November 3, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 11 Extracurricular (continued from page 5) interferes with the requirements of appropriate discipline in the operation of the school.” This language is intended to meet the acting commissioner’s directive to revise the board’s policy to bring it into compliance with the requirements of the state’s administrative code (N.J.A.C. 6A:16-7.1 and N.J.A.C. 6A:16-7.6). At a recent public meeting, the regional school board voted to approve the revised regulation by a 6-2 vote, with Ira Belsky absent. After the meeting, Belsky advised that, had he been present, he would have voted for the revised policy. The trustees who voted against approving the revised policy were Wyckoff member Thomas Bunting and Oakland member Elizabeth Pierce. Bunting did not explain the reason for his vote, but Pierce said she voted not to approve the revised regulation for the same reasons she voted against the regulation when it was originally approved in June 2009. At that time, Pierce said the school district was overstepping its bounds because there is a legal system and punishment that is spelled out by that legal system for infractions away from school grounds. She previously said that state law and the students’ parents should be the authority if students break the law. This newly-approved regulation will now be followed by the regional school district pending the outcome of the school board’s appeal of the commissioner’s decision to the Appellate Division of Superior Court. If that appeal is successful, the school board is expected to remove this new language and reinstate the original policy. Terry and Gregory Meese, the parents who originally petitioned the commissioner of education to strike down the regulation, do not believe the revised regulation complies with the acting commissioner’s direction. “We believe that the revised regulation does not comply with the acting commissioner of education’s directive inasmuch as it still allows the board of education to interject themselves into family matters prior to any determination that an alleged offense has a nexus to the school environment,” the Meeses wrote in response to the board’s revised regulation. “Therefore, we believe that the revised regulation remains illegal and we will address our concerns to the acting commissioner of education.” The regulation pertaining to student conduct away from school grounds, especially regarding the use of drugs and alcohol, became a controversial issue in 2007 when a survey conducted by the district indicated that students were experimenting with alcohol and drugs away from school grounds. The trustees took the position that they were compelled to take action. After the regulation was discussed and debated at several public school board meetings, it was revised several times and adoption of the regulation was delayed several times although it was ultimately adopted in June 2009. Two members of the board at that time, Belsky and Pierce, voted against the approval of the regulation, citing concerns about a fiscal burden on the district, the potential for future litigation, and that the board might be overstepping its bounds. Members and friends of The Woman’s Club of Franklin Lakes recently heard an informative and entertaining talk by Linda Fairstein during the club’s annual fundraiser at the Indian Trail Club. Nearly 200 people attended this event.Fairstein is the best-selling author of 12 books and former chief of the sex crimes unit for the New York County District Attorney’s Office. Proceeds from this event benefit Gilda’s Club, The Center for Women’s Heart Health at The Valley Hospital, student scholarships, and other local charities. For membership information, contact Lois Vitenson at (201) 891-5119 or Alice Booth at (973) 696-3476. Fairstein speaks Welcomes your press releases photographs ��������������������� � �������������������������������������� ����������������������������� �������������������������������������