Uh, deepest condolences during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and all who are grieving for these people that we've lost. Um May is a very busy month. We celebrate teacher appreciation. We recognize and celebrate the many individuals and communities who make a difference in our school and beyond. During teacher appreciation week, we extend our deepest gratitude to the teachers for their dedication, compassion, patience, and unwavering commitments to our students each and every day. Your impact does not go unnoticed. uh we notice you and we we recognize you. You help shape our students in their future and for the future of this community. So we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We thank our nurses um and we also acknowledge special education week. We acknowledge Mental Health Awareness Week and also um America Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month.
So um just keep that in mind when you're thinking about how awesome we are and I am just want to praise the team that did STEM Palooa amazing another arts and science event and color and light was spectacular. I love the larger space and venue and the arrangement of that. would love to see if they added maybe an opportunity for students to have art vending. That would be really fun. >> Um, also I want to say I really am proud of how our district is doing at Prop 28 implementation of the funding. I'm working with districts around the county and there are some districts that are trying to do things like reclassify a course of dance from PE to an art class and calling it new content. And so there's people cheating and I'm glad that we're not one of those people. Thank you. >> Thank you.
All honoring the rich herit uh histories, cultures, and contributions that continue to strengthen our nation, but also the diversiveness of this district and our schools. Um, there's nothing more special than knowing about, I'm going to um bounce off of Allen's words about uh a tree that is planted and grows over the years, a symbol of um growth, strength, and legacy that are helping to build within our community and our school community. Um the DPW did approach me about continuing this traditions every year. So I I gave the information to Dr. Robbitazi. So we're going to try to do a tree planting every year at a school to make to make it fun because how impact does that when a child drives past that school after they graduate to see the the symbol that they planted. It's amazing and they see the growth. So it does it does uh does impact us in all different ways, but the students get a really big kick out of it.
Thank you. Our next speaker is Roberto Garcia. Good evening board members and superintendent. My name is Roberto Garcia. I am a professional engineer, a resident of Anaheim, and a graduate of this district. I came up through these schools, which is why I still show up. I care about what happens here, which is why I want to touch on a few items on tonight's agenda. Tonight, this board will pass an LGBTQ plus student support resolution. I support that. The board has acknowledged on the record that LGBTQ plus students in this district face disproportionate rates of homelessness, bullying, and suicide. That acknowledgement matters. But acknowledgement is not accountability. A resolution without a measurement plan is a promise without a deadline. My question is straightforward. What will this board review in the next six months to confirm that students are actually safer? Which administrator is going to own this outcome?
and watching them put dirt into the the uh the tree ball and it was just a it was very very touching for me and I hope we continue that petition. Uh but Jason from DPW said he wants to move in forward. So I was glad to give you that information. Happy Mother's Day to all the incredible moms in our community, our board members that are moms, our staff, our home and school moms because you rock it. You make a difference in the children's lives every day. To the many moms who give each and every day. your love, your strength, and your dedication makes a difference in ways that uh go often unseen, but are always felt. Wishing you a beautiful day filled with appreciation and love. I was asked to remind everybody that tomorrow is an early dismissal and that if you need the bell schedule, you can find that promptly on our website.
And will the public see a report on this? Our most vulnerable students deserve more than a proclamation. They deserve a plan. This board is also taking a roll call vote on a $315,000 three-year contract with Minga Solutions marketed as a unified student engagement system. Before we authorize over a quarter of a million dollars of LCFF funds, we need to be honest about the realities on our campuses. The background materials describe goals like reducing redundant software and improving consistency. The platform promises digital IDs, event ticketing, hall passes, tracking, all loaded onto students phones. But this district is currently facing serious documented concerns about the physical safety of our students. Kids are facing threats of assault and we are being asked to fund an app. That begs the question, is a phone-based hall pass tracker the highest and best use of $105,000 a year? Right now, a digital hall pass does not break up a physical education.
Um it's at www.clton umk12.nj. us. And there is a bell schedule on that website. So, please look for it in case you have question. So, a memory popped up on my phone on Monday, and I don't usually do this, but I'm going to do I have to do it. Monday, May 4th was 15 years that I was sworn in as a board member. Yeah. Wow. 2011, 2014, 2017, 2021, and 2024. I was inadvertently given some extra time because we moved the thing. But I just want to tell you the the journey hasn't been easy. To anybody looking to do this, you know, you face criticism, you face false narratives, you pa you face personal attacks, but you never have to lose sight of your why. And I say this to the young people on this board. Don't lose sight of your why. There's never it's never about the title.
