001e e oh my gosh I can't girlfriend stop calling me okay okay good evening I would like to call this meeting to order the board will meet in closed session to address items one through three on the agenda do we have any blue cards for there are no blue cards on these items thank you very much I would like to close public comment and we will recess in close session e e e good evening good evening I'd like to call this meeting to order at 6:02 p.m the board has met in closed session and no action was taken welcome to the elve Unified School District's board meeting instead of using the zoom platform we'll be using the cumus community services District streaming service you can access the live stream link from The District's website or
002directly through CD's website today's meeting is being video recorded and will be available on the district's YouTube channel the public comment process has shifted to in-person while utilizing the temporary live stream platform we encourage you to attend the meetings and share your feedback with the board your active participation is valued and contributes to the decision-making process public comment information during regular board meetings the public may make public comments on items on the agenda or items not on the agenda requests to make public comment will be accepted for an item up until the board president introduces the item generally members of the public will be given 3 minutes to address the board if there are 15 or more comments on a specific item the board will reduce individual comment time to 2 minutes each if there
003are 30 or more comments on a specific item the board will reduce individual comment time to 1 minute each individuals may not defer their time to another individual speaker to increase their total speaking time please be mindful that District students may be watching you are encouraged to address the board and the public in a respectful manner such that all those observing from children to adults are made to feel welcome safe and valued the board shall not permit any disturbance or willful Interruption of board meetings persist consant disruption by an individual or group shall be grounds for the board president to provide a warning and then to terminate the individual's privilege privilege of addressing the board and now we will read Our Land acknowledgement we acknowledge that the elg Unified School District Administrative facilities and schools
004occupied the unseated territory of the Miwok the original people of the skies land and Waters where you work and learn the Miwok have cared for these lands since time in Memorial they continue to teach her traditional knowledge that comes from in response to the needs of the land and people who share it may our daily lives and work teaching learning leadership and Community engagement support the evolving vision of the Miwok for their community in these lands may we strive to acknowledge the past for the betterment of our future Generations may we look to our tribal Partners the Wilton Rancheria the descendants of the original people of this land to assist with the successful education of our community thank you and now for the Pledge of Allegiance I would like to call Mr Ahmad Nasim kashka
005and his family to come on up along with principal Cindy Doyle from Altha Donner Elementary and I'll turn it over to Mr Vargas and before you get started we have a couple of words we'd like to say um so Donner Elementary School is honored to recognize Mr Ahmad Nasim kashka as our education partner Mr kashka is an operation service trainer for apple and an alumni of Kansas State University where he earned an MA in modern languages and from California State University Sacramento where he completed his MBA Mr kashka and his wife have four amazing children who attend Altha Donner and are accompanying them here this evening nuat sixth grade Mara fourth grade Ahmad 2 grade and sedna who is in kindergarten the kashka joined the donor Elementary family in 2020 the koska family family goal
006is to support their children the school and the community they earned the distinction of five-star family through ongoing engagement and dedication to the school they frequently participate in activities such as family stem night back to school nights parent universities Awards and promotion ceremonies and other family events Mr kushka also serves as the donor Elementary deac representative outside of school the family shares a love of soccer and volleyball we are honored to have Mr koska and his family represent Altha Donner Elementary in leading the Pledge of Allegiance this evening very much I Plage allegiance to the of the United States at the United States of of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible and justice for all don't leave don't leave we have something for you we're going to
007go we'll go right in front of the sign [Applause] thank you very much okay Mr Sing we are excited to uh announce the 2023 2024 employees of the Year recognition thank you good evening members of the board Madame President um Community Su hofman cabinet it is an honor today to recognize some of the most amazing people who work every day to support our students and our communities so here's how we will do it when I call upon the employee I would like them to come this way um the HR directors are here they will hand you the plaque uh we want the administrator and the uh barging unit to join them and then if we can have the board to come down um and then we will have all of them come up this way
008and shake hands and take a picture I'm want to move this one you thank you thank you okay so our first employee of the year um is in the the um asme category and I'm going to ask Monique penamon to come up please [Applause] all right uh Miss panaman is going to be accompanied by um Miss Wallace and uh an askme rap please all right and I'll read some uh words about Miss penan so miss Penman is the as me 2023 24 uh employee of the year this is what uh her principal says about miss penan it does not surprise me that Monique Penman is the fsme employee of the year in my book she is the employee of a lifetime there are not enough words a wordss or Honors that could truly do justice
009in recognize all that Mo does for our schools and larger Community she is tieless Relentless reliable trustworthy and all heart she has impacted the lives of countless students their families and School staff in such a way that we are all better people just for knowing her there's a lesson to be learned for all of us as we watch more go about her day interact with people and grace us all with a smile and warmth she teaches all of us how to be better human beings I'm grateful to have the privilege of working beside mon Monique penan every day congratulations 2324 AB [Applause] all right moving along uh our next employee of the year is Jackie Williams from ATU [Applause] Jackie and our company Jackie is uh Mr Black who is our director of Transportation so
010Jackie joined EGD in January of 2000 24 years ago and Counting her journey started out as a school bus driver and in 2019 she became an ATU shop steward until March of 2024 in March of 2024 Jackie became a supervisor in the transportation department now let's talk about Jackie the person Jackie has a strong understanding of business management and Leadership principles and it chose every day the communication interpersonal leadership coaching and conflict resolution skills are exceptional she is very easy to talk to and always willing to learn her commitment to provide exceptional service to parents students and support for all staff members it what is what makes Jackie the best choice for this award with all that being said which only scratches the surface of who Jackie is congratulations on being the ATU employee of
011the [Applause] Year all right our next employee of the year is a caca employee Miss Deborah calwell represented by [Applause] CSA and if uh Miss Angela wlo the vice principal of Valley perfect thank you and then csca please than all right thank you thank you Miss calwell reserves this recognition this school year because she's humble hardworking dedicated and supportive Deborah is a long-standing viking who has made a huge impact on hundreds of students in multiple classrooms as a par educator she is also a strong supporter of Val's award-winning wrestling team Deborah Caldwell has earned the trust of many many students who have come to view her as a kind and fair human being Mrs scaldwell pushes the students to make their best effort with whatever they are doing she's always right there as she challenges
012the students that she works with to take more risks she does this because she sees great potential in all all Valley students and she genuinely wants to to be the best for each one of them Deborah Caldwell also deserves this recognition because she is a loyal positive presence on campus when you pass Miss Caldwell in the hallways you will be met with a warm smile and a friendly greeting at times you may even hear her yelling good morning across campus as she tries to make sure that every person she meets knows that they are seen and welcome Mrs caldwall is an efficient creative supporter of all teachers as she works with them to ensure access to complex curriculum she is not satisfied until every student that she works with understands and can engage in the
013tasks being asked of them we are very fortunate to have Miss Deborah calwell as part of the Viking family she consistently goes above and beyond for the students the staff and the valley Viking Community congratulations on this very welld deserved [Applause] recognition our next employee of the year is the educator of the year and can I have Miss Diana Stevenson [Applause] please thank you Mr Benson thank you Dina is an exceptional educator and counselor Dina's dedication expertise and leadership are remarkable she possesses a deep understanding of counseling techniques and strategies dena's experience as a classroom teacher provides unique insight into how to support our staff and students eff ly Dena is well respected as a leader on campus and her dedication to our Cardinals is evident to all her optimistic personality is infectious and immediately
014puts people at ease Dina embodies the spirit of EX excellence and compassion that defines our school community and we are privileged to have her as a member of our Cardinal family congratulations Mr [Applause] all right our next employee of the year is our teacher of the year for 2425 Miss Lisa [Applause] bokum all right and we have our vice principal with her we are all thrilled that Miss Miss Lisa bokum has been selected as EG's Teacher of the Year Lisa bokum has been a math teacher at Pleasant Grove High School since the school opened during the 20 2005 2006 school year Miss bokum is an excellent instructor RoR who shares a passion for mathematics and computer science with her students and colleagues she stands out not only for being an exceptional educator but for always
015thinking of others first especially students she's a collaborator a problem solver a positive leader who always keeps students at the center of all she does Miss bokum is an outstanding educator who has dedicated her career to supporting students in their academic goals Miss bokum believes in all of her students even when they don't believe in themselves she always finds a way for them to learn the real reward for Miss bokum isn't the title it is the knowledge that she has made a difference however small in the lives of those she had the privilege to teach thank you Miss bokum for the countless hours you have spend shaping the future one lesson one child at a time you truly an inspiration to us all [Applause] congratulations just one more for you all right our second Teacher
016of the Year miss lorri osbor [Applause] it is with great excitement that Miss Osborne is being recognized as the teacher of the year she is so deserving for so many reasons but primarily because of of she is who she is Miss osbone has a strong understanding and Foundation of learning to implement curriculum that embeds Equitable methods and techniques in her instruction and what students need to excel she leads with confidence and demonstrated her natural leadership skills in so many ways her experiences in knowledge as a dedicated educator have been an invaluable asset to our site her team and support system for many of her students and Families Miss Osborne's impact on her students is unwavering she has the heart and determination to ensure her students are academically successful and are upstanding citizens Beyond Zender Ranch
017who in turn also impacts others positively she's an optimistic and dedicated educator who encourages her students and all those around her to strive for magnitude we are Beyond proud and honored to work alongside her congratulations Miss Osborne very well deserved all right our next uh employee of the year is uh Mr David bird Mr David bird [Applause] con thank you Dave bird is an individual that leads with passion and commitment he was given the task of transforming the department he serves School Improvement support into a functioning reality Mr bird has done this with Grace humor deep research and with true care for the staff he's entrusted with h day his follow-through is spectacular and he thrives in a work environment that focuses on solving complex problems that prevent our students from succeeding we appreciate you
