New Superintendent Arlington Opens School Year With Safety Focus, Cell Phone Crackdown

The Glen Ridge Board of Education opened its September 10 meeting with a moment of silence for the victims, families and community affected by the recent school shooting in Georgia, and Superintendent Kyle Arlington used part of his first report to the board to lay out the district's response. He told the board the district maintains a dedicated safety team, conducts regular behavioral threat assessments, and works closely with the Glen Ridge Police Department, while also continuing to explore new preventive measures. Arlington also addressed the district's new "away for the day" cell phone policy, which bars phone use for students in grades 3 through 8 and keeps phones out of sight during instructional time at the high school; he said a fuller community engagement plan, including parent information sessions, will be presented at the board's October meeting, with the board expected to take up formal cell phone policy language afterward.

The board voted to accept, with regret, the resignation of paraprofessional Elizabeth Sweeney of Ridgewood Avenue School, effective August 27, and the retirement of longtime Glen Ridge High School teacher Sharon Tully, effective January 31, 2025. The Personnel and Policy Committee separately reported that the district is fully staffed for the new school year.

On the financial side, the board approved bills and claims totaling $568,315.95 and ratified an additional $1,974,560.73 in payroll and other payments, along with $1,431,047.20 in open purchase orders for the 2024-2025 school year. Student activity account bills for August included $3,456.75 at Glen Ridge High School and $864 for its athletics program, plus $405 at Ridgewood Avenue School.

The meeting doubled as a welcome to the new school year: Arlington introduced roughly two dozen new faculty and staff members hired over the summer, and the board's Curriculum Committee reported that 74% of the district's students scored a 3 or higher on last year's AP exams, with 323 students sitting for 9,910 exams in total; on the state's junior-year graduation proficiency assessment, 86% of students have already met the math standard and 98% have met it in English Language Arts. Arlington also introduced this year's student representatives to the board, Maggie De La Fuente, the high school's student body president, and Julia Kennedy, vice president of the student council executive board, who will serve as the alternate representative. A reception welcoming Arlington to the district is set for September 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Women's Club. Home and School groups shared a run of community news: Forest Avenue's association reported a new patio built in its Learning Garden, designed by parent Brian Hughes, with sturdy benches replacing wooden ones that had deteriorated over a decade, and new trees and plantings coming soon; Ridgewood Avenue's association is looking for class parents and, notably, appealed for a donated piano for the school; Linden Avenue's group is raising money for a new playground; and the Glen Ridge Visual Art Association announced it awarded three merit scholarships this past spring to high schoolers pursuing careers in the visual arts. Gas Lamp Players announced its fall shows -- "Singing in the Rain Jr." for grades 5-8, "Lion King Kids" for grades 1-4, and "Fall Follies" for adults and teens -- and specifically thanked the Ridgewood Avenue janitorial staff for their patience hosting the group's rehearsals. The Home & School Association's Glen Ridge Kitchen Tour is set for October 20 to benefit the schools, and the Glen Ridge Educational Foundation is collecting family sponsorships for the Ashenfelter Thanksgiving Race. Ginsburg also encouraged residents to take part in the Glen Ridge Public Library's strategic-planning survey, live on the library's website from September 19 through October 30.

The board approved the first reading of several revised policies, including board member terms, curriculum content, service animals, student suicide prevention, emergency and crisis situations, firearms and weapons, and volunteer athletic coaches, while abolishing a policy on remote public meetings during declared emergencies; a second reading will follow. The Personnel and Policy Committee also flagged upcoming work on a new artificial intelligence policy and on class-size regulations for pre-K through second grade. No members of the public spoke during either of the meeting's two public comment periods.

Action items

• Accepted the resignation of paraprofessional Elizabeth Sweeney (Ridgewood Avenue School) and the retirement of teacher Sharon Tully (Glen Ridge High School)
• Approved bills, claims and payroll totaling roughly $2.5 million and $1,431,047.20 in open purchase orders for 2024-2025
• Approved first reading of revised policies on board member terms, curriculum content, service animals, student suicide prevention, emergency/crisis situations, firearms and weapons, and volunteer coaches, and abolished the remote-meetings-during-emergency policy
• Approved field trips for third graders to the Glen Ridge Library, the Middle School Student Council to the Spy Museum in New York, and Spanish IV/V classes to a Latin Iberian dance show at Felician University

Watch key moments

• 10:01 — Board President Ginsburg opened the meeting with a moment of silence for victims of the Georgia school shooting
• 19:19 — Superintendent Arlington introduced new student representatives Maggie De La Fuente and Julia Kennedy
• 32:29 — Ridgewood Avenue School's liaison appealed to the community for a donated piano