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Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=Jsnaitux0IY

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[music] [music] >> The July 16th, 2026 meeting of the Woodbridge Township Board of Education will please come to order. Roll call, Mr. Secretary. >> Ms. Anderson. >> Here. >> Mr. Coughlin. >> Here. >> Mr. Della Pietro. >> Here. >> Mr. Muhammad. >> Here. >> Ms. Perez. >> Here. >> Mr. Tree Wasser. >> Here.

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>> Ms. Bordan. >> Here. Mr. Secretary, as required by the Sunshine Law, please read the notice of meetings. >> Thank you, Madam President. The New Jersey Open Public Meetings Law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their

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interest is discussed or acted upon. In accordance with the provisions of this act, the Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be published by having the date, time, and place thereof posted as follows: On January 15th, 2026, emailed to the Home News Tribune, the Municipal Clerk's office,

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posted in Ross Street School number 11, and the Board of Education Administration Building, also published on the school district website. >> Mr. Tree Wasser, please read the close session statement. >> Thank you, Madam President. In compliance with the Sunshine Law, the Board must go into close session in order to discuss subjects exempted from

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the public portion of our meeting. The discussion to be held in close session will be regarding personnel matters, privacy interests, and the Board will receive attorney-client advice. And the information regarding the close session discussion will be released to the public when the reason for discussing these matters in close

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session no longer exists. I make a motion for the close session. >> Motion by Mr. Tree Wasser, do I have a second? >> Second. >> Second by Mr. Della Pietro, all in favor? >> Aye. >> Any opposed? Carried. Please rise for a salute to the flag and a moment of silence. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

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United States of America and to the republic for which one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Do I have a motion to reconvene? >> So motion. >> Motion by Mr. Treebasser. Do I have a second? Second by Mr. Dellapietro. All in favor? >> Aye.

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>> Any opposed? None. Carried. Roll call, Mr. Secretary. >> Ms. Anderson. >> Here. >> Mr. Coughlin. >> Here. >> Mr. Dellapietro. >> Here. >> Mr. Lally. >> Here. >> Mr. Mohamed. >> Here. >> Ms. Perez. >> Here. >> Mr. Treebasser. >> Here.

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>> And Ms. Bordan. >> Here. Will someone make a motion to approve the minutes of the previous meeting? >> So motion. >> Second. >> Mr. Treebasser, second by Mr. Lally. Are there any uh any additions or corrections? All in favor? >> Aye.

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>> Are there any opposed? Carried. Mr. Secretary, please state for the record any notice of bids received by the board. >> Thank you, Madam President. We received IFB 27-07, food service kitchen equipment service and repair on 6/16/26.

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IFB 2708, athletic supplies for winter sports, also on 6/16/26. IFB 2709, athletic supplies for spring sports, also on 6/16/26. >> Thank you, Dr. Massimino. Please state for the record the superintendent report for the month of June 2026.

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>> Thank you, Madam President. I present the board the following reports for the month of June 2026: student registers and fraud reports, suspension reports for elementary and secondary schools, bomb threat reports, and the reports of the attendance officers. >> Thank you, Dr. Massimino. The Woodbridge Township Board of Education welcomes and encourages active, productive, and respectful participation by members of

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the public and seeks to protect the First Amendment rights of those who engage in the exercise of free speech at this Board of Education meeting. Members of the public are requested to express themselves in a civil manner with due respect for the dignity and privacy of all those who whose legal rights may be impacted. The public is now invited to speak regarding the

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agendas being presented this evening. When you come to the microphone, please provide your name and the section of the township in which you reside along with the specific agenda item item number you wish to discuss. As per regulation 1100D, comments must be limited to no more than 5 minutes. No response will be given until you have completed your

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opportunity to speak. Okay, moving on. Superintendent's agenda. Dr. Messamino, do you have any recommendations for us this evening? >> Yes, Madam President. I have four items to present to the board this evening. >> I have a motion for this too. >> a motion. >> Second. Okay. Uh Treebasser and Della Pietro, are there any comments or

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questions from the board? Roll call, Mr. Secretary. >> Ms. Anderson. >> Yes. >> Mr. Coughlin. >> Yes. >> Mr. Della Pietro. >> Yes. >> Mr. Lally. >> Yes. >> Mr. Muhammad. >> Yes. >> Ms. Perez. >> Yes. >> Mr. Treebasser. >> Yes. >> Ms. Bourdain. >> Yes. Communication policy and planning, Mr. Coughlin. >> Thank you, Madam President. The

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Communication Policy and Planning Committee, on recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, presents the following two items. I move for the adoption of the foregoing. >> I have a motion by Mr. Coughlin. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Second by Ms. Perez. Any comments or questions from the board? Roll call, Mr. Secretary. >> Ms. Anderson. >> Yes.

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>> Mr. Coughlin. >> Yes. >> Mr. Della Pietro. >> Yes. >> Mr. Lally. >> Yes. >> Mr. Muhammad. >> Yes. >> Ms. Perez. >> Yes. >> Mr. Treebasser. >> Yes. >> Ms. Bourdain. >> Yes. Curriculum, extracurricular activities, and technology, Mr. Treebasser. >> Thank you, Madam President. The Curriculum and Extracurricular

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Activities and Technology Committee, on recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools and the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, presents the following one item. I move for the adoption of the foregoing. >> I have a motion by Mr. Treebasser. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Second by Mr. Coughlin. Are there

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comments or questions from the board? Roll call, Mr. Wolferman. >> Ms. Anderson. >> Yes. >> Mr. Coughlin. >> Yes. >> Mr. Della Pietro. >> Yes. >> Mr. Lally. >> Yes. >> Mr. Muhammad. >> Yes. >> Ms. Perez. >> Yes. >> Mr. Treebasser. >> Yes. >> Ms. Bourdain. >> Yes. Finance and Insurance, Mr.