018Dave and all that you do for students in egsd and we congratulate you on being honored and recognized as the 2324 administrator of the year [Applause] all right our next employee of the year is an EG teams classified employee of the year Miss Jennifer Calton Jennifer C [Applause] sorry I'm trying to run this is your moment Miss Jan is the heart and soul of the Miwok Village Elementary administrative team with a keen eye for detail she ensures that every student's needs are met with love and care Miss Jen's unwavering dedication to the success of each child is evident in her tiess efforts to ensure that Miwok Village creates a nuring environment where every student can Thrive whether it's organizing school events like the opening of the new campus supporting teachers or offering a supportive year
019to family Jen goes above and beyond to ensure that every aspect of the school runs smoothly her genuine passion for education and her commitment to the well-being of our students make her invaluable asset to the grizzly Community congratulations [Applause] all right our next employee of the year is uh with our NW bargaining unit Miss Mariah brazelle Mariah has been the PBIS Behavior Support Specialist Team lead for the past 6 years as a manager I've witnessed firsthand her exceptional skills and dedication in the field of behavior support and PBIS Mariah is a kind professional and knowledgeable individual who excels in her role she is extremely organized and task oriented ensuring all aspects of her work are of the highest quality Mariah goes above and beyond in her duties providing behavioral consultation creating and conducting PBIS and
020BSS training and offering supports to other PBIS coaches Behavior Support Specialists and numerous departments within the elg grve Unified School District we are excited to be celebrating Mariah as the 2324 NW employee of the year and we are proud to have her representing the NW bargaining unit and the entire student support and Health Services Department congrat [Applause] ulations good job our next employee is Katherine kale with our psychologist School social workers [Applause] Kate's commitment to our students mental health and well-being has been instrumental in creating a supportive and nurturing environment at Laguna Creek High School Kate is a professional in all that she does she is thorough and possesses a high attention to detail Kate is genuinely student centered and puts students in the best position for Success her elegant empathetic and caring approach builds
021trust with staff students and families the Laguna Creek community is fortunate to have Kate as part of our Cardinal family [Applause] congratulations and finally we had an employee who couldn't make it but uh we feel compelled to honor her nevertheless so our last employee is Mary Jane Donaldson and she is part of our EG teams uh family and this is what uh we have to say about Mary Jane Mary Jane Donaldson has served the elgro Unified School District for many years and in many capacities as such she's an extremely resourceful assistant who has developed and fostered countless relationships with colle colleagues districtwide Mary Jane's attention to detail Pleasant Dema and K do positive attitude stand out in just a few of her many qualities Mary Jane's commitment and dedication to the El gr Unified School
022District is exemplary and this recognition is welld deserved congratulations Mar and with that thank you so much that wraps up our employee of the year celebration yeah want to can we have all our honor to come back and take a join picture please [Music] [Applause] see if you can get usie and families if you want to come come closer take pictures uh after James is done we'll give you a minute to do that as well so you on can we can we guys stay so the families can all come take pictures please congratulations all you guys [Applause] can come forward if you need take a picture can come right forward thank you congratulations again [Applause] thank you okay Mr Singh I'm going to give it another minute to let it kind of clear out before
023we continue on they don't know that there's an exra yeah yeah yeah okay Mr Sing I'll have you come up to speak about week of the school administrator Perfect all right um so this is an Mr Singh Mr sing one second if we can have this celebrating continue that's fine if we just have you continue in the lobby so we can keep moving with the meeting thank you okay all right it is my honor to request the board to approve resolution 2 recognizing the week of October 13th through the 19th as the week of the administ trador in elgro Unified School District research has demonstrated that district and school leadership is one of the significant dynamics of schools and districts where high achievement occurs for all students regardless of socioeconomic factors in home language or
024ethnic diversity therefore in recognition of the dedicated efforts of school and District administrators who make a difference in the lives of children and to support the work of the teachers and the support staff who work in our schools the state of California has identified the week of October 13th through the 19th 2024 as the week of the school administrator it is my honor and privilege to ask the board to approve the resolution determining October 13th to the 19th 2024 as the school as the week of the school administrator in elgrove Unified School District I move the motion Mr uh Vargas do we have any blue cards on this item Madam president there are are no blue cards on this item I would then like to call for a motion to approve resolution 25 recognizing the
025week of October 13th through 19th 2024 as the week of the school administrator in elgrove Unified School District I moov the motion second it's been moved by Mr Yang and seconded by Mr Vargas all those in favor please say I I motion approved oh opposed motion carries thank you okay Mr mate dig digital citizenship week in the El grve Unified School District good evening president Jamerson members of the board Mr Hoffman I'm here to talk to you about digital citizenship week the board of education is asked to approve resolution number 212 2425 which proclaims the period from October 14th through the 18th of 20254 as digital citizenship week the California Department of Education designates this week of October 14th as digital citizenship week it's tough to actually say those together like that digital citizenship week
026strives to assist students in gaining the tools to be safe productive kind responsible and respectful members of online communities and build capacity for students and families to make safe smart and ethical decisions in the digital world with that we ask the board approve this resolution thank you Mr Vargas do we have any blue cards in this item Madam president there are no blue cards on this item I would then like to call for a motion to approve resolution number 21 which proclaims the period from October 14th through 18th 2024 as dig digital citizenship week it is hard it's harder than you think yes thank you so move Madam chair second it's been moved by Miss chattis Espinosa and seconded by Mr Vargas all those in favor please say I I opposed motion carries thank you
027and Katie Thomas there we go for National bullying prevention month good evening president Jamerson members of the board superintendent Hoffman Miss Avalos and all who have come to support our students October is National bullying prevention month a month-long event to prevent childhood bullying and promote kindness acceptance and inclusion the Pacer Center is a National Organization focused on the principles of parents helping parents supporting families providing a safe environment for all children and working in collaboration with others in 2006 the Pacer Center developed the initial campaign National bullying prevention and awareness week to raise awareness about bullying historically bullying had been viewed as a childhood right of passage that makes kids tougher but the reality has always been that bullying can leave a devastating and often long-term effect such as loss of self-esteem increased anxiety and
028depression for all those involved the national bullying prevention and awareness campaign reaches out to communities schools and families around the world to educate the need to keep Kids Safe in school this campaign is a catalyst for involving a nation to take actions at the local level to create safe and supportive schools sharing information about the issue through news media social media video and print Publications promoting dialogue between Educators parents and students on their roles in addressing and preventing bullying inspiring everyone to unite for kindness acceptance and inclusion and to help create a world without bullying it is my honor to ask the border to take action to approve and adopt resolution number 13 recognizing the month of October as National bullying prevention month thank you Mr Vargas do we have any blue cards on this
029item Madam president there are no blue cards on this item I would then like to call for a motion to approve resolution number 24 designating October 9th oh excuse me wrong one resolution number 13 recognizing the month of October as National bullying prevention month so moved it's been moved by Miss albiani seconded by Mr for all those in favor please say I I opposed motion carries thank you okay Dr coats Walk and Roll to school day maybe the most fun one to say the Walk and Roll good evening excited to be here um and ask the board to approve resolution number 24 uh designating October 9th 2024 as Walk and Roll to school day Walk and Roll to school day is an International Event celebrated by students every October uh coordinated um by event organizers
030across the United States Canada and the United Kingdom this event is registered and shared at www walk toik walkos school.org this year on October 9th El Grove unified school district elementary schools will participate in Walk and Roll to school day on this special day school staff and community members with support from our safe routes to school coordinator will organize activities at participating Schools students and families are encouraged to leave their cars at home and choose an active route to school activities include educational sessions on the benefits of walking and biking participation prizes and organized walking school buses and bike trains the event aims to promote physical activity safety environmental awareness and strengthen the bond between schools and the community it serves as a great opportunity to kick off uh Kickstart ongoing active Transportation programs throughout
031the year uh we invite trustees to join our students walking and rolling to school to celebrating at the schools on October 9th uh and we now ask the board to consider approval of resolution number 24 thank you hold on thank you uh Mr Vargas do we have any blue cards on this item Madam president there are no blue cards on this item I would then like to call for a motion to approve resolution number 24 designating October 9th 2024 as walk enroll to school day second it's been moved by Mr pedes and seconded by Mr Vargas all those in favor please say I I opposed motion carries thank you and we have Miss Gerber for United Way campaign good evening members of the board superintendent Hoffman and Miss Avalos with me here is Tiffany bus
032she is representing the United Way I'm going to briefly go over the resolution and then I'll turn it over to Tiffany here to talk more about the events that United Way does in coordination with Elkgrove unified the United Way is an organization dedicated to public service in the fields of Education Health Rehabilitation Family Youth and aged counseling legal aid Aid and emergency assistance we ask the board tonight to adopt resolution number 23 and proclaim the period of time between octo October 1st and October 31st 2024 as the United Way campaign for the elro Unified School District good evening Madame President in board thank you so much for having me today uh my name is Tiffany bus I'm the resource development manager at United Way I believe I was spoke to most of you last year
033as well uh again wanted to thank you and El grve employees because for over 25 years you guys have ran a campaign last year you um do employees donated over $116,000 to over 30 nonprofits that are here in the Sacramento region so that is fantastic great opportunity to give back to the community we as a community are stronger because of the things we are able to accomplish together under our three pillars helping kids excel in school scho investing in families and strengthening schools we have a variety of programs that provide and strengthen our community one of our most recent programs that we launched in April was the Collegiate guaranteed income program and that is um where 10 former Foster youth students at Sacramento State receive $500 a month for 12 months and that could be
034for anything that they need so some students students were able to quit their second job so they can focus on their schooling some students were able to you know catch up on rent some students were finally able to you know catch up on their grocery bills and all of that stuff and that would not be possible without the Partnerships that we have with El grov and all of the other Partnerships in the community and that's really what it is it's all about the Partnerships that we have in the community so I would really appreciate it if you guys would pass this motion and thank you thank you very much Mr Vargas do we have any blue cards on this item Madam president there are no blue cards on this item I would then like to
