[00:00:15]
[A. Meeting Opening]
GOOD AFTERNOON.COMMUNITY RESIDENTS, TAXPAYERS OF THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM.
WE NOW CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER THIS DAY, THURSDAY, APRIL 20TH, 2023 FOR OUR REGULAR MEETING AGENDA.
FIRST WE'LL START OFF WITH THE MEETING OPENING.
THE INVOCATION WILL BE LED BY A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, PATRICK MARTIN, AND THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO BE LED BY A CADET SECOND LIEUTENANT JADA PHOENIX OF GLEN OAKS HIGH SCHOOL, ACCOMPANIED BY SENIOR ARMY INSTRUCTOR L UH, LIEUTENANT COLONEL RETIRED RONALD T MAHOMES.
I WROTE A PRAYER, BUT SOMETHING SPOKE TO ME.
AND SO I'M CRIBBING FROM A FAR BETTER WRITER THAN I.
LORD, MAKE US AN INSTRUMENT OF YOUR PEACE WHERE THERE IS HATRED.
LET US SO LOVE WHERE THERE IS INJURY.
FAITH, WHERE THERE IS DESPAIR.
HOPE WHERE THERE IS DARKNESS, LIGHT WHERE THERE IS SADNESS, JOY, A DIVINE MASTER GRANT THAT WE MAY NOT SO MUCH SEEK TO BE CONSOLED AS TO CONSOLE, TO BE UNDERSTOOD AS TO UNDERSTAND, TO BE LOVED AS TO LOVE FOR IT IS IN GIVING THAT WE RECEIVE.
IT IS IN PARDONING THAT WE ARE PARDONED AND IT IS IN DYING.
THAT WE ARE BORN TO ETERNAL LIFE.
FOUR STEPS FORWARD, ONE, MR. PRESIDENT, BOARD MEMBERS, DR.
CTO NACI, FELLOW CITIZEN OF BATON ROUGE PARIS.
IT IS MY HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO INTRODUCE HER GREAT AMERICAN.
SHE IS A SOPHOMORE AT GLEN OAK MAGNUM HIGH SCHOOL AND WILL SOON COMPLETE OUR SECOND YEAR AS A J R T C CADET.
SHE IS THE S FIVE SPECIAL PROJECTS OFFICER AND A MEMBER OF THE GLEN OAKS MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL RIFLE TEAM AND ARCHERY TEAM.
SHE HAS A GRADE POINT AVERAGE OF 3.1.
SHE IS A MODEL CADET WHO HAS TAKEN ON THE CHALLENGE OF LIVING UP TO THE J R T C CADET CREED.
FOLLOWING GRADUATION, SHE PLANS TO CONTINUE HER EDUCATION TO MAJOR IN NURSING.
SHE IS THE DAUGHTER OF JANIE PHOENIX AND ADOLPH MEYERS.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, HERE TO LEAD US IN OUR PLEASURE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
I PRESENT TO YOU WITH GREAT PRIDE CADET, SECOND LIEUTENANT JADA PHOENIX SIDESTEP.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
YOU WANT TO BE SEATED? THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR BEING A PERFECT REPRESENTATION OF AS WELL AS A MODEL CITIZEN.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, I GIVE AND JUST SO EVERYONE'S AWARE, UM, CAN YOU JUST TAP HER RIGHT BEFORE CHIRO JADA? JADA HAS 29.
IS IT 29 COLLEGE CREDITS ALREADY IN DUAL ENROLLMENT.
SHE WILL AT THE END OF THIS SEMESTER.
YOU'RE A SOPHOMORE, IS THAT CORRECT? THANK YOU.
DID WE SAY 29 CREDITS? SO THAT MEANS THAT SHE'S ALSO IN HIGH SCHOOL, BUT SHE'S NOW A SENIOR.
I'M SORRY, A SOPHOMORE IN COLLEGE.
I'M JUST MAKING SURE THE PANTHER WAY
EVERYONE GETTING BACK TO OUR REGULAR AGENDA AT THIS TIME, WE'RE GONNA ASK MADAM SECRETARY TO PLEASE, UH, CALL AN ORDER AND DO ROLL CALL DISTRICT TWO.
DISTRICT THREE, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL.
[00:05:01]
DISTRICT FIVE.[B. Minutes]
THIS TIME, WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM B ONE.MEETING MINUTES, APPROVAL OF THE SCHOOL BOARD MINUTES OF MARCH 16TH, 2023, REGULAR MEETING.
AND THE APRIL 6TH, 2023 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING AS PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL.
CAN I GET A MOTION MOVED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER GOE.
SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NATHAN, RUSS.
THIS TIME NOW WE'LL TURN TO OUR BOARD FOR ANY COMMENTS, CONCERNS, OR QUESTIONS.
SEEING NONE, WE'LL NOT GO TO THE PUBLIC.
SEEING NONE MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE, PLEASE VOTE.
NOW MOVING ON TO ITEM C ONE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT.
THIS IS ALSO INFORMATION ONLY AND THIS WILL BE ADDRESSED TO THE BOARD.
AT THIS TIME, I ASK IF THERE ARE ANY BOARD MEMBERS THAT HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR CONCERNS ON, UH, ITEM C ONE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT.
SEEING NO ONE IN THE QUEUE, WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM C TWO PERSONNEL CHANGES.
AGAIN, I'LL ADDRESS THIS TO THE BOARD.
ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, OR CONCERNS REGARDING PERSONNEL CHANGES? SEEING NO ONE IN THE
[C.3. Public Records Request Monthly Report]
QUEUE, WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM C THREE.THIS WILL BE AGAIN, ADDRESSED TO THE BOARD.
ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, OR CONCERNS? OKAY, I SEE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER KATIE KENON.
DID WE EVER RECEIVE THE FEBRUARY, UM, MONTHLY REPORT FOR PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST? NO, MA'AM.
BUT WE CAN GET THAT TO THE BOARD SOMETIME AFTER THIS MEETING.
THANK IS IT ALL SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER KENON? OKAY.
SEEING NO OTHER NAMES, SORRY, SEEING OTHER NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE AT
[D.1. Update from Superintendent]
THIS TIME.WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM D ONE.
UH, RECEIVE AS INFORMATION UPDATE FROM SUPERINTENDENT DR.
WE ARE GETTING CLOSER TO THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, WE, AS YOU MANY OF YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA BE CLOSE IN STARTING GRADUATION SEASON AND ALSO, UM, UH, A LOT OF CEREMONIES, UM, AND ALSO RECOGNIZING, UH, MANY THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON AROUND, UM, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
SO WE'RE REALLY SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THE CELEBRATION.
UM, I WANTED TO JUST HIGHLIGHT JUST A FEW THINGS, UH, IN THE UPDATE REPORT TONIGHT.
UH, LA LA LADA LADA KNIGHTON, WHO IS ONE OF OUR MATH CONTENT TRAINERS, HAS BEEN ELECTED TO SERVE AS THE PRESIDENT ELECT FOR THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICS.
AND I WANT TO PUBLICLY RECOGNIZE HER.
WELL, LISA LOOKS, GIVE HER A HAND.
WE'RE SUPER, SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
I ALSO WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT BRANDON FONTAN, UM, AS THE NEW PRINCIPAL OF CAPITAL HIGH SCHOOL, UH, AS IT REINTEGRATES BACK INTO OUR DISTRICT WITH A FOCUSED CHOICE MODEL COMPONENT OPTION.
MR. VONTE IS A VETERAN EDUCATOR.
WE'RE WITH 17 YEARS OF TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATION EXPERIENCE, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE HIM IN SUCH A CRITICAL LEADERSHIP ROLE AS HE WILL LEAD, UH, UH, CAPITAL HIGH SCHOOL, UH, BACK INTO OUR SYSTEM.
UH, THE E B R DEPARTMENT OF EXCEPTIONAL STUDENT SERVICES HAS BEEN AWARDED A $20,000 GRANT THROUGH THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS UNIFIED CHAMPIONSHIP SCHOOLS INITIATIVE.
UH, THIS FUNDING WILL PROVIDE EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES FOR SUCH WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AND THEIR NON-DISABLED PEERS, AS WELL AS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE FOR REPRESENTATIVES FROM 28 DISTRICT MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS.
AND WE'RE JUST EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UH, LET'S JUST GIVE 'EM A HAND ABOUT
[00:10:01]
RECEIVING THAT, THOSE DOLLARS.AND, UH, MR. PRESENT, THAT IS MY REPORT.
[E.1. Board Appointees]
WILL, UH, TURN TO, UM, ITEM E ONE BOARD APPOINTEES.AT THIS TIME OF DAY, ANY BOARD MEMBERS THAT WOULD LIKE TO, UH, GIVE, BRING FORTH ANY REPORTS FROM THEIR COMMITTEES, PLEASE DO SO.
AT THIS TIME, I SEE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL GODES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A, UH, COMMITTEE THAT I'M ON, BUT I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM, ALONG WITH THE EVIL LAGAR CENTER FOR COASTAL, UM, RESOURCES, I DON'T KNOW IF I GOT THE NAME RIGHT, AND LSU, WERE, UH, SPONSORS OF A RECENT SHOWING THIS WEEKEND OF A MOVIE CALLED HOLLOW TREE.
AND IT'S A MOVIE AROUND THE, UH, COASTAL, UH, EXPERIENCES OF THREE YOUNG WOMEN, UH, COMING FROM THE COASTAL LOUISIANA SECTION.
AND ONE OF THE, UH, ONE OF THE THREE LADIES, AND I'M GONNA BE EMBARRASSED CUZ I DO NOT REMEMBER HER NAME, BUT SHE IS A GRADUATE OF BATON ROUGE HIGH AND IS NOW, UH, A STUDENT AT THE LSU HONORS COLLEGE.
SO, UH, NOT ONLY WAS IT A WONDERFUL EVENT FOR THE, UH, LADIES AND THINGS WHO WERE IN THE SHOW, BUT IT ALSO, IT EXPOSED OUR EVA LAGAR CENTER AND OUR COOPERATION WITH LSU TO A BROAD AUDIENCE.
AND IT WAS VERY WELL ATTENDED AND VERY WELL RECEIVED.
AND IN FACT, UH, THE YOUNG LADY OR STUDENT AT YOUR FORMER STUDENT YOU'RE REFERRING TO, SHE ACTUALLY WAS A STUDENT IN THE BATON ROUGE, UH, YOUTH COALITION.
AND IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT ORGANIZATION, THEY DO A PHENOMENAL JOB WORKING WITH OUR STUDENTS AND WORKING WITH OUR SCHOOLS.
SO, UH, KUDOS TO THEM AND KUDOS TO THAT MOVIE.
THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT FORTH.
UH, AT THIS TIME OF THE, THE DAY ARE NOT ANY OTHER COMMITTEE UPDATES.
WE'LL KEEP MOVING RIGHT ALONG.
[F.1. Policy: JCDAE]
WE HAVE, UH, ITEM F ONE UNDER UNFINISHED BUSINESS POLICY, J C D A CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A SCHOOL BOARD POLICY, SCHOOL BOARD POLICY, J C D A E, UH, TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND RELATED MATTERS.CAN I GET A MOTION? RIGHT? MOVED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER COACH LEWIS, SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NATHAN RUSS.
AT THIS TIME NOW, UH, WE'LL GO TO OUR BOARD AND I SEE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN IS INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
AND JUST TO MAKE SURE I DON'T EMBARRA MYSELF, WE'RE ON UNFINISHED BUSINESS, CORRECT? YES.
UM, I, I I THINK THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WE, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME LAST WEEK TALKING ABOUT, UM, UH, BOTH OF THESE ITEMS, UH, IN THE, AT THE VERY END OF THE MEETING.
I THINK, UM, WHAT I GAINED FROM THAT IS THAT, IS THAT THESE POLICIES, UM, NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE WORK AND A LITTLE MORE REFINEMENT.
SO I'D LIKE TO MAKE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO REFER THE ITEM BACK TO THE ADMINISTRATION FOR FURTHER STUDY AND TO BRING IT BACK TO A COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING AT A DATE TO BE DETERMINED.
SCUBA MEMBER MARTIN, DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER KATIE KENERSON.
ALL RIGHT, NOW WE'LL GO BACK TO THE BOARD AGAIN AND I'M GONNA PUT MYSELF INSIDE OF THE QUEUE AND I WANNA SAY THANK YOU SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN, FOR MAKING THAT SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
I THINK RIGHT NOW WE ARE IN A CRITICAL TIME, NOT ONLY INSIDE OF OUR CITY, BUT ALSO AS A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO FIGURE OUT A TRUE IN-DEPTH PLAN OF HOW WE ARE GOING TO ADDRESS, UH, UH, VIOLENCE HAPPENING INSIDE OF SCHOOLS AND ALSO PUTTING UP PREVENTATIVE MEASURES.
BUT I THINK IN THE INSTANCE OF DOING THAT, I THINK THIS IS THE BEST THING TO DO, SO THAT WE CAN PROPERLY VET OUT EVERY SINGLE THING THAT WE NEED TO BEFORE WE BRING IT TO THE PUBLIC.
SO, UH, MY HAT GOES OFF TO BOTH OF YOU AND I WILL ABSOLUTELY SUPPORT THIS, SEEING NO OTHER NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE FROM OUR BOARD MEMBERS.
WE'LL NOW GO TO, UM, OUR GENERAL PUBLIC.
FIRST UP, WE HAVE MS. MATTHEWS.
I'M REALLY GLAD TO HEAR THIS, UH, BOARD MEMBER MARTIN.
UM, I HOPE THAT WHEN Y'ALL DO BRING IT BACK, THAT A LOT OF THIS LANGUAGE IS FIXED.
I REALLY HAVE A PROBLEM THAT IT INCLUDES EMPLOYEES AND ALSO THAT THE LANGUAGE SAYS THAT STUDENTS AREN'T PEOPLE.
UM, ALSO, I'D LIKE FOR YOU TO KEEP IN MIND BECAUSE I'VE SPOKEN WITH SEVERAL SROS AND, AND I HOPE THAT THE STUDY INCLUDES TALKING TO THEM BECAUSE WHILE THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS START ON SOCIAL MEDIA OR PHONES WHEN THEY ARE NOT AT SCHOOL, UM, AND WHILE POSTING FIGHTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA IS A HUGE ISSUE, UM, THE SROS ACTUALLY DEPEND ON THE STUDENT'S FILMING TO
[00:15:01]
SOLVE THE PROBLEMS. IT WAS STUDENTS FOOTAGE THAT SOLVED WHAT HAPPENED AT E B R READINESS THAT IS STRAIGHT FROM THE S R O THAT WAS INVESTIGATING IT.SO THERE'S BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN THAT WE DO NEED TO LOOK AT.
SO PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE TALK TO OUR SROS WHEN WE ARE LOOKING AT THIS AS HOW TO SOLVE THIS IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE.
THAT WAS, UM, THOSE WERE SOME EXCELLENT POINTS.
AT THIS TIME, SEEING NO OTHER CUE CARDS ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM, WE'LL NOW COME BACK TO OUR BOARD SEEING NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE, PLEASE VOTE.
[F.2. Policy: KGA]
RIGHT ALONG AT THIS TIME NOW WE'LL GO TO, UH, ITEM F TWO POLICY, K G A CONSIDERATION OF A, OF REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF SCHOOL BOARD POLICY, K G A PUBLIC CONDUCT ON SCHOOL PROPERTY, AND RELATED MATTERS.CAN I GET A MOTION MOVED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MIKE GOK? CAN I GET A SECOND? MOVED BY VICE PRESIDENT CALLER POWELL.
AT THIS TIME NOW, WE WILL, UH, ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR CONCERNS ON MY BOARD.
FIRST UP, WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
I THINK THAT, UM, THIS NEEDS TO BE, UH, AS YOU SO ABLE PUT, PUT, PUT CONSIDERED IN THE BROADER CONTEXT OF AN OVERALL SECURITY PLAN AND OVERALL POLICY RELATING TO THESE ISSUES.
SO FOR THAT REASON, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO REFER THE ITEM BACK TO THE ADMINISTRATION FOR FURTHER FURTHER STUDY AND TO BRING IT BACK TO A COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING AT A DATE TO BE DETERMINED.
CAN I GET A SECOND? ALL RIGHT.
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, KATIE KENON.
AND I'M GONNA GO BACK TO THE QUEUE.
I SEE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL GODDE IS IN THE QUEUE.
UH, LANIS, UH, GENERAL COUNSEL, SHALIN, COULD YOU, UH, TELL US WHAT THE CHANGES IN THIS POLICY ARE AND WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATION OF THOSE CHANGES? CUZ I'M A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD INSTANCES WHERE WE'VE HAD PEOPLE COMING ON CAMPUS, UH, AND DOING THIS, AND I'M A LITTLE BIT LEERY IF THERE'S SOME REAL CONCRETE REASONS WHY WE NEED TO CHANGE THE POLICY, AND WE COULD ALWAYS COME BACK AND AMEND IT AGAIN IF WE HAVE TO.
BUT I'D JUST LIKE SOME INPUT FROM YOU ON WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THE CHANGES IN THE POLICY AND WHAT LED TO THOSE CHANGES.
UM, AND SO USED TO KEEPING MY MIC OFF.
UM, AND SO POLICY KGA DEALS SPECIFICALLY WITH, UH, CONDUCT ON SCHOOL PROPERTY.
UM, IT ADDRESSES ANY PERSON WHO DISRUPTS THE ORDERLY EDUCATIONAL PROCESS ON SCHOOL GROUNDS.
IT'S NOT JUST STUDENTS, BUT THAT'S ALSO COMMUNITY MEMBERS, PRIVATE PERSONS, ET CETERA.
UM, UH, IT ALSO SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZES THE BANNING OF A PERSON FROM CAMPUS GROUNDS FOR SUCH CONDUCT.
THAT IS SOMETHING WE'VE ACTUALLY DONE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS IN PRACTICE, BUT WE NOW PLACE IT IN THE POLICY.
AND SO IT ACTUALLY GIVES TRUE AUTHORITY TO, TO THE ADMINISTRATION TO DO THAT.
UM, UH, IT ALSO LISTS UNACCEPTABLE CONDUCT, UM, AND INCLUDES, UM, UM, BUT IT'S NOT LIMITED TO THINGS LIKE VULGAR LANGUAGE BEING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES, POSSESSING A WEAPON, FIGHTING, FAILING, OBEY THE INSTRUCTIONS OF SECURITY OFFICER, SCHOOL DISTRICT, EMPLOYEE, ET CETERA.
SO BASICALLY ENUMERATES SPECIFIC EXAMPLES, BUT IN ESSENCE GIVES MORE AUTHORITY TO OUR LEADERSHIP IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO, TO EXACT CONSEQUENCES FOR CERTAIN KINDS OF CONDUCT.
SO, UH, JUST, YOU KNOW, IN MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION, JUST FROM THE INSTANCES, INSTANCES WE'VE HAD AT SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS WHERE WE'VE HAD PARENTS COME ON SITE AND START FIGHTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, WHILE THIS POLICY MAY NOT BE PERFECT, I THINK IT IS AN IMPROVEMENT OVER WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
AND I, I WOULD STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT WE REALLY RECONSIDER, UH, AND ACCEPT THE POLICY AS IT'S WRITTEN.
NOW, WE CAN ALWAYS COME BACK IF THERE'S SOME THINGS WE DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT, BUT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS AN ISSUE NOW, AND I JUST DON'T FEEL IT'S APPROPRIATE JUST TO KEEP DELAYING IT, TRYING TO GET SOMETHING PERFECT.
IF THIS ISN'T RIGHT, WE CAN STILL COME BACK NEXT MONTH AND CHANGE IT OR WHATEVER, BUT THIS GIVES US THE ABILITY TO HANDLE SOME SITUATIONS, SHOULD THEY COME UP IN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO, UH, WITH THIS.
SO I DON'T THINK THAT THIS, I DON'T THINK THE LANGUAGE IN HERE IS WORTHY
[00:20:01]
OF DELAYING, UH, SIMPLY BECAUSE MAYBE WE NEED TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE PERFECT, BECAUSE I THINK IT DOES ADDRESS AN ISSUE THAT THAT IS CRITICAL FOR US TO, UH, COME OUT WITH A POLICY, PARTICULARLY STRENGTHENING OUR ABILITY TO BAN DISRUPTIVE PARENTS.UH, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL GODDE.
I'M IN THE Q NEXT, AND I'LL BE REALLY BRIEF.
UH, I THINK YOU MADE SOME VERY EXCELLENT POINTS.
UH, AND THE IDEA OF THIS IS THAT BOTH MYSELF AND, UH, VICE PRESIDENT CARL POWELL, WE TALKED TO SEVERAL, UH, PARENTS THAT WERE, HAD SOME SERIOUS CONCERNS AFTER THE BOARD MEETING, UH, A FEW OF OUR BOARD MEETINGS.
AND NOT ONLY THAT, I THINK WE HAVE BOTH IN OUR DISTRICTS ALONE, HAVE SEEN A LOT OF, UH, UH, UH, THINGS THAT HAVE ROLLED OVER FROM THE COMMUNITY, AND THEN IT HAPPENS INSIDE OF OUR SCHOOLS.
AND IT'S NOT JUST JUST STUDENTS THAT ARE FIGHTING ONCE, UH, THE STUDENTS ARE CALMED DOWN.
WE HAVE FOUND INSTANCES WHERE PARENTS HAVE COME ON CAMPUS, AND NOT JUST PARENTS, BUT COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE COME ON CAMPUS AND THEY HAVE COMPLETELY, UH, DISRUPTED THE LEARNING PROCESS THAT HAPPENS ON THOSE CAMPUSES.
NOW, NO ONE IS TRYING TO, UH, BE, UH, PUNITIVE TOWARDS ANYONE, BUT WE WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR INSIDE OF THIS DISTRICT.
LEARNING TAKES PLACE ON OUR CAMPUSES.
WE OFFER SAFE SPACES AT ALL TIMES FOR OUR STUDENTS, AND WE WANT THAT TO ALWAYS BE THE MESSAGE THAT WE SEND OUT TO EVERYONE.
SO WE JUST WANT THIS TO BE VERY CLEAR AROUND WHY WE CAME UP WITH THIS POLICY.
AND I'LL STOP THERE AND I'LL LET, UH, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL, UH, TAKE IT FROM THERE.
I JUST SIMPLY WANTED TO SHARE THE FACT THAT IN ALL OF MY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, WHETHER STUDENT OR TEACHER, WHEN WE GET INTO THE SPRINGTIME, OUR FAMILIES, OUR CHILDREN BECOME VERY, VERY, FOR LACK OF A BETTER PHRASE, EXTRA.
AND IT LEADS TO SEVERAL ISSUES THAT ARE UNEXPECTED.
SEVERAL THINGS POP OFF, SEVERAL, UM, SAFETY ISSUES CAN TAKE PLACE AS WELL.
UH, I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE, THERE CAN BE ADDITIONAL CONVERSATION THAT WE HAVE AROUND THIS.
I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUE, MR. GOK.
UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, AT THE SAME TIME, I AGREE WITH HIM WITH THIS AS WELL AND WITH, UH, MR. LANE, PRESIDENT ELENA AS WELL, THAT WE DO NEED SOME POLICY IN PLACE BECAUSE WE'RE COMING TO THE END OF SCHOOL, THE SCHOOL YEAR, AND THIS IS WHEN WE HAVE LOTS OF SAFETY ISSUES BECAUSE BOTH PARENTS AND CHILDREN JUST FEEL AS THOUGH IT'S, IT'S TIME TO ENGAGE IN, IN ACTIVITIES THAT THEY SHOULD NOT BE ENGAGING IN ON SCHOOL CAMPUSES.
SO I DO NOT AGREE WITH US DEFERRING THIS ITEM.
I THINK THAT WE CAN COME BACK AND, AND REVISIT IT AND REVISE SOME THINGS, BUT WHEN I THINK ABOUT THIS, I THINK ABOUT MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS, NOT ONLY WITHIN MY DISTRICT, BUT IN OTHER PARTS OF OUR DISTRICT.
EVEN BEYOND THAT, EVEN IN OUR STATE.
THERE, THERE, THEY'RE JUST ISSUES THAT TAKE PLACE AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR THAT IF WE DON'T HAVE SOME TYPE OF PROTOCOL IN PLACE, WE'VE ALREADY SEEN WHAT THESE SITUATIONS CAN LOOK LIKE.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
I, I, I, I HEAR THE CONCERNS AND, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT WE CAN CLEAN THINGS UP LATER, BUT I, I JUST WANT A LITTLE CLARITY FROM OUR, OUR GENERAL COUNSEL.
NOTHING IN WHAT WE'RE, WE, WE HAVE THE POLICY RIGHT NOW, CORRECT? YES, SIR.
WE, WE ACTUALLY HAVE POLICY ON THE BOOKS.
WHAT THIS DOES IS IT CLEANS IT UP A LITTLE AND IT MOVES THE LANGUAGE AROUND TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ENUMERATED ISSUES ARE CONNECTED TO BANNING, TO BANNING AND BASICALLY SAYING WE CAN RESTRICT BEHAVIOR, BAN BEHAVIOR AND IN CERTAIN, CERTAIN INSTANCES, YES.
SO, SO THE REAL CHANGE THAT WE'RE ADOPTING HERE IS CLARIFYING THE ABILITY TO BAN YES.
NOT JUST EJECT SOMEBODY FOR BEING DISRUPTIVE FROM THAT EVENT, BUT TO BAN THEM.
AND, AND, AND WHICH SCHOOL EMPLOYEES, UH, HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO, TO A EJECT SOMEBODY FROM THE CAMPUS INITIALLY AS A RESULT OF THIS, OR B, WHICH SCHOOL EMPLOYEES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO BAN SOMEONE NOT JUST FROM THE PARTICULAR SCHOOL GROUNDS, BUT FROM ALL, UM, SCHOOL GROUNDS OR ALL FUTURE EVENTS BASED ON THIS POLICY DRAFT? SO THE POLICY DOESN'T SPECIFICALLY ENUMERATE THE PERSON WHO HAS THAT AUTHORITY, BUT I, I WILL TELL YOU IN PRACTICE, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THE ADMINISTRATOR, BUT THAT DECISION IS SUBJECT TO REVIEW BY THE SUPERINTENDENT.
AND SO, UH, THE ADMINISTRATOR MAKES THAT, THAT DETERMINATION, UM, AND IT'S ALWAYS SUBJECT TO REVIEW BY, UH, DISTRICT LEADERSHIP.
AND, AND BY ADMINISTRATOR YOU MEAN THE PRINCIPAL? THE PRINCIPAL, YES, SIR.
UH, MY, MY CONCERN WOULD BE THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT, UH, IT, IT FEELS LIKE AN, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE TALKING PARTICULARLY ABOUT ADDING THE ABILITY TO BAN PEOPLE, NOT JUST FROM THIS PARTICULAR CAMPUS, BUT FROM, YOU KNOW, ALL THE SCHOOL PROPERTY ACROSS THE PARISH THAT I WOULD LIKE, UH, A LITTLE MORE CLARITY IN, IN THE POLICY AS TO, AS TO WHERE THAT KIND OF AUTHORITY, UH, LIES.
SO WE DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, A, A TEACHER OR AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OR SOMEBODY LIKE
[00:25:01]
THAT, UH, DOING THAT.THAT SAID, I, I CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, DEFER TO THE WILL OF THE BOARD AS TO WHETHER TO, TO PASS THIS AND FIX IT OR FIX IT, AND THEN PASS IT IN A, IN A MONTH.
I, I, I, I, I DON'T FEEL THAT STRONGLY ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
UH, BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD, WOULD YOU LIKE TO, UH, LIFT YOUR SUBSTITUTE MOTION? NO, I THINK I'D LIKE TO CONTINUE TO HEAR PUBLIC COMMENT.
COMING BACK TO THE BOARD, UH, AT THIS TIME NOW WE'LL HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT.
FIRST UP, WE HAVE MS. MATTHEWS.
SO THIS IS WAY TOO VAGUE TO BE LEGAL IN MY PERSONAL OPINION.
UM, I 100% AGREE WITH THE CONCERNS THAT, UH, PRESIDENT LANIS AND VICE PRESIDENT POWELL STATED.
UM, BUT IT'S THE VAGUENESS FOR ME.
UM, WE DO HAVE THE POWER TO PUT PEOPLE OFF CAMPUSES FOR THE DURATION UP TO A SCHOOL YEAR, I BELIEVE, CURRENTLY.
UM, BUT HERE'S THE THING FOR ME, FAILING TO OBEY AN SRO 100%, BUT THIS DOESN'T STIPULATE WHO HAS TO OBEY.
SO IT SAYS, WHICH EMPLOYEES, LIKE IF FAILING TO OBEY A SCHOOL DISTRICT EMPLOYEE, WHICH EMPLOYEES ME, IF MS. HALL ASKS ME FOR MY SEAT, AND I SAY NO, DID I JUST DISOBEY HER? AM I NOW OUTSIDE OF, OF SCHOOL DISTRICT POLICY AS A UNION? I'M GONNA HAVE TO SAY THAT'S A HARD NO.
FOR ME, THAT'S THE, THE VAGUENESS OF THE POLICY IS JUST VERY PROBLEMATIC.
NOW FOR THE CURSING, YOU KNOW, ME, I DON'T CURSE EVER.
BUT I THINK WE NEED TO WORK ON SCHOOL DISTRICT STAFF NOT CURSING AT THIS MICROPHONE FIRST BEFORE WE PUT THAT IN POLICY.
UM, SEEING NO OTHER COMMENTS ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM AT THIS TIME, NOW WE'LL GO BACK TO THE BOARD.
MS. KENON IS INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
HE HAD A, HE HAD A PUBLIC COMMENT.
I'M SORRY, YOU MIND? NO, YOU CAN GO AHEAD.
UH, UH, MR. DINI, OR AS A MATTER OF FACT, YOU CAN GO AHEAD, COME TO THE MIC.
YOU CAN FEEL YOUR CARD OUT AFTERWARDS.
BRIEFLY, MY CONCERN IS THERE WAS AN INCIDENT A COUPLE YEARS AGO WHERE A REPORTER HAD VALID BUSINESS ON THE SCHOOL FACILITY, AND HE WAS KICKED OFF.
AND I'M WORRIED ABOUT THE SLIPPERY SLOPE THAT MIGHT BE PRESENTED BY A CASE LIKE THAT.
UH, THIS TIME SEEING NO OTHER CUE CARDS FROM THE PUBLIC, WE'LL NOW GO BACK TO THE BOARD, A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, KATIE KENON, YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE.
THE, THE SUBJECTIVITY OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS A LITTLE BIT DANGEROUS.
UM, IT GIVES, AND I'M, I'M KIND OF THINKING ABOUT A, A PARENT WHO MAYBE GETS BANNED FOR INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR AT A, SAY A SPORTS EVENT, AND THEY CAN NO LONGER COME TO SCHOOL PROPERTY WHERE THEIR CHILD ATTENDS SCHOOL.
THIS IS A HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION, BUT WE NEED TO CONSIDER ALL HYPOTHETICAL SITUATIONS.
SO, UM, AND IS THIS, YOU KNOW, A TECHNICALLY SOMEONE SWEARS AND THEY CAN, ACCORDING TO THIS, BE BANNED FROM SCHOOL PROPERTY INDEFINITELY.
SO I DO THINK IT NEEDS SOME MORE, UM, DETAILED LANGUAGE.
UM, SO I SUPPORT THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
I THINK WE NEED TO CON CONTINUE LOOKING AT IT.
WE DO HAVE THIS POLICY IN PLACE, SO WE'RE, WE'RE TWEAKING IT IN A WAY THAT I THINK WE NEED TO THINK THROUGH A BIT LONGER.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER LEWIS, BESIDES MS. POWELL.
BESIDES MS. POWELL AND I, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE SITTING IN THIS HORSESHOE HAS EVER SPENT EIGHT HOURS IN A SCHOOL.
I SPENT 15 YEARS IN SCHOOLS IN EAST BEON ROUGE PARISH, AND MS. POWELL IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
SPRINGTIME THINGS HAPPENED AS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT.
I COULDN'T WAIT TILL THE LAST THEIR OF SCHOOL BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO GET YOU.
THINGS HADN'T CHANGED THAT MUCH.
I'VE BEEN A PART WHERE PARENTS HAVE COME ON
[00:30:01]
CAMPUS AND CALLED ME EVERYTHING BUT MY NAME.IT DISRUPTS THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.
IN THIS CASE, IN INSTANCE, THAT I'M SPEAKING OF, THAT PARENT WASN'T BANNED, BUT BEFORE SHE LEFT, SHE UNDERSTOOD THAT THAT TYPE OF BEHAVIOR WOULD NOT BE TOLERATED.
SOME PEOPLE DO NOT NEED TO BE PRESENT ON OUR CAMPUSES.
