Cellphone policy changes discussed

Students generally would not have access to cellphones in classrooms under proposed policy changes, Superintendent Matthew Beck told the Board of Education at its meeting July 16.

The board will vote on the proposed policy revision at its meeting Aug. 22.

Under the proposed revision, high school teachers could permit students to use cellphones for specific instructional purposes, such as a photography class using photos taken on the devices.

Beck said students could check their phones between classes.

Assistant Superintendent Tara Rossi pointed out that research on children and cellphones is evolving so the policy needs to allow the district to respond to changes.

The most important part of the proposed policy revision is consistency, she said. “The newness of it is really the commitment that we all need to take a stand and be consistent together in how we’re supporting students. And that was hard I think for teachers to do on their own.”

She said some high school teachers already require students to put their cellphones in a box when they enter the classroom.

Board president Kurt Morris said he expects the board to revise the policy in the future. One key will be that administrators enforce the policy, he said.

Beck pointed out that Sparta is among the first districts in Sussex County to address the issue. People in other districts have contacted him about the proposal and the process used to develop it.

He said administrators probably will be reviewing how the policy is working at their weekly meetings. “I’ll bring it back to the board and update the board and let the board know what we need.”

Some board members raised concerns about students who may not have access to cellphones or to the most up-to-date ones if the devices are being used in classes.

Angela De Luccia, president of the Sparta Education Association, praised the proposed policy revision. “With a decrease in cellphone access and use in school, we can increase our face-to-face relationship-building skills, foster community and make positive improvements to mental health. This is all in addition to re-enforcing the teaching and learning priorities in the classrooms.”

She asked the board for clarification on the proposed procedure for confiscating students’ devices, calling it “a slippery slope for educators and staff members in the classroom.”

Beck said officials will discuss changing the language from “will” confiscate to “can.”

Another proposed policy revision deals with student attendance. It also will be voted on Aug. 22.

Each Sparta school has an absenteeism rate above 10 percent, Beck said, and officials are creating a correction action plan for each school to deal with that.

NJGPA results

Rossi presented the results for students who took the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA).

That test, given to all juniors in the spring, is required to graduate high school, although students have alternative pathways to graduation.

The test, which covers English language arts and math, rates students as “graduation ready” or “not yet graduation ready.”

It was administered for the first time in 2022. The “cut scores,” or level used to determine that students were “graduation ready,” were reduced in 2023 because state officials decided they were set too high, Rossi said.

In Sparta, 94.1 percent of juniors who took the test this spring were “graduation ready” in English language arts and 70.5 percent were “graduation ready” in math. Statewide, those percentages were 81.6 percent and 54.7 percent, respectively.

All juniors take the test, whether they are in general- or special-education classes, are English language learners or are economically disadvantaged students.

Students who are rated “not graduation ready” may take the test again in the fall or may take other tests. A third pathway to graduation is a portfolio assessment, which is used for a small number of students, Rossi said.

“We’re trying to incentivize extended learning programs. We have things to offer students who need additional support outside the school day,” she added.

New website

Beck said the district has moved to a new website provider. There also will be a new communication/notification system, replacing the old Blackboard system.

In addition, the district will use a new online payment service called SchoolCashOnline. It will reduce the amount of cash and checks processed by the district, he said.

Morris said the district is working with Sparta Township on paving, concrete and curbing work to reduce costs.

During the public comments, Maya Wydenbach complained about math placement for seventh graders at the middle school.

Her daughter, who was in Gifted and Talented Program as a sixth-grader, was placed in the lowest-level math class for this fall. She was denied a right to appeal that decision, although two students in similar positions were permitted to move to a higher-level math class, she said.

The board approved these appointments:

• Melissa Murray as a special-education teacher at Sparta High School for $90,145. She replaces Samantha Kudlacik, who resigned.

• Erin McMeen as a nurse at Sparta Middle School for $68,045. She replaces Alexa Griffin, who resigned.

• Kayla Puppo as a fifth-grade teacher at Helen Morgan School for $65,045.

• Jessie Reed as a first-grade teacher at Alpine Elementary School for $65,045.

• Lisa Werdann as a pre-K teacher at Alpine for $67,595.

• Shannon Haakmeester to a new pre-K teacher position at Helen Morgan for $65,045 a year.

Board member Craig Palleschi was absent from the meeting.