OPRA Request – Welfare Check Made to PD on 11/23/2025
Dear Toms River School District,
Please accept this electronic request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form or use a particular software platform to submit my request per NJSA 47:1A-5(f), which states that an email from a requestor including all of the information required on the adopted form shall suffice in place of a completed form as a valid government record request. I HAVE NOT been convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of New Jersey, any other state, or the United States. I WILL NOT use the requested government records for a commercial purpose.
I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
Records requested:
Dear Records Custodian,
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq., I request copies of all records related to the welfare check requested by Citta Elementary School on November 23, 2025, concerning my residence.
Please include: name & title of the individual who initiated the welfare check on above date to pd , All reports, notes, referrals, or documentation for chain of command per schools/board of education protocol including a copy of the same to ensure & compare steps taken compared to steps board or schools protocol outline should r been taken ensuring nobody skipped a formality, all paperwork, emails, calls, leading to that request on 11/23, incl names & numbers of family members that were attempted contact including emergency contacts (as all informed us nobody notified or called the from school regarding this. ) All emails, internal communications, & external communications related to the incident, any phone logs or records of calls made to law enforcement or regarding this matter, Any follow-up reports or communications after the welfare check including the final report police submitted or sent to school following completion of welfare check along with any police statements , etc.
Additionally, I request: All policies, protocols, or Board of Ed guidelines governing when & how staff are to request a police welfare check & what steps or protocol is to be completed first well before sending police depar to a students home. Any emails submitted to school.regaAnthony's Withdrawal from in person instruction prior to this date but any email to/ from parents in ref to this , name & title of school employee who made decision to ignore parents request to withdrawal student & involved the the requested that made the police dept believe this was an emergency situation where a child was alledged to be in imminent danger of which was beyond an inflammatory lie, officers said they were told no staff had seen our son whom allegedly missed 50+ days which was an egregious lie. Steps were skipped or missed here by the school & the name/title & all communications bc school & police dept regarding our son leading up to 11/23/25 & even after so we can ensure the board of ed holds the person or persons accountable for making their own rules up., Any docs showing what protocol was followed in this specific instance, inc whether emergency contacts were required to be called prior to contacting police. Pls provide records in electronic format if available. If any portion is denied, please cite the specific legal basis for same. Ty for your prompt attention.
Sincerely,
Jennifer & Anthony Guzman
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail as attachments. Please confirm you have received this request. If you are not the custodian of records, please fwd my request to that person & provide their email to me for future ref.
Good morning Ms. Guzman,
The Toms River Regional School District ("District") received your "Open
Public Records Act" (OPRA) request dated Friday, May 1, 2026. The
official Custodian of Records received your "OPRA" request on May 1,
2026. Please be advised student records fall under FERPA, not OPRA, and
must be provided within 45 days.
Please fill out and sign the Cumulative Record Release Form attached
hereto in order to provide said records.
Thank you,
Sheri
Sheri Pereira
AES/Director of Infrastructure & Operations Confidential Secretary
District Custodian of School Records
Board of Education ~ Business Office
Toms River Regional Schools
732.505.5500 Ext. 500082
732.473.9168 (Facsimile)
Do not Reply All. This message and any attached documents contain
information which may be confidential, subject to privilege or exempt from
disclosure under applicable law. These materials are intended only for the
use of the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient of
this transmission, you are hereby notified that any distribution,
disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification or the taking of any
action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery
of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not
compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege or exemption from
disclosure as to this communication.
Good afternoon Ms. Guzman,
The Toms River Regional School District ("District") received your "Open
Public Records Act" (OPRA) request dated Friday, May 1, 2026. The
official Custodian of Records received your "OPRA" request on May 1,
2026. Please be advised that student records fall under FERPA, not
OPRA.
After further discussion, please see the District's responses in red.
Information Requested
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq., I request copies of all records
related to the welfare check requested by Citta Elementary School on
November 23, 2025, concerning my residence. (FERPA request as if the
documents exist they would be considered educational records) Records
responsive to this item exist but are denied in full to the extent they
constitute student records under the New Jersey Pupil Records Act,
N.J.S.A. 18A:36-19, and N.J.A.C. 6A:32-7.1 et seq., and are further
protected from disclosure under FERPA, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g. OPRA expressly
exempts records the disclosure of which is restricted by other state or
federal law. See N.J.S.A. 47:1A-9. Records concerning an identifiable
student are accessible to the parent through the District's student
records procedure, not through OPRA.