AND WHETHER IT'S AN SRO OR A WHOMEVER, IF THAT ADMINISTRATOR, IF THAT TEACHER ADMINISTRATOR GOES TO THE, IF THAT TEACHER GOES TO THE ADMINISTRATOR AND SAYS, MS. SMITH JUST CAME UP HERE AND JUST REALLY PUT ON A SHOW, THEN IT GOES THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS.
AND MS. SMITH NEEDS TO BE BANNED.
BUT, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, SHE NEEDS TO, THAT, THAT INDIVIDUAL, MR. SMITH, THEY NEED TO BE BANNED FROM OUR CAMPUSES.
I DON'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE LANGUAGE IN THIS PARTICULAR ITEM.
WE'VE GOT TO ADDRESS THE SAFETY ON OUR CAMPUSES.
I'VE BEEN A PART OF SEPARATING.
I WAS BASICALLY ATTACKED BY A PARENT YEAR BEFORE LAST.
I'M TRYING TO PROTECT THE CHILD AND THE PARENTS PUNCHING ME OUT.
AND HER DAUGHTER, WHO WAS A STUDENT SAYS, OH NO, MOM, THAT'S MR. LUCAS, NOT HIM.
YOU KNOW, SO KIDS ACTUALLY KNOW BETTER, BUT WE'VE GOT TO PUT SOME THINGS IN PLACE THAT ARE GOING TO SAFEGUARD OUR SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
I SEE NOTHING WRONG WITH, UM, THE LANGUAGE.
I THINK IT'S PERFECTLY WORDED TO GET THE RESULTS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
NEXT WE HAVE VICE PRESIDENT CAR POWELL.
SOME QUESTIONS FOR MR. CHALIN.
SO IN THE CASE THAT WE, UM, WE VOTE NUMBER ONE ON THE ORIGINAL ITEM, THE ORIGINAL MOTION, AND, AND WE ACCEPT THAT, IS THERE A TIME LIMIT ON WHEN WE CAN AMEND THAT? OR, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE ANY TIME RESTRICTIONS THAT, THAT AFFECT WHETHER OR NOT WE CAN COME BACK AND MAKE WHATEVER NECESSARY CHANGES? OR CAN WE COME BACK NEXT MONTH AND PRESENT THE ITEM AGAIN? NO, MA'AM.
SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, THERE ARE NO TIME LIMITS.
YOU CAN COME BACK AT ANY POINT AND AMEND THE POLICY.
IF THE BOARD ENACTS THE POLICY TONIGHT, IT BECOMES ACTIVE IMMEDIATELY AND, AND WILL BE UPDATED IN THE FILES WITHIN 30 DAYS.
BUT IT IS, IT IS IMMEDIATELY IN EFFECT.
AND SO, UM, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION SIMPLY, YOU CAN COME BACK AND AMEND NEXT MONTH OR THE FOLLOWING MONTH, OR WHENEVER THE BOARD SO CHOOSES TO BRING THE ITEM BACK FOR CONSIDERATION.
NEXT, WE HAVE SCUBA MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN KEEPING MR. SHALIN IN THE HOT SEAT THIS EVENING.
SO THE, THE, AND I, AND I APPRECIATE AND, AND, AND, AND ABSOLUTELY DEFER TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THE SPRING IN OUR SCHOOLS TOO, TO MY COLLEAGUES, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL AND, AND MR. LEWIS.
UM, BUT I, MY, MY CONCERN IS REALLY THAT THE, THAT THE, THAT THAT THE POLICY CLARIFIES ADDING SOMETHING THAT WE IN PRACTICE HAS ALREADY BEEN BEING DONE, AND IT DOES SO IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T REALLY CLARIFY THINGS THAT OUGHT TO BE CLARIFIED TO ALLOW THIS TO, TO REALLY IMPROVE THE FUNCTION.
SO, SO MR. SANDLIN RIGHT NOW, LIKE IF WE DON'T PASS THIS TONIGHT, RIGHT? IF WE, IF THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION PASSES AND WE DEFER THIS AND SOMEBODY IS DISRUPTIVE ON CAMPUS TOMORROW, RIGHT, IN A SEVERE WAY, THEN THE PRINCIPLE TOMORROW STILL HAS THE AUTHORITY BASED ON THE EXISTING POLICY TO HAVE THAT PERSON EJECTED FROM, FROM, FROM THE SCHOOL GROUNDS, CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT.
AND THE SUPERINTENDENT, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SAID EARLIER, AN ANSWER TO A QUESTION.
THE SUPERINTENDENT, AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, AS A MATTER OF PRACTICE, HAS ON OCCASION, UH, BEEN COMPELLED TO BASICALLY BAN SOMEONE FROM ALL SCHOOL GROUNDS OR FROM A LONGER PERIOD THAN JUST GET OFF CAMPUS RIGHT NOW, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
AND SO THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SIMPLY CLARIFIES THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT IN FACT, HAS THAT AUTHORITY, THAT THAT'S ONE THING IT DOES.
IS IS THERE ANOTHER THING THAT IT DOES, WHETHER THAN RE REARRANGING THE ORDER, THE LANGUAGE, IT REARRANGES THE ORDER OF THE LANGUAGE AND MOVES SOME OF THAT LANGUAGE DOWN CLOSER TO THOSE ENUMERATED OFFENSES, JUST MAKES IT CLEAR THAT THESE THINGS ARE UNACCEPTABLE, RIGHT? BUT IT DOES, BUT IT DOESN'T REALLY FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE THE OPERATIVE LANGUAGE ABOUT WHO CAN BAN OR, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, OR THE, IT DOESN'T ADD TO THE LIST OF BEHAVIOR FOR WHICH ONE CAN BE BANNED.
[00:35:01]
SO THAT, THAT'S MY CONCERN, IS THAT, IS THAT WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY ADDING ANY NEW AUTHORITY HERE.AND IF THE PURPOSE IS CLARITY, I THINK THAT'S FANTASTIC.
BUT I DON'T THINK THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY ADDING SUFFICIENT CLARITY AT THIS POINT.
AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE US, UH, TO, TO, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GONNA FUNDAMENTALLY TAKE AWAY THE EXISTING ABILITY OF THE PRINCIPLES TO REMOVE DISRUPTIVE, UH, UH, PEOPLE FROM THE ENVIRONMENT THAT WE, THAT, THAT WE'RE NOT ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING URGENT, UH, BY PASSING THIS.
AND I WOULD URGE US TO, TO SEND IT BACK AND COME BACK IN, IN, IN A, IN A FEW WEEKS, UM, WITH SOME REVISED LANGUAGE THAT PROVIDE CLARITY OVER WHO, UH, WHICH EMPLOYEES ARE AUTHORIZED TO DO THAT, AND PROVIDE, UM, SOME DUE PROCESS REQUIREMENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE TAKING SOMEBODY'S SUBSTANTIAL RIGHTS AWAY, PARTICULARLY IN, IN THE HYPOTHETICAL THAT WAS PROVIDED, IF A PARENT IS BANNED FROM EVER GOING TO SCHOOL TO THE SCHOOL GROUNDS, AGAIN, THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE, RIGHT? SOME OF THEM PROBABLY DESERVE THAT, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD THINK THROUGH THOSE ISSUES BEFORE WE JUST FIND OURSELVES IN A LAWSUIT, UH, OVER SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND, AND SO THAT'S WHY I WOULD ENCOURAGE US TO DO A LITTLE MORE THOUGHT BEFORE PASSING IT.
BUT I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THE OPPOSITE POSITION AS WELL.
SCU, BOARD MEMBER, UH, PATRICK WARREN, AGAIN, I'LL JUST BE REALLY QUICK.
UM, I THINK IN, IN THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE, THIS POLICY SPEAKS TOWARDS MORE EGREGIOUS BEHAVIOR, SUCH AS FIGHTING ON CAMPUSES.
NOW, OBVIOUSLY, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE DISAGREEMENTS BETWEEN PARENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE INVOLVED IN A KID, UH, UH, INSIDE OF THAT INSTANCE.
BUT I THINK IN THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION, IT SPEAKS MORE TOWARDS THE FIGHTS THAT ARE OCCURRING ON CAMPUS AND THE, UH, THE, UH, THE ATTENTION THAT IT BRINGS, UH, TO OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND IT GIVES THE, THE OPINION TO A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS THAT, UH, A LOT OF OUR SCHOOLS ARE UNSAFE.
BUT THAT'S JUST SIMPLY NOT THE CASE AND NOT THE CAUSE.
AND, UH, I JUST THINK THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT WE STAND ON WITH THIS PARTICULAR POLICY.
BUT I DO UNDERSTAND YOUR CONCERNS AND THE REASON WHY YOU BROUGHT FORTH THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
I THINK WE'VE ALREADY WENT TO THE PUBLIC, UH, FOR THE SUB.
SO THIS TIME, BECAUSE WE, UH, JUST WENT TO THE BOARD, WE WERE CALLED FOR A VOTE ON THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO MOVE TO A DATE.
NOW WE ARE ADDRESSING THE ORIGINAL MOTION, WHICH WAS CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF SCHOOL BOARD POLICY, K G A PUBLIC CONDUCT ON SCHOOL PROPERTY, AND RELATED MATTERS AT THIS TIME.
NOW, WE'LL COME BACK TO THE BOARD, UH, TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY ADDITIONAL CONVERSATIONS THAT NEED TO BE HAD.
I SEE SCHOOL BO, I'M SORRY, VICE PRESIDENT CAR POWELLS INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
OKAY, MR. SHALIN, I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION FOR YOU.
SO IN THE CASE THAT THIS ITEM FAILS TONIGHT, THE ORIGINAL ITEM, HOW SOON MAY WE REVISIT THIS CONVERSATION? PER OUR POLICY IN THE ITEM THAT FAILS, UH, CANNOT BE CONSIDERED FOR 60 DAYS, HOWEVER, THE POLICY AS IS CURRENTLY ON THE BOOKS, WILL STILL BE IN EFFECT.
AND SO YOU WOULD, WE WOULD STILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO MUCH OF WHAT IS BEING DISCUSSED TONIGHT ANYWAY, EVEN IF THIS DOES FAIL.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY, MY REASONS FOR ASKING, UM, TO MY COLLEAGUES AND THEN, UH, OUR AUDIENCE AS WELL.
THE REASON WHY I HAVE ASKED THAT PARTICULAR QUESTION IS WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF WORKING TO DEVELOP A FULL EBR R SCHOOL SAFETY PLAN.
AND SO WE DON'T WANT TO FIND OURSELVES IN A PLACE OF DEVELOPING A PLAN, AND THEN WE CAN'T EVEN ADDRESS THIS CONVERSATION FOR HOW MANY DAYS? ONCE AGAIN, 60, UH, 60 DAYS FOR 60 DAYS.
SO THAT'S GONNA, THAT'S GONNA PUT US IN A VERY PRECARIOUS SITUATION.
SO WITH THAT IN MIND, UM, I FEEL AS THOUGH WE SHOULD GO AHEAD ONCE AGAIN PAST THIS PARTICULAR ITEM BECAUSE IT PLACES AN A SIGNIFICANCE ON WHETHER OR NOT ADULTS AND PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT A PART OF THE SCHOOL FAMILY CAN COME ON CAMPUS AND ENGAGE IN PHYSICAL ALTERCATIONS.
IT PLACES A LEVEL OF RESTRICTION ON THEM.
THEN AT THE SAME TIME, WE CAN RE, WE CAN HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS AROUND THIS PARTICULAR ITEM AS A PART OF THE PLAN FOR OUR SCHOOL SAFETY.
SO THAT'S THE REASON WHY I ASK THE QUESTIONS THAT I'VE ASKED.
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, UH, I'M SORRY, VICE PRESIDENT, UH, POWELL.
AGAIN, I'LL JUST BE REALLY QUICK INSIDE OF
[00:40:01]
THE QUEUE.I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE, UM, AND LIFT UP.
I DO COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THE REASON WHY BOTH, UH, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, KATIE KENON AND SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK BARTON, RAISE THE CONCERN.
AND WHAT I WANT, UH, OUR BOARD LEADERSHIP TO DO IS TO COMMIT TO ANY OF THOSE, UH, CONCERNS THAT YOU HAVE.
PLEASE LET US KNOW SO THAT WE CAN WORK THROUGH THOSE CHANGES SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.
THAT WAY, EVERYBODY'S IN A COMFORTABLE PLACE KNOWING THAT WE ARE MAKING EVERY POSSIBLE, UH, CORRECTION TO THIS PARTICULAR POLICY TO ENSURE THAT ALL SCHOOLS ARE SAFE, BUT ALSO THAT ALL EMPLOYEES AND ALL PARENTS ALSO HAVE ENOUGH GROUND AND UNDERSTANDING, UH, WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU COME ON SCHOOL CAMPUSES OR WHAT THEIR CONDUCT SHOULD LOOK LIKE.
SEEING NO OTHER NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE, WE ARE, I'M SORRY, UH, SCUBA MEMBER, UH, KENON, YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE.
UM, JUST FOR CLARITY'S SAKE, THE, THE POLICY THAT'S, THAT'S THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, IF SOMEONE COMES ON CAMPUS, UH, AN ADULT AND GETS INTO A PHYSICAL ALTERCATION, WE HAVE, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS THE POWER TO TAKE, TO RESTRICT THEM FOR UP TO A YEAR ALREADY.
SO IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR AND IT BEING A PROBLEM WITH, UH, UNSETTLEDNESS, UM, WE ALREADY HAVE THAT IN PLACE.
SO THIS DOESN'T REALLY CHANGE THAT.
BOARD MCKINNON, UH, SCHOOL MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN, YOU IN THE QUEUE.
I REMEMBERED A COUPLE OF INCIDENTS AND I JUST DID A GOOGLE SEARCH.
AND AT ONE OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS A FEW YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A DISPUTE BETWEEN A PARENT WHO WAS WALKING HER DAUGHTER TO CLASS, UH, AND THE NEW PRINCIPAL ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
AND THAT PRINCIPAL WOUND UP BANNING THAT PARENT FROM, FROM CAMPUS AND REQUIRING THEM TO, UH, UH, OTHER THAN TO GO THROUGH THE CARPOOL LINE, ADDING TO THE TRAFFIC ON ACADIAN THROUGHWAY, UM, UH, SHE WAS, SHE WAS BANNED FROM ATTENDING CAMPUS WITHOUT PROVIDING 24 HOURS NOTICE AND OBTAINING PARTICULAR PERMISSION FROM, UH, THE PRINCIPLES ACCORDING TO NEWS REPORTS.
UM, AND, AND, AND SO IF THAT PARENT WANTED TO GO TO AKA'S CHILD'S PERFORMANCE, VIEW THEIR ARTWORK ON THE WALL, ON A DAY THAT IT WAS DISPLAYED OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, HAD TO EMAIL THE PRINCIPAL, UM, PARTICULARLY NOW, I'M SURE THERE WERE EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES AND THERE WAS A REASON THAT PRINCIPAL DID IT.
I'M NOT TRYING TO RE-LITIGATE THAT ISSUE, BUT I'M SAYING THAT THIS IS NOT AN HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE.
AND TO THE EXTENT THAT WE ARE, UM, UM, CHANGING THIS POLICY AND THAT AS, AS VICE PRESIDENT OF POWERPOINTS, OUR, WE'RE, WE'RE ABOUT TO DO A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF ALL OF THESE POLICIES, UM, I THINK IT'S REALLY INCUMBENT THAT WE THINK THROUGH THE DETAILS ASSOCIATED WITH WHO'S AUTHORIZED TO DO THIS, THE LIMITS, UH, WITHIN THAT, UH, TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S AN ABILITY TO PROVIDE PARENTS WHO, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE DOING THIS, UH, WHO WHO, WHO MAY HAVE HAD THIS REASON.
SOMETIMES FOR GOOD REASONS, SOMETIMES FOR BAD, HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO BE GIVEN NOTICE AND OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD, UH, FAIRLY, UH, YOU KNOW, BEFORE THEY SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES.
I'LL, I'LL SUPPORT THE ORIGINAL MOTION BECAUSE I DON'T WANT IT TO BE IN LIMBO SO THAT WE CAN'T GO BACK AND REVISIT IT.
UH, BUT, BUT I WANT TO MENTION THAT STORY TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS IS NOT A HYPOTHETICAL ISSUE AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO GIVE THOUGHT TO.
THANK YOU SCUBA MEMBER MARTIN.
AND THANK YOU FOR LETTING US KNOW THAT CLARIFICATION AROUND THAT, UH, PARTICULAR INCIDENT.
UM, SEEING NONE OF OTHER NAMES INSIDE OF THE, INSIDE OF THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME, WE WILL NOW GO BACK TO PUBLIC COMMENTS.
UH, FIRST WE HAVE MS. MATTHEWS.
I JUST REALLY, REALLY IMPLORE YOU TO LOOK AT THE LANGUAGE BECAUSE IT DOES NOT, IT DOES NOT SHOW A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE EMPLOYEES AND THE PARENTS.
I, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, GOT HIT BY A CAR FROM A PARENT WHO WAS MAD IN CARPOOL THAT THEY DIDN'T GET THEIR WAY, THEY DIDN'T GET TO SWITCH LANES TO GO THE WAY THEY WANTED TO GO, BECAUSE THAT WOULD'VE ENDANGERED OUR STUDENTS.
NOW, I'M FROM BROOKLYN, YOUR CAR IS NOT ABOUT TO SCARE ME.
NOW SUPERINTENDENT RC KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
SO WHEN HE HIT ME WITH THE CAR, I HIT HIS CAR BACK,
BUT, YOU KNOW, MY PRINCIPAL, NOT ONLY DID SHE NOT BAN HIM, SHE WOULDN'T EVEN LET ME CALL THE POLICE ON HIM.
AND Y'ALL KNOW, WHEN I GET BIG MAD, IT GETS BAD.
BUT I UNDERSTAND WE HAVE, I MEAN, WE HAVE PARENTS WHO, WHO DO THE MOST.
AND, AND FROM THE UNION PERSPECTIVE,
[00:45:01]
THAT IS WHERE I HAVE TO COME FROM ON THIS.THIS DOES NOT DELINEATE BETWEEN EDUCATORS OR EVEN CENTRAL OFFICE EMPLOYEES AND THE PE PEOPLE WHO WILL COME ON THE CAMPUS BEING MAD.
AND THAT IS THE PROBLEM THAT I HAVE WITH IT.
IT'S NOT THE PROTECTION, BECAUSE WE DO NEED THAT.
AND I'VE ALSO BEEN THAT PARENT THAT THE PRINCIPAL HAS SAID, YOU NEED TO LEAVE RIGHT NOW.
I'M GONNA PUT YOU OUT FOR THE NEXT YEAR.
SO I'VE BEEN IN BOTH POSITIONS BEFORE, AND THEY DO HAVE THAT AUTONOMY RIGHT NOW.
SO PLEASE LOOK AT IT AND FIX THE LANGUAGE.
JAMES FINNEY, 81 21 OAKVIEW DRIVE.
I WOULD HOPE BEFORE YOU ENACT WHAT APPEARS TO BE A LESS THAN IDEALLY REVISION TO A LESS THAN PERFECT POLICY, YOU WAIT UNTIL THE THE LANGUAGE IS CORRECT.
AND I HAVE AN INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU.
I HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN BANNED BY A CHARTER SCHOOL CAMPUS ON COMPLETELY BOGUS GROUNDS.
UM, SPECIFICALLY I HAD THE AUDACITY TO LOOK FOR THEIR POSTED, UM, BOARD MEETING AGENDA, WHICH WAS NOT VISIBLE TO THE PUBLIC.
AND I WAS ALLEGED TO HAVE BEEN THREATENING, WHICH I WAS NOT.
SO THE POINT OF THAT LITTLE ANECDOTE IS BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL ABOUT HAVING THE PROPER, UM, BASIS FOR BANNING ANYONE FROM A PUBLIC FACILITY, PARTICULARLY ONE THAT THEY HAVE BUSINESS AT.
NEXT WE HAVE CHARLES LUCIER IS ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO HAVE CHARLES.
HEY EVERYONE, I DON'T NORMALLY SPEAK ON ITEMS, BUT WE HAVE HAVE SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH THIS.
UM, SO AS YOU KNOW, THE PARENT POLICY ALLOWS THE, THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR TO EVICT SOMEONE FROM A CAMPUS IF THERE'S AN ISSUE.
UM, AND THERE'S GENERAL, GENERAL THING ABOUT IF YOU DISRUPT THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS.
THAT IS A VERY BROAD CATEGORY, AND IT'S BEEN USED.
WE'VE HAD A PHOTOGRAPHER YEARS AGO WHO WAS KICKED OFF A MIDDLE SCHOOL CUZ HE WENT TO THE WRONG SCHOOL CUZ IT WAS A, HAD THE SAME NAME AS THE OTHER, THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HE WAS HEADED TO AND WAS JUST KICKED OUT JUST CUZ HE BOTHERED TO SHOW UP AT THE WRONG SCHOOL.
UM, SO THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO'VE USED THIS.
WE ALSO, UH, MENTIONED A COUPLE INCIDENTS.
MR. MARTIN MENTIONED A PARENT WHO'S KICKED OFF.
UM, WE'VE HAD OTHER PARENTS WHO'VE BEEN BANNED FOR REASONS THAT YOU WOULD WONDER ABOUT.
AND, UM, WE HAD A REPORTER WHO WAS KICKED OFF THIS PROPERTY IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS FOR REASONS YOU MIGHT WONDER ABOUT.
I GUESS WHAT I WOULD SAY IS, NO ONE'S SAYING THAT SCHOOLS CAN'T ACT ON THEIR BEHALF WHEN THEY NEED TO, BUT YOU MAY WANNA THINK ABOUT WHO GETS TO JU DETERMINE WHEN IT BECOMES A BAN.
SAY WHO DOES THIS IS THE SUPERINTENDENT, IT'S A SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR.
SO YOU MAY WANT A STAIRSTEP TO DETERMINE IF SOMETHING RISES TO THAT LEVEL.
AND BECAUSE A BAND IS A BAND FOR A WEEK, A MONTH, A YEAR, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOTHING IN THERE.
WHAT IF SOMEONE DIDN'T LIKE A PARENT? THEY GET BANNED THEM ON THE FIRST DAY, THEIR KID WAS IN NINTH GRADE.
THEY NEVER GO TO HIGH SCHOOL THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S VERY BROAD.
AND FROM A FREEDOM PERSPEC PRESS PERSPECTIVE, WE DO OUR JOB.
WE COME TO SCHOOL SOMETIMES, AND WE CAN BE DE THEMED, DISRUPTING THE ORDINARY EDUCATIONAL PROCESS.
WE'D BE PART OF THIS AND WE'D BE BANNED FROM A CAMPUS.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S NECESSARILY WHAT Y'ALL WANT.
WE DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THAT.
I DIDN'T HAVE THE CHANCE TO READ THE POLICY, BUT IT'S BASED OFF WHAT I'M HEARING SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE.
IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMEBODY IS GOING TO GET THE, THE OPPORTUNITY TO TELL A A CHILD'S PARENT.
YOU CAN'T COME TO MY BASKETBALL GAME TODAY.
SO JUST, I JUST, LET'S THINK ABOUT IT LIKE THIS.
UH, HEY MOM, I'M ON THE CHEER TEAM.
YOU WANNA COME TO THE, THE FIRST GAME? I'M IN SIXTH GRADE, I'M LIKE 10.
SO I REALLY DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND THAT MY MOM MAY HAVE A TEMPER TANTRUMS THAT'S OUT OF THIS WORLD,
[00:50:01]
BUT YOU'RE STILL MY MOM AND YOU CAN'T COME.SO I'VE BEEN A TEACHER FOR SOME TIME AND I KNOW EMOTIONS GET FLARED.
AND ONE THING I DO KNOW IS ADULTS ARE LARGER KIDS AND THEY HAVE EMOTIONS AND THEY REACT INSTEAD OF RESPOND.
AND SO I DON'T THINK THIS IS IN GENERAL A BAD IDEA, BUT I THINK, THINK IF WE AT THIS MOMENT MAKE A DECISION TO PUT A GENERAL FIX ON ALL THESE DIFFERENT INDIVIDUAL CASES, AND I, I GET EVERYBODY CAN DO EVERYTHING, RIGHT? BUT I THINK THERE JUST NEEDS TO BE MEASURES WHERE MORE DETAILED, UM, ARE DEFINED.
BECAUSE I KNOW A FEW EDUCATORS THAT, YEAH, IF I DON'T LIKE YOU, IF YOUR, IF YOUR NINTH GRADER GETTING ON MY NERVES EVERY DAY, ALL I NEED IS A REASON BAN.
SO I JUST, I JUST ENCOURAGE US TO NOT MAKE THIS VAGUE DECISION TO PUT THIS BROAD FIX ON, UM, SOMETHING THAT IS SO VAST NOW.
AND I ALSO VOLUNTEER TO HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS AND HELP.
SEEING THIS TIME, SEEING NO OTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS, WE WILL GO BACK TO THE BOARD.
UH, WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL, GOD IN THEQ.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT SAID ABOUT VARIOUS PEOPLE BANNING AND, AND DOING ALL THESE KINDS OF THINGS.
I JUST WANTED TO GO BACK AND READ THE WORDS.
THE POLICY ACTUALLY SAYS, SAYS, ANY PERSON WHO DISRUPTS THE ORDERLY EDUCATIONAL PROCESS WHILE ON A SCHOOL CAMPUS OR SCHOOL BOARD PROPERTY MAY ALSO BE RESTRICTED OR BANNED FROM SUCH PROPERTY BY THE SCHOOL BOARD.
SO THE SCHOOL BOARD HAS THE ULTIMATE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT.
AND IF WE WANT TO PASS, I'M SORRY, LOOK AT THE BOTTOM.
I'M COMING, I'M GONNA READ THE BOTTOM.
UH, SO IT SAYS BY THE SCHOOL BOARD SAYS SOMEONE WHO'S BANNED FROM THAT, THEY ALWAYS HAVE THE ABILITY TO COME TO SCHOOL BOARD TO, TO APPEAL THAT.
IF WE ALLOW THAT, THEN THE NEXT POSITION GOES.
IN ADDITION, ANY PERSON, INCLUDING AN ADULT WHO BEHAVES IN AN UNSPORTSMANLIKE MANNER DURING AN ATHLETIC OR CO-CURRICULAR EVENT MAY BE EJECTED FROM THE EVENT THE PERSON IS ATTENDING.
AN RRB DENIED, DENIED ADMISSION TO OTHER SCHOOL EVENTS FOR UP TO A YEAR.
THE SUPERINTENDENT SHALL HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO REVIEW THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND MAKE THE FINAL DECISION REGARDING ATTENDANCE OF THE INDIVIDUAL AT ANY SCHOOL OR SCHOOL FUNCTION.
SO IT IS NOT RANDOM PEOPLE AT A SCHOOL SITE THAT CAN DO THIS WITHOUT ANY RECOURSE.
THERE IS ALWAYS RECOURSE COMING BACK TO THE SUPERINTENDENT IN THIS CASE.
AND IN THE OTHER CASE, BACK TO THE SCHOOL BOARD.
SO THERE IS SOME DUE PROCESS BUILT IN.
THERE IS SOME APPEAL PROCESS BUILT IN.
IT IS NOT, YOU KNOW, MS. JONES, WHO'S THE SCIENCE TEACHER, NO, I DIDN'T MEAN THE SCIENCE TEACHER, NOT MS. JONES, WHO'S A BASKETBALL COACH OR WHATEVER, SAYS YOU'RE A BAND.
DON'T COME BACK OR DON'T COME LOOK AT YOUR DAUGHTER BEING A CHEERLEADER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
IF ANYTHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS, THERE IS AN APPEAL PROCESS THERE IS EASILY APPEALED TO THE SUPERINTENDENT OR WHOEVER.
AND I DON'T THINK THAT ANY OF OUR, UH, PARENTS, UH, ANY OF OUR ADMINISTRATORS WOULD BE IN THAT KIND OF ROLE.
AND THE KIND OF ROLE THAT MR. UH, LUER JUST BROUGHT UP THAT CERTAINLY COULD BE APPEALED BACK TO THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO I, I JUST THINK WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING TOO LITIGIOUS, UH, IN LOOKING AT HOW ALL THESE ARE DONE.
I THINK WE HAVE TO USE SOME COMMON SENSE AS WE GO THROUGH THIS AND KNOW I DON'T WANT THE SCHOOL BOARD TO GET SUED BY ANYBODY OR ANYTHING BECAUSE THEY'RE BEING UNFAIRLY DENIED ACCESS.
BUT I THINK EVEN IN THE POLICY AS IT'S WRITTEN, THERE ARE PATHWAYS TO HANDLE THAT.
AND SO I, I JUST THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT OF THIS IS MAKING A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MO UH, AS FAR AS PEOPLE BEING EJECTED WILLY-NILLY FROM FROM SCHOOL SYSTEM.
CAUSE I JUST DON'T SEE THAT HAPPENING.
GO NEXT WE HAVE VICE PRESIDENT CARLA POWELL.
I JUST WANTED TO REMIND THOSE OF US THAT ARE A PART OF THIS CONVERSATION, HOW WE'VE GOTTEN TO THE WRITING OF THIS POLICY.
THERE WERE PARENTS WHO SHOWED UP AT SCOTLANDVILLE HIGH SCHOOL THIS YEAR, THIS SCHOOL YEAR, FIGHTING IN FRONT OF THE SCHOOL, NO OFFENSE TO OUR SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO RESPOND.
[00:55:01]
CAME AFTER A MASSIVE SITUATION IN FRONT OF AN ALTERNATIVE SITE.OUR TEACHERS, OUR PARENTS, OUR KIDS HAVE ASKED THAT WE HELP THEM BE SAFE.
LAST TWO WEEKS AGO, WE TALKED ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE DID NOT HAVE ANY PLAN IN PLACE.
WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT IN THIS WAS, NUMBER ONE, IF THE GOAL IS SAFETY AND FOR THOSE WHO'VE EVER STEPPED FOOT ON A CAMPUS, AND YOU KNOW THAT IN THE SPRINGTIME KIDS ARE READY TO FIGHT, COACH LEWIS IS, IS TELLING THE COMPLETE TRUTH THAT ON THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE.
AND IF WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING IN PLACE, THEN WHAT WE'VE SEEN THIS YEAR TO BE WORSE THAN THE OTHER YEARS, BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY HAD MASSIVE SITUATIONS WITH ADULTS WHO ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ON CAMPUS OTHER THAN TO SUPPORT THEIR KIDS HAVE CAME ON CAMPUS TO SUPPORT THEM IN A NEGATIVE MANNER.
MY QUESTION TO MY COLLEAGUES, MY QUESTION TO OUR DISTRICT STAFF IS WHEN HAVE WE MADE THE POINT OF GOING AND MAKING AN UNANNOUNCED VISIT TO THESE SCHOOLS? DO WE KNOW WHAT GOES ON IN THESE CAMPUSES? THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT.
THESE ARE THE ISSUES THAT WE'VE BEEN FACED WITH.
I HOPE THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO HAVE MORE POSITIVE PRESS THAN NEGATIVE.
AND THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO DO THAT IS IF WE HAVE SOME STRONG POLICIES IN PLACE.
ONCE AGAIN, IF WE DENY THIS OR WE REJECT THIS ITEM TONIGHT, WE CANNOT COME BACK TO IT FOR 60 DAYS.
WE NEED TO BE OPERATING A PLAN THAT WILL TAKE PLACE BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF SCHOOL SO THAT WAY OUR, OUR SCHOOL CAMPUSES CAN BE SAFE AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
YES, THIS SOUNDS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT ALREADY TAKES PLACE, BUT THIS IS MAKING IT MORE OF A POLICY AND A REGULATION THAN NOT.
I HOPE SOMEBODY UNDERSTANDS WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY.
AND, UH, I WON'T ENTER THE QUEUE, BUT I WILL BE VERY BRIEF.
UH, CAUSE I THINK FIRST AND FOREMOST, THESE, THIS IS AN EXCELLENT CONVERSATION BY THE BOARD.
WHETHER WE ALIGN ON IT OR NOT, THESE ARE THE KIND OF CONVERSATIONS THAT LET OUR COMMUNITY KNOW THAT YES, WE HAVE CONCERNS AROUND SAFETY INSIDE OF OUR SCHOOLS.
UH, BUT WHAT I WILL DO IS, I'LL PIGGYBACK OFF SOMETHING THAT VICE PRESIDENT POWELL BROUGHT UP AND I WILL MENTION, UH, OUR NEW CHIEF OF SECURITY, UH, CAPTAIN WALKER BECAUSE HE WAS ON THE SCENE TODAY THAT THIS SITUATION HAPPENED AT OUR ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL SITE.
AND IN FACT, I SAT THERE AND I WATCHED AN OFFICER TELL A PARENT TO PLEASE TAKE YOUR DAUGHTER HOME FIVE TIMES.
THE DAUGHTER CONTINUED TO GO BACK AND FORTH.