035call for a motion to approve resolution number 23 which proclaims the period of October 1st through October 31st 2024 as the United Way campaign so move second it's been moved by Mr Yang seconded by Mr Pettis all those in favor please say I I opposed motion carries thank you thank you thank you all right student expulsion involuntary transfer recommendations uh request for return from expulsion I would like to call for a motion to rep to approve the request for return from student expulsion so moved second it's been moved by Mr Vargas and seconded by Mr Yang all those in favor please say I I opposed motion carries okay public comment for items not on the agenda Mr Vargas do we have any blue cards Madame President yes we do have a few blue cards so
036we will start with uh Susan Mason followed by Laura konas we have Susan Mason wonderful and Laura if you want to come up and wait behind her we can keep this moving wonderful good evening board president jerson board memb superintendent Hoffman and mavos my name is Susan Mason and I'm here representing elgrove American Legion Post 233 because it's Constitution Day I'm here tonight to announce that El Grove post 233 will offer the legion high school scholarship um oratorical scholarship program also known as the Constitutional speech contest I have provided uh you with some of the promotional brochures trifold brochures and official rules for 2025 this contest was first offered by the American Legion in 1938 so over 80 years to encourage high school students to develop a deeper knowledge of the US Constitution to develop
037public speaking skills and to develop um and to understand the duties responsibilities Privileges and rights of American citizenship the national competition first place winner um is awarded $25,000 the contest though however starts at the post level so post 233 I first offered this contest two years ago and we had one student apply so that student won first place $300 award and was eligible to advance to the next level competition um had there been a second place winner um that would have been a $200 award third place winner $100 award so right now I am waiting I'm chairing this um competition for the first time for post 233 and I'm waiting for the district and the area and the department dates of their contest before I finalize a flyer and kind of looking into the application
038process and once I get that all together I'll submit it to the district secondary education department for approval and distribution but I had it on my heart to bring it to your attention today on Constitution Day um I'm hoping that you as board members will encourage students in your trustee areas to uh looking to this contest participate and and it's a great scholarship opportunity so that concludes my presentation are there any questions uh so we are not permitted to ask questions or engage during uh public comment for items not on the agenda that's right I forgot thank you very much we really appreciate it and if you have any questions or want to engage with the administration uh we have your email and we'll follow up okay thank you all right next up Laura followed
039by Kirk um good evening Madame President and board my name is Laura kinona ner and I'm here with my colleague hi I'm Gabrielle and I just wanted to say that I have been born and raised within elro Unified School District and I've shaken some of your guys' hands on my high school graduation um but I'm very excited to tell us tell you guys about more about our program yeah so um we are here with the California um UC Cooperative Extension um and we are part of the calish Healthy Living UC program uh we actually got funding from cdss to start our program in 2022 so we're going into our third year of programming and we've been partnering with elro Unified School District in several capacities since the beginning of our program um so primarily we
040have been working with expanded learning and we're kind of seeing it through with this transition to the subcontractors what we do is primarily provide nutrition education gardening programming um and also some physical activi programming for youth so calfor healthy living is a Statewide program and it's administered to the counties as I mentioned as a University of California program our mission is to deliver the latest science research and educational curricula to communities in a practical and immediate way um and the way that we do that as we mention is partnering with several organizations here in the community so most recently one of our really great efforts that we've been doing is we've been partnering with elgrove Unified School District to pull teenagers from several high schools specifically Floren Monterey Trails Valley High in lagona Creek they've
041been participating in our teens as Teachers Program where they attend a 2-day 10-hour training that prepares them to later on go on and deliver and facilitate cooking curriculum um for fourth through sixth graders in the expanded learning program so this program has been going on for three years we wanted to let you guys know a little bit about that and what we do in our community we've also partnered with Michelle Drake um for health faires I and we're hoping to gain some interest for our in-class nutrition education programming I'm looking at the CL um and what we want to do is just mention that our curriculum is aligned with common core standards um make that aware make you guys aware of it and then hopefully getting contact with the correct people to get our curriculum
042approved for in-class use um at a district level so just to plug our Cooking Academy program as I mentioned it's a six week after school um cooking program the fourth through sixth graders get real knives and that's because we absolutely train our teenagers to be responsible they work in partnership with the expanded Lear learning staff to facilitate the program and of course Cal fresh healthy living staff it's it's a great program um I'm happy to share more about that with you guys in the future we've also brought some binders that are prepared with information about the up for it curriculum which is our in-class curriculum and how it aligns with the common core standards um and ways that we can get involved with supporting your school with taste testings guest lessons and anything else that
043you guys might need um but we just want to let you know that we're here we're doing some work in your school and we would love to do more thank you very much next up is Kirk followed by Lynn wheat hi so I'm here today uh to discuss some good news coming from the board lately um we'll be discussing one of those good things later on the meeting but I wanted to call out progress within our district even when knowledge and moral Clarity arrives uh I recently heard that one of our uh bargaining uh Partners has finally decided to end a practice of racial discrimination and that they will no longer be making internal appointments based on race while it is a shame that it has come to getting federal courts involved to change this
044practice which I'm sure wasted a lot of union dues and revenues it's always better late than never this was something not listed on today's agenda but much like we'll discuss later in the evening I wanted to make sure that we give credit where credit is due sometimes we don't realize that the road to hell is paid with good intentions until you're paying out $122,000 in attorney's fees so I wanted to make sure that we called some attention to the progress that's being made within the district and the units that are working within the district thank you thank you next up is Lyn wheat followed by Heidi Moore good evening my name is Lynn wheat and is a retired school nurse advocate and mayoral candidate I wanted to speak to you regarding a matter I find
045of great concern one of the city leaders running for reelection has accepted $2500 from RJ Reynolds tobacco company like you I believe in a healthy community and want our children to be healthy just this morning I read an article citing research indicating the progress that has been made nationally in addressing ecigarette use in our young people I reviewed several reports and copied the California healthy kids survey fact sheet on the trends of cigarette ecigarettes and marijuana use there are key takeaways I'd like to share strong Headway has been made in decreasing cigarette use among high school students progress has been made in combating the use of ecigarettes but that progress has been stalled for 2 years they remain more popular than cigarettes and may be gaining popularity in some racial ethnic groups of the Delivery
046Systems and substances examined marijuana is still the most popular overall and amongst different racial ethnic groups additionally decline in use may be slowing for many racial ethnic groups and for this age group as a whole Elkgrove Unified School distri District Youth Development Services supports to pacco education of our youth through various programs we have seen positive report results through these programs I believe it is important for our elected city leaders school district and CCSD to continue to collaborate and work together to promote healthy students and a healthy Community I just think that taking tobacco money sends out the wrong message to our youth and the entire Community thank you thank you and last up is heidy Moore good evening I would like to thank the district for listening to concerned parents regarding your secret lunchtime
047Club held at Pleasant Grove Elementary and other elementary schools throughout the district it is certainly positive that you have finally listened and appropriately responded to concerns parents requiring permission slips for all elementary school clubs regardless of the time of day is essential to ensuring that parents are always informed Partners in their kids education and school activities children belong to parents parents love their children and know them best parents are best situated to make important decisions for their children's health safety and well-being we are a diverse district and we need we need to ensure that we are respecting all students families parents and staff I would like to see added verbiage to the policy that ensures parents are given full details for each club and that those details be posted publicly on school websites and shared
048with parents in information packets at the beginning of each school year I'm happy with the end result but would like to note that you seem to exclude parents from the process for creating a new policy I noticed on your slide titled review and Analysis team and support that there was no in indication of parent participation in this process our district has 63,000 students yet you had at most 20 responses from student or staff ID numbers to your survey in your presentation you don't indicate if any parents even responded at all as we've seen with previous examples of District policy implementation this shows your lack of proper communication and ineffective efforts to elicit parent participation you will not elicit parent participation when you dump an entire proposed policy through an email link parents are too busy
049and get overwhelmed to read the entire policy and construct an open-ended response instead you should create basic questions that would elicit elicit pertinent information to help you shape your policy and give you the feedback you need in closing I'd like to thank you for your taking this important step toward improved transparency and communication with parents I hope that this can be the first of many improvements that you make to recognize that parents expect this School District to allow them to be partners in their children's education thank you thank you and that is our last blue card on this item thank you consent agenda do we have any blue cards on this item uh there are no blue cards on this item I would then like to call for a motion to approve items 1 through
05027 on the consent agenda move M chair yes Mr pz I would like to call for a motion to approve items 4 through 27 on the consent agenda second has been moved by Miss chosa seconded by Mr Yang all those in favor please say I I opposed motion carries Mr Pettis the issue I have with these items one two and three are exactly what was stated earlier we as a board do not get sign off by the California School Board Association School Services legal support of our El Grove unified school district unit and also El Grove UniFi union membership and most of all parents students in our community members do not give or have say so or are engaged within this policies that are we are going to be voting on it's very important as
051parents and and students and Union membership especially because that affects you a lot of the stuff that these three items that we are talking about tonight are resolutions board policies of school trustees requesting updates and policies education and English language Learners so again um I do not support policies that have not been approved or gone by our legal unit our California School Board Association and the unions unions and parents and students thank you so for clarity um we we partner with csba on um all the policies um we certainly engage um our U labor partners with um ideas that are specific um to them and like with the um the parent the um issue we're doing with the clubs later when there's opportunities for parents to engage we do that as well so well if
