Dec 15, 2022 School Board Meeting

ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.

[ 1. Meeting Called to Order by Chair Alderton]

[00:00:02]

I'M CALLING THE MEETING TO ORDER AT 6:34 P.M..

I WILL DO A ROLL CALL TO GET US STARTED.

MEGAN ALDRIDGE IS PRESENT.

WILLIE BAILEY IS ABSENT.

KELLY BOOS.

ABDUL EL NEWBY IS ABSENT.

JACINTA GREEN HERE.

CHRISTOPHER HARRIS.

TAMMY IGNACIO IS NOT PRESENT AT THE MOMENT.

MICHELLE RIEF HERE AND ASHLEE SIMPSON BURIED HERE.

ALL RIGHT. WE WILL QUICKLY OBSERVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE.

THANK YOU. CAN I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA, PLEASE?

[ 3. Adopt the Agenda for the December 15, 2022 School Board Meeting]

SECOND, I HAVE A DR.

RIEF WHO SECONDED VICE-CHAIR GREENE'S MOTION.

I AM GOING TO ASK FOR A MOTION TO AMEND THE AGENDA BECAUSE WE NEED TO ALLOW THE PARTICIPATION OF MEMBER TAMMY IGNACIO. MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE TO AMEND THE AGENDA FOR THIS EVENING BY ADDING ALLOW PARTICIPATION OF BOARD MEMBER TAMMY IGNACIO BY ELECTRONIC MEANS TO THE

[4. Allow Participation of Board Member Tammy Ignacio by Electronic Means]

SECOND. ALL RIGHT, I HAVE DR.

RIEF WHO'S SECOND VICE CHAIR GREENS MOTION, SO WE WILL VOTE FOR THE AMENDMENT.

YES.

WOMEN. I THINK YOU.

SORRY. GOT IT.

OKAY. AND SO NOW WE SIMPLY NEED TO VOTE TO ADOPT THE AGENDA AS AMENDED.

THAT DETERMINES THAT WE ADOPT THE AGENDA AS AMENDED.

SECOND. ALL RIGHT, SO I HAVE A FEW SECONDS.

MS.. BOOS THIS MOTION AND WE CAN VOTE.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.

SO MOVING RIGHT ALONG.

WE NEED TO ALLOW THE PARTICIPATION OF MS..

TAMMY IGNACIO TO JOIN THE MEETING ELECTRONICALLY.

SO, MADAM VICE CHAIR, COULD YOU.

THE SHEER EMOTION TO DO SO.

YES, MADAM CHAIR.

WHEREAS BOARD MEMBER TAMMY IGNACIO HAS NOTIFIED THE BOARD THAT SHE IS UNAVAILABLE TO BE PHYSICALLY PRESENT FOR TODAY'S SPECIAL CALL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DUE TO A PERSONAL MATTER, SPECIFICALLY FAMILY ILLNESS.

AND. WHEREAS, SHE HAS NOT PARTICIPATED IN MORE THAN TWO OR 25% OF SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS BY ELECTRONIC MEANS DURING 2022.

AND. WHEREAS, BOARD MEMBER TAMMY IGNACIO REQUESTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SPECIAL CALLED SCHOOL BOARD MEETING BY VIDEO CONFERENCE CALL WHERE THE VIDEO CONFERENCE CALL SHALL BE HEARD BY ALL PARTICIPANTS IN THIS BOARD ROOM.

AND. WHEREAS, A QUORUM OF THE SCHOOL BOARD IS PHYSICALLY ASSEMBLED IN THIS BOARD ROOM.

THEREFORE, I MOVE PURSUANT TO VIRGINIA CODE 2.2-3708 THAT THE BOARD APPROVED THE PARTICIPATION OF BOARD MEMBER TAMMY IGNACIO IN THIS MEETING BY

[00:05:01]

SECOND, I HAVE DR.

WHO SECONDS VICE CHAIR GREEN'S MOTION.

THANK YOU, EVERYONE. SO IGNACIO IS NOW ABLE TO PARTICIPATE ELECTRONICALLY.

AND MS.. IGNACIO, WHEN WE DO ANY VOTING, I WILL NEED FOR YOU TO SAY YES.

SO I WILL ACTUALLY CALL YOU AT THE TOP OF EACH VOTE TO GET THAT VERBAL.

I'M NOT SAYING YOU HAVE TO SAY YES, BUT YOUR YOUR VERBAL VOTE.

ALL RIGHT. MOVING ALONG TO A COMMUNICATIONS AND ADDRESSES TO THE BOARD, WE HAVE OUR SIMPLY THE BEST SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT THIS

[5. "Simply the Best" School Spotlight--Early Childhood Center]

SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO THAT TEAM.

GOOD EVENING. DR.

KAY WYATT, CHAIR ALDERTON, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS.

DISTINGUISHED COMMUNITY WITH ACPS FAMILY, STUDENTS.

TEACHERS, STAFF.

I MISS HEIDI, ALSO KNOWN AS HEIDI HAGGERTY, THE PRINCIPAL OF THE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER.

AND WE ARE REALLY GLAD TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO YOU TONIGHT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR SCHOOL.

SO THANKS FOR THE HONOR OF THAT.

THANKS TO EVERYBODY FOR COMING OUT ON SUCH A COLD AND STORMY DAY.

ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL WAS VERY MESSY THIS MORNING.

COULD WE HAVE OUR TEACHERS WHO ARE HERE STAND UP SO WE CAN ACKNOWLEDGE THEM, PLEASE? SO ANYONE WHO'S TEACHING AT THE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER.

SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR WORK VERY MUCH.

WE ALSO HAVE A COUPLE OTHER TEACHERS JOINING US LATER, AS WELL AS OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL.

OUR SCHOOL WAS STARTED.

THIS IS OUR FIFTH YEAR.

WE'RE IN THE WEST END OF ALEXANDRIA AND WE SHARE A CAMPUS WITH JOHN ADAMS. THIS CREATES SOME CONFUSION.

SOME PEOPLE THINK WE'RE PART OF JOHN ADAMS. AND WHILE WE ARE PART AND SOUL TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY, WE ARE TWO SEPARATE SCHOOLS.

SO WE LIKE TO SAY WE'RE CO-LOCATED WITH JOHN ADAMS. WE HAVE RIGHT NOW 191 STUDENTS.

WE HAVE STUDENTS IN THE VIRGINIA PRESCHOOL INITIATIVE CLASSES, EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION.

WE HAVE ONE PRE-K AUTISM CLASS.

WE ALSO HAVE A PROGRAM CALLED PEERS LEARNING TOGETHER, WHICH ALLOWS US TO HAVE ROLE MODELS FOR LANGUAGE AND BEHAVIOR COMING INTO OUR SPECIAL ED CLASSES.

SO OUR KIDS WHO ARE LEARNING HOW TO SPEAK CAN SEE KIDS TALKING AROUND THEM, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

AND WE'RE SO GLAD THAT WE BROUGHT THAT BACK.

THIS YEAR. WE ALSO HAVE A BRAND NEW V.P.

INCLUSION PROGRAM THIS YEAR, WHICH WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF.

THAT'S TEAM TAUGHT. SO WE REALLY FEEL LIKE WE'RE STARTING TO EXPAND THAT CONTINUUM FOR OUR EARLIEST LEARNERS.

LET'S SEE, WE ALSO SHARE OUR BUILDING WITH THE COMPLIANCE CENTER, AND THEY HAVE EIGHT HEAD START CLASSES IN THE BUILDING.

THEY DO HAVE SOME STUDENTS IN THOSE CLASSES THAT RECEIVE RESOURCE SUPPORT FROM OUR SPECIAL ED TEACHERS.

SO WHILE IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S SEPARATE PROGRAMS, THERE'S A LOT OF OVERLAP AND COLLABORATION THAT GOES ON AND WE ARE ALL WORKING TO GET OUR KIDS READY FOR KINDERGARTEN IN CPS AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

I WANT TO SAY ONE SHOUT OUT, AND THIS IS REALLY FOR THE TEACHERS AND OUR FAMILIES.

WE ACHIEVED LEVEL FIVE IN VIRGINIA'S QUALITY RATING AND IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM RATING THIS LAST YEAR, WHICH WAS IT'S THE HIGHEST RATING YOU CAN GET AND WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF IT.

AND IT WAS COMING BACK FROM THE PANDEMIC.

AND THESE FOLKS, ALL OF OUR STAFF, WE HAVE ABOUT 42 PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE BUILDING AND EVERYBODY WORKED INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE THAT.

SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF IT.

I ALSO JUST WANT TO POINT OUT, JANE, JANE RICHARDSON'S LEADERSHIP IN THAT PROCESS, LAURA BASU AND ANNA HARVIN ARE ALL PEOPLE THAT SUPPORT OUR PROGRAM REALLY CLOSELY.

SO I DON'T WANT TO TAKE UP TOO MUCH TIME.

BUT I DID WANT TO EXPLAIN ONE THING BEFORE WE HAVE OUR KIDS COME ON AND PERFORM FOR YOU, AND THAT IS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO PERFORM A SONG ABOUT THE GINGERBREAD MAN.

AND YOU MIGHT THINK, OH, THIS IS LIKE A HOLIDAY THING OR SOMETHING.

BUT ACTUALLY THE GINGERBREAD MAN IS.

IT'S IN THE CANON OF PRESCHOOL LITERATURE.

I LIKE TO SAY KIDS LOVE THIS STORY.

IT'S IN OUR CURRICULUM IN THE FIRST SIX WEEKS, AND THE KIDS LOVE IT PARTLY BECAUSE IT'S REPETITIVE.

WE SAY ABOUT EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION THAT IT IS UNBOUNDED.

I KNOW IT'S LIKE THEY'RE COMING IN AND IT'S GREAT.

SORRY, BUT I JUST GOING TO SET ONE THING UP FOR YOU BECAUSE I THINK IT'LL KIND OF DEEP IN YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, EVERYTHING.

WE'RE WORKING ON ALL PARTS OF A CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT AT THE SAME TIME.

SO WE SAY IT'S UNBOUNDED.

SO IT'S SOCIAL SKILLS, EMOTIONAL SKILLS.

WE WORK, WE LEARN MATH AND LITERACY, LANGUAGE BEHAVIOR, SELF ADAPTIVE SKILLS.

ALL OF THOSE THINGS HAPPEN AT THE SAME TIME.

SO YOU WILL SEE THE KIDS HERE WHO ARE FABULOUS AND THEY'RE GOING TO SING THIS SONG.

BUT THINK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT UNDERNEATH, LIKE IT JUST LOOKS LIKE A GREAT SONG AND THINK ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THEY ARE LEARNING AND DOING.

AND AS A NOD TO THAT FOR YOU GUYS, SOME OF THE KIDS AND TEACHERS MADE YOU THESE LITTLE GINGERBREAD PEOPLE AND IT'S SORT OF IT'S NICE FOR YOU, BUT IT'S ALSO WE WANT YOU TO GET A

[00:10:05]

YOU THINK THAT'S IT? EXCEPT I REALLY DID WANT TO THANK OUR FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOANED US THEIR FABULOUS JOYFUL CHILDREN.

AND A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO REBECCA WALKER, WHO NOT ONLY IS REBECCA, A FIRST YEAR NEW HIRE MUSIC TEACHER AT OUR SCHOOL.

YAY! REBECCA.

SHE'S DOING THIS BIG PRESENTATION IN HER FIRST YEAR.

ALSO, MR. HOUSE, WHO WAS A NEW ADDITION TO OUR STAFF AS WELL, SUPPORTED.

SO THANK YOU. BYE. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I GIVE YOU THE EARLY CHILDHOOD SINGERS LED BY MS..

REBECCA WALKER. AND MY WIFE SAID WHEN THE FLASH CRASH LATE LAST YEAR.

YEAH. I RIGHT.

RIGHT. YEAH.

SO GINGERBREAD? YEAH, THE GINGERBREAD.

YEAH. I RAN BACK SOME CHANGE AROUND THERE TO CHANGE THAT LAST ONE.

JUST SAID WELL SHALL WE.

X. X.

X. I'M GONNA START DOING.

YEAH BUT GINGER, THE GINGERBREAD MAN.

I WANTED TO READ TO THEM.

TO READ THEM WHAT ONE JOHN SAID.

SO THAT'S WHERE A RUNNING START.

GINGERBREAD. GINGERBREAD.

THE GINGERBREAD MAN.

I RAN INTO.

THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO FRIEND.

SO THAT'S WHY I WRITE BACK.

I'M THE GINGERBREAD.

A GINGERBREAD GINGERBREAD MAN.

I ASK YOU TO READ THEM WHEN YOU TURN THEM OVER.

JOHNNY CASH.

CASH. THANKS.

WE HAVE RUN DAILY BACK FROM THE GINGERBREAD.

THE GINGERBREAD? I TEND TO RECOMMEND I RUN REALLY FAST.

I'M TRYING TO READ.

DO, DO, DO, DO, DO.

GINGERBREAD MEN LIKE.

ARE THEY ALL JUST STUFF THAT I WISH THEY'D SAY FOR ME TO READ? I SIGNED UP FOR THAT.

OH, WHAT? BY EVERYBODY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU. JUST LET ME. THANK YOU FOR THAT AMAZING SINGING.

I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE TO EAT UP OUR GINGERBREAD BEFORE THEY RUN AWAY.

SO EAT UP.

OK. THANK YOU AGAIN.

NEXT UP, WE DO HAVE OUR STRATEGIC PLAN VIDEO VIGNETTE.

[6. Strategic Plan Video Vignette]

[00:15:02]

SO AND WE HAVE TO THANK MISS TAMMY IGNACIO FOR STARRING IN THIS VIDEO.

ALL RIGHT. SO WE'LL TAKE.

A 2025 STRATEGIC PLAN.

EQUITY FOR ALL IS AN OVERALL ROADMAP FOR ALEXANDRIA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS VISION, MISSION, CORE VALUES, GOALS AND STRATEGIES.

EACH YEAR, THE SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTS SPECIFIC AREAS OF FOCUS THAT ARE A KEY PART OF OUR STRATEGIC WORK TO INCREASE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND ELIMINATE OPPORTUNITY GAPS. THEY GUIDE THE DIVISION'S ANNUAL EFFORTS TO ADVANCE OUR GOALS BY HIGHLIGHTING SPECIFIC AREAS FOR PRIORITIZATION AND PROMOTING ALIGNMENT ACROSS ALL LEVELS FROM THE BUDGET TO SCHOOL AND DEPARTMENT IMPROVEMENT PLANS.

IN THE BEGINNING OF EACH SCHOOL YEAR, THE SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES THE AREAS OF FOCUS THAT ARE DETERMINED BY STAFF THROUGH A DATA INFORMED DECISION MAKING PROCESS WHICH CONSIDERS MULTIPLE FACTORS INCLUDING EQUITY, CLIMATE SURVEY RESULTS, STANDARDIZED TEST OUTCOMES, KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND DEVELOPMENTAL ASSET DATA.

THIS SCHOOL YEAR, WE SAW THAT STUDENTS CONTINUE TO READJUST TO IN-PERSON LEARNING AND CURRENTLY REPORT THE LARGEST DECLINE IN SELF ESTEEM.

SENSE OF PURPOSE AND POSITIVE VIEWS OF THE FUTURE.

THE NEED TO FOCUS ON STUDENTS SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLNESS AND DEVELOPMENT WAS EVIDENT.

THAT IS WHY ONE OF OUR 2022 23 AREAS OF FOCUS IS SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND ACADEMIC LEARNING RECOVERY, ALSO KNOWN AS SEAL. SALE IS OUR APPROACH TO MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE WHOLE CHILD.

IT COUPLES AND SUPPORTS ACADEMIC LEARNING NEEDS ALONG WITH THE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING NEEDS TO HELP ACP STUDENTS IDENTIFY, UNDERSTAND AND MANAGE THEIR EMOTIONS AND INQUIRE SKILLS FOR POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS, COLLABORATION AND DECISION MAKING.

EVERY ACP STUDENT RECEIVES 30 MINUTE SEAL LESSONS DAILY WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE UNDERSTANDINGS OF THEIR EMOTIONS THROUGH THE RULER, CURRICULUM AND EVIDENCE BASED APPROACH TO SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING.

FOR K 12 STUDENTS DEVELOPED BY THE YALE CENTER FOR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, BUILD CONNECTIONS WITH THEIR PEERS AND SCHOOL STAFF THROUGH RESTORATIVE COMMUNITY CIRCLES.

LEARN POSITIVE BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS THROUGH POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTIONS, AND SUPPORTS PBIS AND EXPLORE ADDITIONAL ACADEMIC AND CAREER TOPICS. WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE IN THE CLASSROOM? IT LOOKS LIKE A FOURTH GRADE STUDENT IN NANCY BAKER'S CLASS AT CORE, KELLY DISCUSSING AN UPCOMING SCHOOL FIELD TRIP AND EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS BEHAVIOR DURING THE FIELD TRIP. MISS BAKER EXPLAINED TO HER CLASS HOW THE RAW ACRONYM RESPECTFUL OUR BEST ALWAYS SAFE RESPONSIBLE SETS EXPECTATIONS FOR BEHAVIOR ON THE BUS.

WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR STUDENTS TO GO TO THEIR DESK AND SHARE THEIR SEALED JOURNALS TO WAYS THEY CAN PRACTICE RAW WHILE ON THEIR FIELD TRIPS, THE STUDENTS WROTE EXAMPLES SUCH AS STAY SAFE, STAY IN MY SEAT, SPEAK CALMLY, AND NO FIGHTING ON THE BUS.

IT LOOKS LIKE SHAYNA THOMAS EIGHTH GRADE CLASS AT JEFFERSON HOUSTON, STARTING A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE MEANING OF DISCERNMENT.

AFTER WATCHING A VIDEO OF A STUDENT WATCHING ANOTHER STUDENT BEING PICKED ON BY TWO OLDER STUDENTS, MS..

THOMAS ASKED HER STUDENTS TO EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS AND SHARE WHAT THEY WOULD DO IN THAT SITUATION.

REACHING OUT TO HER STUDENTS, THOMAS REMINDED THEM THAT WITHIN SOLID FRIENDSHIPS, YOU SHOULD HAVE THE EMOTIONAL SAFETY TO DISCUSS HOW YOU ARE FEELING AND FRIENDS SHOULD HONOR HOW YOU FEEL.

THE STUDENTS ABSORB THIS LATEST ADDITION OF LIFE SKILLS THAT WILL HELP THEM THROUGH THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS LEADING TO GOOD CHOICES.

IT LOOKS LIKE DOMINIQUE JONES EIGHTH GRADE CLASS AT FRANCES SEE HIM IN MIDDLE SCHOOL STARTING A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE MEANING OF GRATITUDE.

AFTER WATCHING A SHORT VIDEO, MS..

JONES ASKED HER STUDENTS TO EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS AND SHARE WHAT THEY THINK GRATITUDE LOOKS LIKE, PARTICULARLY IN SCHOOL.

MY ULTIMATE GOAL WAS TO GET THE STUDENTS TO START TO THINK ABOUT GRATITUDE, AND I WANTED THEM.

I WASN'T SURE IF THEY WOULD GET TO OH, WE DO TAKE FOR GRANTED, BUT THEY GOT THERE FAIRLY QUICKLY.

I WAS VERY SURPRISED BY THAT.

BUT THAT WAS THAT WAS MAINLY THE GOAL.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT GRATITUDE? HOW OFTEN DO YOU SHOW IT AND WHO DO YOU SHOW IT TO?

[00:20:01]

WHY DO WE HAVE 30 MINUTES DAILY DEDICATED TO TARGETED LESSONS? STILL REQUIRE STAFF TO EMPHASIZE THESE SKILLS AND STRATEGIES.

LEARN DURING THESE MANY LESSONS THROUGHOUT EVERY SCHOOL DAY.

IT ALSO REQUIRES STUDENTS TO IDENTIFY AND VERBALIZE OPPORTUNITIES TO UTILIZE THESE STRATEGIES WHEN NEEDED.

HAVING THEM THINK ABOUT IT AND BE AWARE PREPARES THEM BETTER TO RECEIVE THE INFORMATION OR COMMUNICATE TO ME THAT I'M NOT READY TO RECEIVE IT AND GIVE THEM SOME TIPS AND STRATEGIES TO GET BACK ON TRACK.

THROUGH THE EXPLICIT TEACHING OF SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING, STUDENTS ARE EMPOWERED TO RECOGNIZE THEIR EMOTIONS AND THOSE WHO MAY NEED ADDITIONAL AND MORE INTENSIVE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND REGULATION STRATEGIES ARE SUPPORTED BY SCHOOL BASED STUDENT TEAM MEMBERS IN SMALL GROUPS AND OR INDIVIDUAL SETTINGS.

IT IS IMPORTANT WORK THAT HELPS STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THEMSELVES BETTER, DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN MORE POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS AND MAKE RESPONSIBLE SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND ACADEMIC DECISIONS.

THROUGH THE MATRIX THAT HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED AND THE DATA COLLECTED.

THE SCHOOL BOARD SUPPORTS THE MONITORING OF SEAL IMPLEMENTATION IN OUR SCHOOLS AND ITS IMPACT ON OUR STAFF AND STUDENTS.

THE EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING OF ALL STUDENTS IS A TOP PRIORITY FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD AND FOR ALL OF ALEXANDRIA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

WHEN WE FOCUS ON STUDENTS SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND ACADEMIC LEARNING IN AN INTENTIONAL WAY, WE ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE MET WITH THE SUPPORT THEY NEED TO GRADUATE READY FOR COLLEGE, CAREER AND LIFE.

THANK YOU. VERY GOOD, MR. IGNACIO. ALL RIGHT.

I THINK WE ALREADY KNOW WHO THE NEXT VICTIM IS.

HE'S SITTING RIGHT BESIDE ME.

SO HE WILL. MR. HARRIS WILL BE THE STAR OF THE NEXT VIDEO.

SO LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.

ALL RIGHT, MOVING ON.

SO WE DID HAVE THIS MEETING SET ASIDE FOR A PUBLIC HEARING ON OUR ESSER THREE FUNDS PLAN, AND WE DID NOT HAVE ANY SPEAKERS SIGN UP SO WE CAN MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENT.

[8. Public Comments]

YOU ARE TIMED.

AND SO IF YOU ONCE YOU GET TO THAT TIME, THE CLERK WILL NOTIFY YOU.

ALWAYS REMEMBER COMMENTS SHOULD BE DELIVERED RESPECTFULLY AND IF YOU ARE, WE DON'T HAVE ANY ZOOM SPEAKERS TONIGHT, SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT.

OK FIRST PERSON IS RACHEL KANE.

SO I'M RACHEL KANE.

I'M A JUNIOR AT ALEXANDER CITY HIGH SCHOOL, AND ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS I WAS TALKING ABOUT IS LUNCH AND LEARN.

AND WE'VE BEEN TOLD THAT FOR A VERY LONG TIME, THAT THEY'RE WORKING TO BRING IT BACK.

BUT WE'RE SEEING SOME EFFECTS OF THE NEW LUNCH SYSTEM THAT THEY HAVE NOW.

I'VE TALKED TO SOME OF MY TEACHERS AND THEY'RE SAYING THAT THEY NEED IT BACK JUST AS MUCH AS THE STUDENTS DO.

THEY HAD TIME TO SPEAK TO OTHER TEACHERS AND TALK TO STUDENTS.

NOW, LIKE STUDENTS EITHER CANNOT GO TO THEIR TEACHERS BECAUSE THEY HAVE DIFFERENT LUNCH BOOKS OR THEY DON'T STAY AFTER SCHOOL.

MANY OF THEM DO NOT STAY AFTER SCHOOL ANYMORE.

AND ALSO CLUBS.

THE CLUBS, LIKE EITHER KIDS DON'T HAVE TIME TO DO IT AFTER SCHOOL OR THEY JUST DON'T HAVE TIME TO FIT INTO THEIR SCHEDULE.

AND HAVING IT DURING LUNCH AND LEARN HELPED A LOT WITH THAT.

MY TEACHERS ARE ALSO NOTICING THAT LIKE WHEN PEOPLE WHEN THEY HAD THE LUNCH AND LEARN, KIDS CAME BACK TO CLASS MORE ENERGIZED BECAUSE THEY HAD MORE TIME TO GET AN ENERGY OUT WITH THEIR FRIENDS AND DO WHAT THEY NEEDED AND WANTED TO DO AT THE SAME TIME.

BUT ALSO, IT'S FEELS KIND OF CRAMPED NOW, LIKE IT FEELS LIKE WE'RE KIND OF CONFINED TO JUST A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PLACES TO EAT, LIKE YOU CAN'T EAT IN MOST CLASSROOMS. YOU CAN EITHER EAT OUTSIDE, AND RIGHT NOW THAT'S REALLY COLD AND THE CAFETERIA GETS REALLY CROWDED REALLY QUICKLY.

AND FOR SOME PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF WHO DO NOT LIKE CROWDS LIKE THAT, THAT DOES NOT DO WELL WITH US.

[00:25:08]

BUT ANOTHER THING IS SECURITY.

LIKE THERE ARE MANY SECURITY PEOPLE IN OUR SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND THEY HAVE ZEROS, HOWEVER, AND THEY DO A GOOD JOB IN LIKE CONNECTING WITH THE STUDENTS.

BUT I FIND THAT LIKE WHEN THERE'S VIOLENCE IN THE SCHOOL BUILDING, I DON'T SEE MUCH INTERVENTION OF THEM.

LIKE, MOSTLY IT'S THE TEACHERS WHO HAVE TO STOP IT.

SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN CLARIFY ANYTHING ON THAT, BUT AS WELL AS THE SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS, I GREATLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THEY DO.

HOWEVER, THERE ARE MANY TIMES I'VE HAD TO SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS FOR MY PHYSICS CLASS.

FOR EXAMPLE, WHO IS MY TEACHER, HAS BEEN NOW FOR THE PAST MANY WEEKS DUE TO AN INJURY AND ONLY IN THE LAST WEEK AND A HALF DID WE FINALLY GET A SUBSTITUTE WHO ACTUALLY SOMEWHAT KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON IN OUR CLASS.

SHE WAS A PHYSICS MAJOR.

OTHER THAN THIS, WE HAD SUBSTITUTES WHO EITHER DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE CONTENT OF THE CLASS, DID NOT KNOW WHERE WE WERE, OR IN SOME CASES WE'RE NOT FLUENT IN ENGLISH.

WE HAD I'VE HAD SEVERAL OF THOSE IN MY SCHOOL CAREER, NOT JUST IN THAT CLASS, BUT ALSO LIKE IN MY HISTORY CLASS, WHICH IS A DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSE. SO HAVING THAT IS NOT EXACTLY HELPFUL, BUT THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. OKAY.

AND JUST A REMINDER TO WE DON'T RESPOND TO PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT WE WILL REACH OUT.

YOU'LL HAVE BOARD MEMBERS REACH OUT.

THEY HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR WANT TO HEAR MORE.

SO THANK YOU. LET'S SEE.

NEXT UP, WE HAVE KELLY, CARMEN BARRON.

MY DAUGHTER IS A STUDENT AT THE HIGH SCHOOL AND WILL LIKELY HAVE TO LEAVE SCHOOL THIS WINTER.

SHE HAS A RARE AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE THAT PUTS HER AT RISK FOR SEVERE OUTCOMES FROM COVID 19.