IN FACT, THE PARENT TRIED TO FIGHT ANOTHER PARENT.
THE OFFICER STOPPED THE PARENT, AND THEN THE STUDENT ENGAGED TO HAVE ANOTHER FIGHT.
WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING WAS THE OFFICERS HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO DETAIN THAT CHILD.
AND THE FIRST THING THE PARENT DID WAS TAKE THEIR PHONE OUT AND SAID, LOOK, WHAT'S HAPPENING TO MY CHILD? LOOK WHAT THEY'RE DOING TO MY CHILD.
AND I SAW THIS WITH MY OWN TWO WIS WHERE HE ASKED THEM FIVE TIMES AND PLEADED, PLEASE TAKE YOUR CHILD HOME.
LET'S TAKE ANOTHER TURN TO WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL AND ZACHARY HIGH SCHOOL GAME.
THE PARENTS RUSHED TO COURT BECAUSE OF A DISPUTE BETWEEN THE PLAYERS THAT WERE PLAYING ON THE COURT AT THE TIME.
A GANG FIGHT IS, I WON'T CALL IT A GANG, I CALL IT A GROUP FIGHT, TAKES PLACE ON THE COURT.
LA'S LS, H A A SUSPENDED BOTH TEAMS OUT OF THE TOURNAMENT WHO BOTH HAD A REALLY GOOD CHANCE FOR THOSE STUDENTS TO GO TO STATE.
AND BY THE WAY, NOT ONE PARENT WAS BANNED FROM THE CAMPUS.
THE ISSUE IS THAT WE HAVE POLICIES, BUT THEY'RE NOT BEING PROPERLY, UH, EXECUTED ON CAMPUSES.
SO THIS RIGHT HERE, THE REASON FOR US DOING THIS IS TO REAFFIRM THAT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW POLICY AS IN REGARDS TO SAFETY, NOT ONLY FOR STUDENTS, NOT ONLY FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, BUT ALSO FOR THE PARENTS THAT ENGAGE AND COME ON THOSE CAMPUSES.
BECAUSE WHEN THEY COME ON CAMPUSES AND THEY FIGHT, WE OPEN OURSELVES UP TO LIABILITY.
AND I'LL JUST STOP RIGHT THERE, SEEING NO OTHER NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME.
NOW WE'LL TURN TO MADAME SECRETARY.
PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE, PLEASE VOTE.
[01:00:03]
THE MOTION CARRIES.ALL RIGHT, MOVING RIGHT ALONG.
WE'LL NOW GO TO ITEM E THREE, 2023, 2024 SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE 2023 2024 SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR.
[F.3. 2023-2024 School Year Calendar]
MOVE BY SCUBA MEMBER LEWIS? CAN I GET A SECOND? SECOND? MOVED BY VICE PRESIDENT CARLA POWELL.RIGHT AT THIS TIME NOW WE'LL TURN TO OUR BOARD.
I SEE SCUBA MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN SIDE OF THE QUEUE.
WE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM AT THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE, I APPRECIATE THE, THE WORK THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT AND HIS STAFF DID.
I, I STILL HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS, UM, THAT I'D LIKE TO ASK.
UM, BUT I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING THIS CALENDAR PASSED WHERE BECAUSE WE HAD A NEW BOARD AND, AND THINGS WERE DELAYED, WE, WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO, TO WAIT FOR CONSIDERATION AT THIS TIME.
UM, BUT WE, AND WE'RE STILL ALL LEARNING A GREAT DEAL ABOUT WHAT GOES, ALL THE COMPLEX FACTORS THAT GO INTO MAKING THIS CALENDAR.
SO I'D LIKE TO OFFER A SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO APPROVE THE 20 23 24 SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR AND TO, UH, REQUEST THE SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION TO PRESENT AT THE NEXT COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING.
ONE, ALL THE CONSIDERATIONS THAT GO INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CALENDAR AND BELL SCHEDULE.
AND TWO, A DRAFT POLICY FOR CONSIDERATION FOR ADOPTION BY THE BOARD SETTING THE CRITERIA, WHICH MUST BE MET BY ANY SCHOOL DAY AND OR BELL SCHEDULE ADOPTED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT OR PRINCIPALS FOR THE 20 23, 24 ACADEMIC YEAR AND BEYOND, WITH SUCH CRITERIA TO BE FOCUSED ON CREATING THE MOST CONDUCIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT POSSIBLE WHILE ALSO MEETING ALL LEGAL, CONTRACTUAL AND OTHER COMPLIANCE CONCERNS.
UM, AND THE REASON FOR THAT SUBSTITUTE, WELL, DO I NEED A SECOND BEFORE I DISCUSS THE REASONS FOR FOR IT? NO, YOU CAN GO AHEAD.
SO, SO THE REASON FOR MY SUBSTITUTE MOTION IS, IS, IS TWOFOLD.
ONE, AND, AND THIS COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED AT THE COMMITTEE OR IN A WORK GROUP, YOU KNOW, SETTING WHICHEVER, UH, WOULD BE MOST APPROPRIATE IS.
SO THAT IS SO THAT, THAT WE CAN HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING TO UNDERSTAND THE RAMIFICATIONS AND WHY WE NEEDED TO VOTE ON THIS AS IT IS NOW.
WE SIMPLY HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO, TO UNDERSTAND ALL THAT.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND IT BETTER WHILE UNDERSTANDING THE NEED TO ACTUALLY GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THIS CALENDAR SO PEOPLE CAN MAKE PLANS.
AND, AND TWO, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW THAT I STILL LACK SOME CLARITY OVER BELL SCHEDULE.
WHO SETS IT? WHAT IS, WHAT ARE THE KIND OF PEDAGOGICAL REASONS FOR SETTING IT THE WAY THEY ARE? WHAT ARE THE BEST PRACTICES AROUND THE COUNTRY? AND I KNOW YOU'VE PROVIDED US SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THAT THIS EVENING.
UM, BUT, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE, THAT THE BOARD, UM, COMMUNITY HAVE, HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ESTABLISH THE POLICY OF WHAT OUR EXPECTATIONS ARE.
THERE'S ALL THESE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE SET BY BESSIE STATE LAW AND SO FORTH.
BUT THERE ARE ALSO GREAT MANY RECOMMENDATIONS OUT THERE FROM, FROM NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT I THINK WE, WE AS A BOARD OUGHT TO CONSIDER AS A POLICY.
SO THAT'S THE, THE, THE RATIONALE FOR MY, UH, FOR MY SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
THAT'S A SUBSTITUTE MOTION ON THE FLOOR.
CAN WE GET A SECOND? IS THERE A SECOND? SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER KATIE KENERSON.
UH, I SEE THAT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, NATHAN RUSS IS INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
BUT BEFORE WE GO TO, UH, A BOARD, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION.
SO THE SUPERINTENDENT WOULD RATHER LET YOU GO AHEAD AND SPEAK NOW, SO YOU CAN GO AHEAD, UH, SCHOOL AND MEMORIZE.
UH, I JUST WANNA SAY, YOU KNOW, CUZ I FIRST KIND OF BROUGHT A QUESTION ON THIS CALENDAR THAT I'LL SAY, UH, I APPRECIATE THE WORK OF THE ADMINISTRATION TO ANSWER THE CONCERNS THAT WERE HAD.
UM, I ALSO DEVELOPED A DEEPER OF APPRECIATION FOR THE COMPLEXITY OF THIS ISSUE AND HOW HARD IT IS, UM, TO CHECK ALL THE BOXES, SO TO SPEAK.
I ALSO APPRECIATE THE WORK OF ALL OF OUR ADVISORY COUNCILS TO WEIGH IN ON THIS.
AND, AND I UNDERSTAND COMPLETELY THAT A LOT OF FEEDBACK AND, AND, AND I WANT TO CALL ATTENTION TO HOW MUCH WORK THE ADMINISTRATION SPENT GETTING FEEDBACK ON THIS CALENDAR.
I'M CERTAINLY NOT SMARTER THAN HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE
UH, BUT I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO LISTEN TO MY CONSTITUENTS, AND THAT IS WHY I BROUGHT THIS TO THE TABLE.
AND LOOK, I'VE GOT A ELEMENTARY KID, SCHOOL KID THAT'S GONNA GO TO MIDDLE SCHOOL.
AND, AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT HIS DAY, I WANT HIM TO HAVE RECESS.
UM, SO THAT, THAT IS WHY THAT'S BEEN BROUGHT UP.
I AGREE WITH THIS SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
UM, I APPRECIATE THE COMPROMISE ON THE BELL SCHEDULE AND, AND THE, WHAT WAS WORKED OUT.
I THINK THAT'S TO A BENEFIT OF OUR KIDS.
[01:05:01]
BETTER IN THE FUTURE AND I HOPE THAT WE WILL FOCUS ON THAT.UH, THANK YOU SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, NATHAN RUSS, AT THIS TIME NOW WE'LL GO TO, UH, SCHOOL, UH, I'M SORRY, SUPERINTENDENT CTO NARCS.
UH, THANK YOU PRESIDENT LANCE.
AND THANK YOU BOTH, UH, BOARD MEMBER MARTIN AND BOARD MEMBER RUSS, FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
UH, I WANTED TO, UH, GIVE OUR TEAM A LITTLE BIT OF AN OPPORTUNITY TO JUST TO PROVIDE A LITTLE MORE CONTEXT.
CAUSE I THINK CONTEXT IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, UH, WE PROVIDED YOU GUYS TODAY IN THOSE FOLDERS THAT WE GAVE, JUST SO YOU KNOW THAT WHAT WE ARE DOING IS NOT OUT OF THE ORDINARY AND IS ALSO FOLLOWING A LOT OF THE, UM, SURROUNDING PARISHES IN THE STATE, UH, THAT HAS SOME OF THE SAME SET OF ISSUES AROUND SCHEDULING.
UH, THE OTHER, THE OTHER PART I WANTED TO BRING UP WAS THE, UH, I'M GLAD YOU ACKNOWLEDGED ABOUT THE COMPLEXITY BECAUSE, UH, MAKING A SCHEDULE IS, UM, IS, UM, THERE'S REQUIREMENTS BY THE WE'RE WAITING WITH L D E AND ALL THESE COMPLIANCE ABOUT INSTRUCTIONAL MINUTES AND THOSE THINGS.
SO I WANTED TO GIVE OUR TEAM JUST AN OPPORTUNITY, UM, JUST TO TALK THROUGH A LITTLE BIT AS THEY'LL COME UP AND JUST SHARE A LITTLE BIT, JUST TO PROVIDE MORE KNOWLEDGE, NOT ONLY FOR THE BOARD, BUT ALSO FOR THE PUBLIC AROUND CERTAIN PIECES.
UM, UH, BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN A LITTLE BIT MORE COMPLEX THAN EXPECTED, UM, THE CONVERSATION AROUND RECESS HAS BEEN A CONVERSATION THAT'S HAPPENED, UH, I GUESS SINCE I BECAME SUPERINTENDENT.
UH, AND, UH, JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GAVE CONTEXT.
WE ALSO, UM, HAVE BEEN ENGAGING IN A LOT OF SCHOOL LEADERS AND THEY'VE ENGAGED TEACHERS AS WELL IN THAT CONVERSATION.
AND SOME OF THEM ARE HERE AS WELL.
SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE MUCH MORE FULL BREATH OF THE CONTEXT, UH, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AS WE MAKE THESE DECISIONS THAT WE DON'T MAKE 'EM IN ISOLATION.
UH, AND THAT HELPS THE BOARD TO MAKE A BETTER DECISION ON WHATEVER DIRECTION THEY CHOOSE TO GO THROUGH.
ROBINSON, OUR CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER TO COME ON UP.
UH, AND THEN, UH, JUST TO PROVIDE A LOAD OF CONTEXT.
GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT LEIS, BOARD PRESIDENT, UM, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL, TO THE BOARD MEMBERS, AND TO DR.
NARCIS, OUR SUPERINTENDENT AS THEY'RE PUTTING UP THE POWERPOINT.
UM, I WANT TO SORT OF ELICIT SOME CONCERN, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT GO INTO THE CALENDAR.
SO, UM, BESSIE, UH, WHICH IS OUR DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BOARD OF EDUCATION, UH, HAS A BULLETIN, WHICH IS ENTITLED NUMBER 7 41.
AND BESSIE, THANK YOU, UM, REQUIRES THAT THERE IS 63,720 MINUTES OF INSTRUCTIONAL TIME, UM, FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR.
AND THE FINAL APPROVAL OF THE STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT CALENDAR, UH, INFORMATION COMES FROM BESSIE.
AND FROM THAT WE ALSO, CUZ THERE ARE THREE MAIN LENSES, WHICH YOU CAN SEE, WE ALSO ARE CONCERNED AND HAVE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS AROUND THE CERTIFIED EMPLOYEES, WHICH THEY MUST WORK 182 DAYS.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE STAKEHOLDER INPUT, UH, FROM OUR PARENTS, FROM OUR TEACHERS, FROM OUR STUDENTS, FROM THE SUPPORT WORKERS, AND FROM OUR SCHOOL LEADERS.
SO, WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE CONDUCTED SEVERAL MEETINGS.
UM, AND I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT OF PRIVILEGE TO THIS.
NAIS, OUR SUPERINTENDENT, FOR ALLOWING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO AS MUCH AS WE DID TO GET THE FEEDBACK FOR THE CALENDAR.
UM, WE HAD OUR TEACHER ADVISORY COMMITTEE, OUR PARENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, OUR PRINCIPALS, OUR STUDENTS, AND WE ALSO INVOLVED OUR UNIONS IN THIS CONCERN.
UH, AROUND THE CALENDAR AS WELL.
THERE WERE 60, UH, 6,000, I'M SORRY, THEY PROBABLY ARE WONDERING WHAT I'M SAYING, BUT THERE ARE SIX, THERE WERE 6,959 RESPONSES THAT WENT INTO CREATING, UM, THE, THE FEEDBACK ADMINISTRATORS THAT RESPONDED WERE 155.
WE HAD 850 SUPPORT STAFF AND 1,172 OF OUR TEACHERS WHO, UM, GAVE FEEDBACK AS WE PROVIDED FOR THEM THE TWO CHOICES FOR THE CALENDAR, UM, THE CALENDAR A WHICH YOU'RE SEEING TONIGHT, UM, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF REVISIONS THAT WE HAD TO MAKE, AND I WILL EXPLAIN THOSE IN JUST A MOMENT.
BUT THERE WAS 73% OF THE RESPONDENTS CHOSE CALENDAR A
[01:10:06]
WHEN THIS CALENDAR WENT OUT.UM, THERE WERE, UM, THERE WAS JUST A, AN ISSUE THAT WE CAUGHT AND WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF THAT, UM, AROUND THE, UH, NUMBER OF MINUTES THAT WE HAD TO RE THAT WE HAD TO ENSURE, UH, FOR EACH COURSE.
AND THERE WERE 41.5 A DAYS AND 40.5 B DAYS AS WE WENT BACK THROUGH THE CALENDAR TO ENSURE, UH, THAT WE HAD THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF TIME.
WE WERE SHORT, UM, ABOUT 54 MINUTES.
AND SO WE HAD TO DO SOME REVISIONS TO THIS CALENDAR.
UM, AND IN DOING THAT, THOSE REVI THAT REVISION IMPACTED, UM, THE 13TH, 14TH, AND 15TH OF DECEMBER.
UH, MEANING THAT WE HAD TO GO IN AND ADD THE TIME SO THAT WE WOULD BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE STATE.
UH, WE ARE NOW IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE STATE AND, UH, WE ARE ENSURING THAT THOSE DAYS THAT WERE HALF DAYS WILL NOW HAVE TO BE FULL DAYS.
WE ARE GOING TO WORK WITH OUR TEACHERS, UM, BECAUSE THAT IS THE MAIN CONCERN AROUND THOSE, THE CHANGES THAT WE MADE.
WE WILL WORK WITH THEM TO ENSURE THAT THEY DEFINITELY HAVE THE TIME TO, UH, ENSURE THAT GRADES ARE, ARE COMPLETED AND DONE IN A TIMELY MANNER.
SO AS WE LOOKED AT THIS CALENDAR, THERE WERE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO, AS I PREVIOUSLY STATED, TO GIVE FEEDBACK AROUND THE CALENDAR.
AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CALENDAR, UH, REFLECTS WHAT WE HOLD IMPORTANT, AND THOUGH THAT IS OUR TEACHERS AS WELL AS OUR STUDENTS TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR, FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, UM, FOR OUR TEACHERS EMBEDDED IN THE WORKDAY, SO THAT WE DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE THIS, UM, ACTUAL HAPPENING AFTER SCHOOL, UH, ALL THE TIME.
THERE WILL STILL BE SOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT, BUT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE, BECAUSE THESE WERE CONCERNS FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR, SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD THOSE THINGS FOR THE, FOR THE TEACHERS EMBEDDED IN THE CALENDAR.
AND SO I THINK AT THIS TIME, DR.
NARCISE, UM, WE WOULD REALLY LIKE FOR YOU TO HEAR, BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME OF OUR PRINCIPALS HERE AND SOME OF OUR STAFF, UM, ON HOW THIS IS IMPACTING THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES THAT ACTUALLY LIVE IN THIS EACH AND EVERY DAY.
AND SO I'D LIKE TO, UM, IF POSSIBLE, UM, IF MS. DR.
SINCLAIR AND MS. HOWARD, UM, AND THEIR STAFFS, THEY COULD COME IF YOU WOULD PLEASE INDULGE ME TO ALLOW THEM TO HAVE A FEW WORDS, UM, AROUND THE WORK THAT WE DID ON THE CALENDAR.
SO JUST TO CLARIFY AS, UM, UH, UH, CHIEF ROBINSON TALKING ABOUT THIS IS TO ADDRESS THE BELL SCHEDULE BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE BOARD ASKED MORE ABOUT THE BELL SCHEDULE THAN IT WAS THE ACTUAL CALENDAR ITSELF.
UH, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT BECAUSE, UH, UH, WHAT WE DID IN TERMS OF OUR ACTIONS AFTER THE BOARD REQUESTED TO GO BACK AND FIND MINUTES IN THE ACTUAL SCHEDULE, WE WENT BACK AND MET WITH PRINCIPALS AND THEY HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH THEIR TEACHERS.
AND SO WE THOUGHT IT'D BE GOOD FOR YOU TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM SOME OF THOSE SCHOOL LEADERS AND THEIR TEACHERS TO BE ABLE JUST TO GET A FULL BREATH OF WHAT'S GOING ON.
BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF ASSUMPTIONS THAT IS MADE ON HOW THE INSTRUCTIONAL MINUTES ARE AND THOSE PIECES.
AND THOSE WERE SOME OF THE TOPICS THAT BROUGHT UP.
AND I THOUGHT IT'D BE GOOD FOR THE BOARD TO HEAR THAT DIRECTLY.
ALRIGHT, MS. HOWARD, WHICHEVER.
WE'LL, TAG TEAM WE'RE THE ERRANDS, SO, IS THAT OKAY? OH, THAT'S FINE.
I'M THE PRINCIPAL OF THE EVIL LAGAR CENTER FOR COASTAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES.
NARCIS AND THE ENTIRE SCHOOL BOARD, UH, ESPECIALLY MY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER.
UH, MR. GODDE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MENTIONING OUR EVENT LAST WEEKEND.
IT WAS A VERY AWESOME, AMAZING EVENT.
UM, BUT LIKE I SAID, WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE BAIL SCHEDULE.
WE WERE BROUGHT IN A COUPLE DAYS AGO, ACTUALLY MONDAY.
WE CAME BACK FROM THE BREAK, UH, FOR AN EMERGENCY MEETING, UH, WHICH I REALLY APPRECIATE BECAUSE I THINK OUR DISTRICT DOES A GOOD JOB WITH TRYING TO INCLUDE US AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THESE TYPES OF THINGS.
BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ARE THE ONES AT THE FRONT LINES HAVING TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.
SO IF WE DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS TO GIVE TO OUR PARENTS OR GIVE TO OUR STUDENTS, OUR, OUR STAFF MEMBERS WE'RE LEFT IN THE BLIND AND WE'RE JUST KIND OF GOING CRAZY.
SO IT WAS GREAT TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
AND WHAT WAS BROUGHT TO US WAS AN IDEA OF A RECESS, AND IMMEDIATELY WE STARTED LOOKING AROUND EACH OTHER LIKE, WAIT, WHAT?
UM, WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT, WHAT
[01:15:01]
THAT ACTUALLY ENTAILED, BECAUSE I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, AS A SCHOOL LEADER, I'M NOT JUST TALKING FROM A SCHOOL LEADER STANDPOINT.I'M TALKING FROM A FORMER, UH, CLASSROOM TEACHER TEACHING, UH, ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS.
WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT A SCHOOL LEADER'S PERSPECTIVE AS FAR AS SAFETY AND SECURITY, WHICH IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.
AND IT COMES DOWN TO OUR STUDENTS AND OUR PARENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY LEADERS.
THE BIGGEST TIMES WHEN YOU HAVE THOSE TYPES OF CONCERNS IS WHEN STUDENTS ARE CHANGING CLASSES AND WHEN THEY'RE OUTSIDE, BECAUSE IT BRINGS THE IDEA OF, OKAY, THEY'RE ALL OPEN.
ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IS UNSTRUCTURED AND NOT IN THE CLASSROOM WHERE THEY'RE ABLE TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, EYES, SMALL GROUPS, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
AND SO THO THOSE ARE WHEN YOUR ANXIETY LEVELS GO UP TREMENDOUSLY AS A SCHOOL LEADER.
UM, BUT I TRULY UNDERSTAND THE IDEA OF STUDENTS HAVING THAT TIME MM-HMM.
WE ALL EXPERIENCED WHAT THAT WAS LIKE.
SO WHEN WE BROUGHT THEM BACK INTO THE BUILDINGS, WE NOTICED IT TOOK SOME TIME FOR THEM TO REACCLIMATE THEM TO THE SURROUNDING AND TO TALKING TO EACH OTHER.
AND SO THE GREAT THING THAT WE EMPLOY, AS, YOU KNOW, SCHOOL LEADERS IN OUR BUILDINGS, IS THAT WE MAKE SURE WE GIVE OUR STUDENTS OPPORTUNITIES ALL OF THE TIME TO COLLABORATE, TO HAVE THOSE CONSTRUCTIVE, DEBATABLE, UH, CONVERSATIONS AROUND INSTRUCTION, AROUND CONTENT, AROUND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I WOULD NOT BE STANDING UP HERE, UH, ADVOCATING THIS, THE, THESE 97 MINUTE PERIODS.
IF I HAD OUR STUDENTS IN A CLASSROOM WHERE THEY WERE SITTING IN A DESK FOR 97 MINUTES LISTENING TO A TEACHER, LECTURE THEM FOR 97 MINUTES.
AS AN ADULT, I CAN'T DO PAST 30.
SO I KNOW AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER, AND LIKE I SAID, AS A FORMER, UH, ELA TEACHER, I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THOSE MINUTES ARE.
WHEN YOU HAVE MORE TIME, YOU CAN LISTEN TO WHERE YOUR KIDS ARE, YOU CAN REALLY ANALYZE THE DEFICIENCY.
YOU CAN, CAN ACTUALLY SUPPORT THEM.
YOU UTILIZE THAT TIME, NOT JUST FOR THE DIRECT INSTRUCTIONAL PIECE, BUT ALSO FOR THE COLLABORATION PIECE WHERE THEY'RE HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEIR PEERS.
YOU'RE ALSO USING THAT FOR INTERVENTION.
SO YOU'RE ABLE TO SUPPORT STUDENTS.
I KNOW THAT WE ARE SEEING THE DATA.
OUR STUDENTS ARE PERFORMING VERY LOW LITERACY.
OUR LITERACY LEVELS ARE SEVERELY LOW.
WE NEED THAT TIME TO REBUILD OUR STUDENTS.
IF WE DON'T TAKE THAT TIME TO DO THAT.
I WOULD LOVE TO SAY THAT WE HAVE THIS OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL.
YOU KNOW, AT HOME THEY'RE GETTING THIS AND THEY'RE GETTING THAT.
ALL WE CAN DO IS MAXIMIZE THE TIME WE HAVE IN OUR BUILDINGS, WHAT WE CAN ACTUALLY CONTROL.
AND SO AS A SCHOOL LEADER, I AM SO EXCITED.
CAUSE WHEN WE STARTED GOING, WHEN I FIRST STARTED TEACHING ELA, IT WAS A BLOCK SCHEDULE.
CAUSE WE HAD SOME AUTONOMY THERE WHEN WE FIRST STARTED.
THEN WE STARTED CHANGING INTO LIKE A SIX PERIOD DAY, FIVE PERIOD DAY.
I WAS ALWAYS AN ADVOCATE FOR THE BLOCK SCHEDULE BECAUSE AGAIN, IT ALLOWED ME MORE TIME TO DIG DEEPER INTO THE CONTENT.
UH, AGAIN, IF THE STUDENTS WERE IN A CLASS OR ON THE DESK THE ENTIRE TIME, THAT WOULD NOT BE PRODUCTIVE AT ALL.
UH, OUR TEACHERS, ACTUALLY, ONE, MS. COLSON, IF YOU DON'T MIND COMING UP REAL QUICK, SHE CAN KIND OF EXPLAIN TO YOU, UH, WHAT, HOW THE MAJORITY OF OUR TEACHERS, WHAT WE ARE SEEING IN OUR BUILDING AND HOW WE BREAK UP THAT TIME.
CAUSE I THINK THAT WOULD HELP A LOT FOR, UH, FOR YOU ALL TO KIND OF SEE THAT.
UH, HI, MY NAME IS TYLER COLSON AND I TEACH SOCIAL STUDIES AT EVA LAGAR.
SO, UM, A DAY IN MY CLASS, AGAIN, MY ENGAGE FIVE MINUTES KIDS COME DOWN, UM, BELL RINGERS.
UM, I DON'T IMMEDIATELY GET UP AND START TEACHING.
UM, THEY GET IN, THEY, THEY COLLABORATE WITH EACH OTHER AND THEY EXPLORER.
UM, THEY GO IN, THEY EXPLORE, UM, THEY, THEY COLLABORATE AMONGST THEMSELVES.
SINCLAIR SAYS, I'LL, I'LL LEAD THEM IN DISCUSSION FOR ABOUT 20 TO 30 MINUTES.
AND THEN AFTERWARDS THEY DO AND ELABORATE WHERE THEY REVISIT WHAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH AS A CLASS AND TRY TO ATTACK SOME OF THAT, THAT CONTENT THEMSELVES.
AND THEN EXIT TICKET, ALL THAT HAPPENS IN 90 MINUTES.
WHEN I SAY THE 90 MINUTES GOES BY VERY FAST.
UM, AND I CAN'T SEE MYSELF DOING THAT IN ANY LESS TIME.
UM, AND I ALSO WANNA MENTION, I AM A GRADUATE OF MCKINLEY HIGH SCHOOL.
AND WHEN I WAS AT MCKINLEY HIGH SCHOOL, WE, WE HAD SEVEN PERIOD CLASSES, UH, SEVEN PERIODS IN A DAY.
AND I JUST REMEMBER, GOD REST IS, SO MR. NAMA, MY PHYSICS TEACHER.
IT WAS MY FIRST PERIOD WITH THE BUSES COMING LATE WITH TAKING ROLE.
I MEAN, I JUST, I, MY PARENTS HAD TO GET A TUTOR FOR ME.
UM, BECAUSE THE INSTRUCTION IN THAT SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME WAS JUST
IT WASN'T, IT WASN'T ENOUGH AT ALL.
UM, AND IF MY PARENTS HAD NOT GOTTEN THAT TUTOR FOR ME, I WOULD'VE FAIL PHYSICS, UM, IN 2008
[01:20:01]
AM A HUGE ADVOCATE FOR THE 90 MINUTE BLOCKS.UM, LIKE I SAID, THOSE 90 MINUTE BLOCKS FLY BY VERY QUICKLY AND I CANNOT SEE MYSELF DOING THAT.
THOSE FIVE E'S ALL OF THOSE TRANSITIONS IN OUR INSTRUCTIONAL TIME WITH FEWER THAN THE 90, THE 90 MINUTES THAT WE HAVE.
I JUST WANTED TO ALSO MENTION ABOUT, UM, THE RECESS TIME.
MANY OF OUR, MY COLLEAGUES, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT IT WHEN WE SAW EACH OTHER THIS PAST, UH, MONDAY, WE ALREADY HAVE BUILT IN TIME, UH, ATTACHED TO LUNCH.
LIKE I KNOW FROM ME PERSONALLY, MY STUDENTS EAT FOR LIKE 10, 15 MINUTES.
CUZ TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, THE MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS NOT EATING.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THEM GO DIRECTLY OUTSIDE.
BUT I KEEP MY STUDENTS IN JUST SO THEY CAN GET A CHANCE TO KIND OF JUST COLLABORATE INSIDE.
AGAIN, WHEN THEY'RE OUTSIDE, THAT'S WHEN YOUR ANXIETY GOES UP.
SO I KEEP 'EM IN ABOUT 10, 15 MINUTES AND THEN THEY'RE OUTSIDE FOR THE, UH, THE RAIN, THE REMAINDER 15 MINUTES.
SO A LOT OF US, AS WE WERE DISCUSSING AND TALKING MM-HMM.
BUT THEY ALSO HAVE THOSE TIMES TO COLLABORATE IN CLASS AS WELL.
HI EVERYONE, MY NAME IS AARON HOWARD.
I AM THE PRINCIPAL OF THE BEST MIDDLE SCHOOL IN THE PARISH, GLASGOW MIDDLE SCHOOL.
WE HAVE, I'VE BEEN IN, IN MIDDLE SCHOOL MY ENTIRE CAREER.
MIDDLE SCHOOL IS WHERE MY HEART IS.
I LOVE MIDDLE SCHOOLERS BECAUSE THEY ARE OFF THE CHAIN FABULOUS ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, YOU ADAPT TO MIDDLE SCHOOLERS.
THEIR ATTENDANCE SPANS ARE NOT VERY LONG.
WE HAVE TO CONSTANTLY SWITCH THINGS UP IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
THROUGH OUR 97 MINUTE BLOCKS, WE ARE ABLE TO DO SMALL GROUP CONSTRUCTION, DIRECT INSTRUCTION.
WE'RE ABLE TO DO INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES WITH STUDENTS.
STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO TAILOR THEIR LEARNING TO WHAT THEY NEED BASED ON OUR ONLINE CURRICULUMS THAT THEY CURRENTLY HAVE.
AS WELL AS GOING TO THE LIBRARIES, GOING FROM MATH INTERVENTION SUPPORT WITH A MATH COACH.
THEY'RE ABLE TO DO A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS BASED ON WHAT THEY NEED.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE DO VERY WELL.
I CAN SPEAK FOR GLASGOW, BUT I KNOW DR.
SINCLAIR ALSO DOES AS MUCH AS HE CAN AS WELL.
DURING THAT RECESS TIME, MY KIDS, WHEN THEY'RE IN THE CAFETERIA, THEY ARE TALKING, THEY ARE MR. SUTTON, MY ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL BACK HERE.
HE GOES, I HAVE TO TUNE THEM OUT BECAUSE SOMETIMES THEY ARE SO LOUD BECAUSE IT IS A ROAR IN THE CAFETERIA.
BUT IT IS GIGGLING, IT IS CHUCKLING, IT IS SHARING, UH, FOODS FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES.
WHENEVER THE KIDS ARE TALKING TO ANOTHER LEARNING ABOUT RAMADAN THAT IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
STUDENTS ARE LEARNING ABOUT EACH OTHER AND THEY'RE LEARNING TO TALK.
THEY'RE GETTING BACK TO BEING SOCIAL BEINGS FROM THIS COVID LEARNING LOSS THAT WE HAVE HAD.
SO, ADDING ON THE RECESS, ESPECIALLY AT 15 MINUTES, WE ARE IN SUPPORT OF THAT.
WE WERE A LITTLE SHOCKED, LIKE, WAIT A SECOND, THEY'RE ALREADY DOING THINGS LIKE THIS.
THEY ALREADY HAVE TIME TO SOCIALIZE.
WE CAN'T JUST SIT AND TALK TO THEM FOR 97 MINUTES.
THAT WOULD NOT GO OVER WELL AT ALL.
THEY WOULD MUTINY THE CHILDREN WITH MUTINY AGAINST US.
SO I ACTUALLY HAVE TWO OF MY SUPERSTAR TEACHERS HERE AS WELL.
MS. NATALIE ROY, THE 2021 LOUISIANA STATE TEACHER OF THE YEAR.
AND THEN MY, UH, TEACHER OF THE YEAR FROM LAST YEAR.
MS. NIKIA AL, WHO IS ALSO FABULOUS.
AND THEY'RE GONNA HEAR, JUST KIND OF TALK ABOUT THEIR, THEIR CLASSROOM TIMES AS WELL.