052I would feel a lot more comfortable if that was stated in in the actual uh language of these these uh these issues item number one two and three but they're not stated so I you know um to make sure that that happens we need to put that within the context of these resolutions policies and etc etc thank you thank you move to approve items one two and three on the consent agenda it's been moved by Miss Alani and seconded by Mr Vargas to approve items 1 through three on the consent agenda all those in favor please say I I opposed Mo opposed motion carries bargaining units do we have any bargaining units who wish to address the board this evening okay all right action items Mr serui Club policies thank you madam president good evening
053to you to all the board superintendent Hoffman and Miss aalos very much appreciate the opportunity to bring uh two board policies to you for consideration uh their updated policies for consideration of approval thank you Steve the uh the purpose of policy uh updates uh is to ensure that we do remain consistent in an alignment with the California School Board Association and updating uh policies and regulations is a when I say routine that doesn't mean it's not important but but it is a very common practice and procedure that we use and it's a standardized procedure um just want to point out that the district standardized uh review and updating process May adjust in terms of the engagement of educational partners and by the term educational Partners we're referring to our students our parents and Guardians our
054staff and the community and there may be uh there may be instances where certain policies have a heightened level of interest in in those instances we take direction from the school board uh on whether or not we go out and further engage uh the community and getting their feedback or our educational Partners rather their feedback there's always the opportunity to provide feedback on any board policy via Blue card um at at board meetings we've done this previously where we've reached out to the community and we've had Community involvement and just a few of those policies are discipline policy are roles and responsibilities of school administrators and law enforcement relative to student behavior um library media centers and selection and evaluation of instructional materials so we've done this previously um when the uh situation warrants and
055the board provides that direction just in terms of differentiating policy and regulation in short policies confirm the why it's typically a broad rationale and the regulations confirm irm the how and the what which is the more operational detail not all policies have regulations and there are a few regulations that don't have accompanying policies most often there's a policy in an accompanying regulation the Board of Education approves policies and the superintendent approves the regulations considerations when we're working on policies and updating policies we look at the applicability to Federal and all applicable federal state laws we look at current policies regulations and accompanying exhibits we look at our collective bargaining agreements we wouldn't want any uh any inconsistencies if we were making things operational that may conflict with our collective bargaining agreements we look at current
056operational practices and in some instances like this one we look at educational partner feedback and again there's two things and I probably should have added them on here which is we look for uh and it's not just looking for alignment typically when uh when policies are updated they're updated by California Schoolboard Association and there's a person that is um in the superintendent's office who forwards those on to the applicable staff and so the reason I'm sharing this information before we just jump into the specific policies is just so folks in the community understand the policies are what Drive our operations and so it's a very very important thing that we do uh and I just just wanted to give folks a bit of a sense of what that is and also there's always consideration of
057uh legal guidance and support as it's warranted in these processes the review and Analysis team you see District administration District legal council in this case School administration and staff the elgrove Education Association leadership consultation we very much appreciate um their their involvement with this and their their feedback and then the educational partner feedback the timeline the work began back in February and it brought us up to today September 17th just wanted to point out that there were three opportunities for uh parental feedback and uh we realized when we were going through the work that the time that the timing of the feedback was based upon where we were with the work once we thought we had final drafts then that's the opport to bring those drafts for for feedback and you can see in June
058from June 10th to the 14th and again the 24th through the 28 we knew that that probably was not going to be optimal um our yearound schools for example they never stop they have the two first two weeks of July but otherwise they're going and so it's not as if school is is shut down during that time but it certainly is a time where we would understand that parents and and kids in particular and some staff may not be as tuned into into school as they typically would be uh plus we were we still uh there were some adjustments that were made in August and so uh we brought it for a third time for for that feedback and then just just briefly the um a summary of those of the revisions um for 6145
059uh specific to extracurricular and co-curricular activities we focused on the inclusive nature of extracurricular activities we refined that language and we also um refined some language specific to to prerequisites that may apply to participation for the 6145 regulation we updated a def a definition of extracurricular activities we added the process for authorizing U those activities and ensuring that on our websites that there's consistent information and it's in a consistent location what we don't want is we don't want parents who may have a child at an elementary school and a middle school and possibly a high school and then to go to each of those schools looking for that information and trying to find it in different locations on the website so it'll be a consistent format and in a consistent location we're looking at uh
060updated language specific to supervision and we're also then looking at the added provision for parent permission uh tk6 at the elementary level and for policy 614 61 45.5 uh specific to student organizations in equal access we shifted some language from sponsor to recognize and the reason for that is there could be confusion regarding what the role of the sponsor is recognize uhu makes that clearer we added a provision for administrative consideration for requests uh for extracurricular activities um and when it says absent a demographic plan to form student initiated organizations student initiated organizations are actually highly regulated through the ass Associated student body both how they function as well as the uh budgetary implications that may come with that they're much more common student uh initiated organizations are far more common they're very common at
061the secondary level and in particular high schools not so at the elementary level but in fact it is a possibility and so this is just indicating uh it provides some information about how that actually can take place and then um 6145 the regulation uh we did a language shift again related to the the term sponsor and then we added the permission in the regulation Also regarding uh parent permission at the elementary level and just a bit of information regarding the survey itself uh surveys were developed for each of the the two documents uh student parents uh and Guardians and staff were required to provide an ID and as it's noted this wasn't n uh for purposes of of limiting access but it was to uh in a sense limit the responses to our educational Partners
062in elgrove and then the survey response structure it had a pre-populated response meaning a dropdown and we were really looking for is the document clear and is there Clarity and then there was an open-ended option for uh for all of those and there was no character limit so the uh respondents could respond at uh in any way they felt necessary to uh provide their feedback the survey respondents are as noted the numbers are as noted and this is actually cumulative over the three uh opportunities and then in terms of the final action uh I before we just uh jump into that and I ask for your respective or respectfully ask for your consideration of approval um should the policies be approved there are several steps that need to be taken prior to the new club's
063beginning um and the work has been underway um but as of today there are 58 new clubs that are ready to begin uh there are 30 at the high at the secondary level I'm sorry 38 at the secondary level and 20 at the elementary level and I tip my hat to the staff um because um they're stepping up to provide wonderful opportunities for our kids those steps include stand standardizing the club information and information location as I mentioned on the websites so that work um is is already underway finalizing uh the standardized uh Elementary permission form um currently in past practice it was uh the individual uh advisor to the club who would in um provide the permission for before or after school we're going to standardize that permission form and then it's also meeting
064with our principles and make sure that they fully understand how to operate and manage our clubs and most do but just to ensure that they're compliant with policy and then notifying parents once we're up and running so there's a little work to do we're optimistic will be able to get this done so these clubs can get going within a couple of weeks in early October around October 1st and with that I respectfully ask the board to give consideration to the approval of these two updated policies and thank you thank you Mr Cudi Mr Vargas do we have any blue cards on this item yes we do all right let's start with Scott Gregor followed by RIT excuse me Rick Atkinson uh good evening my name is Scott Gregor I have three sons that go to
065the Pleasant Grove Elementary School and uh I'm I'm really here tonight because I'd like the the board to um consider adopting these these uh updated policies um I was part of the group that came and spoke before you at the end of last school year um the events that took place in particular at Pleasant Grove Elementary School uh directly infected affected my children and our family and uh I would say has even changed the way uh that our family functions um probably I think a little bit prematurely but uh certainly it's a step in the right direction um and I appreciate uh the the district and the board to dedicate the time and the thought to go into um making these policy changes um it would be it'd be a positive step unfortunately I think
066there is some damage that's already been done um there's certainly been some some lost of of trust uh I speak with parents that I see in the community uh weekly at least that um have have removed their children from the public schools and they're choosing to do homeschooling simply because they didn't like the way that this was initially handled so uh it would it would be positive and uh yeah please please consider adopting these these policies thank you next up is Rick Atkinson followed by Olivia Gibson hi my name is Rick ainson how you guys doing so finally I I I understand you guys might adopt a policy that in a way that I agree with usually I come up here and I I have something that I I need to tell you that I
067strongly disagree with and um so um you know this is the most clearly obvious Common Sense thing to have parent permission to adopt a policy for that requires parent permission and um I don't think that we'd even be talking about this if it weren't for the fact that one of the clubs had questionable content you know and uh especially for um maturity levels and age levels they may not be able to process that content okay and so um please adopt this policy um it's anything that you do that is in secret or without parent permission or sneaky it should make you feel yucky and guilty and as well it should make you feel that way and um so it just makes it right it gives it gives uh parents uh a chance to say nope
068it's not for my kid and uh that's what I I highly appreciate that so thank you and I hope you do adopt this thank you next up is Olivia Gibson followed by Mandy Lynn uh hello my name is Olivia Gibson and I am a senior at Pleasant Grove High School earlier this year I tried to officially begin a club known as The Care Bears Club we wanted to create hygiene kits for those in need and engage a community service and volunteering at different organizations however we were informed of a vague ban on establishing new clubs Not only was this ban inaccessible unless you ask our activities director but it came without warning nor reasoning for the ban limiting student expression on campus for high schoolers is not only over Brad but is Viewpoint discrimination which
