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East Brunswick board hears parents on dyslexia screening, anti‑Semitism and HIB reporting as district pilots new literacy programs
Summary
Public commenters pressed the East Brunswick Board to ensure legally required dyslexia screening and stronger anti‑bias responses; administrators said the district will pilot ILA curricula in September, adopt mCLASS DIBELS as the universal screener and use HIPSTER and mandatory reporting channels for antibias incidents.
At its June meeting, the East Brunswick Board of Education heard parents pressing the district to follow New Jersey dyslexia screening requirements and to do more to address alleged anti‑Semitic incidents while administrators outlined plans to pilot two literacy programs and use a universal screener to monitor student progress.
During public comment Michelle Bethy, who identified herself as a parent from 5 Wong Road, said dyslexia “affects one in five children” and reminded the board that “this law was signed in 2013” requiring screening “no later than the end of the first semester of second grade.” She urged the district to commit to evidence‑based interventions and to provide families with honest conversations when students show reading deficits, saying short training courses are insufficient for staff preparing to teach students with dyslexia.
The superintendent’s office told the board the district plans to implement two one‑year pilot ILA curricula in September (one K–5 and one K–6 program) and to use a universal screener alongside classroom metrics to evaluate growth over the school year. “The plan is to implement in September and we will be using our universal screening data with our new universal screener that we’ll be adopting the mCLASS DIBELS as well as classroom metrics,” the administration said, adding that teacher and administrator input will factor into pilot evaluations.
Board members pressed for an ongoing evaluation cadence; administration agreed to regular reporting, with board members requesting quarterly or mid‑year reviews so the district can adjust instruction based on early data.
Community speakers also raised concerns about anti‑Semitic incidents and whether the district’s HIB self‑assessment reflects students’ lived experience. One commenter said Jewish students have expressed fear and urged the board to “revisit your comprehensive equity plan” and to pursue “honesty, integrity, and real accountability.”
In response the administration described the district’s incident reporting and investigation process. A district representative said the district reports antibias incidents to the student resource officer, the county superintendent and, when required, the county prosecutor. On tracking trends, officials said the district uses a database called Hipster to analyze types of HIB incidents and identify common locations such as cafeterias, hallways and buses.
On operational questions, administration said the state’s Qualified Purchasing Agent threshold was raised to $44,000 and that the district still requires due diligence and competitive quotes for purchases below that amount. Board members expressed concern about fiscal pressure in coming years and asked for careful review of nonessential spending while preserving necessary capital work such as roofing projects.
No policy change was adopted at the meeting; actions were limited to moving agenda items and passing routine resolutions. The administration said next steps include starting the literacy pilots in September, using mCLASS DIBELS and other classroom measures to monitor student growth, and providing periodic reports to the board on pilot outcomes and any HIB investigations that are not subject to active confidentiality requirements.
