CINDY I THINK WE STARTED THE RECORDING A LITTLE BIT LATE. [1. Call to Order: Meeting Called to Order by Chair Anderson] [00:00:04] CAN YOU RENAME THE MEETING. >> YES. THIS IS THE SPECIAL CALLED VIRTUAL BOARD MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARING FOR JULY 9, 2020 AND WE STARTED AT 7:03 BUT IT'S 7:05. WE'VE DONE THE ROLL CALL. WE HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS PRESENT. SO NOW WE ARE READY TO MAKE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA. [3. Adoption of Meeting Agenda: Adopt the Agenda for the July 9, 2020 Special Called School Board Meeting] >> MADAM, CHAIR, I MOVE THAT WE ADOPT THE AGENDA FOR THE EVENING. >> SECOND. >> MS. SUAREZ SECONDS MS. GENTRY'S MOTION. WE'RE HERE FOR IS A PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE CONTINUITY PLAN TO GET INPUT FROM OUR COMMUNITY SO THERE ARE THREE SPEAKERS I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE SIGNED UP FOR THIS [4. Communications & Addresses to the Board: Public Hearing on the Continuity of Learning Plan 4.0] EVENING. AND SO I'M GOING TO LOOK -- ON THE ATTENDEE SIDE. IF YOU'RE HERE TO SPEAK IF YOU RAISE YOUR HAND THAT WILL MAKE IT EASIER TO FIND YOU. I HAVE FIRST UP, I SEE THE HAND RAISED FOR MICHAEL DONNIE. » SO YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK ABOUT THE -- TO GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK. IS HE ABLE TO SPEAK? >> WE HAVE TO MOVE HIM OVER TO THE MEETING. >> OKAY. SO HOLD ON. HOLD ON ONE SECOND. >> I SEE TWO OF THE THREE SPEAKERS WITH THEIR HANDS RAISED. >> THERE WE GO. NOW WE HAVE THEM. >> GREAT. » >> OKAY. MR. DONEY. » >> LAST NAME IS DONEY. >> I'M A WEST END RESIDENT. I'VE GOT TWO OF KIDS. ONE JUST GRADUATED. » » WHAT I'VE GOT IS A 12-YEAR-OLD WHO FINISHED 6TH GRADE AND I WOULD ARGUE RATHER UNSUCCESSFULLY. FOURTH QUARTER 100% ON-LINE. I WANTED YOU TO KNOW UP FRONT MY THINKING. IT WAS AN A BISMAL FAILURE. NOT THAT THE STAFF DIDN'T MAKE AN ATTEMPT TO BE SUCCESSFUL. I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT THAT MODEL WILL NOT BE SUCCESSFUL IF YOU CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THAT PATTERN INTO THE FALL AND EVEN LATER. SO. » WHAT I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU AGAIN HIS FOURTH QUARTER HE WAS ONE OF THE STRAIGHT A STUDENTS IN TAG AND ADVANCED CLASSES AND IN THE FOURTH QUARTER RECEIVED NO GRADES ON THE WORK THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO PERFORM. OVER THE COURSE OF THE WEEKS AND MONTHS HE BEGAN TO BE VERY UNCOMFORTABLE AND UNHAPPY WITH THE CONCEPT OF ON-LINE LEARNING BECAUSE LEARNING THE KEY WORD LEARNING WAS NOT REALLY HAPPENING. KIDS WERE BEING EXPECT TO TEACH THEMSELVES LESSONS AND MATERIALS AND I CAN TELL YOU IT WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL. ALSO BECAUSE I WAS HAVING TO CARRY THE BURDEN AS A SINGLE PARENT OF TRYING TO CON JOEL MY SON IN TO PARTICIPATING AND IT BECAME MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT OVER TIME. IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK WELL. THE OUTCOMES WILL NOT BE WHAT WE DESIRE THEM TO BE AND LET ME FINISH WITH A COUPLE OF LAST THOUGHTS THAT I WANT YOU TO CONSIDER AS YOU ADJUDICATE THESE ALTERNATIVES. I DON'T UNDERSTAND AND HAVE NOT SEEN ANY RATIONAL IF THERE IS CRITERIA OR IF THERE WAS WHY FULL-TIME RETURN TO CLASS HAS BEEN ELIMINATED AS AN OPTION. I'VE FILLED OUT THE SURVEYS. » DISTANCE LEARNING IS A NO GO FOR