069under the First Amendment may be unconstitutional I called the egusd twice myself and both times was not given any specific information regarding the ban nor reasoning on to why this ban occurred in the first place this is unfair to students and Club ideas that are worth being expressed my club has been banned since early July of this year and still has not progressed further due to this obstacle we already have three organizations interested in helping our idea various homeless shelters and organiz gations honoring to distribute our kits once they're made not only for my club but all for all others fighting the swell we deserve a chance to B our community thank you thank you next up is Mandy Lynn followed by Jonathan fry Madam chair can we ask staff to follow up with the
070student since we can't respond hello and I'm welcome hello to the board um I'm Mandy Lynn I'm a student at Laguna Creek High School I'm the current president of the American Red Cross Club at lugan Creek High School and I'm here to support the other um Red Cross clubs in this District as um previously mention mentioned there's been a um ban on new um clubs specifically even um for clubs that belong to an organization a non-school Personnel Organization for me I um find this ban to be very limiting especially in terms of opportunities for students to explore interests outside of school a lot of subjects at school aren't um tailored to students needs and for example for the American Red Cross club we um have opportunities to advocate for international humanitarian law through the youth
071action campaign for those who potentially want to explore the red cross's line of line of service and I asked that the school board lift this ban so this way schools School clubs can continue have show to continue giving opportunities to students especially in school and both outside of school thank you thank you next up is Jonathan fry followed by Greg Bart good evening my name is Jonathan fry and I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak here can can I ask you just to lift the microphone up a little bit that way we can record you thank you I'm a senior at Laguna Creek High School as well as a Club officer of my school's American Red Cross club I'm here to ask you as the board to allow outside
072organization clubs to exist in order to ensure we are ging proper exposure to leadership and professionalism through these organizations I often Pride my school and its students in the fact that there are so many people who share a similar need to be a leader alongside Red Cross I'm also president of my school's Asian youth leadership which is also waiting to be a approved and I see many of my fellow students in leadership positions for clubs like National Honor Society girls who code and Key Club it gives me a sense of hope to see more youth using opportunities that specifically cater to their interests while making connections with others who share similar aspirations and work ethics these opportunities enhanced our ability to build unique skills that we would not otherwise be given by clubs that aren't
073directly and backed by directly supported by national level or groups that look towards giving high school students like my s both an outlet and a platform to succeed outside of gaining access to Knowledge and Skills that will help them in their future Fields it opens a door to many possibilities that are immensely beneficial for our futures these include scholarships internships recommendations connections with professionals and additions to college apps and resumés additionally many credit these clubs for offering them a community they feel welcomed in and embraced by by welcoming diversity and inclusion and allowing members to build connections with students sharing ambitions in the time I've held my position as a Red Cross officer I've already built connections with with with students outside of my own club as well as ones briding to students outside of
074my district granting me a height and sentence of sense of community with individuals I would not have been previously able to without Red Cross many clubs to be permitted revolve around community service in enrichment and students who rely on these clubs to have a better understanding of their own power as a leader will no be will no longer be able to do so so I ask again again that you consider the powerful opportunities given to us that would be continued with these clubs thank you thank you next up is Greg Bart followed by Rebecca amo good evening uh my name is Greg Bert uh an elk grve parent and the vice president of the California family Council and I'm here today express my appreciation for your decision to listen to the parents after concerns were
075raised about the formation of Elementary School clubs related to sexual orientation and gender identity clubs created without informing parents this issue is deeply important because as parents we entrust our children to the school system with the expectation that what their willbe will be prioritized and that transparency will guide every decision on their behalf it was disturbing to learn that clubs with sensitive topics such as sexual orientation gender identity were established without any communication with parents when such decisions are made without parental involvement it threatens the very trust that binds parents and schools together we're grateful that you ultimately responded to the parents' voices but I must say that it shouldn't have taken a thread of legal action and national press coverage to prompt this response parental rights should never have been up for debate the
076lack of transparency has damaged the relationship schools have with parents and rebuilding that trust is going to require deliberate and meaningful steps so moving forward I believe there are three clear steps the board can take to amend this broken trust so number one first allow parents to attend these club meetings whenever they wish this ensures that parents are informed and engaged in their children's education in real time second not only should you require parental permission for childrens to join these clubs but also mandate permission when third-party organizations or speakers are invited to these clubs parents deserve to know who is influencing their children and thirdly provide a detailed list of the club's purpose materials activities for the parents this transparency is crucial in allowing families to make informed decision decisions about their children's participation by
077implementing these changes you will uh take significant steps toward rebuilding the trust that you've lost with parents but on the other hand if schools continue to keep secrets or B bypass parental involvement I believe you will find that parents will abandon your schools or Worse move away from the district Al together so it's time for schools and parents to work together once again for the good of our children thank you for your time thank you next up is Rebecca Amo followed by Dean BRS good evening thank you so much for allowing us to speak this evening you've already heard from two of my Red Cross Club officers my name is Rebecca Amo I'm the youth program manager for the California Gold Country region of the American Red Cross our region starts at the Oregon border
078ocean to Nevada all the way down to Sacramento and then Eastward towards Modesto we have a huge geographic area with 1,800 volunteers and 500 of them are in Red Cross clubs I think it's most important that I point out two of our guiding principles which are impartiality and neutrality so our interest in the club policy is not related in any way to content of other clubs or how controversial it may be this is a service oriented organization and I've had the extreme privilege of working with not only these officers but a 100 others who are not able to be here this evening um and they started working on their clubs in July with two days of Camp lots of communication since then they learned from all of our lines of service how to operate a
079club everything they do is outward facing last year in the 23 24 school year two clubs held blood drives that collected over 50 units of blood with the potential to save 150 lives they learn how to educate their peers and communities about disaster preparedness something we are definitely not a stranger to in our region last year these youth put in uh almost 3,000 hours this year between July and today they are already at 2500 volunteer hours in preparing their clubs we have two clubs right now that as you've heard from others are subject to to the ban on clubs that are regulated or managed by outside organizations and we're here tonight to urge you to consider how that affects the Red Cross club and any other clubs that serve a nonprofit and serving organization they
080will also be educating their peers in community about International humanitarian law this year's theme IHL and space I've learned tons about what the space force actually does and it's so very important so they will learn that they will also be either teaching um Hands-On CPR or hosting blood drives to collect more of that life-saving blood of those 500 youth volunteers there is one paid staff and that's me this is so volunteer driven and these are the most amazing youth that I've ever worked with in 20 years of Girl Scouts music teaching and other things so please we urge you tonight to consider lifting the ban on clubs managed or regulated by outside organizations especially those that serve others thank you very much thank you next up is Dean BRS followed by Mary kton trustees superintendent
081Hoffman thank you for allowing me to speak tonight my name is Dean BRS I'm a constitutional attorney with the national Center for Law policy and I've been corresponding with the district about Club policies since um March 21st of this year I want to thank the district for taking seriously parents concerns about the lack of transparency about the roll out of the ubu and rainbow clubs and elementary schools Legally Legally parents have the fundamental right and duty to direct the education care and raising of their children this right is protected by the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution in over a 100 Years of US Supreme Court president the US constitutional rights that are given to parents supersede all state laws and School District policies to the contrary it's the highest law in the land parents
082love and know the CH their children best and are best situated to make important decisions about their health safety and Welfare in America we still protect the freedom of conscience and and the freedom of religion the state does not have the authority to decide what is orthodox in religion politics human sexuality nor Force students parents or families to affirm by word or actions their commitment to the government's preferred viewpoints parents are the primary educators of their children and the district must tolerate and respect the diverse views in this community the different beliefs and viewpoints even if the district or individual teachers disagree with them thank you for giving parents the right to opt their children out of the elementary school campus clubs this gives parents the authority to decide what activities are age appropriate before
083their child participates however best practices and I'm a subject matter expert on uh student clubs on public school campuses by the way best practices are that an opt-in be in writing and signed by at least one parent to avoid confusion over verbal consent that's not clear in the policies or the regulations currently parents Des deserve informed consent parents should at least know what the principal knows about the clubs not less therefore we ask that the policies and regulations be clarified so that all Club details are posted on the school website and imp parent information packets the information given to parent should include what activities will be a part of the club including topics discussed materials and books used in details about outside speakers with these minor modifications I wholeheartedly agree that the proposed Elementary School
084Club policy changes and regulations are good thank you for partnering with parents and honoring their primary role in their children's lives thank [Applause] you next up is Mary conden followed by Kirk good evening my name is Mary conden I have three boys that go to Pleasant Grove Elementary school and I'm here to voice an in-person huge thank you to the elro Unified School District board for listening to parents's concerns regarding transparency around the rainbow clubs in our elementary schools our children are called dependents for a reason because we're the parents they depend on us because we have fully developed brains as the parent it's important that my role in my child's education is respected we the authority to agree or disagree to what is an age appropriate club or not we're the authority to decide
085which club aligns with our family's beliefs morally and or religiously whereas the school districts role should have only one single goal for our children and that is to prepare them for the real world educationally we had hoped the secret ubu club would be eliminated entirely from our elro elementary schools however I'm glad that at the very least the district is releasing this new opin policy as a compromise in addition to the new opt-in policy I suggest clarify that the consent must be a written one signed by at least one parent or Guardian in order to avoid confusion over any possible loopholes of a verbal consent the only other recommendation I have is that parents and Guardians be given the same information about the clubs that's provided to the principal so that they can make informed
