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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-03-18 School Committee Minutes HOVq Town of Reading "'RECEIVED _ Meeting Minutes TOWN CLERK READING, M `�➢'"`°"'� . Board -committee - commission - council: 2021 JUN 24 PM 3: 54 School Committee Date: 2021-03-18 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Location: Address: Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Session Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Chuck Robinson, Erin Gaffen, John Parks, Tom Wise, Carla Nazzaro and Shawn Brandt Members - Not Present: Others Present: Superintendent John Doherty, Assistant Superintendent Chris Kelley, CFO Gail Dowd, Director of Student Services Jen Stys, Human Resourses Director Kerry Meisinger Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Samantha La Pierre on behalf of the Chair Topics of Discussion: I. Call to Order Chair Robinson opened the meeting and announced the School Committee was meeting in a virtual setting,fully remote via Microsoft Teams,practicing social distancing and in accordance with the Governor's suspension of certain open meeting laws. The meeting was being recorded and broadcast live on RCTV. The Chair called attendance: Mr. Robinson—here Dr.Doherty—here Mr.Parks-here Mrs. Dowd—here Mr.Wise—here Mrs.Kelley-here Mrs.Nazzaro—here Dr. Stys—hem Mrs.Gaffen—here Mr.Brandt—here Mr.Robinson called open session order at 7:00 p.m.and reviewed the agenda. A. Public Imm Mr.Robinson explained that for public comment, please use the live chat feature on the Microsoft Teams link which will be posted on the Superintendent's Blog and sent out via Connect Ed prior to the meeting. In lieu of the live chat,you may send an email in advance of the meeting to schoolwmmitteena reading k12 ma us 'Ibis email will be included in the next packet. Page i 1 B. Consent Agenda Mr.Wise moved,seconded by Mn.Nazzaro,to aoorove the Consent Agenda. - Approval of Minutes 3-4-2021 - Friends of RMHS Cheering Donation - The Coolidge School Science Olympiad Donation The roll call vote carried 6-0.Mr.Parks,Mrs.Nazzaro,Mn.Gallen,Mr. Brandt, Mr. Wise and Mr.Robinson. C. Reports Student Bridget Parks reported that Fall 2 sports games began last week which include girls swim,football, indoor track,volleyball, and cheer.The first football game is Saturday February 20 against Winchester.Practices for the spring musical 9-5 have begun recently and stage band has begun practicing. Director of Student Services No Report Assistant Superintendent No Report Human Resources Director No Report Chief Financial Officer No Report Superintendent No Report School Committee Mr. Parks—No Report Mr. Wise referenced the agenda item in the March 46 meeting,to approve the promotion of Allison Wright-he had raised a concern which he stated came out in an awkward fashion. He apologized to Allison.He stated the following week he met with Dr.Stys and Dr.Doherty to discuss Special Education in our district. He stated that he has complete confidence in the direction Dr. Stys and Mrs. Wright are taking the Special Education program.The partnership between Dr. Stys and Mrs.Wright can be seen in the SEPAC meetings and the SEPAC subcommittee on reading-they recently partnered together to build on ideas from parents in the group to create the flyers for the combined parent university SEPAC training series that is starting next Tuesday March 23'a Mr.Brandt—No Report Page 1 2 Mrs. Gallen—No Report Mrs.Nazzaro-No Report Mr. Robinson stated that the kickoff meeting with RTA for collective bargaining commenced last week. Chair Robinson stated that during the Fin Com meeting last night they did vote to approve the Town Managers budget,which included the School Committee budget. He thanked Fin Com on behalf of the School Committee. D. New Business Portrait of Graduate Update Dr. Doherty shared his screen on behalf of Principal Boynton.Principal Boynton stated that they participated in the collaborative conference with NBASC in December 2018— and one of the priority areas,which is a foundational element which was identified as an area of need for our schools. Once we received the collaborative conference report-we began developing the Portrait of the Graduate. This has been two years in the making, and this is the first step in creating a preK-12 endeavor,which would have benchmarks along the way,and notjust a high school endeavor.The Portrait of the Graduate Design Team,which consists of parents,teachers,students,administrators,and community members,have been meeting since the Fall of 2019 in researching and designing the skills and dispositions-which Principal Boynton