West Chester Area School District School Board Meeting 5/24/2023

001I'm calling to order the Westchester area school district school board meeting where this evening Wednesday May 24 2023 welcome to everyone who came um we will begin this evening with a salute to the flag led by Donna Marshall and Jaden Sam of bugatt Middle School who are here with Dr Jan fears and their principal and any family members that are with you welcome as well so if you would please come to the podium and let us hear what you have to say about being a given Middle School student [Music] s but you all stand for the pledge I apologize yes I'm just gonna go and read some things now the United States of America Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all all right if you would

002introduce yourself and then give us your words of wisdom hello board members I'm Jaden a seventh grade student at fugit and I am honored to serve as student representative first and foremost I am incredibly grateful to Dr Reynolds and Dr Woods for providing me with the opportunity to transition directly to ninth grade providing me with a more challenging academic environment their support and belief liabilities has been invaluable I am excited about the challenges and growth that await me in this new academic journey I am truly thankful for this incredible opportunity as I reflect on my time at hugot middle school I am filled with pride and gratitude for the unforgettable experiences and caring teachers supporting staff and vibrant School community that made my middle school years truly meaningful and enjoyable today I want to share

003some updates about the school firstly I'd like to celebrate our remarkable achievements in various competitions first up the PA middle school media and design competition we earned first place in the regional competition and just this afternoon we placed second in the state competition in the future city competition we earn a project management award in Science Olympiad we earn first in two events in regionals and we earn third and fifth events in events in the state competition in the knowledgeable competition our seventh and eighth grade team throughout first place and our two sixth grade teams got Fifth and seventh in the National Civics view one of our students was selected as a local finalist and in the heat poetry competition another one of our students was given an honorable mention also has other activities like such

004as Student Life clubs like go to the go green club that promotes environmental safety and awareness looking ahead we have exciting events on the horizon such as the music of the park strip the end of your dodgeball tournament and the 8th grade graduation activities which are just around the corner promising memorable experiences for all in conclusion I wanted to express my sincere appreciation to the board for giving me the opportunity to share the remarkable happenings that you did our students continue to excel in various competitions and in our school rates a vibrant Hub of learning and achievement together we can continue to make if you get an exceptional place where collaboration collaboration and success Thrive thank you [Applause] hello my name is genre Marshall and I'm in seventh grade at fugitive middle school there are

005many fun activities at Puget some include chess club best buddies student council Equity club and for seventh and 8th graders there are many sports options best buddies is an inclusive club that meets once a month we do all sorts of fun activities that people with all abilities can participate in this club helps the autistic support students socialize at the end of the year we go to Henderson High School and we participate in all different yard teams that can be adapted so all of our friends can participate there are also many productive events at vegan the whole teacher some include diabetes day field day and Pregnant some of my favorite events this year has been energy came to during April to help us recognize autism awareness love I have joined the time I spent helping in

006the autistic support classroom and participating in best buddies as a seventh grader I was eligible to participate in the PIAA Sports this year I was on the seventh grade softball team we had a great season as a member of the equity team we had different in-school field trips and these have helped us learn about different cultures in the coming weeks I'm looking forward to the field trip to the Philadelphia Zoo with Equity Club and field trip to Hershey Park with event and of course feel that it has been very exciting every year through the middle school one last memorable moment from this year is when I noticed the flag was ripped so I reached out to principal fears to see if another student and I could retire this life we scheduled a time to retire

007the flag in the morning in the morning Jacob and I met with Mr Hammond the custodian and we took down the flag and put up a new room we recorded the ceremony which was aired on the morning announcements in conclusion I have had a graveyard if you're getting hope to have another great year next year foreign [Applause] is what it is it's a great school you know that it is the only school that was built that is attached to another school the only School in the history all the rest of them just float around free but you you the excitement of being attached to a high school so that makes that walk over there just a little bit easier did you mention Jaden that the bat the baseball team has a 22-0 record for two

008years I oh my goodness well let me mention that it is undefeated with a 22-0 record that is not insignificant either did you know that the 50 acres that your school sits on was purchased for 125 thousand dollars most people can't find a house that is 125 000 but the 50 acres around you that was some deal and then the school itself cost 2 million 415 600 to build uh pins compared to what we're spending today so it doesn't look like a bargain but in those days it was it opened in 1969 in the fall and all the ninth graders in the district were put in there and if you wanted to see some fun you should have seen a three-story building which really wasn't completed when it opened because I went there to teach

009there were still wires hanging down from the hall and water running down the stairs when it rained it just was not finished but we had to put those kids someplace so there they all were all ninth graders and 275 10th graders which we put on the third floor I have no idea why but it was some exciting place to be and then later on of course it became it opened again as as a Hewitt Middle School not East Junior High and it was named it was given which which what is your um yes I don't know if anybody dresses up as a cougar or if you have a stuffed cooker in the hallway you do someone dresses up as a cougars and you know your colors good pretty good um some think it's gold but

010you you're calling it blue and yellow that'll do you still use that stuff when you get over to East I think right no they're red and gold okay right right you have to have a different mostly Elementary stuff like an animal theme but when you get to the high school it gets Stranger than that if you've got an employer and Vikings and people that so Jaden you were one of the first place winners in that contest the Pennsylvania media and you did Graphic and Design and a logo what what logo so uh the topic is basically to design a logo for the competition and the winners of the state competition their logo will be used for like the next year's competition very impressive very impressive so you've both had a great year thank you both

011for coming as you can see over here we have CJ who is representing Rustin High School you too can be um [Applause] you brought the fan club tonight yeah I've got the yeah well a few of the colors but I would say these people are ready ready to step into your shoes almost they can fill in tonight maybe you can't leave I don't know um so you've got a picnic a dance a celebration of field day and all kinds of other great stuff and trips is school over don't tell anybody because I believe but they're not even they're not even shaking their heads okay thank you both for coming um you make us proud and you made this this audience happy that we have two such students with us tonight so thank you hope you

012come back this Dr fear stand up and take a bow thank you all right [Applause] now I forgot we have to figure it out all right so if you were graduating I would say Jayden can you take this in your left hand congratulations Donna congratulations okay that's good and if you wouldn't mind looking at me and smile take a couple wonderful job thank you thank you very much [Applause] all right Miss cherisher roll call vice president here director Chester here director Christie here director y here here director for me here director Hernan here president here is here director Wamsley here someone here is that DJ thank you all right and the Jennings if you would start us off with words of wisdom thank you I'm actually going to wait until the end of the meeting

013there are no registrants for public comment on agenda items thank you thank you um all right approval of the minutes from the April 24th board meeting Kara short may I have a second Miss Chester thank you so much any questions comments no here we go director Chester yes director Christie yes director Barnsley yes director Journal yes director Hermann yes all right then we move to approval of the May 24th 23 2023 school board meeting agenda uh may I have it first Mr Darnell and a second Dr Herman questions or comments no director General yes director Herman yes director Fleming yeah director Christie yes director Dietrich yes director rosley yes director Chester yes vice president yes yes all right Miss Mrs cherisher if you would also add to the agenda to the minutes for this evening

014then on May 8th we met an executive session for personnel and legal on May 15th for legal and May 24th for personnel all righty and now the superintendent's report the Reynolds thank you so much president Tiernan good evening and thank you for joining us tonight for our last school board meeting of this school year can you believe it here we are at this place in May we've had such an exceptional year with so many reasons to celebrate and it certainly is not over yet as we know we have lots of events planned as we come to the close of this whole year as we end the month of May there are many moving up promotion ceremonies happening in our elementary and our middle schools we have our Senior Walk which is happening next week and

015of course we have a preschool graduations that will take place on June 6th June 7th and June 8th and this year our seniors from East Henderson and Russian students will receive their High School diplomas that's right CJ it's almost your time right so we cannot wait to celebrate them and the many students that we have in our audience this evening and we want to just say cross your fingers we need great weather for our graduation so we're holding out for that I also want to take this time to thank all of our teachers our administrators support staff parents our community and board members for their tremendous support you've provided to our students in our school communities the celebrations and joy that takes place this time of year is a reflection a true reflection of this

016wonderful community and this was especially evident in the outpouring of thanks during our appreciation days teacher appreciation is just one example of the Care the celebration and the gratitude that is shared with our awesome teachers and support staff at each of our schools we applaud our communities for organizing ways to share and give thanks so thank you for that there are a number of highlights that we want to recognize before we turn our attention to our student recognitions for this evening first I would be remiss if I didn't underscore the academic and artistic Excellence that's on full display this is a time of year where we're out or performances and we have a number of art shows and concerts and learning showcases that I've been able to attend with other board members and cabinet members

017and principals and families across our district our community is a point of Pride and we know that we have a strength and partnership so to our families our school teams and all that are are part of the academic and artistic Excellence we say thank you the learning showcase at the Mountain Center at the other week the student presentations for Market attack showcase and our art gallery walk that happened just in town are just a few examples of the power of partnership our students and what they do is on display not only in our schools but a part of our community and I think that speaks to the point of Pride that we have in Westchester also speaking of the power of partnership we heard from Jana and Jaden about the many great happenings at fugit

