TOTOWA BOARD OF EDUCATION
"OUR KIDS COME FIRST"
SEATED L to R: Colin Monahan-Business Administrator, Bruce Matano-President, Dr. Vincent Varcadipane-Superintendent,Raymond Reddin-Board Attorney,
STANDING L to R: Beatrice Kerwin, Val D'Ambrosio, Thomas Ferraro, Marcello Guarneri, Anthony Zarek-VicePresident, Jennifer DeCeglie, Michelle Ruocco, Keith Schaffer
MISSION STATEMENT:
The Totowa Board of Education and its' staff is dedicated
to providing a comprehensive education, relative to the New Jersey Core Curriculum
Content Standards, in the areas of academics, the visual and performing arts,
athletics, social/emotional growth, and workplace readiness for success in life.
AFFIRMATIVE
ACTION:
The Totowa Board of Education affirms its responsibility to ensure all students
in the public schools of Totowa equal educational opportunity and all employees
equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sex,
ancestry, national origin, handicapping condition and social or economic status.
Affirmative Action Officer WPS-956-0010.
MEETING SCHEDULE OF THE BOARD OFFICIAL MEETINGS
POLICY:
The routine functions of the Board of Education are delegated to the Chief School
Administrator and are governed by policy. Board of Education policy is a matter
of public record and copies are available for review at the Office of the Chief
School Administrator. Meetings are generally held on the 3rd Wednesday of each
month. Check this handbook or our website for exact dates.
A MESSAGE FROM THE TOTOWA BOARD OF EDUCATION:
This booklet has been prepared to acquaint you with the school system of Totowa.
We are hopeful that you will find the information in this publication helpful
in explaining the various phases of our school program. It is the desire of
your Board of Education to provide the children of the Borough of Totowa with
the finest education possible. In working toward achieving that goal, we solicit
the understanding and cooperation of the parents and residents of the community.
Your comments and suggestions for improving our educational program are always
welcomed. We urge your participation in the many volunteer activities of the
school system.
CARE OF SCHOOL PROPERTY: The Board
of Education holds accountable students and parents who abuse or destroy school
property.
USE OF SCHOOL BUILDINGS:
Permission to use the Totowa Public Schools will be granted to any local organization
when, in the opinion of the Board of Education, it will not interfere with the
normal functioning of the school program or in any way be detrimental to the
Borough as a whole. The sole authority for granting this permission rests with
the Board of Education.
The procedure for securing the use of school buildings is as follows: 1. Secure
application blanks at the office of the Chief School Administrator located at
WPS; 2. Submit application to the Office of the Chief School Administrator;
3. Notification of the decision will be made promptly; 4. Any matter of special
fees, conditions, or instructions not covered by application form will be passed
on to the applying agency at the time of notification; 5. Certificate of Insurance
required ($1,000,000).
PEST MANAGEMENT POLICY:
The Totowa Board of Education has an approved Pest Management Policy #7422.
This policy will be furnished upon request by contacting the School Business
Administrator.
FERPA:
Parents have the right to inspect their child’s record and make a request
for an amendment to those records along with the right to consent to disclosures
of personally identifiable information contained in the child’s records.
The parent has a right to file a complaint with the Family Compliance Officer.
PPRA:
Parents will be: 1. asked for consent before student surveys are administered;
2. given an opportunity to “opt-out”; and 3. inspect survey documents
before use.
QUALITY ASSURANCE:
QUALITY ASSURANCE: The Board of Education has received
“Highly Qualified” status from the New Jersey Department of Education
as a result of the most recent QSAC Quality Assurance Accountability Continuum
monitoring - June 2011..
ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN:
The organizational pattern of the Totowa schools is K-8.
It consists of a primary school, Memorial School, grades Pre-K-K-2 and an intermediate/middle
school, Washington Park, grades 3-8.