SO I THINK WE'RE JUST HERE TO SAY THAT, UM, WE USE OUR, OUR INSTRUCTIONAL TIME IN, AND WE HAVE STUDENTS HERE WHO CAN VOUCH FOR THIS.
WE, WE ARE NOT SITTING THE WHOLE TIME.
MY STEM CLASS, FOR EXAMPLE, AS YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN FROM THE NEWSPAPER RECENTLY, WE BUILT A ROMAN ROAD THROUGH OUR CAMPUS.
SO MY STUDENTS ARE COMING INTO CLASS, THEY'RE REVIEWING SOME TERMINOLOGY FROM A PREVIOUS DAY.
THEY MIGHT BE PLAYING AN ONLINE GAME.
THEN THEY'RE TALKING WITH EACH OTHER ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING NEXT.
THEY MIGHT LISTEN TO ME TALK FOR MAYBE 15 MINUTES.
AND THEN THEY'RE GETTING UP TO DO THEIR STEM CHALLENGE.
THEY'RE GOING OUTSIDE TO BUILD, THEY'RE TALKING WITH EACH OTHER CONSTANTLY.
SO I, I JUST DON'T WANT THE IMPRESSION THAT THIS 90 MINUTES IS THEM SITTING IN A DESK LISTENING TO AN ADULT TALK.
THERE IS A LOT OF SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT GOING ON.
IN EIGHTH GRADE ELA, WE TRANSITION ABOUT EVERY 10 TO 20 MINUTES.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER, YOU ACTUALLY CAME TO MY CLASS LAST SCHOOL YEAR.
AND, UH, THEY READ AND SOMETIMES THEY RATHER READ INDEPENDENTLY THAN ME TEACH.
AND THEY'LL ASK ME TO, UM, STOP TALKING AND SIT DOWN.
UM, WE DO BOOK TALKS, BUT EVERY MINUTE IS COUNTING.
AND EVERY MINUTE WE NEED IN ORDER TO CONTINUE TO GET THE KIDS TO GROW, UM, THEY WRITE, THEY PEER EDIT.
WE DO A LOT OF THINK, PAIR SHARE.
THEY ACTUALLY LEARN A LOT MORE FROM ONE ANOTHER OFTENTIMES THAN THEY DO CLASSROOM TEACHERS.
SO THEY HAVE BUILT A COLLABORATIVE AND SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT
[01:25:01]
IN WHICH THEY LEAD.SO RECESS IS AMAZING, BUT WE WOULD APPRECIATE ALL OF OUR MINUTES.
AND JUST TO CLOSE OUT, I INVITE ALL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME AT GLASGOW MIDDLE SCHOOL.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU COME AND VISIT.
I WOULD LOVE TO TAKE Y'ALL ON SOME TOURS TO SHOW YOU WHAT WE DO AT GLASGOW, BECAUSE WE ARE THE BEST MIDDLE SCHOOL IN THE PARISH.
NO OFFENSE, SINCLAIR, BUT WE LOVE TO SHARE WHAT WE DO.
WE LOVE OUR STUDENTS, WE LOVE OUR COMMUNITY, AND WE LOVE BEING PART OF E B R.
I JUST WANTED TO ALSO MENTION MY TEACHER OF THE YEAR, MS. TYLER COLSON.
SO THANK YOU MISS COLSON FOR COMING.
BUT JUST TO CLOSE OUT, JUST, UH, PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE, WE ALWAYS PUT OUR STUDENTS FIRST AND THEIR NEEDS FIRST.
AND WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO LEVERAGE THEIR SOCIAL SKILLS BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY SOCIAL.
AND SO IF YOU DON'T INCORPORATE THAT, THAT THAT WHOLE ASPECT AND MINDSET INTO YOUR CLASSROOM, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A VERY, VERY DIFFICULT CLASSROOM BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO LEVERAGE THEIR STRENGTHS AND THAT ONE OF THEIR STRENGTHS IS SOCIAL.
AND SO, UM, LIKE THE TEACHER SAID BEFORE, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAPPENS IN THAT MID THOSE TIMES.
AND LIKE I SAID, I WOULD NOT BE STANDING HERE SUPPORTING THIS IF THESE, IF THE STUDENTS WERE SITTING IN A DESK FOR 97 MINUTES.
BUT I WANNA BE, UH, TRANSPARENT AND THANK THE DISTRICT FOR, LIKE I SAID, INCLUDING US EVERY STEP OF THE WAY WHEN THESE DECISIONS ARE MADE.
CAUSE IT DOES HELP US A LOT WHEN WE'RE GOING BACK TO OUR SCHOOLS AND HAVING TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS, UH, TO KNOW AHEAD OF TIME WHAT'S GOING ON.
YES, IT REALLY IS, UH, SO, UH, BENEFICIAL FOR US AS SCHOOL LEADERS.
SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE SUPPORT FOR THE DISTRICT AND ALSO, LIKE I SAID, ALWAYS INCLUDING US IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
SO THANK YOU BOARD FOR THIS TIME.
AND BRIEFLY, UH, COL SUTTON, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, GLASGOW MIDDLE SCHOOL.
UM, I THINK WE'RE HUNG UP ON THE LANGUAGE TO A DEGREE.
UM, I DON'T WANT US TO TRIVIALIZE THE CONVERSATION BY HARPING ON THE WORD RECESS OR CONSIDERING THIS TO BE, YOU KNOW, PLAYGROUND TIME OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
I THINK IT'S MORE SO THAT WE SHOULD LOOK AT, AS WE STATED, LIKE, THE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF OUR STUDENTS.
AND MAYBE THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENRICH THEM SOCIALLY OR GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO RE ACCLIMATE THEMSELVES TO BEING AROUND ONE ANOTHER AND JUST REALLY DEVELOPING AS PEOPLE.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA DO WHAT'S BEST FOR KIDS.
AND IF WE LOOK AT OUR EXPERIENCES AS ADULTS, I DON'T THINK WE EVEN FUNCTION IN THAT CAPACITY.
THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES IN OUR PROFESSIONAL SETTING WHERE WE TAKE BRAIN BREAKS, WHERE WE REST, WHERE WE HAVE RELAXED CONVERSATION AMONGST OURSELVES.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO ALSO GIVE OUR STUDENTS THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
SINCLAIR AND MS. HOWARD AND TO THE STAFFS.
SO WE DO HAVE A FEW PEOPLE INSIDE OF THE QUEUE, UM, DR.
UM, BUT BEFORE WE GET THERE, I'LL BE REALLY, REALLY BRIEF, UH, AND LIFT SOMETHING UP.
I THINK THIS IS GREAT INFORMATION.
THIS IS PHENOMENAL INFORMATION.
BUT I THINK WHEN THIS INFORMATION IS PRESENT, ISN'T PRESENTED BEFOREHAND, MEANING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE, IT LEADS TO MORE QUESTIONS THAT COME FROM OUR BOARD.
SO MY LIFT IS, IS THAT WHEN WE ARE HAVING THESE TYPES OF DISCUSSIONS, WE HAVE TO BE VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT WHEN WE BRING THIS INFORMATION FORWARD.
AND I'M NOT THROWING ANYBODY INTO THE BUS.
AGAIN, THIS IS GREAT INFORMATION, BUT I THINK IT WOULD'VE BEEN MORE HELPFUL FOR OUR BOARD TO HAVE RECEIVED THIS BEFOREHAND SO WE COULD HAVE DIALOGUED AMONGST EACH OTHER.
AND THEN THERE'S NOT SO MUCH BACK AND FORTH THAT HAPPENS, BUT AGAIN, KUDOS FOR THE PRESENTATION THAT'S JUST AGAIN, LIFTED THAT UP.
UH, BUT WE'LL GET RIGHT BACK INTO IT.
UH, NEXT WE HAVE INSIDE OF THE QUEUE, UH, VICE PRESIDENT CALLER POWER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION, UM, THAT HAS BEEN GIVEN.
ROBINSON, I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION.
MINE ARE, ARE MAINLY COMMENTS.
UM, AND I GUESS WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT WAS, UH, NUMBER ONE, I, I PRESSED THE, UH, THE REQUEST TO SPEAK, UH, ITEM OR BUTTON ON THE COMPUTER WHEN I SAW MS. ROY.
I FOLLOW YOU ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOU'RE ALL THINGS GREAT
AND THE, THE OTHER SIDE TO THAT IS THAT WE'VE JUST SHOWCASED SOME OF OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS WHO ARE GETTING IT RIGHT.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ONES WHO MAY NOT BE GETTING IT RIGHT? AND YOU KNOW, I THINK ABOUT WHEN MY SON WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND I KNOW DR.
SINCLAIR, YOU WERE THERE WITH HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE, THAT'S DJ OR DARRYL POWELL.
BUT THEN THERE WERE OTHER SITUATIONS WHERE I REMEMBER HIM COMING HOME AND TELLING ME, MOM, WE DIDN'T GET A BREAK WHEN WE WENT TO THE CAFETERIA.
WE COULDN'T TALK, WE COULD NOT INTERACT.
YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.
AND SO I THINK THAT THOSE ARE THE, THE SCHOOLS THAT
[01:30:01]
WE ARE SPEAKING TO, UM, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THIS, IT'S AN OPERATIONAL ISSUE AND ALL ADMINISTRATORS ARE NOT GETTING IT RIGHT.SO IT'S ALMOST THE SAME THING AS WHAT I MENTIONED BEFORE, COLLEAGUES.
WE GOTTA GET OUT THERE TO THOSE SCHOOLS AND SEE WHO IS DOING WHAT AND WHO IS NOT.
AND IT'S NOT THAT WE CAN SAY ANYTHING TO IT BECAUSE WE ARE, AS, AS MR. SHALIN HAS REMINDED US ON MANY OCCASIONS THAT WE ARE NOT TO SAY ANYTHING IN REGARDS TO PERSONNEL ISSUES, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO US BEING A VOICE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WHICH SCHOOLS ARE OFFERING SOCIALIZATION FOR THEIR KIDS.
I MEAN, FOR MYSELF, UH, AS A MIDDLE SCHOOLER, I REMEMBER YOU HAVE THE CHOICE.
YOU CAN GO AND EAT OR YOU CAN GO OUTSIDE OR YOU CAN GO EAT, THEN YOU CAN LEAVE AND GO OUTSIDE.
OR IF YOU'RE IN AN INDOOR BUILDING, YOU CAN EAT, THEN YOU CAN GO TO WHATEVER IS THE COMMON AREA.
BUT DOES THAT EXIST FOR EVERYBODY? AND SO I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO REALLY THINK ABOUT.
WE ALSO NEED TO THINK ABOUT THAT THESE WONDERFUL TEACHERS WHO HAVE COME OUT HERE TODAY, I MEAN, THEY INCLUDE LEARNING STATIONS IN THEIR CLASSES, BUT THERE'S SOME OTHERS WHO DON'T.
THEY'RE SOME OTHERS WHO HAVE THEIR KIDS SITTING IN ROWS FOR 90 MINUTES.
AND WE HAVE TO SHOW UP WHEN THEY'RE NOT EXPECTING US TO BE ABLE TO SE TO SAY AND TO TELL HOW IS IT THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY ASSIST THEM IN BECOMING BETTER PROFESSIONALS AND HOW WE CAN RE HELP THEM TO BE, TO REMEMBER WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A CHILD.
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT'S IMPORTANT.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE, WHEN WE REMIND OURSELVES OF WHAT IS IT THAT I WANTED WHEN I WAS A STUDENT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS IT THAT I WANTED WHEN AS A TEACHER, YOU KNOW, AS AN ADMINISTRATOR, WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT.
ALSO, YOU KNOW, YOU CANNOT, CANNOT PUNISH A CHILD BY SAYING, OKAY, EVERYBODY HAS TO BE COMPLETELY QUIET FOR LUNCH BECAUSE Y'ALL MISBEHAVED THE LAST CLASS PERIOD.
THAT MAKES NO SENSE BECAUSE PEOPLE NEED SOCIALIZATION.
SO I JUST, UH, THAT'S THE PART THAT I WANTED TO SHARE.
UM, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THANK YOU.
AND ONCE AGAIN, TEACHERS WHO ARE HERE, Y'ALL ARE ROCK STARS.
IF I COULD, UM, JUST SAY ONE THING DURING OUR, UH, SUMMER LEADERSHIP, UH, INSTITUTE, UM, AND DURING TEACHER DEVELOPMENT WEEK, WHICH IS COMING, UM, THESE ARE ISSUES THAT, UM, AND I DON'T WANT TO USE THE WORD ISSUES, BUT THESE ARE, THESE ARE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE'RE GOING TO USE TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE CONCERNS WITH OUR TEACHERS, UM, AROUND, AND WE'RE GONNA BE DOING SOME PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AROUND TEACHING IN THAT 90 MINUTE BLOCK, UM, FOR THOSE THAT NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
I, I JUST WANTED, THANK YOU VICE PRESIDENT POWELL FOR MISSIONING THAT I JUST WANTED TO JUST ADD TO THE CONVERSATION THAT DURING OUR MEETING ON MONDAY, WE ALL CAME TO CONSENSUS AS PRINCIPALS AND WE'RE GONNA DEDICATE AT LEAST 15 MINUTES OF TIME ACROSS THE BOARD SO THAT WAY IT'S A UNIFORM POLICY FOR ALL MIDDLE SCHOOLS.
WE ALL CAME TO THE, TO THE TABLE BOARD AND WE DECIDED THAT WOULD BE PERFECT FOR US.
SO EVERYBODY SHOULD BE DOING THAT.
SO I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT FOR YOU, VICE PRESIDENT.
UH, SCHOOL MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
I I I, I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING.
PRESIDENT LANIS AND VICE PRESIDENT POWELL, UM, JUST SAID, I, I WISH THAT WE COULD CLONE DR.
SINCLAIR AND, AND MS. HOWARD, UH, AND ALL OF THE TEACHERS THAT WERE UP HERE, UM, THEY, THEY CLEARLY REPRESENT SOME OF OUR VERY BEST AND WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THEM AND VERY GLAD TO HAVE THEM.
UM, I THINK THAT THE, THE, THE VERY REAL CONCERNS THAT VICE PRESIDENT POWELL MAKES, UM, ARE THE REASON I'VE OFFERED THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
BECAUSE THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME PEOPLE THAT SAID, HEY, THE RULE BOOK SAYS 97 MINUTES OF INSTRUCTIONAL TIME, RIGHT? SO I NEED TO HAVE THE, THE REAR ENDS IN THE SEATS AND I NEED TO PROVIDE 97 MINUTES OF INSTRUCTIONAL TIME.
CUZ THAT'S WHAT THE RULE SAID.
AND THAT HOW, AND, AND, AND WE'VE HAD QUESTIONS IN PART AS, AS PRESIDENT LANIS, YOU KNOW, SUGGESTS BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE NEW.
I MEAN, HE'S BEEN HERE BEFORE, I HAVEN'T.
UM, THIS IS OUR FIRST TIME CONSIDERING THIS AND I'M PRESENTED WITH A, A DOCUMENT THAT SAYS, HEY, THERE'S GONNA BE SOME MIDDLE SCHOOLERS, 12 YEAR OLDS THAT ARE GONNA BE IN CLASS FOR FOUR HOURS AND 51 MINUTES STRAIGHT WITH TWO, THREE MINUTE BREAKS.
I DIDN'T THINK THAT ANYBODY WAS REALLY SITTING THERE MAKING 'EM GO STINK STRAIGHT THROUGH HARD FOR FIVE HOURS.
SO THE BACKGROUND IN THE EDUCATION YOU PROVIDED TODAY IS EXTREMELY HELPFUL, BUT I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THAT
[01:35:01]
WE HAVE SOME KIND OF POLICY THAT THE BOARD CAN ADOPT THAT SAYS, HERE'S THE PARAMETERS, HERE'S THE EXPECTATIONS.THAT IT NOT THAT WHILE WE SAY 97 MINUTES, THERE NEEDS TO BE WORDS ON PAPER SO THAT IF SOMEBODY, IF SOME TEACHER IS, IS SAYING SIT THERE FOR 97 MINUTES, THE PRINCIPAL, THE SUPERINTENDENT, THE CENTRAL STAFF CAN SAY, NO, NO, THAT'S NOT WHAT'S EXPECTED.
SOME PEOPLE ARE, ARE RULE FOLLOWERS.
THEY WANNA SEE IT ON A WRITTEN PAGE.
RIGHT? AND YOU NEED TO HAVE SOMETHING THERE THAT NOT TO MICROMANAGE, NOT TO SET IT EVERY DETAIL BECAUSE, AND LOOK, SOMETIMES I KNOW YOU, YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, WITH MY DAUGHTER, SOMETIMES YOU'RE IN A ROLE DOING HOMEWORK AND SHE'S GOING AND WE CAN GO FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF AND SHE'S GOT IT AND IT'S IN THE ZONING.
YOU DON'T WANNA INTERRUPT THAT.
BUT OTHER TIMES NOBODY'S THINKING STRAIGHT 10 MINUTES IN IS ONE OF THE TEACHERS SUGGESTED.
AND SO WE WANT TO ABSOLUTELY PROVIDE THAT FLEXIBILITY, UH, AND EMPOWER THE TEACHERS TO BE THE PROFESSIONAL, INCREDIBLE PROFESSIONALS THEY ARE.
BUT I THINK WE ALSO NEED TO PROVIDE SOME GENERAL CONSTRAINTS AND EXPECTATIONS, UH, OF WHAT THE BOARD, UM, E EXPECTS TO SEE.
SO THAT'S WHY I'VE OFFERED THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
AND THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL OF OUR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS AND AND PRINCIPALS.
NEXT WE HAVE SCUBA MEMBER LEWIS, A WAVE THANK YOU SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER LEWIS.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NATHAN RUSS.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, THANK YOU TO OUR SCHOOL LEADERS WHO ARE, UM, CLEARLY VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR KIDS.
AND, UM, AND I JUST, UH, OFFER MY THANKS HOW WELL YOU'RE SERVING THE KIDS OF OUR COMMUNITY AND YOUR SCHOOLS.
UM, I WANNA READ FROM LOUISIANA REVISED STATUTE 17 DASH 17 DASH ONE, REQUIRED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SCHOOLS.
EACH PUBLIC SCHOOL THAT INCLUDES ANY OF THE GRADES KINDERGARTEN THROUGH EIGHT SHALL PROVIDE AT LEAST 30 MINUTES EACH SCHOOL DAY OF QUALITY MODERATE TO VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR STUDENTS.
WE ARE FAILING TO MEET THAT REQUIREMENT.
I DO NOT CALL, UM, INTO QUESTION ANY OF THE, UH, EXPERTISE OR EDUCATORS IN THE ROOM.
UH, CERTAINLY THEY NO BETTER HOW TO TEACH OUR KIDS THAN I WILL EVER, CUZ I'M NOT A TEACHER.
UM, I DON'T CALL INTO QUESTIONING EXPERTISE OF OUR ADMINISTRATION TO, UH, IMPLEMENT A BELL SCHEDULE THAT IT'S GONNA BEST SERVE OUR KIDS.
UM, BUT WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY AS A BOARD TO PUT OUR CHILDREN FIRST.
THE REASON THAT THIS BOARD EXISTS IS BECAUSE WE CAN IMPLEMENT POLICY TO ENSURE THAT REGARDLESS OF WHO IS STEERING THE SHIP, WHETHER IT'S A SUPERINTENDENT WE HAVE TODAY OR 20 YEARS FROM NOW, UH, AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT INDIVIDUAL, UH, THE NEXT GROUP OF TEACHERS AND SCHOOL LEADERS THAT COME ACROSS OVER THE THE NEXT DECADE ARE GONNA DO WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR KIDS.
AND LAWS LIKE THIS ARE INTACT BECAUSE SCIENTIFICALLY IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT THIS BENEFITS KIDS.
UM, AND WHEN WE FAIL AS A BOARD TO ENACT POLICY THAT AT LEAST FOLLOWS LAW AND, AND GOOD SOUND SCIENCE, THAT IS WHY WE GET DECADES OF READING INSTRUCTION, UM, THAT WAS HAD NO BASIS IN SCIENTIFIC FACT AND FAILED ENTIRE GENERATIONS OF PEOPLE, MINE INCLUDED.
SO
UM, BUT I FEEL THAT TOO OFTEN OUR DECISIONS ARE DRIVEN BY THE COMPLEXITY OF PRESSURE.
PRESSURE TO GET THE RIGHT TEACHERS AND UH, UH, GET 'EM THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF DAYS IN THEIR CONTRACT PRESSURE TO GET THE RIGHT BELL SCHEDULE, THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF INSTRUCTIONAL TIME, THE THE GET 'EM THERE AT THE RIGHT TIME FOR PARENTS, ON AND ON AND ON AND ON.
AND WE KEEP TRYING TO POUR MORE AND MORE INTO THAT GLASS AND EVENTUALLY IMPORTANT INGREDIENTS GET LEFT OUT AND EVENTUALLY WE START TAKING THINGS OUT.
WELL, THEY DON'T NEED 30 MINUTES.
LISTEN, WE'LL CUT 'EM BACK TO 15.
WELL, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S SUPER STRESSED.
HOW ARE WE GONNA COVER, UM, YOU KNOW, THE PLAYGROUND OR THE YARD OR WHATEVER IT IS THAT THEY'RE SPENDING THEIR TIME IN? WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE.
AS, AS ADULTS, IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR KIDS.
NOT WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR TEACHERS, NOT WHAT IS BEST FOR L D OE OR OUR ADMINISTRATION OR ANYBODY ELSE.
IT IS TO FIRST DO WHAT IS BEST TO SERVE THOSE CHILDREN.
SO I SAY ALL THAT TO SAY THAT I'M NOT DONE WITH THIS ISSUE AND I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO PRESS AND
[01:40:01]
EXPECT THAT FIRST THAT WE FOLLOW STATE LAW.BUT SECOND, WE'RE GONNA DO WHAT IS SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN TO BE BEST FOR KIDS.
AND THAT'S TO MAKE SURE THAT WHETHER IT'S EXERCISE TIME OR IT'S BRAIN BREAK, WHATEVER THE HECK YOU'RE GONNA CALL IT, THAT WE ARE GOING TO IMPLEMENT A POLICY THAT ENSHRINES AND PROTECTS US RIGHT FOR OUR KIDS UP UNTIL GRADE EIGHT UNTIL SOMEBODY CAN TELL ME OTHERWISE.
UH, NEXT WE HAVE, UH, SUPERINTENDENT DR.
YEAH, UH, I'D LIKE TO JUST THANK THE BOARD FOR ALL ALL THEIR COMMENTS.
UM, I'M GONNA, UM, JUST HIGHLIGHT A FEW THINGS, UH, AND THEN, UM, UH, GO FROM THERE.
UH, NUMBER ONE IS, UH, UM, IN TERMS OF THE TIMING OF THE CALENDAR, UM, UH, WHEN I ARRIVED HERE FROM WASHINGTON DC I WOULD ASK SOME OF THE SAME SET OF QUESTIONS OF THE STATE.
UH, L D O OE RELEASES THEIR ASSESSMENTS LATE, WHICH PRE PREDICTS WHY OUR CALENDARS IN OTHER PLACES.
I'VE BEEN IN MANY OTHER CITIES OUTSIDE OF BEING HERE.
USUALLY YOU'RE GIVING THE COMMUNITY THE CALENDAR AS EARLY AS DECEMBER AND YOU'RE GIVING 'EM KIND OF A YEAR OR TWO AHEAD OF TIME TO BE ABLE TO ALLOW THE COMMUNITIES AND THEIR FAMILIES TO DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY, UH, YOU KNOW, THE WAY OUR UH, SET UP IS, IT, IT MAKES IT CHALLENGING TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING EARLY AND THEN HAVE TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS.
AS I TELL FOLKS, YOU HAVE TO ALWAYS REMEMBER WE, UH, WE ARE THE SECOND LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA WITH THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES, NOT JUST ONE FAMILY WITH MULTIPLE COMMUNITIES WITHIN COMMUNITIES.
AND SO, UM, WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO, UH, UH, GET THAT INFORMATION AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE THAT WOULD HELP US TO GIVE, UM, GET CALENDARS OUT MUCH, MUCH EARLY IN THE STATE.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I'D LOVE THE ADVOCACY OF THIS BOARD, UH, TO HELP US TO GO TO THE STATE TO KEEP ADVOCATING CUZ THEY CAN GIVE US SOME OF THOSE THINGS EARLIER SO WE CAN MAKE DECISIONS EARLIER.
UM, THE SECOND THING I WANTED TO BRING UP ALSO IS AROUND SCHEDULING.
UH, WHEN WE CAME ON BOARD, UH, WE UM, UH, SIT WITH EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL LEADER AND THEIR LEADERSHIP TEAM AND THE PRINCIPALS CAN TELL YOU THIS, UH, TO GO OVER EVERY BELL SCHEDULE.
IS THAT CORRECT? PRINCIPALS BEEN DOING THAT FOR ALMOST, UH, TWO YEARS WITH SYSTEMS. UH, SO THEY CAN BETTER HELP SUPPORT THEIR TEACHERS ON THE GROUND AND ALSO BETTER COMMUNICATE TO OUR COMMUNITIES.
AND THE REASON I BRING THIS UP IS BECAUSE I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE KNOWS THAT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THE STATE MANDATES FIRST, WHATEVER THE INSTRUCTIONAL TIMES ARE, AND THEN GO FROM THERE.
UH, THE THIRD THING IS WE PUT A LOT OF SYSTEMS IN PLACE AND I THINK, UH, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL, YOU BROUGHT THIS UP, YES, GO INTO THE SCHOOLS.
WE'VE PUT A LOT OF STRUCTURES OF GETTING A LOT OF EYES IN SCHOOLS, WHETHER THAT IS THROUGH PRINCIPAL SUPERVISORS, COACHES, VARIATIONS OF FOLKS, AND ALSO GETTING SCHOOLS.
SEE OTHER SCHOOLS IN BEST PRACTICES.
SO I WOULD DON'T WANT ANYONE TO WALK AWAY THINKING THAT UH, UM, KIDS ARE SITTING IN A CLASSROOM 97 MINUTES.
UH, UH, IF ANY CHILD WOULD BE SITTING IN A CLASSROOM FULL OF 97 MINUTES, AT LEAST THE SCHOOLS WE CAN CONTROL.
UH, CUZ YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ALSO CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE IN OUR WORLD THAT UH, THEY, WE DON'T MANAGE HOW THEY DO THEIR INSTRUCTIONAL SPACE.
UM, BUT IF, IF THERE'S SCHOOL THAT IS LIKE THAT, I'D NEED TO KNOW RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE WE WOULD GO AND GO TAKE CARE OF THAT CUZ THAT IS NOT BEST PRACTICE.
UH, AND I WOULD FIND THAT VERY HARD FOR SCHOOL LEADERS TO BE OKAY WITH THAT HAPPENING IN THAT MODEL.
AND SO, UM, AND NOT TO SAY THAT WE'RE PERFECT, BUT I AM SAYING THAT THAT IS NOT AN EXPECTATION OF BEST PRACTICE WE EXPECT.
THE LAST THING I DID WANTED TO BRING UP TOO IS, UM, THE AUTONOMY OF PROVIDING GUIDANCE.
UM, AND WHERE WE WEIGH IN ON GUIDANCE AND THE BOARD HAS TO DECIDE WHAT THAT IS.
I'M ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE THE BOARD, I'M JUST THE IMPLEMENTER OF YOUR POLICIES
BUT I WOULD BE CAUTIONED THAT WE ENGAGE VARIATION OF GROUPS OF FOLKS AND GO SEE AT THE SCHOOLS OURSELVES, WHICH I'M KIND OF GLAD I ALWAYS HEAR BOARD MEMBERS ARE GOING OUT TO SCHOOLS BECAUSE I DON'T WANT US TO, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT POLICIES, POLICIES WITHOUT SEEING SUBSET OF SCHOOLS AND HOW THEY FUNCTION.
CUZ THE NUMBER ONE QUESTION I GET WHEN I GO BACK TO, UH, MAKE A PROPOSAL SHIFT WITH SCHOOL LEADERS OR ANYONE THAT I TALK TO WHEN WE DO SOMETHING AT THIS LEVEL IS, WELL, HAS EVERYBODY SEEN WHAT WE'RE DOING? HAVE WE DONE THIS? AND SO I WOULD JUST KIND OF, UM, UH, LIKE TO ENGAGE US TO, TO GO OUT AND SEE SOME OF THESE THINGS BECAUSE THERE IS AT TIMES, UH, SINCE I'VE BEEN SUPERINTENDENT, MANY OF ASSUMPTIONS THAT WE MADE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN A PARTICULAR SCHOOL THAT IS NOT ALWAYS THE FULL CONTEXT.
AND THERE ARE REALITIES OF WHAT HAPPENS IN SCHOOLS CUZ WE'RE HEARING, UH, ON WHO ARE THE 10 PEOPLE THAT ADVOCATE OR THE 20 PEOPLE THAT ADVOCATE AND DOESN'T GIVE US A SYSTEMIC APPROACH.
AND, AND I KNOW THAT I SPOKE TO PRESIDENT LANDS AND VICE PRESIDENT P TO YOU KNOW, HAVE BOARD MEMBERS, ALL OF US TO ACTUALLY START GOING OUT TO SOME VISITING SCHOOLS ACROSS THE PARISH NO MATTER WHERE OUR SCHOOLS ARE IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO THAT JUST HELPS US A LITTLE BIT BETTER TO HAVE MORE CONTEXT.
UM, UM, AND THEN THE LAST THING I'LL SAY IS, UM, AND I'M NOT SAYING THIS, THIS IS HOW UH, PEOPLE ARE TARGETING OUR FOLKS, BUT OUR TEACHERS AND OUR SCHOOL LEADERS AND OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS AND ALL THE FOLKS THAT ENGAGE WITH OUR KIDS ARE WORKING REALLY HARD TO TRY THEIR BEST TO UM, UM,
[01:45:01]
I DUNNO IF THE WORD IS APPEASE, ALL OF THESE REGULATIONS,AND I THINK, UH, BOARD MEMBER OF RUSS, YOU, UH, SAID IT WELL, LIKE, YOU KNOW, AND SO I WOULD JUST CAUTION US TO THINK ABOUT THE BALANCE BETWEEN THE TWO BECAUSE THE STATE REQUIRES A WHOLE LOT OF STUFF ALREADY BECAUSE KIDS ARE BEHIND.
BUT I TELL FOLKS, CHILDREN ARE BEHIND FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.
IT'S NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE ONE TIME SHOT THAT YOU GET IN THAT CLASSROOM, BUT IT'S BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T CREATED PIPELINES FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD FOR KIDS TO GO THROUGH A PIPELINE.
WE HAVEN'T DONE THE GREATEST ROUND GETTING KIDS TO READ IN OUR STATE.
I MEAN, THESE ARE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN PUBLIC, VERY PUBLIC AND WE'VE BEEN IN EBR TRYING TO BE AS AGGRESSIVE AS POSSIBLE TO, UM, ADDRESS THAT AND VARIATIONS OF COMMUNITIES RESPOND DIFFERENTLY TO HOW THESE THINGS GO.
AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO BE COLLECTIVE AROUND CREATING A STANDARD.
DOESN'T MEAN WE DON'T, UH, NEED TO IMPROVE, BUT I DO THINK IT, IT JUST NEEDS TO, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO ENGAGE MORE FROM THE FOLKS ON THE GROUND TO GIVE US AN ACTUAL CONTEXT AS WE'RE STANDARDIZING THE PROCESS APPROACH.
AND SO, UM, WE'RE MAKING, UH, IMPROVEMENTS.
I ALWAYS SAY WE CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER, BUT I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THE, THE ENTIRE STAFF IS WORKING HARD.
THE TEACHERS ARE WORKING HARD, THE SCHOOL LEADERS ARE WORKING HARD AND THEY'RE BEING ENGAGED IN TRYING TO DO BETTER SYSTEM SYSTEMATICALLY.
UH, BECAUSE THE REALITY IS WE'RE NOT JUST ONE SCHOOL, BUT WE'RE A UNIT OF SCHOOLS IN A SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS NOT ALWAYS FUNCTIONED IN THAT WAY QUITE FRANKLY.
AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO WORK HARD TO DO THAT.
AND SO THOSE ARE JUST THE HIGH LEVEL PIECES.
UM, UM, I WANTED TO SAY, AND I'M JUST GONNA SAY THE LAST THING, I'M SUPER EXCITED YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT INSTRUCTION AND STUFF,
CAUSE SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, THIS COULD FEEL VERY LIKE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT OTHER STUFF ABOUT ABOUT, BUT I LIKE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT KIDS LEARNING AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING, THOSE THINGS.
I JUST WANTED TO LIFT SOMETHING UP.
UH, S SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NATHAN, RUSS, WE GONNA SEND YOU TO LAW SCHOOL, JUST SO YOU KNOW.
UH, BUT BACK TO THE UH, TO BOARD COMMENTS.
WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER LEWIS IN THE QUEUE.
UM, I HOPE I'M NOT REPEATING THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, ALREADY BEEN SAID, BUT IT'S BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS KNOW THEIR STUDENTS.
THEY UNDERSTAND THE CULTURE THAT EXISTS INSIDE THEIR SCHOOLS.
THEY KNOW WHEN TO, UH, BUCKLE DOWN SO TO SPEAK, AND THEY KNOW WHEN TO RELAX.
SINCLAIR HAD IT, HE HIT IT RIGHT ON THE HEAD WHEN HE TALKED ABOUT OUR KIDS BEING OUT OF A SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT FOR 16, 17 MONTHS.
THEY HAD TO LEARN TO BECOME SOCIAL BEINGS AGAIN BECAUSE THEY WERE TIED TO CELL PHONES AND VIDEO GAMES AND EVEN TEACHERS HAVING TO TEACH BEHIND MONITORS.
YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE, UH, CLASSROOM MEASUREMENT SKILLS THEY LOST.
SO WE ARE STILL PUTTING THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE BACK TOGETHER.
I'M EXTREMELY HAPPY THAT THE PRINCIPALS CAME TOGETHER AND SAID, HEY, 15 MINUTES WE CAN WORK WITH THAT.
AND I THINK THEY DID THAT, NOT BECAUSE THEY FELT PRESSURE FROM THE STATE OR ANYBODY ELSE, IT'S CAUSE THEY'RE TRYING TO GET THE CULTURE OF THEIR SCHOOLS BACK TO A WHERE, WHERE THEY CAN FUNCTION AS INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING.
NOW, RIGHT HERE, I MEAN TURN AWAY FROM MIKE, BUT I HAVE THIS DOCUMENT HERE.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL CAN SEE IT, BUT EVERYTHING IN RED IS TALKS ABOUT THAT YEAR, THAT DECADE.
THIS STARTS IN THE FORTIES AND IT GOES ALL THE WAY DOWN TO 2000.
EVERYTHING IN BLACK IS WHAT'S BEEN ADDED TO THE SCHOOL DAY.
EVERYTHING IN BLACK HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE SCHOOL DAY, YET WE HAVEN'T ADDED ONE MORE DAY.
WE'RE STILL STARTING SCHOOL, GIVING KIDS THREE MONTHS OUT FOR THE SUMMER.
WE'RE STILL DOING ALL THESE THINGS THAT ARE NOT REALLY CONDUCIVE TO OUR KIDS BECOMING, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE WANT THEM TO BE.
I MEAN ALL THESE DEMANDS HAVE BEEN PLACED ON TEACHERS.
EVERYTHING IN BLACK HAS BEEN PLACED ON TEACHERS.
THESE ARE DEMANDS THAT'S PLACED ON TEACHERS.
SO WE'VE GOT TO REEXAMINE, IN MY OPINION, OUR ENTIRE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THIS COUNTRY, IF NOT THIS COUNTRY, THIS PARISH.
BECAUSE UNTIL WE DO THAT, WE WOULD NEVER BE A GREAT SCHOOL DISTRICT.
WE'LL ALWAYS HOVER SOMEWHERE AROUND BEING MEDIOCRE AND THERE'S TOO MUCH TALENT.
THERE'S TOO MUCH, TOO MANY GIFTS, TOO MUCH MONEY IN THIS CITY TO KEEP PRODUCING A MEDIOCRE STUDENT.
EVIL LAGAR YOUR MAGNET SCHOOLS, UH, ALL,
[01:50:01]
YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S POPULATION IS DIFFERENT.AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE SAYING JUST A SECOND AGO.
DOCTORS ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL.
SO WE'VE GOTTA FIND A WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW THAT IT FITS EVERYBODY BECAUSE ALL OF OUR KIDS DESERVE A FAIR AND EQUITABLE EDUCATION THAT'S GOING TO PREPARE THEM FOR NINTH GRADE AND FROM 12TH GRADE FOR LIFE.
SO I AM SO PLEASED THAT THE PRINCIPALS ACCEPTED THE 15 MINUTES AND I'M SURE THEY'LL FIND A WAY TO, TO MAKE THOSE 15 MINUTES FIT INTO EDUCATING THEIR CHILDREN, READJUSTING THE CULTURES OF THEIR SCHOOLS SO WE CAN FUNCTION AS A HIGH, WE CAN BECOME A HIGH FUNCTIONING SCHOOL DISTRICT.
SO, AND THANK YOU FOR, YOU KNOW, COMING TO THE MIC.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE COMMENTS BY MY COLLEAGUES.
BUT SCHOOLS CAN'T DO IT ALONE.
IT TAKES EVERYBODY TO MAKE IT WORK.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL MEMBER MARK BALU.
I JUST WANT, UH, IS THERE ANYWHERE WHERE WE CAN SEE ON BOARD DOCS THE, UH, SUBSTITUTE MOTION, HOW IT READS AND I DON'T KNOW, OR IF NOT, UM, CAN HAVE IT REREAD JUST TO MAKE SURE I DIDN'T MISS ANYTHING.
IN THE INTERIM, WE STILL HAVE TO COME BACK TO THE BOARD.
I WAS GONNA SAY, CAN WE GO AHEAD AND MOVE ALONG TO THAT, UH, TO THE PUBLIC COMMENT BECAUSE WE HAVE QUITE A FEW CARDS TO GET THROUGH.
UH, FIRST WE HAVE MR. MICHAEL HARD.
THIS IS JUST SPEAKING FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
AFTER COVID, I WOULD SAY WE'VE GOTTEN LEARNING SLOWER AND WE'RE JUST, NOW WE'RE JUST TRYING TO REMEMBER LIKE WE'RE JUST TOLD TO REMEMBER THE KNOWLEDGE.
THIS FOR GREATER, WE'RE JUST CRAMMING AND WE'RE NOT REALLY ENGAGED IN TOPICS.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE A PRODUCT.
AND THAT'S NOT HOW IT SHOULD BE.
IT SHOULD BE LIKE A, I FEEL LIKE THIS SHOULD BE MORE ACTIVITIES ATTACHED TO THESE TOPICS SO WE HAVE SOMETHING TO REMEMBER IT BY AND NOT JUST, HEY, I'M TRYING TO GET A GRADE AND PASS AND DO ALL THAT.
NO ONE WANTS TO LEARN WHEN IT'S JUST BORING KNOWLEDGE BEING THROWN AT YOU.
UM, I WOULD SAY WHEN I WOULD SAY GLASGOW, MY TEACHERS ENGAGED ME CUZ IT WAS MORE PERSONALIZED.
IT WAS FUN, IT WAS REAL FUN AND I REMEMBERED EVERYTHING AND THAT'S HOW I GOT WHERE I AM BECAUSE OF MY TEACHERS.
UM, I WOULD HAVE TO AMEND THEM.
THANK YOU MS. ROY, MS. LEBLANC AND MS. HOWARD.
UM, THAT'S JUST MY LITTLE COMMENT.
ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU MR. HARD.
I DON'T KNOW WHO CUT YOUR SUIT, MAN, BUT I NEED HIS NUMBER.
THAT'S A NICE SUIT, MY BROTHER.
ALL RIGHT, NEXT WE HAVE MISS SCARLET SNE.
UM, HELLO, I'M SCARLET SNI FROM SHERWOOD MIDDLE.
UH, I'M SPEAKING TO YOU TODAY ABOUT THE NEED FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TO HAVE RECESS.
RECESS PROVIDES EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL REJUVENATION THAT DEVELOPING BODIES AND MINDS NEED.
THIS YEAR AT SHERWOOD MIDDLE MAGNET WE HAVE SEL INSTEAD OF RECESS.
SEL IS INSIDE SEATED AND LACKS ACTIVE IN SOCIAL ELEMENTS.
RECESS WAS A CHANCE FOR STUDENTS TO CONNECT WITH THEIR FRIENDS, THEY PHYSICALLY ACTIVE AND ENGAGE WITH THE WORLD.
WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT THE ARTICLE, EDUCATION AND TREATMENT OF CHILDREN STATES.
A WIDELY HELD BELIEF IN PRACTICE AND SCHOOL PROGRAMS IS THAT RESEARCH PROVIDES AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF CHILD'S EDUCATIONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS.
THIS EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT CHILDREN NEED TIME TO RELAX THEIR BRAINS.
RECESS IS ALSO VERY BENEFICIAL TO STUDENTS' EDUCATIONAL NEEDS.
IT GIVES CHILDREN TIME TO LET THE INFORMATION SINK IN WHILE ALSO GIVING THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET THEIR ENERGY OUT THE WEBSITE.
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ALSO STATES RECESS HAS BEEN A STAPLE OF THE SCHOOL DAY FOR GENERATIONS PARTICIPATING IN CHILD, IN CHILD INITIATED OUTDOOR PLAY HAS PROVIDED HOURS OF UNSTRUCTURED FUN, SUCH BREAKS SUPPLIED
[01:55:01]
THE EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL REJUVENATION THAT DEVELOPING BODIES AND MINDS NEED.ULTIMATELY, RECESS SHOULD BE DAILY FOR CHILDREN'S MENTAL NEEDS AND SOCIAL SKILLS.
IT WILL ALSO HELP STUDENTS THAT ARE HYPERACTIVE AND NEED UNSTRUCTURED BREAKS.
SHOULDN'T MIDDLE SCHOOL HAVE A BREAK TO RELAX OUR TIMELINES? I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
VERY WELL SAID AND VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT.
NEXT WE HAVE MISS ELLIE BROOKS.
HELLO, MY NAME IS ELLIE BROOKS AND I'M A STUDENT AT SHERWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL.
SO I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT RECESS.
RECESS REGULATES THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND ALLOWS STUDENTS TO BE MORE ENGAGED IN CLASS.
RESEARCH SHOWS THAT RECESS IMPROVES STUDENT MEMORY, ATTENTION AND CONCENTRATION RESEARCH.
RECESS OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN TO LEARN AND ENHANCE COMMUNICATION SKILLS, NEGOTIATION, COOPERATION, SHARING AND PROBLEM SOLVING.
IT ALSO HELPS WITH SELF-CONTROL AND LOWER LEVELS OF STRESS.
IF YOU WORKED SEVEN AND A HALF TO EIGHT HOURS, HOW WOULD YOU FEEL? THANK YOU.
AGAIN, VERY, VERY WELL SPOKEN.
UH, MS. ABIGAIL HARFORD, YOU'RE NEXT.
HI, MY NAME IS ABIGAIL HARFORD AND I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE TOPIC OF RECESS.
RECESS IS A GREAT WAY FOR STUDENTS TO HAVE, FOR STUDENTS TO SOCIALIZE AND FOR THEM TO HAVE TIME TO DECOMPRESS.
ONE OF THE WORST THINGS THAT I, THAT WE HAD TO DEAL WITH WAS WITHIN THE FIRST AND A HALF WEEK AND BETWEEN TWO WEEKS, WE GOT OUR RECESS TAKEN AWAY.
SO WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THIS TIME TO LIKE TALK WITH OUR FRIENDS OR JUST DECOMPRESS.
RECESS WILL NOT ONLY HELP ACADEMICALLY, BUT ALSO SOCIALLY AND EMOTIONALLY.
STUDENTS NEED TIME TO TALK TO THEIR FRIENDS.
WE CAN'T JUST SIT AT OUR DESKS FOR SEVEN TO EIGHT HOURS AND JUST LISTEN TO A TEACHER TALK.
MIDDLE SCHOOL IS EMOTIONALLY DRAINING.
STUDENTS AS WELL AS TEACHERS NEED TIME TO DECOMPRESS.
LACK OF RECESS CAN HAVE MAJOR MENTAL EFFECTS ON STUDENTS.
ACCORDING TO THE CDC, THERE ARE SOME SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL OUTCOMES, SUCH AS IMPROVED ABILITY TO SHARE AND NEGOTIATE BETTER SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, INCREASE SCHOOL CONNECTEDNESS, AND IMPROVE SCHOOL CLIMATE.
SCHOOLS SHOULD NOT JUST BE ABOUT ACADEMICS, BUT ALSO ABOUT IMPROVING SOCIAL AND INTERACTIVE SKILLS FOR STUDENTS.
IN CONCLUSION, I BELIEVE THAT RECESS WILL HELP STUDENTS GAIN SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE.
NEXT WE HAVE MS. MADISON THOMPSON.
HELLO, MY NAME IS MADISON THOMPSON.
I ATTEND SHERWOOD MIDDLE ACADEMIC MAGNET SCHOOL, THE NUMBER ONE MIDDLE SCHOOL IN E B R
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN TO ME TODAY.
IMAGINE SITTING IN AN ENCLOSED CLASSROOM FOR OVER SEVEN HOURS A DAY WITH ABOUT 20 TO 30 STUDENTS CRAMMED INSIDE AND WITHOUT THE OPTION, TAKE ANY BREAKS WHATSOEVER.
HAVING RECESS CAN IMPROVE STUDENTS FOCUS AND RESTLESSNESS IN CLASS.
RECESS GIVES STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH OTHER STUDENTS OUTSIDE OF THEIR CLASSROOMS AND TO TAKE A MENTAL BREAK FROM ALL STUDIES.
WE'RE GROWING CHILDREN AND NEED TIME TO GET SOME FRESH AIR AND TO TAKE A BREAK.
WE ATTEND FOUR CLASSES EVERY DAY WITH LITTLE TO NO TIME IN BETWEEN EACH.
IN 2018, REPRESENTATIVE BARROW AMD INTRODUCED A BILL MANDATING A 30 MINUTE RECESS EVERY DAY FOR STUDENTS K THROUGH 12.
I WASN'T SURE WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THE BILL, BUT A QUICK LOOK REVEALED THAT WHILE THE BILL MADE IT OUT OF THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE, IT DIED ON THE HOUSE FLOOR WITH 52 NAYS AND 44 YAYS.
AN EXCERPT FROM IS RECESS MANDATED.
THIS BILL STATED THAT ALL K THROUGH 12 STUDENTS SHOULD BE ALLOWED RECESS.
ALL IN ALL, WE'LL JU WE ARE JUST CHILDREN AND EVERYONE NEEDS A BREAK EVERY NOW AND THEN.
HI, I'M VERA ABER FROM SHERWOOD MIDDLE AND I'M HERE TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE OF RECESS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT.
IN MY OPINION, RECESS IS NEEDED FOR MANY EDUCATIONAL, PHYSICAL, AND MENTAL HEALTH REASONS.
THESE INCLUDE INCREASING CHILDREN'S PHYSICAL HEALTH, MEMORY, ATTENTION, SKILLS, AND IMPROVE AND IMPROVING THEIR CHILD DEVELOPMENT.
MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN ARE HAVING TO SIT IN CLASS FOR SEVEN PLUS HOURS AT A TIME AND THE ONLY BREAK WE GET IS LUNCH, WHICH ISN'T A VERY SOCIAL ACTIVITY.
[02:00:01]
SOMEONE WITH ADHD, I CAN PERSONALLY TELL YOU HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO PAY ATTENTION IN SCHOOL FOR 97 MINUTES AT A TIME.IN MY OPINION, A FEW EXTRA INSTRUCTIONAL MINUTES WILL NOT IMPROVE TEST SCORES.
WHEN CHILDREN AREN'T GIVEN BREAKS AT SCHOOL OR AT LEAST PARTIALLY ENJOYING SCHOOL, THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE MOTIVATED TO LEARN.
THESE 97 MINUTES AREN'T EVEN ALWAYS USED AS INSTRUCTIONAL, AS INSTRUCTIONAL TIME.
SOME CLASS PERIODS ARE JUST US SITTING THERE DOING WORK, UM, AND THERE'S NO MOTIVATION TO GO TO SCHOOL.
LIKE DON'T YOU WANT YOUR CHILDREN TO HAVE MOTIVATION TO LEARN? WE'RE CONSTANTLY BEING CORRECTED FOR TALKING AND BEING DISRUPTED IN CLASS, WHICH IS ANNOYING FOR STUDENTS AS WELL AS TEACHERS.
I THINK SOME OF THESE INTENTION FOCUSED PROBLEMS WOULD BE SOLVED WITH AT LEAST 25 MINUTES OF RECESS PER DAY.
THIS WILL ENSURE THAT BOTH KIDS AND TEACHERS GET A BREAK THAT WE NEED.
OUTDOOR LUNCH ONCE A WEEK IS NOT ENOUGH.
I'M FROM SHERWOOD MIDDLE, AND I WOULD LIKE TO FORMULATE CREST FOR 30 MINUTES OF A BREAK ON SCHOOL DAYS.
NUMEROUS STUDIES PUBLISHED HAVE FOUND A 30 MINUTE BREAK.
IT'S ESSENTIAL FOR ACHIEVING PRODUCTIVITY, SUCCESS AND A POSITIVE ATTITUDE.
AND LET'S FACE IT, MIDDLE SCHOOLERS ARE A LITTLE EXTRA AND MIDDLE SCHOOL IS ROUGH.
DO YOU GUYS REMEMBER BEING MIDDLE SCHOOLERS? IF IT WAS, IT WAS THE WORST YEARS.
SO MUCH IS HAPPENING ALL AT ONCE.
WE'RE OVERSTIMULATED AS IT IS.
ADULTS WHO WORK EIGHT HOURS GET A BREAK.
MINORS WHO WORK FIVE HOURS, GET A BREAK, EVEN SERVICE ANIMALS GET A BREAK.
WE GO TO SCHOOL SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS.
WE GET TOLD WHERE TO GO, HOW TO ACT, WHAT TO SAY, WHEN TO GO TO THE RESTROOM, WHAT TO WHERE TO STAND.
WE GET TOLD WHAT TO DO ALL DAY.
IMAGINE IF SOMEONE TOLD YOU WHAT TO DO ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.
WOULDN'T YOU WANT A BREAK? WE DESERVE A BREAK.
NEXT WE HAVE MS. MELANIE SHRUGS, A SHRUGS.
I'M MELANIE SCRUGGS FROM SHERWOOD MIDDLE.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN SITTING AT WORK AWAITING YOUR NEXT BREAK? IF SO, THEN YOU UNDERSTAND HOW US STUDENTS FEEL.
BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS WE DON'T HAVE THAT.
ACCORDING TO THE CDC, RECESS IS REGULARLY SCHEDULED PERIOD IN THE SCHOOL DAY FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND PLAY THAT IS MONITORED BY TRAINED STAFF OR VOLUNTEERS.
DURING RECESS, STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO BE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE AND ENGAGED WITH THEIR PEERS IN ACTIVITIES OF THEIR CHOICE AT ALL GRADE LEVELS.
KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH GRADE, SITTING THROUGH 90 MINUTE CLASS PERIODS FOR EIGHT HOURS A DAY CAN GET EXHAUSTING AND COST MENTAL BURNOUT AFTER ENDURING THE LONG DAY AT SCHOOL WITH NO RECESS OR TIME TO RECHARGE AND REFOCUS.
HOMEWORK COMPLETION CAN TAKE THE REST OF YOUR DAY, LEAVING YOU WITH LITTLE TO NO TIME FOR PHYSICAL, PHYSICAL OR SOCIAL INTERACTION.
RECESS HAS MANY POSITIVE BENEFITS ACCORDING TO THE CDC.
RECESS BENEFITS STUDENTS BY INCREASING THEIR LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, IMPROVING THEIR MEMORY, ATTENTION AND CONCENTRATION, HELPING THEM STAY ON TASK IN THE CLASSROOM, REDUCING DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR IN THE CLASSROOM, IMPROVING THEIR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN WAYS SUCH AS LEARNING HOW TO SHARE AND NEGOTIATING.
HAVING RECESS IS IMPORTANT TO STUDENTS BECAUSE IT HELPS THEM DEVELOP LIFELONG SKILLS THAT THEY WILL NEED IN THEIR FIELD OF WORK AS WELL AS IN THEIR RELATIONSHIPS THAT THEY DEVELOP IN THEIR ADULTHOOD.
SOME REASONS THAT I THINK WE SHOULD GET RECESS IS BECAUSE IT WILL ACTUALLY GIVE US SOME REASON TO LOOK FORWARD THROUGH TO THE DAY, AND IT WOULD ENCOURAGE US TO DO OUR WORK IN CLASS SO THAT WE COULD FINISH, UH, SO THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY HAVE RECESS.
AND I THINK THAT IT WOULD ALLOW US TO GIVE OUR BRAINS A BREAK AND RESET FOR THE REST OF THE DAY.
NEXT WE HAVE MS. ASHLEY BALLARD.
HELLO, BOARD MEMBER SUPERINTENDENT.
UM, I'M A PARENT OF THREE N E B R SCHOOLS IN REGARDS TO VOTING TO APPROVE OUR 2324 SCHOOL CALENDAR.
FIRST, I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL FOR HEARING OUR CONCERNS AND OUR CRIES FOR OUR STUDENTS TO SO DESPERATELY NEED TO HAVE A RECESS INCORPORATED TO THEIR SCHOOL DAY.
HOWEVER, IN THE AMENDED PROPOSAL, UM, AND I THANK YOU FOR ALL THE TIRELESS EFFORT THAT YOU ALL HAVE PUT INTO MAKING IT WORK.
UM, IT SEEMS THERE HAS BEEN SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR OUR TEACHERS.
IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT A NEW THE NEW PROPOSAL REMOVES THREE HALF DAYS AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER IN DECEMBER.
[02:05:01]
HOWEVER, IT IS NECESSARY FOR OUR TEACHERS TO HAVE THOSE DAYS MADE AVAILABLE STUDENT FREE FOR GRADING AND FINALIZING OF GRADES FOR THE SEMESTER.FORTUNATELY, WE'RE COMING TO YOU WITH A SOLUTION AND, UH, COMPROMISE.
UM, FOR THE MISCALCULATION, ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS TAKE SEPTEMBER 20TH AND DECEMBER 13TH, MAKE THOSE FULL DAYS IN ORDER TO SECURE THE TOTAL MINUTES NEEDED TO SATISFY THE REQUIREMENT AND STILL ALLOW FOR THE TWO HALF DAYS AT THE END OF THE TERM.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND YOUR CON AND FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF OUR TEACHERS.
HI, I'M ABIGAIL WHITER, A STUDENT AT SHERWOOD MIDDLE ACADEMIC MAGNET, THE NUMBER ONE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
HOW MANY OF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GO TO FOUR MEETINGS A DAY THAT ARE 97 MINUTES LONG, SITTING IN AN, SITTING IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE PLASTIC CHAIR? AND THE ONLY BREAK YOU GET IS MAYBE A 20 MINUTE LUNCH.
I'M SURE AS SOON AS YOU HEAR, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A MEETING TODAY, YOU THINK, OH BOY, HOW LONG IS THIS? COULDN'T, IS THIS GONNA TAKE AND COULDN'T HAVE JUST BEEN SAID IN AN EMAIL? WELL, GOING TO MIDDLE SCHOOL WITHOUT RECESS IS JUST LIKE GOING TO 4 97 MINUTE MEETINGS A DAY.
THE CDC JANUARY, 2017 DEFINES RECESS AS A REGULARLY SCHEDULED PERIOD, BUT WITHIN THE SCHOOL DAY FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND PLAY THAT IS MONITORED BY TRAINED STAFF FOR VOLUNTEERS.
IT GOES ON TO STATE RECESS PERIODS CAN BE OFFERED MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY AND SHOULD NOT BE REPLACEMENT FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES.
A RECESS WOULD GIVE US A MUCH NEEDED BREAK THAT WOULD BENEFIT US THROUGHOUT OUR ENTIRE DAY.
RESEARCH SHOWS THE BENEFICIAL SOCIAL EMOTIONAL EFFECTS OF ADDING RECESS TO THE DAY.
THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS 2013 LISTS THE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL ADVANTAGES OF REGULAR RECESS TO INCLUDE COMMUNICATION SKILLS SUCH AS NEGOTIATION, COOPERATION, AND PROBLEM SOLVING.
THE ARTICLE ALSO STATES THAT COPING SKILLS SUCH AS PERSEVERANCE AND SELF-CONTROL, ARE OBTAINED THROUGH REGULAR RECESS WITH PEERS IN A SCHOOL SETTING.
AT ANGOLA PRISON, THE PRISONERS GET MORE REQUIRED OUTSIDE IN SOCIAL TIME THAN WE DO AT MIDDLE SCHOOL.
THE PRISONERS GET MORE REQUIRED OUTSIDE IN SOCIAL TIME THAN CHILDREN.
PEOPLE WHO HAVE COMMITTED CRIMES GET MORE SOCIAL AND OUTSIDE TIME THAN CHILDREN.
ONE OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS THAT I'VE KNOWN SINCE FOURTH GRADE, I HAVE NO CLASSES WITH.
I DON'T SEE HER AT ANY TIME THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, AND I'M USUALLY WORKING ON HOMEWORK OR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES WHEN I GET HOME.
RECESS WOULD GIVE ME AND OTHER STUDENTS A CHANCE TO INTERACT, INTERACT SOCIALLY WITH FRIENDS, HAVING SOCIAL TIME THROUGHOUT A DAY THROUGHOUT THE DAY, WILL I HELP IMPROVE OUR MOOD AND FOCUS AND HELP BUILD OUR SOCIAL SKILLS? STUDENTS ARE USUALLY DISCOURAGED FROM TALKING OR INTERACTING WITH PEERS DURING CLASSROOM TIME.
MOST OF OUR CONVERSATIONS ARE RELATED TO OUR WORK.
THIS MEANS THAT RECESS MAKES A BETTER ENVIRONMENT FOR US TO LEARN SOCIALIZATION AND COMMUNICATION.
WE CAN BENEFIT FROM PEER TO PEER COMMUNICATION THAT ISN'T MONITORED OR NECESSARILY RELATED TO THE SCHOOL.
STUDENTS AS WELL AS TEACHERS NEED A BREAK.
SOME TEACHERS MIGHT BE ON RECESS STUDIO, BUT THEY WOULD STILL ENJOY OUTSIDE TIME FOR FISH, AIR AND SOCIALIZATION WITH THEIR COLLEAGUES AND STUDENTS.
WE'RE ONLY CHILDREN AND MOST FULL GROWN ADULTS GET MORE BREAKS THAN WE DO ANYWAY.
WE'RE STILL GROWING AND NEED TIME TO STRETCH OUR LEGS, GET FRESH AIR, AND SOCIALIZE WITH OUR PEERS.
RECESS WON'T FIX ALL THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE IN SCHOOL, BUT IT WOULD BE A GREAT JUMP START TO FIXING OUR SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT.
SO NEXT TIME YOU'RE IN A MEETING, REMEMBER THE MIDDLE SCHOOLERS WHO HAVE TO ATTEND FOUR MEETINGS A DAY WITH LIMITED RESTROOM BREAKS, SOCIAL TIME, UNCOMFORTABLE CHAIRS, AND MAYBE A 20 MINUTE LUNCH BREAK.
I ALSO HAVE ALL MY SOURCES ON THE BACK IF YOU'D LIKE ANY EXTRA INFORMATION.
ABIGAIL FOR PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
NEXT WE HAVE MS. ANGELA REEMS BROWN.
MS. BROWN IS REPRESENTING THE EAST BAER PARISH FEDERATION OF TEACHERS AND SUPPORT WORKERS AND SUPPORT WORKERS.
GOOD EVENING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
PRESIDENT, UH, LANDIS, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL.
I TAUGHT WITH THE DISTRICT FOR 33 AND A HALF YEARS.
I WORK WITH THE POPULATION THAT ALWAYS NEEDED RECESS BECAUSE THEY WERE OUR SPED STUDENTS.
UH, AND I UNDERSTAND THE NEED, BUT I'M, WHAT I'M ALSO HEARING IS THAT SHERWOOD MIDDLE MIGHT NEED A LITTLE HELP OVER THERE WITH THEIR CURRICULUM AND HOW TO MONITOR THEIR TIME SO THAT THEY, STUDENTS CAN FEEL LIKE THEY WANT TO COME TO SCHOOL AND THEY WANT TO PRODUCE AND THEY HAVE SOME TIME TO RELAX.
WHEN I FIRST SIGNED THE CARD, IT WASN'T TO SPEAK IN TERMS OF THE 15 MINUTES, BUT TO SPEAK ABOUT THE PROCESS THAT YOU GUYS ALLOWED NOT ONLY THE TEACHERS AND THE STUDENTS AND THE COMMUNITY TO DECIDE WHAT CALENDAR WE WILL BE PUTTING FORTH TONIGHT.
AND I'M UNDERSTANDING THAT'S CALENDAR A, WE'RE NEVER GONNA HAVE A CALENDAR THAT EVERYBODY WILL AGREE WITH.
[02:10:01]
BUT I, THE PROCESS IS WHAT MAKES IT FAIR.YOU ALLOWED INDIVIDUALS TO NOT ONLY, UH, REVIEW BOTH CALENDARS, BUT ACTUALLY VOTE ON WHICH ONE THAT THEY THOUGHT SHOULD BE PRESENTED FOR THIS UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR.
AND SO FOR THAT, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU.
UH, AS A LOCAL PRESIDENT, WE DON'T PREFER EITHER CALENDAR.
EITHER ONE WILL WORK FOR US BECAUSE WE FOLLOW THE CALENDAR OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD WHEN WE PUT OUR WORK ORDERS IN.
BUT WHAT WE DO WANNA SUPPORT AGAIN, IS THE PROCESS THAT YOU ALLOWED THE INDIVIDUALS TO GO THROUGH TO SELECT THIS CALENDAR.
SO AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE EAST BATON ROUGE FEDERATION OF TEACHERS AND SUPPORT WORKERS, I EMPLOY YOU TO UTILIZE THE VOTES THAT WERE USED AND SUPPORT CALENDAR.
ALWAYS APPRECIATE, APPRECIATED, ALWAYS APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS.
I'M SPEAKING ON MY OWN BEHALF AND OTHERS WHO MIGHT BE LIKE-MINDED WHO, UH, DON'T HAVE THE FIRE UNDER THEM, COME TO THE MEETING OR FOR WHATEVER THEIR THEIR REASONS ARE.
UH, TO SPEAK TO THE CALENDAR, I WANNA TELL YOU A COUPLE OF THINGS.
THANK YOU FOR JUNE AND JULY BEING OFF.
WE DON'T GET THREE MONTHS OFF.
MIGHT HAVE BEEN A A PREVIOUS TIME, BUT WE ONLY GET TWO.
SO THANK YOU FOR ABSOLUTELY NO, UM, UH, WORK DAYS ON DURING THOSE MONTHS.
AS A TEACHER IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, AND I WORK ON THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, BUT THERE ARE MY COLLEAGUES WHO WORK ON THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL.
AND I KNOW THAT THOSE A AND B DAYS MATTER A LOT.
SO EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY HAVE 600, SIX THOUSAND SIXTY FIVE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND EIGHTY MINUTES, PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE RESPECTED BOTH A DAYS AND B DAYS SO THAT YOU HAVE THE SAME VALUE IN THE QUARTERS.
SO NOT ONLY DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE TOTAL, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE THE QUARTERS BECAUSE IF THERE'S AN IMBALANCE, THEN YOU THROW THE, THE TEACHERS OFF WHO DON'T GET THEIR VALUE DURING THOSE QUARTERS.
SO PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT THE CALENDAR RESPECTS THOSE THINGS AS IT RESPECTS, AS IT RELATES TO, UM, THE INSTRUCTIONAL MINUTES.
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THAT VALUE BE PLACED THERE.
UH, AND YES TO RECESS, CHILDREN NEED RECESS.
AND I AGREE WITH THE LAW CUZ I WAS GONNA SPEAK TO THAT.
THEY DO HAVE NEED TO HAVE THAT MODERATE OR VIGOROUS ACTIVITY AND NOT SEL, BECAUSE SEL WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS ON THOSE LISTS, THOSE BLACK LINE ITEMS THAT WAS ADDED TO THAT LIST.
HOW WILL YOU DO IT? WILL TEACHERS GET PAID? IS IT A PART OF THAT DAY? IS IT A PART OF THOSE ADDITIONAL MINUTES THAT YOU HAVE PUT ON PL ON, ON, ON THE DECK FOR THE CALENDAR? SO YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE, UM, TEACHER DAY MEANS TEACHER PAY.
OKAY? SO WE ARE NOT JUST GIVING AWAY FREE DAYS, FREE TIME.
WE'RE ALREADY GIVING AWAY QUITE A LOT.
NOW YOU CAN SPEAK, MY PARA GETS A BREAK, 15 MINUTES.
UH, SHE GETS A 15 MINUTE MORNING, 15 MINUTE AFTERNOON, AND SHE ALSO GETS A 30 MINUTE UNSTRUCTURED FREE LUNCH.
NOT ALL TEACHERS ACROSS THE BOARD, ALL GRADE LEVELS GET THAT SAME.
IT'S NOT AN EVEN PLAYING FIELD.
AND WE'RE OKAY WITH THAT BEING UNEVEN.
WE BUY, WE BUY INTO IT BECAUSE WE ARE TEACHERS, WE GIVE BEYOND.