018I also want to recognize the power of partnership in strengthening our school Community as we've recently experienced some school climate challenges at fugit I multiplied our stakeholders for coming together and focus groups to share what it makes vegan special also to discuss areas of need and Improvement and outline next steps for continued action as we continue to work together to strengthen our school Community we've partnered with our consultant from this Deckard group to lead focus groups we've provided additional administrative support to increase visibility and we're continuing to listen and plan as we come together to close up this school year and as president Tiara mentioned we have a number of exciting events and activities that are planned at fugen this is an example of the power of partnership and Community from our students from teachers

019from families and leaders we know that together is the way our next point of highlight and celebration is that our district has once again been awarded the asbo which is the association of school business officials the certificate of excellence in financial reporting for the year that ended June 30th 2022 and here's a quote that we received from asbo it is the consensus of the renew team to award the certificate of excellence to the district to be committed for its efforts the annual comprehensive financial report is of high quality your participation in this program for 12 years is a testament to your District's commitment to transparency and high quality financial reporting this award highlights the district's record of excellence and brings me to note that the district was able to balance a 23-24 budget with no

020tax increase to Chester County property owners and appoint one percent increase for Delaware County property owners that is a point of highlight for our district and I would be remiss if I didn't think Mr sculling his team for all of their hard work so we turn that over to what we started with three board members and now we're down to one we have a number of opportunities that we want to share as far as our student reps that this is our last night with us before they go off to their next journey and we want to recognize our board members in their absence Emily and Sean but definitely CJ who is here I have to say it has been a joy getting to know you CJ we know you come with your fan club and

021we have a few partying gifts for you we have certificates of appreciation we have a T-shirt and we also want to recognize um your time that you've been on the boardwalk so please do be sure to take your name take your name tags with you as a momentum and as a Keepsake for all of your hard work and your many nights here with us for these board meetings so we're going to present our certificates and Gifts of appreciation to you CJ and we'll say I will forward our gifts to Emily and show them our other two board reps we have the getting of the gifts we'll meet you in the middle oh Brady thank you sorry the car wouldn't fit in the bag [Applause] this is we'll hear more from CJ and just a bit

022but I want to transition to our recognitions we've had many recognitions in the month of April we want to continue in that practice and for may we recognize our student athletes for their accomplishment at both the state and National levels and we're going to begin with student presentations for East High School so we can have those presentations and I see we have our aging Mr Ryan's Aaron from East uh good evening thank you to the board thank you Dr Reynolds for having us here tonight um I'm Ronnie zier and I'm the athletic director at Westchester East High School and I'm here to recognize some incredible uh young men um the boys ice hockey team at Westchester East some impressive numbers here over the last three years they have won three straight state championships they won

023three Street Flyers cups which is the eastern state championships they've had two undefeated seasons and during that stretch they had 48 games unbeaten which was actually amazing [Applause] they've been recognized at by the Flyers multiple times they've been recognized at the state capitol multiple times and they'll be doing that as well shortly in the next few weeks what they have done is unprecedented and really almost unheard of I'm not coming to East and being my first year I was blown away and very impressive uh built a great relationship with Coach wolf as well as some of the players in the building and with us tonight we have Captain Mike pardon our two assistant captains Logan salster and Danny parenting [Applause] congratulations on all your success and thanks for making us all proud here at Westchester

024[Applause] what time does ice hockey practice start oh you're not swimming I guess yeah we're after school right so you're on the ice by 3 30. correct job thank you very much [Applause] and that's we're going to move on with the student recognitions from Nebraska who's going to present our student recognitions from Ruston [Applause] uh good evening president Tyrion board members Dr Reynolds cabinet members parents coaches students and community members um first I wanted to congratulate the East hockey team on their accomplishments when I told my husband tonight I'd give this presentation he told me don't sweat it get to the mic and say that the Russian teams are really good this year well thanks for the tip I also wanted to give you guys a few more details on that um I invited one

025group up we have a second group tonight but I wanted to give you a quick highlight of Rustin Athletics for the year um our Golden Knights football team was named district one finalist coached by Mike Sinclair who was named the Philadelphia Eagles High School Coach of the Year both are boys and girls soccer teams were chessma American Conference champions our golf team won chestmont American Conference overall League Champs and our sophomore Stan Feeney was overall chesmont individual champ our girls cross country going to chest Mountain American Conference Championship and that was just before our winter Athletic program was equally exciting with our unified Bocce team one of the Chester County Champions uh it was an exciting girls basketball season winning chess months overall League Champs District quad Champs and they made it all the way

026to the State final four lane mcgurk was named the daily local Player of the Year and was elected to the All-State team as well as Laura Stackhouse the coach was named the daily local Coach of the Year and Allstate coach of the year I have the indoor girls track and field state championship team behind me with head coach Jim Collins who was named coach of the year I will conclude this quick Sports highlight with our spring girls track team will continue their successes as they recently reached this chess monthly Championship the district one championship and they leave in the morning for Shippensburg University for States and outdoor spring finally our boys lacrosse team is currently hosting this very minute Bishop Channahon in the district one double-a finals so it sure has been an exciting year

027for Ruston Athletics here with me tonight is the indoor girls and track state championship team assistant coach Rohan Grant seniors Ava Alexander [Applause] two years Victoria Darwin ter [Applause] and Maddie Miller [Applause] in these true state championship the field is made up of all participating schools regardless of the size or boundary and so I'm here tonight to tell you a little bit about their accomplishments they're gonna do this little dance back and forth because there's a lot of medals Ava Alexander senior won second in the state for the 400 meter running a 56-47 Ava Alexander also won second in the state for her triple jump jumping 38 feet and 11 and a half inches Ellie Kiefer senior uh Got7 and safe for the 3000 meter running in 10 1083 Maddie Miller Junior finished eighth in

028the State running at 800 meter in 217-28 the 4x2 relay was made up of Couture Darwin Ava Alexander Joss Barkman Brooke Krueger they finished second in the state routing a 143-72 the 4x4 relay was made of I told him there's a dance Couture Darwin Julie schnelling Maddie Miller and Ava Alexander ran second finished second in the State running a 356-34 the 4x8 relay Hannah betcheck uh Brianna amberstein Layla Duffy and Maddie Miller and seventh in the State running a 9 35 99 the DMR with Brianna Amber scene Hannah betchek Leila Duffy and Ellie Ellie Kiefer finished 12th in the State running a 13 354. and finally Couture Darwin finished 13th in the State running a 60 meter hurdles at 9 23. for the majority of us who don't know and can't judge the times trust

029me it's really really fast 10 out of 16 Rustin athletes that went to State Nate came home with medals they meddled in 7 out of 16 events more than any team in the field and the girls won the state championship Championship without winning a single event which speaks to the depth of the town on this team so congratulations on a fantastic season good luck to everyone competing at outdoor States this weekend and I want to take a minute and thank the families that came here tonight they had their banquet last night they're here tonight and they're leaving for three days for State at shippenburg University so thank you [Applause] members of the Science Olympiad team here with us tonight is advisor Mr Taylor Alex Welter and Jacob Lefevre [Applause] back and forth as many times

030step up when we call and explain your signs that would be added so our Science Olympia team placed seventh overall in the state the team meddled in 11 out of 23 events including three first place Duos senior guy Gaia 3 at Junior Jenna Lee won first place in the anatomy of physiology they developed an understanding of the immune lymphatic Digestive and respiratory systems and applied that knowledge to a test placing them in first place in the state senior Alex Welter a junior Sanjay kasami plays first place in the flight category Alex designed built and flew a rubber band powered airplane that stayed in the air for three minutes Sanjay partnered with Alex and supported the launch and timing of the plane Junior Jacob LeFevre and Junior soham petcar placed first place in the trajectory category

031wait for this they designed a catapult using a carbon fiber bar as an energy source the design was developed last year over many trials and errors they transitioned from surgical tubing to a carbon fiber bar and they were able to hit a Target the size of dime up to 30 feet away on the ground or elevated up to six feet off the ground four times in a row receiving the only perfect score seen in PA this year in this event [Applause] congratulations on your accomplishment this year and we look forward to the many projects you have planned thank you again to the parents and students that have joined us here tonight and thank you for allowing me to present the many accomplishments of the Russian students [Applause] thank you we do not have presentations from

032Henderson so I'd like to again say thank you so much and congratulations to all of our students we want to applaud your hours of dedication and practice and we also want to thank the teachers and the many family members that support our students please join me in another round of applause trying to say thank you to our students our teachers our families and our principals and now we'll transition on to our student reports and so today your last one today what we get with you tonight just me so well this is it um so let's just get it started I'm going to start off with the new student council officers and people are really the heart and soul of Rustin so I've asked some of them to come tonight so we'll see who's actually here

