So, so what is the procedure right now? Um, so right now there's a variety of um, you know, depending 6 through 12, that's a wide range of grade levels. And so most of the information that I received and as I walk around um most most teachers are allowing students to use their Chromebooks um for a small part of a lesson um most of the time maybe I would say four out of the five days. Um, some teachers are don't rely on it at all and maybe it's once a week for 15 minutes. So, it's it varies depending on the content area and the type of work that's being done. All teachers are walking around when students are on their devices. All teachers are walking around to make sure and to make sure that they're they have the work that's been assigned on if they're doing anxl for math or delta math or if they're on HHMI doing some type of um exploration because there are some very, you know, good quality materials to be accessed out there, but they're walking walking around and having if there's a pair professional in the room, they're having that pair professional um walking around as well.
So we'd like to take the mutation and find the DNA and then find the product of the gene. This is RNA protein and we know that those molecules made by that gene are going to be somehow regulating development. So that's the path we take. And the the the part that uh that Roslin did was start with a mutation and find the gene product. And as Eric alluded, it was an RNA product, but not the usual protein product. So that was what was novel about what we came up with. So we're actually starting with these mutants, amazing mutants. This is a lin mutant and it is uh essentially a persistent juvenile. So because unlike the wild type or the normal adult which has all kinds of adult features to it, this one is missing all sorts of adult features and it has extra larvae features. So it actually duplicates laral structures over and over and never advances to making adult structures.
you know, all the grades. So, like what are we looking at? Is there another school district that has already started kind of implementing this anywhere or is this just new and everybody's kind of developing their own, you know, staff and administration and how long the projected timeline is? I'm just looking at some of those answers. I know this is a policy thing, but I'm just wondering if you know have any of those answers for me. Thank you. I I will attempt at some of them. um you know the across the state this is the requirement as of July 1st. So, um, we have, you know, so have other districts fully rolled out, uh, the extent of this policy, not to my knowledge. I will say we've partnered with some other districts that are, um, doing this work. Some are a few steps ahead, some are a few steps behind.
Number one, it's all school property privately funded and then third parent approved. Currently, there are over fif over 500 thriving and religious instruction programs serving over 50,000 public students across the nation. As a result of the April 14th board of education meeting, the superintendent did communicate to me that we are taking your request under consideration. As a reminder for both the superintendent and the board, the request consisted of the following. Number one, board members engage by possibly creating an advisory committee, working with the Burlington Lifeway Steering Committee, other community members and staff as necessary to support the following. Objectively review the available information on released time religious instruction. Physically visit with and observe local school districts with active release time religious instruction programs. that includes Madison and Sebetha in the local area. And then also develop a costbenefit analysis for a released time religious instruction program within the school district.
The 7th and 8th of August is whenever he's scheduled. I mean, is he willing in 2, three, four years? He is. Yeah. Okay. We went ahead and got an estimate on what he was going to charge to go ahead and sand that thing all the way down. We're talking, you know, $10,000. That that also includes paint. So, that's I think it was $13,000 for him to sand all the way down, but that that includes it to be repainted by a professional painter that has. So hopefully we get at least a couple more years out of it. I would entertain a motion to approve the bid from King Courts to finish the June 4th. So moved. Motion by Allison. I'll second. Second by Josh. Any further questions, comments? How many years between refinishing is are there? How many years between refinishing? When we when we have a court like we have a high school and the usage of it, we try to get it refinished every year.
Like you and dad need to go fight. It's officer Noden. We love Officer Noden." So I am here. I apologize again for being illprepared and I am amazed and blown away by how these students have come up here and fought for something that they not only believe in but they have a personal connection to and what what more could you ask for out of your students? I mean that's phenomenal. So again, I apologize for not being super prepared and I'm just up here from my heart, but if there is any way to reconsider this as a parent who has loved Chino, who has screamed at games and has loved kids on the side as well, like please reconsider. He's a phenomenal man. He loves our kids. Thank you. Thank you. All right, everyone have the piece. Just making sure not exactly sure what I can and cannot say.