AND YOU'VE BEEN REFUSING TO PROTECT HER.

FOR HER TO STAY IN CLASS, SHE NEEDS HER PEERS TO MASK.

YOU'VE DENIED HER THE MODIFICATION BECAUSE YOU FEAR BEING SUED UNDER THE VIRGINIA STATE LAW.

AS YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD BY NOW, THE GOVERNOR AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ENTERED INTO A SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT IN THE ACLU MASKING CASE.

THE AGREEMENT STATES NEITHER SB 739 NOR AEO TWO POSE ANY OBSTACLE TO A PARENT REQUESTING SOME AMOUNT OF REQUIRED MASKING AS A REASONABLE MODIFICATION UNDER THE ADA OR THE REHABILITATION ACT, ALSO KNOWN AS 504.

AND IF SOME AMOUNT OF REQUIRED MASKING IS A REASONABLE MODIFICATION NECESSARY TO SATISFY THE ADA AND REHABILITATION ACT RATES OF A STUDENT DISABILITIES SB 73902 DO NOT PROHIBIT THIS MODIFICATION.

THE STATE LAW VIOLATED THE FEDERAL LAW.

IT ALWAYS DID.

FEDERAL LAW TRUMPS STATE LAW.

FEDERAL RIGHTS CAN'T BE REMOVED BY STATE LAW.

THIS IS BASIC US LAW.

WHAT I DON'T THINK YOU FULLY APPRECIATED IS THAT BY ENFORCING THE STATE LAW THAT VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW, YOU HAVE ALSO VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW.

REGARDLESS OF WHY YOU DID IT, YOU HAVE DENIED MY DAUGHTER'S CIVIL RIGHTS.

YOU DON'T GET ABSOLVED BECAUSE THE STATE LAW TOLD YOU TO DO SOMETHING DISCRIMINATORY.

YOU DON'T GET A PASS BECAUSE YOU WERE AFRAID YOU WOULD GET SUED UNDER STATE LAW.

BUT I TOLD YOU THIS NINE MONTHS AGO, THE US SECRETARY OF EDUCATION TOLD YOU THIS NINE MONTHS AGO.

SO WHERE ARE WE IN OUR DISAGREEMENT? LET ME BE AS CLEAR AS I POSSIBLY CAN.

YOU CHOSE TO IGNORE FEDERAL LAW AND DENIED MY DAUGHTER FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS BECAUSE YOU WERE AFRAID YOU WOULD BE SUED UNDER A STATE LAW.

I'VE SPENT THE LAST NINE MONTHS INFORM YOU THAT YOU WERE IN FACT VIOLATING MY DAUGHTER'S RIGHTS AND THAT THERE WERE VERY CLEAR, DISCRIMINATORY ACTS TAKING PLACE EVERY DAY IN HER SCHOOL THAT HAD BEEN METICULOUSLY DOCUMENTED IN A WAY THAT WOULD BE ADMISSIBLE AS EVIDENCE IN COURT.

I WILL NOT GO INTO THE SPECIFICS, BUT THEY ARE APPALLING AND THEY ARE MANY.

THE GOVERNOR AND ATTORNEY GENERAL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THEY WERE WRONG AND THE STATE LAW DOES NOT IN FACT STRIP 504 STUDENTS OF THE RIGHT TO BEAR MASKING.

IT NEVER DID.

I'M VERY LIKELY GOING TO SUE YOU IN THE COMING WEEKS.

MY LAWYER HAS ALREADY MADE THIS CLEAR TO YOUR LAWYER.

WE'VE BEEN PREPARING FOR IT FOR SOME TIME.

THANKS TO THE ACLU, THE GOVERNOR AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, IT IS ALL BUT GUARANTEED.

I WILL WIN BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WHO BULLIED YOU INTO DISCRIMINATING AGAINST MY DAUGHTER JUST ADMITTED THEY WERE WRONG.

THEY LEFT YOU HOLDING THE BAG.

YOU NEVER HAD A BASIS TO DENY MY DAUGHTER FEDERAL RIGHTS UNDER THE STATE LAW.

WHETHER YOU UNDERSTOOD THAT ISN'T RELEVANT AS A SCHOOL BOARD ENTRUSTED UNDER LAW TO PROTECT THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF ALL STUDENTS IN YOUR

[00:30:04]

YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN.

IF YOU WANT TO AVOID THIS, I RECOMMEND THAT YOU MAKE IT CLEAR TO ME AND THE REST OF THE PARENTS OF KIDS VULNERABLE TO COVID THAT YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES.

WHAT IT HAS ALWAYS REQUIRED AND WILL IMMEDIATELY PIVOT.

THANK YOU. OKAY.

NEXT UP, WE HAVE DEBORAH MCMINN.

IT'S. OKAY, SO I KNOW HOW BUSY YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS, SO I'M JUST KEEPING MY COMMENTS.

TWO COMPLIMENTARY THINGS FOR THE ENTIRE BOARD.

TODAY, I WOULD LIKE TO START BY THANKING DR.

KAY WYATT FOR ASSUMING THE MANTLE OF INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT.

I ONLY WISH IT HAD HAPPENED SOONER.

IS CLEAR FROM YOUR WORDS AND ACTIONS THAT YOU PLACE A PREMIUM ON THE EDUCATION OF STUDENTS OF ALEXANDRIA, AS WELL AS THE WELFARE OF BOTH STAFF AND STUDENTS WITHIN THE AC SYSTEM. I APPRECIATE THAT YOU ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE ENOUGH ABOUT THE ADVISORY COMMITTEES TO ANSWER BOARD QUESTIONS AND THAT YOU STAND BEHIND THE WORK AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THOSE WHO SERVE ON THEM. ANY TEAM WORKS BEST UNDER SUPPORTIVE LEADERSHIP.

SPEAKING OF COMMITTEES, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE TAG ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THEIR LAST PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD AND THEIR REASSURANCE THAT THEY WILL FOLLOW VIRGINIA STATE REQUIREMENTS REGARDING THE TAG PROGRAM.

I WAS ESPECIALLY HEARTENED TO HEAR THEIR RECOMMENDATION THAT TEACHERS AND STAFF GET TRAINING ON HOW TO IDENTIFY THE GIFTED AND TALENTED WITHIN THEIR PURVIEW.

THIS IS ALSO IN LINE WITH A 2019 REPORT BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GIFTED CHILDREN THAT STATES, QUOTE, WHEN APPROPRIATE IDENTIFICATION PROTOCOLS ARE EMPLOYED, ALONG WITH PROGRAMING MODELS THAT CULTIVATE POTENTIAL, MORE STUDENTS FROM HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS CAN BE IDENTIFIED, RESULTING IN A MORE EQUITABLE PROCESS AND GIFTED ENROLLMENTS MORE REFLECTIVE OF THE NATIONAL STUDENT POPULATION, UNQUOTE.

I THANK THE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS FOR THEIR QUESTIONS THIS YEAR, AND I HOPE THEY CONTINUE TO ASK THE TOUGH ONES.

I WANT TO THANK THE THE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES ON THE BOARD.

THEY NOT ONLY PROVIDE US WITH INFORMATION ON EVENTS HAPPENING WITHIN THE SCHOOLS, BUT THEY GIVE A VOICE TO HOW STUDENTS FEEL ABOUT THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE APPROVED AND APPROVED AND ENACTED BY THE SCHOOL BOARD ON THEIR BEHALF.

AND I CERTAINLY WISH EVERYONE A GOOD NIGHT AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

OK. SO THAT IS THE END OF OUR LIST OF PUBLIC COMMENTERS THIS EVENING.

AND JUST A REMINDER TO ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, IF YOU CAN, PLEASE SIGN UP BY NOON THE DAY PRIOR TO THE BOARD MEETING.

YOU CAN DO SO ON THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING PAGE AND THAT IS HOW WE GET YOU IN THE QUEUE.

SO THANK YOU EVERYONE.

AND THEN IT IS TIME FOR OUR REPORT FROM OUR LOVELY STUDENT REPS.

[9. Report from Student Representatives Emily Milton and Torenzo Ricks]

AND TODAY AT AX, IT WAS ACTUALLY UGLY SWEATER DAY TO CELEBRATE.

AND YESTERDAY WAS OUR CULTURAL BAZAAR WHERE STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO CELEBRATE AND SHOWCASE ALL THEIR HERITAGES AND SHARE THEM WITH OTHERS.

TWO FRENCH LANGUAGE STUDENTS WERE ALSO ABLE TO WELCOME THE FRENCH AMBASSADORS TO THE UNITED STATES AT THE WHITE HOUSE RECENTLY.

AND WE WANT TO SAY HOW PROUD WE ARE ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES OUR STUDENTS GET TO BE A PART OF SINCE OUR LAST MEETING OF THE YEAR.

I JUST WANT TO REFLECT ON THIS PAST YEAR AND SAY THANK YOU TO THE NOT SO NEW ANYMORE, BUT RELATIVELY NEW SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS WHO WERE SO WELCOMING AND GREAT TO GET TO KNOW THIS YEAR. I ALSO WANT TO SAY JUST THANK YOU AGAIN FOR GIVING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY AND MAKING THIS A BOARD THAT I AM VERY PROUD TO BE A PART OF.

I WANT TO ALSO GIVE OUT SOME SPECIFIC TEACHER SHOUT OUTS AND WANT TO CONGRATULATE COACH DANIEL THORN AGAIN, WHO IS ALSO NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR FOR THE CLASS SIX DIVISION.

I ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT BETHANY BONETTI, WHO IS A MATH TEACHER AT MINI HOWARD AND HAS BEEN HIGHLIGHTED FOR HER UNIQUE AND HIGHLY ENGAGING SEO LESSONS WHILE ALSO INCORPORATING MATH TOPICS INTO IT.

I WANT TO THANK ALL TEACHERS, ESPECIALLY RIGHT NOW, FOR CONTINUING TO SHOW UP EVERY DAY AND DO AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB AT A JOB THAT IS DEFINITELY NOT EASY.

AND AGAIN, THANK YOU TO ALL OF US AS STUDENTS COULD BE HERE WITHOUT YOU AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND SAFE WINTER BREAK TO EVERYONE.

THANK YOU. AND I'LL PASS IT OFF TO TO RENZO.

GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE, AGAIN.

HAPPY HOLIDAY. I TOLD YOU GUYS I GET CRAZY WHEN I'M AROUND THE HOLIDAY SEASON, SO I WON'T SAY IT ALL NIGHT, BUT YEAH, HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE.

[00:35:06]

I CAN SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL.

THE PERFORMING ARTS DEPARTMENT PUT ON WONDERFUL PERFORMANCES FEATURING THE BAND LED BY MR. GRANT, THE CHOIR LED BY MR. THORPE AND THE ORCHESTRA LED BY MS..

JACKSON. WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO PLEASE COMPLETE THE SURVEY OF OUR SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH.

THE DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 21ST OF 2022.

I'M SORRY. THE 2023 ACP SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR IS SCHEDULED IN THE NEW YEAR FOR JANUARY 26, 2023.

AND WE NEED JUDGES, SO IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE FILL OUT THE SIGN UP FORM AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE.

I THINK I STOLE THAT POINT FROM DR.

KAY WYATT, BUT WE'RE JUST GOING TO KEEP ROLLING.

GOING BACK TO THE TIGHT END CHOIR WITH THE HELP OF OUR WONDERFUL VICE CHAIR, OUR NEXT BOARD MEETING SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 5TH, THE ALEXANDRIA CITY HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR, ALONG WITH MYSELF, WILL BE PERFORMING THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER HERE.

AND I BELIEVE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE CHOIR HAS BEEN TO A BOARD MEETING IN MANY YEARS.

SO I FEEL LIKE WE BROKE A BARRIER.

I'M EXCITED.

I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF MORE TEACHER SHOUT OUTS STARTING AT THE MINI HOWARD.

MS.. KELLY CHURCH COLONY.

FORGIVE ME IF I BUTCHERED THAT.

WE ACKNOWLEDGE YOU FOR WORKING DILIGENTLY TO TRAIN NEW TEACHERS AND MENTORS OVER AT THE MINI HOWARD CAMPUS AND THAT ARE NEW TO ASPS.

COACH BIGGERT FOR HIS CREATIVE WAYS TO ENFORCE THE PRINCIPLE OF PBIS TO OUR STUDENTS.

AND THIS IS KIND OF GOING BACK TO THE KING STREET CAMPUS, OUR NEW ACADEMY FIVE PRINCIPAL, MR. ROBERTSON, FOR FULFILLING HIS POSITION WONDERFULLY.

AND HE IS ALSO THE HEAD OF THE PERFORMING ARTS DEPARTMENT AT HHS.

SO ON BEHALF OF ALL THE PERFORMING ARTS TEACHERS, WE THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO PUT ON WONDERFUL PRODUCTIONS AS WE DID THROUGHOUT THE LAST WEEK.

LASTLY, THIS IS GOING TO BE MY SAPPY 30 SECONDS, SO IF YOU GUYS START CRYING, IT'S NOT MY FAULT.

BUT THIS IS OUR LAST MEETING IN THE YEAR OF 2022.

SO I DO WANT TO TAKE THIS TIME TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE IN THIS POSITION AS DR..

DR. GREENWELL. VICE CHAIRMAN.

GREEN. AS VICE CHAIRMAN GREEN ALWAYS REMINDS ME, I DID KIND OF SPEAK THIS POSITION INTO EXISTENCE, AND I THANK YOU ALL FOR PUTTING UP WITH MY CRAZINESS, MY GOOFINESS.

AND I HAVE TO THANK EMILY AND SARA FOR WORKING WITH ME AS MUCH AS THEY CAN AND TOLERATING ME WHEN I GET ANNOYING.

LASTLY, I DO WANT TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF EMILY ZAYA AND MYSELF.

WE THANK EVERY TEACHER, EVERY MENTOR, SUBSTITUTE ADMINISTRATOR, PRINCIPAL, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, SANITATION WORKER, SECURITY GUARD, BUT EVERYBODY EMPLOYED IN PEACE.

WE THANK YOU FOR ONE, STARTING THE SCHOOL YEAR OFF ON ONE OF THE BIGGEST AND HIGHEST NOTES OF ALL COMING OUT OF A PANDEMIC AND SUSTAINING THAT.

ENERGY. AND OF COURSE, I DO HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE EACH AND EVERY STUDENT BECAUSE I WILL I'M SURE I CAN SPEAK ON BEHALF OF US.

WITHOUT THE STUDENTS, THERE IS NO US.

AND SO ANY STUDENT THAT'S WATCHING IT, IF YOU SEE THIS, WE THANK YOU.

WE LOVE YOU AND WE JUST WE'RE HERE FOR YOU AGAIN.

I WISH EVERYBODY A HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON AND WE WILL SEE YOU ALL IN THE NEW YEAR AS I PASS IT TO OUR.

THANK YOU. HELLO, EVERYONE.

[10. Report from International Academy Student Representative Zahra Rahimi]

THEIR GOAL IS TO UNITE AND ESTABLISH A COMMUNITY AMONG MUSLIM AND NON-MUSLIM STUDENTS HOLDING CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS EVENTS AND AS WELL AS VOLUNTEERING WORKS FOR THE COMMUNITY.

AND THE SECOND THING IS THAT HEART OF ASIA AFGHAN GROUP, WHICH I AND SERIOUSLY MY FRIEND, ARE THE ORGANIZER OF THE FIRST AS HAVING AN UPCOMING EVENT YOGA NIGHT, WHICH IS CELEBRATED IN TAJIKISTAN, UZBEKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN AND IRAN AND IS THE LONGEST NIGHT IN THE YEAR.

THE EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE ON DECEMBER 21ST AND WILLIAM RAMSAY AT FIVE.

AND WITH THAT SAID, OUR GROUP HEART OF ASIA AFGHAN GROUP ALSO BECOME PARTNERS WITH NOVEL CRAFT AND ORGANIZATION THAT HELPS AFGHAN REFUGEES AND DO VOLUNTEER WORKS FOR CHURCHES, SYNAGOGUES, MOSQUES AND BUSINESSES.

THERE IS ALSO A PROJECT GOING ON LOOKING AT THE RECREATION CENTERS AND DOING A SURVEY TO SEE IF THEIR RECREATION CENTERS ARE SERVING MULTILINGUAL FAMILIES. AND THE SURVEY IS DONE BY THE DIGITAL APPLICATION CLASS, WHICH IS IN THE INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY IS DECIDING TO START A MARCHING BAND TYPICAL OF CENTRAL AMERICA.

[00:40:08]

THANK YOU. HE.

EXCELLENT. THANK YOU GUYS.

AND KNOW THAT YOU TWO ARE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED AND WISHING YOU A RELAXING WINTER BREAK. OKAY.

SO WE CAN MOVE ON.

[Consent Calendar]

MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE THAT WE ADOPT THE CONSENT CALENDAR.

ALL RIGHT. I HAVE MR. BAILEY. WHO? SECOND VICE CHAIR.

GREENS MOTION.

ARE THERE ANY ITEMS TO PULL? OKAY, SO WE CAN VOTE.

WELL, I'M SORRY I MESSED UP.

MS.. IGNACIO.

YES, I APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

OKAY, SO MOVING ALONG.

[25. Adoption of the FY 2024-2033 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget (Documents to be uploaded by 12/15/2022)]

SO I WILL TURN IT OVER TO DR.

KAY WYATT AND HER TEAM.

SO WE ARE JUST PUTTING FORWARD I DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE DR.

HART AND MR. TURNER ON.

WE HAVE MADE THOSE EDITS AND PROPOSALS THAT YOU HAVE SENT TO US, SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO THEM AT THIS TIME.

DR. HART AND MR. TURNER. THAT IS FOR ACTION, THOUGH, MADAM CHAIR.

SO ARE THERE ANY THINGS THEY WOULD LIKE TO SAY? YES. GO AHEAD, SIR.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

SO, MADAM CHAIR, VICE CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT DURING THE CIP BUDGET DEVELOPMENT SESSION AND LOOKING FORWARD TO HOPEFULLY ADOPTION OF OUR PROPOSED CIP WITH AMENDMENTS TONIGHT.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT.

SO WITH THAT SAID, UNLESS THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS, I DO NEED A MOTION TO ADOPT THIS BUDGET.

MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE THAT THE ALEXANDRIA CITY SCHOOL BOARD ADOPT THE FY 2024 TO 2033 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM BUDGET IN THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF 461,065,200 WITH 58,707,600 IN FY 2024.

THE SUPERINTENDENT IS GRANTED THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE THE NECESSARY MINOR CHANGES TO COMPLY WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD.

SECOND. I HAVE NO METAL NEWBIE.

I HAVE A MR. AL NEWBIE WHO'S SECOND SPICE CHAIR.

GREENS MOTION.

MISS IGNACIO.

I APPROVE.

OK IN THE BUDGET HAS BEEN ADOPTED UNANIMOUSLY.

ALL RIGHT. SHOULD WE APPLAUD? YES. I THINK OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM AND WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THAT VOTE.

AND THERE WAS A LOT OF HARD WORK THAT WENT INTO THAT BY THE LEADERSHIP TEAM.

SO THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO ARE ON TONIGHT ON ZOOM AS WELL AS AT HOME.

THAT WAS TRULY A TEAM EFFORT.

SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THAT.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT.

NEXT UP, WE HAVE OUR ESSER THREE UPDATE, AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DR.

[26. ESSER III Update]

NO. OKAY.

WE SEE JUST TIMING.

ABSOLUTELY NOT. IT WAS A PART OF THE ESSER FOR THE YEAR, BUT SO.

[00:45:04]

WE WILL HAVE A NUMBER OF OUR SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM WHO WILL BE PRESENTING THEIR UPDATES RELATED TO THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE.

BY NO MEANS. WHAT YOU HEAR TONIGHT IS ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE.

THESE ARE JUST HIGHLIGHTS.

SO JUST BE MINDFUL OF THAT.

SO I DO WANT TO THANK THE TEAM AGAIN.

THIS WAS A BIG EFFORT AND I'M GOING TO START WITH MR. TURNER, BUT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OUR SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM MEMBERS WHO WILL BE PRESENTING TONIGHT.

SO, MR. TURNER, MY PLEASURE TO TURN IT OVER TO YOU THIS EVENING.

THANK YOU, MA'AM. I APPRECIATE IT.

CAN EVERYBODY SEE MY SCREEN? YES. YES.

AND CAN WE HAVE OUR SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM JUST INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AS THEY GET THROUGH THEIR SLIDE? IT WILL JUST REALLY HELP SO YOU'LL KNOW THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING.

THANK YOU. IT WILL DO.

MY NAME IS DOMINIC. TURN ON THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER HERE FOR ACP AND I'LL BE PROVIDING A BRIEF OVERVIEW AND UPDATE FOR OUR AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT.

ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL EMERGENCY RELIEF FOR ESSER THREE UPDATE.

JUST A QUICK RECAP OF THE FUNDING THAT WE RECEIVED FOR COVID RELIEF OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS.

ON THE FIRST UNDER THE CARES ACT, WE RECEIVED ROUGHLY $4.23, MILLION OF WHICH A PORTION HAD TO GO TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS HERE IN THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA.

WE HAVE EXHAUSTED ALL OF THAT FUNDING OF THE 4.23 MILLION.

WE ALSO RECEIVE FUNDING UNDER THE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND OF 2.82 MILLION.

WE'VE ALSO EXHAUSTED ALL OF THOSE FUNDS AS WELL.

THOSE FUNDS PRIMARILY WENT TO PROVIDE DEVICES FOR OUR STUDENTS WHEN WE ARE FIRST ENGAGING IN VIRTUAL LEARNING.

EARLY IN THE START OF THE PANDEMIC.

THE NEXT SET OF FUNDING UNDER ESSER TWO, WE RECEIVED ROUGHLY 15.66 MILLION.

TO DATE, WE'VE EXPENDED ROUGHLY 70% OF THOSE FUNDS.

AND THEN LASTLY, UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT, WHICH WAS OUR FOCUS TONIGHT, ESSER THREE, WE RECEIVED $39.1 MILLION WHEN YOU INCLUDE THE THREE SET ASIDES AS WELL.

SO RECAP OF THE PURPOSE OF THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT, THE ESSER THREE.

IT WAS TWO. THE FUNDING WAS GIVEN TO SAFELY REOPEN AND SUSTAIN THE SAFE OPERATIONS OF SCHOOLS AND THEN TO ADDRESS ANY IMPACTS THAT COVID 19 MAY HAVE HAD ON OUR STUDENTS ADDRESSING ACADEMIC, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL AND ANY MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS.

SO AS A PART OF OUR PLAN IN ESSER THREE, WE INVOLVE THE COMMUNITY WITH IT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE CAPTURING WHAT THEY BELIEVE SOME OF THE NEEDS ARE FOR OUR STUDENTS. AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF WAYS THAT WE'VE DONE THIS.

SO EVERY SIX MONTH WE CONDUCT A SURVEY AND THEN WE ALSO HOST A PUBLIC HEARING.

WHILE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY COMMENTS TONIGHT.

WE DID HAVE ROUGHLY 500 RESPONDENTS TO OUR SURVEY.

THAT SURVEY CLOSED ON THE 11TH OF DECEMBER, AND WE WILL BE POSTING ONLINE ON OUR SURVEYS THE RESULTS OF THOSE SURVEYS IN THE COMING WEEKS. WE ALSO GOT SOME FEEDBACK ON OUR COMMUNITY FORUM THAT WE HOSTED BACK IN OCTOBER.

AND THEN LASTLY, ANYBODY THAT'S WATCHING, PLEASE CONTACT US AT BUDGET AT ACPS OR AT ASK AT ACPS WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON HOW WE ARE USING OUR ESSER OR ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW WE COULD USE ESSER TO SERVE OUR STUDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY. THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES THAT WE USE TO DEVELOP OUR PLAN 4 TO 3 WAS TO CONCENTRATE OUR EFFORTS, BUILD OUR INTERNAL CAPACITY, AND THEN IMPLEMENT ANY PROGRAM THAT WE'RE DOING WITH FIDELITY ACROSS ACP.

SO WE'VE USED THESE IN THE FIVE MAJOR CATEGORIES THAT WE HAD, WHICH WAS COVID 19 MITIGATION PROJECTS, STEEL TECHNOLOGY, INFRASTRUCTURE OR AIR NEEDS.

AND THEN LASTLY, ANY COMMUNITY INITIATIVES THAT MAY NEED TO BE DONE TO ASSIST OUR ACP COMMUNITY.

BRIEFLY A QUICK OVERVIEW OF WHERE WE ARE WITH OUR ASSET THREE BUDGET VERSUS EXPENDITURE BREAKDOWN.

SO UNDER OUR CATEGORY.

THIS IS THE LION'S SHARE OF OUR ESSER THREE.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ESSER THREE THAT WASN'T A PART OF ANY OF THE OTHER COVID RELIEF FUNDS IS 20% HAS TO GO TOWARDS ACADEMIC LEARNING LOSS.

SO WE BUDGETED 16.1 MILLION OF OUR FUNDS TOWARDS SEO, AND TO DATE WE'VE SPENT $2.3 MILLION FOR COVID 19 MITIGATION PROJECTS.

WE BUDGETED 7.7 MILLION AND TO DATE WE'VE SPENT JUST UNDER $5 MILLION OF THAT FOR OUR TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE.

WE BUDGETED AT 5.6 MILLION AND WE'VE SPENT A MILLION AND A HALF, BUT WE ALSO HAVE FOUR AND A HALF MILLION UNDER HUMAN RESOURCES, AND WE SPENT JUST UNDER HALF A MILLION

[00:50:07]

WE BUDGETED JUST UNDER $1,000,000 AND WE SPENT 70,000 ON THAT TO DATE.

AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE PRESENTATION, EACH ONE OF MY PEERS WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THEIR SPECIFIC AREA AND PROVIDE MORE DETAILS ON SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE COMPLETED, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE UPCOMING AND SOME OF THE REVISIONS THAT WE'RE MAKING TO THE PLAN AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE TO THE END OF ESSER THREE, WHICH WILL BE SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2024.

WITH THAT, I WILL TOSS IT TO DR.

JACKSON TO TALK ABOUT OUR SEAL IN ACTION FOR AC THREE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. TURNER. AND I WANT TO SAY HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE.

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TIMES OF YEAR.

AND SO I'M REALLY APPRECIATIVE TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD AND THE COMMUNITY TONIGHT.

WE ARE GRATEFUL TO HAVE THESE ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR OUR STUDENTS.

AND WHEN PLANNING FOR THE USE OF OUR ESSER THREE FUNDS, WE HAVE THREE GOALS IN MIND.

FIRST, OUR GOAL IS TO SUPPORT ALL STAFF WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HIGH QUALITY PROGRAMS. SECOND, WE AIM TO INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EXISTING PROGRAMS, AS MR. TURNER SPOKE ABOUT.

AND FINALLY, WE LOOK TO DIRECT SUPPORT TO STUDENTS AND FAMILIES THAT NEED IT MOST.

AND TO ACCOMPLISH THESE THREE GOALS, WE FOCUSED ON STRENGTHENING OUR EXTENDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES BY ALIGNING RESOURCES TO PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND LEVERAGING THE SUPPORT OF OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, WHICH INCLUDE TUTORING AND SUPPORTIVE SUMMER LEARNING ACTIVITIES.

