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Superintendent: district reports low counts of serious incidents, plans Parent Academy on youth phone use
Summary
The Rutherford superintendent told the school board the district’s year-end Student Safety Data System totals showed relatively few serious incidents and outlined plans for a parent-education program informed by Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation; the board was also told the district will undergo the state QSAC review.
The Rutherford Board of Education heard a report from the superintendent on school openings, student-safety data and plans for parent education.
The superintendent said the district recorded small numbers of serious incidents in the reporting year under the state Student Safety Data System (SSDS): "six total incidents of some kind of a physical altercation, one suspension due to vandalism, 14 for substances and two for weapons," which he said involved pocket knives. He described the overall totals as "not alarming" given the district’s size and added that other, lower-level infractions not required on SSDS totaled about 132. "Most opening days are good," he said, describing a strong start to the school year that included active lessons in classrooms and positive energy across buildings.
The superintendent said the district is preparing for the state’s Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC) review, a multi-month audit of instruction, operations, governance and fiscal management that happens periodically. He said the district will convene a small committee to complete a required self-assessment ahead of the state on-site review.
On family outreach, the superintendent announced plans for a Parent Academy to address smartphone and internet use by children, saying the district had provided copies of Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation to counselors and administrators and will build programming for parents and staff based on the book’s findings. "Even if we separate seven hours of a day of a student not being on the phone during school, there are 17 hours in the day," he said, arguing the issue is a partnership between schools and families.
The superintendent also highlighted a Sept. 11 commemoration schedule and a retired New York City firefighter who will speak to juniors at Rutherford High School.
During the report board members asked clarifying questions about the SSDS categories and recent incidents; the superintendent reiterated that SSDS counts apply to incidents that meet state reporting thresholds and that other lesser infractions are tracked differently.
The board took no formal action on the superintendent’s report; members said they appreciated the information and the planned parent-education work.
