Weston Board of Education Meeting

001Meeting details. You let me know when Sharon joins. I am. I'm still waiting for her. I'm watching the attendee side to see if she's over there. Sharon's here. I'm here. Yeah. Oh, there she is. Okay, there we go. And I see Debbie. And I think we are good to go at this point. You You can take it over, Steve. Great. So, uh, we have a quorum. Um, good evening everyone. It's Monday, April 21st, 2025. This is a regular meeting of the Western Connecticut uh, Board of Education. Uh, the first item on the agenda is a pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Um before we start, um I

002would like to uh take a moment um and introduce uh Debbie Lowe. I think a number of you over the last month. Debbie's been here not quite a month now. Um Debbie uh has joined us uh as our acting superintendent. Um and Debbie will be here until uh we appoint a new superintendent. I believe the community knows um that we have been actively searching for u a replacement for Lisa Barbierro. Um and that was in place before Lisa chose uh to take an extended medical leave. Um I can just tell everyone that we've gone through uh a first round of interviews with six candidates. Um and we have uh invited three of those candidates to come back uh and meet the board. Uh that will take place uh that will play take place Thursday Thursday

003evening uh Thursday of this week. Uh we think we have three uh very qualified uh individuals uh who are interested uh in joining uh the Weston school system. Debbie um uh is a relatively uh recent uh resident of Weston. Um has an impeccable educational background. um 20 plus years uh in the Wilton school system where she was the principal of Wilton's High School, then went on to become an assistant superintendent before joining the Richfield school system as their superintendent of schools um for eight years um and uh after retiring in 2015 uh joined the Wilton Board of Education um and became chair of Wilton's board until she moved uh to Weston uh in in 2022. Um we're very lucky uh that someone of Debbie's qualifications um would step up and fill this interim role uh

004during a very critical period for uh Western schools as we uh look for a replacement uh for for Lisa who spent 40 years in in our school system. Uh later in this evening's meeting, uh Debbie will be making some uh comments on her observations in the month that month that she's been here and her initial recommendations based on uh what she's seen. Um and I can I can tell you that we've had, you know, innumerable conversations. Debbiey's been in many of the meetings that have taken place uh in the community and I'm sure that uh there's going to be public comment um around uh some of the uh actions that have been taken and people would like to see. Um, and just on that topic, I just want to tell the board um that uh

005I will be recommending uh ahead of public comment um that we wave the 20-minut rule um and that um we allow uh everyone to speak um who who wants to speak as long as the comments are civil. Um but uh we encourage public comment and we will uh take any and all comments that are made uh by anybody uh who would like to make them. Um with that, sorry, just moving between computers. The um the next item on the agenda is uh the student board of education representatives. ladies. Joya. Hi everyone. Um so just some updates and some plans coming up. Um to start we just had our uh school play which was the Putnham County Spelling Bee. Um it was really funny and engaging and entertaining and it even included some of our very

006own Weston High School teachers. So, we're really proud of company and everything they've been doing. Okay. Hi everyone. I'm Jay. It's nice to see you all again. Um, we we recently just had a group of educators come to our school. Um, so it was a group of educators from around Connecticut and they came to Western High School a week before break and we had students including Emily and myself um give them tours of the school and then they also attended a fair of um student work where they were able to see kind of what students have just been working on. Um, and it was such a great way to show off our amazing students in school. Um, and then to add on to that, we have our spring sports which are in full swing now.

007Um, with the warm weather, it's been super nice. People are going to be coming out to sport sporting events and um everything like that. uh athletes have been training hard for track, lacrosse, tennis, and uh esports which has been going on all year. So, um and then just kind of a note on some of our senior activities. So, obviously our seniors this year is coming to a close and we have some wonderful events planned for them including a senior trip to Six Flags, senior prom, um a senior stroll, and then of course graduation and then the post-graduation event. And I know our senior student government is sort of toying with the idea of doing a senior sunset, which would be really cool and new. Um, and then also coming up for our seniors are their

008senior internships. Um, which are it's like a three-week program um after AP exams in May. And all seniors that are participating in that program have already secured their internships and sent them to Miss Green. So, we're really excited for that as well. Um, and then lastly, we have our AP exams coming up. Um, so over the next couple weeks, our AP students will be preparing with their teachers. Um, it's for juniors and seniors and yeah, students have been working hard to prepare. So, that's pretty much everything unless you guys have any questions for us. Any questions for J or Emily? Um, I just have one comment. uh in addition to everyone's uh warm welcome uh to Weston um I was able to meet with uh uh Gia and Emily uh and they are such true