I would just say are we clear that the rest of the paragraph is still just referring to drugs for non student I that's where I was just getting a little bit lost in the so I don't know how to make sure everything's delineated if it's like two different sections or what but I just felt like when I was reading those two above they seem like they're the same seems like they're saying the same thing but they're saying one saying about the law and the other saying about school you know, they're saying the same thing, but one's referring to the law and one's referring to school regulations, which I mean, it seems pretty common sense, like they're two separate systems, but I understand why we need to explain that. It just feels weird that they basically repeated themselves. What if I did it like this? I put students who are in violation of the provisions of this policy regarding drugs and alcohol shall be subject to disciplinary action and supportive services.
Um uh so here was a question. Is it frustrating when when headlines suggest only a small percentage of Illinois students can read? He says very frustrating. Every state develops its own test according to methods under ESSA. With Illinois having the highest Illinois having the highest cut scores nationally, we naturally show lower proficiency rates comparing us to Florida or Connecticut makes it look like our students aren't performing well. So we I've talked to you about this before, how the cut scores are different in every state. Um the next question was people also seem to think if students aren't proficient they can't read at all and he said absolutely. The idea that non-proficient students can't read at grade level is another fallacy. Again, this comes down to the cut scores that Illinois has set. Um, I'm going to skip over uh they are committing to give us we should have test score results here in the next couple weeks.
And it's not we're not separate from the public. We are a part of the public. And the public is not separate from us. Um it we rely on our relationships and we rely on the public to really do a lot of the the uh policing for us and that means building relationships, being able to prevent crime before it happens, being able to go in and have the opportunity to mentor and I'm I don't want to step on Brian's toes here with some of the stuff he's going to present, but it really is a lot more than just law enforcement. I don't really like calling us law enforcement because that's one of the things we do, but that's not everything we do. And being able to interact with the community and build those bridges, that is where we are going to be our most effective. I do want to just mention four initiatives that fall under this community policing.
So, we decided, remember we took a chance last year and we went C at the elementary. So, normally I have um quite a big I guess pity in my bank, right? Like I have quite a quite a good amount of money in my bank. And yeah, a cushion. I do. I have quite a bit of cushion. And um I don't I don't know if you guys exactly know like what all this goes for. So I will tell you. So normally like I usually have a couple hundred,000 that I keep. We're only allowed to keep three months worth of operating costs in my account. So every year I have to do a spin down plan with the state of Indiana because I have too much money. So I usually have to end up buying something or so this last year I had quite a bit of money and we were like you know what let's go see at the elementary we'll cover the costs of the elementary meals.
Then we go to our only senior college contest on March 29th and had an outstanding weekend. The team was fourth overall with Clayton being fourth in fourth high overall individual. The team were fourth high in reasons. Then second is second sheep and goats and fifth pine sw. So we attended the liquid community college on March 22nd. Um but we stood 11th high and and fifth in hogs and Clayton was 13th of in raises. Next we attended the Jolly Junior College on April 5th. Um we did not do too well at this contest the 27th. However, we we learned from here later. Um next we competed at the Lincoln Community College on April 17th. Um we overall in 12 reasons and Clayton was 10 high overall. Um to round out our junior and junior college run, we competed competed at Illinois College on April 19th where we were ninth high team third overall in reasons most.
Great comments hearing none. Mrs. Gray, we're ready for a vote. and the motion carries 40 zero. Moving on to E presentations E1 HNHS project updates. I'm assuming again Mr. Mclofflin. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Wall. Uh so Mr. Mr. Trout had asked if uh we could put together a brief update of the uh projects that are currently going on and the next projects uh that will be coming. And so Mr. Thornsbury uh put together a presentation for us and unfortunately uh he had a family commitment. He's not able to be here this evening uh but sends uh his regrets and uh he did include himself in one of the photos that you'll see here. So it'll be kind of like Terry's here when we go through this. So uh Mrs. Gray, so the mechanicals uh and controls replacement phase one of the high school um has been complete and phase two is started.
We're happy uh, to report back tonight as information now and then for your approval later this evening that we accepted proposals from five vendors all here in sort of the greater Lawrence area. Uh you see those names in front of you and uh from Cur Heroes, Chick-fil-A, Fox Garden, Jugs Catering, and Kinsey's Italian Cafe. Uh once again, those will be our exclusive uh food food providers um for catering at our new LEC and we'll bring that back for approval later this evening. Thank you, Mr. Miles.
