Our Schools Are "Still" In Crisis

 

Left to Right: Nicole Cartwright Murphy, Louis Sanchez (guidance Counselor), Joseph Armental (VP DMHS), Joseph Bell (Assistant Principal/Alternative Program), Venus Rose (Guidance Counselor), Peter Elbert (DMHS principal) Nicole Siperski (guidance counselor) and (Jamayla Scott are not pictured.)

Sometimes we must remind ourselves that the Englewood Public School District is in crisis.

Yes, I will say it again. The Englewood Public School District is in Crisis!

I followed the 2017 miss-fired "Tenure Charge" situation surrounding the suspended Guidance Counselors and Administrators closely. I have even read the transcripts of daily testimony given by the suspended employees who stayed to fight. These employees testified at the State government proceedings. A lot of time and money was wasted. Meanwhile, a valued program that would have been instrumental in facilitating a healing process, during and after the Covid 19 Pandemic, is gone, but the students who need it are still here. This was the Alternative School, also known as The Eagle Program.

Our Boards of Education must learn that a machine must be built that may not be taken apart by each new Superintendent, especially since Superintendents rarely last beyond 5 years.

The Superintendent must hold as his/her objective to create an Action Plan that satisfies the criteria set forth in the Board of Education's Goals and Objectives for the District. It is a Lay Board, therefore it is up to the Superintendent of Schools to "Develop and Present an Action Plan" designed to fulfill or accomplish the goals.

All Goals and Objectives shall hold Student Achievement, Health and Safety as Priority above all else.

All recommendations made by any Superintendent shall hold that as priority or he/she should find work elsewhere. Another thing, it is difficult to hold a Superintendent accountable, if said Superintendent is not being evaluated based on whether or not he/she has satisfied the criteria for accomplishing the District's Goals and Objectives.

Nicole Cartwright-Murphy

School Board training is paid for by the Residents, by you and I. If Board Members do not take advantage of the training, the bill is still paid. I take it personal when School Board Members do not take this training seriously. (As a matter of fact, I believe that my addressing the fact that a certain tall School Board Member had no training at all in a public forum got me theoretically placed in a room in which the air could be vacuumed There is an awful lot to learn. The children are back in school in person. It is time for School Board Members to resume in person training. Virtual Learning is supplemental in the Teaching Learning Process. It should never be allowed to take the place of the interaction between teacher and student.

I did not teach in the Dark Ages. We had computers when I left the classroom. I helped train others to maintain attendance, grade books, lesson plans and curriculum on the computer. I kept a paper version that I used to input the required Data. I hope all concerned have learned something from the recent data breach at EPSD.

I still prefer to check a notebook. It is easier for me to see progress chronologically in skill levels. I value handwriting. I am concerned that children are not making their letters even in manuscript. Allowing cursive to move onto the long list of hands on activities that students no longer participate in is unfortunate and detrimental to the overall learning process. We are graduating students who have not only never used a microscope, a ruler, or a screwdriver but who have no idea what is next. College or Career Ready?

David Matthews, Bd Member

It is unseemly and totally out of order for School Board Members to use their power in pushing their own agendas in setting up and prioritizing programs that force apartheid educational practices. The Superintendent develops Action Plans and all recommendations for programming should come from the Superintendent. It is hoped that all Englewood School Board Members are up to date in their training, especially where Tenure Law is concerned. That is the only way they may prevent unwanted harm to employees and unwanted embarrassment to themselves. Some Board Members should also do a bit of homework on Title monies and how it helps the District.

The process works in other districts and will work here when the "General Population" realizes that there is a

cycle and breaks it. School Board Members must learn to be better students. The children are watching and they are adept enough to understand when they are held accountable to following the rules, but the adults ordering them around are not.

Sometimes Superintendents actually sue School Boards because they did not warn

Robert Kravitz, former Supt.

him/them of the terrible state of the District upon hiring. His lawsuit suggests that he expected the District to divulge all about the problems in the District. Notwithstanding that reading the newspaper or googling key words would have explained that. It seems he felt that the BA, the Board Attorney and a few others whom he did not name had ruined his reputation, and blamed him for the bad publicity garnered by the grade change case. Notice that he does not name the Board Members that he accuses of working with the BA, the Board Attorney and others to discredit and ruin his reputation. He mentions that the BA and the Attorney worked together in Fort Lee. He neglects to mention that he, himself worked in Fort Lee, with Mckeever (the attorney), Ciofala (the one who supposedly found the irregularities and then took the job of the head of guidance based on his findings, and Cheryl Balletto (the Business Administrator.)