AS WE SHARE WITH THE BOARD AND THE COMMUNITY IN PREVIOUS PRESENTATIONS, WE ARE ALSO MONITORING AND DEVELOPING WAYS TO GATHER ONGOING FEEDBACK TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS EFFECTIVENESS OF OUR CO INITIATIVE WHILE ALIGNING AND INTEGRATING SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING WITH OUR TIER ONE INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM.

WE CONTINUE TO WORK TO SUPPORT AND BUILD SCHOOL LEADERS AND STAFF EXPERTISE AND THE MULTI TIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT, AS WELL AS BUILD DATA ANALYTICS AND REPORTING TOOLS AT THE CLASSROOM, SCHOOL AND DISTRICT LEVELS.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

WE ARE ALSO CURRENTLY USING ESSER FUNDING TO STRENGTHEN OUR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL CURRICULUM, WHICH YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THE ROLE OF CURRICULUM.

AND THIS SPECIFICALLY HELPS OUR STUDENTS TO BUILD SKILLS TO IDENTIFY AND REGULATE THEIR EMOTIONS, DEVELOP STRONG PEER RELATIONSHIPS AND DECISION MAKING SKILLS. YOU'VE ALSO HEARD ABOUT DSA, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR UNIVERSAL SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SCREENING TOOL THAT ALLOWS US TO FOCUS ON STUDENT STRENGTHS IN ORDER TO MEET THE INDIVIDUAL AND UNIQUE NEEDS OF EACH STUDENT.

WE ARE ALSO WORKING WITH OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF TO BUILD THEIR SKILLS WITH TRAUMA INFORMED AND EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICES THAT ALLOW TEACHERS AND STAFF TO BETTER RECOGNIZE SIGNS OF DISTRESS AND STUDENTS WITH POTENTIAL MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS.

AND WE KNOW THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.

AND FINALLY, WE HAVE ALSO HAD INITIAL CONVERSATIONS ON HOW WE CAN SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE VIRTUAL VIRGINIA ACADEMY PROGRAM, AS WE WANT TO ALSO MEET THEIR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL NEEDS AND DEVELOPMENT AS WELL.

NEXT SLIDE, AND I WILL TURN IT OVER TO DR.

GONZALEZ TO SHARE MORE ABOUT SEAL.

YES. THANK YOU, DR. JACKSON.

SO I'M DR. WENDY GONZALEZ, CHIEF OF TEACHING, LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP.

AND WE'RE EXCITED TO REPORT SOME OF OUR COMPLETED ACTIVITIES THAT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE BY THE ESSER FUNDS.

SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE VIRTUAL VIRGINIA AFFORDABLE FOR ALL OUR STUDENTS.

HAVE WE BEEN ABLE TO COVER ALL THE TUITION COSTS AND TEXTBOOK FEES FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR? ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HIRE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE SUPPORT, STUDENT SUPPORT AND EQUITY TEAM.

WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HIRE MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALISTS AND CONTACT TRACERS, SPECIFICALLY OUT OF ESSER TWO AND THEN OUT OF ESSER THREE.

WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET AN MTS SPECIALIST, EQUITY INCLUSION SPECIALIST AND A DIRECTOR OF COUNSELING.

ADDITIONALLY, WITH FOR THE STUDENT SUPPORT TEAM, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ADDITIONALLY HIRE 1.4 FLOATING NURSES TO CONTINUE OUR SUPPORT OF OUR STUDENTS.

AND IN TEACHING, LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE A PRE K INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST, CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SPECIALISTS OR BASED SPECIALISTS, AND AN EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER.

ALSO, WE HAVE LAUNCHED FOUR NEW LINK CLUB SITES AT CORE KELLY JOHN ADAMS, WHERE RAMSEY AND GEORGE WASHINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL.

AND TO SUPPORT THOSE EXTENSIONS, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SUPPORT THEM WITH ADDITIONAL MATERIALS AND INSTRUCTIONAL KITS AT OUR SITES, INCLUDING A SIMULATION CLUB. ALSO, TO SUPPORT THIS, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HIRE AN OUT OF SCHOOL TIME MANAGER AND DATA ANALYST TO SUPPORT THESE CLUBS.

[00:55:05]

WE'RE ALSO ABLE TO PROVIDE MORE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR ELL, NUMERACY, LITERACY, STEM AND LIBRARY RESOURCES, AS WELL AS OUR OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME CURRICULUM MAPPING PROJECT WE'RE WORKING ON.

AND TO DATE WE'VE SPENT 2.3 MILLION OUT OF THE ESSER THREE.

NOW WE'VE MADE SOME REVISIONS TO OUR ESSER THREE PLAN.

WE HAVE SUBMITTED IT TO VIDO.

WE WERE WAITING TO HEAR ABOUT APPROVAL, BUT WE HAVE ASKED TO REALIGN SOME OF OUR FUNDS TO SUPPORT OUR SCHOOLS THAT ARE UNDER ACADEMIC REVIEW TO BETTER SUPPORT THEM AND THEIR STUDENT LOSS INITIATIVES AND OUR GAPS IN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.

WE'VE ALSO REALIGNED SOME OF OUR FUNDING TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PAY FOR VIRTUAL VIRGINIA THROUGH THE REST OF THIS YEAR INTO NEXT YEAR.

AND WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO USE ESSER ONE, TWO AND THREE TO SUPPORT THAT INITIATIVE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.

WE'RE ALSO WE'VE ALSO ASKED TO REALLOCATE SOME OF OUR FUNDING TO SUPPORT OUR SUMMER LEARNING THROUGH THE SUMMER OF 2020 23, AS WELL AS HELP SUPPORT THE HIRING OF ADDITIONAL STAFF KNOWN AS OUR INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT MONITORS THAT WILL BE ABLE TO SUPPORT SOME OF OUR CLASSROOMS THAT HAVE SEEN SOME INCREASE IN THEIR CAPACITY SIZES.

AND FINALLY, WE'VE ASKED FOR RE READJUSTMENT FOR A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING ON OUR FOCUS ON EQUITY FOR GRADING, AS WELL AS THE NEXT LEVEL OF OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES KNOWN AS PLC PLUS.

AND NOW I WILL TURN IT OVER TO DR.

HART. THANK YOU SO MUCH, DR.

GONZALEZ. MY NAME IS DR.

ALICIA HART. I AM THE CHIEF OF FACILITIES AND OPERATIONS.

AND TONIGHT I WILL BE COVERING THE SO THREE PLAN FOR COVID 19 MITIGATION PROJECTS.

WITH THE THREE FUNDS, WE DO CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON OUR MAJOR REPAIRS AND UPGRADES SO THAT OUR FACILITIES HAVE AND CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE INDOOR AIR QUALITY.

MANY OF THESE ENHANCEMENTS AND CHANGES WILL PUT US IN A MORE FAVORABLE BUDGET POSITION IN THE ESSENCE, REDUCING LONG TERM MAINTENANCE COSTS.

SOME OF THE INITIATIVES THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED FOR THIS FUNDING INCLUDE ENSURING THAT OUR HVAC SYSTEMS ARE EFFICIENT AND OPERATIONAL IN RELATION TO PROPER VENTILATION GUIDELINES WITH TARGETED TESTING AS NEEDED.

ALSO ENSURING THAT OUR BUILDING EXTERIORS ARE AIRTIGHT TO HELP IN THE PREVENTION OF MOLD, ALLERGENS AND PESTS ENTERING AND FACILITIES, ALL OF WHICH HAVE IMPACTS ON INDOOR AIR QUALITY. ALSO BEING ABLE TO CONDUCT THE NECESSARY INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR FACILITY REPAIRS BASED ON OUR COMPLETED FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENT RESULTS, INCLUDING RECOMMENDED AND ONGOING PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE.

SOME OF THE COMPLETED ACTIVITIES INCLUDE.

EARLIER ON IN THE PANDEMIC, WE DID PROCURE ENHANCED CLEANING SERVICES FOR ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS.

WE PROCURED ADDITIONAL HVAC MAINTENANCE SERVICES SUCH AS REPAIRS IMPROVEMENT IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN OUR INDOOR AIR QUALITY.

IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO NOTE THAT OUR HVAC MAINTENANCE SERVICES ARE ALSO BEING FUNDED THROUGH ESSER TO ESSER THREE, AS WELL AS THE CORONAVIRUS, STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS. ALSO, WE HIRED SHORT TERM STAFF TO ASSIST WITH CONTRACT TRACING AND THAT WAS FOR DIVISION WIDE CONTRACTED SERVICES TO DELIVER ASYMPTOMATIC COVID SCREENING AND TESTING, INCLUDING PPE, AND THAT WAS DIVISION WIDE AS WELL.

STAFF WAS HIRED UNDER ESSER ONE AND ESSER TWO, AND ESSER THREE.

RESOURCES ARE ALSO ANTICIPATED TO BE LEVERAGED FOR A SIMILAR PURPOSE IN THE LATE EXCUSE ME, LATER IN THE AWARD.

SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE CONTINUING ARE OUR HVAC RENOVATIONS AND REPAIRS WHICH ARE ONGOING, AS WELL AS THE USE OF SHORT TERM STAFF TO ASSIST WITH ANY COVID TRACING NEEDS. THERE WAS ONE REVISION TO THE PLAN WHICH IS REALIGNING THE FUNDING FOR COVID 19 SCREENING AND TESTING.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE HAVE APPLIED AND USE FEMA DR4512VA PUBLIC ASSISTANCE FUNDING FOR SCREENING AND TESTING EFFORTS.

SPENDING TO DATE IS $4.9 MILLION.

I WILL NOW TURN IT OVER TO JOHN CRITES.

GOOD EVENING AND THANK YOU.

I'M JOHN PRICE. I AM THE DIRECTOR OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPORT.

I'M SITTING IN FOR DR.

HOOVER, WHO IS OUR CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, AND I'LL BE COVERING ESSER THREE PLAN TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE.

WE WELCOMED THIS FUNDING BECAUSE IT GAVE US THE ABILITY TO ACCOMPLISH MORE OF THE WORK THAT WAS SET FORTH IN OUR TECHNOLOGY PLAN, MUCH OF WHICH WAS PUT ON HOLD DURING COVID.

WITH OUR FREE FUNDS, WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE A RELIABLE, SCALABLE, TRANSPARENT TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE THAT FACILITATES THE OPERATION OF SCHOOLS IN THE DIVISIONS, OF COURSE, GREATER ACCESS AND EQUITY.

SOME SAMPLE INITIATIVES EARMARKED FOR THE FUNDING INCLUDE MODERNIZATION OF COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS AND UPGRADE REQUIRED EQUIPMENT IN ALL SCHOOLS, UPGRADE BUILDING WI FI EQUIPMENT, REPLACING AGING FIBER OPTICS TO SUPPORT GREATER SPEEDS AND NEWEST TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS.

MODERNIZING, INTEGRATE THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPORT OF OUR SCHOOLS ACROSS EDUCATION AND BUSINESS OPERATION, AND GROW EXPERTISE OF OUR TECHNOLOGY STAFF AS THEY GUIDE THE

[01:00:07]

COMPLETED INITIATIVES OR TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT PROGRAMS. SOME OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF PEOPLE ALWAYS ASSUME THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS JUST CABLES AND NETWORK HARDWARE.

BUT IN THIS CASE, IT'S ALSO FROM DEVICES FOR OUR STUDENTS CHARGING PARTS IN THE CLASSROOMS, STORAGE FACILITIES IN THE CLASSROOMS, CLASSROOM CAMERAS AND PAPARO, WHICH IS AN INSTRUCTIONAL SUITE THAT FACILITATES VIRTUAL LEARNING IN SCHOOL HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMUNICATION UPGRADES FOR NEW RADIOS.

THEY'RE CALLED TRI RADIO ACCESS WIRELESS POINTS AND INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES.

WE UPGRADED THE FIREWALL CLOUD INCIDENT IQ, A NEW TICKETING SYSTEM FOR OUR HELPDESK, AND TO BETTER SUPPORT OUR STAFF AND UPGRADE TO OUR SERVER SYSTEMS IN PROGRESS.

AND UPCOMING ACTIVITIES INCLUDE INSTALLATION AND UPGRADE OF ACCESS POINTS.

CLASSROOM CAMERA INSTALLATION IN SCHOOLS, REPLACEMENT OF AGING PA SYSTEMS, DEPLOYMENT OF ZOOM PHONE, WHICH IS A CLOUD BASED NEXT GENERATION PHONE SYSTEM IN ALL SCHOOLS, AND WE HAVE SOME MONIES ADDITIONAL ESSER THREE MONIES ALREADY ENCUMBERED THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE 1.5 MILLION THAT WE HAVE ALREADY SPENT.

AND I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO MR. PARCEL. THANK YOU, MR. CRITES. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.

I'M AMY PASCAL, THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES.

AS MR. TURNER STATED, ONE OF THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES GUIDING THESE INVESTOR FUNDS IS TO BUILD INTERNAL CAPACITY AND TO EXPAND SUCCESSFUL PRACTICES.

TO THESE GUIDELINES, THE HUMAN RESOURCES TEAM IS COMMITTED TO USING ESSER FUNDS TO INCREASE EFFORTS TO ATTRACT AND RECRUIT APPLICANTS FROM A LARGER AND MORE DIVERSE PIPELINE.

ONCE HIGHLY QUALIFIED STAFF MEMBERS ARE ON BOARD.

WE MUST WORK TO KEEP THEM.

THEREFORE, SOME OF OUR FUNDS ARE GOING TO EXPANDING AND BUILDING UPON THE STRENGTH OF RETENTION FOCUSED INITIATIVES SUCH AS OUR WELLNESS PROGRAM.

I WANT TO TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE FOCUS FOR THE 13% OF ESSER FUNDS THAT FALL UNDER THE AIR BANNER.

AS WE SHARED WITH YOU RECENTLY, OUR COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS TEAM IS PARTNERING WITH TL TO EXPAND ACTIVITIES AND STRATEGIES IN SUPPORT OF THE KEY RETENTION VARIABLE OF STAFF WELLNESS.

INCREASING STAFF.

TO SUPPORT NEW INITIATIVES, INCREASING STAFF SO THAT WE CAN SUPPORT NEW INITIATIVES SUCH AS THE ONE MY COLLEAGUES HAVE JUST SHARED WITH YOU.

THE BENEFITS TEAM IS ESTABLISHING A BROADER GROUP OF STAKEHOLDERS TO GENERATE IDEAS AROUND THIS TOPIC.

ONBOARDING IS MORE THAN JUST A PRE-EMPLOYMENT PROCESS THAT BRINGS PEOPLE IN OUR DOORS.

WE WANT A COMPREHENSIVE ONBOARDING PLAN THAT FOLLOWS EMPLOYEES THROUGH THEIR FIRST YEAR OF EMPLOYMENT TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE THE SUPPORT THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR POSITION. FINALLY, MARGARET BROWN AND THE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION TEAM ARE KEENLY FOCUSED ON IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIES TO MORE EFFECTIVELY RECRUIT, HIRE AND RETAIN A DIVERSE INSTRUCTIONAL AND SUPPORT STAFF.

DIVERSITY IN RECRUITMENT IS A MAJOR DEPARTMENT GOAL FOR THE HR TEAM THIS YEAR.

NEXT. IN TERMS OF SOME DIVISION LEVEL UPDATES.

EFFORTS COMPLETED TO DATE INCLUDE THE HIRING OF KEY COMMUNICATIONS TEAM PERSONNEL ALREADY AT WORK SUPPORTING OUR SCHOOLS.

WE CONTINUE TO PRIORITIZE SUPPORTING SCHOOLS WITH ADDITIONAL MONITORS AND SUBSTITUTES, AND WE HAVE DESIGNATED FUNDING TO HIRE AN ADDITIONAL 80 SCHOOL MONITORS.

OUR SPENDING TO DATE IS JUST UNDER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS.

NEXT. THE REVISION NOTED HERE, WAS COMPLETED TO ENSURE THAT ACP IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE NEW VIDO GUIDELINES.

NOW ONTO MS..

BERGER. THANK YOU, MS..

PASCALE. HI.

I'M JULIA BURGOS, CHIEF OF SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS.

AND TONIGHT I'M GOING TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOME OF THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE'VE MADE TO ADD TO OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS.

FIRST, A LOT OF ATTENTION WAS PAID TO VACCINE OR VACCINATION, ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION.

WE CREATED SOME VACCINATION AMBASSADOR VIDEOS AS WELL AS SOME REALLY TARGETED COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS TO REALLY REACH OUR FAMILIES THAT WERE HARD TO REACH AND ENSURING THAT THEY WERE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE VACCINATIONS THAT WERE AVAILABLE NOT ONLY IN OUR SCHOOLS BUT IN OUR

[01:05:01]

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. IN ADDITION TO THAT, SOME OF THE COMPLETED ACTIVITIES ARE WE'VE HIRED A FULL TIME TOOL FAMILY, DUAL LANGUAGE FAMILY LIAISON, AND THAT HAS BEEN WORKING WITH OUR SPANISH SPEAKING FAMILIES.

AND SO THAT IS THE LARGEST POPULATION THAT WE SERVE.

SO THAT ALLOWED US TO HAVE MORE REACH, ESPECIALLY IN OUR SCHOOLS, WHERE WE DON'T HAVE A FULL TIME FAMILY LIAISON, AS WELL AS IN OUR NEW WELCOME CENTER, WHICH WE OFFICIALLY OPENED LAST MONTH. WE HAVE ALSO ADDED A POSITION OF ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT TO ENSURE THAT WHEN OUR FAMILIES DO ENGAGE WITH US AT THE WELCOME CENTER, THAT THEY HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS GREETING THEM, HELPING THEM TO ACCLIMATE TO THE CENTER AND REALLY MAKING THEM FEEL LIKE IT IS A PLACE FOR FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.

IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'VE ALSO INSTITUTED A NEW MASS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM CALLED PARENT SQUARE, WHICH HAS REALLY BEEN A GAME CHANGER FOR THE SCHOOL DIVISION IN TERMS OF REACHING OUR FAMILIES TO REALLY FACILITATE TWO WAY ENGAGEMENT, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING FAMILIES, SINCE THE APP HELPS US TO REACH FAMILIES IN 100 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.

AND SO WE ARE ABLE TO ENGAGE FAMILIES IN THE LANGUAGE THAT THEY PREFER AND THE LANGUAGE THAT THEY'VE PREFERRED IN OUR SYSTEM.

IT HAS REALLY FACILITATED TWO WAY ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR TEACHERS AND AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING SOME OF THE PROGRESS OF THAT, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE STILL HAVING PROGRESS. WE'RE STILL WORKING ON PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR FACE AND FAMILY LIAISONS.

WE'VE ALREADY STARTED INSTITUTING THAT.

LAST WEEK, LAST SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, WE TALKED ABOUT OUR BLUEPRINTS FOR PHASE, AND THAT'S REALLY TIED AND CONNECTED TO THAT, AS WELL AS DELIVERING INTEGRATED STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES THROUGH COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS AND OVER, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO EXPAND THAT PROGRAM AND ESPECIALLY OUR FAMILIES AND WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR SCHOOL SUPPORT TEAMS. SO THIS ALLOWS US TO EXPAND THOSE SERVICES.

SO OUR SPENDING TO DATE ON THAT IS $2.7 MILLION.

AND WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MR. TURNER. HELP TO UNMUTE MYSELF.

THANK YOU, JULIA. I APPRECIATE IT.

AND THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR PROVIDING THE UPDATE ON YOUR SECTIONS.

SO NOW I'LL JUST PROVIDE A BRIEF SNAPSHOT OF THE FINANCIALS FOR EACH ONE OF THE DIFFERENT.

FEDERAL PANDEMIC RELIEF FUNDS.

WE HAD THE LARGER POTS OF MONEY FOR, SAY, ONE, TWO AND THREE, BUT THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL SET ASIDES, SMALLER GRANTS THAT WE'VE ALSO BEEN USING.

AND HERE'S JUST A SNAPSHOT OF WHERE WE'VE BEEN SPENDING THAT MONEY.

WHAT OUR PLAN HAS BEEN TO DATE, YOU MIGHT BE THINKING, WHY HAVE WE ONLY SPENT 26% OF THE ESSER THREE? AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN FOCUSING ON MAKING SURE WE EXHAUST THE FUNDS FOR ASR ONE AND SO TWO.

FIRST, THE TERM LIMIT FOR ONE WAS SEPTEMBER 30TH OF 2022.

FOR ESSER THREE, IT'S SEPTEMBER 30TH OF 2023 AND FOR ASSET THREE IS SEPTEMBER 30TH OF 2024.

SO WE STILL HAVE ROUGHLY TWO YEARS TO BE ABLE TO EXHAUST ALL OF ASR THREE AND JUST UNDER A YEAR TO EXHAUST THE REMAINING 30% OF ESSER TWO. SO THE PRIORITY WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE USE THE FUNDS THAT HAD THE EARLIER INMATE BEFORE THE ONES THAT HAVE THE LATER END DATE.

AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY DO THAT FOR THE GRANTS THAT HAVE ALREADY REACHED THEIR TERM LIMIT.

AND THIS LAST SLIDE JUST PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE COST CATEGORY BREAKDOWN OF OUR ESSER THREE SPENDING.

WITH THAT, I'LL WRAP IT UP AND TURN IT BACK TO THE CHAIR FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT THE BOARD MEMBERS MAY HAVE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

OKAY. THANK YOU ALL.

SO I WILL TURN OVER TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR QUESTIONS.

IF NO ONE HAS WON.

I HAD I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS.

OH, I GET TO GO FIRST.

SO I JUST HAD.

WHOOSH. GUYS, I JUST HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT SLIDES TEN AND 11.

CAN WE PULL UP SLIDE TEN? THANK YOU. AND I WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN BULLET NUMBER TWO UNDER UPCOMING ACTIVITIES.

SO THE MENTION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS TO SUPPORT LEARNERS, MATH, ELA, STEM PROGRAMS AND LIBRARY RESOURCES.

ARE YOU ABLE TO JUST SHARE MAYBE JUST A SNIPPET OR SNAPSHOT OF WHAT THOSE THINGS ARE? YES. SO FOR SOME OF OUR LEARNERS, WE NEED ACCESS TO MORE DICTIONARIES.

WE'RE TRYING TO GET MORE READERS THAT ARE NONFICTION TO HELP SUPPORT THE LITERACY COMPONENTS AND OUR DIFFERENT SUBJECTS.

[01:10:02]

AND THEN SLIDE NUMBER 11.

THE UTILIZATION OF FUNDING TO ASSIST SCHOOLS UNDER ACADEMIC REVIEW TO SUPPORT LEARNING LOSS.

I WAS INTERESTED IN ANY DETAILS YOU COULD GIVE ON THAT.

RIGHT. SO FOR THAT ONE, WE'RE LOOKING AT ANY KIND OF LIKE WHEN THEY WHEN WE'VE IDENTIFIED THE NEED AS FAR AS WHERE THE EXACT NEED IS, WHAT ADDITIONAL CURRICULUM RESOURCES THEY MIGHT NEED TO HELP SUPPORT THAT IF IT AGAIN, SCHOOL SPECIFIC, IF THEY NEED MORE SOMETHING IN MATH OR MORE SOMETHING IN THEIR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD THAT FUNDING AVAILABLE TO GET THEM WHATEVER THEY NEEDED TO HELP MEET THAT NEED.

AND ALSO IT DOES WHAT WE LISTED THAT SEPARATELY, BUT ALSO TO GIVE THEM ADDITIONAL SUPPORT IN THE CLASSROOMS WITH SOME INSTRUCTIONAL MONITORS IN SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS AS WELL.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

DR. REEF, THANK YOU, EVERYONE FOR THE PRESENTATION AND ALL OF THE UPDATES.

I WANTED TO ASK MR. TURNER, I GUESS, ABOUT YOU MENTIONED, WHICH MAKES SENSE, THAT YOU WERE FOCUSED ON SPENDING DOWN THE OTHER ONE, FOLLOWED BY THE TWO AND THEN THE THREE.

SINCE THEY HAVE THEIR DATES WHEN THEIR DEADLINES ARE DUE AS THEY'RE FOLLOWING ONE ANOTHER.

SO I JUST I GUESS I JUST WANTED TO ASK IF YOU THINK THAT YOU'RE ON TARGET TO MAKE THE DEADLINES FOR WHEN THOSE GRANTS HAVE TO BE EXTENDED. AND AND ALSO, WHAT DOES HAPPEN IF THERE IS FUNDING THAT'S NOT SPENT BY THE DEADLINE? OH, ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ALL OF MY PEERS WILL LET YOU KNOW THAT I DO NOT LIKE SENDING MONEY BACK TO WHERE IT CAME FROM.

WE WE GOT THE RESOURCES.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THOSE RESOURCES STAY HERE AND FOR OUR STUDENTS.

SO, YES, WE ARE DEFINITELY ON TARGET.

AND I MAKE SURE THAT OUR TEAM AND FSD CONTINUES TO REACH OUT TO EVERYBODY TO ENSURE THAT WE EXHAUST ALL OF THE FUNDINGS ON OUR GRANTS.

IF WE DON'T SPEND ALL OF THE MONEY, THEN THAT WOULD BE RETURNED TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LIKELY.

JUST SPECULATION VIDEO.

YOU WOULD PROBABLY USE THAT MONEY TO THEN REDISTRIBUTE TO SCHOOLKIDS ACROSS THE STATE.

BUT OUR GOAL IS TO ENSURE THAT WE EXHAUST ALL OF THE FUNDS AND SUPPORT THE STUDENTS IN.

THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND MAYBE IF I COULD ASK YOU ONE FOLLOW UP QUESTION, TOO.

I KNOW SOMETHING THAT YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT MANY TIMES, MR. TURNER. WHEN WE HAVE GRANT FUNDING, IS WANTING TO BE MINDFUL ABOUT, YOU KNOW, USING THAT TO SUPPORT STAFFING POSITIONS THAT ARE NOT GOING TO BE PERMANENT POSITIONS. AND SO I GUESS I'M WONDERING, WE HAVE A LOT OF FUNDING AND I SEE YOU ALL REVIEWED SOME OF THE POSITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN HIRED.

ON THE OTHER HAND, I KNOW THERE'S ALSO BEEN CHALLENGES HIRING FOR SOME POSITIONS.

SO I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE THE YOU KNOW, JUST BROADLY, IF YOU COULD TALK ABOUT HOW THE SPENDING HAS SUPPORTED ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL AND JUST, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF REMINDING US HOW YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THOSE PERSONNEL POSITIONS FOR THE LONG TERM THINGS.

YEAH. SO ANY POSITION IS HIRED WITH ESSER IS TO BE ABLE TO HELP OUR STUDENTS BE ABLE TO RECOVER FROM ANY OF THE TRAUMA THAT'S HAPPENED DURING THE COVID PANDEMIC.

IF WE SEE THAT SOME OF THE PROGRAMS ARE WORTH MAINTAINING AFTERWARDS, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'LL HAVE TO LOOK AT TO SEE HOW WE FUND IT.

CONTINUING ONCE THE FUNDS ARE EXHAUSTED, BUT PRIMARILY, AND THIS IS FOR EVERYBODY THAT IS WORKING ON IT, IT'S GRANT FUNDED, RIGHT? SO WHEN THE GRANTS GO ON, YOU KNOW, THE IDEA IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN TO SUPPORT ALL THE TRAUMA AND ANYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC.

