ENGLISHTOWN – Freehold Regional Superintendent Nicole Hazel reported during a board of education meeting that students have responded well to the state ban of smart devices in school.
“Our school year is off to a great start,” Hazel said. “We are incredibly proud of our students for the positive response to the cell phone ban.”
The bell-to-bell cell phone ban states that students cannot use internet-enabled devices, such as cell phones, smartwatches, laptops, tablets, etc., from the morning bell until the end-of-day bell. Similar positive responses to the cell phone ban have been reported in neighboring school districts, with Brick Township also reporting a positive response from students.
Certain medical necessity devices, which can track things like heart rate, blood sugar levels, and more, are exceptions to the ban. Specific cases must be brought to the school district’s attention on a person-to-person basis.
“I really think it has been remarkable,” Dr. Hazel said, noting that students are engaging more with their peers.
Also during the meeting, Hazel discussed the District 2026 Graduation Report and the Annual Assessment Report NJGPA-A for the 2025-2026 School Year. This report was provided visually to the audience through a PowerPoint or Keynote demonstration. The NJGPA-A assessment was given to all 11th graders in the district, according to the report, to determine if the student has demonstrated graduation readiness in both English and mathematics.
According to the presentation, the assessment has two performance levels. A score of 300-449 shows the student has not met the criteria to be “graduation ready,” while a score of 450-650 shows the student has met the requirement to be considered “graduation ready.” The district did not receive the results until August 2026 because the test is a new assessment.
Students who do not meet the 450-point cutoff have three ways to earn a passing score. The first is a retake of the assessment in fall 2026. A second pathway is to use a substitute competency test (i.e., ACT, Accuplacer, PSAT, SAT, etc.). The third pathway, according to the district’s slideshow, is known as the Portfolio Appeal. The district labeled this a “district-created constructed response task.”
To learn more about this assessment, please visit the district’s website: frhsd.com and search for the NJGPA-A. There, you can see the breakdown of the state vs. FRHSD test results.
Several speakers took the podium to address the Board of Education during the public participation portion of the meeting. According to the first few speakers, issues revolved around transportation miscommunications and tax increases. Some speakers also raised concerns about the bus companies operating the routes, saying the companies are not safe during their operations.
Superintendent Hazel delivered the Board of Education’s response to the public comments, which mainly focused on busing issues. She said there are more students and more bus stops than in the past. She said the beginning of the school year is often when the bus routes and schedules are brought to the Board’s attention. Alex Ferreria, Assistant Superintendent for Business, next addressed the public to discuss contracting issues with busing in the district.
With more discussion coming from the public, the Board of Education vowed to investigate the busing issues.
The next Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 29 at 7 p.m. at Freehold High School.
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