All four of them appear to have worked in Fort Lee at the same time.

I should also like to add that, in my opinion, as a retired teacher, the reported 3,000 grade changes

Joseph Armental

found by Mr. Ciofalo and his Pitbull Agency is basically a conservative number considering that there were more than 1,000 students enrolled at DMHS at the time. There are many and varied reasons for grade changes, one being students doing work to make up incompletes. One student might have numerous changes. Much of the news printed at the time concentrated overmuch on headline hype which the Superintendent claimed did his reputation irreparable harm.

Read the Englewood Board of Education's charges against suspended employees.

Final Decision of the Commissioner of Education signed December 30, 2019.

Re-instatement of Joseph Armental, Venus Rose, Louis Sanchez, Nicole Cartwright

Official State Re-instatement of Dr. Gordon - former Director of Guidance -

Dr. Noel Gordon

"...Severance is also not an option since the charges as written deprive respondents of their fundamental due process rights to a clear statement describing the precise nature of the charges against him or her, and a description of the evidence which allegedly supports the charges. In this matter as it currently stands, there are 750 paragraphs in thirty-three counts and each count realleges and incorporates the previous counts, such that the allegations against respondent Rose also include the allegations against respondent Cartwright; the allegations against respondent Scott also include the allegations against respondents Rose and Cartwright, etc.; the allegations against respondent Armenta[ therefore include the allegations against all seven of the other respondents. There is simply no way this matter may be determined sufficient to require that answers be filed; consequently, it must be dismissed as procedurally defective... "

In the comment section below this article, I challenge you to name and count all of the EPSD Superintendents chronologically, whether acting or county place holders, who have held the responsibility since the year 2000. All of this Superintendent discussion may end up being a mute point very soon. We shall see.

 (Also keep in mind that there was one Superintendent who was never approved by the state which means that he was not ever legally our Superintendent. That complaint was filed against the then Englewood Board of Education by yours truly.)

Go on, surprise yourself. Then, communicate with your elected School Board Members.

Open Letter To EPSD

I have been neglecting the Blog. I found this while realizing that I must publish something, so I am republishing a very thoughtful letter to the EPSD. So, as they say on Social Media, "Reposting".

Originally posted: Tuesday, September 1, 2020

My open letter to EPSD about The Zone. 

Please share.

I am writing to urge you to take decisive action, to lead--and find a way to support The Zone for the 2020-2021 school year. Now is not a time to reduce the mental health and community supports for students and faculty.

I understand that Trenton is in crisis and has no good choices to make. However, Trenton does not know what we know, which is that Englewood Public Schools were in crisis before the pandemic. I know this because through the leadership of Mariam Gerges and Liz Corsini, along with Sanetta Ponton, I helped lead hours of workshops for DMHS faculty and administrators last year.
We heard first hand how difficult the conditions in the school were, their struggles in reaching students, and their desire to lead their colleagues in creating a better climate in which students, regardless of their traumas, could learn and thrive. We were having these conversations and workshops in August, September, January and February. What will those discussions sound like over Zoom this year?

I can assure you that the kind of professional development and coaching that your faculty and administrators received last year through these workshops would have cost EPSD thousands of dollars--but you got it "free" from Bergen Family Center, The Zone and the community members like Sanetta, Flat Rock Brook and me--who will do almost anything for Englewood's children. Most importantly, EPSD got all this expertise for "free" because the community knows the value that Bergen Family Center brings--and when called upon by them, we show up.

Now it is time for EPSD to show up for The Zone. I assure you that your students and faculty cannot survive, let alone thrive, without the support that The Zone and its committed staff provide. They pivoted seamlessly to the virtual world, and connected with students in a matter of days. In fact, there were moments on the weekly community calls that Sanetta organized, when it became obvious that Bergen Family Center knew more about some of EPSD students than the district did itself. You need The Zone, we all know you do.

Find the money--in the paper clip and toner budget, in the snacks for professional development budget--find the money. 

Step up and lead. The times demand it.

Sincerely,

Lynne Algrant

Former Council at Large and Former President of the Englewood City Council

Medical Emergencies

 New Jersey Statutes, Title: 18A, EDUCATION

    Chapter 40: Employment of medical inspectors, optometrists and nurses; salaries; terms; rules

      Section: 18A:40-10: Exclusion of teachers and pupils exposed to disease

           No teacher or pupil who is a member of a household in which a person is ill with smallpox, diphtheria, scarlet fever, whooping cough, yellow fever, typhus fever, cholera, measles, or such other contagious or infectious disease as may be designated by the board of education, or of a household exposed to contagion as aforesaid, shall attend any public school during such illness, nor until the board of education has been furnished with a certificate from the board of health, or from the physician attending such person, or from a medical inspector, certifying that all danger of communicating the disease by the teacher or pupil has passed.

