Riverside approves preschool quality program, internships, mentoring and student placements

At the Nov. 13 meeting the Riverside Township Board of Education approved several program and student items intended to expand services and support for students.

The board approved participation by Riverside Elementary Preschool in Grow NJ Kids, a state-sponsored quality improvement initiative for early childhood programs, and approved a Del-Riv Sports Management internship program that will provide hands-on leadership and operations experience for students in grades to be determined by the program. The board also approved the BOOST mentoring pilot coordinated by alumnus Barry Mitsch to provide virtual mentorship for 6 to 10 male students focused on leadership and career exploration.

Student-focused actions included approval of field trips and fundraisers as listed, acceptance of the October Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) report and HIB training/program reporting for Jan. 1–June 30, 2025, approval of an exchange student from Youth for Understanding-USA who will reside with Ted Rothstein while attending Riverside High School, and approval of out-of-district placements and tuition revisions (including a Yale placement at $66,173.10 and a BCSSSD contract revision for $25,120 due to a 2:1 aide requirement). The board also approved nurse health office reports and revisions to the district Chemical Hygiene Plan and Exposure Control Plan.

Board members described these items as programmatic and compliance actions supporting student services and safety. All votes on these items were recorded as unanimous except where an abstention was noted on a separate line-item vote.