009ambassadors and great represent representative of Weston High School and they spoke about uh their perceptions of the high school well their entire experience uh but um they were just so proud of Western High School and its strengths. They had a couple of tweaks they might make. Uh but um they're just truly wonderful representatives. So I thank them for their leadership and for making me feel welcome. Um so you're you're quite part of a special group and you're leaders within that special group. So thank you. It was great meeting with you. That was so nice to meet you. Thank you. Um okay, if there are no more questions, then we hope you guys have a good meeting. It was nice to see you. Thank you very much. Bye. Good evening. Um, item number four is approval

010of minutes. Uh, we have a series of minutes to approve. Uh, the first is the meeting minutes from March 17th. Are there any changes uh to those? If not, can I have a motion to approve the Western Board of Education minutes for March 17, 2025? Does anybody have the language up? All right. I don't have the official language, but I'm just going to go. I'm just going to shoot from the hip. I You have a your agenda. I had the board of ed um has special agenda that has motion language in it. If you pull that up, you'll find everything. All right. I can Well, I'll I'll do that. Go ahead. Otherwise, you can wing it. Yeah, I'm just going to wing it for this one. It's going to take me a few minutes. Um,

011so I move that the board of ed board of education approve the minutes from the um March 17th board of education meeting. That's exactly how it reads. I got it. All right. Second. It reads like that. Also that I get the second. All those in favor? I I opposed. The next item is to approve the meeting minutes from the March 24th, 2025 uh Weston Board of Education meeting. I have the language pulled up 24th. Excuse me. I have the language pulled up if you want. Move that the Weston Board of Education approve the minutes from the March 24, 2025 meeting. Is there a second? I second. All those in favor? I I I approval of the minutes from the March 25th, 2025 Western Board of Education meeting. Let's keep it rolling. Move that the Western

012Board of Education approve the minutes from the March 25, 2025 meeting. I second. All those in favor? I I have to abstain. I think that's the meeting on Monday the 25th. Um. Yes. Great. Uh the minutes are approved. So now we're going to move on to public comment. Um prior to public comment, uh we read a statement. The board welcomes the opportunity to hear from members of the public about matters concerning Weston Public Schools. Public comment is an important chance for the board to receive input and feedback from our school community. We listen attentively to all comments shared. While we value and pay close attention to public comment, it is our practice not to respond substantively or sometimes not at all during public comment. There are several reasons for this. First, engaging in a discussion

013on non-aggenda items could violate the board's obligations to comply with the Freedom of Information Act. Excuse me. Second, the board or the administration may not be prepared to discuss certain matters raised in the first instance by a public comment. Third, the board develops its meeting agenda carefully to ensure that the board addresses matters that are pressing or relevant at the time of the meeting. We encourage members of the public with specific questions, concerns, or complaints about our schools to reach out directly to acting superintendent Deborah Lowe. You may also email the board at our email address, board of education westnps.org. Additional details on public comment at board meetings can be found on our website. meeting conduct bylaws of the board number 9325 uh can also be found um on board book or uh on our

014public website. So I'd like to make a motion at this point to extend the 20 minute per topic rule by bylaw 9325 for this meeting on Monday, April 21st, 2025. Can I have a motion to approve? Yeah, motion to approve. Is there a second? I'll second. Second. All those in favor? I opposed. Jody. Do you want to take the meeting over? Yes. Thank you. For those of you that are attendees on this meeting, if you are interested in speaking at public comment, I would like you to please click the little raise hand icon that is at the bottom of your screen. When I call your name, I am going to promote you from an attendee to a panelist. At that time, you're going to see a little icon pop up at the bottom of your

015screen. Please accept that and then you will be in panelist mode. Um, I'm going to ask you to please state your name and state your street address and turn your camera on so that we can see you for public comment. And at that point, you will have five minutes to speak. I'm going to start with the first person, Bruce Thompson. Give me one moment to promote you. Hey, Mr. Thompson, you should be a panelist now. Please turn your camera on, state your name and your street, and you will have five minutes to speak. Thank you very much. Um, my name is Bruce Thompson. I'm on four Pink Cloud Lane here in West. Uh, I first wanted to just thank the board for everything that we do with him. I am very aware of the amount