They there are some teachers who would like I I think there's different uh you know protocols put in place at the elementary school. I think, you know, even at the middle school, I think maybe like a GoG Guardian, um, people would appreciate that the people who use it more, you know, use the Chromebooks more often in the classroom, but there are some classrooms that don't rely on it. So, it really would have to be on an indep like, you know, who would use this particular technology. I know that English teachers right now for um moving you know historically it's been a great tool tool particularly when collaborating you collaborate on a Google doc now we we're becoming more cautious with authentic writing and so we want to make sure that students are collaborating collaborating in an authentic way and not having AI disrupt that process.
So we call it a like a persistent big juvenile. And the opposite uh result comes from mutating this gene called lin 14. And so this animal is a precocious adult. So it actually skips over laral stages, goes right to the adult. So I think you're hearing, you're saying, "Oh, wow. You're telling me that one mutant goes over and over and over repeating laral, you know, programs and the other one skips laral programs and goes right to the adult." Feels like these genes might be parts of a clock of some kind, right? you know that is telling the animal what time in development to make different parts of itself. So that's the basic idea. So we we came up with you know the mutations tell us that maybe LIN 4 and LIN 14 are like parts of some kind of clock that's the output of the clock is juvenile and then adult and we progress from juvenile to adult by turning off LIN1 14 who would turn it off Lin 4.
So, in just sharing the knowledge and that is why we did um make the decision to contract with Ed Advance is we thought it was important that um to make sure we're fully compliant and rolling it out expeditiously and getting everyone on board um that we used kind of that that agency to support us with the work. Um we are required to to begin this work at the start of next school year. Um the reality is with ongoing training, professional development, the feedback and part of the reason why you have additional time for the regulations is that they realize that next year is going to be a learning year and implementing this. Um so we will uh frontload and do professional development and training in the fall um with the school-based teams um and then you know continue to uh institute this work over the course of the year and I I expect that we'll be bringing it back to the policy committee um definitely to do the regulations in the springtime.
And finally follow that up with considering the draft released time religious instruction policy that was proposed at the April board me that you objectively review that considering the above proposed advisory committee. So, I would like to provide each of the board members a copy of a letter from First Liberty Legal addressing the constitutionality of release time religious instruction. The letter provides an independent analysis of the legality of Lifewise Academyy's release time religious instruction program. The letter addresses the following. It addresses the background of the constitutionality of released term religious instruction, specifically focusing on the 1952 Supreme Court ruling that I discussed above. It also has detailed legal analysis in the letter with a statement that includes the following. Finally, a school district may expose itself to liability if it chooses to decline a partnership with Lifewise Academy because of Lifewise Academyy's religious character. And then in conclusion, the analysis states, after reviewing the details of Lifewise Academyy's release time religious instruction program and analyzing it according to relevant law, we conclude that Lifewise Academy is both a beneficial and constitutional program for public school students.
To try to get the most life out of it we can. When was the last time that we took it down? Oh, I don't know. Okay. Probably. Okay. Some of our other less used gyms are on like an every other year that our high school gym. Okay. Okay. There was the motion in the second.
So when I go above my boundaries just want to number one thank you all for your comments but also I want to as you I'm sure are quite aware officer Noden is not a school district employee. Thank you for your comments. We'll take all that into consideration but again he's he's not even our employee. So um we'll move forward from here. Thank you. That's paying for him. I apologize. A grant that pays his salary, is it not? It is a grant through the school district, too. But he is a he is still a town of Chino Valley Police Department employee contract that we actually contract services with. So, who's requesting to get rid of him officially? It's a personnel issue between him and the town of Chino Valley. So, it sounds like a more personal issue with oneonone that they need to figure it out, get over it.
Okay. I think that's good before that part that you wrote next. Yeah. And then if we were to do away with the two paragraphs above that and keep everything you have in blue, I think that makes sense to me as long as everybody else is cool with that. You guys could do that. Yeah. I I don't No, I don't have a problem with that. I I I'm still processing the separation between alcohol and and drugs, but that's not related to this. Yeah, that looks fine. Oh, yeah. The se I mean, yeah. So again, I'm just referring to the separation about what's required by law for you to call the police about. And it's not required by law for you as a school to call the police if a student is possessing alcohol. It is required by law for you to call the police if a student is possessing dangerous or narcotic drugs.