ME. I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU'VE DEVELOPED CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING THE PERFORMANCE IN THE 4TH QUARTER FOR JUDGE IF IT IS GOING TO BE EFFECTIVE. [00:05:07] SO HELP US TO KNOW HELP US PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITY TO KNOW WHAT IS YOUR YARDSTICK AND HOW WOULD YOU PROPOSE TO JUDGE WHAT TYPE OF LEARNING MODEL YOU WOULD PUT IN PLACE. LET ME FINISH AGAIN BY REITERATING THE FOURTH QUARTER AT HAMMOND MIDDLE SCHOOL AS HARD AS THEY TRIED IT WAS AN UNSUCCESSFUL FOURTH QUARTER SO I DON'T WANT TO SEE US RETURN TO THAT. FROM MY PERSPECTIVE A FULL-TIME RETURN TO CLASS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AND I WOULD ADVOCATE STRONGLY AGAINST ADOPTING A FULL-TIME DISTANCE LEARNING MODEL. I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO WORK. LET'S TALK ABOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR A SECOND. WHO HAS EVER DESCRIBED THEIR MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS AS THE BEST YEARS OF THEIR LIVES? NOBODY. AND WHAT KID EVER SAID THE FOLLOWING? I CAN'T WAIT FOR SCHOOL TO START AGAIN IN THE FALL AND SUMMER BARELY GOT STARTED. >> YOU'VE USED UP THREE MINUTES NOW. THANK YOU. >> THERE YOU GO. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. >> OKAY. THANK YOU AND I DO KNOW YOU I JUST CAN'T REMEMBER HOW TO PRONOUNCE YOUR LAST NAME. THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING. WE'LL MOVE ON TO JANELLA LUCK. » >> IT'S JANNAH LUCK. >> I'M DOING SO POORLY. >> HELLO. THIS IS GENEA. » HELLO. CAN YOU HEAR ME. >> YES. IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO ARE WANTS TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR SPEECH. » PLEASE GO AHEAD. >> HELLO. CAN YOU HEAR ME? >> YES. WE CAN HEAR YOU. PLEASE GO AHEAD. >> IS THERE A WAY TO SEND HER A CHAT OR TEXT? >> I DON'T HAVE ANY PHONE NUMBER FOR ANY OF THE -- LET ME SEE IF I CAN -- >> WE DON'T HAVE A CHAT FUNCTION. >> WE DO NOT. >> MS. LUCK, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET STARTED, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. >> HELLO. THIS IS GENEA. I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CONTINUE. I HOPE THIS IS BEING RECORDED. I AM A PARENT OF A SECOND GRADER GOING INTO SECOND GRADE THIS YEAR AND WE AGAIN HAVE HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF DOING VIRTUAL LEARNING AS WELL. DURING THE SUMMER AND I'M AGREEING WITH THE GENTLEMAN WHO SPOKE EARLIER. ZOOM IS A FOUR LETTER WORD IN MY HOME. IT TOOK A LOT OF EFFORT TO GET A FIRST GRADER TO SIT STILL AND BE INSPIRED AND ENGAGED WITH THE CLASSROOM OF ABOUT 20 STUDENTS THAT WERE ALL ON ZOOM. IT WAS VERY HARD FOR THE TEACHER TO IN FACT PROVIDE SOME SORT OF ORDER OR EXCITEMENT AND I DON'T THINK SHE WAS VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE ZOOM PLATFORM. ALSO DURING THE SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAM WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW 15-20 MINUTES EVERY MORNING HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET THE BIKER PHONES TO WORK, THE TECHNOLOGY TO WORK AND IT IS TRULY VERY DISAPPOINTING ACTUALLY. I DON'T KNOW IF ALL OF THE TEACHERS HAVE THE RIGHT MICROPHONES. [00:10:03] IF THEY ARE USING ETHERNET CORDS. IF WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR LOCAL CABLE PROVIDERS TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE DOWNLOAD SPEED, UPLOAD SPEED THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR THIS TYPE OF DISTANCE LEARNING BUT I DO KNOW THAT IT IS TROUBLESOME. I WILL ENCOURAGE ANY PARENT TO TRY TO EXPERIENCE IN PERSON CAMPS THIS SUMMER. IT'S A SHOCKER IF YOU BELIEVE THAT WE CAN GO BACK TO THE SCHOOLS AND JUST HAVE CHAIRS AND DESK SPACED SIX FEET APART YOU'RE SADLY MISTAKEN FOR THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL. IT IS VERY HARD FOR STUDENTS TO KEEP THEIR MASKS ON FOR MORE THAN THREE HOURS AND THE HAND WASHING THAT IS DONE DURING THE CAMPS EVERY HOUR IS BEING IMPLEMENTED BUT AGAIN IT IS VERY TROUBLESOME FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN SO I WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE OUR SCHOOL BOARD TO TAKE A MOMENT TO ENCOURAGE OTHER PARENTS TO VOLUNTEER TO BE PAIRED UP WITH DIFFERENT TEACHERS TO BE ASSISTANTS FOR SOME OF THE ZOOM PLATFORMS AND ALSO TO WORK THROUGH THE TECHNOLOGY HICCUPS THAT ARE GLARINGLY DISRUPTIVE BUT THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE. >> THANK YOU. I'M NOT SURE YOU CAN HEAR ME BUT THANK YOU. THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL. >> I CANNOT SEE OUR THIRD SPEAKER FOR THE EVENING. >> OKAY. ALL RIGHT. EVERYONE, SO I THINK THAT CONCLUDES IT. RIGHT. YOU DON'T SEE ANYONE WITH THEIR HAND UP. >> NO. I DO NOT. >> OKAY. ALL RIGHT. [5. Chair's Report: Report from Cindy M. Anderson] SO WE DO HAVE SOME OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO SPEAK. WE HAVE TOMORROW DURING OUR MEETING AT NOON DURING OUR COMMUNICATIONS AND THEN AND FRIDAY AUGUST 7TH AT 12:00 NOON SO PEOPLE CAN DO THAT AND THEY CAN CONTINUE TO PLEASE SEND US COMMENTS, YOUR IDEAS AND YOUR CONCERNS AND YOUR FEEDBACK ABOUT THINGS LIKE YOU'VE SEEN AND THAT WE'VE HEARD THIS EVENING AND THINGS THAT YOU THINK WE SHOULD BE LOOKING INTO. SO THAT IS REALLY ALL I HAVE. I THINK WE HAVE DR. HUTCHINS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING? [Items 6 & 7: 6. Superintendent's Report: Report from Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. 7. Adjourn] IT'S YOUR SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT TIME. >> I DIDN'T KNOW I'VE GOT A SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT AT THE PUBLIC SESSION SO, THAT IS NICE. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY. I'LL SAVE IT FOR TOMORROW. OTHER THAN THAT I APPRECIATE ALL OF THE WORK THAT EVERYBODY IS DOING. THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF LESSONS LEARNED BETWEEN MARCH AND JUNE AND ALL OF THAT THAT WAS SOME OF THE REASONING FOR US HAVING THE SURVEY THIS PAST SPRING JUST SO THAT WE COULD GET SOME FEEDBACK TO HELP US REFINE OUR DISTANCE LEARNING AND AS WE MOVE INTO CONTINUES KNEW TEE OF LEARNING 4.0 WHICH WE WILL BE GIVING AN UPDATE TOMORROW AS WELL AS NEXT FRIDAY YOU WILL SEE A LOT OF THE INFORMATION IS BEING PUT INTO OUR REFINEMENT EFFORTS OF OUR VIRTUAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES SO I CAN'T WAIT TO TALK MORE ABOUT THAT TOMORROW BUT I'LL CONCLUDE WITH THAT. >> OKAY. WHAT I NEED IS A MOTION TO ADJOURN. >> MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE THAT WE ADJOURN. >> DO I HAVE A SECOND? >> SECOND. >> EVERYONE WANTS TO STAY! MR. SUAREZ SECONDED MS. GREENE'S MOTION. SO I WILL CALL ON A VOTE. WE HAVE 7 YES AND TWO ABSENT SO WE'RE ADJOURNED AT 7:19 AND I'LL SEE YOU ALL TOMORROW AT NOON. >> HAVE A GOOD EVENING. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.