016of time you spend uh in this endeavor and I view it as one of the most important things you could be doing uh from a public service perspective. Um what I want to just uh request um urge the board to consider is a complete commitment to um no place for hate program. Um my wife and I have raised four kids. uh they did not go to this public school system but they went to others and that was a program that was in place even 20 years ago as I recall. I also have close family members who have been for many years classroom teachers at the elementary school level and I am aware from that experience that uh implementing that program through the elementary level is every bit as important and perhaps more important than some

017of the other levels uh because those are the future students. Um sadly I have learned that some students will not learn these principles at home. they need to at least learn them in school. Uh, thank you very much. Thanks, Bruce. Thank you very much. Give me just one moment and I will move you back to an attendee. Okay, the next individual is Stephanie Fineold. I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Give me just one moment. Hey, Stephanie, you can now uh turn your camera on, state your name and street address, and you'll have five minutes to speak. Good morning. Uh can you see me? Oh, there I am. Yes. Hi, Stephanie Fangold, and I am at three Pink Cloud Lane. Okay, good evening. I'm speaking tonight on behalf of Mothers in Blue, a group

018of eight Jewish Weston moms committed to addressing anti-semitism in our schools. We aim to serve as a partner and resource for you, the board of education, and our administration. Anti-semitism is centuries old and exists to some extent everywhere. But since October 7th, we've seen an exponential rise in anti-semitic rhetoric and incidences across the country and around the world. Here in Weston, five swastikas, whether drawn out of malice or ignorance, feel deeply painful to the Jewish community. Not just because of what they represent, but because they appeared in a town we love and in a school district that we know is committed to keeping all students safe and valued. Over the past several months, Mothers in Blue has met with school administrators, educators, and members of this board. Thank you. We've also done extensive research into

019best practices and programs to create more inclusive school environments. Recently, we submitted a proposal to you with five key recommendations. I'd like to highlight a few of the most timely and essential ones for the 2025 2026 school year. First, curriculum. We applaud the decision to bring the Anti-Defamation League's No Place for Hate program to Weston Middle School, but we urge you to also implement it at Weston Intermediate School starting in the fall and ultimately at Hurlbut Elementary. No Place for Hate is a K to2 program already used districtwide in Westport and Richfield. It's not an anti-semitism curriculum. It's an anti-hate one addressing identity, bullying, and bias, including anti-semitism, racism, and homophobia. It equips students with language and tools to recognize and respond to bias early before harmful behaviors take root. It builds on PBIS and

020goes further addressing the specific challenges Weston is now facing not just at the middle and high school but also at WIS and HBOut at the high school level. We recommend expanding access to the facing history and ourselves curriculum and continuing to build on critical reading and media literacy. These skills help students recognize propaganda and misinformation, essential as they prepare for increasingly complex discourse and anti-sionist rhetoric on college campuses. We also request the district to recognize Jewish American Heritage Month in the same spirit as Black and Women's History Months across all schools. This might include visible displays, curated library selections, and teachers sharing age appropriate stories highlighting Jewish American achievements. These actions help Jewish students feel seen and valued and give their peers a broader understanding of Jewish identity beyond the lens of victimhood. Our teachers

021are the cornerstone of this work. We deeply respect and appreciate our dedicated teachers for the care they bring to their classrooms every day. But many have told us they feel unprepared to address these complex and sensitive issues. They want to support every student but also not say the wrong thing. This is why we urge the district to dedicate a day of professional development to a program such as Stand with Us, which provides educators with the tools to recognize and address anti-semitism beyond obvious hate symbols. Lastly, we hope the district will make addressing anti-semitism a leadership priority, not only through hiring decisions, but by creating a director of culture and climate. A dedicated professional with a training, authority, and capacity to oversee inclusion efforts can help ensure that your programming is sustained, strategic, and impactful. If

022the current budget does not allow for such a role, a practical interim step could be soliciting a teacher volunteer in each building to help lead this work. I'd like to close with this. The high school student whose football locker was defaced with the swastika this fall recently attended the ADL's never is now conference with his mother and brother. This is the largest gathering on anti-semitism and hate in the country. In the K to2 education session, Weston was highlighted as a case study, an example of how school districts should respond to anti-semitic incidences. Under your leadership, we hope Weston will continue to be that role model. Imagine if we're known not only for how we responded in a moment of crisis, but for how we seized that moment and built a school culture grounded in empathy,