AND THEN WITH SOME OF THE PLANS, SOME OF THE REVISIONS THAT YOU'VE SEEN WERE ACTUALLY MOVING FUNDING OUT OF SOME OF THE FTES TO FUND DIFFERENT AREAS, BECAUSE WE HAVE SEEN IT HAS BEEN HARD TO FILL THESE POSITIONS.

SO WE'VE BEEN PLANNING TO GET THOSE POSITIONS, BUT WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO BUILD THEM.

SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE USING THE FUNDS NOW AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ALSO GOING TO GET THE SUPPORT IN OTHER WAYS TO BE ABLE TO HELP OUR STUDENTS.

SO A LOT OF THE REVISIONS ARE AMENDMENTS THAT WE'VE SUBMITTED TO THE ZOE HAS MOVED FUNDING AWAY FROM FTES AND TO OTHER ITEMS TO BE ABLE TO GET SOME SUPPORT IMMEDIATELY VERSUS TRYING TO WAIT UNTIL WE CAN FIND SOMEONE THAT WANTS TO FILL THESE POSITIONS.

SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN USING THE FUNDING FOR TO SUPPORT STAFF IS ALSO JUST PROVIDING THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING BECAUSE STAFF HAS BEEN TAKING ON MORE. WHEN WE HAVE VACANT POSITIONS, STAFF TAKE ON MORE.

[01:15:02]

SO WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PAY STAFF ADDITIONALLY WHEN THEY HAVE TAKEN ON ADDITIONAL WORK.

THANK YOU. AND WE HAVE A SCREEN AND THEN DR.

SIMPSON BAIRD. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.

AND MY QUESTION IS KIND OF AN EXTENSION TO DR.

REEVES QUESTION ABOUT THE POSITIONS HIRED THROUGH THE GRANT FUNDING.

AND I WAS WONDERING, IS THERE ANY ANALYSIS OR EVALUATION OR PLAN POTENTIALLY BEING PUT IN PLACE FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THOSE POSITIONS? AND I'M SURE WE'VE HIRED SOME AMAZING PEOPLE THAT WE WOULD HATE TO LOSE IN ACP WHEN THAT FUNDING IS GONE.

SO WOULD LOVE TO KNOW IF THERE IS A PLAN IN PLACE FOR THAT.

DR. KAY. YES.

FIRST, JUST TO START, WE DO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THOSE APPLICANTS WHO APPLY FOR THOSE POSITIONS REALIZE THAT IT IS A GRANT FUNDED POSITION.

SO IF THERE ARE OPTIONS FOR THEM TO APPLY OR TRANSITION INTO POSITIONS, THEY WOULD HAVE TO INTERVIEW AND OF COURSE GO THROUGH THE SELECTIVE PROCESS BECAUSE IT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT POSITION.

BUT WITH A NUMBER OF VACANCIES THAT WE HAVE, I'M SURE THAT THEY COULD PROBABLY FIND AND SEEK A DIFFERENT POSITION WITHIN JUST BECAUSE OF THE STAFFING SHORTAGES AND VACANCIES.

BUT OF COURSE, IF THEY ARE IN GOOD STANDING WITH US DURING THAT TIME, WHERE THEY WOULD NEED TO TRANSITION FROM THE GRANT AND OVER TO AN OPERATING POSITION, THEY WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE TO GO THROUGH SELECTIVE PROCESS OF HIRING.

BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, WE DO HAVE SOME VACANCIES, SO WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT THEY WILL WANT TO CONTINUE TO WORK AND STAY WITH US.

BUT PLEASE NOTE THAT WE.

ARE. LET ME BACK UP.

I KNOW WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ASKING PEOPLE FOR INPUT, AND I'M CURIOUS WITH THAT INFORMATION THAT WE'RE GETTING.

SHOULD I PAUSE? I WAS GOING TO SAY YOU MIGHT WANT TO HOLD ON.

I THINK WE'VE LOST IF WE COULD JUST HOLD ON ONE SECOND.

IT LOOKS LIKE WE MAY HAVE LOST SOME OF OUR SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM AND WE'RE FROZEN ON MY END.

ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? SO WE'RE BACK NOW.

WE CAN HEAR ON MY END, BUT WE DID LOSE YOU FOR ABOUT TWO OR THREE OTHER BACK NOW.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT.

SO IF WE GET STARTED AGAIN, THAT WAS JUST A DRESS REHEARSAL.

ALL RIGHT, SO I HAVE A QUESTION FIRST FOR MR. TURNER, AND THEN AFTER HE RESPONDS, ANOTHER ONE FOR DR.

GONZALEZ. I KNOW WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ASKING FOR INPUT AROUND THE USE OF ESSER FUNDS.

SO I'M CURIOUS HOW SOME OF OUR ESSER THREE FUNDS.

SO I'M CURIOUS HOW MUCH OF OUR ESSER THREE FUNDS HAVE YET TO BE EARMARKED OR IDENTIFIED FOR CERTAIN PROJECT AREAS.

ARE WE? SO ALL OF OUR ASSET REFUNDS ARE ALREADY EARMARKED FOR THE PLAN FOR ESSER THREE HAD TO BE SUBMITTED SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AND EACH TIME WE MAKE AN AMENDMENT THAT'S EARMARKING IT FOR A SPECIFIC TASK.

SO THE ENTIRE $34.8 MILLION HAS BEEN EARMARKED FOR SPECIFIC PLANS THAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH.

WE DO HAVE THE SURVEY OUT THERE AND WE MAKE AMENDMENTS.

IF THERE'S COMMUNITY FEEDBACK OVERWHELMINGLY FOR SOMETHING THAT WE HAVEN'T ADDRESSED IN OUR PLAN ALREADY, WE SEEK TO MAKE AMENDMENTS TO TRY TO ADJUST, TO TRY TO ADDRESS ANY OF THOSE AREAS THAT AREN'T ALREADY IN THE PLAN.

THANKS. THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL.

AND THEN TO DR. GONZALES, I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE SORT OF THE MODIFICATIONS OF THE PLANS TO ADDRESS THE SCHOOLS UNDER ACADEMIC REVIEW.

OBVIOUSLY VERY MUCH NEEDED.

HOWEVER, I DO THINK THAT THERE IS BROADER NEED THAN THAT.

I THINK THERE ARE PROBABLY STUDENTS AT EVERY SCHOOL THAT COULD BENEFIT FROM ADDITIONAL ACADEMIC SUPPORT.

[01:20:05]

I LOVE TO SAY THAT WE ARE, BUT I THINK THAT WE'VE ALL SEEN THAT OUR STUDENTS ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS ARE STILL VERY HIGH.

AND SO I'D LOVE TO HEAR KIND OF WHAT YOUR RESPONSE IS TO THAT.

MY PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE, I KIND OF BROUGHT THIS UP PREVIOUSLY WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT SO WELL, DATA AND ACCREDITATION DATA IS THAT I THINK THERE ARE SPECIFIC COHORTS THAT I'M MORE CONCERNED ABOUT, LIKE GRADE LEVEL COHORTS THAN OTHERS.

NWA HAS DONE A LOT OF REPORTING OR A LOT OF ANALYSIS RECENTLY AROUND MAP DATA NATIONALLY, AND THEY'RE REALLY SHOWING THAT THIRD GRADERS ARE HAVING A HARDER TIME REBOUNDING FROM UNFINISHED LEARNING.

THE THIRD GRADERS NOW WHERE KINDERGARTNERS AT THE START OF THE PANDEMIC.

SO THEY MISSED A LOT OF EARLY LITERACY INSTRUCTION AND THAT SHOWING OUT EVEN IN THEIR READING SCORES NOW.

AND SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S TRUE FOR ALEXANDRIA, I'D BE REALLY INTERESTED TO FIND OUT.

BUT I ALSO THINKING ABOUT THAT COHORT SPECIFICALLY, THEY ALSO MISSED THEY DIDN'T GET OUR SYSTEMATIC PHONICS INSTRUCTION IN KINDERGARTEN EITHER, SO I'D BE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR NEEDS. SO COMING BACK TO MY QUESTION, YOU KNOW, ARE WE DOING ENOUGH TO ADDRESS UNFINISHED LEARNING? WHAT MORE COULD WE DO? WELL, THAT'S A REALLY THAT'S A BIG QUESTION THERE.

AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS MORE THAT WE CAN DO.

RIGHT. BUT I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE WORKED ON THIS YEAR IS WE'RE REALLY BEING INTENTIONAL WITH OUR QUARTERLY CHATS WHERE WE GET ALL THE INFORMATION FROM THE SCHOOLS OF WHERE THEY'RE EXCELLING, WHERE THE POCKETS, WHERE THE HOLES ARE BY GRADE LEVEL, BY CONTENT AREA.

WE DO THIS WITH OUR SPECIALISTS IN THE ROOM NOW WITH OUR WITH OUR EDUCATIONAL EXCUSE ME, EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS IN THE ROOM SO THAT THEY IMMEDIATELY CAN TAKE IT BACK TO THEIR TEAMS. WE'VE INCREASED OUR LEVEL OF COLLABORATION AND SUPPORT IN THE SCHOOLS THROUGH THE ACADEMIC REVIEWS WITH THE INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALISTS.

THAT'S WHERE THEY'VE COME WITH US, SO WE CAN SEE FIRSTHAND WHERE SOME OF THE GAPS ARE, WHERE SOME OF THE LEARNING LOSSES ARE.

I KNOW DR. WOOSTER IS FOLLOWING VERY CLOSELY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR NEW PHONICS PROGRAM TO SEE ARE WE MEETING ALL THE NEEDS.

THERE ARE GAPS, THERE'S NO DOUBT.

RIGHT. BUT I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE A NEXT LEVEL OF INTENTIONALITY THIS YEAR WITH OUR TEAMS, WITH OUR COLLABORATION, MAKING SURE WE'RE IN THE SCHOOLS AND MEETING THOSE NEEDS AND ADJUSTING AND ADJUSTING AS WE NEED TO.

THERE IS SOME WORK TO DO.

WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY ON HOW WE DELIVER THAT LEVEL OF INSTRUCTION, REALLY CHECKING FOR THAT ALIGNMENT TO THE STANDARD, THE COMPLETE STANDARD AT THE RIGOR THAT THE STANDARD IS EXPECTING US TO BE TEACHING OUR STUDENTS AND MEASURING OUR STUDENTS.

SO IT'S A COLLECTIVE EFFORT AMONG ALL PARTS OF TL TO WORK WITH THE SCHOOLS AS FAR AS PROVIDING THE ADDED LEVEL OF INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT TO OUR INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES AND TO GROW IN OUR PLC SO THAT WHEN WE'RE DESIGNING COMMON ASSESSMENTS NOW THAT IT'S AT THE LEVEL OF RIGOR AND ALSO PROVIDING THAT LEVEL OF FEEDBACK THROUGH OUR CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS WHERE WE SEE SOME DISCONNECT.

AND ALSO WE'RE WORKING WITH SOME CONTINUOUS MATH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS.

AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, WITH THE LITERACY, WITH THE ROLL OUT OF THE BOOKWORMS, WHICH IS THE SECOND PART OF THAT, AND MAKING SURE THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING IS ALIGNED TO THE STANDARDS, THE WAY THAT THEY'RE WRITTEN AND WE'RE EXPECTED FOR OUR CHILDREN.

WITH THAT SAID, WE'RE PUTTING A BIGGER EMPHASIS ON OUR INTERVENTION GROUPS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE STUDYING THE DATA SO THAT DATA STUDYING IS HAPPENING AT TL LEVEL, AT SCHOOL LEVEL.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT, ALL OF US IN OUR QUARTERLY CHATS.

SO IT'S LIKE ALL HANDS ON DECK THIS YEAR AND REALLY MAKING SURE THERE WERE ALIGNED IN OUR APPROACH AND OUR DELIVERY AND OUR SERVICE MODELS IN THE CLASSROOM.

THANK YOU. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT RESPONSE.

I KNOW A LOT OF THAT WORK JUST GOES ON IN PLACES WHERE WE AS SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS DON'T GET TO SEE.

SO I APPRECIATE KNOWING SORT OF WHAT THE APPROACH IS.

AND I KNOW A LOT OF FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY DO AS WELL.

I WOULD JUST LOVE TO THROW OUT SOME IDEAS I HAVE ON ADDITIONAL WAYS TO USE ESSER FUNDS.

SHOULD WE BE LOOKING FOR TO MAKE AMENDMENTS TO OUR PLANS? I'D LOVE TO SEE MORE TEACHER BONUSES.

I'D LOVE TO SEE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR IN AND OUT OF SCHOOL TIME, HIGH DOSAGE TUTORING FOR STUDENTS.

AND I'VE BEEN READING RECENTLY ABOUT OTHER DISTRICTS THAT HAVE OFFERED STUDENTS ACCESS TO VIRTUAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING OR THERAPY, LIKE SORT OF A TELEHEALTH MODEL.

I KNOW IT'S A REAL STRUGGLE TO HIRE MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, AND I THINK THAT COULD BE A GREAT USE OF THESE FUNDS.

IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR MORE INPUT.

THANK YOU. MS..

MR. TURNER. YES.

I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE SOME CLARITY ON A QUESTION EARLIER AROUND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE DON'T SPEND ALL THE MONEY.

MR. EASLEY WOULD LIKE ME TO BE MORE EXACT IN MY LANGUAGE, SO I'LL BE MORE EXACT IN MY LANGUAGE.

SO IT'S NOT THAT WE WOULD BE GIVING THE MONEY BACK.

[01:25:03]

DID DID I DO DID I IT JUSTICE? MR. EASLEY, I APPRECIATE YOU ALWAYS KEEPING ME SHARP OUT HERE.

HE WAIVED HIS SEAL OF APPROVAL FROM THE BACK OF THE ROOM.

HE'S LAUGHING. CAN I JUST ADD SOMETHING TO THAT WHOLE DATA MEETING QUESTION? ALSO, PLEASE KNOW THAT ACCOUNTABILITY IS ALSO NOW INVOLVED IN THOSE DATA MEETINGS.

SO WHAT YOU MIGHT THINK OF WHAT A DATA MEETING USED TO LOOK LIKE.

IT LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT THIS YEAR AND THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE AT THE TABLE, SO THOSE IMMEDIATE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.

SO IT'S. TL IT'S ACCOUNTABILITY.

IT IS A COMBINED EFFORT OF MULTI DEPARTMENTS NOW, SO THAT NEED IS ADDRESSED.

SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTAND THAT BECAUSE IT'S NOT WHAT WE USED TO THINK OF OF WHAT A DATA MEETING LOOKS LIKE.

ACTUALLY WANT TO CHIME IN AND I'LL MOVE TO MR. AL NEWBY. ONE OF THE THINGS I APPRECIATE THAT DR.

GONZALEZ HIGHLIGHTED WAS ENSURING THAT THE INSTRUCTION IS FOCUSED LIKE ON THE STANDARDS AS THEY ARE WRITTEN.

BECAUSE I THINK IN A LOT OF WAYS WE'VE CREATED OUR OWN GAPS SIMPLY BY NOT DOING THAT.

AND SO THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF THE WHOLE NOTION THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO INTERVENE OUR WAY OUT OF THIS.

SOMETIMES WE JUST NEED TO BE REFLECTING ON OUR PRACTICE SO THAT WE CATCH MORE KIDS.

I HATE TO SAY IT TIER ONE, BUT I MEAN, THAT'S THAT'S REALLY WHAT IT IS.

OKAY. SO, MR. AL NEWBY. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.

AND MY QUESTION CAN OF FOLLOW UP ON A COUPLE OF THE LAST QUESTIONS.

SO I KNOW WE TOUCHED THE PRESENTATION, TOUCHED ON HOW WE'RE GETTING FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC AND USING THE PUBLIC INPUT TO.

IDENTIFY WHERE WE WANT TO SPEND THE MONEY.

MY QUESTION IS, WHAT IS OUR INTERNAL PROCESS THAT WE'RE USING TO IDENTIFY NEEDS AND FIND OUT WHERE WE NEED TO DIRECT THE MONEY? I KNOW WE HAVE I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT IN GENERAL BROADLY, THAT WE HAVE THE MAIN AREAS AND WE'RE USING THE MAIN AREAS TO AND WE'RE USING THE CRITERIA THAT'S SET BY THE GOVERNMENT. BUT WHAT'S OUR INTERNAL PROCESS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO FIND THOSE NEEDS AND DIRECT THAT MONEY WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE DIRECTED, ESPECIALLY ON THE SCHOOL LEVEL? SURE I CAN GO AHEAD AND TAKE THAT.

SO WE HAVE A ESSER THREE COORDINATOR THAT COORDINATES EVERYTHING INVOLVING THIS GRANT, BUT EACH INDIVIDUAL TEAM WILL WORK WITHIN THEIR TEAM TO GO THROUGH THE DATA TO IDENTIFY WHERE THE FUNDING NEEDS TO GO TO ADDRESS ANY OF THE CONCERNS OF THAT AREA.

THEY WORK WITH SCHOOL STAFF ON THAT AS WELL.

OUR SURVEY ALSO GOES OUT NOT ONLY JUST TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS BUT ALSO TO STAFF AS WELL.

THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE THEIR COMMENTS ON THAT AS WELL.

SO TEACHERS, I.E. BUS DRIVERS, PRINCIPALS AND SO FORTH, ALL HAD THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND HAVE THEIR VOICE HEARD THROUGH THAT SURVEY AS WELL.

AND THEN AGAIN, EACH AREA.

SO EACH DEPARTMENT THEN WORKS WITH THEIR STAFF TO FORMULATE A PLAN BASED ON THE DATA TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE GAPS THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS FOR ANYTHING THAT THE PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED FOR OUR STUDENTS.

SO THAT'S OUR INTERNAL PROCESS FOR HOW WE GET EACH PERSON'S VOICE HEARD AND BE ABLE TO BEST DIRECT OUR FINITE RESOURCES TO AREAS THAT WE BELIEVE WILL BEST ASSIST OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF AS WE CONTINUE TO COME OUT OF THIS PANDEMIC.

THANK YOU. DON'T.

YOU KNOW, I JUST WANTED TO ADD ONE ADDITIONAL THING.

I'VE JUST TAKEN TO NOTES AS I WAS LISTENING TO SOME OF THE QUESTIONS HERE.

WE ARE EXPLORING THE TELEHEALTH OPTION AND WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THAT IN STAGES IN OUR FIRST STAGES FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.

SO WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S OUR FIRST LEVEL OF SERVICE WITH TELEHEALTH.

SO I JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT, AND I THINK MR. TURNER ALREADY TOOK MY OTHER NOTES, SO.

ALL RIGHT, GREAT. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT UPDATE.

AND LET'S SPEND THAT MONEY.

YOU DEFINITELY DON'T WANT TO GIVE ANY BACK WITH MR. TURNER ON THAT. THAT'S THAT, THAT'S ALWAYS.

YEAH, WELL, YEAH, I KNOW.

[01:30:01]

AND IT'S FROWNED UPON.

AND PLEASE NOTE THAT WHAT YOU SAW TODAY IS A VERY SHORT OVERVIEW.

IF YOU'VE SEEN THE WORK AND THE DOCUMENTS THAT GO INTO REPORTING BACK TO ESTHER AND HOW TO MONITOR THE FUNDS, IT'S A HUGE EFFORT BY A LARGE TEAM.

SO THANK YOU TO MR. TURNER AND HIS TEAM FOR THAT AS WELL AS YOU KNOW, SLT AND A NUMBER OF OTHER FOLKS WHO HAVE TO GO INTO PUTTING THAT TOGETHER.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.

SO MOVING ALONG, WE HAVE NEW BUSINESS THIS EVENING, THE FIRST OF WHICH IS OUR SAFETY SURVEY AND THE SLEEP FOCUS GROUP

[ 27. Safety Survey and SLEP Focus Group Feedback Results]

HEYWARD. THANK YOU.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF DATA AND A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT YOU'RE GOING TO RECEIVE TONIGHT.

SO I WANT US TO START WITH THAT, BECAUSE WHEN WE EXPERIENCE AND WHAT WE HEAR FROM THIS DATA, THERE MIGHT BE SOME RESPONSES IN EMOTIONS.

PLEASE KNOW THAT OUR TEAM IS ADDRESSING AND WORKING ON ALL OF THESE ISSUES AS WE MAKE THIS A PRIORITY.

AT THIS POINT, I AM GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO DR.

HART AND OUR CONSULTANTS FROM HANOVER RESEARCH AT THIS TIME.

SO, DR. HART, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

DR. KAY, AND GOOD EVENING AGAIN.

BOARD MEMBERS OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, I HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE UPDATES TO THE SCHOOL BOARD ON THE SLEEP ADVISORY GROUP PROCESS.

EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE HEARD A DETAILED SLEEP ADVISORY GROUP STATUS UPDATE FROM OUR EXTERNAL CONSULTANT, WHICH COVERED THE OVERALL MEETING PROGRESS AND NEXT STEPS TO THE NEXT STEPS THAT WERE HIGHLIGHTED DURING THAT DISCUSSION WERE THE COMMUNITY SAFETY SURVEY, WHICH WAS IMPLEMENTED IN THE SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER TIME FRAME AND THE FOCUS GROUP PROCESS PROCESS, SCUSE ME, WHICH OCCURRED DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER IN NOVEMBER.

I WILL NOW TURN IT OVER TO MIRIAM AWADA WITH HANOVER RESEARCH TO FACILITATE TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION ON THE SAFETY SURVEY RESULTS AND FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION FEEDBACK.

THANK YOU, DR. HART.

IT'S NICE TO BE HERE, EVERYONE.

AS ALICIA NOTED, MY NAME IS DR.

MARY MWITA. I AM THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF OUR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TEAM HERE AT HANOVER RESEARCH.

I AM JOINED TONIGHT BY SEVERAL MEMBERS OF MY TEAM, MARY KATE TAYLOR, WHO IS THE RELATIONSHIP DIRECTOR ON THE ACCOUNT AND HAS BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH US OVER THE LAST FIVE, SIX YEARS.

DR. BRITTANY BECKER, WHO IS OUR SURVEY CONSULTANT, HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN THE DESIGN ADMINISTRATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE SURVEY THAT WE WILL SHARE THE FINDINGS WITH YOU TONIGHT. AND KENYA SHUJA, WHO IS A QUALITATIVE CONSULTANT ON OUR TEAM, WHO WAS CLOSELY INVOLVED IN THE DISCUSSION GROUPS THAT WE FACILITATED ON BEHALF OF SLEEP AND ACP.

SO I'M EXCITED TO SHARE A PRESENTATION WITH YOU ALL TODAY.

I AM GOING TO GO AHEAD AND SHARE MY SCREEN.

ONCE. REALLY, THE PURPOSE OF TODAY'S PRESENTATION IS TO PROVIDE YOU ALL WITH A SUMMARY OF THE OVERALL TAKEAWAYS THAT WE DISCOVERED IN THE PROCESS OF CONDUCTING THE RESEARCH ON BEHALF OF SLP AND ACP. AS WE PARTNERED WITH YOU ALL OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT YOU WITH THE RESEARCH PURPOSE OF REALLY TRYING TO SUPPORT THE COMMITTEE IN MAKING THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND REIMAGINING WHAT THE SCHOOL LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP WITH ACP AND POLICE DEPARTMENT WOULD LOOK LIKE.

IN THAT PROCESS, WE DESIGNED FIRST REALLY TOOK A FIRST STAB AT OK.

LET'S EXPLORE WHAT THE SECONDARY RESEARCH HAS TO SAY AROUND POLICING, AROUND SAFETY, AROUND THE IMPLICATIONS OF POLICING IN SCHOOL RELATED TO DIFFERENT GROUPS, RELATED TO DISPROPORTIONALITY, AS RELATED TO THE IMPACT ON CULTURE AND CLIMATE, AS WELL AS ACADEMIC AND BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES.

SO AT THE FRONT END, WE PRESENT INFORMATION TONIGHT AROUND WHAT WE DISCOVERED FROM THAT SECONDARY RESEARCH PROCESS.

FROM THERE, OUR TEAM TOOK THE INFORMATION TO REALLY HELP GUIDE THE DESIGN OF OUR MULTI STAKEHOLDER SURVEY.

THE PURPOSE OF THE SURVEY WAS REALLY TO UNCOVER PERCEPTIONS, CURRENT PERCEPTIONS FROM YOUR STAKEHOLDERS, INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL, AROUND THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF SAFETY, CULTURE, CLIMATE, THE IMPACT OF SROS AND HOW THEY ARE PERCEIVING THEIR FEELINGS OF SAFETY IN THE DISTRICT.

FROM THERE, WE ENDED UP TAKING THE FINDINGS FROM THE SURVEY TO INFORM OUR DISCUSSION GROUP DESIGN.

REALLY, AS YOU ALL KNOW, WITH SURVEY RESEARCH, IT'S REALLY MEANT TO BRING TO PROVIDE A BROAD STROKE AND REALLY SOLICIT AS MUCH FEEDBACK FROM STAKEHOLDERS AROUND THEIR PERCEPTIONS AS POSSIBLE.

THE PURPOSE OF THE DISCUSSION GROUPS, HOWEVER, IS REALLY TO DIG IN A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO THOSE FINDINGS AND REALLY UNEARTH THE HOW AND WHY BEHIND THE RESPONSES WE WERE SEEING. SO HERE ON YOUR SCREEN, YOU WILL SEE THE TIMELINE AND THE PURPOSE BEHIND ALL OF THE RESEARCH STUDIES.

[01:35:06]

SURVEYS OF THIS NATURE, THE DISCUSSION GROUPS, WE WERE EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO CONDUCT 18 DISCUSSION GROUPS WITH 142 MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, PARENTS AND STAFF MEMBERS ACROSS THE DISTRICT.

AS I MOVE FORWARD, I'M GOING TO PRESENT TO YOU THE KEY FINDINGS THAT EMERGED FROM BOTH STUDIES, AS WELL AS THE INFORMATION THAT WE DISCOVERED FROM THE SECONDARY RESEARCH.

AND AGAIN, THESE ARE HIGH LEVEL FINDINGS THAT CUT ACROSS THE STUDIES.

INITIALLY FROM THE SECONDARY RESEARCH, WE LEARNED THAT IN EFFECTIVE SRO PROGRAMS, THE THE REALLY THE MAIN PURPOSE THE SROS FULFILL BOTH AN EDUCATIONAL AND COUNSELING FUNCTIONS.

A LOT OF THE RESEARCH THAT WE UNCOVERED WAS BASED AROUND THE TRIAD MODEL IN WHICH REALLY THE THE SRO, THE RESOURCE OFFICERS ARE TAKING A ROLE AROUND LAW ENFORCEMENT. THEY'RE TAKING A ROLL AROUND EDUCATION, AND THEY'RE TAKING MORE OF THAT INFORMAL COUNSELING ROLE.

WE ALSO LOOKED AT STUDIES AROUND DIFFERENT MIXED METHODS, STUDIES, SURVEY STUDIES, QUALITATIVE STUDIES THAT WE CAN FIND IN THE RESEARCH AND PEER REVIEWED STUDIES TO PRESENT SOME OF THE FINDINGS HERE.