033but replacing Abby demeribus and if I call you guys because I know you're in the back can you please stand replacing Abby Abby I know you're here I saw you [Music] [Applause] our president this year Abby did a phenomenal job and and boy I don't want to know all the crap she went through this year but replacing Abby is Gabriel Patel I don't believe I saw Abe no Avery Avery's not here tonight but we wish her all the best replacing Molly Winfield is Molly here nope is Jake DeMarco as vice president Alexandria bikel replace it out awesome communication instructors Danny Conroy is Danny here man they're really disappointed and Paige Brian [Applause] from last month I'm it's super excited to announce replacing myself as Paula I know you're here so it has been for those

034of you who were the officers this year it's been an honor working with you guys this year and to next year's officers best of luck filling our shoes moving on Spike the rock took place April 27th Spike the rock is a school-wide volleyball tournament and this is a big deal at rustic it raises money for bringing home home which is a charity that helps families with a member that's fighting cancer and I mean this day it takes a whole day out of school I think we had 58 teams this year and of these teams it's made up of six to eight people and I mean the whole school's outside on this backfield behind the cafeteria it's a day of fun there's food trucks there's games it's great not even if you're not on a team

035you can come out watch it's a fun time and I'm very happy and delighted to say that they brought in a record amount of money this year at thirty five thousand dollars and sixty two or thirty five thousand sixty two dollars [Applause] that's incredible PSU have held their talent show on the same night where people could display their special talents they raised 700 for that and I so I asked them right before this fala was actually our winner of the talent show singing When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars the video of that Vlog because I really want to see it I mean on the Education Foundation breakfast took place that Friday I know some of you were there as I saw some of you uh the education foundations received a wonderful breakfast prepared

036by Miss dredge and her students then Valley culinary they do some amazing stuff their food because I had it there I had it a couple more times over the year really really good so outstanding job by then they also got to hear from student perspectives of Pennsylvania pre-enterprise week which is something that they fund kids to send or go do I did it it's an amazing experience I would recommend it to some of our Juniors out there to do it this summer and in addition they got to see how some of their other money Investments was being used throughout the district the speaking contest was held that same day the speaking contest is speaking in the film contest is an annual thing tradition that happens at Reston for speaking contests eight students are selected to

037re or eight students audition and they select a piece of literature that is judged and based off their performance for the film contest students create their own short films and the school goes on them now so congrats to Marley Mater for winning the speaking contest and Gavin Jaffe for creating scooter Kid 2 which was a sequel of his last year's entry which in my opinion should have won seniors had their commitment day they held out on May 2nd where it's a fun day where all the seniors wear shirts of their future universities or professions that they'll be going into really fun to see where everyone's going especially if they're not posted on the Instagram page for future plans you really need to see take pictures with all your friends while everyone great time and I

038have moving on into prom season or prama as some people like to call it Junior Prom took place April 29th at rosston heard it was a lot of fun but I was disappointed that I did not see more Instagram posts about it and then senior prom was on Cinco de Mayo at Springfield Country Club senior prom was a lot of fun good meal got a good meal of it and the DJ was also pretty solid because I mean as far as Everyone likes to complain about DJs but anyway he was really sad and look everyone was dancing so if that's not a good DJ I don't know what it is for post prom we went back to Russian and enjoyed a knight k-n-i-h-g or a-n-i-g-h-d-s at the beach uh I think all of our themes

039have to go like that but uh it was fun to be drinking on strawberry daiquiris and pina coladas Virgin of course and then watch a bunch of people get hypnotized this week and a little bit of last week we've had keystones well not us the upperclassmen the freshman and sophomores so us upperclassmen have been able to enjoy six three hour delays including tomorrow it's been great to sleep in and then have a nice short school day you know in the World of Sports rust and voice lacrosse is when Steven said is currently playing Shanahan in the playoffs and with a win tonight they'll be heading to States crossed in Boys Baseball is also playing in round two of the playoffs and softball is moving on to round two with a win over pot scrub on

040Monday upcoming events Dr Ryan's like you said we have our senior walkthrough through the middle and elementary school next week I believe it's Tuesday we also have our senior breakfast that's where we'll get our cap and gowns looking forward to that take a little trip back from memory lane and then our graduation will take place on June 8th so seniors last days this Friday and it will conclude 13 years in this district for me so I really must say thank you for this education and I feel that has really prepared me for the next chapter that I'm heading into and the Westchester area school has been such a huge part of my life and it's a great place and I'm sad to see it go and I mean it's a great place and we got

041to keep it that way so I guess what I'm trying to say know who you're voting for but and keep it great so with that being said thank you all it's been amazing being able to do this job for the past year and that's it for me thank you I have to say you bringing it to your squad one I'm looking at your dad who's beaming back there so this is definitely a moment and I also want to share that the representation that you have from students underscores why it's important for us to have our student reps here we need to make sure that student voice is front and center on all that we do so thank you for that reminder and thank you for your contribution especially is pit ready [Music] has Pittsburgh been

042towards you are coming maybe we will um thank you CJ it has been a joy and Delight to see you sitting over there with a big smile on your face no matter what the weather was no matter what the situation was and just looking around you and uh you've been a leader at school and um so we have much enjoyed getting to know you and hearing your reports that go over and Beyond every single month we wish you all the best thank you [Applause] now with that bye everybody [Music] [Applause] it was a pleasant a welcomes it was indeed um Dr Ulmer you've been busy and that that's an understatement and so Personnel reports please all right good evenings here in Industry Vettel aqua and members of the board our personal report for the month

043of May to 2023 is as follows with removals from payroll we have seven resignations three teachers one custodian one power professional and two secretaries we also have four retirement notifications first Mrs Carol DeLuca our secretary to the board of business Affairs and Spelman education center with 15 years of service Carol we're going to miss you terrible Mrs Ronnie gray counseling secretary at East High School with 20 years of service this is Fran Lachlan apt coordinator at Henderson High School with 17 years of service and Mrs Cindy vanderworth staff nurse at Henderson High School with 23 years of service I'd like to thank all of our retirees for their service to our district I wish them all the happiness in the future that they are entitled to I'm proud to have worked with every person on

044this list congratulations foreign [Applause] the hiring of five teachers two school counselors one certified school nurse a school psychologist a long-term substitute one network engineer a registered Behavior technician one paraprofessional One Security breeder one secretary a grounds mechanic two custodians and two substitute custodians we're also recommending the higher of 124 temporary Summer Staff for the summer programs in the district in Personnel events I'm recommending the status changes to support staff one custodian and one Professor professional staff member we're also recommending the status change of Mr John lennardi from social studies teacher at Henderson High School to assist in principal at Henderson High School we are thrilled to have Mr Leonardi in this new capacity as assistant principal Envision the best of luck in his new role John is here with us this evening John can

045you please stand and be recognized thank you also here with us this evening we are pleased to introduce another status change Mr Stephen Fitch current social studies teacher at Pierce Middle School to athletic director at Henderson High School Steve could you please stand and be recognized congratulations to you both and welcome to the management team I delivered and notified six teachers for Val involuntary transfers for the 2023-24 school year as well as two support staff and one non-barging staff I also delivered a notified three teachers of voluntary transfers for the 23 23 2024 school year and one custodian in additional information we are seeking the approval of seven updated start dates three assignment clarifications a supplemental adjustment an addendum for a director's contract an mou for a teacher on assignment and the list of compliance

046of drivers provided by crafts buses and on the goals kids buses we are also honoring 46 teachers that earned and achieved tenure status a teacher must earn a satisfactory rating within the last 40 months of their third year of teaching to receive tenure according to the school code of 1949. congratulations for our newly tenured teachers in tutoring I'm recommending one tutor to the list is supplemental contracts we have one edition for the spring season one addition for an annual contract and four in additions for The Fall season we are also seeking the approval for free adjustments one this spring season one fall season and one annual contract I respectfully requesting report approval for all Personnel matters listed above thank you thank you Dr Almer all right do I have it first Dr Dietrich and a

047second Dr Herman and do we have any comments questions or concerns to express not hearing any we'll take the vote director Dietrich yes director Herman yes vice president yes director wormsley yes director Chester yes director Fleming yes director Christie yes director now yes president Tiernan yes thank you now we are seeking approval of the consent agenda for this evening uh do we have a first Miss Fleming in the second uh Mr bevel aqua just any questions concerns all right we'll take the vote director Fleming yes vice president yes director Christie yes director Journal yes director Herman yes director wormsley I'll be abstaining due to a conflict of interest thank you director Dietrich yes director Chester yes president yes thank you all right that is the business that we have started and now we go to

048committee reports School Board committees starting with education and director durnell thank you president Tiernan school board or Advanced case assuming event on May 8th at 7 o'clock uh we heard four presentations the first was a presentation by Dr uh Newton woods and Mr Renee uh this presentation described the targeted support Improvement TSI and additional targeting support and Improvement atsi and how it applies to three of our schools Greystone Elementary hugia Middle School and Pierce Middle School it will it provided information on how we're developing building level Improvement plans in the timeline for this work the next presentation was by Thomas Bailey or Middle School reading intervention pathways Middle School teachers reading Specialists and secondary Ela supervisor Karen Bailey presented on new Middle School reading intervention Pathways put in place this year the presentation presented an

