Non-Profit Would Fund School Sports
Two West Windsor residents who are heavily involved in community sports programs are trying to resurrect the idea of creating a nonprofit athletic foundation to help fund the district’s athletic facilities.
The idea will be discussed further during the school board’s next meeting on Tuesday, June 9.
Manny Efstathios and Pat Boyle approached the WW-P school board on May 26, asking the board for their input. They pointed to wanting to help fund the lighting of two new turf fields, which they say could be more beneficial to the teams at both schools.
Boyle told the board the foundation would be set up as a 501c3 nonprofit organization and would be a stand alone entity, separate from the school district.
He said there would be three differences in the way in which the foundation would be organized that would ensure it was successful, and the first was coordinating the efforts with the district. He said the two men have had experience in similar work before, as both are involved in Wildcat Football, and have worked with West Windsor and Plainsboro townships. Boyle has had experience working with the West Windsor-Plainsboro Education Association. And, it would be organized differently so as “we won’t be getting in the way of the booster clubs” or any other organization within the school district, Boyle said.
Also, the types of fundraising efforts would be different from previously explored. The first fundraiser the athletic foundation would hold would be a golf outing, and the second would be a “home tour.”
The third idea the men had would be to create a Hall of Fame for the high schools, in which there could be a list of categories, like best all-around athlete, and students at the high schools can be voted into the categories that would be recognized during a dinner at the end of the school year. This could also serve as a fundraiser, he said.
“There are a lot of things we can do to improve the athletic facilities at the schools,” said Boyle. “We do want to make sure before we go forward, that we have an endorsement from the school board.”
“We understand and will follow the rules and stipulations,” as suggested by the school board, Boyle said.
After the two men presented their idea, they asked for the board’s input. Board member Randall Tucker initiated a motion to put the issue up for discussion at the board’s next meeting on Tuesday, June 9.
Food Allergy Rules
The West Windsor-Plainsboro school district has adopted new regulations and policies aimed at curbing the danger to students with food allergies, including students with anaphylaxis.
During the May 26 school board meeting, the school board adopted the new regulations, which set up procedures for parents to submit written protocols for students with allergies, and a slew of exercises aimed at ensuring school personnel have the training and resources to deal with students who have food allergies.
Tom Smith, Assistant Superintendent of Planning and Pupil Services, who joined the board for his last meeting on May 26, said the district received some guidance from state guidelines that were published in September, and since then, committees had been meeting to discuss various issues, including food allergies.
“The decision was to develop a policy to address the increasing number of students in the district who have food allergies,” said Smith. He said there have been a number of cases the district experienced over the last six months, and the guideline will help officials in dealing with the issue, he said.
In the regulations, the board recognizes that food allergies may be severe or even life-threatening. “The food most likely to cause allergic reactions are peanuts, tree nuts, dairy products, eggs, soy, wheat, fish, seeds, shell-fish, and other substances such as latex,” the school regulation reads. The school district created the regulation “to reduce the likelihood of severe allergic reactions of students with known food allergies while at school,” the regulation states.
The regulation states that parents shall submit written protocols about their students’ allergies, and that the school nurse will work with parents to develop an appropriate plan to outline reasonable protocols. The information about a student’s allergies will be shared, in writing, with faculty and staff who have contact with the student, but will otherwise be kept confidential. If a specific accommodation needs to be made, it will be done on a case-by-case basis whether to inform other parents regarding a particular student’s allergy, or provide information to the student body as a whole, the regulations state.
The regulations also stated that the school board will provide anaphylaxis training opportunities for faculty, staff, and coaches, and that the board will attempt to have an anaphylaxis trained staff member at all district-sponsored activities. However, no guarantees are made in this regard by the guidelines.
According to the regulations, anaphylaxis is a sudden, severe, potentially fatal systemic allergic reaction that can involve various areas of the body, such as the skin, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, and cardiovascular system.
The board will also keep epinephrine in each school and in field trip first aid kits when either a nurse or epinephrine-trained adult accompanies the trip, the regulations also state.
The district will also be working with the contracted food service agency to reduce the likelihood that peanuts, tree nuts, or nut oil products are served during normal hours, and that these agencies do not use foods that specifically list nut or peanut products on the ingredient labels. The school district will also not be selling peanuts or peanut products in school-sanctioned vending machines.
And a principal may request that parents not send snacks to school that contain those products.
The regulations also set up parent and student responsibilities, including their responsibility to send a list of emergency medications and treatment protocol to school officials, and that they educate their students about managing their allergies at school.
Board Postpones Contract Hearing
The WW-P school board has rescheduled a public hearing on the contract terms and conditions of the contracts with the district’s superintendent and assistant superintendents to a date to be determined.
In accordance with state law, the school board had scheduled a public notice of its intent to take action to amend or modify contract terms and conditions of these contracts on Tuesday, June 23, at 7:30 p.m. But prior to the scheduled action on June 23, the board also set a public hearing on June 9. Both have been canceled.
School Board President Hemant Marathe said the meetings were postponed because “we don’t have the contract ready yet,” and the board did not think it would be ready in time for those dates. He said the board would provide notice prior to the rescheduled meetings.
The salary for these positions changes every year, usually on July 1. But, a new state regulation requires school boards to hold the hearing every year so that anybody who has a comment or question can come and speak about it.
Earlier this month, Marathe said he did not yet know what the new salaries for the positions would be, but that the board was currently discussing the matter, and that it will try to get it done by July 1.
The contract with Superintendent Victoria Kniewel was signed in 2007, and is in place through 2011. The board agreed to review Kniewel’s salary at the conclusion of each school year. Last year, Kniewel’s salary increased by 4 percent. Under the terms of that contract, Kniewel’s salary increased to $186,150, up from $179,000.