An engagement fee does not secure a blind spot on campus. A digital ID does not provide the human intervention a student in crisis actually needs. Knowing where a student is supposed to be on a screen means nothing if they are not safe when they get there. And I'll add this. We're already watching the documented harm of excessive screen time on adolescent mental health. And by the time this issue comes up, this board will have already run a roll call to protect students mental well-being. So, it is a fair question to ask whether loading another app onto a teenager's phone is consistent with that commitment. The background for this item uses the words interventions. That word means students in crisis. And if this platform touches students at their most vulnerable, then this board must define before the contract is actually activated, what measurable outcomes are expected, who reviews the intervention data, and what threshold triggers a board level response.
It's always about the purpose. So just remember that. And I've longed away that, you know, I've earned all my certification. I was I was given the honor of board member of the year in 2019. I've served the county president and you've given me this honor this year as your president. But I just want you to know that is worth it is worthwhile. We do not get paid and we don't get benefits. And I want people to know that every time I say this about the board, we do this because we love our school, but we also because we love our community. Tonight, what you witness here on this day is day is regardless of the vote, regardless of the discussion, it was respectful. It was really respectful and I appreciate that and so does our community. People are coming up to me telling me they love and enjoy watching our meetings because we treat each other with dignity and respect.
If $315,000 is available to improve student life, our community deserves to see those funds directed towards on the ground security, mental health personnel, and campus resources. not another software subscription. I am not opposed to smart technology investments, but we need datadriven justification for how these systems actively address the physical safety threats these students face today. Without that, this expenditure deserves a harder look. And so, I respectfully ask this board to do a couple of things. One, direct staff to publish measurable wellness outcome report tied to tonight's resolutions within 90 days. and two, establish clear board level reporting metrics for the Minga platform before the contract is activated. Students deserve more than just an investment. They deserve proof that the investment actually worked. Thank you. >> Our next speaker is Bianca Garcia. Evening board members, educators, and community members. My name is Bianca Garcia. I am a district alumnist, community member, and Mia Mahia's cousin.
So kuda to all of you. You're doing a great job. But I can't believe 15 years. Where did the blink of an eye where did it go? Well, happy Mother's Day to all out there. On to new business. Does anybody have >> 30 seconds? >> Anybody have new business? I have uh just a correction from earlier. Go ahead. >> Just to show that there are teachers watching our board meeting. I got an email from two of our outstanding teachers, Mr. Beika, who was mentioned earlier, and Mrs. Morse. And the email was sent to Jenna, our student representative, and myself. And the email reads, Mrs. Morse and I are currently watching the board meeting, and we loved your banter, Mia and Jenna going talking. However, we would like to set the record straight. You both actually met each other for the first time at Woodro. When Mrs.
History repeated itself in the most tragic way possible. It has been 5 years since Anaheim High School student Rodney Moore died by suicide and one year since Lexington Junior High School student Mia Mahia died by suicide. After Mia passed, former trustee Al Jabar reached out to me. He was the one who told me to come here. He told me to start attending these board meetings and to address you directly because he believed this board would help. But that didn't happen. And we have been here before. On February 4th, 2021, Al Jabar spoke on the record about Rodney's case. He said, "I was very disappointed in how we as a district handled the Rodney Moore suicide and the aftermath. We had a communication breakdown and a system breakdown. I want to tell our team and publicly that it is unacceptable, regardless of what the circumstances are, that we do not answer emails or calls from our parents." He continued by saying, "I don't want us to be complacent.
Morse and I made sure you met her, Dr. Robert Toy, because even in sixth grade, we knew how amazing Jenna is. Sorry, we are history teachers. Accuracy matters. And then he sends a picture as evidence of a young sixth grade Jenna and me in the hallway with a couple of students. And um so Jenna and I both didn't remember that. >> That's okay. So, just wanted to set the record straight. >> Isn't that Isn't that wonderful on at teacher appreciation week that the teachers correct the boss? >> I love it. I think that's great. I I really do. >> I'm glad they're comfortable enough to do that. They should. >> No. And they should be. That's right. And and criticism correct when you need to correction, but there are history teachers. >> The fact that they have the evidence to back it up, though. >> There you go.
