The township board of education introduced a new dress and grooming policy on first reading at its recent meeting, something discussed in previous work sessions.
The dress code is said to be more expansive and gender neutral than the previous one, and it will not penalize girls if their bra straps are showing. Hats, other headwear and hoodies will also be allowed, though they should not interfere with line of sight and a student’s face and ears must be visible.
“We’ve had a lot of student input already and a lot of enthusiasm about where this is going,” said board member Jennifer Fleisher. “ … It’s nice to have such positivity around that.”
The policy will go back to the committee for further discussion before it is voted on in November.
During the board’s business and finance report, Vice President Miriam Stern shared that as of the Oct. 3 committee meeting, the outstanding balance for school lunches was $10,000, a high number given that the end-of-school balance is usually about $15,000.
Stern attributed that to the free meal program ending, since many students got no-cost breakfast and lunch meals.
“Families might or might not know that’s going on,” she explained of the program. “Mrs. (Lynn) Shugars’ office is working to contact families with balances of $30 or more, to let them know that there were balances and that the program has changed.”
Stern said the committee would continue to discuss remedies and policies on the lunch matter at its next meeting.
During the meeting’s strategic planning discussion, board members brainstormed how they would like to use the committee since the bond referendum was approved. Ideas included engaging with the public more and tackling issues that could involve multiple committees or long-term projects.
Rather than continuing in committee of the whole, the board’s strategic planning committee will meet next on Nov. 1 at 4:30 p.m.
In other news:
- Cherry Hill West student representative Lizbeth Reyes announced the winter musical will be “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
- Cherry Hill’s Alternative High School student reps gave their first presentation via video, featuring the school’s donation of 62 pounds of produce to a local food pantry.
- Anthony Saporito gave a presentation on the student safety data systems that looked at different requirements security would need to follow for school-safety practices, such as monthly fire drills or compliance with Alyssa’s Law, which means schools should have a direct way of alerting police via a silent alarm.
- Principals gave a presentation on building level goals and what they hope to achieve. Both presentations can be seen on the recording of the meeting on the district’s YouTube channel.
Board members will meet for committee sessions on Tuesday, Nov. 1, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., and will have its next work session on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at 6:30 p.m.