SOMETIMES WE GIVE MORE THAN WE HAVE.
YOU KNOW, WE GIVE OUR LAST AND WE GIVE OUR BLOOD.
SOME OF US ARE ABLE TO DO THAT.
AND AS IT RELATES TO WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING DURING THEIR INSTRUCTIONAL DATES, DEPENDS ON WHEN YOU CAME ONLINE.
SO A TEACHER WHO IS 30 YEARS, UM, IN THE SYSTEM MAY NOT BE DOING SOMETHING THAT A FIRST YEAR SECOND YEAR TEACHER IS DOING.
SO THERE IS A GREAT VARIATION AND THERE'S A GREAT VARIATION IN, UH, A 97 MINUTE ELA CLASS AND A 97 MINUTE CHEMISTRY CLASS OR SCIENCE CLASS OR SOCIAL STUDIES CLASS.
I FIRST WANT TO THANK THE PARENT WHO'S EMAIL SPEARHEADED ALL OF THIS THAT'S GOING TO BENEFIT EVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILD IN THIS DISTRICT.
I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE STUDENTS WHO STARTED WRITING LETTERS TO SUPERINTENDENT NARCIS AND HE CAME AND HE SPOKE TO THEM AND THEN THEY SHOWED UP HERE.
I DON'T KNOW WHO TAUGHT THOSE CHILDREN TO RESEARCH LIKE THAT, BUT SHE MUST BE A BEAST.
UM, THEN I WANT TO THANK THE BOARD MEMBERS, UM, FOR THEIR DILIGENCE AND MS. KORAN SMITH FOR ALL OF HER WORK AND FOR PUTTING UP WITH ME AND TALKING TO ME OVER THESE LAST, UH, COUPLE OF WEEKS AND HELPING WITH ALL OF THIS.
[02:15:01]
NOW I WAS IN TOTAL AGREEMENT WITH EVERYTHING THAT WAS SAID AND FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE SAYING LIKE, WELL, WHERE IS THE TIME FOR THIS RECESS COMING FROM? IT'S COMING FROM THE DEDICATED SEL TIME IN THE MORNING.OUR CONTRACTED TIME IS, OUR CONTRACTED TIME IS COMING FROM THOSE 20 DEDICATED SEL MINUTES FROM THE MORNING.
THAT'S THE TIME BEING USED FOR THE RECESS.
HOWEVER, UM, THE CALENDAR THAT WAS SUBMITTED FOR TODAY, I'M NOT OKAY FOR, I'M NOT OKAY WITH FOR THE TEACHERS CUZ YOU KNOW, I'M STILL GOING, I'M STILL GONNA BE ABOUT THE TEACHERS.
SO WHEN I DOUBLE CHECK THE MATH ON IT TO FIX THAT, LIKE ANOTHER PARENT JUST SAID, YOU COULD TAKE IN FIRST SEMESTER, YOU COULD TAKE DECEMBER 13TH, MAKE THAT A FULL DAY.
YOU COULD TAKE SEPTEMBER 20TH, MAKE THAT A FULL DAY.
AND IF YOU DO THAT, THEN YOU'LL STILL GIVE TEACHERS THOSE TWO HALF DAYS TO GRADE EXAMS, WHICH WE HAVE TO HAVE BECAUSE IF WE ARE BABYSITTING, WE CANNOT GRADE.
THAT WILL GIVE US 42.5 MINUTES OVER THE REQUIREMENT, WHICH IS 4,025 MINUTE AND 0.5 MINUTES THAT WE NEED.
UM, ALSO, I JUST WANTED TO LET Y'ALL KNOW, CAUSE UH, VICE PRESIDENT, UH, POWELL MENTIONED THIS ABOUT TEACHERS NEEDING RECESS TOO.
MY STUDENTS ASKED ME WHEN I INVITED, UH, SUPERINTENDENT NARCIS WHEN I GAVE HIM THE LETTERS.
LISTEN, MS. MATTHEWS, YOU HATE RECESS.
WHY ARE YOU FIGHTING SO HARD TO GET THIS FOR US? BECAUSE THIS ISN'T ABOUT WHAT I LIKE.
THIS IS ABOUT WHAT'S BEST FOR THEM.
ONE OF THEM THAT CAME UP HERE LEARNED SO MUCH BETTER AFTER THEY HAVE COME BACK FROM RUNNING AROUND AND BEING STUPID.
I'M NOT GONNA SAY BECAUSE I DON'T WANNA POINT OUT WHO IT IS, BUT THEY DO SO MUCH BETTER BECAUSE THEY WAKE UP AND THEY RUN AROUND ACTING A FOOL.
AND THEN THEY COME IN AND THEN THEY CAN ACTUALLY FOCUS.
IT'S NOT ABOUT WHAT I LIKE OR WHAT I WANT.
SO I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME, FOR YOUR DILIGENCE.
IT FEELS LIKE THIS HAS BEEN TWO YEARS.
THAT'S ALL THE TIME WE'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR IT.
I CURRENTLY GO TO GLEN OAKS, MAGNA HIGH.
AND BEFORE I START, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO APPLAUD ALL THE TEACHERS.
I HAD MY FAIR SHARE OF BAD TEACHERS, BUT THOSE GOOD ONES REALLY DIDN'T MAKE MY LIFE COMPLETELY BETTER.
IT HELPED ME A LOT WHEN I WAS GOING TO A VERY TOUGH TIME.
SO I APPLAUD ALL THE PREVIOUS TEACHERS, THE CURRENTLY TEACHERS AND THE BECOMING TEACHERS.
UM, SO I WANNA BEGIN MY SPEECH WITH, UH, EXAMPLE.
ME PERSONALLY, UM, WHEN I WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND THIS WAS DURING COVID TIME, I, IT WAS, IT AFFECTED ME.
I HAD TO SIT IN THE CLASSROOM ALL DAY WITH NOTHING.
I WAS ON A CHARTER, NOT U B, SO NO T Y'ALL.
BUT YES, I NO RECESS, NO NOTHING.
AND THERE WAS THIS CLASS THAT WAS TWO HOURS.
MY TEACHER, SHE WAS A VERY STRICT PERSON.
SHE, IF YOU DIDN'T DO WHAT SHE LIKE, IT COULD BE BAD FOR EVERYBODY.
ONE TIME SHE EVEN, NO, NO TALKING.
NO PLAYING WORK FOR ONE HOUR STRAIGHT.
IF YOU TALK ONE TIME, YOU COULD PO YOU COULD POTENTIALLY GET SUSPENDED.
I, THAT RESULTED ME SKIPPING SCHOOL.
I SKIPPED SCHOOL SO MUCH BECAUSE OF THAT ONE CLASS, TWO HOURS, NO TALKING.
IF YOU DO TALK, MAKE SURE IT'S EXTREMELY LOW.
Y'ALL, I'M SORRY, I'M JUST A LITTLE NERVOUS RIGHT NOW.
RECESS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
Y'ALL MAY NOT SEE THE IMPORTANCE OF IT, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT.
BUT I CAN SEE HOW MUCH A PART IT WILL BE TO MIDDLE SCHOOLERS.
THEY NEED TO PLAY, THEY NEED TO RELEASE.
THEY ARE NOT, THEY'RE NOT TEENAGERS YET, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT LITTLE KIDS.
BUT THEY NEED TO RELEASE ALL THAT ENERGY.
THEY NEED TO TALK WITH THEIR FRIENDS.
AND I JUST REALLY WANT TO SHARE THE IMPORTANCE ON IT.
FORGIVE ME FOR MY, I'M A LITTLE SHAKY RIGHT NOW.
I'M JUST A LITTLE BIT, TAKE YOUR TIME.
AND I JUST WANT TO SH Y'ALL NEED TO
[02:20:01]
SEE THE IMPORTA OF IT.RECESS IS JUST NOT SOME LITTLE PLAYTIME.
THIS IS WHERE THEY CAN TALK TO THEIR FRIENDS OR AT RELEASE ALL THAT NJ WAS KEEPING INSIDE THAT CLASSROOM.
THE TEACHERS FORGIVE ME, ARE BORING.
I'M JUST TRYING TO, I'M JUST TRYING TO SAY THE TRUTH.
AND I JUST REALLY WANTED Y'ALL TO SAY THAT.
I THANK Y'ALL ALL FOR YOUR WORK.
MY NAME IS RAKAIA COSTER AND I GO TO MCKINLEY SENIOR HIGH.
AND AS A FARMER, MIDDLE SCHOOLER, I FEEL AS IF THE KIDS SHOULDN'T HAVE RECESS BECAUSE GOING TO, UM, ELEMENTARY, COMING FROM ELEMENTARY, GOING TO MIDDLE SCHOOL, IT IS A BIG CHANGE.
AND MIDDLE SCHOOL IS PREPARING US TO GO TO HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH IS GOING TO DEFINITELY BE A BIG CHANGE.
AND IF, UM, MIDDLE SCHOOLERS HAVEN'T OWN
UM, RECESS IS A TIME TO SOCIALIZE, BUT STUDENTS IS, STUDENTS LIKE WE'RE KIDS.
PEOPLE'S GOING TO SOCIALIZE IN CLASSES AND IN CLASSES AT, UM, FREE TIME AND LUNCH, OTHER EVENTS.
AND, UM, I FEEL LIKE, I JUST FEEL LIKE, UH, STUDENTS SHOULDN'T HAVE A RECESS BECAUSE THEY NEED TO, TO, THEY NEED TO ADAPT TO THE CHANGE AND THEY NEED TO, UM, MIDDLE SCHOOL IS JUST PREPARING US TO BE HIGH SCHOOL, SO THEY NEED TO ADAPT.
NEXT WE HAVE SUMMER MCCUTCHIN.
I WANTED TO, OH, I ATTEND MCKINLEY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL AND I'M WITH THE AMPLIFY LA PROGRAM.
UM, I WANTED TO TOUCH ON A TOPIC ABOUT CLASSROOM EXTENSIONS.
I FEEL LIKE SINCE WE ALREADY HAVE A SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS AND WE HAVE PERMANENT SUBS IN DIFFERENT CLASSES DURING THESE CLASSES, MOST OF THE TIME WE DO NOTHING.
EVERYONE JUST SITS ON THEIR PHONE DOING NOTHING EXTENDED.
THESE CLASSES ARE ONLY GONNA CAUSE MORE HASSLE BECAUSE STUDENTS GET TIRED OF SITTING SOMEWHERE DOING NOTHING, WHICH LEADS TO SKIPPING.
I DON'T THINK NO ONE WANTS TO SIT IN A CLASSROOM FOR THESE LONG PERIODS OF TIME DOING NOTHING.
WHEN WE'LL SIT HERE AND HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THINGS LIKE WHAT, WHEN WILL WE GET A TEACHER? ARE WE GOING TO LEARN? AND WHAT ABOUT LEAP STATE? WAIT, WE ARE ASKED TO DO THESE STATE TESTS.
WE ARE ASKED TO DO THESE STATE TESTS AND WE HAVE NO WAIT.
WE ARE ASKED TO DO THESE STATE TESTS WHEN WE HAVE NO TEACHERS.
SO LIKE, HOW WE GONNA, HOW WE GONNA KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN WE HAVE THESE PERMANENT STUFF THAT WE DO NOTHING IN CLASS.
AND A PROBLEM ISN'T EXTENDING CLASSES ABOUT WHAT WE DOING DURING THESE CLASSES.
IF WE NOT DOING NOTHING, WHAT, WHAT THE CLASSES NEEDS TO BE EXTENDED FOR.
LIKE, I JUST DON'T, I DON'T AGREE WITH THEM.
SO THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ABOUT WHY CLASSES SHOULDN'T BE EXTENDED.
CAN WE JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO JUST, JUST CLAP FOR THE KIDS WHO HAD THE COURAGE TO COME UP HERE AND SPEAK? OH MY GOSH.
THIS IS WHERE, WHY WE ARE HERE.
WE DO A LOT OF DISCUSSION AMONGST OURSELVES, BUT WHEN THE BABIES OPEN THEIR MOUTHS, THAT'S WHEN YOU GOT ME LOCKED IN.
SO NEVER, UM, FORGET THE VALUE OF YOUR VOICE.
IF Y'ALL GET NERVOUS AND SCARED, I WAS IN THE RESTROOM AND I RAN INTO, UH, THE STUDENTS.
THEY'RE HERE WITH EDUCATION TRUST UNDER THE DIRECTION OF TRA HOWARD AND SIERRA HART.
SO Y'ALL ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN IT TO WIN IT.
UM, BUT THEY WERE A LITTLE TIMID AND SCARED ABOUT AMPLIFYING THEIR VOICES.
SO THEY WERE A LITTLE NERVOUS, BUT THANK Y'ALL FOR Y'ALL PATIENCE WITH THEM.
I TAUGHT IN EBR R I TAUGHT AT MCKINLEY MIDDLE, JUST TRANSPARENCY, MCKINLEY MIDDLE, BRAMER HIGH, AND, UH, GEO PREP.
AND NOW I CURRENTLY TEACH IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE AND IN GEORGIA.
AND SO I WANNA SPEAK ON EXTENDED DAYS BECAUSE ALL OF THOSE EXPERIENCES HAVE, ARE DIFFERENT.
AND I'M ALSO A PRODUCT OF MCKINLEY MIDDLE AND BYRON HIGH.
SO I HAVE A, A BIT OF A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES.
AND SO EXTENDING A CLASS PERIOD AT A SCHOOL LIKE THE NUMBER ONE, SHERWOOD GLASGOW, WOOHOO.
IT'S ALSO WHAT MAKES YOU THE NUMBER ONE.
AND I THINK, UM, WHAT I HEARD A LOT WAS ABOUT THE STYLE OF THE CLASSROOMS. AND WE HAVE TO CONSIDER THAT TEACHERS
[02:25:01]
STYLES ARE DIFFERENT.TEACHER AND STUDENT STUDENTS, UH, EXPERIENCES ARE DIFFERENT.
I TEACH VIRTUALLY WHEN THERE WAS A FACILITATOR WHO HAD A DIFFERENT STYLE, I HAD A GREAT ATTENDANCE RATE, RIGHT? EVEN IF THEY WEREN'T FULLY ENGAGED, THEY LOGGED ON.
NOW THEY'RE IN CLASSROOM WHERE THERE IS A PERMANENT SUB ASK, ASK ME HOW MANY LOG IN DAILY? OH, Y'ALL AIN'T HAVE TO ASK LESS THAN 80%.
SO LET'S JUST CONSIDER, ONCE AGAIN, GREAT IDEAS, BUT I JUST ENCOURAGE US TO, TO BE MORE INTENTIONAL WITH OUR TIME OR HAVE MORE TIME TO REALLY GO INTO THE DETAILS ABOUT WHAT THINGS LOOK LIKE IN ACTION, IN PROCESS VERSUS, UM, JUST DOING IT TO SAY WE DID IT.
I WILL BE MUCH LESS ELOQUENT TO THE STUDENTS, BUT I'LL DO MY BEST.
THANK YOU MR. LANIS, FOR ALLOWING THE PUBLIC, THE FIR THE FULL THREE MINUTES EACH, EVEN THOUGH I'M SURE YOU'RE STARTING TO GET SQUIRMING, MAYBE NEED A RECESS
UM, I DO SUPPORT THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION, BUT I HAVE SEVERAL THOUGHTS.
OF COURSE, AT THIS POINT, A BAD CALENDAR IS BETTER THAN PUTTING OFF THE CALENDAR.
SO AT LEAST PEOPLE HAVE SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN PLAN FROM.
UM, I DO THINK WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPOSAL OR PROPOSALS FROM, UM, MS. BALLARD AND FROM MS. MATTHEW, IT WOULD BE WORTH FOR CERTAIN, IF YOU DON'T MAKE THOSE TWEAKS TONIGHT, BRING THAT UP FOR DISCUSSION AGAIN IN MAY.
I THINK YOU COULD STILL DO THAT WITHOUT, UM, ABUSING THE PEOPLE'S ABILITY TO PLAN THEIR FALLS TOO BADLY.
UM, I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT THE, UM, ADMINISTRATION PUT THE PRESENTATION ON BOARD DOCS AND AGREE WITH, UH, MR. LANIS, THAT THAT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED SOONER THAN TONIGHT.
PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED A MONTH OR TWO AGO.
THERE ARE 67 SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT HAD ELECTIONS THIS FALL, MISS LAST FALL, MR. MARTIN.
I SUSPECT MOST OF THOSE HAVE ALREADY ADOPTED THE CALENDAR NEW BOARD OR NOT.
WHEN I SAW THE PRESENTATION, IT WAS CLEAR.
YOU KNOW, I WAS REMINDED THAT THE SURVEY, THE, THE INPUT PROCESS APPEARED TO GIVE PEOPLE CHOICE BETWEEN ONE CALENDAR AND ANOTHER CALENDAR.
IF THE PARENT TELLS THE KIDS, YOU GET TO DECIDE WHAT WE'RE HAVING FOR DESSERT TONIGHT.
WOULD YOU LIKE BRUSSELS SPROUTS OR SAUERKRAUT? I'M NOT SURE THE KIDS REALLY HAD A GOOD INPUT ON WHAT DESSERT WAS THAT NIGHT.
SO I REALLY HOPE WHAT HAPPENS IN MAY IS CAREFUL AND INTENTIONAL AND GIVES PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO WEIGH IN.
WHETHER YOU CAN FIT THAT INTO A FOUR HOUR COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE, I DON'T KNOW.
BUT THERE ARE FAR TOO MANY INTERESTING TOPICS WHERE YOU HAVE A WORKSHOP THAT INVOLVES PEOPLE TALKING AMONG THE, THE HORSESHOE GETTING FED INFORMATION FROM THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE PUBLIC IS SHUT OUT.
THAT IS NOT A GOOD PROCESS, AND YOU NEED TO TRY TO GET AWAY FROM THAT PROCESS.
AND THIS TOPIC IS AN EXCELLENT PLACE TO START.
I HEARD ONE ALARM IN, UH, COMMENT FROM DR.
IF STUDENTS AT HIS SCHOOL AREN'T EATING LUNCH, I HOPE THAT MAKES ALARM BELLS SCREAM IN SOME ADMINISTRATOR'S HEAD.
UM, NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE INSTRUCTION IS WITHIN THE 97 OR 90 OR WHATEVER MINUTES, THE STUDENTS STILL NEED UNSTRUCTURED TIME TO LEARN, TO GROW UP AND EVENTUALLY BECOME ADULTS UNSTRUCTURED.
NO MATTER HOW WONDERFUL THE INSTRUCTION IS, GIVE THEM A BREAK IN BETWEEN.
NOW THAT CONCLUDES OUR, UH, PUBLIC COMMENTS.
WE'LL NOW GO BACK TO THE BOARD.
HOWEVER, BEFORE WE GO BACK TO THE BOARD, I WANT TO USE A POINT OF PUBLIC PRIVILEGE TO MAKE A VERY IMPORTANT, UH, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
NOT VERY OFTEN DO WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE STUDENTS VOICE THEIR CONCERNS AND TALK ABOUT ITEMS THAT, UH, DIRECTLY AFFECT THEIR LEARNING AND WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE OF SCHOOLS.
SO THERE ARE TWO VERY IMPORTANT GROUPS HERE AT NIGHT.
FIRST GROUP I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE IS, UH, SHERWOOD, I'M SORRY, SOUTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL.
IF YOU ALL ARE STILL INSIDE OF THE ARTIST, CAN YOU PLEASE STAND UP? CHER WOOD.
MS. MATTHEWS, CAN WE PLEASE GIVE THESE YOUNG LADIES AROUND APPLAUSE? YOU ALL
[02:30:01]
DID AN ABSOLUTE PHENOMENAL JOB ADVOCATING FOR NOT ONLY YOUR SCHOOL, BUT FOR STUDENTS ALL ACROSS THIS PARISH.AND I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, AND THANK YOU MS. MATTHEWS, FOR YOUR AMAZING WORK THAT YOU DO WITH THESE STUDENTS AND ALL OF YOUR STUDENTS, UM, AT SHERWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL.
UM, THE NEXT GROUP THAT I WILL BE REMISS IF I DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE, IS A PART OF THE EDUCATION TRUST WHO OUR FORMER VICE PRESIDENT AND FORMER BOARD MEMBER, MR. TRAMMELL HOWARD.
FIRST OF ALL, COULD YOU STAND UP, SIR? HE'S ALWAYS STYLISH.
HE IS A PART OF A VERY IMPORTANT LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE, UH, UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THEIR AMPLIFIED VOICES PROGRAM.
AND WHAT THIS PROGRAM IS MENTOR IS, IS ABOUT, IS MENTORING STUDENTS TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES IN A PROFESSIONAL WAY THAT ALLOWS THEM TO ALIGN TO WHAT'S HAPPENING SIDE OF SCHOOLS, AND ALSO, UH, EXPRESSING HOW THEY FEEL BEFORE A SCHOOL BOARD.
IT IS VERY DAUNTING TO COME BEFORE A SCHOOL BOARD AND SPEAK ON POLICY RELATED MATTER.
SO YOU ALL, IF YOU COULD PLEASE STAND UP IF YOU'RE A PART OF THE AMPLIFY GROUP, CAN WE PLEASE GET THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE? AND MS. HART, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE WORK THAT YOU DO WITH THE ED TRUSTS OF LOUISIANA.
AND THANK YOU AGAIN FROM A VICE PRESIDENT AND FROM A BOARD MEMBER.
AT THIS TIME WE'RE GONNA MOVE RIGHT BACK ALONG.
I THINK I CUT OFF MR. MARK BALU SO THAT WE COULD GET TO PUBLIC COMMENTS BECAUSE IT WAS PRETTY LONG.
BUT I WANTED TO FORWARD YOU THE OPPORTUNITY IF YOU STILL HAD ANY COMMENTS TO MAKE.
UH, WE ARE GOING TO GO TO, UH, VICE PRESIDENT, MS. CAR POWELL.
OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, I HAD TO, YOU TOOK MOST OF MY COMMENTS, I'M SORRY.
BUT FIRST, FIRST OF ALL, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE ESTABLISHED WHO MAY BE ONE OF THE ENGLISH TEACHERS FOR THESE STUDENTS, BUT WHOMEVER YOUR ENGLISH TEACHERS ARE, WHOMEVER YOUR SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS ARE ALL KUDOS TO THEM.
AND GOD BLESS THEM FOR TEACHING YOU HOW TO ARTICULATE AND TO BE ABLE TO USE YOUR SOURCES.
I WAS THOROUGHLY ENJOYING ALL OF THE PRESENTATIONS AND ALL OF THE REFERENCES THAT WERE GIVEN DURING YOUR PRESENTATIONS AS WELL.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU.
THEN ALSO, I JUST WANTED TO SAY TO MISS ABIGAIL WAITER, IS SHE STILL IN HERE? WHITER, WHITER, GIRL, YOU WERE ON POINT,
AND ONE OF YOUR POINTS WHERE YOU MENTIONED ABOUT US SITTING FOR FOUR MEETINGS, I JUST THOUGHT ABOUT US.
THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW OF SITTING IN, I THINK SHE CALLED THEM PLASTIC CHAIRS,
AND THAT IS QUITE DAUNTING ALSO AT THE SAME TIME.
UH, AND AND THANK YOU SO MUCH MS. ABIGAIL, I APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, ALSO, I JUST WANTED TO SAY AS WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHO MENTIONED IT ON THE MIC, BUT I KNOW MYSELF, I LOOKED AT MY COLLEAGUE, UH, UH, BOARD MEMBER MARTIN WHEN THEY SAID THAT WE MIGHT NEED A, A RECESS.
Y'ALL SAW ME LEAVE OUT A, I HAD TO GO TAKE A A A A CHIP BREAK BECAUSE I WAS STARTING TO STARVE OVER HERE,
SO YES, WE ALL NEED A BREAK FROM TIME TO TIME.
UM, ALSO, I WANTED TO MENTION, I KNOW THAT, UM, MS. MATTHEWS MENTIONED THE POSSIBILITY OF TAKING SOME OF THE SEL TIME AWAY THAT IS BUILT IN, IN THE MORNING TO BE ABLE TO USE FOR OUR RECESS.
I HOPE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD, THAT WE CAN BE CREATIVE IN HOW TO STILL INCLUDE SEL UH, IN OUR LEARNING PROCESS IF WE WERE TO CONSIDER THE MODEL THAT SHE WAS MENTIONING.
AND, UM, JUST, JUST ANOTHER POINT OF REFERENCE, UM, I DIDN'T MENTION THIS BEFORE, BUT I KNOW I SAID BEFORE WITH RECESSES THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME SCHOOLS DON'T GIVE KIDS THAT TIME TO JUST KIND OF, YOU KNOW, CALM DOWN AND HAVE A BREAK.
YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE GOING TO LUNCH AND THEY'RE HAVING US AT QUIET FOR LUNCH, WHAT WE'RE NOT NOT TALKING ABOUT IS THE FACT THAT WHEN THAT CHILD GOES TO THE NEXT CLASS, THEY'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THEY WREAK HAVOC ON THAT CLASS.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE PLANNING TO DO, IT'S JUST THAT THEY HAVE NOT HAD THE TIME TO RELEASE THAT ENERGY.
SO I HOPE THAT IN OUR FUTURE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE WILL TAKE ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS INTO CONSIDERATION.
AND THEN ALSO REMEMBERING THAT, UM, THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION IS THAT WE WOULD HAVE THIS CONVERSATION AT A LATER DATE.
AM I CORRECT MR. MARTIN? YES, MA'AM.
IS THAT WE'RE GONNA PA THE SUBSTITUTE MOTIONS, PASS THE CALENDAR, BUT HAVE A, A, A MORE DETAILED CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT POLICY WE SHOULD HAVE TO ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE RECESS AT A LATER DATE.
[02:35:01]
THANK YOU SO MUCH.THANK YOU, MADAME VICE PRESIDENT.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
I, NO MATTER HOW ANY VOTE HERE TURNS OUT TONIGHT, I'M LEAVING, UH, THIS MEETING TONIGHT WITH A MUCH MORE HOPE IN THE FUTURE THAN I HAD WHEN I WALKED IN.
THESE STUDENTS ARE PHENOMENAL.
THEIR TEACHERS ARE CLEARLY PHENOMENAL.
I PARTICULARLY WANT TO APPLAUD THE ONE STUDENT WHO, WHO GOT UP AND SPOKE AGAINST RECESS, YOU KNOW, RIGHT.
THAT SHOWS THE DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT AND THE WILLINGNESS TO SPEAK YOUR MIND AND YOUR BELIEF, YOUR TRUTH, REGARDLESS OF HOW OTHER PEOPLE ARE GONNA FEEL ABOUT IT.
AND SO I APPLAUD THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT CONTRARY SPIRIT.
BUT I THINK MUCH AS I HATE TO DISAGREE WITH THAT STUDENT, I THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'VE HEARD TONIGHT ILLUSTRATES A LOT OF THE REASONS WHY WE NEED AS A BOARD TO HAVE A POLICY THAT SAYS, IT IS OUR EXPECTATION THAT CHILDREN HAVE RECESS.
AND BY RECESS WE MEAN UNSTRUCTURED TIME TO, TO, TO TAKE A BREAK, TO LET YOUR BRAIN MOVE AWAY FROM INSTRUCTIONAL MINUTES, TO NOT BE A WIDGET, A COG IN THE MACHINE, AND JUST FEEL, UH, THERE WERE EARLIER COMMENTS FROM SOME ABOUT SAFETY AND SECURITY CONCERNS WHEN THERE'S UNSTRUCTURED TIME.
BUT WHEN ARE OUR CHILDREN GOING TO LEARN TO SELF-REGULATE IF THEY'RE IN CLASS EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY WITH EYES UPON THEM? WHEN DO THEY LEARN TO RESOLVE PROBLEMS THEMSELVES? WE TALK ABOUT SEL ALL THE TIME.
THAT'S HOW THEY LEARN TO REGULATE THEIR OWN EMOTIONS, IS WHEN WE GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE THEMSELVES FOR A FEW, A FEW BRIEF MINUTES.
SO, UM, UM, I, I, I THINK IN CLOSING, I THINK THAT'S WHY IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE BOARD HAVE A POLICY AND NOT TO MICROMANAGE AND NOT TO SAY THERE'LL BE EXACTLY THIS OR EXACTLY THAT, BUT THERE'LL BE A POLICY THAT THE BOARD EXPECTS ALL STUDENTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL TO HAVE THAT UNSTRUCTURED TIME.
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
UH, NEXT WE HAVE, UH, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER CLIFF LEWIS.
I'LL BE AS BRIEF AS POSSIBLE, UH, OUTSTANDING BY THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAD THE COURAGE TO COME TO THE MIC.
BUT I JUST WANT TO, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THERE'S HUNDREDS OF OTHER KIDS OUT THERE IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM WHO CAN DO THE SAME THING.
AND I THINK THOSE KIDS, THEY'RE NOT HERE.
BUT THAT JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU THAT OUR TEACHERS ARE TEACHING, THEY'RE DOING THEIR JOB.
THEY'RE TEACHING THE LIFE SKILLS IN SOCIALLY EMOTIONAL LEARNING.
THEY ARE PREPARING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE FOR WHAT'S COMING NEXT.
NOW, UH, PRESIDENT ATLANTA, IF I'M NOT JERMAINE TO THE TOPIC WITH MY NEXT, NEXT COMMENT, SHUT ME DOWN.
UH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SCHEDULES AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MINUTES AND, AND ALL OF THAT.
BUT COME JANUARY, THIS WHOLE CITY IS GONNA BE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN FOR ABOUT TWO AND A HALF YEARS WITH OUR I 10 WIDENING PROJECT.
OKAY? SO OUR SURFACE STREETS ARE GOING TO BE JAM PACKED, OUR INTERSTATES ARE GOING TO BE JAM PACKED.
AND I JUST HOPE WE CAN HAVE THE SAME TYPE OF SPIRITED CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET THEM TO SCHOOL ON TIME TO DO ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'RE SITTING HERE TALKING ABOUT.
SO THAT'S GONNA BE ANOTHER CONVERSATION.
WE'RE GOING HAVE TO LOOK AT TRANSPORTATION.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO REROUTE BUSES.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WHO KNOWS WHERE THAT'S GOING TO LEAD US.
BUT WE ARE DOING A GREAT JOB TONIGHT, DECIDING ON HOW LONG THEY'RE GOING TO BE THERE AND HOW, YOU KNOW, IN, IN, IN THE WHOLE NINE YARDS.
BUT WE'VE GOT ANOTHER REALLY BIG PROBLEM WE'VE GOTTA FACE IN THIS CITY THAT THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS ALREADY NOT VERY GOOD.
HOW ARE WE GOING TO TRANSPORT ALL OF THESE STUDENTS TO GET THEM TO THESE MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS? LAST WEEK YOU HAD NO PROBLEM GETTING ANYWHERE IN BATON ROUGE.
YOU WANTED TO GET, I LEAVE MY NEIGHBORHOOD, I GET ON FLORIDA BOULEVARD, I'M EXPECTING IT TO BE BUMPER TO BUMPER.
CAUSE YOU'VE TAKEN 5,000 EMPLOYEES OFF THE ROADS.
YOU GOT 5,000 EMPLOYEES THAT ARE GONNA BE DRIVING TO WORK THAT WE ARE THE SECOND LARGEST EMPLOYEE IN THIS CITY.
YOU GOT 5,000 EMPLOYEES, PLUS YOU GOT EXXON AND EVERYBODY ELSE.
SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FACE REAL SOON.
UH, YOU KNOW, IF I'M, IF I'M NOT JERMAINE, SHUT ME DOWN.
BUT, BUT WE'VE, WE'VE, WE'VE GOT TO, WE'VE GOT TO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOTTA TACKLE THAT PROBLEM AS WELL.
UH, COACH LEWIS, UH, AT THIS TIME, NOW WE'RE GOING TO GET READY FOR THE VOTE.
[02:40:01]
JUST WANNA REMIND OUR BOARD THAT WE ARE VOTING ON A SUBSTITUTE MOTION, WHICH I WILL READ.THIS IS A SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO APPROVE THE 20 23 20 24 SCHOOL CALENDAR AND TO REQUIRE THE SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION TO PRESENT AT THE NEXT COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ONE, ALL THE CONSIDERATIONS THAT GO INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CALENDAR AND BAIL SCHEDULE.
AND TWO, A DRAFT POLICY FOR CONSIDERATION OF ADOPTION BY THE BOARD SETTING THE CRITERIA, WHICH MUST BE MET BY ANY SCHOOL DAY, BY ANY SCHOOL DAY IN OR BAIL SCHEDULE ADOPTED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT OR PRINCIPALS FOR THE 20 23, 20 24 ACADEMIC YEAR AND BEYOND, WITH SUCH CRITERIA TO BE FOCUSED ON CREATING A MOST CONDUCIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT POSSIBLE, WHILE ALSO MEETING ALL LEGAL, CONTRACTUAL AND OTHER COMPLIANCE, UH, CONCERNS.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE.