023courage, and belonging. A culture where students recognize and stand up to hate and every child feels safe, respected, and empowered to be exactly who they are. Thank you for your time and for all you do for our schools and our children. Thanks, Stephanie. Thank you, Stephanie. I'm going to move you back to an attendee now. Give me just a moment. Thank the next individual that I am going to promote is Jill Hitman. Jill, give me just one moment, one moment, then I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Okay, Jill, if you can turn your camera on, state your full name and your street address, please, and then you'll have five minutes to speak. Sure. Hi, I'm actually Jill Stysand in the uh community. It's a identity crisis that many women go through. But, um,

024I live at 11 Cavalry Road and I have two children in the school district, one at W and one at Herbut. Um, I want to start by thanking the board of ed for allowing these comments today and at the last board of ed meeting. I also appreciate the communications that happened since the last board of ed meeting consistent consistently calling out these incidences for what they are, which is anti-Semitic. Unfortunately, as we stand here today, we're now at five reported incidences within just one school year. And the fact that multiple swastikers have appeared in our schools, including one that directly targeted a Jewish student, should be enough to tell us that we need to do more. The current efforts are not enough, and we have asked for public information on what the possible repercussions are

025for students that commit these crimes. I've yet to see that. Uh, and anything that has been communicated to the students or the community, I'm hopeful that we'll see that tonight. We need professional training. We need curriculum oversight. And we need leadership who understand this moment. I'm grateful to all of you who sit on this board of ed and in these leadership positions. I know this is a tough job and you all are certainly demonstrating that level of leadership in all of your communications um since the last board of ed meeting. So I appreciate that. But I do believe we need to do more more. I fully support the proposal that the moms in blue shared with you and I strongly encourage you to adopt all of these measures for all ages. It is clear we

026cannot wait until the next school year or else we will continue to see that number five go up and up over the next couple of months. Um so again, appreciate what you're doing. I think we need to do more and um I am grateful to the moms in blue as well. I think there's a great proposal on your desks right now. Thank you, Jill. Just give me one moment. I'm going to move you back. Okay. Lori Rosenberg, Rosenberger, I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Give me just one moment. Okay. All right. All right, Laura, you'll have five minutes to speak. Please turn your camera on. State your name and your street address. Hi. First, let me apologize for the dogs barking in the background. My husband just walked in the door, so I

027apologize. Um, my name is Lori Rosenberger. My son is Jacob Kraner, who is a WHIS student, so the confusion sometimes with the last name. Um, I am at seven Brier Oak Drive. So, I just wanted to a thank you all for letting me speak this evening and letting everybody speak and waving the 20 minute rule. That is greatly appreciated. I think there's a lot going on and I appreciate you giving everybody a voice, a respectful voice at that. So, I'm going to read what I wrote because I find it easier that way. So, as a WHIS parent, I believe this is a crucial moment for the schools, especially with a new principal coming in. It's a perfect time to implement meaningful programs such as No Place for Hate that can help lead the school from

028this from the start of the principal's July 1st start date. I believe that these programs should begin as soon as possible. Respectfully, the new principal will have a lot on their plate, and I'd like for No Place for Hate to be front and center, not lost in the shuffle or placed on the back burner. On top of No Place for Hate, I strongly encourage WISH to prioritize professional development for teachers on how to address anti-semitism, racism, and other forms of hate. These conversations can be difficult, but they're necessary, and teachers need the tools to handle them effectively and confidently. We also need to focus on our kids and WIS now while they're still young and impressionable. This is the right age to teach empathy, respect, and accountability before peer influence outweighs parental guidance. WIS is

029uniquely positioned to reach these students early and it's vital that we act now. An example of starting now is my son who is very into music and listens to hiphop and rap and K-pop. And there are many words, as I'm sure you can all relate, that should not be used, but are used. And my job as a parent is to teach my son that these words are not acceptable. But the school also has a responsibility to set step in and set clear expectations. I feel like now is the time to make it clear that WHIS is a no place for hate school before next year. Thank you for your time. really appreciate it. Thank you, Lori. Give me just one moment. I'm gonna move you back to a panelist. I mean to an attendee. Megan

