FLOW Community for Progress & Logic in Education

May this festival bring blessings upon you and your family Happy Hanukkah to all that celebrate 🕎

Wishing our FLOW community a Happy Thanksgiving 🦃🍁

Wishing everyone a Happy Diwali 🪔

Thank you to all who have served

Please, make sure you VOTE today! If you have a mail in ballot, return it to the drop box outside of Oakland Borough Hall by 8pm. You can not bring your mail in ballot to your polling location. If you vote in person, polls are open until 8 pm tonight! As long as you’re in line by 8, you can vote. Make sure you vote for Amy Eilert and Vivian King in Oakland. Wyckoff, vote for Brian DeLaite!

This election has so much on the line. We need to fill the key distric vacancies of superintendent, business administrator and curriculum director. Not voting could put not only your child’s education at risk, but will ultimately negatively impact the property values of this community. We lost the above administrators under the “parental rights” board majority this year. Our kids need us to provide a stable BOE that will in turn make sure our schools are offering the best education possible. The three candidates running as parents’ rights advocates are: Jared Geist - an ethically challenged political hack seeking elected office in a third district since 2010; Audrey Souders - believes many classics are “social justice disguised as English class” and too depressing; and Melissa Kiel - believes it’s a good idea to put secret body cameras on students. Do you want the above candidates making decisions that will impact the education of our kids? Vote for Brian DeLaite, Amy Eilert and Vivian King to ensure all parents are represented. Vote to restore the good reputation of the Ramapo Indian Hills district.

Tuesday, November 7, is Election Day. The entire New Jersey state legislature is up for election, making it a critical opportunity for us to come together and make our voices heard. A woman's right to choose, healthcare, gun safety, education, our financial future – these issues are all on the ballot. This election is not just about politics; it’s about the principles and values that make New Jersey one of the top states in the nation in which to live. It’s about ensuring that every resident, regardless of their background or circumstances, has the opportunity to thrive. It’s about our rights and our freedoms. Serving Wyckoff, the District 40 Candidates Jennifer Ehrentraut for Senate and Giovanna Irizarry and Jennifer Marrinan for Assembly have dedicated themselves to protect these values as have District 39 candidates serving Franklin Lakes and Oakland, Jodi Murphy for Senate, and Damon Englese and John Vitale for Assembly. Vote to keep NJ a great place to live for everyone!

Listen for yourself and compare candidates Amy Eilert and Audrey Souders, in their own words, on the RIH curriculum. For those of us that prioritize a comprehensive education for our children, the only votes can be for Amy and her running mate, Vivian King. Vote like your child’s education is on the ballot, because it is. Decisions are made by those who show up and vote. Remember that elections have consequences.

Compare & Contrast A Stark Difference On Curriculum: Our Opponent is Anti-Curriculum & Anti-Teacher Education Shapes Our Future: In this crucial moment for the Ramapo Indian Hills Board of Education, the divergent visions of the candidates have never been ...

If you haven’t returned your Mail In Ballot, please do so. There is a drop off box at Borough Hall in Oakland. Early voting is still available this weekend. On Election Day, polls will be open from 6am-8pm. We need everyone to vote this election, it’s 100% more effective than complaining on Facebook!

Another black eye for the RIH district with the Bergen Record article about the loss of yet another highly regarded administrator. While she has not given a statement clarifying her reasons for leaving, the current culture of “us vs them” that is propagated by members of the parents rights community both locally and beyond, such as New Jersey Project and Moms 4 Liberty, has created a toxic level of community scrutiny that makes it incredibly difficult for highly skilled educators and administrators to do their jobs effectively. Many of the commenters at our meetings that share these mistruths about the curriculum that was presented do not even have children in the system anymore. Several community members and board members questioned the RIH curriculum’s inclusionary language and one parent said it had “ideologies in every unit.”
According to public opinion surveys, parents actually have a high level of confidence and trust in their children's teachers and schools in their community. Very few actually opt out of lessons included in the curriculum at their schools. However, this hasn’t stopped right-wing groups from attempting to sow distrust between parents and schools by imposing book bans and curriculum restrictions—all under the guise of "parents’ rights" and "transparency." The greater voting community needs to be vigilant against the spreading of these mistruths regarding our school system, our curriculum, and the uncontested rights of all parents.
Some agitators in our community keep blaming the reporter from the Bergen Record for “yellow journalism” because they don’t agree with how she portrays the district or the actions of certain members of the BOE. Yellow journalism is a term for news stories and associated newspapers that present little or no legitimate, well-researched news while instead using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. What we see in our district would be considered the opposite as it is well documented through OPRA requests and live-streamed meetings.

