Various requests for public records from your school district
Dear Berkeley Township School District,
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
We are in receipt of your OPRA request. Below you can find responses to
each one of your requests:
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;
See attached ASSA Summary (2,427 Students Enrolled)
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.
See attached for a list of students by grade who opted out
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.
See attached for the OptOut form we provided to parents
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.
See attached for letter sent to parents and see a copy of board policy
5250
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.
See attached for health curriculum for various grade levels
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.
See Board Policy 9130
7) Copies of any book removal or review requests made by residents of your
school district since November 1, 2022 to present.
NONE
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.
NONE
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.
Under OPRA, agencies are required to disclose only “identifiable”
governmental records not otherwise exempt. Requests for
general information to be analyzed, collated and compiled by the
responding government entity are not encompassed under OPRA. MAG Entm't,
LLC v. Div. of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 375 N.J. Super. 534, 549 (App.
Div. 2005). See Policy 2510.
10) Copies of all legal bills from the Board Attorney or from any outside
council from January 1, 2023 to present
If our board attorney hasn't already they will be sending you copies of
all legal bills. Please follow up with me if you do not receive them in
the expected timeframe
If you require additional documents or clarification on any of the
responses please let me know
Regards,
Tyler Verga, CPA
Business Administrator/Board Secretary
Berkeley Township Board of Education
53 Central Parkway
Bayville, NJ 08721
732-269-2321
See attached for Legal Bills requested
Item # 10
Tyler Verga, CPA
Business Administrator/Board Secretary
Berkeley Township Board of Education
53 Central Parkway
Bayville, NJ 08721
732-269-2321
On Tue, Aug 8, 2023 at 11:47 AM Tyler Verga <[1][Berkeley Township School District request email]> wrote:
We are in receipt of your OPRA request. Below you can find responses to
each one of your requests:
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;
See attached ASSA Summary (2,427 Students Enrolled)
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.
See attached for a list of students by grade who opted out
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.
See attached for the OptOut form we provided to parents
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.
See attached for letter sent to parents and see a copy of board policy
5250
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.
See attached for health curriculum for various grade levels
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.
See Board Policy 9130
7) Copies of any book removal or review requests made by residents of
your school district since November 1, 2022 to present.
NONE
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.
NONE
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.
Under OPRA, agencies are required to disclose only “identifiable”
governmental records not otherwise exempt. Requests for
general information to be analyzed, collated and compiled by the
responding government entity are not encompassed under OPRA. MAG Entm't,
LLC v. Div. of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 375 N.J. Super. 534, 549
(App. Div. 2005). See Policy 2510.
10) Copies of all legal bills from the Board Attorney or from any
outside council from January 1, 2023 to present
If our board attorney hasn't already they will be sending you copies of
all legal bills. Please follow up with me if you do not receive them in
the expected timeframe
If you require additional documents or clarification on any of the
responses please let me know
Regards,
Tyler Verga, CPA
Business Administrator/Board Secretary
Berkeley Township Board of Education
53 Central Parkway
Bayville, NJ 08721
732-269-2321