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Superintendent reports HIB investigations, suspension totals and safety assurances; district adds routed student for revenue
Summary
Superintendent reviewed October school discipline/HIB reports and suspensions by school, described the annual School Safety and Security Statement of Assurance and upcoming security-plan updates, and said the district will add a receiving student to an existing bus route for additional revenue; staffing and special‑education tuition cost changes were also discussed.
Superintendent Colosso delivered a regular report to the New Milford Board of Education summarizing recent discipline and safety metrics and district operations.
Colosso said October reports included HIB (harassment, intimidation and bullying) referrals at several schools; investigations found some incidents unfounded and others met HIB criteria. Suspension data were presented by school: for example, the high school recorded four students suspended for a total of eight days (individual instances ranged from one to three days). Colosso said the board would discuss specific HIB and discipline items in executive session as needed.
The superintendent asked the board to approve the annual School Safety and Security Statement of Assurance, saying that security plans are in place for each school, the police are familiar with plans, and updated plans will be delivered in March. He also explained the uniform memorandum of agreement with law enforcement (five executed copies are filed and routed to the county prosecutor per state practice) and noted how the district coordinates with police and, where appropriate, county prosecutors on bias and law‑enforcement referrals.
Colosso said the district will add a routed receiving student previously transported by Region 5 to an existing bus route at no additional marginal cost; the change is expected to generate approximately $8,000 in additional revenue. He emphasized fleet maintenance costs and said the district is looking for cost recovery where possible.
On personnel, Colosso announced an extension of a BCBA (Mr. Sullivan) through Dec. 31 to wrap up work, and said a bus aide and a replacement instructional assistant will be placed on the next regular meeting agenda. He also described a special‑education tuition increase for a student placed at High Point School (Bergen County) that required an aid adjustment of $32,265 due to program needs; board members discussed the budgetary impact of such unplanned IEP-related costs.
No final board vote on the special-education contract amendment was recorded in the work session transcript; the item was listed for board action on the regular agenda.
