Water Damage to SRS Classrooms Slows Construction Progress

After over two years of negotiations, the officially ratified a at its meeting on Monday, bringing a smooth start to the upcoming school year.

The board also discussed the following at its Aug. 22 meeting that was held at the

Facilities Report:

Board member Bill Holobowski, who serves as liaison to the facilities committee, said that are on target for completion with the exception of two issues.

Classrooms at the front of experienced water damage when clogged drainpipes impeded runoff from the building’s flat roof during a . According to Holobowski, the building's original terra cotta pipes were not able to accommodate run off from the newly-graded building and overflowed into a few of the classrooms at the front of the building. According to school Superintendent John Russo, the district has a “contingency plan” in place in the event that students slated for those classrooms have to be temporarily relocated for the first few weeks of school until the problem is rectified.

Workers at the struck a gas line on Aug. 10 while installing an emergency generator behind the administrative offices, according to Russo. Central office and middle school staff was briefly evacuated, as were people in the neighboring library until the gas line was shut down.

Tinton Falls Business Administrator Tamar Sydney-Gens said that the subcontractor responsible for marking out gas lines was at fault and she did not anticipate the district incurring any costs due to the release of excess gas from the break.

Anti-Bullying Law:

As of Sept. 1, the district will have adopted the state’s new anti-bullying mandate that requires training of all staff, administrative and board members; the implementation of district coordinators and safety team members to help monitor issues; and thorough reporting required by staff members following an imposed timeline.

“It will be interesting to see how this impacts school districts,” said Russo of the state’s new mandate. He noted that while the implementation is based on “good intentions,” there are many requirements for districts to adhere to and no funding provided for assistance.

New Student Registration:

Russo said that 14 new students registered over the summer in the district, however enrollment numbers overall “are not unusual.” The influx of students could, however, affect busing, said Russo.