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Parents press board on girls flag football, vocational options, summer packets and phone rules; motion to enter executive session carries
Summary
During public comment, parents asked about launching girls flag football, expanding vocational paths with the county Vo‑Tech, ending elementary summer packets and adopting a bell‑to‑bell phone ban; board signaled next steps and then voted to go into executive session.
Parents and community members used the public comment periods at the Caldwell‑West School District board meeting to press the district on extracurricular offerings, vocational training and schoolwide policies.
On extracurriculars, a resident asked about girls flag football; the superintendent reported the athletic department had hired a coach and fielded a freshman girls soccer team and that flag football is being planned as a club for the coming spring, with the athletic department (led by Mr. Romano) coordinating that effort. “We were looking at it at the same time … because soccer is an existing program and flag football would be a brand new program,” the superintendent said.
Several speakers asked about opportunities for students not pursuing four‑year college, and the superintendent said the district has a relationship with the County Vo Tech and that students may enroll part‑time or full‑time in vocational programs there; she offered to provide a fuller update at a future meeting with district staff and the county partner.
Public comment also included two parent proposals about school policy. Linda Gerben, a parent and resident, advocated abolishing elementary summer packets, saying long workdays and camps make nightly review impractical for many families. Gerben also urged the board to consider a bell‑to‑bell phone ban at the middle school, citing research presented by speaker Max Stossel and saying some districts — she cited New York State as an example — have moved to prohibit phones during the school day. Those points were presented as requests for board consideration; the superintendent said she would bring additional information and noted not every parent will agree.
Other public commenters expressed continued support for the athletic center proposal and for improved restroom facilities at the athletic fields.
Formal action and next steps: At the close of public comment, a board member moved to end the public meeting and return to executive session; another participant seconded the motion. The presiding officer called the vote — “All in favor, aye” — and the motion carried. The meeting record shows the motion passed with no recorded objections or abstentions.
The superintendent and board indicated they will: (1) work with the athletic department to develop a flag football club for spring, (2) prepare a briefing on County Vo Tech options and program pathways, and (3) take the parents' petitions and phone‑policy requests under advisement for potential follow‑up at future meetings.