referred to as"painting a picture"of who we want our graduates to be when they leave Reading Public Schools.The Design Team used the film Most Likely to Succeed, by Ted Dintersmith as an entry point for people to engage in this process.They had multiple viewings of the film with district leadership,staff,the design team,and the community.They began gathering data and identifying themes. There were multiple surveys sent out to students,families and staff to get feedback along the way in order to craft the language that was used in the final version.This version has been officially voted on by The Design Team and approved by DLT and RMHS Staff. Principal Boynton stated she is very excited,and proud of the final product. Principal Boynton walked the committee through the Portrait of the Graduate which was included in the packet. Mr. Parks thanked Principal Boynton for her work on the Portrait of the Graduate,and he stated he was the liaison for this group,and it was amazing to be able to watch a very diverse group work on this statement,from beginning to end. Mr. Brandt thanked Principal Boynton,and the team for all of thew hard work. He stated it was important to have a"North Star"for the committee as we think about policy. Mrs.Gallen stated she is impressed by the work by the committee. She thanked Principal Boynton and the committee for the time they have dedicated to this project. Mrs.Nazzaro and Mr. Wise also thanked Principal Boynton and the committee for their time and effort. Mr.Wise moved,seconded by Mr. Brandt,to annrove the Portrait of the Graduate for the NEASC Accreditation Process.The motion carried 6-0.Mrs.Namaro Mrs. Gaffen,Mr.Parks,Mr.Brandt,Mr.Wise and Mrs.Robinson. Dissolution of Superintendent Screening Advisory Committee rage 13 Chair Robinson stated the next agenda item is housekeeping-the committee needs to dissolve the superintendent screening committee. Mr.Wise moved,seconded by Mr.Parks,to dissolve the superintendent screening advisory committee.The motion carried 6-0.Mr. Brandt,Mrs.Gaffen,Mrs. Nazzaro,Mr.Parks,Mr.Wise and Mr.Robinson. Resolution Condemning Harassment and Intimidation Mr.Brandt provided some background on the agenda item.Mr. Brandt stated that Mr. Parks became aware of and shared with him,an absolutely vile email that had been sent to Principal Boynton. Mr.Brandt believes that it is important for the committee to have a firm response. Mr.Brandt outlined the contents of the email stating that the email was sent from an encrypted mail service.The email address referenced elements of Egyptian mythology,the sender then proceeded to make a series of personal attacks of principal Boynton including multiple instances of profanity and celebrating her upcoming departure from the district.They went on to mock her for using her gender pronouns- which is used to show allyship for transgender students to normalize the use of pronouns. The letter was then signed"you know who",as if to indicate that the person is somehow close to or has interacted with the principal before. Finally,the message closed with one more parting shot at the use of gender pronouns.Mr.Brandt stated that as the board of directors for the school system,the teachers and staff expect the committee to lead and stand up for them.Mr.Brandt read the resolution which was included in the packet. Mrs.Nazzaro read a prepared statement. She did not agree with sharing an anonymous letter,she stated the school committee does not engage,respond to,or publish anonymous letters or comments. Mrs.Nazzaro directly asked Mr. Parks and Mr. Brandt how they got this letter,why did they request that it be put in the packet,and why did only certain school committee members receive the letter?She stated the committee did not follow typical protocol,this email was received anonymously,and privately and should've been ignored. Mr. Brandt stated this resolution is to show public support to staff,administration,and members of the LGBTQ community,and he does not believe this type of harassment should be ignored. Mrs.Nazzaro stated she would be using the Freedom of Information Act to find out how Mr. Parks received this email. Mrs. Gaffen stated that the resolution comes notjust from this email, but from an escalating pattern of people hiding behind anonymous emails,and anonymous social media platforms to harass and intimidate. She stated she believed it was important to support this resolution and make it known that we will not tolerate this type of behavior. Chair Robinson stated that the resolution would be voted for in the April 1"meeting. E. Old Business Second Reading of the Policy IMB Mr.Wise moved-seconded by Mr. Brandt,to