Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Parents, students and an attorney press Ocean Township board for clearer communication after OTIS shelter-in-place
Summary
At a May board meeting, Superintendent Weldon apologized for delayed family communication after a shelter-in-place at Ocean Township Intermediate School and pledged improvements; public commenters — including an attorney for two students, parents and a student leader — urged better transparency, stronger anti-bullying processes and direct outreach to students.
Ocean Township Board of Education President opened the May meeting by saying the board takes "safety, security and student well‑being seriously" and asked Superintendent Weldon to clarify last week’s shelter‑in‑place at Ocean Township Intermediate School.
"I want to reiterate what I wrote in my letter. Our students' safety is and will always be our highest priority," Superintendent Weldon said, apologizing that "communication with family should have occurred sooner" and saying the administration is taking steps "to improve the timeliness and clarity of our messaging moving forward." She said there was "no ongoing security threat to the school" and described the shelter‑in‑place as a measure "to allow medical professionals to move quickly and safely to our nurse's office and to provide privacy to the individual receiving care."
The meeting’s public‑comment period was dominated by criticism of how the district and outside media handled the episode.…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
