Communications

The SOMSD Board of Education Unanimously Approves Settlement with the Black Parents Workshop over Racial Access and Equity in Schools

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July 14, 2020 – The South Orange and Maplewood School District Board of Education is pleased to announce a resolution of its federal court litigation with the Black Parents Workshop (BPW) over racial access and equity in the South Orange and Maplewood School District, which was approved at the District’s last Board meeting on Monday, July 13, 2020.

Through good faith discussions, the parties have reached a settlement that recognizes the strides the District has already made under the leadership of Superintendent, Ronald G. Taylor, while incorporating proposals for further improvement offered by BPW. The Board also recognizes the efforts of former Interim Superintendent Thomas Ficarra, for his work in facilitating the District’s $160M construction project that was approved by the Board of School Estimate, which will ultimately support the realization of the recently Board approved Intentional Integration Framework.

According to Superintendent Taylor, “We welcome the opportunity to put this litigation behind us and move forward together as a District and community, working to live our creed of service and to truly embody our mission to empower and inspire each student to explore and imagine, to pursue personal passions, and to collectively create a better future.”

Under the terms of a formal settlement agreement approved by the Board on July 13th, the District will implement recommendations to be developed by Dr. Edward Fergus of Temple University, a nationally renowned expert who has been consulting with the District since 2018.  To promote public confidence, transparency and accountability, implementation of Dr. Fergus’s recommendations will be monitored by former New Jersey Supreme Court Justice John Wallace, Jr., who is universally respected in the legal community.

“The board voted unanimously to approve this settlement as it helps us move closer to delivering upon the as yet unrealized promise of the access and equity policy passed in 2015,” said Board president, Annemarie Maini.  She continued, “As was clear over the past few days of board retreats, we all share the commitment to ensuring that all students feel welcomed and receive the supports (academic and social emotional) that they need to get closer to actualizing our district’s mission statement.”

The District has already taken steps to increase diversity in its administrative leadership and will continue to ramp up its efforts to encourage minority applicants for teaching positions in the District.  In addition, data regarding course enrollment and student disciplinary actions will be shared with the public on a regular basis.

The Board looks forward to moving forward to fulfill the promise of the District’s Access and Equity Policy and improve educational opportunities and outcomes for our African-American students.

 

CHS Provides Updates in Preparation for Fall Sports Season

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July 10, 2020

Dear Parents & Guardians,

I hope that all is well.  As the summer progresses, and as we ramp up for the next school year with Covid-19 still at the forefront of our decision-making, I want to provide you with an update on our Columbia High School athletics program.

Dr. Taylor is leading us on this important task and I have been fortunate to have already started working with district and building personnel on the Rethink-Reopen Taskforce. Mr. Ken Mullen, our Interim Atheltic Director, has done a terrific job meeting with our health personnel, coaches, and the building and grounds team to ensure we can begin our sports program while maintaining the health and safety of our students and staff, which is, of course, our first priority.

After many meetings, much research, surveying CHS parents, equipment purchasing, and conferring with neighboring districts, we are ready to begin a summer conditioning and workout program. Since this is a fluid situation with local and national guidelines continuously being updated, we ask for your patience if we need to make any changes. We will announce any updates as soon as they are decided.

CHS Tentative Athletic Schedule

July 21- July 31 Virtual Conditioning & Team Bonding 

  • Once our coaches are Board approved, they will begin reaching out to students via virtual platforms, Google Meet or Cisco Webex. The focus of this time will be on team bonding and individual conditioning goals. (Captains’ practices are not allowed because medical personnel are not available to conduct temperature checks.)  

August 3 – August 28 (pending state guidelines) Supervised Conditioning & Practices 

  • Starting in early August, our teams will begin with team practices, following the NJSIAA Phase 1 Guidelines. A specific team-by-team schedule will follow from Mr. Mullen and the coaches. By mid-August, our program will shift to the Phase 2 Guidelines that are being released by the NJSIAA on July 10th. 

According to NJSIAA officials, we can expect a shortened season that will begin later in September, so our coaches are comfortable with the time we have to prepare our student-athletes for another successful year. 

Please be on the lookout for more information from Mr. Mullen regarding the forms that your children will need to complete prior to our August start with physical conditioning. This will include physicals for our rising Freshmen students. Currently, the NJ Legislature is considering waiving the annual requirement for physicals for our rising 10th – 12th graders, so we will also update you on that if the guidelines change. 

I hope you are as excited as I am for next year. Throughout the interview process, I heard incredible things about Columbia High School, so I look forward to meeting you all.

Sincerely,

 

Frank Sánchez

CHS Principal

Return to School Survey for Families

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Hello SOMSD Parents/Guardians,

The New Jersey Department of Education is working on plans for re-opening school buildings in the 2020-21 school year and is currently exploring various options based on available guidance from public health experts. We want your feedback to understand what is most important to you.

While it is our hope that school would resume normal operations in the fall, due to the uncertainty that the coronavirus pandemic still poses we realize that this may not be possible. As we prepare our District’s Reopening Plan, we are taking into consideration that the pandemic will roll-over into September 2020 and beyond. Please fill out this survey assuming health and safety measures like social distancing are still in place.

Your answers to this survey are anonymous and confidential. If you have more than one child in your family, we recommend filling out this survey for each child.

Click here or copy URL to fill out the survey:  https://bit.ly/SOMSDReopeningSurvey

SOMSD School Reopening Plan: Parenting Center Assembling a Parent Panel for Focus Group

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July 7, 2020

Dear SOMSD Family,

Our School District recognizes the importance of hearing and weighing parental voices as we work on reopening in the fall. Toward this end, The Parenting Center will begin the process of assembling a parent feedback panel on reopening our schools. In the next week, we will send an email/SMS text with an application form for any parents/guardians who are interested in being involved with the Parent Panel for Reopening School. We seek to gather a diverse and representative group, so once application responses have been received (due date to be provided), a lottery system will be used to choose two-panel members from each school and SEPAC to serve as part of the parent panel.

The panel will meet with Superintendent, Dr. Taylor twice during the summer and will function much like a focus group sharing responses to options that he will be presenting. In addition to the Parent Panel application form, the District will also be emailing a “Return to School 2020″ survey to families on Tuesday, July 7, to provide an opportunity for all families to share their individual feedback.

We look forward to the Panel meetings and the results of the survey – both will make an important contribution to the planning process for our District’s reopening in the fall.

Please look for an email from the district in the next week with more information.

Sincerely,

Karen Weiland

Special Services: Preschool Update, July 6, 2020

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July 6, 2020

Dear SOMSD Pre-K Parents/Guardians:

We hope that you and your family are well.  Thank you for your patience and understanding as the District finalizes plans for the 2020-2021 school year.    In an effort to keep all lines of communication open with our families and community,  please see below for an update of the District’s Preschool Education program and registration for the 2020-2021 school year.

While the district is eager to move forward with the placement of more students from our lottery waitlist, we are currently still awaiting final budgetary decisions from the New Jersey Department of Education, in addition to updated guidance from the federal, state and local levels as a result of the impact of Covid-19.   We remain hopeful that we will be able to place the more than 100+  students on our waitlist, and the Preschool Department will provide another placement update in late July.   

We thank you for your patience during this unprecedented time.  Please email us at  prekregistration@nullsomsd.k12.nj.us with any questions. Be safe and well.

Sincerely,

Melody Alegria, Ed.D
cc:  Leroy Johnson III, Supervisor, Preschool Education Program

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