Ramapo Indian Hills school district loses third administrator this year - NewsBreak OAKLAND — The Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District has lost another administrator. The district's director of curriculum. Elizabeth McDermond. was hired by the Mount Olive Township Board of Education during its Monday night meeting. The Mount Olive board's agenda said McDermond was hi...

Early Voting begins October 28th and runs through November 5th. It is critical that everyone vote this election because margins are expected to be thin. If you can’t vote on Election Day, make a plan to visit one of these locations, luckily we have one right in FLOW. If you have a mail in ballot and haven’t returned it, please do so. If voter turn out is high, we know we can win! Don’t forget to VOTE for Amy Eilert and Vivian King in Oakland and Brian DeLaite in Wyckoff! Elections have consequences and YOUR VOTE MATTERS!

This world is full of hate right now on a global level. One would think that such hate would not infiltrate local elections of townspeople who live side by side. But it has. Only one side stands to benefit from this inexcusable expression of hate. All they had to do was condemn it. They've chosen not to. What does this say about their character, their beliefs, and what they will bring to the Board, especially when it comes to HIB complaints? They obviously believe that some hateful bullying is justified. Is this who you want to represent our kids?

Excellent answers by candidates Amy Eilert, Vivian King and Brian DeLaite. Melissa Kiel and Audrey Souders declined to answer the questions, which should make you wonder why they wouldn’t want to answer these important questions to voters. Jared Geist’s answers should make you want to run to vote for Brian DeLaite. Check if our here:

See where candidates for the Ramapo Indian Hills school board stand OAKLAND — Six candidates are vying for three seats on the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School Board of Education in the Nov. 7 elections.

Audrey Souders, Melissa Kiel and Jared Geist all align with the Parental Rights movement. Vote no to more of this in our district, which has caused nothing but chaos and wasting tax payer money. Vote for Amy Eilert, Vivian King and Brian DeLaite for RIH BOE!

Candidates Audrey Souders & Melissa Kiel are directly aligned and supported by current board member, Kim Ansh, and her husband Joel. Kim is best known for supporting her vote to defund mental health programs with her statement that our schools are like “psychiatric units.” Audrey Souders is on record questioning our mental health programs, asking the Superintendent to “define” what it means when a student is in crisis. Joel Ansh has spoken at nearly every board meeting for 3 years and questioning curriculum, specific books, is not supportive of the strategic plan and much more. A vote for Souders & Kiel is a vote to give Kim Ansh more power on the board, most likely she would be given the presidency. Please VOTE FOR VIVIAN KING AND AMY EILERT.

Moms for Liberty, and the more local versions of it, claim to be for parental rights, but in reality are advocating for parental control. The FLOW community needs to stand up to these groups with extreme views by voting against candidates that align with these groups. Audrey Souders, Melissa Kiel and Jared Geist have all been endorsed by the NJ Project. Our RIH students deserve better than this.

Auth and Byrne Announce the Moms for Liberty Coalition of Candidates - Insider NJ Auth and Byrne Announce the Moms for Liberty Coalition of Candidates New Jersey — Assemblyman Robert Auth and State Senate Candidate Michael D. Byrne today announced the formation of the Moms for Liberty Coalition of Candidates to win control of the state legislature and reverse Phil Murphy’s ra...

Make sure you have registered to vote!

