Cliffside Park board reviews summer facilities work, staff training ahead of school year

Cliffside Park School District Superintendent Alfano told the Board of Education on July 22 that support staff and multiple administrator and counselor trainings are complete and that the district’s summer facilities work is largely finished or under way ahead of classes starting next week.

The superintendent reported that child study team members, school counselors, ESL coordinators and the after-school coordinator returned to buildings Monday to prepare for the school year. “All administrators who conduct classroom evaluations received their training from the strong evaluation system on Tuesday,” Superintendent Alfano said, and he added that school counselors finished training on the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, which requires screening by two staff members if a student shows self-harm indicators.

The update matters because it affects student safety, program availability and scheduled facility projects that the district expects to finish before or soon after classes begin. The board also reviewed several resolutions tied to summer construction and procurement and approved the meeting agenda by voice vote.

Key details from Alfano’s report and subsequent discussion:

- Staffing and instruction: The district held a full-day new-teacher orientation the morning of the meeting and has about 30 new staff members. Alfano said the administration reorganized supervisor roles…