OVERALL, IT WAS VERY CLEAR THAT SROS, THE RECOMMENDATION WAS TO NOT SUPPORT DAY TO DAY DISCIPLINE FOR NON CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, WHICH I KNOW YOU ALREADY ARE ALREADY AWARE OF THAT AND ENFORCING THAT.

ESSENTIALLY THE STUDIES ALSO CAME AN EARTH FOR US, MIXED FINDINGS, NOT TO OUR SURPRISE, BUT MIXED FINDINGS IN THE SENSE THAT IT WAS NOT A CLEAR CUT ANSWER ON WHERE SRO SHOULD FALL.

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF SROS? SOME STUDIES SUGGEST A SROS APPEAR TO REDUCE SOME FORMS OF VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS AND THAT THEY IMPACT STAKEHOLDERS PERCEPTIONS OF SCHOOLS, CLIMATE AND SAFETY IN A POSITIVE WAY. WE FOUND EMPIRICAL STUDIES THAT SUGGEST THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT REFERRAL RATES INCREASE IN SCHOOLS WHERE SROS WERE PRESENT.

WE ALSO FOUND SEVERAL STUDIES THAT TALKED AND HIGHLIGHTED THE DISPROPORTIONALITY RELATED TO DISCIPLINE REFERRALS FOR STUDENTS FROM RACIAL AND ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS, DIVERSE STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS THAT HAD SROS.

HOWEVER, AGAIN, THE RESEARCH REALLY WAS PRESENTING MIXED FINDINGS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXCLUSIONARY DISCIPLINE AND THE PRESENCE OF SROS.

SO IT BECAME REALLY IMPERATIVE FOR US TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN YOUR SPECIFIC CONTEXT.

AND ASPS FROM THE SURVEY AND THE DISCUSSION GROUPS.

HERE IS WHAT WE ENDED UP NOTING AS KEY FINDINGS ACROSS THOSE STUDIES.

PRIMARILY, MOST OF YOUR STAKEHOLDERS RARELY INTERACT WITH YOUR SROS, AND IN FACT, MOST NON STAFF MEMBERS DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THE SROS AT THE SCHOOLS.

THE ONES THAT HAVE INTERACTED WITH THE SROS ACTUALLY HAVE LARGELY POSITIVE PERCEPTIONS THROUGH THEIR INTERACTIONS.

BUT SOME OF THEM, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT WERE PART OF THE DISCUSSION GROUPS, DESCRIBE THE SROS AS BEING SOMETIMES INTIMIDATING OR DISTANT IN THEIR LIMITED INTERACTIONS.

MOST RESPONDENTS DID NOT SEE THE SROS, AN INFORMAL MENTOR OR EDUCATOR.

THEY DIDN'T SEE THAT THEY WERE INVOLVED IN THOSE ROLES IN A REGULAR BASIS IN THE SCHOOLS, BUT THEY MOST LIKELY AGREED THAT THEY TREATED STUDENTS WITH RESPECT FOR THE MOST PART, AND REALLY HELPED MAKE THE SCHOOL A SAFER PLACE.

YOU'LL SEE HERE UP ON THE SCREEN SEVERAL QUOTES AND YOU'LL SEE THAT WE'VE INTERTWINED SEVERAL QUOTES, DIRECT QUOTES THAT WERE PULLED FROM THE DISCUSSION GROUPS TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THESE POINTS, I WANT TO JUST PAUSE AND KIND OF GIVE MORE SENTIMENT TO SOME OF THE STUDENT VOICES, BECAUSE I THINK WHAT WAS SO POWERFUL ABOUT THESE STUDIES IS THE NUMBER OF STUDENT RESPONSES AND THE STUDENTS WHO WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION GROUP.

SO I WANT TO REALLY ECHO THAT, UNDERSCORE THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT STUDENT VOICE ELEMENT IN ALL OF THESE STUDIES HERE.

YOU'LL NOTICE ONE STUDENT FROM FRANCIS HAMMOND NOTING THE POLICE OFFICERS AT THE SCHOOL ARE WHAT MAKE ME FEEL SAFE.

THEY'RE HERE TO PROTECT US FROM THE SHOOTERS, PEOPLE WITH GUNS, PEOPLE LIKE TERRORISTS.

WHAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FROM DISCUSSION GROUPS IS WE ASKED THE PARTICIPANTS TO PROVIDE SOLUTIONS.

THAT'S REALLY PART OF THAT METHODOLOGY AROUND PROVIDING SOLUTIONS FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE.

AND MANY OF THEM SUGGESTED THAT WHAT WOULD HELP IMPACT THE INTIMIDATION OR THE OPPOSITION THAT SOME OF THEM HAD FELT RELATED TO SROS COULD REALLY BE OVERCOME BY SOME COMMUNITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS CLASSROOM VISITS ON A REGULAR BASIS OR ATHLETIC EVENTS.

[01:40:09]

AGAIN, SPEAKING TO SOME OF THE EXAMPLES FROM THE SURVEY RESULTS.

AND I KNOW YOU HAVE THE FULL, FULL REPORTS ON HAND.

BUT LIKE WE NOTED HERE, JUST KIND OF ECHOING HERE, MAINLY POSITIVE, VERY POSITIVE AND SOMEWHAT POSITIVE.

SO OUR TOP TWOS HERE OF THE QUALITY OF THE INTERACTION.

SO THOSE ARE THE RESPONDENTS IN THE SURVEY WHO WERE INTERACTING WITH SROS HAD FAIRLY POSITIVE PERCEPTIONS RELATED TO THEIR INTERACTIONS. BUT YOU'LL SEE LOWER NUMBERS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SCALE RELATED TO THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF, AGAIN, ACTING AS INFORMAL OR MENTORS OR ROLE MODELS TO STUDENTS. WE ASKED SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE IMPACT HOW THE PRESENCE OF SNOW IMPACTS SPECIFIC AREAS, FEELINGS OF SAFETY, STUDENT BEHAVIOR SPECIFIC TO CLIMATE AND CULTURE.

AND WHILE STAKEHOLDERS MOST LIKELY TO REPORT THAT THEY HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT ON FEELINGS OF SAFETY, STUDENT BEHAVIOR, AND SCHOOL CLIMATE SORRY.

STAFF MEMBERS AND PARENTS HAD MORE POSITIVE PERCEPTIONS OF THE SROS, THE IMPACT OF SROS THAN STUDENTS.

AND WHAT WE NOTED WAS THAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS WERE THE ONES THAT HAD MORE MIXED PERCEPTIONS AROUND THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF SROS.

WE WANTED TO DIG IN A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO THE SURVEY, SO WE ENDED UP SEGMENTING THE RESULTS BY LOOKING AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL IN THE HIGH SCHOOL, LOOKING AT DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES, ETHNICITY.

AND WE NOTE HERE, WHILE THE MAJORITY OF THE STAKEHOLDERS FEEL SAFE IN AND AROUND THE SCHOOL, THAT PERCEPTION OF SAFETY REALLY VARIES BY GROUP.

A COUPLE OF KEY POINTS, KEY TAKEAWAYS THAT I WOULD HIGHLIGHT TONIGHT.

YOUR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL SURVEY RESPONDENTS FELT LESS SAFE THAN YOUR OTHER SURVEY RESPONDENTS IN THE DIFFERENT RELATED TO THE DIFFERENT AREAS.

YOU'RE PEOPLE OF COLOR AND MULTIRACIAL RESPONDENTS FELT LESS SAFE COMPARED TO THEIR WHITE PEERS AND IN FACT WERE MORE LIKELY TO RESPOND THAT THEY ALTERED THEIR BEHAVIOR DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS THAN THEIR WHITE PEERS.

OVERALL, PERCEPTIONS OF SAFETY WERE LOWER AT ALEXANDRIA CITY HIGH SCHOOL, YOUR HOWARD STREET CAMPUS THAN OTHER SCHOOLS.

AND WHEN WE ASKED WHAT CAME OUT IN THE SURVEY WAS THAT RESPONDENTS THOUGHT THE SCHOOLS HAD PROBLEMS WITH BULLYING, WITH VIOLENCE, WITH THEFT, WITH GANGS.

SO WE REALLY WANTED TO PROBE A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO THAT IN THE DISCUSSION GROUPS.

AND WHAT EMERGED FROM THE DISCUSSION GROUPS WAS REALLY THIS EMPHASIS ON FIGHTING AS THE SUBSTANTIAL FACTOR THAT NEGATIVELY IMPACTED THEIR SENSE OF SCHOOL SAFETY. STUDENTS ESPECIALLY WERE ALSO NOTING THAT DRUGS WERE CONCERN, FELT SUBSTANTIAL DISCOMFORT RELATED TO DRUG SALES AND USE THAT WERE HAPPENING IN BATHROOMS ACROSS THE SCHOOLS.

AND STAFF'S MAIN CONCERN WAS REALLY AROUND A PERCEIVED LACK OF FOLLOW UP AND CLARITY AROUND ACTIONS TO ADDRESS STUDENT VIOLENCE.

AGAIN, I'LL I'LL PAUSE FOR YOU TO READ WHAT'S ON THE SCREEN, BUT.

I WOULD HIGHLIGHT AGAIN THE STUDENT VOICE HERE.

A STUDENT FROM MANY HOWARD NOTING I FEEL SAFE FROM OUTSIDE THREATS.

BUT WITHIN OUR HALLWAYS, WE HAVE A LOT OF FIGHTS THAT BREAK OUT RANDOMLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

AND I JUST DON'T WANT TO BE CAUGHT UP IN THAT.

A STAFF MEMBER HERE AGAIN, NOTING THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF ALTERCATIONS AT THE SCHOOL.

AND WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS, THE STUDENTS COULD BE RIGHT BACK IN THE CLASSROOM, WHEREAS THE PARENTS HAVEN'T BEEN NOTIFIED, THE STUDENTS HAVEN'T BEEN DEALT WITH OR EVEN ASKED WHAT HAPPENED. IN FACT, SOME LAST YEAR, SOME TEACHERS WERE ATTACKED AFTER THEY WERE TRYING TO BREAK UP A FIGHT.

SO THESE JUST UNDERSCORE THE SOME OF THE FINDINGS THAT EMERGE FROM THE DISCUSSION GROUPS.

IN HERE, NOTING SPECIFICALLY THE QUESTIONS THAT WE ASKED RELATED TO FEELINGS OF SAFETY WITHIN THE PAST YEAR, YEAR.

HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU OR YOUR CHILD DONE THE FOLLOWING? BEEN A VICTIM OF CRIME, BEEN ABSENT DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS? AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT A LOT OF IT IS NEVER.

ON. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, ON THE OTHER SIDE, YOUR AGREEMENT, YOU'LL SEE HERE THAT THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE HIGHER PERCEPTIONS IN THE SENSE OF A PERCEPTION THAT THERE IS GANG PRESENCE ON ON CAMPUSES, THAT THERE IS MORE BULLYING AND CYBER BULLYING, THAT THERE MIGHT BE MORE PROBLEMS WITH VIOLENCE AND THEFT.

SO I DO WANT TO NOTE THAT THE COMMUNITY PERCEPTIONS THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEIR RESPONSES.

OBVIOUSLY, THE SAMPLE SIZE IS SMALLER AND THE RESPONSES FROM THE OTHER STAKEHOLDER GROUPS.

[01:45:07]

YOU'LL SEE HERE MULTIRACIAL AND PEOPLE OF COLOR THAT IDENTIFY AS PEOPLE OF COLOR HAVE DIFFERENT RESPONSES, SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT RESPONSES WHEN IT COMES TO THE WHITE RESPONDENTS HERE.

AND LIKE I SAID EARLIER, THERE WERE REALLY AROUND THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF SAFETY AND THEIR FEELINGS OF SAFETY AT SCHOOL.

THEY WERE ALSO.

YEAH, THAT'S ONE THING.

WE'RE HAVING SOME DIFFICULTY HEARING YOU.

I'M SORRY. YEAH, I JUST CUT OUT MY END.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES.

I'M SORRY. MY SOUND JUST WENT OFF FOR A MINUTE.

GAVE ME AN ERROR. THE OTHER KEY PIECE THAT EMERGED WAS REALLY AROUND COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPARENCY ON THE MAJORITY OF STAKEHOLDERS REPORTED THAT THERE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVED COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPARENCY SPECIFIC TO THE STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT.

EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENT BEHAVIOR AND DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS.

REALLY, WHEN WE PROBED AND DUG A LITTLE BIT DEEPER THROUGH DISCUSSION GROUPS, THE MAJORITY OF THE PARTICIPANTS HAD THIS DESIRE FOR SHARING ADDITIONAL DATA RELATED TO DISCIPLINARY INCIDENTS AND WANTED TO HAVE MORE COMMUNICATION OR EXPLANATIONS AROUND THE POLICIES AND THE PROCEDURES THAT COULD BE USED TO INCREASE SUPPORT.

WHAT WE DISCUSSED AND NOTED IS AND WHERE I THINK THERE COULD BE SOME FURTHER RESEARCH NEEDED IS KIND OF ISN'T A MATTER OF MORE COMMUNICATION, MORE TRANSPARENCY? IS IT A MATTER OF ACCESSIBILITY, OF THE COMMUNICATION? IS IT A MATTER OF NAVIGATING THE TYPES OF COMMUNICATION THAT HAS BEEN PUT OUT, OR IS IT A MATTER OF ADDITIONAL DATA AND SHARING OUT THAT DATA WITH FOLKS? SO IT SEEMED A LOT OF IT WAS AROUND THIS LACK OF UNDERSTANDING AROUND THE PROCEDURES AND THE POLICIES IN PLACE.

AND HERE YOU'LL SEE ON THE SURVEY RESULTS RELATED TO SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS AROUND THE CODE OF CONDUCT, DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS. AND THIS ONE IS INTERESTING BECAUSE HERE YOU'LL SEE WE START TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE.

NEITHER AGREE OR DISAGREE.

RIGHT. SO THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE STRONGLY AGREE AGREEING.

BUT WE'RE STILL SEEING SOME THAT MAY NOT HAVE THE INFORMATION AND ARE PUTTING SELECTING EITHER AGREE OR DISAGREE FOR THE MAJORITY OF THESE QUESTIONS.

THE LAST KEY FINDING THAT EMERGED ACROSS BOTH STUDIES WAS RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT.

AND IT'S INTERESTING FOR ME, JUST TO LISTEN TO YOUR PREVIOUS CONVERSATION AROUND WHAT YOU ARE DOING WITH MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS.

THE STAKEHOLDERS DESCRIBE THAT ADDITIONAL NEED FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND REALLY SAW THAT YOU CANNOT LOOK AT SROS, YOU CAN'T LOOK AT SAFETY AND CLIMATE AND CULTURE WITHOUT LOOKING AT MENTAL HEALTH AND THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC, THE IMPACT OF LIMITED SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SKILLS, DECREASE IN THOSE SKILLS AND MENTAL HEALTH IN RECENT YEARS.

WITHOUT LOOKING AT THAT, WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT GANG ACTIVITY, DRUG SALES, DRUG USE AS RELATED TO TO MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES.

SO THAT IS ONE AREA WE ALSO WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT FOR YOUR TEAM.

I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND PAUSE AND OPEN UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS.

I MIGHT STOP SHARING MY SCREEN JUST SO I CAN SEE.

AND WE ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU ALL HAVE.

IF IT'S ANYTHING METHODOLOGICAL, I'M GOING TO PASS IT OVER TO KENYA AND BRITTANY, WHO HAVE BEEN INTRICATELY INVOLVED IN THE ACTUAL METHOD AND ADMINISTRATION OF BOTH.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

QUESTIONS. DR.

REEF. ALL RIGHT.

I TRIED TO WAIT, GUYS.

WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.

FOR ALL THE WORK THAT'S GONE INTO, YOU KNOW, LOOKING INTO THE RESEARCH, FOR DOING THE SURVEY AND THE FOCUS GROUPS, IT'S REALLY HELPFUL INFORMATION.

I HAVE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS.

AND THEN AND THEN AND THEN I HAVE A QUESTION, TOO.

JUST LIKE SOME OBSERVATIONS, I GUESS I'M KIND OF PROCESSING EVERYTHING, SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT THINKING OUT LOUD.

BUT WHAT I WHAT STOOD OUT TO ME ABOUT THIS, I GUESS, IS WHAT I'LL SHARE IS THAT THERE WERE TWO PRIMARY CONCERNS THAT STUDENTS

[01:50:02]

AND I THINK OUR STAFF AND OUR OUR STUDENTS ARE, YOU KNOW, IT'S THEIR DAY TO DAY LIFE IS THEIR EVERYDAY EXISTENCE.

SO WE REALLY, I THINK, WANT TO FOCUS IN ON WHAT THEY'RE EXPERIENCING.

BUT THERE WERE TWO STUDENT CONCERNS THAT WERE RAISED, AND ONE WAS THE ISSUE OF DRUGS, WHICH IS CERTAINLY VERY CONCERNING.

AND I JUST WANTED TO SHARE WHEN DR.

SIMPSON BAIRD AND I WERE ABLE TO ATTEND THE SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION COALITION, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS INTERESTING TO ME ABOUT THAT MEETING IS THAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA HAS IMPACTED PERCEPTIONS AROUND MARIJUANA USE, THAT STUDENTS PERCEIVE SMOKING AND ALCOHOL USE AS MUCH MORE DANGEROUS THAN MARIJUANA USE.

AND SO THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA, WE TALK ABOUT IT.

IT'S IT'S ADULTS, YOU KNOW? AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT THAT WAS REALLY AN IMPORTANT POINT THAT WAS THAT WAS SHARED WITH US AT THAT MEETING.

THE OTHER THING WAS AROUND FIGHTING.

AND AND ANECDOTALLY, YOU KNOW, I'LL JUST SAY IT SEEMS LIKE OVER JUST THE PAST MAYBE DECADE, LIKE WE'VE SEEN MORE CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS IN YOUNG PEOPLE, I FEEL LIKE THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS COMING UP AND BEING EXPRESSED BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.

AND AND I THINK THERE SEEMS TO BE GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT SOME BEHAVIORS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE THE PANDEMIC.

BUT ALSO AT THE SAME TIME, I THINK THERE'S GROWING RESEARCH THAT CALLS INTO QUESTION THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LIKE PUNITIVE MEASURES.

SO I FEEL LIKE THERE'S ALWAYS THIS TENSION BETWEEN THIS LIKE OLD SCHOOL WAY OF WANTING TO DO THINGS LIKE THIS VERY PUNITIVE APPROACH WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH WHAT SOME OF THE NEWER RESEARCH IS REALLY TELLING US.

AND I READ A QUOTE RECENTLY THAT WAS REALLY INTERESTING TO ME AND I WANTED TO SHARE IT.

IT IS THAT QUOTE A STUDENT STRUGGLING TO READ IS NOT SENT HOME AND EXPECTED TO RETURN READING FLUENTLY.

SO WHY IS IT THAT A A STUDENT STRUGGLING TO BEHAVE IS SENT HOME AND EXPECTED TO RETURN BEHAVING DECENTLY? AND SO I JUST THINK THAT'S SOMETHING TO REFLECT ON.

AND I THINK LIKE, YOU KNOW, AS A CULTURE, I THINK AND IN EDUCATION, WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO MOVE AWAY FROM THESE MORE PUNITIVE MEASURES.

BUT THAT SAID, I NOTICED IN ONE OF THE SLIDES THERE WAS A NOTE THAT STAFF EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT A PERCEIVED LACK OF FOLLOW UP ACTIONS TO ADDRESS STUDENT VIOLENCE.

AND THIS IS DEFINITELY ANECDOTALLY FEEDBACK THAT I'VE HEARD, AND I JUST KIND OF WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT.

I KNOW THAT THE TEACHERS IN PARTICULAR BEING ON THE FRONT LINES, LIKE THEY'RE REALLY DEALING WITH A LOT.

AND YOU KNOW, WHAT I WHAT I HEAR ANECDOTALLY SOMETIMES IS THAT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE NOT GETTING THE BACKUP MAYBE THAT THEY NEED.

AND SO I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THAT'S LIKE A VERY REAL CONCERN THAT THAT I'VE HEARD OUT THERE.

AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE STAKEHOLDERS RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU BROUGHT UP AROUND COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPARENCY AROUND THE STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT, I THINK THAT'S KIND OF TYING INTO WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY.

THIS KIND OF LIKE WANTING TO UNDERSTAND, WELL, WHAT IS THE RESPONSE TO VIOLATIONS OF THE CODE OF CONDUCT AND JUST THIS NEED FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES? I THINK WE KEEP HEARING THAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

AND AND I THINK THAT I JUST THINK WE HAVE TO REALLY GET CREATIVE WITH THE SOLUTIONS.

AND I'M REALLY I MEAN, I JUST WANT TO APPLAUD STAFF FOR AND THE DIVISION AND THE SCHOOL BOARD FOR, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE WORK WE'VE DONE AROUND THIS.

AGAIN, WE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, BUT THE SRO DEBATE WAS LIKE A VERY CONTENTIOUS THING.

BUT WE'RE DOING ALL THIS REPORTING AROUND WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR SCHOOLS.

IT'S IT'S BECOMING MORE TRANSPARENT AND WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO GET CREATIVE ABOUT OUR SOLUTION.

SO I REALLY I COMMEND ALL OF US FOR FOR THE WORK ON THAT.

BUT I JUST THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND REALLY COME UP WITH SOME CREATIVE SOLUTIONS.

I WILL APPLAUD ALSO STAFF FOR THE.

LESSONS, BECAUSE I THINK THAT THAT WAS AN ATTEMPT TO REALLY BE CREATIVE.

AND I THINK THAT WE'VE SEEN THAT'S BEEN PRETTY EFFECTIVE AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL.

I THINK WE'VE HEARD REALLY MIXED FEEDBACK AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL.

AND I AND I WAS JUST KIND OF REFLECTING ON WHAT WHAT IS IT ABOUT THAT? YOU KNOW, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE TYPES OF FOLKS WHO ARE ATTRACTED TO TEACHING AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT PERSONALITY MAYBE AND STUDENTS TO LIKE THE GROUP AND SHARING THE FEELINGS AND THAT CAN BE TOUGH.

SO. SO I THINK THERE'S THERE'S ROOM TO GROW IN THAT AREA.

SO I'M EXCITED TO KEEP HEARING ABOUT THESE CREATIVE SOLUTIONS.

AND I HAVE I DO HAVE A QUESTION, BUT DOES ANYBODY I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY WANTS TO RESPOND TO ANY OF THAT BECAUSE MY OTHER QUESTION IS LIKE TOTALLY A DIFFERENT KIND OF LIKE

[01:55:05]

WE DO HAVE I DON'T WANT TO CALL IT A SUBCOMMITTEE, BUT A SMALLER GROUP OF SOME SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING ON WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY REFERRING TO.

WHILE YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE DISCIPLINE OF THE STUDENT, HOWEVER, THERE ARE MEASURES THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE AROUND DISCIPLINE IMMEDIATELY TO KEEP OUR SCHOOL SAFE, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT.

WE'RE ACTUALLY IN TALKS ABOUT WHAT TO DO WITH THE STUDENT TO MAKE SURE, NUMBER ONE, THAT ALL THEIR SERVICES AND THEIR EDUCATIONAL NEEDS ARE MET.

WHILE THEY MAY BE ON AN OUT-OF-SCHOOL PLACEMENT DUE TO AN ALTERCATION OR WHATEVER DISCIPLINARY INFRACTION HAS OCCURRED, BUT ALSO AT THE SAME TIME NOT BRINGING THAT STUDENT RIGHT BACK INTO THE SCHOOL WITHOUT ANY TRANSITION SUPPORTS.

SO WE HAVE BEEN HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IS GOING TO PROBABLY LOOK DIFFERENT FOR EVERY STUDENT.

AND IT ALSO INVOLVES A FAMILY COMPONENT.

SO YOU'LL START TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT.

SO THAT'S BEEN THE DISCUSSIONS WE'VE BEEN HAVING AROUND HOW TO NOT ONLY FIX THE DISCIPLINARY MEASURES, BUT TO PUT THE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL AS WELL AS FAMILY SUPPORTS IN PLACE. SO.

WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT, DR.

K-Y. THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL AND REALLY EXCITED TO SEE YOU AND TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT.

MY QUESTION AND THIS IS MORE FOR THE THE HANOVER GROUP IS YOU TALKED ABOUT IN THE RESEARCH YOU FOUND THAT THIS TRIAD MODEL FOR SROS WAS THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND THIS WAS WHERE SROS ARE SERVING AS BOTH THE LAW ENFORCER AND EDUCATOR AND AN INFORMAL COUNSELOR.

SO I KNOW THAT MY UNDERSTANDING AND DR.

QUIETS, IF YOU HAVE INSIGHT ON THIS, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS SO THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS IN ALEXANDRIA RECEIVED THEIR TRAINING FROM THE STATE.

THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES RUNS THE SRO TRAINING.

SO DO YOU KNOW, DID YOU LOOK INTO OR MAYBE THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING IF UNLESS YOU'RE TOTALLY FINISHING UP WITH THIS WORK, BUT DOES THE STATE'S TRAINING FOCUS ON ON TRAINING SROS TO ADOPT THAT MODEL? BECAUSE THAT'S ONE QUESTION I HAVE.

MAYBE THAT'S AN AREA FOR US TO LOOK INTO, IF WE CAN DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THAT.

WE WE DIDN'T PARTICULARLY LOOK INTO THE ACTUAL TRAINING ITSELF, BUT I KNOW FROM THE RESEARCH THAT THAT WAS FEDERAL GUIDELINES.

STATE GUIDELINES AROUND THE TRIAD MODEL WAS KIND OF THE COMMON THE COMMON ONE AND THE COMMON APPROACH.

SO BUT SPECIFIC TO THE TRAINING ITSELF, WE DIDN'T DIG INTO THE TRAINING.

OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND I KNOW IN A MINUTE WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA.

SO I'M JUST THINKING, KNOW, IS THIS AN AREA WHERE WE MIGHT WANT TO SUGGEST LEGISLATION? SO BUT BUT THANK YOU, IF I MAY AS WELL, DR.

KAY WHITE. I JUST WANT TO ADD TO THAT.

I DO ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT THE TRI TRIAD MODEL IS A REQUIREMENT OF THE EGIS TRAINING.

I WILL CONFIRM THAT, BUT I AM PRETTY CERTAIN THAT IT IS A REQUIREMENT OF THAT TRAINING.

OKAY, DR. SIMPSON.

THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.

AND IN PARTICULAR, I REALLY WANTED TO THANK ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO HAVE STEPPED UP TO SERVE ON THIS COMMITTEE.

IT'S BEEN I KNOW A LOT OF REALLY DEEP WORK, A LOT OF TIME AWAY FROM THEIR FAMILIES AND JOBS AND OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES.

SO I JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYONE WHO HAS GIVEN THEIR TIME THERE.

MR. NEWBY AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND A MEETING BACK IN SEPTEMBER, I THINK IT WAS, AND I WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH THE LEVEL OF DIALOG AND DISCOURSE AND REVIEW OF DATA, AND IT WAS JUST REALLY IMPRESSIVE.

SO KUDOS TO EVERYONE WHO MADE THAT HAPPEN ON THE FACILITATION SIDE AND PARTICIPATED AS A COMMITTEE MEMBER.

MY QUESTION IS PRETTY SIMPLE.

I'M JUST CURIOUS KIND OF WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE.

