The board approved prior meeting minutes, multiple organizational and personnel actions, accepted donations, approved a revised tuition contract and scheduled a special executive session after Feb. 17 strategic planning to address litigation and HIB matters; some items had recusals or abstentions.
Student representatives Bronwyn Downey and Alexis Chen reported student successes at Model UN, speech and debate and athletics, and described student-admin lunch meetings that produced proposals for bathroom wayfinding and a Chromebook site-unblock request process.
Ivy Peterson told the board she was "deeply disturbed" by how dissent was handled at the reorganizational meeting, accused leadership of silencing members, and urged having the board attorney present to advise on HIB votes and procedure.
Following a motion by Missus Santangelo, the board tabled an initial request for a special meeting into executive session and later voted to hold a special executive session after the Feb. 17 strategic planning meeting to discuss litigation strategy and a potential liability assessment for pending litigation.
Superintendent presented a midyear status update highlighting completed initiatives on mental health resources, student supports and facilities planning, outlined a 3% math proficiency target and announced strategic planning on Feb. 17; she warned the 2026–27 budget faces pressure from rising health care and utilities costs.
Principal Ed Brandt defended the district's search protocol tied to bathroom 'vape' sensors, saying administrators act on reasonable suspicion and use same‑sex witnesses, vitals checks and drug screening; parents and a public commenter called for tighter legal review and clearer parental-notification practices.
Kathy Poirier of the New Jersey School Boards Association led a committee-of-the-whole training emphasizing the board's policymaking and oversight role, the superintendent's executive role, ethics, and communication rules—including limits on individual board contact with staff and caution on social media.
District officials told the board they hired a social worker (started Dec. 1), launched a partnership with NJ4S for tiered counseling, and plan to gather baseline referral and outcome metrics to compare services after the loss of previous programs (CarePlus).
A Hunterdon Central student urged the board to pursue a voluntary feasibility study and an SREP grant to explore full K–12 regionalization across the five sending districts; the superintendent noted the grant deadline and plans to coordinate with sending-district superintendents.
A parent told the board that bathroom searches triggered by vape sensors subject many innocent students to searches; she urged the district to follow policy 5770, limit intrusive searches, notify parents and adopt less invasive alternatives.