Please include: name & title of the individual who initiated the welfare
check on above date to pd , All reports, notes, referrals, or
documentation for chain of command per schools/board of education protocol
including a copy of the same to ensure & compare steps taken compared to
steps board or schools protocol outline should r been taken ensuring
nobody skipped a formality, all paperwork, emails, calls, leading to that
request on 11/23, incl names & numbers of family members that were
attempted contact including emergency contacts (as all informed us nobody
notified or called the from school regarding this. ) All emails, internal
communications, & external communications related to the incident, any
phone logs or records of calls made to law enforcement or regarding this
matter, Any follow-up reports or communications after the welfare check
including the final report police submitted or sent to school following
completion of welfare check along with any police statements , etc. (FERPA
request as if the documents exist they would be considered educational
records) Records responsive to this item exist but are denied in full to
the extent they constitute student records under the New Jersey Pupil
Records Act, N.J.S.A. 18A:36-19, and N.J.A.C. 6A:32-7.1 et seq., and are
further protected from disclosure under FERPA, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g. OPRA
expressly exempts records the disclosure of which is restricted by other
state or federal law. See N.J.S.A. 47:1A-9. Records concerning an
identifiable student are accessible to the parent through the District's
student records procedure, not through OPRA.
Additionally, I request: All policies, protocols, or Board of Ed
guidelines governing when & how staff are to request a police welfare
check & what steps or protocol is to be completed first well before
sending police depart to a students home. Please see attached District
Policy 5200-Attendance (M) and Regulation 5200-Attendance.
Any emails submitted to school.regaAnthony's Withdrawal from in person
instruction prior to this date but any email to/ from parents in ref to
this , name & title of school employee who made decision to ignore
parents request to withdrawal student & involved the the requested that
made the police dept believe this was an emergency situation where a child
was alleged to be in imminent danger of which was beyond an inflammatory
lie, officers said they were told no staff had seen our son whom allegedly
missed 50+ days which was an egregious lie. Steps were skipped or missed
here by the school & the name/title & all communications bc school &
police dept regarding our son leading up to 11/23/25 & even after so we
can ensure the board of ed holds the person or persons accountable for
making their own rules up., Any docs showing what protocol was followed in
this specific instance, inc whether emergency contacts were required to be
called prior to contacting police. (FERPA request as if the documents
exist they would be considered educational records) Records responsive to
this item exist but are denied in full to the extent they constitute
student records under the New Jersey Pupil Records Act, N.J.S.A.
18A:36-19, and N.J.A.C. 6A:32-7.1 et seq., and are further protected from
disclosure under FERPA, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g. OPRA expressly exempts records
the disclosure of which is restricted by other state or federal law. See
N.J.S.A. 47:1A-9. Records concerning an identifiable student are
accessible to the parent through the District's student records procedure,
not through OPRA. OPRA requires the production of government records; it
does not require an agency to answer questions, conduct research, or
provide narrative responses. Bart v. City of Paterson Hous. Auth., 403
N.J. Super. 609 (App. Div. 2008). To the extent your request is construed
as one for records identifying these individuals, see Items 1 and 7.
Please see attached District Policy - Attendance (M) and Regulation 5200 -
Attendance.
Thank you,
Sheri
Sheri Pereira
AES/Director of Infrastructure & Operations Confidential Secretary
District Custodian of School Records
Board of Education ~ Business Office
Toms River Regional Schools
732.505.5500 Ext. 500082
732.473.9168 (Facsimile)
Do not Reply All. This message and any attached documents contain
information which may be confidential, subject to privilege or exempt from
disclosure under applicable law. These materials are intended only for the
use of the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient of
this transmission, you are hereby notified that any distribution,
disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification or the taking of any
action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery
of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not
compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege or exemption from
disclosure as to this communication.
Dear Sheri Pereira,
I have sent the attached release form to the fax number provided 732.473.9168 please let me know if that is incorrect or if you need anything thank you for your reply and for providing the requested information you were able to prior to receiving the release. Please confirm receipt of release thanks
Yours sincerely,
Jennifer Guzman
Please be advised the District is closed on Fridays during the summer
months. Our office hours are also 7:00 am to 3:00 pm Monday -
Thursday. I will return all emails when the District reopens.
Thank you,
Sheri Pereira
--
*Sheri PereiraAES/Director of Infrastructure & Operations Confidential
Secretary*
*District Custodian of School Records*
*Board of Education ~ Business OfficeToms River Regional
Schools732.505.5500 Ext. 500082*
*732.473.9168 (Facsimile)*
*Do not Reply All. This message and any attached documents contain
information which may be confidential, subject to privilege or exempt from
disclosure under applicable law. These materials are intended only for the
use of the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient of
this transmission, you are hereby notified that any distribution,
disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification or the taking of any
action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery
of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not
compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege or exemption from
disclosure as to this communication.*
Good morning,
Please be advised I am in receipt of your signed Cumulative Record Release
Form for your son Anthony D. Guzman, Jr.
Thank you,
Sheri
Sheri Pereira
AES/Director of Infrastructure & Operations Confidential Secretary
District Custodian of School Records
Board of Education ~ Business Office
Toms River Regional Schools
732.505.5500 Ext. 500082
732.473.9168 (Facsimile)
Do not Reply All. This message and any attached documents contain
information which may be confidential, subject to privilege or exempt from
disclosure under applicable law. These materials are intended only for the
use of the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient of
this transmission, you are hereby notified that any distribution,
disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification or the taking of any
action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery
of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not
compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege or exemption from
disclosure as to this communication.