030Elliot, I'm going to promote you to a panelist next. Good evening, Megan. You're ready to go. Hi everyone. Uh Megan Elliot, 22 Timber Mill Lane. Uh I'm the mother of two students in the Weston schools, one in Herald and one in Wis. Uh I want to thank each and every one of you for your service to the town during this difficult time and for your open for your openness to input from from parents. Uh and I just want to express my support for the comprehensive recommendations made by the mothers in blue with regards to the necessary inclusion of anti-hate curriculum in our schools. That's all. Thanks Megan. Thank you Megan. One moment I'm going to move you back. Next we will have Will Flice. I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Hey, Mr. Flice,

031if you can turn your camera on, state your full name and your street, please. Right. Thank you. We can see you. All right. Hello. Um, my name is Will Fleece. I live at 12 Winslow Road. I have a daughter in uh, second grade and uh, another daughter who will be in kindergarten next year and a a son who's much younger. Um, I am here uh to speak on behalf of the Mothers and Blue proposal and just um say how much I support uh everything that they are talking about in terms of addressing the rising uh anti-semitism in our schools and um specifically with the focus on curriculum. Um obviously you all know the importance of education and uh I think it all starts there. So thank you for all you do and um please take

032it very seriously. Thank you. Thanks Will. Thank you. Give me one moment and I'm going to move you back. Uh Maracott, I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Give me just one moment. And I apologize if I mispronounced your name. Okay, you're now a panelist. You can turn your camera on and state your name and street address. Okay, great. Um, my name is Maracott Msokus. I live on 28 Indian Valley Road and I have two children in West Endon, one in the middle school and one in the high school. Um, at the last meeting, my husband, James McCarthy, expressed concern about the blank facial expressions from many of you sitting here after hearing a mother speak about her personal experiences and fear she carries for her children due to the anti-semitic hate. It was

033a painful evening, but a necessary one. Families came forward expressing fear, frustration, and hurt. The intent of those public comments was not to stir conflict, but to convey the urgency and the crit critical need for attention to what is happening in our schools. It came to my attention that later that same week, my husband's words, his public comment, an attempt to speak truthfully and passionately led to a negative impact on our daughter's school day at the middle school. I want to be very clear. Retaliatory actions cloaked as routine student disciplinary measures are not professional and are highly inappropriate. Pulling an 11-year-old girl away from valuable instructional time and silencing her her on baseless claims because of the existing personal feelings you may have against her parent is unacceptable on every level. Giving critical feedback is

034never easy. It's much like pointing out to someone they have food stuck in their teeth. You don't want to embarrass that person, but you know that they would rather want to know than not know. So, please understand the comments directed at you are not intended to be personal attacks. They are meant to help you grow because when you are better, our kids are going to be better. With that, I encourage acting superintendent Deborah Loe and the members of the BOE to consider the exceptional leadership already present in Weston as you search for a new leader for the middle school and for the district. Mrs. Fowler at WIS, Mr. Walters at the middle school, Miss Ketta at the high school, or even Mr. Pal at Hurlbut exemplify what makes our schools truly special. Through my personal

035experiences and various observations both as a parent and as a community volunteer, I can attest how these leaders effectively leverage the small learning communities that make that makes Western so they they know every student in their building as individuals. There are no favorites and no biases that affect the way they approach students every day. They look to parents, all parents, as partners to support student learning and well-being. Their leadership is reflected in the culture they foster among the teachers, staff, and the community of families they have in their buildings. I trust you will use their example as a benchmark when evaluating candidates for these vital roles. Thank you. Thank you. I'm going to move you back to an attendee. The next individual is Sherah Coladney. Sharer, give me one moment. I will move you to

036a panelist. Bear with me just one moment. My mouse does not want to work. Okay, Sherah, you're now a panelist. Please turn your camera on, state your name and your street address, and then you will have five minutes to speak. It worked. Can you hear me? Yes, we can. Okay. Um, as an aside, I'm sweating and I'm terribly nervous, but I'm going to read what I wrote anyway. Here it is. I've never spoken at a meeting before. I'm afraid to use my voice in this way. But then the more I think about it, the more I get mad at myself because why should my voice be silenced? I live here. I pay taxes. I entrusted my two beautiful babies to this district and I still have one at the high school. I want what's best