I KNOW OR I'VE HEARD THAT THE GROUP IS PERHAPS WORKING ON SOME RECOMMENDATIONS.

SO WHAT IS THE TIMELINE LOOK LIKE FOR THAT? YES. SO NEXT STEPS SPECIFICALLY IS WE'LL BE COMING BACK IN JANUARY.

I BELIEVE IT'S THE JANUARY 19TH MEETING, IF I HAVE THAT DAY CORRECT, WITH THE FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS.

I DO KNOW THAT THE SLEEP ADVISORY GROUP ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THAT, AND I BELIEVE THEY HAD THEIR LAST MEETING THIS PAST MONDAY TO FINALIZE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS.

I SEE MISS MILTON SHAKING HER HEAD.

I KNOW SHE'S PART OF THE TEAM AS WELL, BUT IF YOU WANTED SOME ADDITIONAL CONTEXT, I DO KNOW SOME OF RINGGOLD, WHO IS OUR EXTERNAL CONSULTANT, IS ALSO ON THE LINE. AND SO I'M NOT SURE IF YOU WANT TO JUST TO PROVIDE ANY KIND OF CLOSING NEXT STEPS FOR THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

SURE. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY IN AS DR.

HART JUST MENTIONED, WE JUST FINISHED OUR RECOMMENDATIONS AND RIGHT NOW WE ARE GOING ABOUT COMPOSING THE RECOMMENDATIONS, PULLING TOGETHER THE THREE DIFFERENT

[02:00:07]

SO YOU'LL HAVE SOME MORE INFORMATION ON THAT, AND I BELIEVE IT WILL BE PREPARED ON JANUARY 13TH.

I DO KNOW THAT THE SELECT COMMITTEE IS HIGHLY INTERESTED IN CONTINUING THE WORK FORWARD.

AS YOU MENTIONED, THEY HAD REALLY DEEP DIALOG OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST SIX MONTHS AND THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE JUST GETTING THEIR FEET WET.

SO THAT'LL BE PART OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE WILL SHARE.

SO I CAN IMAGINE THAT BEYOND JANUARY 19TH OR MAYBE.

THAT'S GREAT. THANK YOU. AND ANOTHER THOUGHT I HAD IN JUST READING OVER ALL THE SURVEY AND FOCUS GROUP DATA, WHICH WAS SO COMPREHENSIVE.

THANK YOU FOR THAT, IS THAT IT WILL SERVE AS A REALLY NICE ALMOST BASELINE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WHATEVER RECOMMENDATIONS DO GET MOVE FORWARD. SO IT WOULD BE NICE TO MAYBE COME BACK TO THAT OR RERUN THE SURVEY OR HAVE SOME MORE FOCUS GROUPS IN THE FUTURE TO SORT OF SEE HOW PERCEPTIONS ARE CHANGING AS THE PROGRAM ITSELF CHANGES.

THANKS. THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT. AND TO OUR GUESTS, I JUST WANTED TO TURN IT BACK AND SEE IF YOU HAD ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANTED TO SHARE.

FROM OUR FRIENDS.

THERE IS NOTHING.

WE'RE WE'RE HAPPY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ANSWER ANY OF YOUR QUESTIONS AND JUST HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE OUR EFFORTS AND HARD WORK AND JUST COLLABORATION WITH THE TEAM HERE AT ACPS HAS BEEN GREAT.

SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

THIS IS ACTUALLY BEEN WONDERFUL.

SO HIGHLY APPRECIATED.

THANK YOU. OKAY, WELL, THERE AREN'T ANY OTHER QUESTIONS.

WE WILL MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR AGENDA BECAUSE IT IS.

NO, I WAS JUST MAKING SURE I DIDN'T MISS ANYBODY.

SO WE'LL MOVE FORWARD IN OUR AGENDA, AND WE NEED TO.

IT'S POLICY TIME.

[28. Policy Revisions]

THANK YOU. IT ALL FEELS WONDERFUL.

BE WELCOMED. PEOPLE ARE HAPPY ABOUT POLICY.

THAT MAKES ME HAPPY. YOU KNOW, THE MORE DRY TOPICS.

SO I WANT TO START OFF BY THANKING THE BOARD HERE, BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S BEEN THINKING.

SO I'M GOING TO THANK YOU, TOO.

AS YOU KNOW, I'M FAIRLY NEW TO THIS BUSINESS AND YOU GUYS TOOK A CHANCE ON ME AND THINGS WORKED OUT PRETTY WELL.

BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LETTING ME KIND OF LIVE WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO DO AND TRY AND GAMBLE ON MYSELF AND TRY SOMETHING.

AND I THINK WE'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT.

I DO HAVE.

HER BLANK SCREEN.

I THINK YOU'RE JUST GOING TO HIT BLAH BLAH.

NOPE, NOPE. THIS ONE'S GOT TO PRESENT YOU.

AM I? I'M JUST NOT SEEING WHAT'S GREAT.

IT JUST TAKES 2 SECONDS.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT, HERE WE GO.

OH, ROCKING NOW.

ALL RIGHT. SO WE DO HAVE ABOUT 13 POLICIES FOR YOU TODAY.

I THINK. SO WE'RE GOING TO MOVE RIGHT ALONG TO HERE IS TO SIMPLY CONSIDER THAT PART OF THE ROUTINE PROCESS IS THE WORK YOU DO EVERY DAY, AS IT SHOULD BE.

THE REVIEW BY A TEAM OF PEOPLE, WE ACTUALLY HAVE FOUR SEPARATE TEAMS. LOTS OF PEOPLE LOOK FOR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS BEFORE IT COMES THERE TONIGHT, TOO INVOLVED IN EQUITY TO LOOKING AT IT FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE.

SO WE'VE GOT A RIGOROUS PROCESS FLOWING THROUGH ALL OF THIS AND CLICKING THESE SLIDES BECAUSE YOU'VE SEEN ALL THESE SLIDES BEFORE AND EVERYTHING IS SORT OF GO TO THE STANDARD CHANGES AND I'M NOT GOING TO TALK TOO MUCH ABOUT THE STANDARD CHANGES.

ALL THE DETAILS ARE IN THE COMMENTS ON THEM AND TRACK CHANGES AS WELL AS IN THE MEMO.

SO SORT OF THREE LAYERS OF INFORMATION AND AS WELL AS WHAT I TELL YOU.

SO OUR FIRST SET ARE SOME SCHOOL BOARD RELATED POLICIES HERE.

THE FIRST TWO B AND B, A ARE JUST GOING THROUGH THEIR STANDARD FIVE YEAR REVIEW.

WE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING SUBSTANTIAL THAT NEEDED TO BE CHANGED TO THESE.

SO JUST A MINOR MODEL ADJUSTMENTS.

THE NEXT 1BCA IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER.

THIS WAS UP FOR A FIVE YEAR REVIEW, BUT DURING THAT PROCESS WE LOOKED AT IT AND WE SAID, DO WE WANT TO CONSIDER SHIFTING YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING

[02:05:08]

YOU RECALL WE TALKED AT THE WORK SESSION ON TUESDAY.

WE TALKED ABOUT HOW DOES GOVERNANCE ENSURE SORT OF THAT CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS AND MINIMIZING CHANGE.

RIGHT. SO THIS IS ONE OF THOSE EXAMPLES WHERE YOU WANT TO THINK ABOUT THAT IS A JANUARY MEETING OR A JULY MEETING MORE LIKELY TO HELP SORT OF A CONSISTENCY OF PROCESS FOR THE ORGANIZATION. AND I MIGHT OBSERVE THAT SCHOOL SYSTEMS RUN ON THE SCHOOL CALENDAR.

TYPICALLY THEY DO THAT.

AND SO IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR, YOU ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUDGET PROCESS.

YOU ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN WORK.

YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF THINGS, AND THIS YEAR YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF HIRING OR LOOKING FOR A SUPERINTENDENT, RIGHT? THOSE THINGS OCCUR ON SCHOOL CALENDARS.

AND SO CHANGING LEADERSHIP IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT, IT MIGHT BE CONSIDERED A MORE DISRUPTIVE THING.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING TO CONSIDER WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE YOUR DECISION.

THERE MAY BE MORE DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS PROCEEDING FORWARD.

IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO IT, THEN ESSENTIALLY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IS YOU'D HAVE YOUR JANUARY ORGANIZATIONAL MEDIATION NORMALLY DO, AND THEN YOU REPEAT THAT PROCESS AGAIN IN JULY.

BUT THAT'S THE WAY IT WOULD WORKS.

WE DON'T EXTEND THINGS.

WE SIMPLY SHORTEN TERMS. AND YOU REPEAT THE PROCESS IN JULY CMS SCHOOL DIVISION ANNUAL REPORT.

THIS WAS A MINOR ADJUSTMENT.

THIS IS ABOUT ALL THE REPORTING WE DO TO THE STATE RIGHT NOW.

IT SAYS IT'S REPORTED ONCE A YEAR.

WE KNOW THAT'S NOT TRUE.

THOSE CONSTANT REPORTS TO THE STATE, THIS SIMPLY ADJUSTS TO THE CODE TO ALIGN WITH THE REALITY THAT YOU DON'T SIMPLY ADJUST REPORT ONCE A YEAR.

YOU REPORT CONTINUOUSLY AT MULTIPLE POINTS OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR.

I GBA STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.

AGAIN, THIS IS GOING TO THE STANDARD FIVE YEAR REVIEW.

WE ADDED A BOARD STATEMENT ABOUT THE INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.

WE DID AN ADJUSTMENT HERE ON THE BSB MODEL POLICY AND THE MAJOR CHANGE IN THIS ONE, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT PROBABLY ALREADY DOING, BUT IT REQUIRES NOTIFICATION TO PARENTS AT IEP MEETINGS ABOUT THE LIMITATIONS OF AN APPLIED STUDY.

SO JUST BE SURE THEY'RE AWARE OF THAT AS THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR THEIR STUDENTS.

SORT OF A MECHANICAL CHANGE IN FOOD SERVICES.

WE BROUGHT ALL THE FOOD SERVICES POLICIES TOGETHER BECAUSE WE'D LIKE TO EVERYTHING TO THINK ABOUT THEM AS A BUNDLE.

SOME OF THESE DIDN'T REQUIRE CHANGES.

RIGHT NOW. SOME OF THEM ARE RECENTLY UPDATED, BUT WE WANTED TO LOOK AT THEM HOLISTICALLY.

SO FOOD SERVICES MANAGEMENT MINOR CLARIFICATION THAT FOOD SERVICES IS SELF SUPPORTING IN THE FOOD SERVICES TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM.

NO CHANGES AND F E THE FOOD SERVICES RECORDS REPORTS.

WE'RE ACTUALLY RECOMMENDING THIS POLICY BE REMOVED.

THERE IS NO VSP MODEL POLICY.

WE'RE TRYING TO REALLY ALIGN WITH THOSE FOUR SUSTAINABILITY PERSPECTIVES.

THERE WAS ONE CLAUSE WHICH WE THOUGHT WAS NOT REDUNDANT.

WE MOVED THAT TO IFB.

THE OTHER CLAUSE WAS REDUNDANT, SO WE WEREN'T RECOMMENDING THAT THE POLICY BE RETIRED ONE LAST.

AND AS FAR AS THE EFP, WE'RE ACTUALLY RECOMMENDING BE RENAMED TO SCHOOL ATTRITION.

SERVICES RATHER THAN FOR BUSINESSES TO ALIGN WITH THINGS FOR THIS POLICY.

ONE IS THAT THE USDA HAS CHANGED HOW WE GATHER THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ATTENDING PROGRAMS OR GETTING FOOD MEAL SERVICES, ESPECIALLY DURING THE SUMMER TIME, AND USED TO BE ABLE TO OBSERVE THEM AND GATHER DEMOGRAPHICS BY LOOKING AT THEM AND SAY, YOU CAN'T DO THAT ANYMORE. YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE A DIFFERENT MECHANISM TO GIVE YOU A SLIGHTLY MORE VALID DATA.

SO WE'RE WORKING WITH THE FOOD SERVICES DEPARTMENT, SCHOOL NUTRITION SERVICES ON METHODS AND MECHANISMS TO GATHER THAT DATA IN A RELIABLE WAY AND A VALID WAY THAT'S NOT DISRUPTIVE TO THE FEEDING OF THE STUDENTS.

AND HOW DO YOU PULL THAT OFF? RIGHT. BUT THAT'S A CHANGE IN FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS.

AND SO THAT'S IN THE POLICY.

JUST TO BE SURE THAT STAFF ARE AWARE, WE HAVE TO DO THIS.

THIS IS REALLY NOT OPTIONAL.

ALL RIGHT. IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE WAS TWO CHANGES THAT WERE DUE TO THE CODE.

ONE WAS THAT YOU CAN'T DENY STUDENTS FROM PARTICIPATING IN MEALS, EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES FOR UNPAID MEALS.

I DON'T THINK YOU WERE DOING THAT ANYWAY.

IT'S SORT OF SAD THAT WE HAVE TO PUT THAT IN POLICY, BUT BUT SOMEBODY MUST HAVE DONE THAT.

SO THAT'S IN POLICY NOW.

AND THEN ALSO, IF SCHOOLS UP OVER 50% FREE OR REDUCED, DO YOU HAVE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EPISCOPAL MEAL PROGRAM, SOMETHING YOU'RE ALREADY DOING ANYWAY? SO NO PRACTICAL CHANGES HERE, JUST SORT OF CODIFYING THINGS YOU'RE ALREADY DOING.

THIS IS A BIG ONE HERE.

THIS IS INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS.

THIS IS THE BIG BOY TONIGHT.

SO AND THE THE GOVERNOR HAS DECIDED THAT PARENTS SHOULD HAVE THE EXPLICIT RIGHT TO ENSURE THAT THEIR CHILDREN DO NOT HAVE TO BE EXPOSED TO MATERIAL

[02:10:05]

AND THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO OPT OUT OF THAT AND THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO READ AND INSPECT THOSE MATERIALS AHEAD OF TIME TO MAKE THAT DECISION IN AN INFORMED WAY.

RIGHT. SO THAT'S REALLY WHAT THIS POLICY IS ABOUT.

NOW, WE DON'T THINK THERE'S MUCH REAL CONTENT OUT THERE, BUT IT CAUSES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK TO PREPARE FOR THIS.

SO I WANT TO BE REALLY CLEAR ABOUT THIS.

SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIALS ISN'T SAY YOU CAN'T HAVE SAY THE WORD SEX BECAUSE YOU CAN.

IT DOESN'T SAY THAT YOU CAN'T HAVE A NUDE PHOTO IN AN ART CLASS BECAUSE YOU CAN.

IT'S LEWD NUDITY.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ACTS OF SEX, NOT SAYING THE WORDS.

SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT SOME PARENTS MIGHT SAY, HEY, MY KID'S NOT QUITE READY FOR THAT OK THAT'S KIND OF WHERE THAT'S AT.

SO AND THE POLICY DEFINES THESE DEFINITIONS IN THE POLICY, THEY MATCH THE CODE, WE'RE REQUIRED TO ADOPT THE POLICY AND WE HAVE TO BE CONSISTENT WITH WE'RE REQUIRED TO BE CONSISTENT WITH, BUT WE CAN BE MORE COMPREHENSIVE THAN THE MODEL POLICY.

SO THE STATE ESSENTIALLY SAYS, HERE'S WHAT YOU GOT TO DO.

VESPA PUTS UP AN OUT.

THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ADOPTING, RIGHT? SO THIS IS ESSENTIALLY THE MINIMUM YOU CAN DO.

YOU CANNOT BE LESS RESTRICTIVE THAN WHAT THIS SAYS.

ONE THING THAT I THOUGHT WAS REALLY THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WERE SORT OF INTERESTING AROUND THIS.

ONE IS A QUESTION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS, RIGHT.

AND I'VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE SEPARATION BETWEEN INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL AND A LIBRARY COLLECTION, BECAUSE MOST LIBRARY THINGS, THE LIBRARIES ARE LIBRARY COLLECTIONS.

THEY'RE NOT SELECTED TO BE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS.

THEY'RE JUST BOOKS THAT ARE INTERESTING FOR STUDENTS TO READ.

AND SO WE ARE.

AND THE POLICY SAYS THAT LIBRARY MATERIALS ARE ONLY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IF THE SPECIFIC BOOK IS ASSIGNED FOR THE KID TO READ.

ALL RIGHT. SO THIS WHOLE SEXUALLY EXPLICIT CONTENT ONLY APPLIES TO THOSE ONES.

THE TEACHER IS GOING TO ASSIGN THIS VERY SPECIFIC BOOK TO READ.

IF IT'S STUDENT CHOICE, WHATEVER THEY WANT.

THOSE ARE NOT INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS.

AND SO THAT COVERS UNDER OF THE MORE GENERAL LIBRARY PROVISIONS.

RIGHT. SO THAT'S THAT THERE'S WE'RE CLEAR ABOUT THAT CONCEPT.

A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS WITH LIBRARY MEDIA SERVICES HERE TO GET THAT ALL SORTED OUT AND THEY DID NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT CONSTRUED AS REQUIRING OR PROVIDING CENSORING OF BOOKS IN PUBLIC ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

THAT IS IN THE CODE.

THAT'S VERY SPECIFICALLY IN THE CODE.

IRONICALLY, IT DID NOT MAKE IT TO THE MODEL POLICY, BUT IT'S IN THE CODE.

SO I'LL SORT OF BRING IT HERE IN YOUR PRESENTATIONS THAT YOU'RE ALL AWARE OF THAT.

AND I THOUGHT THERE WAS SOMETHING I REALLY LIKED ABOUT THIS.

WE BROUGHT THIS TO THE STAFF AND THEY'RE USING THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY.

THEY SAID, WAIT A MINUTE, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS STUFF FOR SEXUALLY EXPLICIT CONTENT.

LET'S LOOK AT IT FOR DIVERSITY, TOO.

LET'S BE SURE THAT IT REFLECTING THE VALUES OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND INCLUDES THE DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES WE WANT TO INCLUDE HERE AND AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY. AND SO THEY'RE DOING THAT COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW.

SO THEY'RE LOOKING AT IT.

SO THAT BIGGER PICTURE, WHICH I REALLY LIKE, IS THAT THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS, RIGHT? AND THEN ONCE THOSE THINGS ARE DONE, YOU HAVE TO YOU HAVE TO NOTIFY THE PARENTS, YOU HAVE TO PUT LISTS ON WEBSITES, AND THERE'S PROCESSES AROUND THAT THAT THEY'RE BUILDING AND PUTTING THOSE STRUCTURES IN PLACE.

BUT THIS IS ESSENTIALLY THAT'S WHAT THIS POLICY IS.

IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE LOOKED AT TWO MORE POLICIES RELATED TEXTBOOK SELECTION, JUST TO LOOK AT THE WHOLE THING HOLISTICALLY IN THIS ONE.

WE DID ADD CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC RESPONSIVENESS, RIGHT? SO THAT CAME FROM THE EQUITY AUDIT.

LET'S BE SURE THAT THAT'S INCLUDED THERE.

AND ACTUALLY THE POLICY SUBCOMMITTEE TO ADD A REVISED THAT AS WELL AND HELP REFINE THIS WITH THAT TERM.

AND THEN IN THE SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS SELECTION.

SO THE IDEA IS YOU'VE GOT TEXTBOOKS AND YOU'VE GOT ALL THE REST OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS, RIGHT? AND THAT COVERS ALL INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS, BUT NOT LIBRARIES.

THE WE NOTED THAT THE POLICY NOTES THAT THAT SAME SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS, LIKE THE THINGS COLLECTED BY A TEACHER FOR USE IN THEIR CLASSROOM, THE SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIALS POLICY ALSO APPLIES TO THAT.

SO THAT'S THAT MINOR REVISION TO I A B THAT WE HAVE TO THOSE RULES ALSO APPLY HERE.

ALL RIGHT. SO YOU'VE ONLY GOT CLASSROOM SELECTED STUFF, TEXTBOOKS, SELECTED STUFF, AND THEN LIBRARIES, SORT OF THREE BIG LIBRARY QUESTIONS, THREE BIG BUCKETS TO THINK ABOUT IT IN. AND THAT WAS IT.

I DO HAVE A LITTLE PRESENT HERE FOR MR. NEWBY, WHO APPRECIATE THE DATA AND THE RESULTS HERE ON MY LITTLE SLIDE OF HOW WE'RE DOING.

A SMILE ON HIS FACE. LOOK AT THAT.

THIS IS THIS IS KIND OF WHERE WE'RE AT.

YOU KNOW, I'M A DATA GUY, I'M A DATA GEEK, AND I'M A PROCESS AND I PREACH MEASURING YOUR PROCESSES, SO I'M GOING TO LIVE IT.

YOU HAVE A GOAL 100 POLICIES A YEAR WE'VE DONE.

THIS IS SORT OF ALL THE STEPS IN THE PROCESS.

[02:15:01]

SO ALL THE WAY I'VE DONE 108 OF THEM AT LEAST, AND THE EQUITY TEAM IS DONE.

77 THEY'RE WORKING THEIR WAY DOWN THE LINE.

RIGHT. AND YOU REALIZE WHY? WHY MORE THAN 100? WELL, BECAUSE I'M SETTING STUFF UP FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.

BECAUSE IF YOU'RE GOING TO START ADOPTING POLICIES IN SEPTEMBER, THEY HAVE TO BE ESSENTIALLY DONE IN THE SPRING, WHICH MEANS THE ALL THE REST.

THESE STEPS HAVE TO BE DONE.

SO WE NEED TO GET WELL AHEAD OF THIS.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD FOR THIS.

SO YOU'VE GOT A REALLY SMOOTH RHYTHM THAT RUNS CONTINUOUSLY YEAR ROUND.

YOU JUST GOT THIS ROUTINE POLICY ADOPTION PROCESS.

I TRY AND TRUST THIS GUY, AND THAT'S IT.

THESE ARE GOING FOR CONSENT, EXCEPT FOR ONE.

AND LET ME FLIP BACK TO THIS ONE.

SO HERE'S THE BUGABOO ON THIS ONE.

THE REASON THAT YOU GUYS ADJUSTED YOUR AGENDA TODAY, BECAUSE THE LEGISLATURE IN THEIR WISDOM, SAID THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE THIS POLICY ADOPTED BY JANUARY 1ST. SO WE'RE TRYING TO BALANCE MEETING THAT REQUIREMENT WITH ENSURING THAT STAFF HAD A LOT OF TIME TO HAVE A REALLY APPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO IT.

AND SBA DID NOT RELEASE THEIR MODEL POLICY UNTIL OCTOBER.

SO WE'RE GOING TO REALLY TIGHT CONSTANTLY.

IT'S TWO MONTHS IS NOT VERY MUCH TIME HERE.

SO WE TRY TO MAXIMIZE EVERY LAST OPPORTUNITY.

AND SO WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING TODAY AND THAT OTHER THING IS, IS A MOTION TO ADOPT THIS POLICY TONIGHT RATHER THAN WAITING UNTIL THE CONSENTED ON JANUARY 5TH.

THAT ALLOWS YOU TO MAXIMIZE THE TIME FOR THE STAFF TO LOOK AT IT WHILE STILL ALLOWING THE BOARD TO BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH WHAT THE STATE REQUESTED.

SO THAT'S AN ADDITIONAL MOTION.

SO I'M ACTUALLY NOT GOING TO LEAVE THE PODIUM OR I'LL KEEP THIS SLIDE IF WE GET TO THAT STEP AND I WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. TURN IT OVER FOR QUESTIONS.

MR. AL NEWBY.

MY QUESTION IS MORE OF A PROCESS.

QUESTION MADAM CHAIR.

SO, I MEAN, MR. SMITH, I LOVE HOW WE'RE COMING UP WITH A PROCESS AND TRACKING AND ALL THAT.

AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, AS WAS MENTIONED, THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT STEPS FOR THE POLICY BEFORE IT GETS TO THE BOARD.

AND AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THAT.

FOR ME, AS A NEW BOARD MEMBER, I'M LEARNING THAT BEST PRACTICES IS NOT NECESSARILY TO TRY TO MAKE ANY CHANGES FROM THE DAIS.

SO MY QUESTION WOULD BE FOR SOMEONE WHO'S NOT ON ANY OF THE SUBCOMMITTEES, WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO GET MY FEEDBACK ON THE FRONT END BEFORE THE POLICY GETS TO US, TO THE FULL BOARD? SO WE'RE IN THAT PROCESS.

IS THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BE INVOLVED? IF THERE'S A POLICY THAT WE FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT THAT WE WANT TO GIVE SOME FEEDBACK ON BEFORE IT MAKES IT THROUGH THIS WHOLE CHANGE.

ANY. WELL, I MEAN, I THINK THIS POINT IS.

FOR THE.

FIRST. STEP IN THAT BECAUSE THE THE WORK HAS TO BE DONE TO GET THE POLICY IN A WAY THAT I WOULD THINK IF THERE'S FEEDBACK THAT YOU WANT, THIS IS THE THIS IS THE TIME, THE MOMENT THAT IT COME, I DON'T KNOW IF.

YEAH. MS.. BOOS YEAH, WELL, NUMBER ONE, YOU CAN ALWAYS JOIN US FOR COFFEE ON THURSDAY MORNINGS, EVERY OTHER THURSDAY MORNING.

YEAH, YEAH.

NO, BUT I THINK SO.

ASIDE FROM THIS ONE POLICY THAT WE NEED TO TAKE SOME ACTION ON TONIGHT, TONIGHT IS JUST INFO ON ALL OF THE POLICIES THAT ARE UP.

SO THIS IS A TIME TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO HAVE SOME UPDATES AND EDITS TO THOSE POLICIES BEFORE WE TAKE ACTION AND THE NEXT BOARD MEETING ON THESE SO IT CAN COME BACK TO US TO REVIEW OR IF THERE'S SIGNIFICANT CHANGES, WE COULD CERTAINLY BRING IT BACK THROUGH THE CYCLE.

I WON'T SPEAK FOR MR. SMITH ON HOW YOU WOULD WANT TO HANDLE THAT, BUT I ALSO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE GOING TO SHOW YOUR POLICY DASHBOARD.

I WASN'T. I CAN.

BUT THAT'S ALSO A WAY FOR YOU TO KNOW WHAT'S WHAT'S COMING AND WHAT'S ON WHAT'S ON DECK, TOO, AND TO GIVE SOME FEEDBACK BECAUSE IT'S VERY IMPRESSIVE.

YEAH. SO, SO, SO SO THE SORT OF THIS IS A NEW PROCESS FOR US, RIGHT? SO EVERY TIME YOU GO THROUGH PROCESS, YOU GO THROUGH CYCLES OF IMPROVEMENT VERY, VERY EARLY.

WE'RE AN EARLY ADOPTION OF THE PROCESS AND THAT'S VERY, VERY NORMAL.

SO YEAH, THERE'S A COUPLE OF OPTIONS.

OBVIOUSLY, AS IT COMES FROM INFORMATION, YOU CAN SAY WE'RE NOT READY TO ADOPT THIS YET.

YOU CAN YOU HOLD OFF ON ACTION, TAKE IT BACK TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE.

WE CAN HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS UNTIL YOU'RE SATISFIED WITH IT.

IT MIGHT COME BACK FOR INFORMATION AGAIN, OR THEN IT COULD JUST COME UP FOR ADOPTION.