AT THIS TIME, WE'RE GONNA KEEP MOVING RIGHT ALONG.
[G. Consent Agenda]
HAVE NEXT UP OUR CONSENT AGENDA, UH, AND THE CONSENT AGENDA WILL BE READ INTO ORDER BY SCU BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL GODDE.THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE TO BE APPROVED AS PART OF THE CONSENT AGENDA AND ARE CONSIDERED TO BE ROUTINE AND WILL BE ENACTED WITH ONE MOTION.
THERE WILL BE NO SEPARATE DISCUSSION OF ITEMS UNLESS A BOARD MEMBER.
SO REQUEST IN WHICH EVENT THE ITEM WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA AND CONSIDERED AS AN ITEM ON THE REGULAR AGENDA FOR A SEPARATE VOTE.
PROCEEDING THE LAST ITEM ON THE REGULAR AGENDA.
TWO GRANTS CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS LOUISIANA FUNDING UNIFIED CHAMPION GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $20,500 TO BUILD AND EXPAND INCLUSIVE PROGRAMMING FOR ESS STUDENTS.
THREE SUMMER COMPENSATION MODIFICATION.
CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST TO AMEND THE SUMMER 2023 SALARY SCHEDULED TO APPROVE A 40% INCREASE IN COMPENSATION OF SPECIFIED SUMMER, PART-TIME EMPLOYEES, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, FUNDING SOURCE, FEDERAL AND GENERAL FUND FOR SUMMER COMPENSATION MODIFICATION, CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM.
CONSIDERATION OF REQUESTS TO AMEND THE SUMMER 2023 CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM.
SALARY SCHEDULE TO IMPROVE CNP EMPLOYEES, REGULAR, HOURLY, NINE MONTH RATE, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, AND EXEMPLARY CUSTOMER SERVICE FUNDING SOURCE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM.
FIVE, COMPREHENSIVE SUMMER PROGRAM MEMORANDUMS OF UNDERSTANDING SLASH PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.
CONTRACT CONSIDERATION OF REQUESTS FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE FOLLOWING.
COMPLIMENTARY MEMORANDUMS OF UNDERSTANDING AND CONTRACTS FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE SUMMER PROGRAM BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND THE FOLLOWING, A BIG BUDDY PROGRAM M MOU B BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, METRO LOUISIANA M MOU, Y M C A OF THE CAPITAL AREA M MOU AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT NOT TO EXCEED $94,080 TO PROVIDE SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAMMING.
BRETT, M O U AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT NOT TO EXCEED $76,800 TO PROVIDE SUMMER RECREATIONAL PROGRAM, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT FUNDING SOURCE TITLE ONE SIX, MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING B R A Y N.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF AN M MOU BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND BAT, AND B R A Y N, BATON ROUGE AREA YOUTH NETWORK TO IMPLEMENT A MODEL TO STRENGTHEN SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS.
SEVEN, NAMING OF CAPITOL HIGH SCHOOL SITE.
CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE NAMING COMMITTEE TO NAME THE NEW SCHOOL LOCATED AT THE CAPITOL HIGH SITE AS CAPITOL HIGH SCHOOL.
EIGHT, REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS.
BATON ROUGE CENTER FOR VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS.
CONSIDERATION OF REQUESTS FOR AUTHORIZATION FOR STAFF TO ISSUE A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS TO SEEK
[02:45:01]
PROPOSALS TO PROVIDE CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT AT RISK SERVICES FOR THE BATON ROUGE CENTER FOR VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS TAX PLAN PROJECTS.STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE FUNDING SOURCE TAX PLAN NINE ARCHITECT SELECTION, BATON ROUGE CENTER VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS.
CONSIDERATION OF REQUESTS FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE ARCHITECTURAL SELECTION COMMITTEE'S.
RECOMMENDATION OF RHH SLASH TIPTON TO PROVIDE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE BATON ROUGE CENTER OF VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS PROJECT.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE FUNDING SOURCE TAX PLAN.
10 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT.
CONSIDERATION OF REQUESTS FOR THE APPROVAL OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND GREAT MINDS PBC IN THE AMOUNT OF 22,200 TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS IN THE EUREKA MATH SQUARED ALGEBRA ONE CURRICULUM, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT FUNDING SOURCE SR TWO MATH INCENTIVE.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT LITERACY.
CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING IN THE AMOUNT OF $231,000 TO DEVELOP A STANDARD OPERATING PROCESS FOR ANALYZING DISTRICT DATA, IMPROVING INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES AND BUILDING CAPACITY OF EDUCATORS.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT, FUNDING SOURCE, COMPREHENSIVE LITERACY STATE DEVELOPMENT GRANT.
CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE RECOMMENDATION FROM GWEN SHALIN GENERAL COUNCIL, EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD IN THE FOLLOWING MATTERS, A VIDEO HAWKINS V THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD, SEAT N UH, SUIT NUMBER C DASH EIGHT, UM, C DASH 6 8 9 380.
J D C, PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE AND PROVIDE FOR RELATED MATTERS.
B RANDOLPH V EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND OTHERS M D L A.
DOCKET NUMBER 15 DASH 6 54 13 RESOLUTION MAGNET SCHOOL ENROLLMENT APPLICATION, CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST FOR THE ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION, INSTRUCTING THE SUPERINTENDENT TO CONDUCT A PARENT GUARDIAN SATISFACTION SURVEY REGARDING THE MAGNET ENROLLMENT APPLICATION PROCESS, BEGINNING WITH THE RECENTLY CLOSED 20 23 20 24 SCHOOL YEAR 14 RESOLUTION, SAFETY AND CULTURE SURVEY.
CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST FOR THE ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING A DISTRICT-WIDE SAFETY AND CULTURE SURVEY.
THIS IS THE END OF THE CONSENT ITEM.
AGENDAS I CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS. SO MOVE.
CAN I GET A SECOND? ALL RIGHT.
SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
RIGHT THIS TIME, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO ACT OUR BOARD.
ARE THERE ANY ITEMS THAT NEED TO BE PULLED? PLEASE LET US KNOW NOW, OR BY ENTERING YOUR NAME INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
I SEE COACH LEWIS INSIDE THE QUEUE THAT FROM LAST TIME.
SEEING NO MEMBERS NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE TO PULL ANY ITEMS. MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE.
WE HAVE TO GO TO THE PUBLIC, UH, I'M SORRY.
UH, BOARD, UH, SAYING THAT WE HAVE NO, UH, ITEMS THAT ARE GONNA BE PULLED THIS TIME.
UH, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR CONCERN, UH, THAT PERTAIN TO OUR CONSENT AGENDA? I SEE VICE PRESIDENT, MS. CAR POWELL AND QUEUE.
OKAY, I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION.
I KNOW WE, UM, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AS WELL WITH THE SUMMER PROGRAMS FOR NUMBER FIVE, AND I DON'T THINK THAT DR.
SO MY, MY ONLY QUESTION IS IN REGARDS TO WHETHER OR NOT THERE WILL BE ANY TYPE OF, UH, SWIMMING THAT'S OFFERED AS A PART OF THOSE SUMMER PROGRAMS. AND EVEN IF I GET THE ANSWER AT A LATER DATE, THAT'S FINE.
UH, VICE PRESIDENT PAUL, WE CAN CHECK INTO THAT.
RIGHT NOW, THE WAY THAT WE DO SWIMMING IS THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP THAT WE PLAN TO DO WITH Y M C A AND OUR OTHER, UH, EXTERNAL PARTNERS, UH, TO FIT THAT IN.
BUT THERE, THERE'S NOT, UM, I CANNOT CONFIDENTLY ANSWER AT THIS POINT
BUT WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS BECAUSE OF ALL THE AFTER SCHOOL PARTNERS WE HAVE, UH, THEY WILL HELP TO SUPPLEMENT SOME
[02:50:01]
OF THOSE PROGRAMS. THAT'S WHY THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN ALL THESE WILL, UM, UM, BE ABLE TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES.VICE PRESIDENT, SEEING NO OTHER, I'M SORRY, DR.
OVAL, WOULD YOU, YOU WANT TO SPEAK? NO.
SUPERINTENDENT, PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT AND BOARD.
SO THERE IS NO SWIMMING OPTION AVAILABLE FOR THESE CAMPS.
THESE CAMPS ARE GOING TO BE OPERATED BY OUR PARTNERS AT OUR SCHOOL SITES.
SO THE STUDENTS WILL HAVE ABOUT FOUR HOURS WITH INSTRUCTORS DURING THE MORNING, HALF OF THE DAY.
AND THE SECOND HALF OF THE DAY IS WHEN THE OPERATORS WILL TAKE OVER THE CAMP ME AND GET BREAK, UH, Y M C A BIG BUDDY OR BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS.
SO THAT JUST MEANS THAT EVERYTHING IS, IS HANDLED ON SITE OF WHATEVER SCHOOL THEY'RE AT.
IS THAT CORRECT? YES, THAT IS CORRECT.
UM, WE DO HAVE AN MOU THAT IS COMING FORTH FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR FOR WATER SAFETY WITH THE Y M C A FOR OUR SECOND GRADE STUDENTS TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE EXPOSED TO WATER SAFETY.
BUT THE CAMPS THIS SUMMER DO NOT INCLUDE WATER SAFETY OR, UH, ANYTHING SPECIFIC TO SUMMER.
SINCE YOU HAD THE QUESTION LAST WEEK, THEY HAVE DISCUSSED MAYBE INCORPORATING THAT DURING THE ENRICHMENT JUST TO, UH, BRING ABOUT AWARENESS TO THE STUDENTS.
BUT AS OF NOW, IT'S NOT A PART OF THE ENRICHMENT COMPONENT OF THE CAMP.
I APPRECIATE EVEN THE IDEA OF HAVING EXPOSURE TO WATER SAFETY BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S MY WHOLE GOAL IN THAT, SO THANK YOU.
SEEING NO OTHER NATION SIDE OF THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME, WE WILL NOW GO TO OUR PUBLIC AND I SEE WE HAVE A CUE CARD FROM DR.
I JUST WANT TO BE, UH, JUST WANNA REMIND THAT WE ARE SPEAKING TOWARDS THE CONSENT AGENDA.
I SEE ON YOUR, I'M ONLY BRINGING THIS UP CAUSE I SAW ON YOUR CUE CARD YOU HAD A SPECIFIC ITEM YOU WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, BUT WE PASSED THE ENTIRE CONSENT AGENDA WITH NOTHING PULLED.
SO JUST WANTED TO REMIND GO AHEAD.
UM, I WASN'T GONNA TALK ABOUT SUMMER PROGRAMS, BUT BRIEFLY, PLEASE BE CAREFUL THAT SUMMER PROGRAMS DON'T HAVE FEES THAT PROVIDE A BARRIER TO EXCLUDE CHILDREN IN POVERTY.
I HAVE BEEN QUITE CONCERNED THAT RECENT SUMMER PROGRAMS HAVE HAD ENROLLMENT OR CO-PAYMENT POLICIES THAT MADE THEM AVAILABLE TO CHILDREN WHO ARE PRIVILEGE MORE THAN THE CHILDREN THAT REALLY NEED THE, UH, ENRICHMENT DURING THE SUMMER.
BUT THE REASON I TURNED IN THE CARD WAS TO TALK ABOUT ITEMS EIGHT AND NINE, BATTERY CENTER FOR VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS.
I BELIEVE THE KENNELWORTH FACILITY WILL REQUIRE A SIGNIFICANT RENOVATION TO BE ACCEPTABLE AS A TEMPORARY HOME FOR WHAT CLAIMS TO BE AN ARTS MAGNET.
AND IF THAT HAPPENS, IT SEEMS SILLY TO ABANDON THAT CAMPUS FROM HAVING BEEN RENOVATED TO BE SUITABLE AS A K THROUGH EIGHT OR A THREE-YEAR-OLD, THROUGH EIGHT ARTS CENTERED CAMPUS AFTER ONLY USING IT FOR TWO OR THREE YEARS.
SO I'VE CHECKED WITH MEMBER OF THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, THE, THE TAX PLAN REQUIRES THAT THE FACILITY ON SOUTH ACADIAN RECEIVE INVESTMENT.
IT IS THE OPINION OF AT LEAST THAT ONE MEMBER OF THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE THAT YOU WERE NOT OBLIGATED BY THE VOTERS THAT THE FACILITY ON SOUTH ACADIAN MUST FOREVER AND ALWAYS BE NAMED B R C B P A AND USED FOR THAT PURPOSE.
SO YOU SHOULD AT LEAST BE CONSIDERING WHETHER THAT ARTS PROGRAM SHOULD BE PERMANENTLY RELOCATED TO KENNELWORTH.
AND YOU SHOULD HAVE THAT CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION BEFORE YOU GIVE, UM, THE PRIVATE VENDORS FREE REIGN TO SPEND 20 MILLION OF THE TAXPAYERS MONEY HOWEVER THEY SEE FIT.
FURTHERMORE, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THIS BOARD HAS EVER AGREED TO EXPAND THE ENROLLMENT OF B C B P A.
IF THERE ARE THAT MANY STUDENTS THAT WANT THAT PROGRAM, PERHAPS WE SHOULDN'T BE FORCING THE MALL TO, UM, JOIN A PARKING LOT ON THE RIGHT HAND LANE, BOTH DIRECTIONS OF SOUTH ACADIAN FOR AN HOUR OR TWO, A COUPLE TIMES A DAY.
PERHAPS MAGNET PROGRAMS SHOULD BE LOCATED ELSEWHERE.
PERHAPS EVERY SCHOOL SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST THE LEVEL OF ARTS EDUCATION THAT THAT MAGNET SCHOOL HAS NOW.
SO WHATEVER NUMBER OF TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ARE SET ASIDE TO REBUILD THAT SCHOOL, THAT'S KIND OF IMPORTANT.
YOU ROUTINELY HAVE LONG DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT TO SPEND 30,000
[02:55:01]
ON A PROFESSIONAL TO DO SOMETHING.YOU SHOULD BE REALLY CAREFUL ABOUT HOW THAT TAX MONEY IS SPENT AS THE TAX PLAN.
UH, SEEING NO OTHER COMMENT CARDS AT THIS TIME, WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO OUR BOARD SEEING NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
UH, MADAME SECRETARY, UH, WE DO HAVE A CUE CARD TO SPEAK ON.
ITEM G 13, MS. MCLELLAN, MC MC MCMILLAN.
THIS IS MY FIRST TIME EVER AT A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING,
UM, I WANTED TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THE, UM, MAGNET SCHOOL SURVEYS.
THE APPLICATION SURVEYS FOR ME, FOR MYSELF AND MY SON APPLIED FOR THE MAGNET SCHOOL.
UM, WE HAD TO GO TO THE LOTTERY, OF COURSE, AND THEN HE HAD TO TAKE, HE WAS, HE WAS SELECTED FOR THE LOTTERY AND HE HAD TO TAKE THE TEST TO GET INTO THE SCHOOL.
BUT EVEN BEFORE THAT, I WENT UP THERE AND I OBSERVED THE, I WENT AND I VISITED A KINDERGARTEN CLASS IN A FIFTH GRADE CLASS.
AND WHAT I SAW THOSE CHILDREN DOING WAS PHENOMENAL.
AND I KNEW THAT I WANTED MY SON TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THIS SCHOOL AND TO POSSIBLY GIVE HIM AN EDGE UP IN LIFE.
BUT ONE THING THAT I DID NOTICE WAS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE DIVERSITY OF THE CLASSROOMS IN KINDERGARTEN VERSUS FIFTH GRADE.
THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT LESS OF PERSONS OF COLOR IN FIFTH GRADE AS THERE WERE IN KINDERGARTEN.
SO WHEN MY SON TOOK THE APPLICATION, TOOK THE, UM, THE ENTRANCE EXAM CAME OUT SKIPPING.
HE WAS FOUR YEARS OLD, CAME OUT SKIPPING 15 MINUTES LATER, HE SAID, MOMMY, SHE TOLD ME, JUST GUESS SO I GUESSED.
I GOT A PHONE CALL TELLING ME THAT HE SCORED, THERE WAS 40 QUESTIONS ON THE TEST AND HE HAD TO GET A 20 ON EACH PORTION IN ORDER TO GET INTO THE MAGNET SCHOOL.
AND I TOLD THE LADY, THEN I SAID, I, THAT IS NOT AN ACCURATE REFLECTION OF WHAT MY SON KNOWS.
MY SON IS VERY SMART AND I HAVE HIM WELL PREPARED FOR KINDERGARTEN.
AND SO SHE CALLED ME BACK A COUPLE DAYS LATER AND SAID SHE SPOKE TO SOMEONE AND THEY, THEY WERE GONNA LET HIM TAKE THE TEST AGAIN.
SO AT THAT TIME, I TOLD HIM, YOU BETTER NOT GUESS.
HE GOT A 37 ON ONE PART AND A 38 ON THE OTHER.
SO THERE HAS TO BE SOME KIND OF UNIFORMITY, AND NOT ONLY IN HOW THE TEST IS GIVEN, BUT THE VERBIAGE THAT THE CHILDREN ARE RECEIVING BEFORE TAKING THE TEST.
HAD I, HAD HE NOT HAD THE MOM THAT HE HAS, I WOULD'VE ACCEPTED THAT HE GOT A ONE ON EACH PORTION OF THAT TEST AND HE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ALLOWED INTO THAT MAGNET PROGRAM.
THE OTHER THING THAT I WOULD LIKE THE BOARD TO CONSIDER IS DOING INTERVIEWS OR SURVEYS ON THE KIDS WHO EXIT THE MAGNET PROGRAM AT THIS PARTICULAR SCHOOL.
WE'VE HAD FOUR BOYS IN ONE CLASS IN ONE SEMESTER TO WITHDRAW ALL BOYS OF COLOR.
SO I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR US TO KNOW WHY THESE CHILDREN ARE LEAVING AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO RETAIN THE CHILDREN THAT ARE THERE SO THAT WAY THE KIDS CAN, THE, THE SCHOOL CAN STAY AS DIVERSE AS IT STARTS.
BECAUSE ANOTHER THING, AND I'M SORRY, I KNOW I'M ALMOST, UM, OUT OF TIME OR I YES MA'AM.
MS. MCMILLAN, THAT'S THE TIME.
SEEING NO OTHER COMMENTS AT THIS TIME, I WILL NOW GO TO THE BOARD AND SING NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
WE WILL NOW CALL FOR THE VOTE.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE, PLEASE VOTE.
[H.1. Resolution: Canvassing Returns]
WITH OUR AGENDA, WE ARE NOW GOING ON TO ITEM H ONE UNDER NEW BUSINESS RESOLUTION, CANVASSING RETURNS, CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST TO TAKE ACTION WITH RESPECT TO ADOPTING A RESOLUTION, CANVASSING[03:00:01]
THE RETURNS IN CLARIFYING THE RESULTS OF THE SPECIAL ELECTION HELD IN CONSOLIDATION SCHOOL DISTRICT NUMBER ONE OF THE EAST OF THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE, STATE OF LOUISIANA ON SATURDAY, MARCH 25TH, 2023 TO AUTHORIZE THE RENEWAL OF SPECIAL TAX THEREIN, CAN I GET A MOTION MOVED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NATHAN RUSH.SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
RIGHT THIS TIME WE WILL TURN TO OUR BOARD FOR ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR CONCERNS.
SEEING NONE, WE WILL NOW GO TO THE PUBLIC SEEING NO CUE CARDS BY OUR PUBLIC.
WE WILL NOW COME BACK TO OUR BOARD, SING NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
[H.2. Litigation]
ON TO H TWO OR ITEM H TWO RATHER.CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE RECOMMENDATION FROM GWEN SHALIN G, GENERAL COUNSEL FOR THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD IN THE FOLLOWING MATTER, TERRY WASHINGTON VERSUS THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD.
CASE NUMBER 21 DASH 0 0 1 92 DASH B A J DASH R L B IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA.
IN RELATED MATTERS, CAN I GET A MOTION MOVED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL GOK, SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NATHAN RUSS.
AT THIS TIME NOW WE'LL TURN TO OUR BOARD TO SEE IF WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR CONCERNS.
SEEING NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE, WE WILL TURN TO OUR PUBLIC SEEING NO CUE CARDS.
AT THIS TIME, WE'LL GO BACK TO OUR BOARD SEEING NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME BEFORE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR CONCERNS? MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE, PLEASE VOTE.
[I.1. Security Plan]
WE'LL GO TO ITEM I ONE FOR PRESENTATIONS FOR SECURITY PLAN.AS MS. UH, MONIQUE SPADA MAKES HER WAY TO THE FRONT, ALONG WITH OUR SCHOOL SECURITY, UH, CHIEF, UM, CAPTAIN WALKER, I'LL JUST SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST MONTH, WE'VE HAD SOME BACK AND FORTH CONVERSATIONS AND WHAT I WILL FIRST SAY IS THAT IT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED BY OUR BOARD THAT NOT ONLY CAN WE DIALOGUE ABOUT CONVERSATIONS THAT, UH, REVOLVE AROUND, UH, SCHOOL RELATED, UH, MATTERS IN THE, ON THE MATTER OF SCHOOL SAFETY.
UH, BUT I THINK IT'S VI VITALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE LOOKED AT THE FACT THAT OUR BOARD, UH, WAS STEADFAST IN SAYING THAT WE WANTED TO PUT A PLAN IN PLACE.
CUZ IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO JUST SAY THAT WE'RE DOING ONE OFF, UH, VOTES ON POLICY THAT REGARDS SCHOOL SAFETY.
SO I WANNA SAY MY HAT GOES OFF TO, UM, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER KATIE KENON, WHO VOICED THE STRONG OPINION, UH, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NATHAN RUSS, AS WELL AS SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
YOU ALL DO THE PHENOMENAL JOB OF THE JOB.
AND LAST MEET AT OUR LAST MEETING, WHICH IS NOW PROGRESSED US TO THIS POINT WHERE WE HAVE A PLAN THAT IS THOROUGHLY PROGRESSING.
AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD, YOU ALL ARE GONNA SEE MORE ALLOCATED DOLLAR AMOUNTS THAT, UH, SUGGEST HOW THIS PLAN IS IMPORTANT AND HOW WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH IT.
SO I'LL GIVE YOU ALL THE FLOOR.
SO THANK YOU BOARD PRESIDENT LANI AND VICE PRESIDENT POWELL, BOARD MEMBERS AND DR.
UM, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A PLAN FOR SCHOOL SECURITY SINCE BEFORE WE BROUGHT CAPTAIN WALKER ON BOARD.
WE KNEW THAT THERE WAS OPPORTUNITY TO DO THINGS BETTER IN THE DISTRICT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STAFF AND STUDENTS ARE SAFE.
THIS IS A TENTATIVE PLAN, BUT WE WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH YOU WITH SOME TIMELINES AND KNOW THAT IT'S A WORKING DOCUMENT.
WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE UPDATE AS NEEDED TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF OUR STAFF AND STUDENTS.
SO I'M GONNA HAVE THE TEAM PRESENT AND THEN I'LL COME BACK AT THE END IF THERE'S QUESTIONS.
SO GOOD EVENING BOARD MEMBERS AND DR.
I'M CAPTAIN RODNEY WALKER AND THIS IS MS. DION CHENEY AND WE ARE YOUR LEADERS OF SCHOOL SECURITY AND SAFETY.
TODAY WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS OUR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
[03:05:01]
ALSO OUR PLAN OF ACTION.UM, WE'RE GONNA BEGIN WITH THE LAW ENFORCEMENT SROS, WHICH WILL BE UNDER MY LEADERSHIP.
I WILL BE SUPPORTING AND DIRECTING CRI CRISIS RESPONSE MANAGEMENT.
I WILL ALSO BE INVOLVED WITH THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGENCY COORDINATION.
I WILL ALSO BE INVOLVED WITH THE EMERGENCY OPERATION PLANS.
STANDARD MANDATED DRILLS WILL BE ALSO CONDUCTED BY OUR TEAM IN CRITICAL INCIDENT REPORTING WILL BE DONE BY US.
OKAY, SO NOW IT'S GOING COMPLETE.
IN MY ROLE I DEAL WITH SCHOOL SAFETY.
THAT'S MY PRIMARY FOCUS AND I ASSIST WITH SUPPORTING AND GIVING GUIDANCE TO SCHOOL LEADERSHIP WHEN IT COMES IN REGARDS TO INVESTIGATION AT SCHOOL LEVEL AND ALSO SEARCHES COLLABORATED WITH SCHOOL DRUG TASK FORCE.
I REVIEW CAMERA FOOTAGE UPON REQUESTS FOR INCIDENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED.
ALSO WILL BE CONDUCTING SAFETY ASSESSMENTS BIANNUALLY AT EACH SITE.
I COMMUNICATE AS FAR AS DATA THAT'S REQUESTED WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS.
ALSO SERVICE A SAFETY LIAISON WITH INTERNAL EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS, AND WE'LL BE CO-LEADING OUR DISTRICT SAFETY TEAM THAT'S GONNA BE FORMED.
AS AN SRO, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING THE SAFE WORK ENVIRONMENT.
AND THAT IS DONE BY CONSTANTLY PATROLLING THE SCHOOLS AND WALKING CAMPUSES AT CRITICAL TIMES.
WHEN KIDS ARE GOING FROM LUNCH, LUNCH BREAKS TO SCHOOL YARDS TO CHANGE OF CLASS, TO BATHROOM BREAKS, WE WANNA MAKE SURE AN SRO IS VISIBLE WALKING AND PATROLLING THE CAMPUS.
NEXT PART IS DEVELOPING A CRISIS RESPONSE PLAN.
WHAT IS THE CRISIS? SOMETHING THAT IS A RISK.
SO WE NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT THE RISKS ARE AND DEVELOP A PLAN TO DEFEAT THOSE RISKS.
CONDUCT SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSESSMENTS TO MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE DOING WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING WHEN WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING IT RIGHT.
CREATE BARRIERS TO ENTRY FOR INTRUDERS, OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO BE VISIBLE, WE HAVE TO BE CONSISTENT, AND WE HAVE TO BE IN THOSE CRITICAL AREAS OF THE CRITICAL TIMES.
LET'S SEE, MONITOR, LET'S SEE.
BILL, RAPPORT WITH STAKEHOLDERS, STAFF, AND STUDENTS.
WE WANT TO BUILD LASTING RELATIONSHIPS, NOT JUST COME TO SCHOOL AND ARREST EVERYBODY.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN BUILD LASTING, COMFORTABLE RELATIONSHIPS WHERE KIDS BELIEVE IN US AND WE CAN SHOW THAT WE ARE PEOPLE AND WE WANT TO SEE THEM DO WELL.
COORDINATE MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS.
AGAIN, IT'S SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA PUSH AND PROVIDE FOR OUR STUDENTS.
SECURE SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY RELATED TO SECURITY ACCESS, WE'RE GONNA DO THAT NOW.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED AND WE, WE, WE CAN'T FEEL AS IF WE KNOW EVERYTHING.
THINGS CHANGE, TIME CHANGE, AND WE DON'T WANNA RIDE OUR HORSE WHEN IT'S TIME TO DRIVE A CAR.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE UP TO SPEED WITH OUR TRAINING.
SO WE'RE GONNA ESTABLISH TRAINING INITIATIVES FOR SROS.
WE GONNA DEVELOP TRAINING PLANS THAT DEAL WITH DEESCALATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION.
WE KNOW THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
WE'RE GONNA, I'M GONNA SERVE AS A RESOURCE FOR COMMUNITY AGENCIES.
WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN OUR COMMUNITY, IT BLEEDS INTO THE SCHOOLS AND VICE VERSA.
SO I HAVE TO BE A VOICE, HAVE TO BE AN EAR, AND HAVE TO DEAL WITH COMMUNITY ON A REGULAR BASIS.
UH, WE WANT TO COMMUNICATE WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND DATA MANAGEMENT.
I'M GONNA DESIGN A FULL PROGRAM WITH BEST PRACTICES OF SROS.
AGAIN, TECH TECHNOLOGY, BEST PRACTICES CHANGE, AND WE DON'T WANNA DO SOMETHING.
WE DON'T WANNA WORK LIKE WE DID.
1990, WHEN IT'S 2023, WANT TO CHANGE.
AS THE TIME CHANGES, UH, I WILL ARRANGE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS.
OF COURSE, WE WANT TO CHANGE AGAIN AND GROW, AND I WILL PROVIDE CULTURAL AND SOCIAL SENSITIVITY TRAINING.
VERY IMPORTANT, WHETHER OUR KIDS WITH NO KIDS ARE UP AND DOWN EMOTIONALLY.
SO WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO DEAL WITH THAT.
ALL THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PORTION OF, AGAIN, WILL ENFORCE THE LAW AND ATTEMPT TO REDUCE CRIMINAL ACTIVITY BY BEING VISIBLE AND BEING PRESENT DURING THOSE CRITICAL TIMES.
WE'RE GONNA COLLABORATE WITH GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, AGAIN, BAPTIST SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS, WHICH MEANS I NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT I CAN OVERSEE WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND MAKING SURE THAT IT'S CONSISTENT.
RECRUIT, RETAIN, AND EVALUATE SROS.
IT IS MY GOAL TO HAVE AT LEAST 35 SROS AVAILABLE EVERY DAY.
AGAIN, 35 SROS AVAILABLE A DAY.
[03:10:01]
I WANNA ALSO ORGANIZE A FOUR PERSON TACTICAL RESPONSE TEAM, FOUR PERSON TACTICAL RESPONSE TEAM.I WILL ALSO SUPPORT ROUTINE SEARCHES AT SCHOOL SO THAT WE CAN ELIMINATE SOME OF THE CONTRA CONTRABAND THAT'S COMING ONTO OUR CAMPUSES.
OKAY, NOW WE'RE GONNA GET TO OUR TIMELINE.
IN DECEMBER, I WAS A PART OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT SECURITY ASSESSMENT, WHICH TOOK PLACE AT EVERY SCHOOL WITHIN A MILE RADIUS OF THAT PARTICULAR SCHOOL.
IN JANUARY, I ASSUMED THE DAYTIME RESOURCE OFFICER MANAGEMENT.
I BEGAN RECRUITING, UH, FOR SROS DURING THAT TIME.
AND ACTUALLY IN FEBRUARY, I ACCEPTED DIRECTOR OF SECURITY POSITION.
I'VE ALSO APPROVED SROS, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
AGAIN, LET'S TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE UP TO DATE AND WE FINDING THE BEST PRACTICE IS THE STRATEGIES THAT WE CAN, OKAY, ON LAST MONTH, WE EVALUATED EACH SITE FOR SINGLES, SINGAPORE ENTRY OPTIONS.
AND WE DID THIS IN COLLABORATION WITH PHYSICAL PLANT SERVICES.
AND WE WORKED WITH AND MET WITH, UM, SOME OF THE LOCAL RESOURCES THAT'S OUT, UM, OUTSIDE RESOURCES SUCH AS TRUS, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, SAFE HOPE, ET CETERA, TO DISCUSS OTHER OPTIONS WITH COLLABORATION WITH THESE TEAMS. WE'VE, UM, MADE SURE EVERY SRO WAS TRAINED WITH TEST SECURITY BY THE END OF LAST MONTH, AND ALSO RE REINSTATED THE K NINE SEARCHES WITHIN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND WE'VE CONDUCTED APPROXIMATELY FIVE SINCE WE REINSTATED THEM.
CURRENTLY, WE ARE UPDATING THE BUDGET FOR THIS UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR, COLLABORATED WITH OUR PHYSICAL PLAN WITH TOURING SOME SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT WAS NEARBY FOR BEST PRACTICES, RECRUITED MORE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS.
AS OF APRIL, WE'VE RECRUITED SINCE JANUARY NINE, RESOURCE OFFICERS FOR THE DAY SHIFT.
AND ADDITIONALLY, WE ARE ORDERING HAND ONES FOR EACH SITE.
THE K THROUGH FIVE SITES WILL HAVE AT LEAST ONE, UM, K THROUGH EIGHT WOULD HAVE TWO MIDDLE SCHOOLS.
WE ARE ANTICIPATING TO HAVE AT LEAST THREE, AND WE'RE HOPING THAT HIGH SCHOOLS CAN HAVE THREE TO FOUR AT EVERY SITE.
AND WE HAVE INCLUDED CAPITAL HIGH SCHOOL AND JK HAYNES SINCE THEY WILL BE RETURNING TO US ON NEXT MONTH.
WE PLAN ON PROVIDING SUPPORT AND SCHEDULING SROS COVERAGE AND DETAILS FOR THE GRADUATIONS THAT'S GONNA OCCUR, CREATING A TACTICAL TEAM FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR, AND EVALUATING THIS, UM, SAFETY PLATFORMS AND ALSO THE SOFTWARE FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE.