037for my kids, my personal kids and everybody else's. I want a school, really a community where all of us feel feel heard, where all of us can be free to speak and use our voice, where all of us can be met with dignity and empathy and a longing to learn and grow together. I want a district free of anti-semitism, free from all sorts of hate, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to create this space for our children. This moment is scary. In my Jewish world, we wake every morning wondering who's been stabbed because they are Jewish, whose store windows have been shattered, who's been denied service at a Staples because they're wearing a Star of David, or whose children were locked in a library, unable to return to their dorms. My world, the

038world that I'm plugging into is terrifying. And that terror is leaking into my town in the form of five swastikas over the course of seven months. This is my home. This is my school. This is my community. And here live the people that I love and the children that I'm honored to educate. We all we we grown-ups. We have to work together to partner to ensure that hate is not allowed to simmer and grow. I've worked with the mothers in blue for months to present to you a comprehensive, logical, cheap, and effective proposal to begin the process of healing and learning to create a sense of belonging for all children and staff to open our hearts and our minds to the identity of others without making them feel otherred. Please allow us to partner with

039you to bring No Place to Hate to life in Weston to find PD that will provide knowledge and tools to district staff to deal with and hopefully prevent these incidents. Let us pause to review the curriculum to make sure the windows and mirrors that we've established include Jewish identity, too. And lastly, allow this collaboration to spread throughout the schools by creating a centralized position to monitor progress and growth. I'm here for all of this work. Use me in my parent hat. Use me in my educator hat. Use me as the liaison that I am. Just use me to help me to help move forward in preventing anti-semitism. Thank you. Thank you, Cheryl. Thank you, Sh. I'm going to move you back to an attendee. Ruth, I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Just give

040me one moment. Okay, Ruth, you can turn your camera on for us, please. Please state your full name and your street address. Hi, Ruth Israeli, Nord Home Drive. I first of all want to thank the board of education for making this a continuing dialogue and not a continuing monologue. It's very very easy in the face of criticism, even constructive criticism, to circle the wagons and become protective and insular, and to ignore the noise around you and ignore the substantive conversation around you. And so, I want to thank you, and I'm going to ask you to continue to graciously hear and consider the ideas that people are putting before you. I want to back the mothers in blue. The plan that they've proposed is something that I support as a mother, as a former educator, and

041as a citizen of this town. I like to say to people that it is not something embarrassing to ask experts when you don't know. And the mothers in blue, each in their own way, are experts. I urge you to listen to them because I'm sure that none of you has had a chance to become an expert, if you weren't one already, on anti-semitism. And that's not something we should blame you for. But what we should ask you to do is rely on the advice of experts. They have created a curriculum that is based on windows and mirrors. Windows into the experiences of others and mirrors that ask our children to learn to reflect on their own experiences. I also want to remind you that resources are available through the educational departments at the United States

042Holocaust Memorial Museum. Programs including teacher training are available for low cost or through the through the getting of grant money. And I myself as a teacher attended one of those programs. It was reality altering even for me, a granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor who grew up knowing more than our kids know today about the Holocaust. I also want to tell you that it is important to make sure that we remember that our town is very safe, but that hate does not stop at the borders of our town. The weapons that we use to fight hate are not satisfying. There is no silver bullet. It has to be an ongoing sustained and continued effort by you as a board, by us as a community and as parents in partnership with our children so that they grow

043up to be the citizens we want them to be and that we know that they can be. Thank you. What you doing? Thank you, Ruth. Thank you, Ruth. Give me just a moment to move you back. Next up is Paul. Paul, I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Give me just a moment. Paul will be joining us. Paul, when when you join us as panelists, you can turn your video on and state your full name and your street address, please. Didn't drop off. Okay, here we go. Okay, Paul, we can see you. Okay. Yeah. Can you Can you hear me? I don't know if you can see me or not. Uh I we can't see you, but we can hear you. Okay. I'm sorry. I'm working off of two devices here. I apologize. Okay.

044Um, well, why don't I read the uh the statement uh that I have here, which I'm going to read on behalf of my wife and my family. Uh, my name is Paul Lashen, and we live at 70 Fanton Hill Road. Uh, we have two daughters, Ruby and Vivian, in Weston Middle School. Um, so firstly, I'd like to thank uh everybody for uh for really for everything that you do. uh but specifically uh and especially uh aside from the opportunity to speak here uh for the steps that you've all taken to support our Jewish students, families, and staff uh and teachers of course. Uh we truly apprec appreciate it. We're here today not just as parents or educators, but as members of a community that's deeply concerned. Since October 7th, Jewish life has changed for everybody.

