In a Memorandum dated April 27, 2009, the New Jersey Department of Education provided guidance to school districts regarding Swine Influenza. In reviewing this Memorandum and the guidance regarding Swine Influenza, the requirements as outlined in Strauss Esmay’s Policy and Regulation Guides 8451 are consistent with the provisions as outlined in the April 27, 2009 Memorandum. Strauss Esmay will make any policy and regulation revisions as needed in the event the guidance from the Department of Education or other State agency is updated.

Registration material for the 24th Annual School Policy has been mailed to all PASS subscribers. The registration material may also be downloaded under the Events tab above. Two district representatives may attend at no charge with a $50.00 registration fee for additional registrants. Registrations may be mailed or faxed (732-255-1502) to Strauss Esmay Offices no later than June 3, 2008.

Strauss Esmay has installed several new password security measures. The only new measure that will affect the authorized user requires a user to “LOGOFF” to end a session on ELANOnline or DISTRICTOnline by clicking the “LOGOFF” button located at the top right hand corner of the screen. Failure to logoff a session in this manner will not permit the authorized user to sign into a subsequent session of ELANOnline or DISTRICTOnline until twenty minutes have expired. Therefore, all authorized users should logoff after signing-in to ELANOnline or DISTRICTOnline using the “LOGOFF” button at the upper right hand corner of the screen to avoid a twenty minute delay to log-in to a second session. Thank you for your cooperation in this new procedure.

The State Department of Education has recently distributed updated District Performance Reviews (DPRs) with several revisions, particularly in the areas of the recently enacted accountability regulations. Strauss Esmay Associates reviewed the updated DPRs and placed policy and regulation notations under the “Comments” column of the new DPRs for those indicators where a district policy or procedure is listed under the Suggested Documentation column of the DPR. The updated DPRs and other important QSAC Memoranda and information may be accessed and downloaded using the “QSAC Support” tab in ELANOnline. It is recommended districts browse the information under the “QSAC Support” section of ELANOnline on a regular basis.

All PASS school districts should be sure to register one person to Strauss Esmay’s new E-LERT system. This new system will provide important school policy and regulation information via e-mail to one person designated by the school district. If your district has not registered an E-LERT contact person, the E-LERT Registration Form may be downloaded from the Events tab and returned by fax to 732-255-1502.

Strauss Esmay Associates has established a “QSAC” tab that may be accessed by districts using an ELANOnline password and clicking the “QSAC” tab. QSAC Memoranda and other QSAC related information will be posted in this QSAC section of Strauss Esmay’s secure website. It is recommended districts browse this QSAC section of the website on a regular basis for important and informative QSAC related information.

We are pleased to announce Strauss Esmay Associates has moved our offices to the Strauss Esmay Professional Building. We would like to thank all our clients for your patience and cooperation through this move. Our new address is 1886 Hinds Road – Suite 1, Toms River, New Jersey 08753. The new telephone number is 732-255-1500 and the new fax number is 732-255-1502.

Strauss Esmay Associates formally announces and offers professional development services for school districts looking to provide professional development and in-service programs to Board members, administrators, teachers, and support staff. Strauss Esmay offers in-service programs in school policy areas such as:

• School Ethics Act
• Inappropriate Staff Conduct
• Sexual Harassment
• Pupil Residency
• Family Leave
• School Law Review for Administrative Staff
• School Law and the Teacher
• Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying

Click the Professional Development tab above to access more details on Strauss Esmay's Professional Development Services.

Reviews on Strauss Esmay’s DISTRICTOnline are excellent. DISTRICTOnline provides a school district the option to have its Policy and Regulation Manuals on the Internet and provides easy access for district authorized users and the district editor. School districts should contact Strauss Esmay Associates to arrange a DISTRICTOnline demonstration.

Strauss Esmay Policy Alert Support Service (PASS) school districts are realizing the value of using Strauss Esmay’s ELANOnline. The district has access to Strauss Esmay Policy/Regulation Guides linked to N.J.S.A. 18A, N.J.A.C. 6 & 6A, and all New Jersey School Digest cases indexed by policy number. ELANOnline documents can be searched, viewed, and printed, while districts can easily download Policy Alert documents in a MS WORD format. ELANOnline access is included in a district’s PASS subscription and ELANOnline information sheets are available by contacting Strauss Esmay offices for those districts not yet using ELANOnline.

DIGESTOnline is Strauss Esmay’s online service that provides the New Jersey School Digest Cumulative via the Internet. New Jersey School Digest clients can search, view and print all educational law cases reported since 1978. School Digest cases can be searched by general or specific topic areas or by using the powerful keyword search feature. This service is used by many school law attorneys, State associations, college and university libraries and the Department of Education.