L.1967, c.271.

Chapter 40 and Virtual Learning in NJ

 New Jersey Statutes, Title: 18A, EDUCATION

    Chapter 40: Employment of medical inspectors, optometrists and nurses; salaries; terms; rules

      Section: 18A:40-44: Information relative to child's exposure to violence on electronic devices.

          
1. a. The Department of Education shall prepare and make available on the department's Internet website, both in print and in an easily printable format, information on how a parent can limit a child's exposure to violence on television, cell phones, computers, and other electronic devices. The department shall update this information whenever new information about a child's exposure to violence on television and other electronic devices becomes available. The information shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) research and statistics on how violent behavior increases after exposure to violent films, music, television, or video games;

(2) scientific findings that show children who play violent video games are more likely to be involved in physical altercations with classmates, perform poorly on academic tasks, and are unable to relate to adults in positions of authority;

(3) factors that increase the probability a child will be at risk of violent behavior, including, but not limited to, exposure or involvement in violence at critical stages of childhood development, poor socioeconomic conditions, and poor parenting skills;

(4) symptoms of a child's overexposure to violence, including, but not limited to, sleeplessness, anxiety, depression, feelings of hopelessness, truancy, and difficulty in school;

(5) predictors of violent behavior in children, including but not limited to, dishonesty, disobedience, favorable attitude toward violence, hostility toward police, substance abuse, aggressive or antisocial behavior, and involvement in nonviolent criminal offenses; and

(6) effective strategies, based on a child's age and stage of development, that will help a parent monitor or restrict a child's exposure to violence on television and other electronic devices, including, but not limited to, the use of screening software or other technologies that prevent a child from watching television programs a parent deems inappropriate, co-viewing and commenting on television programs that depict violence, and familiarization with video game advisory labels and rating systems that make it more difficult for children to purchase and play such games.

b. The department shall prepare an informational pamphlet that contains the information posted on its website pursuant to subsection a. of this section, and shall update the pamphlet as necessary. The department shall distribute the pamphlet, at no charge, to all school districts in the State, and shall make additional copies available to nonpublic schools upon request.

c. In the 2013-2014 school year and in each school year thereafter, each school district shall distribute the pamphlet to the parents or guardians of students attending the schools of the district.

L.2013, c.146, s.1.

This section added to the Rutgers Database: 2013-09-03 15:13:44.

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Update: Did the Board of Education Organize?

 On January 6, 2022 @ 7 PM, the Englewood School Board will assemble and reorganize. The School Board will go through the motions of electing a new President and Vice President.  This will probably be discussed and decided in the Closed Session Meeting taking place at 6 PM the same day. The formal vote will take place Publicly in the Zoom meeting at 7 PM. 

Update: Well, I missed that one. It wasn't discussed in close session. We had to watch that. Dear Board of Education. Do that in closed session. I don't think we have a Vice President. I have not heard so many well-placed abstentions in a long time. We shall see what comes of it. While they figure that out, WE have to keep our attention on the important things.

Link to the Agenda containing Reorganization Meeting Zoom Link.

Link to the Text of the Oath of Office for School Board Members

There are other positions that the Board of Education should Appoint or Reappoint during this meeting. 2 of these positions are extremely important to Residents, Students, Teachers and Staff. These positions are Medical Inspector and Psychological Examiner. We should question whether or not these positions are filled and if these persons are working with the Health Staff of the District.

We are still in a Pandemic. Who are the members of our Pandemic Response Team? Do we have a centralized Pandemic Response Team or does a Team exist in each school building? Is our Medical Inspector involved in this team? Is our Psychological Examiner involved in plans to remediate Mental Health issues that may have arisen because of isolation, overuse of technology, or feelings of anxiety among students?

At the last School Board Meeting, the Interim Superintendent apologized to the Public for not being a Medical Professional. Okay, apology accepted. Now use the Policy below to support the Appointment of a Medical Professional who will work closely with the District Nurses and Administration while consulting with the local Health Department and reporting directly to you. We are in the middle of a Health Emergency. We need to see that more is being done. We want to be able to trust that the Board of Education and the Superintendent are willingly putting forth an effort to develop a centralized District Health Office that will make sure that protocols are created and followed consistently. We want assurances that previous existing acute illnesses, such as severe asthma are not being ignored, because our nursing staff is overwhelmed with covid responses. We want our nurses to feel confident that they have PPE that is comparable to that used in ICU across the country. We want our Health Professionals to feel confident that they are safe while working with our children.