045Uh we as Jews are grieving a horrific attack. We're still waiting on news of the hostages and we're witnessing a global surge in anti-semitism, including right here at home, not just in the headlines. The swastikas that we've talked about have appeared in our schools. And for Jewish students, that's not just graffiti. It's a it's a symbol of genocide. It evokes fear that's rooted in thousands of years of persecution, expulsion, and violence. When we see these symbols, we don't see an isolated act. We see a pattern that we know all too well. Many of us spend our days tracking rising anti-semitism online and in our towns. We're watching misinformation being spread, history being rewritten, and the silence of institutions growing louder. What we feel isn't just fear, it's urgency, and it's a responsibility to speak up

046because if we don't, who will? We're a small population. Sorry. We're a small population and often misunderstood. But we're not here to be pied. We're here to ask for partnership and real change. For my wife Kate and myself and my family, that means strong, clear responses to anti-semitic incidents, education for staff and students on what anti-semitism looks like today, visible support and acknowledgement of what Jewish families are experiencing. We know the board wants our schools to be safe for all students. We're asking for continued and deeper understanding because we are living in a moment where silence is dangerous and education is essential. So once again, thank you for standing with us. We're all a team here and we want to continue that. And thank you also for continuing to listen. Thank you. Thank you, Paul.

047Give me just a moment. I'm going to move you back to an attendee. All right. The next person up is Lindsay Bennett. Lindsay, I'm going to promote you to a panelist now. Hey Lindsay, you can turn on your camera and state your name and your street address, please. Sure. Hi, Lindsay Bennett at 379 Georgetown Road. Good evening. I want to take a moment to thank the board of education. I was deeply moved to see so many of you at the Moms and Blue discussion at the library. It meant so much to me and to so many others in the community. Hearing that it was one of the most important meetings attended by board member members really resonated with me and I hope and I'm hopeful it will lead to meaningful change in areas like curriculum

048accountability. It's hard to think of the right word but maybe cultural awareness and inclusivity. As a parent of three children in the district, one in third grade, one in first, and one in the ELC, I hope that they will feel welcome, supported, and proud of who they are as Jewish students throughout their time in Weston. I'm looking forward to hearing about the district's specific plan to combat anti-semitism this evening. On a completely different note, I also hope time will be spent this evening reviewing the consent agenda. I noticed what appear to be non-renewals of several educators and aids who have made a tremendous impact on our family, especially on my son who has higher needs. I don't claim to be an expert in hiring or personnel decisions, nor do I know the context behind these

049choices, but from my own personal experience, our family has definitely felt so supported by Mrs. Webb, Mr. Delby, and Mr. Delbin. They made a real difference in our household. Again, thank you for your time this evening and for all that you do for our students um and the community at large. Thank you. Thank you, Linda. Jennifer Rubin, I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Hey, we can see you now. Please turn on your camera and state your name and address. You'll have 5 minutes. Thank you. Hi, my name is Jennifer Rubin and I'm at 63 Calvary Calvary Road. I wanted to thank the board of ed and our educators and um Debbie Low and all our admin for all you've done the last few months. I know it's been very difficult. Um and I

050really give um I'm really just want to say thank you and um I wrote a little something that I wanted to share. I have a son in seventh grade at Weston Middle School. I believe very strongly that No Place for Hate and other and the other curriculum such as facing history in ourselves which help students connect history to the choices they make be implemented at the middle school as well as No Place for Hate at WIS. Both Westport and Ridgefield school system started it last year. Weston should follow suit. We were fortunate enough to meet with the woman who runs No Place for Hate in Westport and she is seeing a great response. We learned so much in our time together. As Stephanie mentioned, it is not just about an anti-semitism. It's about teaching our

051children starting in elementary school how to address forms of hate and teach accountability and empathy. It is studentled with fac with the faculty overseeing it. We know some students that have already expressed interest in taking a leadership role. I believe believe it is very important to start this process now so we can implement this in the beginning of the school year. We know that we are hiring a new superintendent who has had experience with anti-semitism and other hate biases, then he or she he or she should be ready to go on day one. It should be a priority. I do not believe we need to wait any longer as time is of the essence. My son has unfortunately faced anti-semitism last year in one of his classes and now this year with all the swastikas.