049overview of phonics comprehension and good teaching overviews as well as the strategies used to support readers next there is a presentation on social studies alive America has passed for fourth and fifth grade it was a textbook presentation by Dr Everly uh doctor and we shared the core instructional materials State of Mind committee's recommendation to purchase teachers curriculum institute social studies alive is a core resource for fourth and fifth grade students this inquiry-based resource allows our students to delve into the overarching themes of the social studies curriculum the physical digital resources align with the PA common core standards and can be personalized by teachers to meet the needs of all of our students and finally the element there was a presentation by Dr Everly and Mr Kerr Carr on the elementary science technology engineering and Mathematics

050presentation Elementary stem supervisory in car presented a proposal for a new learning experience for elementary students based on design thinking principles the special class will be offered once per cycle and extend our students abilities to think creatively design and revise prototypes and construct meaningful solutions to real world scenarios all while integrating the upcoming steel standards that we talked about last month that have been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education I was especially excited about that presentation because it really gives opportunities for all students to have experiences in the steel standards great presentations in that into my report our next education committee is June 12th at seven o'clock and you're invited to attention thank you thank you and pupil Services director Chester thank you Mrs Tiernan we had a presentation by on May 8th by

051Mrs Klein and Dr miss it and Dr Martin the presentation was on fostering positive learning environments for all students the presentation was um it was a wonderful presentation it was integrated with the three of them presenting their lens for how we Foster a positive learning environment the thing that I found so wonderful was that they started with the end in mind and that is the mission educating and inspiring our children to be their personal best and as you can see tonight for the children that we honored CJ you've been a model of this as well um that the that using a welcoming environment a safe environment an environment that sets students up to learn when they come to school including social and emotional learning they also Define the supports in tier one tier two and

052tier three and some of the restoring practices used when students need additional support so um appreciate that presentation it was very thorough and that is my report thank you and we'll see you again in June oh no you won't we'll see somebody in June 's education in June you will see people services and all this happy summer [Music] all right it's uh Dr Herman Personnel please he gave me a detailed list of what our individual staffing needs are and we are well on our way to killing our classrooms that concludes my report thank you thank you property and finance your beveloper yes thank you president Terry the perfect Finance being was held last Monday May 15th and we had a fairly extensive meeting as you can see on the agenda there was 13 items listed

053so on consent as we normally do each month as the scholarly reviewed the Navy forecast model this discovery reviewed schedules which included a 10-year history of all mandated expendures and state funding from the 2223 to the 2324 budget to budget comparison for revenues and expense expenditures over a 10-year history of tax increases in Chester and Delaware County compared to the actual index they went through that in detail Mr Scully then advised the committee that the budget total expenses increased by 5.3 million for a total of 1.8 percent the revenues increased by 7 million for 2.7 percent so overall fairly inconsistent the next item Mr Scully then reviewed the property tax and Homestead Farmstead exclusion process this annually this state provides the district with means to lower property taxes via the homestead Farmstead exclusion which is

054funded by state gaining revenues if you look at the bottom of your your school tax bill you'll see a little comment there with the homestead farmstead document that there is a separate line item as a physical credit this year the state provided the district with 4 million one hundred and sixty nine thousand six hundred nine dollars for property tax relief what does that do that equates to 170.41 exclusion amount for each qualified property so that would show on your your tax bill the committee recommended approval to adopt the 2324 Homestead Farmstead exclusion resolution and I do have this if anybody's following there is a motion today it's a d11 on the agenda so as I read this approval is requested for the 2324 Homestead Farmstead resolution which provides a tax reduction to each approved Homestead

055and each approved Farmstead property and the amount of 170.21 iso move thank you do we have a second Dr Herman uh questions or comments on that request very very well let's have a vote vice president yes director Herman yes director Chester yes director bonsley yes director Dietrich yes director Fleming yes director Christie yes yes president Tiernan yes all right back to you yes continuing on Mr Scully then reviewed the final budget resolution for the 23-24 and annual tax levy resolution for year 23 24. the final budget resolution provides general fund appropriations of a total of 302 million two hundred ninety four thousand nine ninety five the annual tax levy resolution for the 23-24 school year sets the real estate tax for Chester County at 22.43 Mills and Delaware County at 9.94 bills equates as Dr

056Reynolds stated earlier and our superintendent update that zero percent increase for Chester County and 0.1 or 10th of a percent for Delaware County the committee recommended approval of the final budget resolution for the 23-24 fiscal year and the annual tax levy resolution to the 23-24 fiscal year and I do have two motions anybody following these are D12 or D13 agenda tonight the first one I'll read approval is requested for the final budget resolution for the 23-24 fiscal year budget and the amount of 302 million two hundred ninety four thousand nine ninety five isolated we have a second grizzly yes questions comments yes thank you um I'd just like to start by thinking Mr Scully Mr burster for their dedication to providing detailed updates each month as part of property and finance I apologize I was

057not able to attend the May 15th meeting in person but I have reviewed the materials and replay I appreciate the thorough explanations regarding the nuances of debt service and mandated expenses versus our annual operating expenses by the Numbers provided our community may continue to see annual increases from mandates mandates around 2.2 million and operating sponsors around 0.7 million outside of debt service or other variables at roughly about 3 million per year that may seem innocuous and mandates may be out of our Direct Control but we can reflect on level impacts and in how we solve for the larger picture regardless of who drives the increases inflation headwinds remain and combined with reduced refresh cycles for books and other curriculum resources we must be more prudent than ever before to avoid unintended consequences historically we have

058exceeded the excellent index about 30 percent in a 20-year period due to either pieces or special educational agents this may be something that requires legislative engagement with an ally like Dr Sean on Harrisburg now is the time for us to raise the alarm on emerging Trends one example in our own Community is that we are already experiencing gentrification in our downtown gesture just this week there was a call and social call to action on social media for more affordable housing in our community whether our residents or Property Owners renters or leces we cannot turn a blind eye to the Staggering rise and the cost to live in our district even with some of the lowest tax rates in Chester lots of diversity in our community as counter to our district Mission we must continue to

059work on being good students of the resources we have especially as we fight to remain competitive and retain the best teaching Talent this year is certainly a step in the right direction they look forward to our continued collaboration with Mr Scully in the next fiscal year anybody else as we go around the table who has a comment or question on the budget and the zero percent tax increase Dr Herman did you have anything to say um I just wanted to thank Mr Scully and his team for the great job be and his team have worked very hard they plan every month they give us a report very detailed very exact and with transparency so thank you very much to the team performing I I would also like to commend Mr Scully for his excellent financial

060management of the district for the past few years the district and Mr Scully have won numerous Awards and athletes for financial management in addition to having the lowest tax rate in Chester County and a moody Triple A rating which of course allows us to save money on the interest rate on the bond that we issue all of the improvements in building of new schools that the district has been doing I'd like to thank Mr burster uh burster additionally for his excellent work and lastly I would like to thank Mr director of bevel Aqua for his leadership in chair of the property and finance committee for the past four or five years I think he has should also receive a lot of the uh what's the correct word the accolades and the um thanks for all

061of us and for all of the community in the district for the excellent financial management that you can also thank you just just briefly I commend again the business office with intelligence and the transparency on the budget this year we provided a lot of detail both to the board and to the residents we did quite a bit of evaluation evaluating our current conditions again expenditures always become a challenge but I think where we ended up this year in the final budget of a zero percent and a ten to a percent increase in Delaware County I think is an excellent change and really where we want to be is in good shape going forward for the subsequent year we've got challenges in front of us for next school year and I think we'll position ourselves in

062the best method we can as we continue forward to balance next year's budgets thank you to the business office again and we're happy on where we ended up yes okay anybody from this side of the table Alex did you we're just going to go and align here yeah sure I just wanted to say thanks I'm sorry no I just wanted to say thanks to the administration here and the folks have been working on this budget for you know you know Mr Scully for a very long time and give us this point in me being the newest person here educating me and bringing me up to speed as much as possible and sitting down answering my questions so thank you I want to Echo with many of my colleagues have already shared you can't get much

063better than zero percent find work thank you for your transparency thank you for being so cautious with with the money of the district and the money of the taxpayers can't ask for more than that thank you so much for your work I also want to Echo that a mistake thank you so much for your hard work I appreciate the way you can explain these complicated issues to people who aren't necessarily experts in the field and also that we're continuing to be an Innovative School District while keeping our expenses very low we aren't just coasting on past achievement We are continuing to achieve things and I have a nice kind of leadership that will keep us a district that people want to live in so thank you very much Thanks goes to you John Wayne burster

