKXWl5ejlZahU9w6RW55IfQsUaSOK5-38DVmWxfCreJvoTFf796I-LSReJrzytMmJwBX4CCh9fnnUN2wXXUEZ0Vh0avty37~mQ7L5Vpjxvz4rcSA58WDRr8Q7spy7MOcNbGuMxNZ0IG64eDwHbMtnrr~2146ZjbeqXw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dr. Martinez, superintendent of the Pleasantville Public School District, told the board during its Aug. 26 regular meeting that students will begin the 2025–26 school year on Thursday, Sept. 4. \"All students will have free breakfast and lunch,\" she said, noting the district’s participation in the federal Community Eligibility Provision but adding that parents must still submit the application \"as a matter of compliance.\"

The announcement came as the district outlined operational details intended to reduce morning congestion and support an on-time opening. Proposed student start times included an elementary start at 8:55 a.m. and dismissal at 3:14 p.m., and a middle school start at 8:30 a.m. and dismissal at 3:20 p.m.; Dr. Martinez said staff start and dismissal times would be finalized and shared with staff following board approval. She also said the district purchased five new buses and hired three new bus drivers to operate a three-tier transportation system intended to reduce campus congestion.

The superintendent said high school staff schedules went live Aug. 14 and that the district plans to distribute Chromebooks and student ID cards to middle- and high-school students ahead of the opening. \"We want to start teaching and learning on day 1,\" Dr. Martinez said, describing Chromebook and ID distribution as part of that preparation.

The district also reviewed summer-program results. Dr. Martinez reported that 400 students participated in a July summer program that provided daily breakfast and lunch and focused on English language arts, mathematics and STEM. She presented pre- and post-assessment gains the administration attributed to the program, including a reported 16% ELA increase for grade 1, roughly 19%–24.5% gains in grades 2–6 (district-provided figures varied by grade), and math growth ranging from about 7% in grade 1 to averages near 20% in upper elementary and middle grades. The superintendent said STEM was provided through the district's PCS Adventure STEM program.

The board heard a report on the district’s aquatics and athletics work. Dr. Martinez credited Dr. McCann and aquatics staff for running a swim instruction program in the district’s six-lane, 25-meter indoor heated pool; she said roughly 50 campers a day participated over four weeks and that five high-school students earned lifeguard certification in July. \"Our goal wasn't just to teach swimming, it was to build survival skills,\" the superintendent said. She thanked the board for funding the pool and related resources.

Captain Maldonado of the Pleasantville Police Department’s Community Engagement Accountability Division told the board the department will provide a school resource officer for the year and introduced Officer Barris as the assigned SRO. \"We are committed to working hand in hand with the district,\" Captain Maldonado said.

The superintendent closed by listing outreach and orientation dates: a pre-K orientation on Sept. 3 from 1–3 p.m., back-to-school nights on several dates in mid-September and three parent community strategic-planning meetings scheduled for Sept. 23, Oct. 16 and Nov. 20. Dr. Martinez said staff would receive final schedules and related details the day after the meeting upon board approval.

Quotations in this article are taken directly from the Aug. 26 meeting transcript and attributed to speakers included in the official meeting record.","Superintendent Dr. Martinez told the Board of Education Aug. 26 that students will begin classes Sept. 4; the district will provide free breakfast and lunch through the federal Community Eligibility Provision, add five buses and distribute Chromebooks and IDs before term start.","actionData","errors"]

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Board pulls parts of staff handbook and pauses sick-bank language amid teacher-morale, privacy concerns; several routine consent items approved

Pleasantville district finalizes start date, student meals, buses and Chromebook rollout ahead of Sept. 4 opening