MONTVALE—The Pascack Valley Regional Board of Education laid out the district’s plans for the coming school year at a retreat on Aug. 4, amid a new wave of Covid-19 in New Jersey and a national discussion about equity.
Pascack Valley Regional High School District, which serves students from Woodcliff Lake, Montvale, River Vale, and Hillsdale, is preparing for students and staff to return to school fully in-person. But the coronavirus is continuing to evolve and present new challenges.
The change in the pandemic’s trajectory was evident at the retreat, which was open to the public and held in the Pascack Hills High School library. After a brief respite from mask wearing at the June 21 Board meeting, members and attendees once again covered their faces for the duration of the late summer retreat.
In response to the threat of the delta variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently recommended that people in high-transmission areas of the country wear masks indoors –– even if they are vaccinated.
“The health issues did not want to cooperate with our aspirations,” said Curriculum Director Barry Bachenheimer, who added that districts have been given more rule-making power compared to the hybrid 2020-21 school year. While that power may have included mask-wearing at one point, on Aug. 6 Gov. Phil Murphy announced that all K-12 students and staff will be required to wear masks at school this fall.
The district still plans to have a common lunch period, and Interim Superintendent Daniel Fishbein said they will spread students out “as best we can” while they are eating.
Contact tracing “is going to be challenging,” Fishbein said. He explained that fully vaccinated students who are exposed to a Covid-positive individual but are asymptomatic do not have to quarantine, according to the CDC. This is a difference from last school year, when vaccines were not widely available and all close contacts of Covid-19 cases were guaranteed to miss out on classes and sports practices for as long as two weeks.
“If you’ve provided proof that you are vaccinated and you are a close contact… you can remain in school,” Fishbein said. He expressed hope that this will encourage more students to get vaccinated.
The district is also revisiting the use of a daily health screening form that parents completed last school year for their children. Each school may instead have parents sign what Fishbein called a “statement of assurance” that their children will not go into school with Covid-19 symptoms.
In regards to vaccine requirements, which many companies and colleges have implemented as the delta variant surges, Fishbein said the district is “not there yet.” Staff members would be the first to follow a vaccine requirement if one was implemented, he added, but there have not been any discussions so far.
Board ramps up search for permanent superintendent
Fishbein is serving one year as interim superintendent after the resignation of Dr. P. Erik Gundersen, who on July 1 became the head of schools at Suffern Central School District.
At the retreat, the Board decided it would look for a superintendent searching consultant, and it hopes to choose a firm by the middle of October at the latest. The firm will set the calendar for the superintendent search and undertake the initial candidate recruitment effort, though the Board may decide to choose a firm that undertakes additional responsibilities.
According to Fishbein, who as Ridgewood’s school chief gained experience searching for superintendents, search firms typically bring four to ten candidates in for multiple interviews. Board members “have to find a match that works for everyone” with unanimous consensus, he said. Boards usually seek community input among residents as well as staff and administrators.
Equity in focus
Mark Russo, the district supervisor of diversity, equity, and inclusion, presented to the Board about ongoing efforts to resolve inequities.
In the coming year, Russo said the district will place a greater focus on student leadership, highlight the stories of school community members, and continue to emphasize “difference as an asset.”
“This is not about advancing critical race theory –– not necessarily bad words, words that are polarized,” said Board Vice President Joseph Blundo of the district’s efforts. Some of the steps the district is taking are required by the state of New Jersey.
Russo called the politicization of words like equity “unfortunate” and emphasized that the district was collecting data to make the necessary adjustments to ensure students have a positive experience while in high school.
The district also wants to “increase civic engagement across all grade levels,” according to Joe Orlak, the supervisor of social studies. Orlak said the district will encourage social studies students to attend Board meetings and local council meetings to learn how they can be involved in the community.