064and to you Gary specifically because of the clarity of that you provide in expressing the financial art financing situation was whether the good news is good not so good to get us you know to the place that we need to be a good improve the spending so I'm glad to see the district though an introductory thank you all having been on the other side of the district will put it not the business side but the educating side none of this happens in isolation so Mr Scully is an exceptional business director Mr verster is an exceptional facilities and operations without leadership from the for the entire District without principles without the people who have to let Mr Scully know while we are going to need more teachers we are going to need more books we are

065going to need more supplies for the students none of this would have been successful so this is an operation budgeting is something that is on everybody's mind for all the whole school year and so teachers often have uh will say yeah I'd like a new set of books I'd like a new set of dictionaries I'd like I'd like to take kids on a trip for three days to something the bottom line is how much is that this going to cost taxpayers because the money doesn't grow on trees it comes out of people's pockets and pocketbooks and it comes in the taxes that we raised I do remember one year that we had a zero percent tax increase it was when there was a recession back in the 2008 overheim that at that time and we

066had to and teachers stepped up and said we're taking a the staff said we will take uh not a rate no raise at all this year so that happens too so let's all in this room and out there in this District take some credit feel proud believe that we are giving the best education we can for the best value which is what we want to do all the time and thank the people who are around us for making that happen all of you all of you it didn't happen just because Mr Scully is a conservative serious guy who can count numbers real well it happened because everybody else said we'll fall on the line with that we can do that so there were times when teachers did not get all the things that they wanted

067principals did not get all the things they wanted but here we are and I feel very positive and very proud to say that I'll be voting yes on this this item and the next item the tax levy resolution so with that let's call for the vote excuse me vice president yes director Christie yes director now yes yes director Fleming yes director Herman yes director wilmsley no director Dietrich yes director Chester yes president Tiernan yes professional carers the next item on here the motion is uh D13 the tax money so approval is requested for the annual tax levy resolution for the 23-24 fiscal year which authorizes a real estate tax levy in the amount of 22.4364 Mills for Chester County and 9.9424 Mills for Delaware County the D transfer tax levy in the amount of half

068a percent and an earned income tax levy in the amount of one percent Tyson movement then Dr Dietrich questions comments we're just ready to go now Vice President yes director Dietrich yes director Chester yes director now yes director Herman yes director Obama no director Christie yes director Fleming yeah Mr President Karen yes continuing on Mr Scully discussed that he is school code requirements for school boards to approve commitments of fund balance by June 30th of each year Mr Scully advised the property finance committee that this commitment of the sign balance amounts must be coordinated with the district's financial report which is submitted to pde in October of each year after the annual order of our financial statements the administration requests approval for the authorization to commit a fund balance for Health Care stabilization approval is

069also requested to assign fund balances for this ultimate education Athletics millage rate stabilization preppy assessment fluctuations and future staffing needs the committee recommend approval to commit and assign the fund balances as stated Mr Scully then provided the property of Finance committee for review of act 44 what an e reporting form and resolution as some years heard in the past the order is general department provided a form for the audited audited school districts to submit responses detail in the adoption of the Department's recommendations or reasons why the recommendations have not been adopted Mr Scully reviewed in detail and recommended to the board to adopt a recommendation three and five W itemized and detailed out in the property Finance meeting and in the report take notice of career recommendations one two and four which we went through

070with the property and finance committee and set forth the ACT 44 auditing report form the committee recommended approval to adopt these recommendations three and five as stated prior and acknowledge the recommendations one two and four and this is a motion too it's it's a d10 on the on tonight's example and uh I'll read that motion approval is requested of the resolution to authorize the district's response to the pde action 34 auditing reporting form I saw Luke director Fleming II questions comments on that hearing nine we will take a vote vice president yes director Fleming yes director Wellesley no director Christie yes yes director Chester yes director for now yes director Dietrich yes president Tierney yes continuing on Mr Scully as he does the yearly review The Food Service program equipment purchases and renovation plan with

071the committee the schedule accounts for all the equipment that needs to be replaced as part of renovation projects and spans from the 2023 through the 2031 in future years the 2324 equipment replacement budget totals 427 000 320. the committee recommended approval of the previous statement Mr burster then provided the property finance committee updates on the application for naming the school district facilities at Greystone Elementary School library the Dr James R scalin Student Learning Center the facility operation Department obtained a signage estimate from Fast Signs in the amount of 234 dollars and 13 cents to provide a dedicated signage for Greystone Elementary School library naming as stated the committee recommended approval to advertise in the newspaper on the website will proceed accordingly Mr burster then reviewed with the committee and previously approved 2324 capital reserve project

072lists which included district-wide playground equipment at Stark weather for a total award price of a hundred eight thousand eight fifty six and installing Library Courtyard door at Ruston high school for a total of twenty four thousand two fifteen the committee recommended approval of these two contract Awards as stated Mr diversity then discussed the property finance committee the need to revise the approval thresholds of construction project change orders per Matrix authorization Matrix Mr burster advised the committee that the recommended change increases the threshold from 10K to 25k on projects in a total under seven and a half million dollars and from 25k to 50K for projects in excess of 7.5 million total price the committee recommended approvals but these provide thresholds for construction project change orders per their authorization Matrix the last item I have is

073Mr burster reviewed the property and finance committee the qualifications for the schreter group to provide architectural engineering services for the next construction projects which included Hillsdale Elementary and Stark weather Elementary the committee recommended approval of the use of Schrader group to provide these architectural engineering services to the two elementary schools I just stated all a welcome to the next program finance committee meeting which is Tuesday June 20th as Monday as a national holiday and that concludes my report for this evening thank you director ribola all right director Fleming policy committee the policy Review Committee met on Monday review policies and guidelines with the administration related to the student discipline records book and administrative guideline 218 ag1 student conduct the disciplinary action schedule 218 eg1 must be reviewed and more improved each year the committee review

074and revise current policies and edit new policies and an administrative guidelines necessary due to revisions to school code regarding home education programs that are effective for the 2023-24 school year these policies and administrative guidelines were approved earlier tonight as consent agenda items 31 agenda item that still needs to be approved related to procedures in considering a charter school application for those following along on the agenda it is item number E21 approval approval is requested to waive the first and second reading requirements for administrative guideline 140 ag2 procedures for consideration of Charter School applications to allow for final board approval of the administrative guideline in order to make it effective as of May 2023 this waiver shall be limited to proposed administrative guideline 140 ag2 ISO Loop and a sec a second please Dr Dietrich questions

075comments on this move for policy all right we'll hear the vote yes director Herman yes yes director Wamsley yes vice president yes yes all right anything else that offended it for me the next policy Review Committee will also be on Tuesday 18 20th that is my report for tonight thank you alrighty thank you all and in other reports want to give us a little something on the Intermediate Unit I'd be happy to Mr Darnell thank you uh the Chester County Intermediate Unit board of directors held this monthly meeting on Wednesday May 17 2023 as a child and Career Development Center in Coatesville um following items were discussed doctors Dr sumatica child and Career Development Center principal thanked everyone for coming to the board meeting Dr Matika announced or introduced Deb Phillips and Dane Evans both

076physical education teachers at the CCDC who created a physical education for all students at CCDC they wanted to ensure that each child is provided with physical education that meets his or her unique needs while creating opportunity for Meaningful participation and enjoyment the students participate in soccer archery Bocce basketball golf cornhole and baseball three students were presented for present at the meeting and were able to demonstrate some of these activities including pitching a ball to Dr Fury who was struck out okay also Dr Fury executive director acknowledged one of the child and career development teachers Miss Heather Kilgore who is one of the finalists of the Pennsylvania teacher of the year award Dr Fjord presented her with a bouquet of flowers for this prestigious nomination in hopes that Miss Kilgore is named Pennsylvania teacher of the

077year the next cciu board of directors meeting will be held on Wednesday June 21st 2023 at 7 30 pm at the Educational Service Center on Blue Road in Downingtown and that ends my report thank you all right thank you Mr Grinnell legislative liaison director Fleming thank you I do not have anything to report tonight because the legislative council meeting is actually going on right now am I missing it because we reschedule our board meeting so I will present next month on the notes that I received from them from tonight's meeting and the next meeting is June 28th at 7 pm and it's in person at the cciu Educational Service Center in downtown thank you director Janelle back too for an equity report thank you again president May is Asia Asian and Pacific Islander heritage month

078and many of our schools have been using this month to celebrate Asian and Pacific island culture as well as the various heritages that make up their school Community to share a few examples Fern Hill Elementary School have its annual Heritage day last week which involved parents siblings and other family members from Nigeria Pakistan India Argentina and men and more sharing their culture and traditions with students East High School encouraged students to participate in a cultural Awareness Week where students celebrated cultures around the world and represented their own through traditional dress and performances our fugan middle school students and staff recently had a wonderful visit from Los bomberos music and dance Ensemble through the dimes of The Ensemble dancers and a stilt performer students immerse themselves in the rhythms and beat of La Bamba while also