086decisions about their child's participation this information should include Club activities books and materials used and information about outside speakers I appreciate the steps the district is taking to ensure that families are informed and involved in these decisions and I look forward to continued collaboration between parents and Guardians in the ELR Unified School District thank you again for your efforts and for respecting the diverse perspective IV of our community and putting our 14th Amendment parental rights to the Forefront thank you thank you next up is Kirk followed by amalina hi um I started attending these board meetings back in April of 2023 and from the first day I showed up I've had very little to appreciate from this board and administration today's updates to the club policy has given me reason to come here today to
087say something I didn't think I'd ever say to any panel of elected officials thank you this is really the first time I feel like this board has taken my concerns seriously and then addressed them directly while this policy isn't exactly what I wanted down to the Last Detail I can show appreciation when people realize they cross the line and do the best they can to correct a mistake my main concern was always being notified my first grade son has been hurt on the playground two out of the last four days he's been in school he rubed some dirt on it went back and played I still got notified that's what I'm talking about and this this club policy really should be a no-brainer so please I really want to come here and complain about things
088like funding priorities things like par educator pay athletic funding and how my son's school has a terrible intercom system I hope this is the first step towards allowing parents like me to come here less as a concerned dad and more as a huge nerd thank you thank you next up is amalina followed by Jed Brown that's me amalina so I just um didn't write anything but um I just come to say that um having transparency with parents in your District um it's it's your duty it's the right thing um like Judge Judy say you know if you have nothing to hide you hide nothing so you know in regards to this uh the clubs and school you know I I can see definitely you know High School level it's awesome because you know Club is
089supposedly the student starts the club not the teacher in elementary is the other way around the teacher has to start the club so how do you know that the students are interested in particular club uh then you quite biased about it's like oh I want this club for my students and I'm going to start one so I I I don't see the need for a club really in elementary level I just don't that's my personal um you know opinion here uh however if there are clubs like like we we know that there are clubs in elementary level oh heck yeah you want the parents to know exactly what kind of par what kind of Club it is what they're going to do activities and everything every single detail and if you know even if the
090parents can be part of the club um so you know I'm glad that that some steps are have been taken regarding a policy that for all clubs you know not exceptions here and there like we've seen you know what happen here in our in our district and um I mean we all going to be happy because if the parents think that this club is great for their kids they're going to sign them up you know they're going to even probably contribute material stuff for the club because they believe it's a good thing so I you know I just find it fascinating that some people thought that they could keep this away from from the kids and then with what intention because they thought the parents were to say no oh really so and in in
091the district you know what it took for you to get to this point that's that's that's scary because yeah you have broken a trust and this trust need to be built back uh so you know I'm here today to say I'm glad that that some steps have been taken uh forward to uh have these policies in place of course it's always uh room for improvement and to you as a board members you know to not forget what is your role what is your duty and um and and do just that and sometimes though your decision is not going to make everybody happy but at least you know that you're you're sitting there because there there is a purpose for you to act you know in at your potential and and do what you ought to
092do the right thing thank you thank you next up is Jed Brown good evening members of the school board my name is Jed Brown pastor of Grace Church in elgrove well we appreciate the changes that you made to the policy in response to Dean bro's letter from March 29th you added protections for students and parents these were much needed and these are appreciated however some of the wording is vague and one wonders if this is intentional to allow a wider latitude of interpretation than our parents would have liked then this week you gave us more occasion for skepticism in the appearance of one of your trustees on the 6:00 CBS News there we heard trusty Vargas State this board's stance on lgbtq issues that are not even addressed in this policy he stated for the
093board we don't think it's our job to out students to their parents this statement shows the deeper concern that our parents have with our school district's approach to our children it is tantamount to saying we the school district have the primary responsibility of interacting and counseling the children in our district not the parents or the child's pediatrician if asked by a parent of one of our students the school staff have the right and responsibility to with withhold known facts about that student from the prying eyes of the parent not only do we believe this violates federal law but it also violates natural law spanning the centuries God gave three spheres of authority to the world the government the church and the family while there is some overlap in these spheres you overstep your bounds you
094are assuming an authority and a responsibility that will was never given to you but to parents therefore we strongly disagree with this stance and we believe that federal law will will rule in our favor and not in the favor of the district if the school district continues with this kind of stance I would advise all parents to take all actions necessary to remove your children from this District do not give your children over to those who bear no responsibility for the consequences of their actions thank you madam president that is all of the blue cards on this item thank you very [Music] much my board members do you have questions or comments for the presentation for Mr Su I'll start with I'm I'm gonna start this way with Mr PES she's the chair yes she
095is the chair there's a few issues I have with this policy and I spoke to superintendent about it and that is policy 64 no 6145 and it was regarding the maintenance of minimum of a 2.0 grade point average um after talking to him kind was agreeing with him then I was reviewing my notes that that I had and and and I felt that this this 2.0 grade point average in order to participate in school clubs discriminates against low achieving students period it discriminates I think with Foster youth Childs of acting duty military families uh homeless students because a lot we know that a lot of these students are lower Achievers because they do not attend school so and as a result of that and there is some clubs that are outreaching these students I feel
096to participate and engage with them to improve their academic skills so that's that's why I feel that this issue regarding 2.0 grade point should not language should be deleted from this policy and and a little bit further down down in this uh first p of this document says any decision regarding the eligibility of a homeless student Foster youth or child of En active duty military family for EA or IIA shall be made by the superintendent I don't I don't agree with that that policy also or a dese well who is that Desy and we have a lot of foster youth we have a lot of uh students you know that are in this category and I think that that that's going to present a problem it it should be be these students should be eligible
097regardless and they should participate in our school clubs and so I'm I'm wondering if if it is constitutional is it discriminatory I I I feel that that it is is the policy specifically points out that there's exception thing I want to say is that hold on here I'm not finished I know but you you do one question and then you go on so everybody can understand what you said so there are exceptions built into the policy around that specific to the students that you identified so again uh the review and analy team and support maybe I should have suggested we should have a signoff sheet who who has reviewed this and did an analysis and just signed their name and dated that they agree with this they have no issues with it and so I
098would feel comfortable and I think my fellow board members would feel comfortable uh in approving this particular U new club policies I think we have gone a far away since the s has arrived since last year and so I'm proud of of our staff who participated and and board fellow board members and our community members who participated and G gave input but again we need to look further about these grade point averages I like I said it disc I think discriminates against low achieving students thank you Mr fortina yeah before I begin I have a question to Mr Vargas Mr Vargas did you in fact make a statement this past week on behalf of the entire Board of Education or on behalf of yourself no I was speaking on behalf of the district because the
099they had asked for a comment from the district and I had um gotten all of that I had spoken with Lisa ahead of time and so she had answered a lot of those questions for me and the full quote uh if you want it is that I said we don't believe it's our job to out students which as of few months ago is actually State policy and so it is not I can now state with certainty that it is now State policy that it is not our jobs to out students but the full quote was also included a comment that it what we try to accomplish when a student comes to us with a problem or comes to us and there is a disagreement between what the parent believes and what the student feels then
100it's our job to help that student from find a safe place on campus in which to have difficult conversations or potentially difficult conversations with family thank you I would ask in the future uh if you're asked to speak uh uh irrespective of who you check with if uh I'm going to be included as a member of the Board of Education that I would uh expect that you would respect me and ask for my opinion first well in the absence of the president the vice president can speak on behalf of the district you don't want to make an issue with this one Michael did you have any thank you was that your only question no okay it's really funny isn't it Michael that's your problem you don't take things seriously and you don't take people seriously
101and that's that's too bad um there's um with with respect to the policy and administrative regulation uh revisions um they were certainly born out of missteps that occurred that were unfortunate uh because they do deal with an issue of trust however that being said there is good that has come out of this and that what we have now are standard procedures for the district not just for elementary not not just for secretary but for the whole district and that's good and and that I'm very happy about um there seems to be a lot of thank yous going on and congratul congratulations going on um but there's some misunderstandings um the board of education is going to vote whether or not it approves disapproves of the proposed policies and administrative regulations but the fact that these
102were taken up was was the superintendent the board approves the policy the superintendent and his staff review policy and bring suggestions to the board so uh while uh it's nice to hear people say thank you to the board and I appreciate that because we don't get that very often uh the recognition uh really lies with the superintendent and the superintendent staff in this particular issue Mr for just one clarification um the board will be approving the board policies right not the administ not the administrative regulation correct that's that's yours to do [Music] um for the sake of time um I'm not going to bring up a couple of areas that I have discomfort with um because it's both a matter of of um legal opinion uh as well as as state law um since the
103majority of the revisions um support um beliefs that have been shared with me by constituents I will be voting uh yes uh to the proposed uh changes and and I hope that um with additional uh reminders and education of our staff the missteps that occurred uh will not occur in the future thank you Miss chadesa thank you madam president uh first I want to thank the staff and everyone involved in the development of this policy including of course the parents and students Who provided input um um and I am going to support the proposed policy I think it strikes the right balance between the rights of parents and the rights of students and I Know It's upsetting for some people to hear that the rights of parents and students May ever be in opposition to
