During the Neptune Township Board of Education meeting, a parent asked what safety protocols the district will put in place after an incident at a middle school.

"I'm here to discuss what safety protocols are gonna be put in place due to the incident at the middle school," Rob Hoffman said during the public comment period.

Superintendent Dr. Crater told the board the district is still reviewing the matter and cannot disclose details because it is a legal matter. "We are still discussing that matter. In fact, I have a meeting with the secondary principals on, I believe, July 7 or July 8," she said. She added that officials will notify parents if the district decides to make changes before the start of the 2025-26 school year.

Dr. Crater said no student or staff member was in "in any immediate danger" when the district responded to the incident. She cautioned against rapid policy changes such as metal detectors, saying that option "is not a good option" because it can create a false sense of security and raise logistical challenges. She said the district is discussing a "holistic" set of approaches and invited parents to follow up by email or appointment.

The superintendent also reported two compliance items during her remarks. First, the district received an interim review from the Department of Education for CUSEC, the district's monitoring process. According to Dr. Crater, the district is currently "at 76," having gained two points since a previous review; she said that leaves the district four points short of the passing threshold. She summarized the recent trajectory: in February 2023 the district was two points from passing, then lost four points in a November review, and has since gained two points.

Second, Dr. Crater reported on the Student Safety Data System (SSDS) report for the second reporting period (January through June). She said administrators can drill down into incident data and that the district recorded 31 fewer incidents this year than last.

No board action on new safety protocols was taken at the meeting. Dr. Crater said the district will continue internal review and meets with secondary principals in early July; she invited any parent with concerns to speak with her after the meeting or schedule a follow-up.

The public comment portion of the meeting closed after the exchange; routine agenda items including the superintendent's recommended approvals were later adopted by vote.