079learning about the afro-latino history and Heritage of Puerto Rico through the power of music to the power and joy of Music they learned about the diverse historical influences that have shaped the Puerto Rican Music Arts through the instruments beats and style of songs the community school partnership for mentors and tutors and Equity priority is moving forward with the focus on providing students and their families with flexibility and convenience while supporting students growth and skills after the initial informational loans on April 16th at Pierce Middle School the following next steps have been taken a prospective mentoring Workshop was held on May 10th participants engaged in role-playing scenarios to mimic some of the challenging experiences mentors May encounter time was allocated to unpack and discuss the interactions between mentors and mentees regarding behavior voice tone voice word

080choice and body language a prospective tutoring meeting was also held on Thursday May 18th the attendees received an orientation on the roles and interactions between tutors and students the group engaged in role-playing exercises to mimic the best approaches and practices I have to start in the first tutoring session with a student another priority area of the district's Equity initiative is to build Partnerships with our community leaders to that end on June 27th at 6 30 PM local leaders are invited to attend a meeting that will provide a year in review presentation allow for attendees to share their thoughts and encourage discussion of actions of actions plans that will help us continue to meet our Equity goals for 2023-24 and finally I'm looking forward to tomorrow attending the BSU best United at Ruston High School I

081don't know if there's anybody still hear from Ruston but that ceremony will be students from all three high schools and that'll be from 4 30 to 6 30 and I've attended that and Miss Chester was intended that in the past it's a great event and that concludes my final report almost thank you now in other business on your agenda we have six items four of which are on consent and two of which Mr durnell is going to take us through two approvals that he is seeking from the board two five approval is requested for the legal group agreement ISO move and then Dr Herman questions comments hearing none we will vote yes Chester yes director yes I mean yes yes director yes and just one more and I do have one more business agenda item

082that needs to be approved the item is Roman numeral ten six approval is requested in the Westchester Area School District flexible instructional day FIB program application for the 2023-24 school year ISO move looking for a second director Fleming questions all right let's go take the boat I have a question so I know I think there was some Community feedback on on the documentation um I just wanted to put onto the record if there's updates were made I'd probably Judy deponzo had some directions that she requested thank you at that point thank you we have three minor Corrections we have one for um what was posted for public consumption was a change in the year it reflected the accurate year for the survey we also had two title updates for the test book title is there

083so those changes will be corrected as far as the submission that's sent to pde as well as what's available for the public as well as to note it's important to recognize that this fifth plan is reviewed annually and it's approved by the board every three years all right we're ready to vote director General yes director Fleming yes director Dietrich yes director Herman yes vice president yes director Walmsley yes director Christie yes director yes president chairman yes commission Academy all right and now we are ready for comments from residents on non-agenda items thank you president Karen as stated now is the time for a public comment on non-agenda items persons wishing to make public comment were required to properly register prior to the designated 7 PM start time of tonight's meeting when public commenters names are

084called please approach the podium and begin by stating your first name last name and municipality public comments are limited to three minutes per person the three-minute time clock will be projected on the screens located throughout the room the board asks that all commentary be directed to the board as a whole public comments may be interrupted or terminated if the commentary exceeds three minutes or if it is obscene and or threatening in nature all persons attending this meeting are expected to conduct themselves with decorum and civility in addition to refraining from abusive and profane remarks please also be respectful of all persons and all public comments including those comments and opinions that differ from your own distracting and destructive disruptive behavior or other actions which interfere with the orderly conduct of tonight's public meeting will not

085be tolerated we will now call the first of I believe 12 speakers Stephanie by Sir from Westchester Township on April 5th I emailed 16 individuals responsible for students and their behavior setting concerns of bullying and harassment that were not being dealt with at Seagate Middle School I asked to lock arms with every person on the email to address concerns and create positive and supportive actions to improve if you get Middle School unfortunately my request and email went ignored and so did my follow-up email until the safety concerns hit an all-time high at the end of April rather than locking arms with parents like myself and the 80 plus parents that have signed to participate in the concerned parents group supporting change principal Dr Ferris opted to sign against us she informed she formed a misleading

086Focus Group and now select enforcement against students of parents in this group they are being made an example of to their peers yet their peers are not being held to the same standards a parent stated in her email say the best in her email to pre the president of the school board last night if you get Middle School is not what it used to be we are in crisis stated an anonymous teacher teachers do not have support or resources to handle the numerous fights sometimes four in a day The Bullying that is constant to our kids are afraid to go to the cafeteria hide in the bathroom for simply do not attend school fear says stated in the past that she follows the fears policy not the Westchester Area School District policy and that is

087evident fears told me that she does not respond to emails that do not contain a nice or pine tone and nor does she a more positive suggestion as an administrator of a school of over 900 students and Guardians supporting those students this is not a choice of hers Fierce has argued that she is not responsible for the behavior of these said 900 students when addressed with concerns of bullying safety fights my response from fears is this is the society we live in she also told me that students enjoy watching fights this is not the society we live in this is not the society we choose to raise our children in Dr Reynolds recently stated that the number of incidents is consistent across middle schools I am eager to see this data the statement leads me

088to believe that his commonplace for a student to lock teachers out of a room and jump another student is also commonplace for a student to be jumped in gym class and wind up in the hospital morale against students and teachers is extremely well teachers cannot teach in this environment students grades are dropping due to the constant distractions and disruptions disruptions we need change from the top down we need responsive staff and responsible Administration that will support the efforts to reduce bullying fighting and insubordination and get a grip on the disruptive environment in fugit thank you [Applause] now next Gemma Arvada foreign Township I have two children one of who should be entering into Fugate middle school next year unfortunately due to the lack of safety within the school he will not be attending as a

089result I am up here speaking for those families who are afraid to come forward in fear retaliation against their children 30 percent one and about every three and a half children have responded to being bullied in the most recent Westchester Area School District fall family survey you'll take a physical mental and emotional bullying has been on the rise of our Middle School our children have the right to receive an education in a safe environment in which our tax money pays for the gross lack of concern accountability discipline and follow-through will not be tolerated what type of tragedy is going to have to happen before action is taken an anonymous student who we will call victim number one was recently harassed for 10 minutes during the class with no teachers help before it escalated to physical

090violence the victim received a concussion and dislocated job for another student was able to come to his Aid this child could have been my son he could have been any of our children this is only one story one incident of many that have occurred and continued to occur as you get Middle School we have spoken with families from our other community middle schools and they are not experiencing the same events at the alarming rate in which it is occurring at fugit Ive it starts at home and that is why we as parents are here to tell you that we are here we want to help we want to Rally with our community for the sake of our teachers and our children I know for a fact that many teachers have the same concerns as the

091parents but stay quiet for fear retaliation there's a rise in missed school days as a result of the fear that these kids have they are afraid to go to the bathroom walk in the hallways and stairwells and eat lunch we want to be involved and we want to improve this situation together but we need you are you listening we need you to hear us really hear our concerns because we will not be silent and we will not stop until we see change thank you [Applause] good evening I just uh this kind of due to all this your name and municipality first yeah sorry uh my name is Eric baselli West Goshen Township thank you um so yeah I kind of did all this stuff just kind of started to take notice because of all the

092stories I've been hearing and taking place at my daughter's school um they're kind of alarming over the past few months and I keep telling myself that everything was going to work itself out because it typically does but it doesn't seem to be doing that so I'm starting to pay attention and when I started to pay attention I started seeing some kind of worrisome Trends going on at a few years um seems like there's a lot of fights doesn't seem like the kids are protected very much and seems like there's quite a bit of bullying going on with some of the students what I understand you know one of the students has been in multiple fights but it's all in a way to try to protect himself and save his dignity because he's just continually getting

093bullied and harassed and uh just doesn't seem right recently there was a threat made against the school I don't know much about it because we never told much about it and that's kind of disturbing I started asking some questions and I was told by the teacher that even she's not allowed to know about it and she's not allowed to know who the student was that made the threat and that's disturbing to me because these teachers are supposed to be watching out for these kids and you know these things happen all the time now and you know it's it's disturbing but the threats are real sometimes as we all know and for the students or the the teachers not to be aware of who these students are making these threats you know isn't right in my

094opinion um also you know there's a there's been some weird things with classes and things like that where you know my teachers and Core Curriculum classes are the teachers aren't there because they're at sporting events and I'm a big sporting events person don't get me wrong I love sports but my daughter's math teacher wasn't present for probably I don't know the stats on it or said but it seems to be about a quarter of the year my teacher's math wasn't she wasn't there and how's my daughter supposed to you know come to seventh grade and uh you know math program like that you know it just seems like things aren't going on the right track and uh you know we really need some people to step up and do the right thing one more thing

095that I heard and I don't know if it's true or not but teachers aren't allowed to intervene to protect the students when their their spikes going on you know I'm an adult you know if I see a child getting beat by another child I'm stepping in to protect the child and from what I understand it's not allowed then that's unacceptable um you know the the adults need to protect children and if they can that's that's a big problem so you guys need to figure that out if that's true [Applause] thank you Jen Braska hi my name is Jennifer oska I live in West Goshen Township I'm Charlene speaker I live in East Goshen Township a fellow parent asked me to speak on their behalf without their child's experience at Puget middle school because they're afraid

