Political Endorsements Discussed At Moorestown BOE Meeting

MOORESTOWN, NJ - It is hard to believe the holiday season is already here! This is a busy time of the year for everyone, including for the Moorestown Board of Education. Highlights in November included discussion on a policy change, strategic planning progress, and the election of new board members.

On Nov. 6, incumbent David Weinstein and challengers Dria Law, and Caryn Shaw were all elected to serve on the Moorestown Board of Education. They will be sworn-in at the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting. I wish them all the best as they begin their three-year term!

At the Nov. 13 monthly meeting, the board heard special presentations on the Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB) Self-Assessment by members of administration; and on the district nutrition program by NutriServe.

NutriServe, the district’s food service provider, highlighted their efforts to teach students about nutrition in creative ways, to provide nutritional information through an online menu, and to introduce new menu items for 2018-19.

The strategic planning process is underway, and great progress is being made. So far, there have been individual meetings, focus groups, and a community forum to solicit input. Community members are encouraged to complete a survey to provide feedback on the district, including strengths and areas to improve. The survey can be accessed at www.mtps.com and should take 5-10 minutes to complete. The deadline to complete this survey is Nov. 28 at 4 p.m.

There was a lot of discussion at the November meeting surrounding a recommended change to Board Policy 9190, Community Organizations and Clubs. The policy committee is recommending a change that would specifically prohibit “affiliate organizations” from endorsing “an individual or group of individuals for any elected or appointed office.”

Affiliate organizations are “organizations which wholly support an activity in which district pupils participate” and receive board approval for use of the school name, mascot, and logo. The intent of this policy is not to interfere with an individual’s personal right to endorse, but rather to prevent the organization from endorsing given their special status with the district. Second reading is planned for the December meeting.

There are several exciting events upcoming to note. After the Moorestown Holiday Parade on Dec. 1, MoorArts will be hosting the 2018 Holiday Arts Festival from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. at the Church Street Recreation Center. This includes a student art exhibition, live entertainment, and crafts for children. Also, be sure to check the district calendar for multiple student musical performances in December, including the MHS Vocal Winter Concert on Dec. 6 and the WAMS Winter Concert on Dec. 12.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education is on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. in the William Allen Middle School Auditorium. It would be great to see you at an upcoming meeting and I wish you a happy holiday season!

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.