On Monday, Feb. 2, the Pascack Valley Regional High School District Board of Education (BOE) discussed meeting new state regulations, board reorganization, and various district events for the new year.
This marks the first regular meeting of the 2026 calendar year, following the Jan. 7 reorganization meeting where Debra Stephans and Elizabeth Calderone were appointed president and vice president.
The meeting began with a report from BOE President Debra Stephans. She took the time to highlight recent executive orders from the newly elected New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill concerning online safety for children and refining school cellphone policies. Stephans noted that the Board will reexamine existing district policies to ensure that they remain in compliance with the new state mandates, specifically focusing on limiting classroom distractions and keeping children safe online through enhanced measures.
“We already have something in place, but with this new legislation, we’re going to have to take a look at our current policies and modify as such,” said BOE President Debra Stephans.
Interim Superintendent Dirk Phillips continued the meeting by first commemorating Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Dr. Mark Russo’s involvement in organizing Beloved Community Day on Jan. 19 and thanking students and staff who contributed to various service projects. Phillips then addressed more about meeting the mandates of the cellphone policy and a restructuring of the Board schedule to better accommodate new members.
He provided a summary of presentations that will be given during the next Board meeting to address parent concerns regarding school ranking and student absences. More specifically, Phillips announced a parent survey to help the district understand recent fluctuations in attendance.
“We will also be sending out a parent survey about student absences to help us get more data on the topic,” Phillips explained at the end of his report.
Pascack Hills Student Representative Stephanie Yeung presented the last report of the meeting. She identified many impressive extracurricular activities, field trips, and in-class activities that students are involved in, such as the successes of DECA and Model UN in recent regional competitions.
Yeung also noted the start of spring musical rehearsals following the theater program’s separation and commended several winter athletic teams, including the Wrestling Team and Unified Bowling.
The Board had a quick discussion regarding the next Board retreat, finalizing the date which is set for Sept. 26, 2026. Additionally, the Board officially approved the schedule of meetings for the remainder of the 2026 calendar year.
BOE Member Michael Weaver also discussed reviewing the district climate survey, noting that while the data was historically presented annually, it has lapsed in recent years. He argued for the survey information to be available publicly on a consistent basis.
For a full viewing of the BOE meeting, click the link below.