096of retaliation this is what they have to say there's a student at fugitive who has been bullied every year simply for being himself bullied in class bullied in the halls and bullied in the lunchroom he starts off every day with a smile on his face and inside wants to believe today will be better he's tried to self-advocate for himself by speaking with his guidance counselor his teachers and all three administrators he's assured every time that they will look into the matter and resolve it despite this bullying and harassment continues to occur this child has been harassed in the bathroom with kids beating on the walls looking over the Stalls and even videotaping him while he is using the bathroom this student has received awful degrading texts one text was he receives stated that when he

097came back from Christmas break he was going to be beaten up his parents alerted Administration and their email was ignored the next day as he was leaving school he was surrounded by a group of children and beaten up by the child that sent him the text his parents have needed to have bus cameras pulled because the student has been smacked in the head on several occurrences by other students sitting behind him at the student's last therapy session he played a video for his parents and therapists and said this is how I feel it's a simple video with a voice speaking and this is what he says think you know the real him the perfect happy guy with no problems it's the exact opposite in fact he's tired tired of going to school tired of getting

098insulted tired of fake friends tired of himself he hates every aspect of his body because of the people around him some insult him on purpose some don't but you have no idea what he's going through he's suffering in size and telling himself everything is true he's being mentally destroyed by the people around him without them even knowing because he puts a smile on his face and Carries On and acts like there's nothing wrong how is it so hard for anyone to realize how hurt he is he just wishes someone at school would help him [Applause] thank you land here Joanne your check East Goshen gender ideologies are unquestionably being promoted to minor students in our classrooms participating Educators must be informed of the detrimental damage that can result in impressionable children make irreversible medical and

099or body altering decisions that they will later regret as a result of this coaching I provided you with links to videos from a recent event innocence under siege that could be used to accomplish this a wealth a valuable and well-documented information and personal experiences were presented fairly professionally and respectfully during this forum a medical professional discussed the harmful impacts and irreversible damage of puberty blockers hormones and occasional mutilating surgeries on minors who transition two inspiring speakers just detailed their vastly different trans experiences from Chloe Cole we counted the numerous physical and emotional problems that she still endures following her transition to a male taking puberty blockers and testosterone at 13 and having a double mastectomy at 15. she then retransitioned to a female at 16. Sarah Higdon an impressive biological male suffering from gender dysphoria

100transition to a female at age 31. she adamantly supported the key point of this form that children whose brains are not fully developed should not be prompted or unable to make lifestyle decisions that could negatively and permanently impact their physical mental and emotional well-being what they choose to do as mature adults is a totally different story to students should not be the function of our schools until this season's staff must be educated as to the detrimental impacts of these indoctrine indoctrinations on minors are required in service training incorporating information and videos from innocence Under Siege would effectively serve this purpose please consider this suggestion there will undoubtedly be students who act on indoctrinations fostered by some Educators who will suffer irreversible damage and regret their decision in later years you need to be prepared for

101the lawsuits that will ultimately arise as a result this brainwashing must stop primarily because of the potential detrimental consequences for our children but secondarily out of consideration taxpayers who will be funding these lawsuits [Applause] Adrian Shearer all right my name is Adrian Shearer from Wisconsin Township um so I'm just here to kind of Express the disappointment that I have disappointment that I have in how poorly bullying harassment fighting and poor behavior is being handled how when I address these issues I'm told that's just how sixth grade is I have to strongly disagree with that I'd like to actually also stand up here and tell you that I'm here to advocate for the children I'm not afraid of any retaliation I would like to see the retaliation brought to me not towards my child who would

102be bullied at schools I feel like I've talked to other parents and staff from around the districts and this is not like this at other middle schools I know that there's been reports that you know everything is the same across the board but that's just not the way that the picture is being painted by other students parents of other schools um you know earlier this year I've had a lot of problems with bullying with my son personally so I can speak to this like I felt that I was unheard I felt that I sent emails emails that were not responded to emails that were not responded to to the point where I started having to copy in higher-ups hoping that somebody would say and hear my voice I would like to also Express that like

103when I went in I had meetings I finally was heard with my concerns there was no plan put in place there I was never felt that I was told oh here's the plan this is what we're going to do moving forward here's how we address these bullying issues any of that um I was also you know told had to ask three times what is the plan now now that this meeting is ending what is the plan moving forward what am I expecting to do what can I expect from you moving forward um you know I'd like to also point out that I literally have to pull my son out of bed every day to speak to what other people are talking about about how you know there may be retaliation against their children for voicing

104these opinions like it's true and it's true across the board I'm living it every day I have a child who doesn't want to go back to fugan next year every morning is a struggle to me where I'm physically lifting my child up and trying to get him to go to school for the fear of of bullying targeting constant and never feeling heard not feeling like this is actually being addressed I feel now I'm being pacified I feel that I'm being told that I'm being told whatever I almost want to hear because we have 13 days of school left and somebody's hoping that I'll be quiet after this summer I'm here to tell you that's not going to happen and I'm standing with these other parents we're all here to help I'd love to help I

105have offered my help I just think it's a matter of being heard being responded to and also action being taken and we just I I don't feel that it's being taken thank you appreciate the opportunity my first time a little nervous so my name is I'm from East Goshen uh I don't need the echo what everybody else has said here pretty much the same experience with our family at fugit my boy is they're just happy go lucky he hates going to school he hates getting up every morning he is threatened every time but he knows how to handle himself but I know he's hurting on the inside he doesn't Express it so I asked him how do you handled he says well I just tell the boys if you're going to beat me anyway so

106what's the difference so he's managed to do that but I know he's hurt inside he doesn't want to go to school it's not him so that needs to be dressed we brought this to the intention of the people that are responsible and honestly we just feel like we have no service I don't really think they care and I think they just passed the and they're collecting a check that's uh that is one the other thing um there's other concerns we bring to other disciplines where we express I don't want to name names but certain programs my kids were excelling in where the elementary school teachers instructors got our kids interested at the middle school level people were leading this program and six three months I got lip service about having it done if anybody wants

107to address me later and talk about I don't want to be amused and my kids gave up the program talented kids tenured person nothing nothing happened and we just gave up okay so that was very disappointing because they're talented kids and they could have done something with that team the other thing I feel teachers responsibility to teach is the parents responsibility parent uh I don't want to see that responsibility to teachers there's things that are being introduced to kids there's not in my opinion all of their life lessons but they're not age appropriate by questions and it's not up to the teachers or the administrators to decide when my child is emotionally ready to handle that lesson so I would prefer that not be taught or if these social programs are going to be introduced

108in the school system we as parents should be notified well in advance of what these programs are and we should have the option that either opt-in or opt out and if we decide to opt out I do not want to see my children being ostracized neither by teachers by the way okay shamed into or feeling like you know you're not with the program it's totally unacceptable and there we need some tolerance as far as what our value system is and what we want that's it I appreciate the opportunity [Applause] William wood thank you my name is William wood I reside in East Goshen Township sorry not east coast East Bradford I'm a senior at Henderson High School the Westchester area school district has given me a strong education and I'm grateful for the support and

109encouragement of my teachers guidance counselors and coaches although you might not have always heard me admitted as a student I pay close attention to the goings-on of these school board meetings in the past few years people have come here with the intention to spread a malicious rhetoric fear of critical race Theory fear of social emotional learning fear of gender ideology and most concerningly the fear of certain groups of people the fearful rhetoric I hear in these meetings has no connection to what happens in our schools in the Westchester Area School District yes there are plenty of problems I certainly have my own complaints but I have never been targeted for indoctrination I have never been recruited to become transgender I've never been blamed for any historical atrocities as mundane as it sounds my science teachers

110taught me science my math teachers taught me math and my English teacher has taught me how to infer what an author thought not to think like that author I have not heard from a single student who sees it any differently for parents to have opinions about the curriculum is perfectly legitimate but to other an entire group of students is unacceptable the rhetoric I have heard recently overwhelmingly targets LGBT students it is predatory fear-mongering and it is dangerous rhetoric of this sort is not content to stay where it starts the end goal of this kind of talk is not simply to complain at school board meetings nor is it to only target one group of people this rhetoric puts to a mindset always seeking to exclude this mindset leads in One Direction and that direction brings

111those who follow it to one end and end where the targeted groups suffer in some places it has been left unchecked and has achieved its goal in some of those places it has started the same way it's starting here with fear-mongering in school board meetings we must not allow it as a school board and leaders of our community it is your obligation to protect all of your students and to reject this venomous fear thank you [Applause] Neil r good evening my name is Neil Reedy from East Goshen Township my son is entering fugit next year our daughter is graduating from Puget next month my wife also graduated from Fugue and Andy some time ago and we value this school district I'm here tonight to voice my concern over the school climate specifically safety at Fugate