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Treebasser. >> Thank you, Madam President. The Finance and Insurance Committee, on recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools and the Business Administrator Board Secretary prevents presents the following 66 items. I move for the adoption of the foregoing. >> Motion by Mr. Treewater. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Seconded by Ms. Anderson.

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Any comments or questions from the board? >> Just one, Madam President. I just want to remind everybody that all financial matters are now on the Finance and Insurance agenda. Uh so, if you can't find them on the other agendas, that's why. >> Thank you very much. Uh roll call, Mr. Wolferman.

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>> Ms. Anderson. >> Yes. >> Mr. Coughlin. >> Yes. >> Mr. Della Pietro. >> Yes. >> Mr. Lally. >> Yes. >> Mr. Muhammad. >> Yes. >> Ms. Perez. >> Yes. >> Mr. Treewater. >> Yes. >> Ms. Bordan. >> Yes. Safety and Security, Mr. Della Pietro. >> Thank you, Madam President. The Safety and Security Committee on recommendation

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of the Superintendent of Schools presents the following one item. I move for the adoption of the foregoing. >> I have a motion by Mr. Della Pietro. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Seconded by Ms. Perez. Any comments or questions from the board? Roll call, Mr. Wolferman. >> Ms. Anderson. >> Yes. >> Mr. Coughlin. >> Yes. >> Mr. Della Pietro.

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>> Yes. >> Mr. Lally. >> Yes. >> Mr. Muhammad. >> Yes. >> Ms. Perez. >> Yes. >> Mr. Treewater. >> Yes. >> Ms. Bordan. >> Yes. Dining and Transportation, Mr. Muhammad. >> Well, Madam President, the Dining and Transportation Committee on recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools and the Business Administrator

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presents the following four items. I move for the adoption of the foregoing. >> I have a motion by Mr. Muhammad. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Seconded by Ms. Perez. Are there any comments or questions from the board? Roll call, Mr. Wolferman. >> Ms. Anderson. >> Yes. >> Mr. Coughlin. >> Yes. >> Mr. Della Pietro. >> Yes. >> Mr. Lally.

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>> Yes. >> Mr. Muhammad. >> Yes. >> Ms. Perez. >> Yes. >> Mr. Treewater. >> Yes. >> Ms. Bordan. >> Yes. Personnel Agenda, Mr. Della Pietro. >> Thank you, Madam President. The Personnel Committee on recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools and the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources presents the following 29

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items. I move for the adoption of the foregoing. >> I have a motion by Mr. Della Pietro. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Seconded by Mr. Treewater. Any comments or questions from the board? Roll call, Mr. Wolferman. >> Ms. Anderson. >> Yes. >> Mr. Coughlin. >> Yes. >> Mr. Della Pietro. >> Yes. >> Mr. Lally. >> Yes.

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>> Mr. Muhammad. >> Yes. >> Ms. Perez. >> Yes. >> Mr. Treebosser. >> Yes. >> Ms. Bordan. >> Yes. Mr. Bush, do you have any recommendations? >> None at this time, Madam President. >> Thank you. Is there any old business that should be brought to the attention of the board? Any new business that should be brought to the attention of the board?

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We will now open the meeting for public comment. If you wish to say something, please come to the microphone, provide your name, and the section of the township in which you reside for the record. Again, members of the public are requested to express themselves in a civil manner with due respect for the dignity and privacy of those whose legal rights may be impacted. Please limit your comments to no more than 5 minutes

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in accordance with regulation 1100D. No response will be given until you have fully completed all of your comments so as to not interrupt your 5-minute opportunity to speak. >> Paul Lon, Hopewell. Many New Jersey districts adopted policies allowing schools to socially transition students at school

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while withholding with information from parents. Courts are now being asked whether these policies violate parental rights. Whatever one's position is on gender identity, parents have every reason to ask whether schools are once again moving faster than the evidence,

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faster than public consensus, and faster than the law. The history of public education teaches an important lesson. Centralized systems are often the last institutions to admit error. It took decades for educational experts

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to rediscover that children learn to read through explicit instruction in phonics, methods parents and teachers had known worked for generations. But for some academic in 1970 named a Kenneth Goodman, for 40, 50 years,

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they're going about it the wrong way and set back our children's reading ability accordingly. Whether the issue is reading instruction or student identity, the principle's the same. Parents should not be expected to simply trust distant bureaucracies.

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Educational systems should be humble, evidence-driven, transparent, and accountable to families. When institutions become too centralized and too insulated from parents, course corrections can take decades and

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children bear the consequences. One advantage of educational pluralism, i.e. charter schools, micro schools, homeschooling, and learning pods, is that bad ideas do not become universal. Parents can choose, innovation can

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flourish, and successful models spread without forcing every child to participate in the same experiment. Thank you for your time. >> Okay. Thank you, Mr. Allen. The chair will entertain a motion to adjourn. I have a motion by Mr.

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Trebuchet. Do I have a second? >> Seconded by Mr. Della Pietra. All in favor? >> Aye. >> Any opposed? Carried. >> [music]