The Board of Education discussed concerns over possible cancellations of overnight trips planned for this school year due to coronavirus outbreaks that might occur at Monday night’s board meeting at Pascack Hills.

“We don’t know what the world’s gonna be in six months, and the sooner we can get information [about possible quarantine policies], the better,” Board Member James Stankus said.

Interim Superintendent Daniel Fishbein said the students and parents will receive refunds if the trip is canceled based on the policy specific to the trip they are attending, and that it is made clear to them and the parents prior to signing up. 

The BOE also discussed the procedure for voting and approving a new logo for the schools. 

“We decided to review the choices for Hills and Valley prior to it actually going to a vote for the student body to identify if there’s anything that [BOE] members would be uncomfortable about putting in front [of the students],” Board President Tammy Molinelli said.

According to Fishbein, students will be presented with two or three options to vote on. It will be conducted similarly to how the voting of the new mascots was done.

“Students will be given a Google Form so that we get it to everyone and leave the window open for the vote for like two or three days,” Fishbein said.  

Stankus provided a Curriculum and Instruction, and Technology Committee Report. Math Supervisor Dr. Mark Russo gave a presentation to the committee about the math department’s five-year revision plan.

“He talked about possibly sandwiching geometry in between Algebra I and Algebra II with Trig,” Stankus said. “We discussed different ways to make math more accessible. This would be intended for Fall 2023.”

The committee also had a presentation from Paul Zeller, the Director of Technology. The technology department is on a three-year plan. 

“This year is a revision year, so there’ll be reviewing their goals and reassessing their plan,” Stankus said.