[{"_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",6479963,"mediaKeyId","5691983-6acc5d73a3f6e16426560849cb3f5f0c","parentId",5691983,"title","Parents raise safety and curriculum concerns at Hillside meeting; board pledges confidential follow-up","audioSeconds",747,"startMs",2436000,"endMs",3183000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5691983-6acc5d73a3f6e16426560849cb3f5f0c&start=2436&end=3183","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5691983-6acc5d73a3f6e16426560849cb3f5f0c/thumbnail_2436000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6479963/New-Jersey/Parents-raise-safety-and-curriculum-concerns-at-Hillside-meeting-board-pledges-confidential-follow-up","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6479963-7832b2ddc85e5dcac3c5512efd3a3e1f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770443767&Signature=ZspPiprSuAtL-GHMF8nrPKbd2YV-kWVKYUFRChqumpjfngWYtcR3zn4H7P5hJ7D1kdqb7we~driiuoyG-QlJT~zjECzAVQvnB21qCTemoGcASUvWFB6wdlpArkr~xzWLbm0w6M5VU0MRywqr9jh4bRNqAPAHzQQBW50RlP11vw8vbiM0lPrMsaGCyFfuN7Ol1X20LSVVil~DPPw4iRX-T1BmJNuCd3TctDuiTY2FqCF8r~-N20h5Z8t0T-dUP4zMtSggZOww5LVk8r5wpk~ORqXhdAU8mFmYWh86Z0IOTH2JytDNv1R17pVUc~N~M-dbdvnfgUcAtEIMsAaDLL18Bw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Hillside Public School District","date","2025-08-29T00:27:44.867Z","article","Residents and community partners addressed the Hillside Public School District board during public comment on Aug. 28, raising praise and concerns that the board said staff would handle privately or by follow-up.

Reverend Dr. Dave Jefferson Jr., who leads mentoring and community programs, thanked the board and district staff for support and programming for at‑risk students. \"We have been able to change lives,\" he said, and encouraged continued partnership.

Resident Angela Lawler asked whether the district would defend teachers and retain curriculum that addresses LGBTQ topics after national debate about such instruction. Superintendent Glover responded that New Jersey law and code require instruction on topics including Amistad, the Holocaust and LGBTQ subjects and that the district has no plans to remove required curriculum. \"We don't have intentions of altering our curriculum,\" he said, adding that the district will use available funds to preserve required instruction.

The meeting included a detailed public complaint from Susan Richards, who said she represented the Ballella family and raised incidents involving a student identified as Diego Vallela. Richards said Diego was pursued home after a bullying incident during a summer program and alleged earlier physical assaults at school; she also raised concerns about the scope of a one‑to‑one aide and denied requests for an investigation. Because the complaint concerned an individual student, the board chair declined public discussion and directed Director Taylor, the director of student support services, and Principal Wilson to take the matter up privately with the family and report back to the superintendent.

Board procedure questions and motions were also recorded: the board opened and closed public comment, briefly returned to public comment at a member's request, and later voted to meet in closed (executive) session to discuss personnel, litigation and contracts. Doctor Howard seconded the motion to enter executive session.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","HBOE MEETING FOR 08/28/25","oneSentenceSummary","Public commenters at the Hillside Public School District board meeting on Aug. 28 praised mentoring programs, asked about curriculum protections and raised a bullying complaint; the board directed staff to follow up privately with affected families.","taxTitle","Hillside Public School District, School Districts, New Jersey","taxId",60596,"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},6479968,"Hillside reports gains for multilingual learners; ESL director cites exits, staffing gaps",613,1136000,1749000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5691983-6acc5d73a3f6e16426560849cb3f5f0c&start=1136&end=1749","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5691983-6acc5d73a3f6e16426560849cb3f5f0c/thumbnail_1136000.jpg","/articles/6479968/New-Jersey/Hillside-reports-gains-for-multilingual-learners-ESL-director-cites-exits-staffing-gaps","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6479968-6c7594b12b1b577d3529e17915150921/orig.mp4?Expires=1770443767&Signature=cv9HI9OzRxOJMStCtDMqkNTHKShdUxF3j1f6GPb4w9qiBe~Edg-pB4CDl1BqP3DImgr2trv87EJ7k-OWOUTHonqY7q0CKT2881qe0FM~98PjoLyKo~CZrjkUmuhX5CFykzRUxkZynd9Rk4Wx2mMCxvxqbD7n9jXax5ra5AyH2tHGHT0qziwR-QvbtptQnsE7YLlQGrfI~7Dsgl1-6xsMqUR8K52krM40xG1su~dO0lJ8Ka~~5Te6-kA85KVOvbZgeDKh~LVTJKrVR77OXLUhVe9y4jktJs2WCa2Qa6TyeBOAmsb1CIz-7eW1PTPUTUCZN9T7MvCo-HNfZ8h-CdDaHg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Hillside Public School District’s director of ESL and World Languages presented data Aug. 28 showing growth in the district’s multilingual-learner (ML) population and improved English-language progress on the ACCESS assessment.