RIGHT. SO THAT'S THAT'S ONE REAL STRAIGHTFORWARD STANDARD OPTION, RIGHT? ANOTHER OPTION WOULD BE TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE, RIGHT.

SO THAT AS YOU'RE COMING DOWN THE PIKE, BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL POSTED IN THE SPACE, THEY'RE GOING THEY'RE ALL AVAILABLE THERE.

[02:20:04]

BY THE TIME YOU GET TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE IS THE LAST STEP BEFORE IT GETS TO THE BOARD, RIGHT? SO PRETTY MUCH THEY'RE COMPLETELY DONE.

SO YOU CAN SEE THEM THEN YOU CAN REVIEW THEM AS THEY'RE COMING THROUGH.

IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS, YOU CAN YOU CAN EMAIL ME, YOU CAN EMAIL YOUR SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS WITH YOUR THOUGHTS OR YOUR CONCERNS.

WE CAN TALK ABOUT THEM, WE CAN ADDRESS THEM.

THEN MAYBE WE HOLD IT AT THAT POINT, SEND IT BACK TO STAFF TO DO MORE REVISIONS.

RIGHT? SO THOSE ARE A COUPLE OF BUILT IN PROCESSES OR RIGHT THERE AT THE SUBCOMMITTEE STEP OR THE BOARD INFORMATION STEP, I WOULD SAY WOULD BE GOOD, GOOD PLACES.

AND ONCE WE THINK THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF CONCERN, WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO HAVE WORK SESSIONS ON THEM TO TALK ABOUT THEM AHEAD OF TIME, TOO.

SO WE TRY TO BUILD A COUPLE OF STRUCTURES IN PLACE TO KEEP THINGS FROM HAPPENING AT THE AT THE TIME OF ACTION.

RIGHT. AND THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF MY QUESTION, LIKE PREVENTING THAT FROM HAPPENING AND HAVE US GO THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS AGAIN SO WE'RE CAN LIKE UPSTREAM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, CAN WE? SO I THINK I LIKE OPTION TWO AND I THINK THAT THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE.

AND THE DASHBOARD IS PROBABLY THE BEST WAY FOR FOR ME IS FROM WHAT I'M HEARING TO BE ABLE TO TRACK AND UPSTREAM OF THE PROCESS, BE ABLE TO PROVIDE ANY FEEDBACK OR OR ANYTHING BEFORE IT COMES TO I CAN BRING THIS UP.

SO THIS DOES WORK.

YEAH. CAN I CHIME IN ON THE DASHBOARD? MY ONLY CONCERN ABOUT THAT IS PEOPLE GETTING AHEAD OF THE PROCESS.

YEAH. AND SO, LIKE, THOSE TEAMS REALLY NEED TO GET TO CERTAIN THINGS FIRST, PARTICULARLY LIKE THE STAFF NEEDS TO REALLY BE HAVING THAT INPUT.

OH YEAH, OF COURSE FIRST BEFORE IT COMES TO US.

SO MY CONCERN WOULD BE IF PEOPLE JUST LOOK AT THE DASHBOARD AND SAY, OH, I KNOW THIS IS COMING AND HERE'S ALL MY THOUGHTS.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S JUST GETTING.

WONKY AHEAD OF THE PROCESS.

THAT'S JUST IT'S MY ONLY RESERVATION.

THAT'S A THAT'S A FAIR COMMENT.

AND AND THERE'S ALWAYS AN INTERESTING TRADE OFF HERE AROUND THIS ABOUT HOW MUCH EARLY INPUT YOU WANT VERSUS DETAILS VERSUS COMING LATER.

BIG PICTURE VERSUS DETAILS.

SO BIG PICTURE STUFF EARLY IS FINE.

HEY, REALLY CONSIDER THIS IDEA.

EDITING AT THE BEGINNING IS PROBABLY A PROBLEM, RIGHT.

BUT REALLY BIG PICTURE STUFF EARLY ON.

THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.

AND WE TRY TO HAVE THOSE ONES THAT OR WE THINK THE BOARD IS REALLY BE CONCERNED ABOUT IT.

THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THOSE WORK SESSIONS, RIGHT.

TO GET THAT BIG PICTURE IDEA BEFORE WE ACTUALLY PUT PEN TO PAPER TO BEGIN TO ACTUALLY.

MAKING SIGNIFICANT REVISIONS TO THE POLICY ITSELF.

SO YEAH, THE DASHBOARD IS WE DON'T WANT TO GET WAY AHEAD.

RIGHT. THIS IS REALLY JUST IF IT'S AT THE SUBCOMMITTEE LEVEL, THAT'S PROBABLY YOUR POINT TO ENGAGE.

RIGHT. AND YOU'LL SEE THAT ON SB AS THEY'RE COMING THROUGH.

THAT'S PROBABLY THE RIGHT AT THIS POINT.

THAT'S PROBABLY THE EASIEST WAY TO DO IT.

THAT MAKES SENSE. THANK YOU.

DR. SIMPSON. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.

I JUST HAVE TWO COMMENTS.

FIRST. KUDOS TO STAFF AROUND THE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS POLICY.

I THOUGHT THERE WAS A LOT OF THOUGHTFULNESS AND JUST A GREAT APPROACH THAT THEY TOOK TO WORKING WITH THAT NEW LEGISLATION.

SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THOSE EFFORTS.

AND THEN SECOND, I WANT TO OFFER UP MY THOUGHTS ON THE CHANGE TO THE ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING DATE.

I THINK FOR THE REASONS MR. SMITH PUT UP, I THINK CHANGING IT TO THE ACADEMIC SCHOOL CALENDAR MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.

A LOT OF WORK WE DO. HOWEVER, I DON'T THINK THAT THIS IS THE YEAR TO DO IT.

PRINCIPALLY FOR TWO REASONS.

I THINK WITH ALL THE CONVERSATIONS WE WERE HAVING ON TUESDAY ABOUT CONTINUITY OF LEADERSHIP, I THINK THE CONTINUITY OF OUR SCHOOL BOARD LEADERSHIP IS GOING TO BE VERY IMPORTANT AS WE WELCOME A NEW SUPERINTENDENT.

SO THAT REASON AND THEN TWO, WHAT'S MY SECOND REASON? OH, YES, BECAUSE WE'RE CONSIDERING THE SENATORS THAT YOU HAVE.

CAN YOU TELL ME JUST BECAUSE WE'RE CONSIDERING THE STAGGERED TERMS? I FEEL LIKE IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF PUTTING THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE, BECAUSE IF WE'RE IF WE'RE GOING TO ADOPT STAGGERED TERMS, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT STRUCTURE OR WHAT MODEL WE'RE GOING TO GO TO YET.

IT COULD MEAN POTENTIALLY MORE ELECTIONS AND MORE PEOPLE UP FOR REELECTION MORE OFTEN.

AND SO THAT I DON'T KNOW, I JUST THINK WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT THAT.

LIKE IF A CHAIR IS RUNNING AND THEY DON'T WIN, THEN WE'D HAVE TO HAVE A JANUARY REELECTION ANYWAY.

SO I JUST THINK IT'S PREEMPTIVE TO MAKE THE CHANGE TO JULY NOW WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT OUR STAGGERED TERMS DECISION IS.

AND LOVE TO HEAR FROM OTHERS.

OKAY. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? MR. AL NEWBY AND THEN MS..

BOOS. YEAH.

[02:25:01]

I COULD GO EITHER WAY OF DOING IT NOW OR LATER, I THINK.

BUT ON TERMS OF THE STAGGERED TERMS, I THINK IF, IF AND WHEN WE ARE SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING STAGGERED TERMS, WHATEVER THAT MODEL MAY BE, I DO HOPE THAT OUR BOARD REVISITS THE ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING AND THE STRUCTURE BECAUSE WE MAY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THAT IF YOU'RE A CHAIR OR VICE CHAIR AND YOUR DISTRICT OR YOUR YOU'RE UP FOR ELECTION, THEN YOU SHOULDN'T BE A CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR IN THE YEAR THAT YOU'RE UP FOR ELECTION JUST TO TRY TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF CONTINUITY AS WE'RE MOVING FORWARD.

BUT WE CAN'T DO THAT YET.

MR. BARNABY. SO JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THESE COUPLE OF POINTS AND KIND OF RESPOND.

SO I THINK IT LOOKS LIKE IT DOES MAKE SENSE TO PUT IT IN JULY FOR SEVERAL REASONS.

ONE OF THEM NEW BOARD MEMBERS WHEN WE CAME IN, HAD TO VOTE RIGHT AWAY FOR LEADERSHIP.

SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE ARE PROS AND CONS.

I JUST WONDER IF THE TIMING WHY ARE WE DOING IT LIKE NOW? IS THERE LIKE. A GOOD REASON THAT WE'RE DOING IT RIGHT NOW, OR WOULD IT BE AND I'M JUST THINKING OUT LOUD TO ASK MY COLLEAGUES, WOULD IT BE BETTER TO JUST LIKE, THINK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT METHODICALLY AND MAYBE DECOUPLE IT FROM FROM THE ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING AND GO THROUGH THE ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING REGULARLY AND THEN LIKE THINK THROUGH THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE AND TRY BECAUSE I JUST HEARD ABOUT THIS LAST WEEK.

SO IT JUST TAKES TIME TO THINK THROUGH AND JUST DISCUSS IT IN MORE THAN JUST NOT FROM THE DAYS MAYBE IN A WORK SESSION OR SOMETHING.

JUST TAKE THE TIME. SO IS THERE ANY REASON THAT THIS IS THE BEST TIMING OR A BETTER TIMING THAN ANY OTHER TIMING TO BE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION OR CONSIDERING THIS? I MEAN, THIS IS JUST A STANDARD FIVE YEAR REVIEW ON THE POLICY.

SO THAT'S WHY THAT'S WHY NOW IN PRACTICE, YOU COULD CHANGE IT AT ANY POINT OF TIME THAT YOU'D LIKE TO.

SO THERE'S NOTHING FROM A PRACTICE PURPOSE.

THE ONLY, ONLY CONSIDERATION IS IF YOU CHANGE IT AFTER THE ELECTIONS OF YOUR NEW BOARD MEMBER, A NEW CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR, WHOEVER THAT'S GOING TO BE, YOU CAN EFFECTIVELY BE LIMITING THEIR TERMS. YOU CAN SAY, OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO YOU'RE GOING TO YOU'RE NOT NOT AHEAD OF TIME.

IN OTHER WORDS, IF THEY IF YOU DO IT NOW, THEY WOULD KNOW THEY'D BE GOING INTO A SIX MONTH TERM AND MAYBE YOU'LL REELECTIONS WHERE IF YOU DO IT LATER, THEY'D BE HALFWAY THROUGH AND THEN THEY'RE SUDDENLY SO THEIR TERMS ARE SHORTER, RIGHT.

SO THAT WOULD BE THE ONLY CONSIDERATION OF SORT OF ADOPTING IT IN ESSENTIALLY AT THE BEGINNING OF IT WOULD MAKE SENSE OR AT LEAST HEADING INTO THE ELECTIONS RATHER THAN RIGHT AFTER THE ELECTIONS, MEANING YOUR YOUR YOUR CHAIR, VICE CHAIR ELECTIONS, RATHER THAN RIGHT AFTER JUST SORT OF FROM A CONTINUITY PERSPECTIVE, THAT'S THE ONLY THING I MIGHT ONLY REASON I MIGHT ARGUE THAT NOW IS BETTER THAN MARCH.

SO ESSENTIALLY, IF PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THEY'RE SIGNING UP FOR.

THAT'S RIGHT. IGNACIO.

HI. HOLD ON. LET ME SHUT MY DOOR.

I'M TRYING TO HEAR YOU.

CAN YOU HEAR ME? YEAH.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? SO I HAD BROUGHT THIS UP AND HAD ACTUALLY BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT SINCE WE WERE ELECTED.

AND IT WAS JUST.

EVEN THOUGH I'M EXTREMELY FAMILIAR WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, OBVIOUSLY, AND HAVE BEEN A PART OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR MANY YEARS, HEADING INTO OUR ELECTION AND THEN OUR ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING AND SITTING ON THE DAIS WAS IT WAS HARD.

IT WAS DIFFICULT.

I FELT I FELT THAT IT WAS REALLY STRANGE THAT WE WERE BEING ASKED AS VERY NEW BOARD MEMBERS TO SELECT A CHAIR AND A VICE CHAIR THE SAME NIGHT THAT WE WERE BEING SWORN IN AS AS NEW MEMBERS.

AND I ALSO HAVE HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS REGARDING THIS AROUND THE IMPACT ON STAFF.

I CAN TELL YOU FROM A STAFF STANDPOINT THAT SWITCHING LEADERSHIP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BUDGET CYCLE IS HARD.

YOU JUST YOU'RE USED TO WORKING WITH ONE PERSONALITY OR GROUPS OF PERSONALITIES, AND THEN YOU MAKE A SWITCH AND YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF VOTING ON SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS.

SO I TRIED TO LOOK AT IT FROM BOTH THE BOARD PERSPECTIVE AS WELL AS THE STAFF PERSPECTIVE, EVEN DID SOME RESEARCH KNOWING THAT FAIRFAX AND A COUPLE OF OUR OTHER NEIGHBORING JURISDICTIONS HAVE THAT ELECTION AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, SO THAT YOU ALSO HAVE A COUPLE OF MONTHS TO LEARN

[02:30:08]

IT'S DIFFICULT.

I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE SAYING YOU'RE THE CHAIR AND OH, HERE'S THE GAVEL.

YOU YOU GO AHEAD AND RUN THIS MEETING.

AND I THINK IT LOOKS SLOPPY.

I'M JUST GOING TO SAY IT. AND I THINK THAT WE CAN LOOK MORE PROFESSIONAL AND COME ON THE DAIS, MORE PROFESSIONAL IF WE'RE MAKING THE CHANGE IN THE SUMMER WITH A LESS IMPACT ON STAFF.

AND SO I HAVE KIND OF BEEN THE ONE TALKING TO MATT ABOUT THIS AND SPEARHEADING THIS.

WHEN KELLY STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE STAGGERED TERMS, I ACTUALLY BROUGHT IT UP AND STARTED TALKING ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT MORE.

I LIKE THE IDEA OF THE STAGGERED TERMS AND I HADN'T REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THAT.

BUT THE IMPACT OF THE STAGGERED TERMS CAN BE A CHALLENGE.

I ALSO FEEL LIKE THE IMPACT OF SWITCHING LEADERSHIP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR IS JUST DAUNTING ON STAFF.

AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I AM WITH WITH PUSHING FORWARD WITH THAT POLICY.

AND SO MR. AL NEWBY, I WAS KIND OF THE ONE THAT HAS BEEN MULLING OVER THIS ACTUALLY FOR THE PAST YEAR AND HAVE TALKED TO SOME PEOPLE ABOUT WHY WE DO IT THE WAY WE DO IT.

SO I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT OUT THERE.

DR. REEF, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR THAT, MS.. IGNACIO.

AND, YOU KNOW, RAISING THIS BECAUSE I THINK IT'S I DEFINITELY THINK IT MAKES SENSE ALIGNING THE BOARD LEADERSHIP VOTE WITH THE ACADEMIC YEAR IN THE BUDGET CALENDAR THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT MAKES SENSE TO ME.

WHEN I WAS LOOKING INTO THIS, I DISCOVERED, OH, WE USED TO DO THAT.

ACTUALLY, IT WAS WHEN OUR SCHOOL BOARD MOVED THE ELECTION FROM MAY TO NOVEMBER.

IT WAS AFTER THAT THAT THE BOARD CHANGED THE ORGANIZATIONAL LEADER, THE ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING EXCUSE ME, FROM BEING IN JULY TO JANUARY.

SO THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF THE CONTEXT.

AND LIKE YOU SAID, OUR NEIGHBORING DIVISIONS, THEY ARE USING THIS IT AS AN OPTION TO US.

SO I APPRECIATE YOU RAISING THIS AS A FOR US TO CONSIDER.

SO THANKS. DO I HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON POLICY? OK. GOOD DISCUSSIONS.

AND SO THESE THESE THIS BUNDLE COMES BEFORE US AGAIN IN JANUARY.

SO JANUARY 5TH.

SO. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.

YEAH. NOW.

YEAH, I WAS.

I WAS GETTING TO THAT.

I WAS GETTING TO THAT. THAT'S ACTUALLY A SEPARATE AGENDA ITEM BECAUSE WE ADDED IT TO THE AGENDA.

SEE, WE'RE THINKING. WE'RE THINKING THE BOARD CLERK AND I HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT.

WE THOUGHT THIS WAS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO.

YES. SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING.

YES. SO.

OH, BUT ACTUALLY, WE'RE NOT EVEN WE'RE NOT DOING THAT YET.

WE'LL DO THAT AFTER.

DO YOU WANT TO DO IT NOW OR DO IT AFTER THE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA? YOU WANT TO JUST DO IT NOW.

IT'S REORDERED. YOU WONDERED, DID OC ALREADY HAVE A SLIDE UP FOR YOU? AWESOME. ALL RIGHT.

[29. Policy Revision--IIA and IIAB]

OKAY. SO WE JUST NEED A MOTION THEN TO ADOPT POLICY REVISION.

I AND I A B.

MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE THAT WE ADOPT POLICY REVISIONS.

I A AND I, I I A SECOND.

I HAVE THE VICE CHAIR GREEN HIS SECOND MOTION.

MS.. IGNACIO, I'M A YES.

WE'RE NOW UP TO TEN POLICIES ON THAT 108 POLICY LIST.

HEY, 11.

OH, YEAH, IT'S TWO.

THAT'S RIGHT. TWO.

ALL RIGHT. 11.

EVEN BETTER, RIGHT? ALL RIGHT. SO NOW THAT THAT IS DONE, WE CAN MOVE ON TO OUR 2023 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA.

[30. 2023 ACPS Legislative Agenda]

[02:35:03]

RIEF, WHO HAS BEEN OUR LEGISLATIVE BATTLEGROUND ALL IN THE MIX, GETTING US RIGHT PERSON.

SO, DR.

REEF, AND TURN IT OVER TO YOU.

ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.

SO THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WITH THE NEW BOARD THAT WE'RE ADOPTING A LEGISLATIVE AGENDA.

SO I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT.

SO EVERY YEAR THE SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTS A LEGISLATIVE AGENDA BEFORE THE END OF THE CALENDAR YEAR.

AND THIS IS SO WHEN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONVENES THEIR SESSION IN JANUARY, OUR AGENDA, OUR POSITIONS GUIDE, OUR ADVOCACY AROUND PROPOSED LEGISLATION THAT COMES UP.

AND I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU ALL TO LILAH WISE, WHO IS SHE HAS ACTUALLY BEEN SERVING AS THE LEGISLATIVE CONSULTANT FOR ALEXANDER CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR OVER 20 YEARS.

AND I RECENTLY LEARNED THAT SHE IS A RETIRED FORMER EDUCATOR FROM ARLINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND SHE ALSO WORKS IN ADDITION TO WORKING WITH US. SHE DOES WORK WITH ARLINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN FALLS CHURCH CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

AND EVERY YEAR SHE HELPS TO CRAFT THE LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE.

AND SOME OF THE EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE THIS YEAR THAT HELPED SHAPE THE PACKAGE WHERE I KNOW OUR CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR ATTEND THE MONTHLY CITY SCHOOLS MEETING WHERE SOMETIMES LEGISLATIVE ISSUES ARE DISCUSSED THERE.

AND ON NOVEMBER 12TH, THERE WAS A CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION WITH THE ALEXANDRIA DELEGATION THAT CHAIR ALDERTON ATTENDED.

WE ALSO HAD THE ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST IN ARLINGTON ON NOVEMBER 28TH THAT MS..

WEISS COORDINATES. AND THEN ON NOVEMBER 28TH, WE HOSTED SENATORS BARKER AND SENATOR URBAN DELEGATES BENNETT PARKER AND HERRING AT FERDINAND TODAY FOR THE ARBOR TAKE YOUR LEGISLATOR TO SCHOOL MONTH.

AND SO I WAS GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO MS..

WEISS TO MAYBE INTRODUCE HERSELF AND JUST KIND OF WALK US THROUGH I THINK THE BOARD CLERK IS GOING TO PULL UP THE THESE ARE THE PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE POLICY POSITIONS, RATHER, POSITIONS FOR 2023.

AND THESE ARE ON FOR THEIR ON FOR INFO THERE ON FOR INFO ACTION TONIGHT.

BUT REALLY THEY CAN THEY CAN BE FOR INFO WE CAN PUT THEM ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR ON JANUARY 5TH WHICH IS BEFORE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION STARTS IN CASE ANYBODY WANT IF YOU WANT MORE TIME TO REVIEW IT AND THINK ABOUT IT AND THEN WE'LL PUT IT ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR FOR JANUARY 5TH.

SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND TURN IT OVER.

NOW TO MS.. WISE, WHO'S JOINING US BY ZOOM.

MS.. WEISS.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES. OKAY, GOOD.

THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY UNUSUAL AND DIFFICULT YEAR.

AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING SINCE WE HAVE A NEW GOVERNOR.

FIRST, WE TOOK A POSITION AND THIS IS TAKEN FROM WHAT YOU GUYS WROTE AND SENT OUT TO YOUR PARENTS ABOUT THE POLICY THAT THE GOVERNOR HAS AND THAT WE SUPPORT THE CONTINUATION OF THE PREVIOUS ADOPTED POLICY AND THAT WE WANT TO PROTECT OUR ALL OUR STUDENTS FROM DISCRIMINATION.

AND I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU SENT OUT, AND WE'VE USED IT IN ALL THE LEGISLATIVE PACKAGES.

THE NEXT SENTENCE HERE IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE HAD IN THERE FOR YEARS.

HOWEVER, WE HAVE ADDED TO THE LAST SENTENCE ABOUT THE BOARD REQUESTS FOR FLEXIBILITY TO MANAGE RESOURCES AND SET POLICY AT THE LOCAL LEVEL THAT ARE IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE COMMUNITY.

IN FACT, THERE'S TWO BIG THINGS THAT I THINK WE HAVE IN YOUR LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE, AND THE FIRST ONE IS LOCAL CONTROL, AND THE SECOND IS FLEXIBILITY.

GETTING TO FUNDING.

YOU'VE SEEN A NUMBER OF THESE FUNDING ONES BEFORE.

WE'VE GONE AFTER THEM.

EVERY YEAR WE'RE MAKING A LITTLE INCREMENTAL PROGRESS ON THEM, BUT WE'RE STILL NOT WHERE WE NEED TO BE.

YOU ALL HAVE HEARD US TALK ABOUT THE SUPPORT CAP, AND THIS WAS DONE IN 2009 WHEN WE WERE IN A RECESSION.

AND SO THE GOVERNOR AT THAT POINT PUT A CAP ON WHAT SCHOOL DIVISIONS COULD COUNT AS SUPPORT POSITIONS.

WE LOST A LOT OF EDUCATION FUNDING THEN, AND WE STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN THAT BACK.

WE, OF COURSE, SUPPORT THE FULL FUNDING OF STANDARDS OF QUALITY.

THE NEXT WE HAD IN THE LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE LAST YEAR AND WE'LL HAVE IT AGAIN BECAUSE IT WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL, AND THAT IS TO BASE L PUPIL TEACHER

[02:40:02]

YOU ARE SUPPORTING THE EXTENDING THE HALIFAX MODEL OF 1% SALES TAX FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION AND MODERNIZATION TO ALL SCHOOL DIVISIONS. WHETHER THIS WOULD BE HELPFUL OR USEFUL AND ALEXANDRA, I DON'T KNOW, BUT THERE ARE SCHOOL DIVISIONS OVER THE STATE WHO HAVE JUST TERRIBLE SITUATIONS WITH THEIR SCHOOLS.

AND THE THING WITH THE HALIFAX MODEL IS THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PUBLIC REFERENDUM.

SO YOUR YOUR CITIZENS HAVE TO APPROVE THAT THERE WOULD HAVE THIS 1% SALES TAX AND THAT IT WOULD ONLY BE USED FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MODERNIZATION. WE'VE HAD COST TO COMPETING IN THE LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE FOR ALEXANDRIA FOR AS LONG AS I'VE BEEN DOING THIS.

AND SO WE THEY'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO CHIP AWAY AT IT.

YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF SCHOOL DIVISIONS THAT SAY, OH, IT TAKES US A LOT OF COST TO COMPETING, TOO.

BUT CERTAINLY THEY'RE NOT COMPETING WITH THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

AND I SAW TODAY THAT THEY'RE BEGINNING TEACHER SALARY IS GOING TO PROBABLY BE ABOUT OVER 60,000.

SO COMPETING WITH THAT IS IT'S GOING TO BE TOUGH.

AND THEN WE'VE GOT OPPOSE ANY DIVERSION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION FUNDS TO NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS AND LAB SCHOOLS ARE IN THIS POSITION.

I DON'T KNOW WHETHER ALEXANDRIA IS INTERESTED IN LAB SCHOOLS OR GETTING INVOLVED IN THEM, BUT I NOTICE THAT THE GOVERNOR, HE HE PRESENTED HIS BUDGET TODAY AND HE PUT IN ANOTHER $50 MILLION FOR LAB SCHOOLS.

NOW, MOVING ON TO ISSUES BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A LOT OF NEW ONES THIS YEAR.

THE FIRST ONE IS ONE.

IT'S NOT A NEW ONE.

IT'S AN OLD ONE.

AND IT'S COME BACK AGAIN.

OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE DACCA STUDENTS AND TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS STUDENTS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE BEEN ELIGIBLE FOR IN STATE COLLEGE TUITION.

AND THIS HAS BEEN PROBABLY EIGHT OR NINE YEARS THAT THEY HAVE.

AND WE HAVEN'T HEARD MUCH ABOUT THIS.

AND IT'S BEEN SO HELPFUL FOR SO MANY OF OUR STUDENTS WHO WANT TO GO ON TO COLLEGE.

HOWEVER, I'M HEARING FROM FROM COLLEAGUES WHO SAY THAT THERE ARE LEGISLATORS WHO ARE GOING TO ATTACK THIS THIS YEAR.

AND SO WE NEED TO REALLY BE SUPPORTIVE OF THE FACT THAT PLEASE DON'T TAKE AWAY ELIGIBILITY FOR IN-STATE COLLEGE TUITION FOR THESE STUDENTS.

NOW, YOU KNOW THAT YOU ALL ARE WORKING WITH THE NEW VIRGINIA LITERACY ACT LEGISLATION THAT WAS PASSED IN 2022.

AND SCHOOL DIVISIONS HAVE ARE GOING TO BE DOING A LOT OF STUFF, NOT UNTIL NEXT YEAR.

BUT I KNOW THAT YOU ALL ARE STARTING PROGRAMS LIKE THIS.

HOWEVER, SCHOOL DIVISIONS AT THIS POINT ALL HAVE TO USE SOMETHING CALLED PALS IN DOING ASSESSMENT OF THEIR STUDENTS.

AND WE'RE REQUESTING THAT.

DO YOU HAVE THE OPTION OF USING SOMETHING OTHER THAN PALS, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO DO.

BUT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED, RESEARCH BASED ASSESSMENT.

PRETTY INTERESTING IS THAT THE FAIRFAX COUNTY DOESN'T USE PALS AND THEY GOT A WAIVER AND COULD USE SOMETHING ELSE.