Below is Policy including statutes pertaining to the appointment of District Health Professionals. More than ever, we must demand compliance in this area.

District Policy

0153 - ANNUAL APPOINTMENTS

Section: Bylaws

Date Created: February 2002
Date Edited: November 2019

The Board of Education may annually appoint the following positions:

1. A Board Secretary,
N.J.S.A. 18A:17-2, 17-5

    17-3   Tenure of janitorial employees

   17-4    Reduction in number of janitorial employees

   17-5    Appointment of secretary of board of education; terms;                                      compensation; vacancy.

2. A public school accountant,
N.J.S.A. 18A:23-1

3. A medical inspector,
N.J.S.A. 18A:40-1

18A:40-1. Employment of medical inspectors, optometrists and nurses; salaries; terms; rules

Every board of education shall employ one or more physicians, licensed to practice medicine and surgery within the state, to be known as the medical inspector or medical inspectors, and any board, not furnishing nursing services under a contract pursuant to section 18A:40-3.1 shall employ one or more school nurses, and it may also employ one or more optometrists, licensed to practice optometry within the state, to be known as the school vision examiner or school vision examiners, and the board shall fix their salaries and terms of office.

Every board of education shall adopt rules, subject to the approval of the state board, for the government of such employees.

4. A psychological examiner,

N.J.S.A. 18A:46-11

18A:46-11. Psychological and other examinations

Each board of education shall separately or jointly with one or more boards of education employ a psychological examiner, who acting jointly with special education personnel approved by the commissioner, shall administer the procedures for diagnosis and classification required in this chapter, or, in lieu of employing a psychological examiner, it or they may contract to use, with or without financial reimbursement, the psychological or other services of any clinic or agency approved by the commissioner.

5. A member to serve as delegate to the New Jersey School Boards Association,
N.J.S.A. 18A:6-46

6. An attendance officer(s),
N.J.S.A. 18A:38-32

18A:38-32. District and county vocational school attendance officers

For the purpose of enforcing the provisions of this article, the board of education of each school district and the board of education of each county vocational school shall appoint a suitable number of qualified persons to be designated as attendance officers, and shall fix their compensation; except that if a county attendance officer or officers are appointed for any county, any district board of education of such county may be exempt from the appointment of a local attendance officer if such exemption is approved by the county superintendent. Each board shall make rules not inconsistent with the provisions of this article and subject to the approval of the commissioner, for the government of the attendance officers.

7. A Treasurer of School Moneys,
N.J.S.A. 18A:17-31

8. A member to serve as delegate to the Bergen County School Boards Association;

9. An attorney

10. An insurance broker(s)/agent(s).

Adopted: 28 February 2002
Revised: November 14, 2019

 A lot of lip service has been given to the concept of isolation and mental health problems connected with children learning at home in Virtual. We must force them to do more in the District to protect our children's health since they have chosen to force them back into school while the Board of Education and all other City Boards, Committees and Commissions meet virtually. The Superintendent is running the District remotely. Put them to work creating the very best protocol possible for keeping everyone safe.

Additional Appointments or motions to be made during the Reorganization Meeting. How many of the following actions are included in the consent agenda of the current Jan. 6 reorganization agenda?

District Policy

0154 - ANNUAL MOTIONS AND DESIGNATIONS

Section: BylawsDate Created: February 2002Date Edited: February 2002

 

The Board of Education shall make the following designations at the organizational meeting:

 

Designate one (1) or more depositories for school funds;

 

Designate those persons authorized to sign school warrants;

 

Designate the official newspaper;

 

Designate a second newspaper for the publication of Board meeting announcements; and

 

Designate the day, place, and time for regular meetings of the Board.

 

The Board of Education shall adopt resolutions for the following issues at the organizational meeting:

 

Approve the curriculum for all grades;

 

Readopt existing bylaws and policies for the Board’s operation and the operation of the school system; and

 

Readopt any existing contracts and agreements to which the Board is a party and where continuation is not authorized by law.

 

 

N.J.S.A. 10:4-8; 

N.J.S.A.17:9-9; 

N.J.S.A 18A:14-19

N.J.S.A.18A:17-34 

N.J.S.A 18A:19-1

N.J.S.A. 18A:22-11

N.J.S.A.18A:39-3

 

 

Adopted:  28 February 2002