Western Salisbury Elementary School principal Grace Hartman says the school "grows students who care about each other, about their community and about the world" and proved it by inviting the Salisbury Township School District curriculum and technology committee to hold their meeting at the school Feb. 10, meet the students and learn about their activities for themselves.

Students waited patiently in the school gym for board members, staff and members of the public to visit their tables and learn abouttheir community service efforts.

Community service projects include Beanies for Soldiers, Books for Kids, DevonHouse Senior Living visits, food for Second Harvest Food Bank, Hearts for Hope, helping Long Beach Island, N.J. after Hurricane Sandy, The Linus Project, Save the Animals and Pennies for Patients. Community connection projects include Culture Day, Electing Our President, Parade of Flags, Pinwheels for Peace and Leadership Mats and Bookmarks.

Students also took the opportunity to encourage the visitors to contribute to their cause by unloading some of their cumbersome change.

Board members came back to the meeting room with a little less money but a greater appreciation for the efforts of Hartman, her staff and the students.

In other business, on the agenda for the evening was a discussion on Policy No. 121, Field Trip/Educational Tours. Policy chairman Robert Fischer asked to have the item removed from the agenda saying this was not the place for discussion of a policy.

Committee chair Mary Ziegler asked for a second to remove the item from the agenda and did not receive it.

When the policy came up for discussion, Fischer again asked to have the item tabled for discussion.

Ziegler explained administration asked for the item to be placed on the agenda as a fact-finding mission, asking for the history of the policy as the current administrators were put in place after the policy was developed. She again said it was only on the agenda for discussion and, in fact, a member of the public was in attendance because it was on the agenda and she also wanted to hear the discussion.

Fischer said he would have appreciated a call as policy chair to have this put on the agenda.

Ziegler said historically, she has never called the policy chair to have an item for discussion placed on the agenda.

"That's not true," Fischer said.

Board member Tom Mantz said it was appropriate to have the discussion at the curriculum meeting.

Fischer said he wants assurances the policy committee was not being bypassed. "This was an inefficient process," Fischer said.

Mantz said he wants a discussion on the policy and wants to hear what administration has to say before the board decides to give the policy to the policy committee for changes.

With a full agenda and much time spent discussing the agenda item, the committee decided to table the discussion and will advertise a meeting for the policy committee and administrators to discuss Policy No. 121.

An update was provided on the 2014 technology survey. Results can be found on the district website at www.stsd.org.

The next curriculum and technology committee meeting will be held 7 p.m. March 10 at Salisbury High School.