MINUTES OF THE PATERSON BOARD OF EDUCATION REGULAR ...

we want more than what the state wants from us. I think giving this to Dr. Glascoe andhaving him direct our staff we are going to get it back and we will get the data from theteachers, the staff, and all persons who are concerned with this. Our people have beenworking on this for close to seven years trying to coordinate this and get this going. Iremember sending some teachers to Massachusetts to look at a program there for earlyschool and for first grade and kindergarten. We have the tools for the testing of thechild and seeing where the child is, where the child came from, and how much we canhelp the child get on base to connect from early school to regular elementary schooland going on. If we give a good base at the beginning, I know we can make sure ourchildren will succeed in the coming grades after their kindergarten and first grades.Comm. Brown: I guess that means Comm. Taylor supports it.Comm. Sayegh: Please proceed.Comm. Brown: Thank you. The comment I wanted to make is do you support A-1 andshould we move forward in supporting it as a body? That is really my question to you.Comm. Sayegh: Are you posing the question to me?Comm. Brown: Yes.Comm. Sayegh: Yes, I do.Comm. Moody: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As I indicated last week in the workshopwith reference to the field trips...Comm. Sayegh: Are you referencing items A-23 through A-26?Comm. Moody: Right, all the field trips. In light of what has been happening to studentson field trips and other excursions around the country in the last year or so, I think itwould be prudent for us to take a look at this and ensure to the best of our ability thatsupervision will be in place adequately enough for me to vote for this. I think this Boardreally has a responsibility and a liability and we need to ensure as much as possible. Iwould like to see our students expose themselves to the trips, but I am very concernedwith the supervision. Frankly, from all the data given I am not encouraged by what Ihave seen and I am reluctant to vote for any of these trips unless I see something a lotmore substantial in terms of supervision.Comm. Sayegh: Comm. Moody, in response to some of the remarks you made,perhaps that is something that the policy committee can intervene in. We also have totake a long hard look at the whole chaperoning process and at the responsibilities thatadults may have on some of these trips because we certainly would not want anythingto go awry. I think this policy committee established by our President can certainlyaddress that in its initial meeting. Are there any further questions or commentsregarding any items?Comm. Taylor: I would like to back up Mr. Moody. There have been quite a few reportscoming back to the district that when we have sent our young people away they wereleft on their own. We cannot in good conscience let our children just go on their own,especially if they have adult supervision. If the adults are there the adults have to beadults and be vigilant. They have to watch the young people because we know all thethings we can get ourselves involved in with our young people if they are away fromhome, in a strange place, and with different people. The Holloway child who went on aPage 27 11/9/05