approve the second readine of Policy IMB. Dr. Doherty stated there are two Policy IMB in the packet,the first is the original from 2007,and the second is a relined version with revisions. Since November,he has gotten Page 14 feedback from staff and students,as well as Mr.Brandt and Mrs.Nazzaro. Dr.Doherty walked the committee through the redlined version and discussed the revisions that had been made. Mrs.Nazzaro stated that this policy was totally rewritten, and it is no longer an IMB policy,and stated that the process failed. She recommended that the committee revisit this policy after July I". Mr.Brandt stated that he believes this policy still meets the fundamental objects of Policy IMB. He stated this policy is intended to do two things,first is to affirm the role and the responsibility of teachers and schools to provide space for students to engage in difficult topics and secondly is to provide clear guidelines about how teachers conduct those discussions.Mr. Brandt stated he feels good about the new policy and believes the committee should adopt the revised policy. The committee offered additional amendments that needed to be made-the committee decided that they could not take a final vote until a clean version was created. Mr.Wise moved,seconded by Mr.Brandt to table the vote on Policy IMB until the next meetin¢. The roll call vote carried 5-1.Mr.Brandt,Mrs. Gaffen,Mr.Parks, Mr.Wise and Mr. Robinson. Spring In-Person Update Dr.Doherty provided a spring in-person update.Dr. Doherty provided an update on the number of positive student and staff cases per day in February and March,as well as total cases as of March 186.He stated that 88.9%of staff are at some stage of the vaccination process. Dr. Doherty gave an update on pool testing.He stated that there have been 478 pools thus far, 5 positive pools and 1 inconclusive,which resulted in positive. DESE is funding pool testing until April W. Dr.Doherty discussed the mitigation strategies for in person learning. He also addressed the challenges that schools are facing returning to full in person. Dr. Doherty discussed the elementary transition plan in preparation for the April 5ih return to school for grades 1-5,as well as the secondary transition plan for the April 20 return to school for grades 6-12. Mr.Wise asked if there would be paid bussing option available for the return to full in person school. Dr.Doherty replied that there would not be a paid bussing option,only state mandated bussing required for students who live two or more miles from schools. Director of Food Services Danielle Collins presented on food insecurity and food distribution. She stated that free meals for students would continue to go on both in school and through mela distribution until the end of June.Mrs. Collins shared data according to a study by FEMA's Data Analytics Task Force which showed Massachusetts is the only state in New England where households responded to the census that they received more food from schools/community organizations than the food pantry network.Mrs.Collins stated that USDA extended meal waivers through September 30,2021.They want to"provide certainty for the summer months ahead", which means districts can continue to serve meals through the summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option.Mrs.Collins thanked everyone involved in the food distribution process and for helping to make this program so successful. F. Public Comment Page 1 5 Geoffrey Coram,Ridge Rd: '7 would like to echo my comment that's in the packet, thanking principal Boynton for her continued excitement over the development of the Portrait." Kate Boynton,Principal: "Respec fully, 1 feel supported by Shawn and John. 1 agreed to have the email in the packet to air light on this issue." Kale Boynton,Principal: "I also fully support the resolution. I want to clary that I did not send the email to anyone on school committee." Megan Howie,RMHS Teacher: "It is evident more now than ever that the message to the communityfrom both the central off and the school committee is made clear. There are not two sides to equity and justice issue.As Michael Kay state in the article, "Publicly Expresses Support Is Powerful."A United Front on Equity-Educational Leadership fasctl oral'Please read this article and take a stance. This should be a top priority. Part of the reason why letters are written like this is because there has not been a strong enough stance from the School Committee and Central ice." Danja Mahoney,WL Dept.Chair and RMHS: "When cowards are allowed to continue to send hateful and vile letter, and aren't called out for that behavior, they are afforded more power than