Various requests for public records from your school district
Dear Kenilworth Board of Education,
In accordance with the New Jersey open public records Act, we hereby request for response to the following request hold
1) Please provide documents indicating the total number of students enrolled in all public schools and charter schools in your District for the 2022-2023 school year;
2) Please provide documents indicating the total number of students whose parents have availed themselves of the opt-out provisions of N.J.S.A.18A:35-4.7 and opted their child out of all or a portion of the 2020 NJSLS-CHPE mandate or curriculum promulgated in accordance thereto for the 2022-2023 school year. Please provide documents indicating the number of opt-outs by individual grade levels.
3) Please provide a copy of the document(s) used by the district by which parents can opt-out or opt-in their children from all or a portion of the curriculum mandated by the 2020 NJSLS-CHPE in your district.
4) Please provide documents showing how you implemented the “parent opt-out” for the 2020 NJSLS-CHPE and Health & Physical Education curriculum and a copy of the document by which parents can opt-out their children from all or a portion of the curriculum mandated by the 2020 NJSLS-CHPE in your district. Including but not limited to forms, flyers, emails to parents and/or a website.
4) Please provide documents showing how the 2020 NJSLS-CHPE mandate was implemented in your district, for example: a) in the classroom; b) at home by parents; c) as a homework assignment; d) in an assembly; e) as a webinar; f) being taught on the last day of school; g) any methods but with elements removed; h) not at all.
6) Copies of the BOE policies and regulations regarding the composition of your “Book Review Committee,” as well as policies controlling book reviews or book removal requests.
7) Copies of any book removal or review requests made by residents of your school district since November 1, 2022 to present.
8) If any books have been removed from curriculum or from public school libraries as a result of a demand for removal or by the Board action in accordance with your book removal policy, copies of all documents relating to the review or removal.
9) Any documents, policies or regulations relating to the review of current textbooks or the review of new textbooks or textbooks being considered for purchase.
10) Copies of all legal bills from the Board Attorney or from any outside council from January 1, 2023 to present
Yours faithfully,
Michael Gottesman, Individually and as Founder of the
New Jersey Public Education Coalition
Good afternoon Mr. Gottesman,
The following is the Kenilworth Board of Education’s response to your OPRA
request “Various requests for public records from your school district” on
August 5, 2023:
1. Please provide documents indicating the total number of students
enrolled in all public schools and charter schools in your District
for the 2022-2023 school year; Attached is the district’s ASSA report
outlining enrollment.
2. Please provide documents indicating the total number of students whose
parents have availed themselves of the opt-out provisions of
N.J.S.A.18A:35-4.7 and opted their child out of all or a portion of
the 2020 NJSLS-CHPE mandate or curriculum promulgated in accordance
thereto for the 2022-2023 school year. Please provide documents
indicating the number of opt-outs by individual grade levels.
a. The district does have such a document as the one requested because
there has been no need to keep one. District-wide, only one parent
(of a fifth-grade student) emailed the school administration to opt
out their child from participating in learning about anything related
to human sexuality.
3. Please provide a copy of the document(s) used by the district by which
parents can opt-out or opt-in their children from all or a portion of
the curriculum mandated by the 2020 NJSLS-CHPE in your district.
a. No such document exists. Parents are made aware of the NJSLS-CHPE via
the policy attached, which notifies them of their right to opt their
child out of NJSLS-CHPE learning.
4. Please provide documents showing how you implemented the “parent
opt-out” for the 2020 NJSLS-CHPE and Health & Physical Education
curriculum and a copy of the document by which parents can opt-out
their children from all or a portion of the curriculum mandated by the
2020 NJSLS-CHPE in your district. Including but not limited to forms,
flyers, emails to parents and/or a website.
a. No such document exists. Parents are made aware of the NJSLS-CHPE via
the attached policy, which notifies them of their right to opt their
child out of NJSLS-CHPE learning.
5. Please provide documents showing how the 2020 NJSLS-CHPE mandate was
implemented in your district, for example: a) in the classroom; b) at
home by parents; c) as a homework assignment; d) in an assembly; e) as
a webinar; f) being taught on the last day of school; g) any methods
but with elements removed; h) not at all.
a. The curriculum was revised to reflect the new NJ student learning
standards in health. Those may be accessed on our website:
[1]www.kenilworthschool.com
6. Copies of the BOE policies and regulations regarding the composition
of your “Book Review Committee,” as well as policies controlling book
reviews or book removal requests.
a. See the attached policy.
7. Copies of any book removal or review requests made by residents of
your school district since November 1, 2022 to present.
a. No requests have been made.
8. If any books have been removed from curriculum or from public school
libraries as a result of a demand for removal or by the Board action
in accordance with your book removal policy, copies of all documents
relating to the review or removal.
a. No books have been removed. N/A.
9. Any documents, policies or regulations relating to the review of
current textbooks or the review of new textbooks or textbooks being
considered for purchase.
a. See attached policy.
10. Copies of all legal bills from the Board Attorney or from any outside
council from January 1, 2023 to present.
a. There were no legal bills associated with opt-out provisions of
N.J.S.A.18A:35-4.7 or curriculum mandated by the 2020 NJSLS-CHPE or
book removal/banning or textbook review as mentioned in the request.
Regards,
Vincent A. Gonnella
School Business Administrator/Board Secretary
Kenilworth Public Schools
426 Boulevard
Kenilworth, NJ 07033
Office: 908-276-1644 x 1550
Fax: 908-709-7315
[2]www.kenilworthschools.com
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