Director Opereke said the district ended the previous school year with 518 ML students, and at the meeting she reported the district was opening the new year with about 497 registered MLs and still enrolling. She said 54 students exited ESL services this year after meeting criteria, compared with 18 exits the prior year.

Opereke described how ACCESS scores have shifted as the ML population grew: gains in listening and comprehension were notable, while speaking and writing remain areas for focused instruction. \"Level 3 is really exciting because at level 3, that means that our students have the baseline to excel,\" she said.

The director said the district must provide bilingual education when a language group reaches 20 or more students; Hillside has 20 or more students in Spanish, Haitian Creole and Portuguese but has been unable to recruit certified bilingual teachers for those programs. She said the district will file bilingual waivers where necessary and provide two periods of ESL instruction by certified ESL teachers. Opereke said there are eight certified ESL teachers at the elementary level and six at the secondary level.

Opereke highlighted partnerships and interventions: she credited a progress‑monitoring contractor, Flashlight360, for supporting speaking and writing benchmarks and a partnership with YDC in Newark that supplied two bilingual clinicians for tier‑3 mental‑health supports. She also said the district reopened an adult ESL academy this summer that served more than 100 families.

Superintendent Glover and others praised the work. Glover noted that Hillside was ranked among the top 100 districts nationally for growth among multilingual learners in a Flashlight360 review, and he encouraged staff to publicize that progress.

The presentation included school-level trends: AP Morris and the high school were identified as hubs for ML enrollment, and several elementary schools showed notable gains in attendance and proficiency targets tied to district goals.","The district's ESL and World Languages director reported increases in multilingual-learner enrollment, a rise in students exiting ESL services, and staffing shortages for bilingual-certified teachers that require state waivers in some languages.",{"_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},6479972,"Hillside Public School District sets attendance and academic targets ahead of Sept. 8 start",2288,112000,2400000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5691983-6acc5d73a3f6e16426560849cb3f5f0c&start=112&end=2400","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5691983-6acc5d73a3f6e16426560849cb3f5f0c/thumbnail_112000.jpg","/articles/6479972/New-Jersey/Hillside-Public-School-District-sets-attendance-and-academic-targets-ahead-of-Sept-8-start","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6479972-dd30d5f096e5671b1f8ffd05fd44bd9d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770443767&Signature=oIlc9MTv-BQPNg~vkaRATfxUfzhVkliCKstwfaIIaZC-9PeRmib7G3hl0eXYTAKwll9IHvr7WnhYRy9OfJJjNjwWtVTqfICUpcXQPhae4yEc~2hHnx2~XjB9eYLMNzsS7i7aibiBfUvSj5PV-9YLNVEJm92WewoLJQzG3Ju71v7tKtrJvzWIFPnNzYWnEFuOnrWxIohrD1nML0o5znTArxw80VHH-hwueanzQpzlx5P7rxCpQUOiTEEjiHxtohwEwOCc7D260DBJ5dPAlPdXV4hkAzH7gFaiADhBr6S6b9CYRasc55L3oLGR0MSeFWfiCB7GVEWAKDkOEFz79WMNBA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Hillside Public School District Superintendent Glover on Aug. 28 outlined districtwide goals for the 2025–26 school year, setting a target of 95% average daily attendance by June 2026 and listing grade-level proficiency targets tied to NJSLA and other measures.

Glover said the district would continue focusing on student success, well-being, workforce engagement and operational efficiency. \"By June 2026, the district will achieve 95% average daily attendance,\" he said. He also highlighted that the district has distributed about $20,000,000 in scholarships over the last three years.

The superintendent framed the attendance and academic goals as accountability measures for staff and school leaders. He gave specific targets: kindergarten readiness goals; about 70% of second-graders prepared for grade-level work; roughly 50% of certain third graders expected to meet mastery on NJSLA; 60% of sixth graders to meet language-arts literacy targets; and 65% proficiency for students taking Algebra I at specified schools. Glover said completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a statutory requirement for graduation and that the district will aim for 100% completion among seniors.

Glover also previewed operational and staffing notes: the district reported roughly 37 new teachers and about 50 new staff members for the coming year and said the IT office has identified roughly $100,000 in savings since July 1. He said the district will ‘‘embrace artificial intelligence’’ for some administrative and instructional functions and that partners will be important to the work.

On logistics, Glover reminded staff and families that teachers report Sept. 2 and students’ first day is Sept. 8, and he urged families to ensure students attend on that day. He also warned parents to expect changes in the district’s cell‑phone policy, saying, \"Get ready, parents,\" and that further communication will follow.

The board took routine meeting actions including opening and closing the public‑comment portion of the meeting and voting to meet in closed (executive) session later in the agenda.","Superintendent Glover announced district goals for the 2025–26 school year, including a districtwide 95% average daily attendance target by June 2026, academic proficiency goals for multiple grades, and reminders about the first day of school and an upcoming cell phone policy change.","actionData","errors"]

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Parents raise safety and curriculum concerns at Hillside meeting; board pledges confidential follow-up

Hillside reports gains for multilingual learners; ESL director cites exits, staffing gaps

Hillside Public School District sets attendance and academic targets ahead of Sept. 8 start