they deserve.Airing this issue and shedding light on it is vital to make the kind of change that will lead to the vision of what we want our graduates to be. We want critical and thoughtful graduates who show empathy and concern for others. I appreciate that this is being addresses respectfully in a public forum. Thank you." Geoffrey Coram, Ridge Rd: "Responding to the tone of an anonymous letter is diereni from responding to the questions in it." Geoffrey Coram,Ridge Rd: "Can IT configure the RPS mail servers to reject all messages from the anonymous server in question?" Kristen Granas,36 County Rd: "I believe this disgusting, hateful email being brought up is only giving more attention to the sender." Jess Bailey, RMHS Teacher: "I appreciate the concern that perhaps talking about this matter will bring more attention to the sender, and]also understand the worry that addressing this issue publicly doesn't solve the problem. Perhaps the problems needs to be reframed—the send of this email isn't going to be persuaded that they were wrong because of this resolution. But principal Boynton, along with the rest of the RPS staff,'will hear a strong showing of support for staff and that the School Committee wont tolerate this kind of targeted attack against educators. Tome, TILIT'S the important message you are shining light on your support for educators, not this vile message." Geoffrey Conan,Ridge Rd: "In the first paragraph, I think "can create a difference of opinion"should be "can expose a difference of opinion." Page 16 Sherilla Lestrade,28 Lindsey St: "What is new and different about the teachings of history,politics and public concerns than we have been teaching children since kindergarten? We are a community that states we want to teach our children freedom of expression in a respectful manner but still want to sensor and stifle their opinions?How is that possible?Is this now a big issue because people are not comfortable because now actual facts and current affairs are being discussed vs what is written about in history books and now shows both sides of the conversation?" Geoffrey Comm,Ridge Rd: "I wonder if"public debate"would be a better term, to address Mr. Wise's concern that "public concern"is too broad for, and the point of the policy is to encourage participation in democracy in the farm of discussing or debating such topics." Sherilla Lestrade,28 Lindsey St: "How is it parenting students when we are allowing students the open space to have discussions freely that they are having anyways and have been having ever since the beginning of school?Is the bigger question allowing authentic conversations or conversations that some people are not willing to allow such as racism,politics, LGBTQ?" Sherilla Lestrade,28 Lindsey St: Why is that it that everyone always talks about kids mental health being an issue but wants to smoother authentic conversations?Is the problem that this issue has been brough forward by a community of teachers as it was so graciously state by Mrs. Nazzaro that it was brought to you by people who believe." Sherilla Lestrade,28 Lindsey St: "I have one request of the SC and that is, why is it okfor teachers and students to return back to school but SC is still meeting virtually? What is it going to take for the next meeting and everyone moving forward to be in person?I feel that some of the discussions that are occurring need to take place in person to allow for immediate responses to some of the concerns and can be attended to as they are brought up." Tim Mathieu,Briarwood Ave: "I have a public comment:E-mail notices of School Committee meetings and packet distribution should not occur only hours prior to the meeting. Today's(3118)notice was received at 4:48 PMfor a 7:00 PM meeting. This is an on-going pattern. The'I packet was issued 3-hours prior to the meeting and included over 200 pages of material. Given all the issues impacting our children's schools, working parents need adequate time to assess the agenda and materials. If the packet can be posted to a town web site 48-hours in advance, certainly an email afar least 24-48 hours prior to the meeting is more than reasonable and still less than commonplace in the private sector. Thank you." 1. Routine Matters a. Calendar 2. Information/Correspondence 3. Future Business 4. Adiournan Adjourn Page 1 7 Mr.Parks moved,seconded by Mr.Brandt,to adjourn.The roll call vote carried 6- 0. 0.Mr.Parks,Mr.Brandt,Mrs.Gaffea,Mrs.Nazzaro,Mr.Wise and Mr.Robinson. The meeting adjourned at 10:45 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. Link to m un/Fg video: School Committee 03-18-2021 -YouTube 1 Jo . Doherty, Ed-.D. Page 18