Last Day To Register to Vote is TUESDAY OCTOBER 17, 2023

Paper Applications can be found at the
Borough Of Oakland Municipal Building, 1 Municipal Plaza, Which will remain open until 9:00PM.

Online applications can be found at
https://voter.svrs.nj.gov/register/eligibility

There is an RiH BOE meeting tonight at Indian Hills in the cafeteria. Please see the attached agenda and we hope to see you there.

cdnsm5-ss11.sharpschool.com

We received a flier in the mail today sent by a group called Oakland Kids Matter and we at Flow Progress agree with its message. We can not put Audrey Souders and Melissa Kiel on the BOE, as seen below their views are dangerous. Everyone needs to come out and VOTE for Amy Eilert and Vivian King!

We are being impersonated by an insecure, obsessed, and unhinged member of the community who has wrongfully targeted members of the community simply for being associated with this group. The account has been reported many times, and perpetrators reported to the local authorities for online harassment and intimidation. Why are they so obsessed with us? Are they afraid our message and presentation of facts resonates with people?

Reminder: online harassment, or cyber harassment, includes various forms of online abuse such as cyberbullying, cyberstalking, online impersonation, doxxing (also spelled “doxing”), swatting, revenge p**n, sextortion, and more. Many of these acts are considered crimes punishable under federal and state laws, depending on the specific behavior and the harm caused to the victim.

NJ Fresh Faced Schools (currently known as the New Jersey Project and NJ Schools) shares the same values as Moms for Liberty. These groups have been known for their positions against diversity/sex-ed/climate change in the curriculum, being outspoken critics of teachers and the NJEA, pro-book banning, and got their start as being anti-mask proponents during the pandemic. Their founder has been investigated for terroristic threats. Recently they advocated for strapping hidden cameras to kids and sending them into classrooms to record. They use intimidation, defamation, misinformation, and denigration to try and discredit anyone who might oppose them. The Southern Poverty Law Group (SPLC) has identified Moms for Liberty as a hate group here in Bergen County! The following three people are running for Ramapo Indian Hills BOE Jared Geist (Wyckoff), Audrey Souders (Oakland) and Melissa Kiel (Oakland). They are probably very nice people, but their affiliation has no place in public school. All three have been endorsed by the New Jersey Project, which can be viewed here:

https://newjerseyproject.org/save-our-schools/boe-elections/?fbclid=IwAR1a9dLQ9xWVSfSfFA0diGSSpsmTSozmHPo3NFSXvCnNx1axmlhh_Sa6aS8_aem_AVCkmHgYgQzQnlmOMI3EvDTlmSaXAcJsSkHX8v2djk_vWUwy0gezXD0YhBfYgf7PtFo&mibextid=S66gvF

The attached screenshot is of a FLOW resident posting about our RIH election in the local Moms for Liberty group.

Please responsibly cast your ballot for incumbents Brian DeLaitte and Vivian King and new candidate Amy Eilert for Ramapo Indian Hills BOE. We can not afford any additional chaos on that board by inexperienced individuals backed by political extremists.

This is a screenshot of candidate Melissa Kiel endorsing sending children to school with hidden cameras to catch teachers “indoctrinating” their students. This is concerning for many reasons. Did other people consent to their children being filmed? Are we supposed to trust that the camera will be turned off in the bathroom and locker rooms? What if the video falls in the hands of someone with nefarious intent? Lastly it opens the school up to safety issues because layouts of the school can be taken from these videos. Are you ok with voting for someone who stands for this?

Parental Rights is a term we have all been hearing about. On the surface, it’s something all parents should want. A deeper dive into the movement shows it’s only rights for parents that agree with them. Please do your research before you vote and know where your candidate stands.

GOP's Parental Rights Campaign Hides Behind Extremism - Insider NJ This year Republicans and their allies are running for school boards on the platform of “Parental Rights."

For anyone who saw the RIH BOE meeting on September 11th, there are several takeaways that we thought should be brought to your attention, despite the alternative facts that have been spewed on other pages.