112Middle School number one the handling of the recent student gym class assault which we've heard already parents are requesting ownership accountability training and transparent communication as well as action plans to prevent an incident like this from happening going forward for those on the board and in attendance not informed on the incident our student was assaulted in the Middle School gym class with two teachers present in the gym that students suffer a concussion and other injuries number two the overall increase in fighting bullying and the new nickname of fugit as The Fight Club this is what my son is entering from East Goshen Elementary and I have to say he's not looking forward to it number three the sudden departure of principal Mitchell I previously met with Dr Mitchell on 417 and he voiced his plan

113to visit East Goshen Elementary for a student orientation while staff turnover is normal and to be expected this departure has caused uncertainty and doubt for the parents given the current climate number four the rise of parents joining forces to improve students safety you've already heard about four of them tonight there's probably more behind me number five is Dr Reynolds stated in her communication on May 5th about three of ten students are being bullied based on our recent survey parents would like to see bullying data broken down by school as well as a sense of urgency behind the approach to getting our schools at or below National averages of 22 percent based on the Bureau of Justice parents want to want more on this versus just Dr Reynolds your comment of we're increasing our efforts we

114deserve more something a bit more Criminal some final points if you're sitting on this board or the main plate in front of you you're the responsibility to take action immediately this is not a political issue this is not a budget issue this is not a gender issue this is not a race issue surveys are great indicators but a good leader does not need a survey before taking action this is a leadership issue on this board in that fugit Middle School thank you [Applause] but Wayne McKillip West Goshen Township so I just want to start this by asking a yes or no question if I could to the board this is my first meeting and I have two students that are their students a few at elementary especially in school the question I have is does

115every school board meeting start the way that it did tonight mainly with students reflecting on their time at their respective school before roll call so does that happen every meeting it does typically happen at every board meeting but I'm going to advise the board not to interact with the public commenters as I definitely do so just seemed a little contrived in any case I'm here because of the bullying and constant fighting that I continue to hear about a few good Middle School but when I hear from faculty staff parents and teachers in and outside of Westchester School this year a few good middle school is the Talk of the Town and not in a good way about a month ago I heard a curfew in middle school student telling the Glenn anchor student who was

116about to go in yesterday that it's not a good place to learn and that they should go to private school if their parents can afford to do I've had conversations with Dr Reynolds and I was a part of the recent Puget middle school focus group regarding the issues I do not feel there is any sense of urgency from this school board and rectifying this situation listen I'm not a school administrator or an educator but from a business standpoint there's clearly and I mean clearly a completely utter lack of leadership a few in Middle School I heard early in this meeting that there are to use your word climate challenges at Union Middle School to me this has all been brushed over everything that everybody in here has said to them to recap of the parent

117focus group that was sent out validates this it was an absolute joke that that was what came out nothing that was truly said was was really put into words and put into writing after that meeting I'm here to ask the school board if they have all listen to and seen the recorded focus group conversations because if you have especially the parent uh group you can see the clear evidence it's evident that there is a lack of leadership at this school the same Focus that others are putting on if you get Middle School issue seems to be greater than the focus of the board in the administration we as parents deserve to hear a detailed plan of action as to what exactly is being done to address these issues as a Westchester resident there should be

118a quality of education and safety across all schools and as you heard tonight that's clearly not the case anyone sitting around this table tonight who heard the stories from these parents who bravely came up here and spoke if you don't stay here tonight right here right now and figure this out you're not doing your job as an elective officer of this school thank you [Applause] Katrina Franklin hi I'm Trina Franklin Township um commenting on the discipline if you could as well just what is being done proactively to help in these situations we need to get families involved and work together focus groups were put together in whatever however how were they formed what's the next steps to move on and not use momentum is because it might happen in the hallways or at lunch have

119those areas staffed at your understaffed reach out to the community for volunteers kids should be able to walk down the hallway or walk out of the lunchroom and walk up the stairs without fear of being attacked personally and recently my child was involved with an online game that many students are playing and this resulted in a very harsh discipline action against him he's an honorable student with no prior issues and has even helped stop fights in the past I asked if something on this game on this game could be sent out to the community so other kids parents would know and be educated how this game can come with such severe punishment and I was told by Dr Pierce that she that she wasn't necessarily going to send something out to something on discipline would

120be coming through the district at some point so I took that as you know communication of this issue would be sent out so nothing proactive would be done help educate the children that what what many of them are doing is wrong it could cause severe harm against them and be on the federal record um so so why can't we work together better have more transparency and do a better job of educating our children indict them together I don't understand why when an issue comes up we can't be proactive and let everyone know talk to your kids about this what's being what's being done to stop it moving forward I'm weary about being up here to talk to you about this today with a concern of selective enforcement of my children but I wanted to come

121up here just to know we want to help we know it's not just on the end it's not just on the teachers let the parents in the community get involved to try and solve this as well [Applause] thank you Chris McCune Thornburg Township Chester County Presbyterian vice president of board members Dr Reynolds and Central administrators I have a three-part message starting with two words that you probably don't hear enough thank you there's no shortage of challenges in this district and the pointing district for that matter any large organization and no one's always right no one's always wrong but what I appreciate is that every morning you're answering the Bell doing what you can to move this District forward and it doesn't go unnoticed and help us achieve our Collective personal best uh Dr Skillet congratulations

122on your award in your department there I would love to get a copy of that I'd like to send it to our state auditor to maybe help improve his uh his learning out there um next I'd like to say uh congratulations to the vice president Dr Herman Mr Janelle and Mr Christie on achieving the highest vote counts in the most recent primaries which is a very strong indicator what's more important that's on someone's resume is what they are committed to in terms of this this role of responsibility and that falls to being first and foremost Pro public education which is the backbone of our country and second being a champion of this District and for that reason you have my family and my networks support and commitment as we move forward here as we saw

123tonight I think we saw some pretty good examples of that both student achievement and fiscal responsibility and those are the two most important things that the parents and taxpayers are looking for in this District I wish you the best and also resolving some of the challenges over a few I know there's a lot of time to spend on it it's not always seen so I appreciate your guys efforts in that area and trust that you'll be back in touch with some of the folks over there about their concerns and then lastly I was going to address our student Representatives unfortunately I'm only less than one I know pretty well I had a three-point thing I wanted to thank him uh every month for their passion and pride in delivering reports and sharing what's going in

124each one of their Community Schools there and it's been very heartwarming to see them all bond together and it's terrific and they're very well prepared for their next stage of their life and that's why in two weeks they'll all be receiving and they get something special that they get their PHD they're a public they're hungry and they're turned taken along the world and I think we're in good shape with that and then lastly I was going to encourage them in a summer assignment and I know there's a couple maybe still students here is you know get to work on your LinkedIn profile social media activity for you and start connecting with folks that you know along the way because you have to leverage your networking life to be successful so with that again thank you

125to my gratitude foreign public comment this evening I wanted to thank each parent for Stephanie and gemos or Eric and Jen and Charlene um for Adrian and Taj for Neil and Dwayne Katrina will also want to acknowledge for William and Kristen and Joanne for your feedback thank you one I recognize with the time that you put in not only as parents and community members cutting tonight and also making sure that your voice is heard that's important so I want to just recognize and say that we do hear you we appreciate the time that you put in I do apologize that you had to take tonight to feel as though that there's a point of urgency and action on your behalf as a parent that I know there's nothing more important than you want for your

126child to come to school and feel safe than knowing that they're going to be there and they're going to learn and be successful and so I will say that first and foremost you will receive a response from either myself or one of our administrative team members as a queen of follow-up because what we've shared is that your voice is important I've talked to a number of you I have meetings with a couple of you to make sure what is important is the partnership and how we're working together so I think what I've heard specifically is an expectation around accountability I've also heard specifically as far as leading action and what that looks like with specificity and so that's something that we can do I think also one of the things that I've heard loud and

127clear which I'm deeply encouraged by is your investment in the community in your investment in the school as parents and community members I've heard from a number of you saying I'm in this how can I help Count on Me call on me and that is something that we will do so first and foremost I will say that you can expect the following one a follow-up communication a phone call like one of our administrative teams I also think members I think it's also important to note that we do have a community meeting that is being scheduled for the end of the year because I would not want as a peer in our community member for you to question what our next steps are to ensure that your child has a strong end of the school year

128and also you know what our plan is for the upcoming year we have taken immediate actions as far as in my last communication but I think what I'm hearing is that you need to hear what specifically we're doing you need to know that your child is going to have a safe and a good school day when they're at fugit and you need to be assured that they'll have a strong start for the upcoming year as well as the close-up for this this year so I just want to thank you for your time I want you to recognize that we do hear you and you will receive a follow-up thank you thank you [Applause] before I adjourn I need to announce that the board the school board meant last night May 23rd to interview search firms

129to take us through the process of selecting and hiring a permanent superintendent that will start in January 2024 so that work is beginning you will be contacted because focus groups can be formed surveys will be sent out the people who do the search also contact parents Community students staff so that we know what people think they would like to have in terms of a leader for the school district and now very briefly educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all Aristotle we thank you for coming and thank you for your courage and your comments good night Mr Darnell all in favor is to Journey