Generally, a Metuchen non-resident can attend borough schools if they agree to pay tuition. But the details on the answer to this question and other issues were discussed at the July 28 Metuchen Board of Education meeting. Over the course of this year, the board’s policy committee is working to update the district’s operating policies and procedures. Below are some of the revisions to the district’s policies that were discussed. The policies will be revised based on the comments made at the meeting and reintroduced for a second reading at a future board meeting.

Policy 5111: Eligibility of Resident/Non-Resident Pupils. This policy covers students moving into the district, students where the family moves out of the district but where the student remains behind, children of employees, and other non-resident students.

According to board member Jackie Gibson, the old policy said that if someone completed junior year and the student’s family moved out of the district on September 1 [of their senior year] or later, the student can complete senior year. The policy committee of the board recommended to change that date to “July 1 or later” so as to allow a student that completed their junior year in Metuchen to finish their academic career in the borough even if they moved out of town.

Another issue the policy covers is the time frame for students who come into the district when their family is anticipating buying a home in the district. According to Gibson, the policy has a 60 day period now instead of a “marking period” or “semster” which the old policy referenced. This means that a student can enter the Metuchen school district if their family anticipates buying or renting a home in Metuchen within 60 days of their matriculation. The new policy also puts a process in place to address a situation where someone starts their child in Metuchen but does not buy or rent a home in Metuchen within the 60 day period.

Board member Devra Golbe recommended mandating parents to pay tuition for their students at the time of their matriculation, but then allowing them to receive a refund later on when they provide proof of their residency. This way, it would alleviate the issue of having to collect tuition from parents who do not end up moving into the district. Golbe also recommended changing the wording of the policy to allow non-resident students to enter the district as tuition-paying students at “the discretion of the school district” rather than if they “have good cause” as is currently worded.

Policy 5530: Substance Abuse Policy. This is a revison of the substance abuse policy that the school district already has. It is a mandated update.

The policy allows the school district to discipline students for using, possessing, or distributing drugs on or off school premises. At the July 28 BOE meeting, board member Golbe asked if the board was legally allowed to discipline students for behavior off school premises. Schools superintendent Terri Sinatra confirmed that according to the school district’s attorney, “if the off school issues affect school life, we can.”

Policy 7444: Use of Metal Detectors. The BOE’s policy committee suggested adopting a policy on the use of metal detectors in schools, though it is a suggested policy, not a mandated one. The school district did not previously have a metal detector policy. This policy was suggested by consultants Strauss Esmay, which is a company the Metuchen school district subscribes to for assistance in the development of its policies. It gives the school district the option of using metal detectors on a random basis. According to board member Gibson, by having this policy in place, the school district is covered in case it needs to use metal detectors. Gibson said at the meeting that she believed the district has only needed to use metal detectors once in its history, though she did not elaborate on the specifics of that situation. In that one instance, she said the metal detectors were on loan from the police department.

Policy 8506: School Lunch Biosecurity Plan. This policy is mandated because the district is required to have a biosecurity plan in place to keep meals free from intentional contamination, similar to the “Tylenol scare” from years ago, according to board member Gibson.