HOWEVER, WHEN ARLINGTON ASKED FOR THE WAIVER, THE NEW STATE SUPERINTENDENT TURNED IT DOWN.

THE NEXT ONE IS SUPPORTING LEGISLATION TO EXPAND UNIVERSAL FREE FREE MEALS AT SCHOOLS FOR ALL STUDENTS.

WHEN THIS WAS WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WAS FINANCING THIS, THIS WAS A WONDERFUL THING FOR OUR STUDENTS.

AND SO LET'S HOPE THAT WE COULD MAKE SOME INROADS THERE.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU ALL ARE READING ABOUT AND HEARING ABOUT IS THE FACT THAT WE NEED MORE TEACHERS.

I JUST READ A BIG REPORT TODAY THAT TALKED ABOUT WHY WE ARE HAVING SUCH DIFFICULTY ATTRACTING TEACHERS.

AND SO WE SUPPORT INCREASING EVIDENCE BASED INCENTIVES FOR POTENTIAL TEACHER CANDIDATES TO ENTER THE PROFESSION.

THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF OF INCENTIVES, BUT SOME OF THEM HAVEN'T WORKED OUT ALL THAT WELL.

SO LOOKING AT EVIDENCE BASED ONES WOULD BE HELPFUL.

WE ARE SUPPORTING LEGISLATION TO ALLOW SCHOOL DIVISIONS TO USE PERFORMANCE BASED ASSESSMENTS FOR ALL AND OF COURSE, STANDARDS OF LEARNING ASSESSMENTS WITH A

[02:45:03]

SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE THOUGHT WERE JUST THINGS THAT ONE WOULD WANT TO DO, WE'RE FINDING OUT, ARE NOT NECESSARILY ON THEIR AGENDA.

WE HAD THIS ONE LAST YEAR.

SUPPORT LEGISLATION WOULD SUPPORT THE OPTION FOR SCHOOL DIVISION ADVISORY BODIES TO MEET ELECTRONICALLY.

IT'S NOT SCHOOL BOARDS, BUT ADVISORY BODIES.

AND NOW WE GET INTO A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT HAPPENED THAT HAVE COME ABOUT BECAUSE OF THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THE LAST YEAR.

THE FIRST ONE IS WHAT'S CALLED SWATTING.

AND THAT IS WE'RE LOOKING AT AN ENHANCING VIRGINIA CODE TO OH, I'M SORRY, I'VE GOT THE WRONG ONE.

THIS WAS THE ONE THAT YOU WILL ALL READ ABOUT IN FAIRFAX COUNTY WHERE THERE WAS A GUIDANCE COUNSELOR AT A MIDDLE SCHOOL WHO HAD BEEN ARRESTED IN CHESTERFIELD COUNTY AND FOR A FOR AN OFFENSE THAT INCLUDED CHILDREN.

AND CHESTERFIELD EMAILED FAIRFAX TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY HAD ARRESTED HIM, BUT THEY SENT IT TO THE WRONG EMAIL ADDRESS. AND SO NOBODY IN FAIRFAX KNEW THAT THIS MAN HAD BEEN ARRESTED UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES.

AND SO THIS IS GOING TO TRY TO TIGHTEN THAT UP SPECIFICALLY SO THAT YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANOTHER SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE SOMEONE ARRESTED WHO IS STILL WORKING IN THE SCHOOL DIVISION.

AND THE NEXT ONE IS THE SWATTING.

THAT'S THE AND I THINK YOU'VE HAD A COUPLE OF ISSUES OF THAT.

TO A PERSON MAKING A FALSE EMERGENCY CALL, KNOW THERE'S A SHOOTER IN THE BUILDING AND THAT KIND OF THING.

AND THAT WOULD BE THERE IS NOT ANY LEGISLATION FOR IT RIGHT NOW.

AND SO I KNOW THAT THERE ARE A COUPLE OF LEGISLATORS, NOT OUR LEGISLATORS, BUT LEGISLATORS AND OTHER AREAS, EXCUSE ME, ARE INTRODUCING THAT LEGISLATION.

AND THE SAME KIND OF ISSUE IS THE ACT OF MAKING A COMMUNICATION TO 911 WITH THE INTENT OF TRIGGERING IMMEDIATE LAW ENFORCEMENT.

A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WE GOT A CULTURALLY RELEVANT AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION PRACTICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

IT WAS ESTABLISHED DURING THE 2020 GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

IT MET CAME UP WITH SOME REALLY GOOD RECOMMENDATIONS WHICH HAVE GONE NOWHERE.

AND SO WOULD LIKE TO FOR US TO GO AHEAD AND SUPPORT THE GOALS AND SEE IF WE CAN GET MOVING ON THAT AGAIN.

AND THE LAST ONE AND THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL PIECE THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE AND THAT SUPPORTING.

SURE. GO AHEAD. YEAH.

YEAH. SO MS..

WISE WAS JUST. SHE'S FROZEN.

I DON'T KNOW IF SHE CAN HEAR ME, BUT I'LL JUST JUMP IN AND SAY THAT THE LAST PIECE THAT WE ADDED AND AGAIN, THIS WAS COORDINATED WITH OUR SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORING DIVISIONS, BUT THAT WE SUPPORT LEGISLATION THAT REQUIRES GUN OWNERS TO KEEP THEIR WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION SAFELY IN LOCKED STORAGE WHEN NOT IN USE, TO ENSURE THAT THEY DO NOT FALL INTO THE HANDS OF CHILDREN WHO CAN USE THEM TO HARM THEMSELVES OR HARM THOSE IN THE SCHOOLS AND THE COMMUNITY.

AND THAT WE SUPPORT LEGISLATION THAT WOULD MAKE IT A CRIME FOR FAILURE TO DO SO.

SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD PARENT ADVOCACY AROUND THIS ISSUE FOR SOME TIME NOW, SO THAT WAS KIND OF A NO BRAINER, I THINK, FOR US TO SUPPORT THAT.

SO I DON'T KNOW IF MS..

WISE IS BACK ON OR IF ANYBODY LOOKS LIKE SHE'S OFF, IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS.

AND OF COURSE, GO AHEAD.

ALL RIGHT, MS..

BOOS, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PULLING THIS TOGETHER.

FIRST OF ALL, I APPRECIATE THE THE CALENDAR UPDATE FOR NEXT YEAR AND GETTING A LITTLE BIT MORE AHEAD OF THIS.

AND SO WE'RE WE'RE APPROVING AND HAVING THIS CONVERSATION IN THE FALL TIME SO WE CAN WORK WITH OUR LEGISLATURES, LEGISLATORS AND RICHMOND TO HELP SUPPORT THIS WORK.

SO THAT'S GOOD FOR PLANNING.

THE QUESTION I HAVE IN THIS CAME UP WHEN WE WERE AT THE BCA CONFERENCE AND WHEN WE WERE IN THE KIND OF CLUSTER GROUP WAS ABOUT THE THE THE SUPPORTING LEGISLATION TO ENHANCE CURRENT VIRGINIA CODE TO ENSURE THAT THE APPROPRIATE SCHOOL OFFICIALS ARE INFORMED WHEN A TEACHER OR OTHER SCHOOL DIVISION EMPLOYEE IS ARRESTED FOR CERTAIN OFFENSES.

I'M DEFINITELY ON BOARD WITH THAT.

BUT WHEN I WANT TO KNOW, DO WE NEED TO GO A LITTLE BIT FURTHER TO, SAY, FUNDING THAT PROVIDE THE FUNDING FOR THIS? BECAUSE I KNOW THAT CAME UP WHEN WE WERE WHEN WE WERE AT THE BCA AND I KNOW FAIRFAX, FAIRFAX, OBVIOUSLY THE FUNDING IS GOING TO BE WAY MORE EXPENSIVE FOR THEM BECAUSE THEY

[02:50:05]

BUT STILL THIS IS THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAPPEN AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY SHOULD HAVE THAT FUNDING SUPPORT.

YEAH, THANK YOU FOR THAT.

I'LL ADD TO JUST BEFORE YOU ANSWER THAT ACTUALLY CAME UP DURING THE DELEGATE ASSEMBLY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF AGAIN, IF THIS IS BECOMES A MANDATE, LIKE PEOPLE WERE PRETTY ADAMANT ABOUT IT NOT BEING AN UNFUNDED ONE.

SO. THANK YOU FOR THAT SUGGESTION.

AND I CAN WORK WITH MS..

WISE TO SEE IF WE CAN UPDATE THAT FOR FOR THE CONSENT CALENDAR NEXT WEEK OR NEXT AFTER THE HOLIDAYS, RATHER.

I WAS JUST GOING TO ADD THAT YOU KIND OF STOLE MY THUNDER THERE.

MISCUES, BUT I KNOW CHAIR ALDERTON, VICE CHAIR GREEN AND I HAVE TALKED FOR SOME TIME ABOUT TRYING TO GET MORE BE MORE INVOLVED IN LEGISLATIVE ISSUES.

AND WE HAD CREATED A NEW BOARD POSITION THIS YEAR, THE LEGISLATIVE LIAISON, WHICH I'M DOING.

BUT DR.

KAY WYATT AND I TALKED ABOUT THE PROPOSED KIND OF LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR FOR NEXT YEAR, WHICH I DON'T KNOW IF THE BOARD CLERK'S OR OR IS ABLE TO PULL IT UP, BUT IT'S ALSO POSTED WITH THE WITH THE AGENDA.

BUT BASICALLY, IN ADDITION TO ADOPTING OUR OWN PACKAGE OF LEGISLATIVE POSITIONS, THE VIRGINIA SCHOOL BOARD ASSOCIATION, WHICH WE ARE MEMBERS OF, THEY ALSO HAVE THEIR OWN LEGISLATIVE POSITIONS WHICH DON'T ALWAYS ALIGN WITH US, BUT WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY AS A BOARD, IF WE WANTED TO PROPOSE SOMETHING TO BE SBA FOR THE OTHER SCHOOL DIVISIONS TO CONSIDER.

AND SO WE'VE KIND OF INCORPORATED THAT INTO OUR CALENDAR SO THAT WE CAN THINK ABOUT DOING THAT.

SO. AND JUST ALSO FOR FOR YOU ALL TO KNOW THAT BOTH MS..

WISE AND THE SBA WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR LEGISLATION THROUGHOUT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, AND WE WILL RECEIVE UPDATES FROM BOTH OF THEM JUST ABOUT WHAT PROPOSED LEGISLATION HAS COME UP.

AND IF THERE'S. I'LL BE WATCHING IT.

AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT I WANT TO FLAG THAT WE SHOULD REALLY REACH OUT TO OUR LEGISLATORS ABOUT, THEN I WILL CERTAINLY DO THAT.

AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF DR.

KAY WHY. I JUST WANTED TO ADD ANYTHING.

I THINK HE SAID, OKAY.

ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU.

OKAY. SO WE DO ACTUALLY HAVE TO ADOPT OR LEGISLATIVE POSITIONS.

DO YOU WANT TO DO IT ON THE FIFTH? OKAY. ALL RIGHT.

SO THAT WILL GIVE PEOPLE TIME TO DIGEST.

AND IF YOU THINK OF ANYTHING IN THE MEANTIME, LET US KNOW.

HOPEFULLY NOTHING COMES UP IN THE MEANTIME.

BUT YOU NEVER KNOW.

NEVER KNOW. YOU NEVER KNOW.

ALL RIGHT. AWESOME.

SO THANK YOU AGAIN TO DR.

REEF AND MS..

WEISS AND DR.

KAY WYATT.

IT'S BEEN GOOD. SO WE'RE DONE.

I HAVE A REPORT.

[31. Report from Meagan L. Alderton]

THE CLERKS TOLD ME I HAVE A REPORT.

WHAT IF I DON'T WANT TO? HUH? ALL RIGHT.

JANUARY 5TH IS OUR ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING, AND WE WILL ALSO PRESENT THE FY 2024 COMBINED FUNDS BUDGET AT THAT TIME.

SO WE ARE MOVING ALONG IN THE BUDGET CYCLE.

YEP. AND THEN WE FINISH IT AND THEN IT STARTS RIGHT ALL OVER AGAIN JANUARY 12TH AS OUR FIRST BUDGET WORK SESSION.

AND THEN ON THE 19TH WE WILL HAVE A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING AND A PUBLIC HEARING, AND THEN WE WILL ALSO HAVE WORK SESSION NUMBER TWO AT THAT TIME.

SO I DON'T HAVE ANY EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENTS, BUT I WILL TURN IT OVER TO DR.

[32. Report from Interim Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt]

I DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT JANUARY.

YEAH, WE'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH TONIGHT FIRST.

SO JUST A FEW MINUTE WERE ACTUALLY PROBABLY MORE THAN A FEW ANNOUNCEMENTS THIS EVENING HEADING INTO THE WINTER MONTHS.

I WANT ALL OF ALEXANDRIA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, FAMILIES AND STAFF TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IN PLACE WHEN IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE.

SO PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR WINTER WEATHER COMMUNICATIONS WEB PAGE FOR DETAILED INFORMATION ON OUR PLAN FOR SCHOOLS DOOR IN TIMES OF HEAVY SNOW, ICE AND EXTREME COLD. I KNOW THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR ON THE DAY AFTER WE HAD TO MAKE A CALL.

BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DID GET ONE QUESTION.

SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS CLEAR.

AND I THINK WE I WANT TO THANK MY STAFF FOR STAYING UP ALL NIGHT WITH ME AND ALL MORNING TO MAKE SURE WE MADE THE RIGHT CALL.

[02:55:02]

SO WE GOT THE QUESTION IF YOU DON'T HAVE PARENTS SQUARE YET, YOU WERE STILL ALSO RECEIVE THAT EMAIL.

THE ACPS WEBSITE HOTLINE AND SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS WERE ALSO INCLUDE AN ALERT WITH THE APPROPRIATE INFORMATION.

WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU KNEW THAT IT WILL ALSO GO TO NEWS OUTLETS AS WELL IF YOU'RE TRAVELING, SO YOU'LL HAVE THAT INFORMATION.

ALSO WANT TO ENCOURAGE FAMILIES TO MAKE SURE STUDENTS TAKE HOME THEIR COMPUTER DEVICES AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS.

SHOULD WE NEED TO SWITCH TO VIRTUAL LEARNING? I ASSURE YOU THAT IN ARRIVING AT AKP'S WINTER WEATHER DECISIONS, OUR GOAL, OF COURSE, IS TO SUPPORT THE CONTINUITY OF LEARNING.

ALSO, WE ALSO WORK TO PRESERVE ANY FUTURE DAYS WHEN SCHOOLS MAY NEED TO CLOSE.

AND THANK YOU FOR THE EMAIL FROM THE STUDENT ABOUT THEY WANTED A SNOW DAY.

SO THANK YOU FOR WHO EMAILED ME.

I DID TELL THEM WHEN I MET WITH THEM THAT THEY COULD EMAIL ME ANY TIME, SO.

BUT NO MORE. I HEAR YOU.

YEAH. I DON'T KNOW WHY I SAID THAT, BUT IT'S OKAY.

IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT FOR US TO DO OUR PART TO STAY HEALTHY.

OVER THE BREAK, WE'VE BEEN SEEING AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS AND STAFF IN SCHOOLS WITH COLDS AND RESPIRATORY ISSUES AND INFLUENZA.

WE ALSO CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE A FEW CASES OF COVID 19 IN OUR COMMUNITY.

SO THAT'S WHY IF OUR STUDENTS, FAMILIES AND STAFF EXHIBIT ANY SYMPTOMS FROM AN ILLNESS, WE ENCOURAGE TESTING FOR COVID 19 BEFORE RETURNING TO SCHOOL.

WE KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF TRAVEL THAT'S GOING ON, SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE RETURN AND MAKE SURE THAT OUR SCHOOLS ARE SAFE.

IF YOU DO HAVE A POSITIVE REPORTING, IF YOU COULD PLEASE REPORT IT TO WE HAVE TWO LINKS REPORTING COVID AT K 12 VIA US. OR YOU CAN ALSO USE CONTACT TRACING AT APS THAT K 12 VA THAT US AND SHARING THIS INFORMATION JUST REALLY HELPS US TO MONITOR CASES AND TO CONTINUE TO KEEP OUR SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT SAFE AND HEALTHY.

ALSO, YOU CAN CHECK OUR EXPRESS NEWSLETTER FOR MORE DETAILS ON HOW TO REPORT IT.

NOW SOME CELEBRATORY COMMENTS WE WANT TO WELCOME MISS EXCUSE ME, DR.

JAMILA MANNING, WHO IS THE NEW PRINCIPAL OF THE NORTHERN VIRGINIA JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER.

AND I ALSO WANT TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE FOR THE HARD WORK OF OUR SOCIAL WORKERS.

LISTEN TO THESE NUMBERS HERE AT EACH SCHOOL WHO HELPED CONNECT FAMILIES IN.

NEED WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, DISTRIBUTING RESOURCES RIGHT UP TO OUR LAST BREAK.

THEIR EFFORTS LED TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF 500 BASKETS OF FOOD IN 268 GROCERY GIFT CARDS ACROSS THE DIVISION TO SUPPORT OUR FAMILIES.

SO I KNOW WE'VE GOT A LOT OF EMAILS AND QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT FROM THE BOARD AND WHAT WE WERE DOING FOR OUR FAMILIES.

AND I THINK FOR THE AMOUNT OF TIME AND ALL OF THE OTHER TASKS AND ASSIGNMENTS THAT OUR STAFF HAVE AS SOCIAL WORKERS.

THAT WAS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF DONATIONS THAT WENT OUT TO OUR FAMILIES LAST NIGHT.

I DID HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THE P-TECH MEETING WITH MADAM VICE CHAIR, AND I JUST WANT TO THANK MRS. MISSY ESTABROOK FOR THEIR PARTNERSHIP.

AND I'M NOT SURE IF EVERYONE IS AWARE OR NOT, BUT THIS YEAR WE'RE MEETING MORE FREQUENTLY AS I'M TRYING TO CONNECT TO MORE STAKEHOLDERS SO I CAN LISTEN, HEAR DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES FROM THE COMMUNITY.

SO I DO MEET BI WEEKLY WITH MR. EASTERBROOK NOW, AS WELL AS OUR PTA LEADS, SO I CAN LISTEN HERE.

MAYBE THE EVENTS THAT THEY'RE DOING AS WELL AS QUESTIONS THAT THEY HAVE FOR ME THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO THEIR SCHOOL COMMUNITY.

SO THANK YOU TO ALL THE PTA PRESIDENT.

I KNOW IT'S PROBABLY EARLY IN THE MORNING, BUT I HAVE TO MAKE SURE I CAN TRY TO GET ALL STAKEHOLDERS IN.

SO I HAVEN'T MET WITH ALL PTA PRESIDENTS.

I KNOW MS.. EASTERBROOK IS CONTINUE TO SCHEDULE THOSE, SO I'M LOOKING FOR MORE IN THE FUTURE.

ALSO, I HAD MY FIRST SLICES WITH THE SOUP MIDDLE SCHOOL MEETING WITH STUDENTS.

IT'S BEEN TRADITION TO MEET WITH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, BUT I'M A FORMER ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL EDUCATOR, SO I'M NOT GOING TO LEAVE OUT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS WHEN I SAY I WANT TO CONNECT AND HEAR FROM ALL STAKEHOLDERS.

IT WAS VERY INTERESTING.

THEY DID NOT REALLY WANT TO ENGAGE WITH ME AT FIRST, AND AS I SAID, I WAS A PRINCIPAL.

I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE STARTED WITH SOMETHING ELSE.

BUT AS SOON AS THEY QUICKLY LEARNED THAT I WAS THE PERSON THAT MADE THE SNOW DECISIONS AND I HAD PIZZA, EVERYTHING WENT A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU TO JEFFERSON, HOUSTON MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS.

AND I THINK THAT'S WHY I'M PROBABLY GETTING THE EMAILS.

SO BECAUSE I SAID YOU CAN EMAIL ME AT ANY TIME.

A FEW MORE MESSAGES.

YOU ALREADY HEARD ABOUT THIS ONE A LITTLE BIT.

BUT ALEXANDRIA CITY HIGH SCHOOL FRENCH TEACHER BRIDGET TALMAGE, WHO ALONG WITH 12TH GRADE FRENCH STUDENTS, DIANA KOZINSKI I HOPE I'M SAYING THAT CORRECTLY.

AND FRANCIS PINOT CRUZ ATTENDED THE STATE ARRIVAL CEREMONY AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

I DID NOT GET TO GO, BUT THAT'S OKAY.

HONORING PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON OF FRANCE AND HIS WIFE.

AND THANK YOU TO ALEXANDRIA, MAYOR JUSTIN WILSON FOR INCLUDING OUR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN THIS VERY SPECIAL EVENT.

[03:00:05]

WE HAD FIVE AC I'M SORRY, TEACHERS, FIVE TEACHERS WHO HAVE RECEIVED A 2021 2022 Y'S GOLD STAR AWARD STATUS WITH A 90% PASS RATE IN AT LEAST ONE CLASS WITH TEN OR MORE STUDENTS ON THE WISE FINANCIAL LITERACY CERTIFICATION TEST.

THOSE TEACHERS ARE CHANEL CARMICHAEL, DAVID KARL, GREG DRAGAS AND VICTORIA STOLL AND WILLIS BROWN.

SO CONGRATULATIONS.

ALSO, OUR STUDENTS WENT ON TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

THOSE STUDENTS SECURE THE NUMBER ONE SPOT IN 17 OUT OF 19 CATEGORIES AT THE VIRGINIA DISTRICT LEVEL COMPETITION.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE STUDENTS AND TITAN EDUCATORS.

WE ALSO KNOW THERE'S A LOT THAT WE HAVE TO CELEBRATE.

EVERYONE HIGH PRAISE IS ALSO IN ORDER FOR OUR STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE NORTHERN VIRGINIA REGIONAL WE THE PEOPLE COMPETITION HELD AT WOODGROVE HIGH SCHOOL THIS MONTH, OUR STUDENTS TOOK HOME THE BEST UNIT FOUR AWARD.

SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE STUDENTS.

IT'S A BIG DEAL. AND THEN ON NOVEMBER THE 30TH, WE CELEBRATED A BIG WIN AS OUR TITANS ATHLETICS SWIMMING DIVE TEAM TOOK HOME THE MAYOR'S TROPHY CUP AS THEY WON THE ALEXANDRIA TRICITY CHAMPIONSHIP.

MEANS THERE'S MORE.

MY STUDENT REPS DIDN'T GET ME TONIGHT.

I WAS I WAS MAKING SURE I WENT IN THE DIFFERENT DIRECTION.

SO TWO MAJOR COURSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR OUR GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAM.

CONGRATULATIONS TO MELANIE REX, WHO WAS NAMED VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE STATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR, AND DANIELLE THORNE, WHO WAS NAMED VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE STATE COACH OF THE YEAR. AND CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER.

FIVE OF OUR ACH STUDENTS HAVE SIGNED LETTERS OF INTENT.

THEY ARE SOCCER PLAYER ELLIE GOODRICH, ROWING TEAM'S OLIVIA KRAUS, AVERY MILLER, WHO PLAYS SOFTBALL, AND MILAN REX, WHO WE JUST MENTIONED, AND CHLOE M.M. MONTH FOR VOLLEYBALL.

ALSO PROUD OF OUR CULINARY ARTS STUDENTS WHO ALONG WITH THEIR TEACHER AND WE JUST CALL HIM CHEF.

I MEAN, YEAH, SO HE UNDERSTANDS THAT I WENT LOOKING FOR HIM.

HE KNOWS THAT IT'S JUST CHEF FOR ME HAVE BEEN DOING THEIR GINGERBREAD HOMES AND I'M A GINGERBREAD FAN, SO I WENT AND PURCHASED IT.

THEY HAD AN AUCTION OFF AND A SALE.

SO MINE IS UPSTAIRS AND I NOTICED THERE'S SOME PIECES MISSING OFF OF IT.

SO I THINK MY STAFF'S BEEN.

DOING. SO I NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON THEM.

BUT THANK YOU IF YOU'VE NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY.

THEY WERE ALSO FEATURED ON OUR LOCAL NEWS.

SO PLEASE, IF YOU HAVE TIME TOMORROW, I THINK THERE ARE A FEW LEFT.

ALL THE DOLLARS RAISED WILL PROVIDE FOR CULINARY ARTS SCHOLARSHIP OR THE SCHOLARSHIP FUND OF ALEXANDRIA.

AND OF COURSE, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO JANUARY 2023, A SPACE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIRS INVITING FAMILY AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO CONSIDER SERVING AS A JUDGE SO YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION IN THE EXPRESS.

AND WE TALKED ABOUT JEFFERSON HOUSTON STUDENTS.

AND AGAIN, I'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TONIGHT TO CONGRATULATE DR.

MARCIA JACKSON, WHO IS OUR NEW CHIEF OF STUDENT SERVICES AND EQUITY, AND SHE HAS BEEN WORKING WITH HER TEAM AND SINCE DR.

CRAWFORD HAS LEFT. AND THAT WORK JUST CONTINUES.

AND WE'RE SO PROUD OF HER.

JUST WANT TO WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY WINTER BREAK AND GET SOME REST.

AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE WONDERFUL THINGS IN 2023.

AS I CLOSE OUT THIS THIS YEAR, A FEW MONTHS, BEING IN THIS ROLE, I WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY.

I THINK I'VE PROBABLY SAID IT TO THE BOARD AND TO THE STAFF, BUT MEETING WITH SOME OF OUR SCHOOL BOARD TEAM MEMBERS TODAY, I AM REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY AND TO REALLY SEE OUR STUDENTS START TO SPEAK UP AND COME OUT AND SHARE AND JUST GROW IS REALLY A GREAT FEELING.

SO THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING MY STAFF ALONG THAT JOURNEY AND THERE ARE GREAT THINGS AHEAD IN 2023.

SO THANK YOU AND GET SOME REST AND WE'LL BE BACK AT IT REAL SOON.

[33. Announcements]

THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I ALSO WANTED TO SAY HAPPY WINTER BREAK TO EVERYONE IN ACPS LAND.

WE ALL DESERVE A MUCH NEEDED BREAK.

BUT I WANTED TO SAY HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO OUR BOARD AS WELL.

AND I LIVE BY A LIFE'S MOTTO OF FINISHING STRONG.

AND WE'RE NOT FINISHED.

BUT WE FINISHED THIS YEAR INCREDIBLY STRONG.

AND IT'S NOT HOW YOU START, BUT IT'S ALWAYS HOW YOU FINISH.

SO WE HAVEN'T REALLY HAD QUITE ANY BREAK.

WE WORK THROUGH THE SUMMER, SO THIS IS DEFINITELY MUCH NEEDED AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL AGAIN NEXT YEAR AS WE CONTINUE THIS VERY IMPORTANT WORK FOR OUR STUDENTS. THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS? ALL RIGHT. WELL, 939 IS NOT BAD.

[03:05:04]

MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE, WE ADJOURN.

SECOND. ALL RIGHT.

I HAVE MS.. BOOS. 3 SECONDS, DR.

REEVES. MOTION.

TIME TO DO IT RIGHT.

OH, MISS IGNACIO.

SORRY. PLEASE, HANG ON.

OH, MAN.

OH, COME ON.

GIVE US A YES. GIVE US A YES.

ALL RIGHT.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.