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Board receives donation, insurance recommendation and public safety concerns; parents object to limiting Zoom comments
Summary
The board heard a donation announcement, a recommendation to switch dental carriers to reduce costs, CUSAC performance results, and public comments about e-bike injuries and proposed limits on Zoom public comment.
During the workshop portion of the meeting, the Board of Education received administrative updates, a donation announcement and multiple public comments urging safety and transparency.
Mister Hastings, the school business administrator, told the board that United Way of Monmouth'Ocean County donated 50 coats for elementary students and 30 sweatshirts for middle-school students. He also recommended changing the district's dental insurance carrier from Delta to Horizon, saying Brown and Brown secured a plan projected to limit this year's cost increase to about 4 percent versus a possible 15 percent increase under Delta.
Public commenters praised recent student videos and college partnerships but raised safety and access concerns. Alex Hayes, speaking in person, said two students had recently been struck by cars while riding e-bikes and urged a safety course for grades 5'12 within three months. Hayes also criticized a proposal to limit Zoom public comments and said removing virtual comments would amount to "voter suppression." The board president reminded the public about decorum and said participants would have an opportunity to comment during the public-comment period.
Dr. Jonathan Shutman, a virtual commenter, asked how the Spartan Legacy initiative would serve disabled, special-education and low-income students. Dawn Kozuba answered that special-education students are increasingly included in less restrictive settings and that the proportion of low-SES students in honors and AP classes has risen compared with a decade ago; she said additional details would be provided at the January meeting.
Superintendent Missus Weldon summarized CUSAC results reported to the board: "We earned an 80 in instruction, 92 in finance, and 100 in all other areas of CUSAC," she said, and added that district staff review benchmark and local assessment data multiple times a year to guide interventions.
No formal votes on the insurance recommendation or other agenda items were recorded during the workshop. Members indicated routine agenda items and personnel matters would be handled at the regular meeting downstairs.
The session proceeded to presentation-of-minutes and other procedural items before adjourning the workshop.
