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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-10-17 School Committee MinutesReading Public Schools Reading, Massachusetts Regular Meeting of the School Committee Open Session Date: October 17, 2011 Time: 7:30 p.m. Place: Superintendent's Conference Room School Committee Members Present Chuck Robinson Karen Janowski Lisa Gibbs Hal Croft David Michaud Chris Caruso r i CEtVED T 0VVId CLERK 2001 MC -1 P 12: 0 5 Staff Members Present John Doherty, Superintendent Mary DeLai, Director of Finance and Operations Alison Elmer, Director of Student Services Visitors: Guilio Binaghi, RMHS Teacher Danja Mahoney, RMHS Teacher Tom Zaya, Health & Wellness Department Chair Erica McNamara, Executive Director, RCASA Camille Anthony, Board of Selectmen Steve Goldy, Board of Selectmen I. Call to Order Matt Casey, Reading Patch Barbara Jones, Reading Chronicle Joanne Senders, Reading Advocate James Bonazoli, Board of Selectmen Chairperson Robinson called the School Committee to order at 7:35 p.m. II. Recommended Procedure A. Public Input (I) Reports I 1. Student Mr. Doodlesack stated that the RMHS athletic teams have been busy with two cancer fundraisers. Boy's soccer recently held Kicks for Cancer and Girl's Volleyball is once again holding their Volley for Molly /Dig Pink fundraiser. He also mentioned the recent RCASA Annual meeting. 2. Liaison Mr. Michaud attended the French exchange student potluck dinner this evening. He said it is a great way for the host families to welcome the exchange students. Mrs. Gibbs shared that 3 visitors dropped in for the office hours to discuss a variety of topics. She also shared that the PAC will be hosting a Basic Rights workshop this week October 17, 2011 Mrs. Gibbs and Ms. DeLai are organizing the dedication of the Patrick A. Schettini Library/Media Center which is scheduled for November 17th prior to Town Meeting. Mr. Croft said he attended the Wood End Fall Faire. Mr. Caruso updated the committee on the Ad Hoc Committee on Amplified Sound. 3. Superintendent's Report Dr. Doherty announced that the football field will be dedicated on Friday night. He also pointed out the new artwork provided by the Joshua Eaton School. The Superintendent shared that next Tuesday we will be performing an evacuation drill of the Birch Meadow complex. Coolidge and Birch Meadow staff and students will be evacuated to Austin Prep and the high school staff and students will go to Camp Curtis. The students and staff will be transported by bus to these locations where they will disembark, attendance will be taken and then they will return to school. This drill is consistent with the other evacuation drills in the district. Dr. Doherty told the committee that he has had discussions with Mrs. Freedman and Mr. Vaccaro regarding the MIAA Chemical Health policy. Methods to tighten up this policy will be investigated. School districts are able to enforce harsher penalties for violations of the current MIAA policy. The legislature is currently reviewing the Behavioral Health Task Force recommendations. This is the Task Force that Sara Burd is a member and several staff members will be going to the State House to advocate for this bill. Dr. Doherty indicated that the district needs to add additional clinical counseling staff and hopes that passage of this bill will help reinforce this need. Dr. Doherty and several staff members attended a workshop as part of the Early Adopter Pilot Program. Eleven school districts are involved in piloting different sections of the Teacher /Administrator Evaluation Tool. 4. Director of Finance and Operations Ms. DeLai informed the School Committee that there is a delay in the window delivery for the Birch Meadow Project. B. Continued Business (Out of Order) Review of the Naming of Facilities Policy Mr. Robinson indicated that he would like to postpone this agenda item. He did not feel the timing was appropriate because of the dedication of the football field this weekend. October 17, 2011 C. New Business (Out of Order) Approval of Field Trips RMHS - Italy Dr. Doherty introduced Mr. Binaghi and Ms. Mahoney to present and answer questions regarding this trip. Ms. Mahoney explained that the foreign language department offers these trips for all 3 languages and they generally occur every 2 years. The French exchange is this year. Currently the French students are in Reading and our students will travel to France in the spring. Mr. Binaghi outlined the stops and sites the students would travel to and said that this trip is extremely educational. The nine day trip is packed with many historical and cultural stops. Mr. Caruso asked if the trip was open to all students. Current sophomores and juniors are eligible and Mr. Binaghi hopes to have 25 students traveling. Mrs. Janowski moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud, to approve the RMHS field trip to Italy in the spring of 2013 as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated October 13, 2011. Mrs. Janowski asked about communication. Ms. Mahoney said that in the past the group set up blogs to share the experience. The motion carried 6 -0. RMHS — Switzerland Bavaria & Austria Mrs. Janowski moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to approve the RMHS field trip to Switzerland, Bavaria & Austria in the summer of 2013 as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated October 13, 2011. The motion carried 6 -0. RMHS — Habitat for Humanity Mrs. Janowski moved, seconded by Mr. Croft, to approve the RMHS field trip to Virginia as part of the Habitat for Humanity Program, in June, 2012 as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated October 13, 2011. Dr. Doherty indicated that students participated in this trip 2 years ago. The trip is limited to 15 students and it is a fabulous experience. Student Representative Testa echoed the Superintendent's words. She participated in the last trip and thought it was great. The students work along side the future homeowners to build these homes. The motion carried 6 -0. October 17, 2011 RMHS — Drama Club to New York City Mrs. Janowski moved, seconded by Mr. Caruso, to approve the RMHS Drama Club field trip to New York City in May 2012 as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated October 13, 2011. The motion carried 6 -0. Parker — Eco -Club to Costa Rica Mrs. Janowski moved, seconded by Mr. Caruso, to approve the Parker Eco -Club field trip to Costa Rica in April, 2012 as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated October 13, 2011. The motion carried 6 -0. Parker - Quebec Mrs. Janowski moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud, to approve the Parker eighth grade field trip to Quebec in the April 2012 as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated October 13, 2011. The motion carried 6 -0. Mrs. Anthony called the Board of Selectmen to order at 8:02 p.m. Youth Risk Behavior Survey Presentation Ms. McNamara and Mr. Tom Zaya presented the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results. Mr. Zaya reviewed the purpose of this voluntary, anonymous survey. The survey is used to monitor priority health behaviors of middle and high school students to help community leaders, make critical decisions about effective prevention strategies and use of resources, track progress of current efforts, evaluate programming and curricula and use data to acquire funding. Reading has done the YRBS on a two year cycle since 2005. The data collected also for the tracking of trends of our students over this period of time. HS Survey Presentation Students in grades 9 — 12 were given this survey in January 2011. The survey consisted of 113 questions and 81% of our students participated. The first section discussed was Communication. Mr. Zaya said that 7 out of 10 students felt they had a teacher or adult that they could talk to in school and 9 out of 10 felt their was an adult they felt comfortable speaking to outside of school. Ms. McNamara reviewed the results from the sections on Impaired Driving, Violence & Bullying, Behavioral Health, Disordered Eating, Sexual Behavior, Physical Activity, Asthma, Sun Safety, Screen Time, Extra - Curricular Activities, Sleep and Substance Abuse. This year questions were included on cyber- bullying. Reading's high school survey results are in line with the state and national trends. Mrs. Anthony asked if the results from the Disordered Eating section were broken down by sex. Ms. McNamara said they were not and the numbers are leveling out between male and female students. Mr. Zaya pointed out that sometimes male athletes use disordered eating methods to make or maintain weight. He also went on to point out that the district will hold its third annual Health & Wellness Day and discussion has taken place regarding upgrading the Health & Wellness curriculum. October 17, 2011 They went on to present a hypothetical classroom scenario based on the Reading YRBS high school results. Ms. McNamara presented the scenario sharing statistically the number of students, in this hypothetical classroom, that were under the influence of tobacco products, drugs and alcohol and the effect it has on learning. Tobacco, alcohol and drug abuse causes problems in the daily lives of young adults. They are preoccupied with obtaining and using drugs and alcohol. Students caught up in substance use are distracted, their memory is affected and they exhibit cognitive changes which all impact classroom learning. Students are also affected by influences at home. Students that live in a chemically dependant family must deal with the stress of living with an alcohol /drug adult, usually a parent. They will have lasting consequences on their development. They may become a substance abuser or act out their anger with disruptive behavior in the classroom. Based on the YRBS statistics approximately one -third of the students in the hypothetical classroom are exhibiting behavioral problems in class or are experiencing problems learning that are caused or aggravated by alcohol and other drug abuse. The teacher thinks he has a discipline or motivational problem in his class. The fact is he doesn't know he has a drug problem. The results have shown that approximately 10% of the teacher's time is spent dealing with student's disruptive behavior. This scenario reflects the national average for alcohol and drug dependence. MS Survey Presentation The Middle School YRBS survey consisted of 73 questions focusing on violence, behavioral health and substance abuse. 