Moorestown BOE Discusses Strategic Plan, Student Safety

MOORESTOWN, NJ — In October, the Moorestown Board of Education and the district discussed a range of issues, from continued progress on the strategic plan to policy changes to presentations on district goals and student safety, among other items.

At the Nov. 16 monthly meeting, the board heard two presentations from the administration. The first presentation was on district goals and objectives for the 2018-19 school year. This presentation focused on the efforts undertaken to meet goal three of the strategic plan, centered around designing opportunities that promote self-awareness, confidence, personal responsibility, and social mindfulness. These efforts included surveying 1,982 students, professional development for staff, and curriculum revision.

The second presentation was on the “Student Safety Data System,” which looked at Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB) and violence/vandalism in the district. The focus was on presenting the number of incidents by grade level, how discipline measures vary by student age, and changes in state reporting requirements.

The board approved changes to eight policies and four regulations in October, which ranged from anti-discrimination practices to procurement procedures. Most of the changes were based on changes in state/federal statute or code. As a reminder, policies are presented on first reading after recommendation by the policy committee and then approved on second reading. Changes can occur in between readings. In contrast, regulations are a way for the administration to carry out board policy, and generally do not require board approval.

Progress is continuing on the updated strategic plan since the current plan is for 2016-2019. The strategic planning consultants have already met with focus groups and conducted individual interviews to collect data, including with students, staff, community members, and board members.

The Moorestown High School Theater program will present “Clue: On Stage” for the Fall Play. The play can be seen on Nov. 1, 2 or 3, 7 p.m. Additional information and online tickets are available at moorestownhstheater.weebly.com. I highly recommend attending!

As a reminder, there are three seats open on the Board of Education for the Nov. 6 election. The four candidates in ballot order that are seeking three-year terms are Caryn Shaw, Dimitri Schneiberg, David A. Weinstein, and Dria Law. You can vote for up to three candidates.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education is on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m. in the William Allen Middle School Auditorium. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Board or myself at anytime if you need anything. It would be great to hear from you!

The views and content in this column do not necessarily represent those of the Moorestown Board of Education as a whole or any other individual member.

About this column: In this column, Moorestown Board of Education Member Brandon Pugh provides monthly updates on what's going on in the school district and on the BOE.