I want us to make sure that we are fixing our communication issues. Make sure that we are prominently displaying our mental health resources not only on our district website, but also on our school websites. Make it available in all languages. Make sure that we are interacting with parents. That information should have been presented to parents in a regular manner or in a consistent manner. I had this conversation with our folks including the superintendent, our mental health director, and our assistant superintendent, Trustee O'Neal, Trustee Randall Trejo, superintendent Dr. Frerieded, assistant superintendent Brad Jackson and Dr. Nan, and District Council Carl Whittle. You were all present in that meeting. You heard those admissions of failure. You heard the promise that unacceptable silence would end. Yet here we are in 2026 experiencing the exact same system breakdown, facing the same silence. When Al Jabar told me to come to you for help, I think he genuinely believed the complacency he warned you about had been cured.
Then they they There they go. You should frame that. You should get her to sign that. >> Well, that's the other thing. >> The other interesting thing is that they're watching, right? So, new businesses, anyone? Uh, Commissioner Brunac. >> Thank you, President Bassford. We got a few school 11 parents there asking about the potential of closing Mercelus for a small window for drop off and pickup at the end of the day. So, I don't know if we bring that to um Municipal Alliance or if they straight up just contact the city manager. All right. So, if we could do that, I greatly appreciate that. I think you should bring it to MUN because then this way the conversation goes. Uh M commissioner S. Um we were going to meet on Monday but because of the meeting which I completely gapped um we're meeting next Monday and I'll put that on the agenda.
It evidently hasn't. When a mistake happens once, it is a tragedy. When it happens again after the blueprint for fixing it was admitted on the record, it is no longer a mistake. It is a choice. By failing Mia and her family in the same way you failed Ronnie and his family, you are showing the public that those words in 2021 were just empty rhetoric. Our community deserves leaders that view parental and community communication as an obligation, not a burden to be ignored. How many more families have to stand at this podium and cite your own past failures before you actually change? >> Our next speaker is >> Muscle. >> Yes. >> Ginger. >> Yes. >> Hi. Um to all the board members, my name is Ginger Cruz. I'm indigenous of this land and um I'm a resident here 59 years and my family 80 years plus.
>> Thank you very much everybody. >> Yeah, Commissioner uh Suarez. >> Thank you. I had a question. Some parents ask me about um how we schedule testing and they asked like why is it back to back whereas some other districts put some time in between the so I I I didn't have an answer for them. It depends on the the state of New Jersey gives us windows of time and because of the size of our district sometimes um it has to be backtoback just to make sure it fits in those windows u because of the number of students that we're testing. Um but you know we appreciate that feedback and if there's a way that we can perhaps not do that maybe we can look into that into the future. But that's the first time I've heard um any um anybody raise that issue, Miss Suarez.
And um I'm here to ask you all. We've had a lot of patience in asking um for a few years already. Maybe some of you board members are new since the last time I was here, but um I'm just the voice of the voiceless. I'm here to lay to ask you um again to remove the name the colonist off Anaheim High School. It's uh very um offensive to us Native Americans and um that's why I'm here to ask you again because I see a lot of new faces now. So, um I'm just asking you please um for all our people, all our people that you know this is stolen land and um all the people that couldn't be here because we're out fighting for our democracy right now and um so I'm here to ask you try to be patient on the time because I'm also a caregiver.
But certainly I can talk to Miss Cousvich about that and our director of assessment. >> Any other new business? Okay. So before I ask for a motion to go into executive session, the board is again going to go into executive session. I asked Dr. Overuzi, he said it's going to be about an hour. So his hour is hour, hour and a half because I judge it a little different. So at this time the Clipton Board of Education will move into its second executive session. Um these matters uh to be discussed are confidential in nature and may include but not limited to personnel matters, contractual negotiations, CL attorney client privilege, communications and matters involving involving litigation or anticipated litigation. These discussions are not appropriate for public disclosure at this time as they may compromise the confidentiality of the individuals. the board's legal position or ongoing negotiations.
I'm also in DAC and ELAC and in another school district and I don't have any kids in the in the school no more, but I'm still there using my voice to represent and help the other incoming Elac and DAC at Fullerton Union, but all my kids went to Anaheim School, um, Kennedy Walker Junior High School, and so Orange View. And I just I'm here to ask you please, you know, as a resident on behalf of all the Native American indigenous um we just had awareness of missing murdered indigenous women and people on May the 5th. And so I'm here patiently waiting till my turn. So I just know everybody has to go home and everybody has time for the mic. I'm just here to ask you please to take in consideration and vote against it. Please. Thank you for your time. God bless you and have a good night.