The motion was brought to remove Judy Sullivan as President of the Board. Why?

1. The reason for the motion was the following: Judy Sullivan has violated the public's trust and acted in a way that is not in the best interest of the students in the following ways: public admonishment and evaluation of Superintendent and Administration; use of Board letterhead for public statement without receiving Board approval and without questions being posed to initiate a response; silencing Board members during discussion in violation of Robert’s Rules; and excessively seeking legal advice without Board discussion resulting in an impending $500,000 yearly bill for legal fees.

2. When a motion is brought to the table, the trustee needs to be recognized, even if it's not in the President's best interest. It was an embarrassing exhibition of self-preservation when Judy Sullivan refused to recognize Aaron Lorenz because the motion he brought was to remove her from her position as President. She also refused to allow the BA to opine on the matter, as is clearly permitted by Robert's Rules.

3. Judy Sullivan ignored Robert's Rules which is the basis for all Board action. You cannot insist on respect and decorum when you, as President, defy Board policy by picking and choosing when you will abide by the Rules. The President's personal agenda has no place in Board procedures.

4. The meeting took TWO EXTRA HOURS because the President refused to allow the motion to be heard. Again an act of self preservation.

5. The personal attacks on Vivian King were out of line and misplaced. Vivian was voting on a motion, calling out the behavior that was, again, not in the best interest of the students. Her voice was no different than that of any other voice voting on this issue. She didn't even bring the motion. However, as usual, the personal attacks persisted, and this was used as a political ploy.

Judy Sullivan was not acting in the best interest of the students and her Board majority followed suit. Every member of the board swore an oath to abide by Robert's Rules. When rules are not followed, the result is chaos. The current board majority supports their own agendas, not the best interests of the students. We encourage everyone to watch the video of what occured during Ms. Sullivan's delay in instructing the Board to to vote on Dr. Lorenz's motion. Time stamps are included below.

Link to the video: https://youtu.be/UL4FDUkgKcU?si=hqwaO7flgjtWtmr4

00:01 - Dr. Lorenz brings a motion to the table to remove Ms. Sullivan as Board President

1:18 - Ms. Sullivan ignores Robert's Rules and refuses to recognize the motion

2:41 – Ms. Sullivan neglected to read the correct rule - 6216 Removal From Office

10:44 – Ms. Koulikourdis makes a motion for the BA to opine which Ms.Sullivan does not acknowledge

20:03 – Ms. Sullivan calls the Board Attorney for a legal opinion.

40:47 - Ms. Sullivan leaves the Board table

47:22 – Legal Counsel corrects Ms. Sullivan and states the motion is within the rules and must be voted on.

1:49:16 - Board Attorney, again, confirms that Dr. Lorenz is permitted to walk in the resolution

1:49:46 – Ms. Sullivan instructs the business administrator to go forward with the roll call to vote on the motion

3:53:34 – Ms. Sullivan finally allows the roll call to vote on the motion

The vote was 5-4 with Tom Bogdanksy hesitating before voting with the Board majority

Ramapo Indian Hills BOE - motion to remove board president

Today we remember all of those we lost 🇺🇸🙏🏻💔🤍💙

Reminder there is a RIH BOE meeting Monday 9/11 at 8pm at Indian Hills. Please see the attached agenda:

https://cdnsm5-ss11.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_237981/File/Board%20of%20Ed/Minutes%20-%20Agendas/23-24/Agenda/091123%20Regular%20Public%20Meeting%20Agenda.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2LMaUP4tCE8bs476Rfp6KJNsPUAxFLpnfi6RjqqYCWpR9OWRJS84vuT20_aem_AeTtFA20myxlo2E8ef2cdYJ6GIqojXUW1dJqRlWryGYrhys1QIZE5DiP1lVTem8l53s&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

cdnsm5-ss11.sharpschool.com

🍎📚 Wishing all the students, teachers and staff in our FLOW districts a great first day back to school🍎📚

Wishing everybody a Happy Labor Day!