RANDOLPH, NJ – The Randolph Board of Education met on Tuesday, July 28 for their monthly meeting after the originally scheduled July 8 meeting was canceled due to a lack of a quorum.
During the member comments portion at the end of the meeting, Board of Education member Sheldon Epstein addressed the recent ethics complaint that was recently filed against him. The complaint accused Mr. Epstein of referencing “the substance of executive session (closed session) discussions during public board meetings,” according to court documents. The New Jersey School Ethics Commission dismissed the complaint in full, said Mr. Epstein, as he hopes that he and the board can move forward and focus on their duty as elected officials in Randolph.
“In my view, this exercise was an unfortunate use of energy and resources,” Mr. Epstein noted. “[Energy and resources] that would have been far better spent on the real work of this district, the needs of our students, and the staff and administrators that support them.”
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“I prefer to focus on the board business that actually matters,” Mr. Epstein continued. “Responsible governance and sound decision-making processes that improve student outcomes.”
Legislatively, the board unanimously approved the resignation of member Hazel Ball, Mr. Epstein and Co-Vice President Allison Manfred expressed their disappointment before voting in favor of the measure.
To fill the vacancy left by Ms. Ball’s resignation, the board is expected to conduct interviews at its meeting on August 27. Whoever is chosen will go through a lengthy background check, and interested candidates will have to file with Board of Education Secretary Kyle J. Bleeker by August 14.
Randolph Director of Technology Peter Emmel gave a presentation to the board on internet safety measures, student privacy, and changes for the 2026-27 academic year. Much of the presentation was focused on securing the privacy of data with the district’s vendors to ensure student and faculty safety. More than 75% of the district’s current technological services have executed data privacy agreements with the district with the goal for 2026–27 to secure agreements with the remaining vendors.
“Our student data is by far the most important data that we have,” Mr. Emmel said. “The effort is to ensure that all tools that have student data or the potential to have student data have some sort of data privacy agreement in place. That way, we know our data is protected and the expectations of where our data is going is understood.”
As technological advances continue to make their way into local school districts, concerns about student media literacy and online presence remain top of mind for parents and school officials. Board member Sheldon Epstein acknowledged the terrific job Mr. Emmel and his team are approaching the protection of Randolph students.
“Every day I wake up in the morning, and we are not in the news with regards to things like this is a great day,” Mr. Epstein said. “Protecting our children on the internet in this day and age is equally important to educating them in our buildings and preparing them for the next stage of life.”
Elsewhere on the docket, the board introduced into first reading several policies and regulations, including family leave, use of school facilities, and curriculum. The agenda item will be voted on for second reading at a future board meeting.
The next Board of Education Meeting is scheduled for August 27, at 6:30.