Dear Mr. Gottesman:

The Rancocas Valley Regional High School  received your Open Public
Records Act (OPRA) request on Tuesday, August 8, 2023  

Your OPRA request sought access to the following:

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

Your request requires additional time beyond the seven (7) business days
to fulfill because information requested has to be completed by multiple
individuals, of which, some are on vacation.  OPRA allows custodians to
seek extensions of time pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5.i.  

I am requesting an additional 8 days to complete your request.  

Sincerely, 

Lisa Giovanelli

Business Administrator/

Board Secretary

Rancocas Valley Regional High School

520 Jacksonville Road

Mount Holly, NJ  08060

609-267-0837 ext. 3244

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Michael Gottesman, Individually and as Founder of the

New Jersey Public Education Coalition

c/o [1][email address]

RE: Saturday, August 5, 2023 OPRA request

Dear Mr. Gottesman,

The Rancocas Valley Regional School District received your August 5, 2023
OPRA request on Monday, August 7, 2023 when the District re-opened for
business.  Under OPRA, the District has until Wednesday, August 16, 2023
to respond or require an extension based on the complexity of the
request.  The District required an eight day extension based on the length
of the request and the sensitive nature of school district documents
making the response due on August 28, 2023.  Please accept this timely
response.

Your request seeks documents related to the below ten categories.  The
District responds to each category below and provides responsive documents
as they may exist.

 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;

District enrollment as of October 15, 2022  was 2053 students.  

 1. 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.

There are no documents, since no parents opted out.

 1. 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.

Please see attached [2]Procedure for 2020 CHPE

 1. 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.

Rancocas Valley Regional High School does not offer a global opt out;
individual parents who have individual concerns work directly with our
staff/supervisor/administrative team; [3]Policy 9130 and [4]Regulation
9130.

 1. 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.

The District denies this portion of the request as overbroad.  Please
identify a specific document.  OPRA "is not intended as a research tool
... to force government officials to identify and siphon useful
information." MAG Entm't, LLC v. Div. of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 375
N.J. Super. 534, 546-49 (App. Div. 2005).   OPRA does not "authorize a
party to make a blanket request for every document" a public agency has on
file. Gannett New Jersey Partners L.P. v. County of Middlesex, 379 N.J.
Super. 205, 213 (App. Div. 2005).   Rather, a party requesting access to a
public record under OPRA must specifically describe the document
sought.   

 1. 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.

Please see the following [5]Policy 2510 and [6]Regulation 2510

 1. Copies of any book removal or review requests made by residents of your school district since November 1, 2022 to present.

There were no books removed.

 1. 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. 

Not applicable

 1. Any documents, policies or regulations relating to the review of current textbooks or the review of new textbooks or textbooks being considered for purchase.

Please see the following [7]Policy 2510 and [8]Regulation 2510

 1. Copies of all legal bills from the Board Attorney or from any outside council from January 1, 2023 to present

[9]Legal Invoices

[10]Redaction Log

This communication and the attached responsive documents complete your
OPRA request.

Sincerely,

Lisa Giovanelli

Business Administrator/

Board Secretary

Rancocas Valley Regional High School

520 Jacksonville Road

Mount Holly, NJ  08060

609-267-0837 ext. 3244

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