104each other but unfortunately that is sometimes the case and we as a board are responsible for upholding both um so I'm I'm appreciate that the proposed policy really maximizes the rights of both to the best of our ability and I hope that parents will take note of what happens in the District that when they bring issues to our attention we're going to listen and we're going to make any changes that may be necessary and in this case they highlighted a need to be more consistent and to improve our communication practices and and as a result everyone's going to benefit across the district because of that work um and uh lastly I want to say that even though there was no nefarious intent we take seriously any actions anywhere in the district that undermine the trust
105of the families that we serve and I'm really pleased that that um hopefully with the adoption of this policy we're going to move forward and start to rebuild that trust Seline sorry I'll keep my comments very brief but I wanted to address the particularly the high school um and secondary school students who came out to comment on this policy today so from what I gain and understand is that the importance of clubs really enhances the feeling of understanding connectedness and Leadership that is crucial to ensure that our secondary students um and young people feel that they are valued and seen and have the privilege and opportunity to engage with each other in these spaces so I also hear that as well that students really want knowledge of the club policies and why um why it
106is affecting them in certain regulations the way that it does and how it manifests into their daily interactions on campus so my request as well and was mentioned before is that staff from the district also follow up with all students to ensure that communication is maintained as well thank you Mr Vargas all right so I want to start with what we're not doing there's been a lot of discussion um both in the media and among families out there um about what exactly these policies mean uh and so first thing is we're not shutting down any clubs nor was that ever a consideration we're not retreating from our commitment to having lgbtq clubs available to any student who wants to start one or on any campus where site staff feels there is a need these clubs
107serve an important community building and campus safety function at both the elementary and secondary levels students and staff should feel complete confidence that they will have the full support of the district if they want to start an lgbtq student Club period we will still provide our staff and teachers the training and resources to support promote and advise lgbtq clubs and support lgbtq students what we're doing is putting some guidance in place to help sites better communicate Club offerings with parents and families by making that information available on our websites and having parents complete a permission slip at the beginning of the year that doesn't mean I don't have some concerns first a permission slip policy would not have been my first choice I would have preferred that the policy be opt out putting the responsibility
108on the extremely small number of parents who object to lgbtq clubs rather than adding unnecessary burdens for everybody else I'm also concerned with how this permission slip policy will be administered the Administration has said that it would be done at the beginning of the year and that parents would have to attest to the clubs that their children are permitted to attend I think that is an acceptable way of doing it what we should not do is have a permission slip policy that is specific to individual clubs or students which would impose equal burdens on some students or Worse become a backdoor way of outing students second I am concerned about the downstream consequences of this policy will students know ahead of time which clubs their parents have given permission for them to attend if a
109student shows up to a rainbow club with their friends unaware that they do not have par parental permission will they be turned away what is that going to do to the child's mental health their self-esteem or selfworth their feelings of connection to our campuses as we implement this policy we should know how we plan to handle these difficult situations where a student wants to be part of a club but their parent has ideological opposition to it but these are implementation questions not policy questions and therefore they're not quite within our purview these are things that we trust the administration to handle and I do trust the administration to handle this and as you are going through the implementation process please remember remember that our first priority is ensuring that students are safe that students have
110equal access to educational opportunities and are connected to our campuses so thank you we cannot have disruption from the audience Miss Alani more oneck um so I just wanted to clarify it we can ask you to leave if you continue to disrupt so just to clarify I will be supporting this policy I trust the administration and the staff to work out the details on implementation and we need to get this policy in place so we're not further disrupting the ability of students to participate in these clubs thank you Miss Alani um my fellow board members have said about everything I would have written on my paper um some things I do want to highlight is um there was a concern about permission slips uh written permission slips um I was a second grade teacher we
111can get a written permission slip and keep a folder of them I don't think that's an issue I think that that I would suggest that's in an AR I think that's a very reasonable request um I love that we have websites across our whole District that match and look the same and are easily accessible and they're going to have a place where you can find a club that is as easy as finding your ELC cap for your school so I think that's a great part of this thing uh part of this this plan I I appreciate the list of clubs because I think you also as a parent if you have a quiet child you don't even know what clubs are available possibly because they aren't going to tell you so I think providing everything
112out there is a great choice I um I think we found a good balance I appreciate the parents that came forward with their concerns and appreciate them um becoming part of the process to find the solution we um we we take um we take our students and our parents very seriously and I think we've done this repetitively and I will say that I have heard and I know it is very frustrating because it is a long process and it also often involves a lot of emotion because it's about our children and so it is our most emotional point and they are our most important people to us but and it does take a long time to do things correctly and I am so sorry to the Red Cross group that has had to wait to
113get approved um but we are dealing with a very large cruise ship not a speedboat we have so many schools and the the benefit of this that I that I love is that there was a problem or a concern um I think there was a break in trust which is very saddening and and I believe that will need to be rebuilt um but we have come out of it better on the other side and that's what I've appreciated about this district for 10 years is when there is an issue they will they will own it and we will work on it and we will find a solution and I believe we've done that again and I think Miss chair has mentioned many of those in the past so um I think we are on the
114right spot here um that was my one suggestion for the AR and again I I understand parents hurt feelings um and I understand parents concerns and I believe this is a plan forward that that ensures um transparency so I I will be vot supporting thank you Mr good evening to uh everyone out there um I just wanted to first start by saying thank you to the students the parents for continuing to advocate for concerns and Improvement in this District um we the board uh with our staff 6,500 um plus uh we we are not perfect by all means but uh we are here to take your um advocacy seriously and sometime we do our best but maybe still didn't get it right um but um as far as I hear tonight uh for from the
115folks that spoke um uh we did it uh somewhat uh uh right and moving to the right direction and I I certainly agree to that uh I do have four um kids age range from 5 to 17 and they are uh El gr Unified School District uh students and I definitely support uh parental rights um for the folks that may not have kids um they may not understand about what that means and uh I heard um one of the public comment um but which I'm not sure if I could uh respond to that but I was not really responding but just the fact that um the students are dependent and that's what it is and we are the parents that uh are the ones that um are responsible for them um while they're are minor
116and so I am very uh grateful and thankful for the collaborative uh effort from our staff starting with Chris our superintendent and uh the whole board uh uh a going adapt this and um you know I'm very thrill and I for one going to vote Yes as well so thank you for all your continued support thank you thank you very much for the presentation thank you to the staff and superintendent Hoffman for the process uh and doing the work uh to uh to make these changes to the policy and the work behind it uh and again and thank you to our student clubs who have been put on hold while we had to rework this um and I'm excited to be able to give you the opportunity to move forward uh with your clubs uh
117and I want to thank all my board for their comments oh yes yeah I do have one more question and that would be directed to the superintendent uh what happens tomorrow morning well tomorrow morning so this is this is going to take us a little bit of time so we are finalizing the there is a permission slip we we finalizing the permission slip uh We've identified the spot on the um website um that will work at the school sites but there's actually some tech technical uh pieces that need to be adjusted on some of the websites to make it all work in the same spot so there's just a number of pieces and then we need to actually meet with our principles and make sure they clearly end this is the board uh Direction and
118then these are the administrative regulations that go along with it so everybody's on the same page so our expectation is in October 1st um you know fully implementation if we get it done sooner than that then we'll we're not going to wait we'll we'll we'll knock it off and uh get the information out to parents and let everybody know we're ready to go I congratulate the October 1st that be thank you pretty fast thank you Mr Pettis so a yes vote would be saying that you would uplift this ban tomorrow yeah can you clarify that there there actually wasn't a ban so it's a little bit of an interesting we we were delaying the starting of new clubs until we had this process in place all of our other clubs literally hundreds of them have
119been running and functioning as they normally do it was it was the we holding on implementing of new clubs because we wanted to make sure we have this policy in place but everything everything's going to be in place ready to go October 1 is our um Target date and again if we can have it done sooner than that we'll do it sooner than that but again I know it's we do things slowly sometimes but when we do things we do them right and so I don't want to uh you'll do a start flag tomorrow and then we have three false starts because the communication wasn't clear uh with somebody in the system so that's that's why we want to make sure we have we're clear across the board so um so we we have a
120policy on that process then then that's what we're saying someplace we have the process of starting a club and Tim taes of response for from the board and you I'm speaking to the process we need to have in place in order to carry out the direction of the board policy um and the administrative regulations that go along with it there is already a system by which clubs are run through asbs and there's actually specific law that outlines that kind of thing and there's constitutions that that we're not we're actually not actually getting into that because the that format works that that's that's actually not the challenge the challenge is related to um how we communicate that information who's who has information um they know they know about the clubs and what the permission um process
121is we've always had permission related to after school clubs but now we're making sure we're clear about whether it's a lunchtime Club after school club regardless of of the activity um so we we just cleared up that distinction so that it's as Mr forena spoke to Across the earlier it's it's clear across the entire organization and that that's what we want to make sure it's clear so that our Target date is October 1st to do okay cish all this okay thank you thanks for clarifying that Mr Yang yep there you go quick question Chris um a a a yes vote um can we still amend some of the um writing in there to clarify some of the concern that uh our constituents may have um or we cannot uh amend any of that policy just