ON, IN JUNE, WE ARE GONNA PARTICIPATE IN THE DIFFERENT INSTITUTE, UM, TRAININGS THAT'S GONNA BE AVAILABLE TO SCHOOL LEADERS AND TEACHERS, AND ALSO, UM, WITH THE CRISIS INTERVENTION AND RESPONSE AUDIT, ENSURE THAT THEY ARE COMPLETED AND IMPLEMENT SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER TRAINING AND A PLAN FOR THAT IN JULY.
IN JULY, WE'LL DEVELOP ASSESSMENTS FOR A SAFETY SECURITY LAW ENFORCEMENT CRISIS RESPONSE IN EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN.
AND LAST AUGUST, WE'LL BE INVOLVED WITH THE AUDIT FOR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN AND THE SOFTWARE SECURITY SOFTWARE RFQ RESULTS.
SO THIS IS THE PLAN THAT THE TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING ON, AND YOU SEE ITEMS THAT THEY'VE TAKEN CARE OF THUS FOR AND WHAT THE PLAN IS FOR THE FUTURE.
NARCI SHARING HIS VISION FOR NO TOLERANCE IN OUR SCHOOLS.
WE WANT OUR SITES TO BE SAFE FOR OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF AND BE PLACES OF LEARNING AND, UM, APPROPRIATE WORK ENVIRONMENTS.
AND SO WITH THAT, SUPERINTENDENT HAS A RECOMMENDATION THAT I THINK HE'S GONNA SHARE.
SO, UM, UH, AS THE BOARD WANTED, UH, UH, WHEN CAPTAIN WALKER CAME ON, WAS TO HAVE A PLAN.
AND THE TEAM, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS ON THE PLAN.
ONE OF THE REQUESTS, UH, THE RECOMMENDATION I TOLD HIM WAS LIKE, UH, US TO HAVE EVEN MORE BROAD COMMUNITY INPUT.
UH, AND SO I'D LIKE FOR US TO CREATE A, UM, UH, SAFETY COMMITTEE.
UH, THAT COMMITTEE WOULD BE MUCH MORE BROADER TO LOOK AT THE PLAN AS WE ARE LOOKING INTO WANTING TO INVEST MORE DOLLARS INTO THE SECURITY PLAN.
UH, SO MY RECOMMENDATION IS, UH, TO CREATE A SECURITY COMMITTEE, UH, ON THAT COMMITTEE, UH, TO ENGAGE, UH, PRESIDENT LANDIS AND VICEMAN POWELL TO CHOOSE TWO
[03:15:01]
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS TO BE ON THAT, UH, COMMITTEE, INCLUDING PRINCIPALS, UH, DISTRICT LEADERS, PARENTS FROM AT LEAST, UH, SET OF PARENTS FROM ALL FIVE REGIONS.AS YOU KNOW, WE BROKE THE DISRUPT FIVE REGIONS.
SO WE WILL HAVE A VERY COMPREHENSIVE, UM, UH, REPRESENTATION OF FAMILIES AND OTHER REPRESENTATIVES TO BE ON THERE TO NOT ONLY LOOK AT THIS PLAN, BUT TO BE ABLE TO VET TO SEE WHAT WE'RE MISSING, UM, UM, AND ALSO TO, UM, PROVIDE FEEDBACK.
SO AS WE'RE MAKING ADJUSTMENTS AND INVESTMENTS, UH, WE CAN BE ABLE TO HAVE A MUCH MORE, UH, BROADER APPROACH, UM, IN, IN THE, UM, CONVERSATION TO DO THAT WOULD BE TO DO IT IN A NUMBER SET OF MEETINGS.
I'LL LET, UM, MS. SPALDING TALK MORE ABOUT THAT, BUT THAT WOULD BE MUCH MORE COMPREHENSIVE TO DEAL WITH NOT ONLY SPACES, UM, SROS, BUT YOU KNOW, ALL THE DETAILS.
AND THEN THAT PLAN IS WHAT WOULD DRIVE US AS WE WOULD CREATE, UH, MY RECOMMENDATION IN THE SECURITY BUDGET, UH, TO BE ABLE TO COVER, UH, AN ACTION PLAN THAT'S MUCH MORE BROUGHT IN ACROSS THE ENTIRE PARISH.
SUE, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE THIS SAFETY COMMITTEE, AND THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO MAKE IT AS BROAD AS POSSIBLE.
WE DEFINITELY WANT SCHOOL LEADERS AND PARENTS.
WE WANT THE ENTIRE FIVE REGIONS REPRESENTED IN THAT SPACE.
WE ALSO WANNA WORK WITH OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS AND WITH, UM, SOME OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT AS WELL.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU BRING DIFFERENT LENS TOGETHER, THEN WE CAN HAVE A BETTER RESULT, A MORE COMPREHENSIVE RESULT.
AND SO THE PLAN IS FOR THIS TEAM TO MEET BY THE END OF THE MONTH TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED TO DO, AND THEN BE ABLE TO REACH OUT TO THOSE WHO ARE WILLING TO SUPPORT US.
WE'LL WAIT FOR BOARD PRESIDENT LANIS TO SHARE THE TWO MEMBERS WHO WILL WORK WITH US, BUT WE'LL BE ABLE TO REACH OUT TO THOSE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES TO UNDERSTAND WHO WILL BE A PART OF THIS AND REACHING OUT TO THE DIFFERENT DIVISIONS, RIGHT? DIVISION OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP FOR PRINCIPALS AND LEADERSHIP TEAMS, AND THEN DIVISION OF ACADEMICS FOR TEACHERS AS WELL.
AND I THINK WITHIN FIVE MEETINGS, I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT GOING ON IN MAY WITH GRADUATION AND THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH TIME TOGETHER AND THAT IT'S COORDINATED AND STRUCTURED SO THAT WE CAN BUILD A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN MOVING FORWARD.
AND OF COURSE, HAVE THE INFORMATION THAT THE BOARD HAS ASKED FOR, UM, AFTER THE BUDGET IS APPROVED.
SO WE WILL DO A DEEP DIVE LOOKING AT TOOLS AND SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY, AND OF COURSE WE'LL HAVE OUR INTERNAL TEAM, PHYSICAL PLANT SERVICES, AND IT WILL ALSO BE A PART OF THAT WORK.
I SEE, UH, WE, WE HAVE QUITE A FEW, UH, WE'LL START WITH, UH, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
UH, UH, LET'S DISCUSS FOLLOWING.
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT START TOWARD PROVIDING US THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT WE'VE, THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING AT.
AND, AND SO I, I APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH.
THERE'S OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF DETAILS THAT Y'ALL DO A LOT OF HARD WORK TO FLESH OUT.
UM, THE, THE, JUST A COUPLE OF, UM, QUICK QUESTIONS.
ONE OUT OF OUTTA CURIOSITY, WHEN YOU DISCOVER CONTRABAND IN A K NINE SEARCH OR A RANDOM LOCKER SEARCH OR WHATEVER, IS THAT HANDLED AS A, AS A DISCIPLINARY MATTER OR A CRIMINAL MATTER AT THAT POINT? UH, CRIMINAL MATTER, BUT ALSO THE SCHOOL DOES THEIR PART AND THERE'S AN ACTUAL, UM, ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE THAT, THAT THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH? DEPENDS ON CONTRABAND, RIGHT? DEPENDS ON THE CONTRABAND.
WE SAY I'M, I'M, I'M THINKING THAT YOU MEAN ILLEGAL CONTRABAND, RIGHT? YEAH.
ASSUMING A CONTRABAND THAT WOULD BE ILLEGAL TO POSSESS ON SCHOOL GROUNDS,
WELL, SOME THINGS THAT'S LEGAL FOR US MAY NOT BE LEGAL FOR A SCHOOL SCHOOL ISSUE, BUT, YOU KNOW, DRUGS AND WEAPONS, OF COURSE, THAT'S CONTRABAND THAT WE WERE MAKE AN ARREST.
YOU GONNA MAKE AN ARREST? OKAY.
UM, THE, UM, UH, UH, A COUPLE OF, OF JUST GENERAL COMMENTS.
I, I, I APPRECIATE VERY MUCH THE REFERENCE TO A SECURITY SOFTWARE RFQ SO THAT WE CAN GO THROUGH A FORMAL EVALUATION PROCESS.
I WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE THAT, THAT, THAT, UH, THE ENTIRE BOARD BE INVOLVED IN SOME LEVEL BEFORE THAT RFQ GOES OUT.
SO WE CAN AGREE THAT THIS IS WHAT WE WANT RIGHT BEFORE WE ARE PLACED IN A POSITION AS WE'VE OCCASIONALLY BEEN TO SELECT A PARTICULAR VENDOR, RIGHT? THAT'S, I DON'T WANT US, I DON'T WANT THE BOARD, PARTICULARLY THIS VENDOR OR THAT VENDOR OR SECOND GUESSING AN EVALUATION, BUT I THINK IT'S APPROPRIATE FOR THE BOARD TO BE INVOLVED IN THE DECISION OF WHAT IS IT THAT WE'RE SEEKING, RIGHT? SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE THAT.
AND THEN, AND FINALLY, UH, JUST A, A QUESTION FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT, MR. SHALIN.
IS THIS, UH, POWERPOINT, UH, GONNA BE INCLUDED IN BOARD DOCS AS A RECORD OF THE MEETING SO IT'S AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC? YES.
THANK YOU SCUBA MEMBER MARTIN.
NEXT WE HAVE VICE PRESIDENT, MS. CAR POWELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PRESENTING A, A PLAN AND THE FACT THAT, UH, WE ARE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
I ALSO WANTED TO ASK, UH, UH, WHETHER OR NOT WE WERE CONNECTING WITH THE
[03:20:01]
LOUISIANA SCHOOL SAFETY INITIATIVE.I KNOW WE HAVE SOME REPRESENTATIVES THAT ARE HERE FROM THAT GROUP, AND I KNOW THEY'VE SHARED SOME DYNAMIC INFORMATION IN REGARDS TO WHAT'S GOING ON IN OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS AS WELL.
AND I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE REMAINING CONNECTED.
WE ARE REMAINING CONNECTED, AND THERE'S OTHER INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES, YOU KNOW, DOE A PART OF IT AS WELL.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE TEAM.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, NATHAN RUSS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, I WISH THAT, UH, BOARD MEMBER STEWART WAS HERE.
THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT SHE REALLY WANTED TO SEE ON, KNOW THAT SHE'LL BE ABLE TO GO BACK AND, AND WATCH THIS.
UM, ONE FIRST I'M EXCITED THAT WE'RE GOING TO PUT TOGETHER, UM, SOME SORT OF COMMITTEE OR APPARATUS TO MAKE SOME DECISIONS HERE, RIGHT? UM, IT, IT SHOWS THAT, UM, OUR ADMINISTRATION HAS TAKEN THIS AS SERIOUS AS WE ALL ARE.
UM, AND HELPING COME UP WITH A, A PLAN AND POLICIES THAT WILL ENSURE THE FUTURE SAFETY OF OUR SCHOOLS.
UM, SORRY, I I LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT HERE CUZ I HAD ABOUT 20 THINGS I WAS THINKING OF AT ONCE.
AND, UM, THIS IS VERY BROAD, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF DETAILS, RIGHT? AND SO I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE YOUR WORK CUT OUT FOR YOU AND I APPRECIATE, UM, HOW COMPLEX THAT'S GONNA BE.
ONE THING I WANT TO MENTION AND RECOMMEND IS, IS WHEN WE'RE FORMING THIS COMMITTEE THAT WE, UM, CONSIDER CRIME PREVENTION DISTRICTS MM-HMM.
UM, THERE'S MORE AND MORE POPPING UP EVERY YEAR.
THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE.
UM, EVEN IN YOUR JOB AT ENFORCEMENT IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, OUR CRIME PREVENTION DISTRICT PAYS TO HAVE DEPUTIES RUNNING ALL THE TIME.
I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY THERE FOR YOU TO COORDINATE AND, AND, AND I'M FORTUNATE THAT WE HAVE THAT.
BUT ALSO I KNOW THAT THOSE DEPUTIES AREN'T NECESSARILY THINKING ABOUT THAT SCHOOL.
THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD AT LARGE.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF, I KNOW WE ALL KNOW IT'S GONNA TAKE JUST A HUGE SECTION OF PARTNERS TO ACHIEVE WHAT WE WANT IN SECURING OUR SCHOOL.
SO, UM, THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE PRESENTATION.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER KATIE KENON.
UH, THANK YOU GUYS FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.
UM, I JUST HAVE, UH, ONE QUESTION ABOUT THE TIMELINE.
UM, I WAS CURIOUS WITH THE MARCH, UH, EVALUATION OF THE SITES FOR SINGLE POINT OF ENTRY OPTIONS, ACCESS POINT, AND FENCING NEEDS, CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT THAT EVALUATION WAS LIKE, HOW IN DEPTH IT WAS IF YOU MADE IT TO EVERY SITE AND WHAT THE RESULTS WERE? EXCUSE ME.
SO IT'S IN PROGRESS, BUT I'M GONNA INVITE, UM, CHIEF MORALES FROM PHYSICAL PLANT SERVICES BECAUSE HE'S LEADING THAT PART OF THE PROJECT TO EXPLAIN GOOD AFTERNOON.
HOW Y'ALL DOING? UH, SO WE HAVE CURRENTLY IDENTIFIED 26 SITES OUT OF OUR 87, UH, INCLUDING CHARTERS THAT HAVE LITTLE TO MINIMAL, UH, FENCING THAT WE ARE ADDRESSING AT THIS TIME.
UH, WE'VE ALREADY DID THE AERIAL IMAGES OF THEM TO START TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW WE COULD SCHEMATICALLY LAY IT OUT TO DO MINIMAL FENCING WITH HIGH IMPACT, UM, AT LOW COST.
UH, AND WE'RE CURRENTLY CONDUCTING OUR SITE VISITS TO DO THAT.
UH, PPS TEAM, SINCE WE'VE BEEN HERE IN SEPTEMBER, UH, ME AND MY STAFF, WE, AS WE'RE GOING TO SCHOOLS, WE'RE IDENTIFYING, LOOKING, SAYING, HEY, COULD THIS BE AN EASILY, UH, SET UP FOR OUR SINGLE POINT ENTRY WHERE WE CAN PUT STOREFRONT TO THE RIGHT AND LEFT OF YOUR HALLWAYS TO GO AHEAD AND PUT PEOPLE INTO THE OFFICE? SO YOU CAN'T JUST WALK INTO THE HALLWAYS OF THE SCHOOL WHENEVER YOU WALK IN.
UM, AND WE HAVE SOME OF THOSE DOCUMENTED TOO.
AND WE ALSO WORKING WITH THE CONSULTANT, UH, SAFETY FIRM ON HELPING US IDENTIFY AND RECOMMEND TOO WHAT ARE SOME LOW COST, HIGH IMPACT THINGS THAT WE CAN DO AND START PRIORITIZING, HEY, WHAT CAN YOU DO? FIRST IS LOW HANGING FRUIT, AND THEN WHAT IS YOUR NEXT LEVELS? UM, CAPTAIN WALKER AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER TWO ON FACILITIES TALKING ABOUT FENCING AND SINGLE POINT ENTERING THAT STUFF AND SAYING, HEY, WHAT IS OUR FIRST, FIRST STEP? WHAT IS OUR SECOND STEP? WHAT IS OUR THIRD STEP? UM, AND HE AND I ACTUALLY TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO VISIT SOME SCHOOL SITES HERE RECENTLY.
AND WHAT WE LOOKED AT IS SOME OTHER SCHOOL SITES AND DID THEIR SECURITY ENHANCEMENTS THAT THEY'VE DONE AND HOW ARE THEY OPERATING AND SAID, HEY, WHAT LAYERS DO YOU HAVE AND WHAT LAYERS DID YOU DO FIRST? UM, WHAT WAS YOUR HIGHEST IMPACT THAT YOU DID FIRST AND WHAT HAS WORKED FOR YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED? LESSONS THE HARD WAY.
SO WE KNOW TOO, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS DISTRICT, GIVEN THE SIZE, WHAT ARE THE STEPS TO TAKE THAT WE DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE SOMEBODY ELSE HAS ALREADY DONE? SO A PERSON HAS BEEN TO EVERY SITE OR THAT'S STILL IN PROCESS? IN IN PROCESS.
[03:25:01]
OKAY.UH, WHEN DO WE EXPECT TO HAVE THAT COMPLETED AND HAVE, UH, THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT WE NEED FOR JUST, YOU CAN USE WHATEVER ONE TOPIC AS AN EXAMPLE.
LIKE, SO FENCING, FENCING IS ALREADY DONE.
UH, WE'VE ALREADY HIT ALL OF THOSE SITES FOR FENCING.
UH, THE NEXT STEP THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IS YOU SINGLE POINT ENTRY IN THOSE THINGS.
UH, WE WAS ALSO WORKING ON THAT WITH THE L D OE GRANT BECAUSE WE HAVE TO HAVE A LOT OF THAT INFORMATION FOR L D OE.
SO WE ALREADY STARTED IDENTIFYING, UH, AS WE WORK THROUGH FENCES, WE'LL GET THAT DONE.
UM, I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER THE TIMELINE I GAVE.
FENCING IS DONE OR YOU'RE WORKING THROUGH WHICH, SO I'M WORKING, BUT WE'VE ALREADY DONE, PPS HAS ALREADY BEEN OUT AND LOOKED AND WE'VE ALREADY DID ARIEL TO IDENTIFIED THEM.
SO NOW IT'S JUST ACTUALLY GOING OUT AND TALKING TO THE ADMINISTRATOR AND SAYING, HEY, HOW DOES YOUR RECESS WORK? HOW DOES YOUR OPERATIONS WORK? BECAUSE WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS WE WANT TO FENCE OFF AS MUCH AS WE CAN, BUT WE ALSO DON'T WANT TO ENCROACH TOO MUCH.
SO THAT WAY WE LIMIT THEIR PLAYGROUND SPACE.
AND WHAT WE HAVE THE INSPECTIONS COMPLETED.
AND WHAT, UH, DO YOU HAVE A VAGUE TIMELINE ABOUT WHEN YOU GET, LIKE, WHEN CAN WE SEE FENCES ON THESE CAMPUSES THAT DESPERATELY NEED THEM? I'M NOT AT A POINT WHERE WE CAN SEE, NOT EVEN CAN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT TELL YOU THE OTHER ASSESSMENTS.
AND SO IF THERE IS A LOCKED IN OH, I'M SORRY.
IF THERE'S AN ENTRY THAT NEEDS TO BE LOCKED AND HAVE A, UM, VIDEO PRESENCE AND THAT'S PRIORITY, THEN WE MAY HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THAT BEFORE WE CAN TAKE CARE OF THE FENCING.
AND THERE'S A LIMITED AMOUNT OF MONEY AS WELL.
WE HAVE NOT BEEN, UM, MADE AWARE OF HOW MUCH WE'VE RECEIVED FROM THE GRANT.
I THINK LDO A SAID 500,000, WHAT'S POTENTIAL IT COULD BE UP TO, IT COULD BE UP TO, COULD BE UP TO TELL ME WHAT YOU'RE GONNA GET.
AND SO WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'LL RECEIVE FROM THE GRANT TO BE ABLE TO SAY, WE CAN DO X, Y, AND Z.
IT'S JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE DO A COMPLETE AND THOROUGH ASSESSMENT AND THEN PRIORITIZE WHAT THE IMMEDIATE NEEDS ARE.
DO YOU OR, SO I WOULD IMAGINE WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE THE FULL ASSESSMENT.
SO YOU WANNA GET A COMPLETE COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF EVERYTHING SECURITY-WISE THAT'S NEEDED BEFORE WE START.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL CODAY.
UH, YOU PARTIALLY ANSWERED MY QUESTION.
WHEN DO YOU THINK THE L D E IS GOING TO MAKE THEIR DECISIONS ON WHAT IS THE, UH, FUNDING THAT'S GRANTED TO EACH OF THE PARISHES? I KNOW YOU'RE A I'M ASKING FOR A LOT
WE HAVE NOT BEEN, UM, GIVEN ANY TIMELINE TO MAKE THAT DECISION.
THEY HAVE RECEIVED INFORMATION FROM ALL OF THE DISTRICTS WITHIN LOUISIANA TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEIR PRIORITIES ARE AND WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE.
AND, AND IF THEY DID NOT HAVE THAT LIST, HOW THEY WOULD CREATE THAT LIST AND THE TIMELINE FOR IT.
AND SO THERE'S, THERE'S NO WAY FOR ME TO SPEAK TO THEIR TIMELINE.
IT JUST HASN'T BEEN COMMUNICATED.
SO WE HAVE NO IDEA IF THE LDO E IS GONNA GIVE THE GRANTS IN MAY OR NEXT DECEMBER OR NEXT AUGUST
SO, SO, UM, WHAT HAS BEEN SHARED WAS THERE IS A RANGE.
IT LOOKED LIKE IT'LL BE BETWEEN THE SUMMER.
THEY HAVE NOT BEEN SPECIFIC ON THAT.
SO, UM, NOT JUST US, BUT MANY OTHER SUPERINTENDENT STACKS THAT SAME QUESTION.
UH, THE, IF THEY'RE GOING TO DECIDE BETWEEN, I'M ASSUMING IT'S BETWEEN JUNE AND AUGUST, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY SAID THEY'D LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD ON PRETTY QUICKLY.
SO IT'S JUST A MATTER OF US GETTING INFORMATION TO THEM RIGHT AWAY.
SO THE INFORMATION HAS BEEN SUBMITTED.
WE'RE WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM ONCE THEY REVIEW AND ASSESS.
NEXT WE HAVE, UH, MADAME VICE PRESIDENT, MS. CAR POWELL.
SO MY QUESTION I BELIEVE IS FOR MR. MORALES.
SO I'VE RECENTLY LEARNED THAT WHEN WE REFER TO FENCING, SOMETIMES WE DON'T MEAN AN ACTUAL FENCE, BUT MAINLY SECURING ENTRIES OF A PROPERTY.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FENCING, DO WE MEAN ACTUAL FENCES FOR THE PROPERTIES THAT, THAT HAVE BEEN MENTIONED? SO I'M, I'M SO, SO IN SOME CASES WHEN PEOPLE OR ORGANIZATIONS REFER TO FENCING FOR SAFETY REASONS, THEY MEAN HAVING A CERTAIN KIND OF MECHANISM ON AN ENTRYWAY DOOR THAT ALLOWS THE BUILDING TO BE SECURED AND LOCKED.
DO WE MEAN WHEN WE ARE TALKING MM-HMM.
OR ARE WE REFERRING TO ENTRYWAY MECHANISMS AND DOORS? SO, SO FENCING, WE'RE SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO FENCING.
UH, AND YOU HAVE LEVEL ONE AND LEVEL TWO PERIMETER FENCING.
LEVEL ONE IS YOUR OUTSIDE PERIMETER.
LEVEL TWO IS INSIDE OF YOUR BUILDING TO BUILDING, UH, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON AT THIS POINT.
WE'RE TRYING TO CLOSE THE GAPS OF, UM, OPENINGS BETWEEN BUILDINGS.
[03:30:01]
THAT WAY YOU CANNOT GET INSIDE OF OUR PERIMETER OF OUR BUILDING, YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE FRONT DOOR.THE LOCKING MECHANISMS THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO, THAT'S THE SINGLE POINT ENTRY THAT PEOPLE KEEP SAYING SINGLE POINT ENTRY.
YOU CAN'T GET INTO THE CAMPUS UNLESS THEY LET YOU IN.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR OPEN CAMPUSES, LIKE RIGHT NOW, LET'S SAY CAPITAL HIGH IS A, IS A PRETTY OPEN CAMPUS.
I KNOW THAT THE HIGH SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS UH, THE CLASSES, YOU, YOU WALK TO ONE BUILDING FROM THE OUTSIDE OR WHAT HAVE YOU.
UH, SCOTLANDVILLE IS SOMEWHAT OF AN OUTSIDE CAMPUS AS WELL BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO GO FROM ONE BUILDING TO THE NEXT.
ALL THE CLASSES ARE NOT IN ONE CENTRAL BUILDING.
SO WHEN YOU SAY LEVEL TWO, YOU MEAN LIKE THE, THE GATES THAT THEY HAVE THAT YOU HAVE TO, THAT CAN BE LOCKED THEN YOU CAN, YOU CAN EITHER GO THROUGH OR NOT.
SO ACTUALLY CAPITAL HIGH, WHICH YOU'RE THINKING OF, THAT'S YOUR LEVEL TWO.
BECAUSE IF YOU NOTICE WHEN YOU GET TO THE PARKING LOT AND YOU GOTTA WALK IN, YOU CAN'T GET IN UNLESS YOU GO THROUGH THAT FENCE GATE, WHICH THEY'RE USING THAT AS THEIR BARRIER TO SAY, HEY, I'M GONNA BUZZ YOU IN OKAY.
NOW ONCE YOU GET IN THERE, IT'S CONSIDERED AN OPEN CAMPUS.
UM, THERE'S NO WAY TO BURY OFF AN OPEN CAMPUS LIKE THAT CUZ I MEAN AT THAT POINT YOU'RE JUST SAYING, HEY STUDENTS, I'M GONNA BLOCK YOU OFF.
UM, YOUR LEVEL ONE AT CAPITOL HIGH WOULD BE OUTSIDE OF YOUR PARKING LOT AND THEN YOU WOULD START PUTTING PIPE GATES ACROSS THE, THE DRIVEWAYS AND WHATNOT.
BUT YOU KNOW, YOUR PIPE GATES, YOU WOULDN'T LEAVE CLOTHES DURING THE DAY ANYWAY.
BUT ALSO WE TRY TO AVOID FROM HAVING FOOT TRAFFIC, JUST WALK ONTO OUR CAMPUS ANYWHERE EXCEPT FOR THOSE ENTRIES AT THE DRIVEWAYS OR WHERE WE DESIGNATE AN OPEN.
AND I'LL JUST BE REAL QUICK, UH, BECAUSE WE TALKED ABOUT CAPITAL HIGH SCHOOL.
SO JUST BE MINDFUL THAT THE NEXT PHASE OF CAPITAL HIGH SCHOOL IS A REBUILD.
AND ONCE WE DO REBUILD IT'LL BE MUCH LIKE, I THINK YOU ALL SHOWED US, UH, BROWNSVILLE ELEMENTARY, WHERE NOW YOU HAVE MORE SAFETY MECHANISMS ONCE YOU ENTER THE SCHOOL AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY CUT OFF ANYBODY THAT COMES ONTO THAT CAMPUS.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THOSE PLANS.
UM, I THINK A A A BETTER EXAMPLE OR MORE FOOTING IS WHAT I'LL SAY A MORE FITTING, UH, RATHER UH, WOULD BE, UH, PARK ELEMENTARY.
THERE IS NO FENCING IN THE FRONT ACCESS POINT OF THE SCHOOL AND IT'S JUST GLASS DOORS.
SO I THINK THAT'S A MORE APPROPRIATE THING TO SAY, UH, TO SAY HOW YOU LOOK AT FENCING IN THOSE TYPES OF, UH, MANNERS.
UH, BUT THAT WAS AN EXCELLENT POINT, MADAM VICE PRESIDENT.
UH, NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL MEMBER CLIFF LEWIS.
RANDY, UM, PIVOT BACK TO A CONVERSATION WE START HAVING IN JANUARY.
TELL ME ABOUT MELROSE ELEMENTARY.
IT'S DONE, IT'S TAKEN CARE OF.
THEY PUT A, UH, A CAMERA ON THE DOOR IN A BUZZER.
AND UH, I JUST END THIS CONVERSATION CUZ I DON'T SEE ANYBODY ELSE INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
I WANT TO AGAIN, STRONGLY COMMEND BOARD MEMBERS.
AFTER THE LAST MEETING, I WENT BACK AND I REVIEWED, UM, THE LAST MEETING AFTER THE FACT.
AND YOU ALL BROUGHT UP JUST SOME EXCELLENT POINTS AROUND, AGAIN, PLANNING AND HOW IT MAKES YOU FEEL MORE ENGAGED AND HOW THIS IS JUST MORE, UH, COMPREHENSIVE FOR US MOVING FORWARD.
UH, I WANT TO COMMEND STAFF FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.
I KNOW IT'S TENTATIVE, BUT I CAN LET YOU ALL KNOW THAT MOVING FORWARD NEXT MONTH WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO DIALOGUE AND BRING FORTH OTHER PIECES TO THIS BIG, UH, WHAT I'LL CALL IT IS A BIG MAP FOR SAFETY FOR OUR SCHOOLS.
UM, YOU'RE GONNA SEE THINGS LIKE, UH, SAFE PASSAGE PROGRAMS, SOMETHING WE HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS ON A NATIONAL SCALE AND NATIONAL CONVERSATION AROUND HOW YOU HELP TO NOT ONLY HELP THE SROS BECAUSE THEY CAN'T DO EVERYTHING ON CAMPUSES, BUT THE SAFE PASSAGE PROGRAMS ARE GONNA HELP TO KEEP TEACHERS INSIDE THE CLASSROOMS AND TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF HAVING TO INTERACT WITH ANY FIGHTS OR THEIR ACTIONS ON CAMPUS BY ALSO SUPPORTING I SROS, UM, COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION TEAMS, SOMETHING WE'VE NEVER SEEN HAPPEN BEFORE.
WHAT THAT DOES IS IT BUILDS A JOINT PROCESS OF COMMU, OF CREATING A COM, A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR WHAT HAPPENS IN COMMUNITY AND WHAT HAPPENS IN SCHOOLS THAT WE SAID EARLIER.
WHAT YOU SEE HAPPENING IN OUR SCHOOLS IS ROLLING OVER FROM THE COMMUNITY INTO THE SCHOOLS AND THEN BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY AGAIN.
UM, ANTIVIOLENCE PROGRAMMING, IT IS BEYOND CRITICAL THAT OUR STUDENTS SEE THINGS THAT TEACHES THEM ABOUT CONFLICT RESOLUTION AS CAPTAIN WALKER ALREADY TALKED ABOUT.
BECAUSE IF THEY DON'T SEE THAT AND IT'S NOT ROUTINE TO THEM, THEY'RE ONLY GONNA KEEP RESULTING BACK TO WHAT THEY KNOW.
AND THAT'S A LOT OF WHAT, WHAT'S COMING OUT OF THE ENVIRONMENTS WHERE THEY COME FROM.
IF WE HAVE TO GO INTO THE BUDGET TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN COVER THAT, MS. KENERSON, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THAT CONVERSATION BECAUSE THAT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT.
UH, CAMERAS, IT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THOSE NOT ONLY AROUND THE SCHOOLS, BUT AT THOSE ACCESS POINTS.
SO WE KNOW WHO'S COMING ON CAMPUS AND UH, HOW WE CAN, UH, BE DELIVER BETTER SERVICES, MORE SECURED ACCESS POINTS, ONE MILE SAFETY RADIUS TO MONITOR WHAT'S
[03:35:01]
HAPPENING INSIDE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE ACTIVITY LOOKS LIKE.SO WHEN THOSE KIDS DO LEAVE SCHOOL, THEY KNOW THEY'RE GOING INTO SAFE PLACES AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO A RESULT TO TRYING TO GET A WEAPON TO PROTECT THEMSELVES.
AND JUST A MORE ENHANCED SCHOOL SAFETY BUDGET BECAUSE I KNOW YOU NEED THAT CAPTAIN WALKER.
UH, I KNOW YOU NEED MORE STAFFING AND WE'RE GONNA DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO SEE THAT THIS PLAN IS NOT ONLY FINITE, BUT THAT YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL IN EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE DOING.
SO I THINK OUR BOARD AND I THINK OUR TEAM AGAIN, UM, THAT'S GONNA WRAP UP THIS PARTICULAR ITEM CAUSE I DON'T SEE ANYONE ELSE INSIDE OF THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME.
WE'RE GONNA TURN TO OUR LAST ITEM OF THE EVENING,
[J.1. Announcement of Meetings]
WHICH IS GONNA BE, UH, ITEM J ONE ANNOUNCEMENT OF MEETINGS.AND THAT'S GONNA BE S SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER CLIFF LEWIS.
LET ME, LET ME THROW IT OUT THERE.
OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETING TO BE HELD MAY 1ST AT 4:00 PM IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE CONFERENCE ROOM.
A SOME BOARD OR ALL BOARD MEMBERS CAN ATTEND BOARD WORKSHOP TO BE HELD MAY 4TH.
UH, 4:00 PM TO 5:00 PM IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE.
BOARDROOM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING TO BE HELD MAY 4TH AT 5:00 PM IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE.
BOARDROOM, REGULAR BOARD MEETING TO BE HELD MAY 18TH AT 5:00 PM IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE BOARD MEETING.
AND AT THIS TIME I'M GONNA ASK THAT MY, ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOARD MEMBERS, GOOD BROTHER, GO DAY.
COULD YOU PLEASE GO AHEAD AND ADJOURN THIS MEETING? ADJOURN.