86% of the Reading middle school students took the survey. Using the hypothetical classroom scenario the following information was discovered. The classroom is based on a typical 30 student 7th grade class and the information is from the middle school survey. The results pointed out that 2 students had tried inhalants or used over the counter medications to get high, 1 student tried cocaine, 4 students experienced cyber- bullying and 1 student had attempted suicide. The RCASA Youth Group provided parental tips for a healthy relationship with their middle school child. The tips included stay involved in the child's life, do not interrogate your child, and work on ways to develop a comfortable relationship. The Youth Group also pointed out that there is a difference between being a parent and being a friend to your child. Know when to step in, when to step back and when to meet in the middle. They suggested having private conversations to build trust and don't always assume the worst. Ms. McNamara provided information on substance abuse at the college level. Approximately 23% of full time college students meet the criteria for substance abuse and dependence. Information was also provided regarding adult substance abuse. The complete presentation can be seen at the link below: http : / /prezi.com /ewrfcu5y -po2 /2011 - reading- youth- risk - behavior - survey- results- school- committee- 101711/ Mrs. Janowski asked about the current RCASA grant. The grant is in the last year and the town is applying for a second five year grant. We are also exploring other funding options. Mrs. Janowski feels it is very important to continue to fund the Executive Director's position. October 17, 2011 Mr. Robinson asked about health education at the middle school level. Mr. Zaya explained that the middle school curriculum does include health education but to the extent as it is at the high school level. Mr. Robinson wants to seriously address the addition of a more comprehensive health education requirement at the middle school level in the budget discussions. Mr. Goldy thanked RCASA and the school administration for all that has been done to educate our young people. He feels the next step is to educate and engage parents because, as pointed out in the presentation, the substance abuse problem is not limited to young people, it affects adults as well. Mr. Bonazoli followed up on the same concerns. It is important to reach out to the adults in our community because risky behavior is not limited to school age people. Ms. McNamara said that adults are hesitant to seek help because of the stigma attached to people with abuse problems. The do not want to be judged by their peers. It is important to let them know it is okay to seek help. Ms. McNamara also stated that the Text a Tip program is up and running and is completely anonymous. Parent Donna Dudley asked if it was better to talk to students rather than at them. Student Representative Doodlesack said it is easier for high school students to seek out and talk to teachers because they have more opportunity to do so during the day and after school therefore they are able to have conversations rather than lectures. Chair Robinson thanked Ms. McNamara and Mr. Zaya for the information they provided this evening. Mrs. Anthony moved, seconded by Mr. Goldy, to adjourn the Board of Selectmen at 9:33 p.m. The motion carried 3 -0. III. Routine Matters • Bills and Payroll (A) • Approval of Minutes Mrs. Janowski moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud, to approve the open session minutes dated September 26, 2011. The motion carried 6 -0. • Bids and Donations Zonations Mrs. Janowski moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to accept a donation of fitness equipment by the Lincoln - Sudbury School district to the Coolidge Middle School. The motion carried 6 -0. October 17, 2011 Mrs. Janowski asked how this donation was obtained. Dr. Doherty said this donation was facilitated by a Coolidge parent that works in the Lincoln - Sudbury Athletic department. Mr. Tom Connery of the Friends of Reading Football was at the meeting to present a donation to support the coaching assistant positions this year. He also shared that new sponsors are now on the scoreboard. Mr. Caruso disclosed he is a member of the Friends of Reading Football and would be abstaining from the vote. Mrs. Janowski moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to accept a donation in the amount of $5,771.64 from the Friends of Reading Football to be used to support the coaching assistants for the 2011 football season. The motion carried 5 -0 -1. Mr. Caruso abstained. Calendar IV. Information Mrs. Janowski asked if any progress had been made regarding the cafeteria seating situation. Dr. Doherty indicated that the high school administration is reviewing several proposed solutions. V. Future Business VI. Adiourmnent Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs to adjourn. The motion carried 6 -0. Meeting adjourned at 9:50 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. F. Doher, Ed.D. rintendent of Schools