122this clarification so I would say that the the additional items that have been brought up by the public what I heard tonight are really more specific to the administrative regulation not the board policy so the board's taking action on the board policy tonight um so we've you know as staff we've we've heard many of the recommendations uh we'll continue to listen U my um recommendation right now would be we implement the um the administr administr regulations as we've created them at this point but we're always open to if we find something that's not working we can make an adjustment to it but I think for tonight it's just the board make taking action on the board policies not the administrative regulation thank you for clarification I'm happy to hear that and if I could just
123for just make one comment and that is um hearing the the interest in terms of permission this is not verbal permission this is it is written permission thank you all right then I would like to call for a motion to approve board policies 6145 extracurricular and co-curricular activities and 61455 student organizations and equal access so move I'll second move by Mr Yang and seconded by Mr Vargas all those favor please say I I opposed motion carries thank you thank you Miss Watkins resolution for reopt the 20232 24 Gan limit and adopting the 20242 Gan limit good evening Madame President trustees superintendent Miss Avalos colleagues members of the public is there not I don't know if you have an attachment there's no um I don't know that you have an attachment so we can um I
124will just speak through it there is no presentation there is a resolution in the board packet this is um a required process that we um enact every year it is a part of the United actuals packet as well we are required by Statute and proposition to approv the Gan limit it is the appropriation limit it sets our Appropriations as a part of the entire State appropriation limit so I'm asking that the board take action to approve the resolution in your board packet thank you Mr Vargas do we have any blue cards on this item Madame President we have no blue cards on this item I would then like to call for a motion to approve resolution number 26 establishing the district's scan limit for the 20242 fiscal year and the recal calculated 2023 24 appropriation
125limit so move approve second it was moved by Mr Vargas and seconded by Mr fortina all those in favor please say I I opposed motion carries good evening again no thank you we we're almost done okay 2023 24 un audited actual income and expenditures so good evening I will be presenting um this evening our unaudited actual report for the year ending 2023 24 our unaudited actual report is the next step in our Perpetual annual reporting cycle at this stage we are reporting on our ending financial position for 20232 24 last fiscal year it is our new starting balance for the current 2024-25 fisc year and in December we will present and review our current year status with our first interim report for 2024-25 and followed by January's Governor budget proposal for next fiscal year 2526
126the UN audited actuals are the final District reporting for last fiscal year as I mentioned it is an accounting rather than a budgeting process it reports our final year-end position for last year prepared using technical account principles State guidelines and standardized State software this will be the official information used for State reporting that is seen online in Ed data which provides the public access to timely and comprehensive data about all K12 school districts in California it is reviewed by the Sacramento County Office of Education prior to being sent to the state and is audited by our independent Financial Auditors the following three slides will show information for our general fund overall both unrestricted and restricted this slide represents the overall total 84% of our District's general fund Revenue comes from State sources with 66% from
127our general purpose local control funding formula to support all students 75% of our total general fund is spent on employee salaries and benefits 16% is spent on services and and other operating costs and 9% for books supplies and capital purchases 83% of total general fund expenditures are spent on instruction and pupil Services 12% on supporting our facilities and interfund transfers and 5% on General Administration to support District Operations this slide summarizes the variances since June's estimated actuals and the overall increase to our total general fund ending fund balance of nearly $42 million all variances are reviews reviewed and analyzed for future budget projections note that all negotiated agreements including the comparability study and one-time payments are included unrestricted ending fund balance decreased by 19.5 million we recognized nearly 19 million in additional revenue from interest
128Lottery funds and local grants we recognized additional EXP expenditures of nearly 16 million including a reduction in the indirect charge offset from restricted programs of nearly 9.5 million we also contributed close to 22 million to restricted programs in support of meeting students needs we are serving more students with higher needs with increased Services we are balancing delivery by hiring more of our own employees thanks to the improvements through the comparability study and by reviewing contracted services restricted ending fund balance increased by $61 million in part from the $22 million contribution from unrestricted general fund we also recognized an allowable reduction of restricted revenues totaling $13 million because of an accounting principle called deferred revenue where revenue is recognized as we spend it and Carries forward into the current year the $53 million reduction in restricted
129expenditures is for multi-year awards that carry over to Future years this slide compares the unrestricted general fund at estimated actuals un audited actuals and how the updated ending fund balance of nearly $99 million becomes our new beginning balance for the 20242 budget year column C includes the variances described on the previous slide now here we will review the components of the $99 million unrestricted ending general fund balance the balance is designated as nonspendable committed assigned for a specific purpose reserve for economic uncertainties and unassigned the first component shows 1.4 million nonspendable Reserve that includes our revolving cash account inventory and stores and prepaid expenditures the $4 million commitment was board approved in June and includes our $8 million Reserve to mitigate the reduction in concentration grant funding from declining unduplicated pupil accounts and $6 million
130for professional development this will be re-evaluated at first interim as our unduplicated pupil counts are returning to levels that will be eligible for concentration grant funding in future fiscal years and generating additional supplemental funding to support our students the $12 million assigned balance is identified for 20242 textbook purchases and 22 million is our state required minimum reserve for economic uncertainty calculated at 2% of total 22324 general fund expenditures and transfers equivalent of only a week's worth of payroll the balance of 49 million is unassigned and available these are the components of our restricted ending general fund balance these balances are all categorized as legally restricted for these specific programs and includes $33 million for expanded learning close to 100 million in the Arts and Music and instructional materials and learning recovery block grants to support
131positions and initiatives previously funded with our Esser funds and nearly $9 million for vapa education to highlight a few these are our next steps in our accountability process for our United actuals skoe is currently reviewing our report and will forward it to the CDE this will eventually be given to Ed data and published on the cde's website our external auditor is in the process of um auditing and reviewing our financials using their Professional Standards and the state audit guide the audited financial statements will then be forwarded to the state and received by the Board of Trustees at the first meeting in January and I want to acknowledge the thousands of hours spent by the entire District team over the last five months we received funding from nearly 32 25 distinct sources and it is our
132Collective work that results in this report so thank you and I'll turn it over where's my team I've got Adena Andre director of fiscal Services here in the audience I believe Trish Pacho was here earlier she stepped out and Sarah magana is our fiscal compliance specialist and she helps work with the Auditors as well thanks to everyone it is a collective labor of love I will say that thank you thank you very much Mr Vargas do we have any blue cards on this item Madam President we have no blue cards on this item I would then like to call for a motion to approve the report on the 20232 24 un audited actual income and expenditures so moved I'll second Madam chair I have moved by Mr Vargas and seconded by Miss chattis Espinosa all
133those in favor please say I I opposed motion carries thank you Mr chairman i' like to bring this to your attention that um one of our parents in the audience submitted a blue form I didn't I only want a second of your guys this time I didn't know the protocol here I was told at the district today that I'd be allow unforunately I didn't know the prot the law the chaos that the chaos that my son go does not compare to whatever I will bear for trying to speak to you guys right now my son on first pushed out of the district again he was molested and raped at the hands of Unified School District I've emailed each one of you personally and nobody has acknowledged me my son is nonverbal my son cannot defend
134him can you please turn off for microphone thank okay thank you I'm sorry but you cannot speak it is illegal for you to speak at this time we can have staff that will follow up with you we have staff that can follow up with you thank you can we have somebody come and we have staff that will come and speak with you we have staff that will come we have never received an email about that yes yes thank you we will take a five minute break please child no other Rel only years old nobody listens to me nobody everybody keeps do me this under the rug I will whatever I back okay oh okay let me give Sean a second to come back if you see Shawn out there can you let him know okay
135all right one more item on the agenda um superintendent Hoffman or uh Mr forino we met with the city of elro if you would like to give an update thank you yeah in the last several weeks uh had um two two by two meetings the first one was with city of uh El cve and um uh superintendent Hoffman and Deputy superintendent Christen Coats were there along with Jee and I uh that that was a meeting that had been um scheduled and cancelled several times so it was nice that we were we're finally there one nice thing about meeting with the city of Rancho Cordova is when we meet with them they have a number of people who attend that meeting including law enforcement with which is really important because we talk about uh safe safe
136routes to schools and other uh uh traffic mitigation issues and others and this last time we talked about their youth services and got quite of Education with respect to the thrust that the city has taken and so that that was a was a very good meeting second one was with uh uh city of Ranch Cordova and uh there we reviewed uh Transportation issues uh School s side issues um the issuance of building permits and where the city sees itself going so that was also uh a good meeting those are those are Partnerships that are important just so that we're kind of on the same page with respect to what each other's planning is so thank you thank you very much I think that that's the biggest takeaway from those meetings is the willingness for both
137the city and the district to work together in all of our efforts so as we continue to expand uh as we look to serve our students and continue to find new ways to work with them it's all done in collaboration so we did speak about all the the future things coming up for the city and how the district can be a part of those so thank you Mr superintendent do you have anything else to report I do have one thing to share with the board to make sure the board is um aware and and the the staff that's here uh Dr uh Bindy greywall who's back there um is a a champion um for students and uh and staff and has been so for uh for 30 years plus here in ELC grve unified and
138um served in in many positions um including um site principal director in human resources and um this last role as the assistant superintendent of secondary education um she is a phenomenal leader um and has and we will miss her greatly um and she's an even better person and so I just want to say thank you for everything that you've done for the students staff of elro unified um and uh I'm I'm very happy for you a little bit I'm not so happy but I'm happy for you um and um again I look forward to uh our paths Crossing again in the in the future but this will be her last board meeting um so you see a little grin on her face that's what that is and with that we will adjourn this meeting on
139a happy note at 8:22 p.m thank you