052It has affected him immensely. I want him to know that we are doing everything possible to put an end to the hate he's seen this year. I want him to understand that it's important to stand up, show empathy, and come together. I am a proud me member of the Moms and Blue group that was formed a few months ago. We have met with the ADL No Place for Hate leaders, our admin, educators, and the board of ed to discuss our proposal. We are asking the board of ed and our admin, both outgoing and incoming, to take the lead on this now. And we are here for you as a resource. Thank you. Thank you, Jennifer. Thank you, Jennifer. Give me a moment and I'll move you back. And Mark, I'm going to promote you to

053a panelist. Hey Mark, when you're ready, turn your camera on. State your full name and your street address, please. Good evening, everyone. I appreciate the opportunity to speak with the uh board of education. Uh my name is Mark Kresevski. I live at 226 Weston Road. Uh my son is the high schooler who was targeted in the fall with the two swastikas carved into his locker. So, this is an issue that I feel very strongly about. My family and I, we chose to speak out publicly at the time, not because it was the easy thing to do, but because it was the necessary thing to do. And tonight, I'm speaking out because I want to endorse all of the proposals um presented by the mothers in blue. Tonight, at the time of my son's anti-semitic experience,

054we had a number of productive and collaborative meetings with the school leadership. Um, as Stephanie had said and I can confirm, um, the educational programs and the responses that came out of that incident, um, at this town were cited at the ADL national meeting as a model for other stu other towns to follow. But the fact that there have been four additional anti-semitic incidents since that time makes it clear that what has been done so far unfortunately has not been enough. um the steps laid out by the mothers in blue group tonight will help address many of those unmet needs and I endorse them strongly. I really hope and my family hopes that the board of education and this town as a whole can work together to make systematic changes to make it clear that

055we will not accept this behavior repeating itself over and over again. Thank you for your time and for your support in this important work. Appreciate it. Thanks Mark. Thank you very much. One moment. I'm going to move you back. And the next individual is going to be Jade. Jade, give me one moment and I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Okay. All right, Jade, you're in the meeting now. Please turn your camera on and state your full name and your street address, please. Thank you. Good evening. It's actually Sari D'vorne. I'm using my daughter's iPad, Jade, who's in fourth grade. Um, again, my name is Sarah D'vorne. I live at 8 Thorp Drive. I have three children in the school district, an 11th grader, an eighth grader, and my fourth grader. um as the

056parent of a member of the Jewish student union actually she's on the board the JSU at the high school and a supporter strong supporter of the mothers in blue I'd like to reiterate the request that the words to action program be included as part of our response to combating anti-semitism this program provides specific tools that empower our students to make a meaningful difference the program includes empowering young people to become leaders in addressing anti- matism and fostering connections with each other. Facilitator-led activities and discussions to help participants which gain tools for recognizing and challenging anti-semitism. Developing leadership skills, analyzing anti-semitism as a complex system that harms society at large. Explore the diversity of Jewish identity and experience. Evaluate the relationship between anti-semitism and other forms of oppression. champion a more equitable and just society through

057education, advocacy, and allyship. Incorporating the words to action program into our efforts will provide invaluable support in empowering our students to take a stand against anti-semitism. By equipping them with the necessary tools, leadership skills, and understanding, we can foster a generation of informed, compassionate leaders who actively work toward creating a more inclusive and just school environment for all. Um, that was, as you probably could tell, pre-written. But, um, I would also like to say from the heart, having three students here in the district, being a Jewish mother, um, seeing all of these five swastikas that have happened um, the past few months. Um, it's just there's just no words. I have an idea. I don't know if you guys will say, "What is she crazy?" But I have an idea. And I actually spoke to

058Rabbi Freriedman about it who I, you know, I'm a congregant of his temple and I know he's helped out the community a ton with um lots of um assemblies and things like that. These students that are doing these acts um I think a lot of it and I hope you would agree um are a little bit of ignorance um a little bit of social media. It's it's a combination. Um a little bit of un possible unfortunate coming from the home, maybe other things as well. I think that if we can possibly get Rabbi Freriedman, our local reverend, our local pastor, our local person ahead um who leads, you know, other types of religious beliefs, and no joke, have assemblies in all all four schools because I believe it starts from the bottom. It's it's about

059the fundamentals and the foundation. And have them literally do like a kumbaya Guys, let's all be friends. Let's all respect each other. Rabbi Freriedman and reverends and priests and pastors holding hands literally in front of these students. I think that majority well I don't think the fact is majority of our town again as we all know 2% of the United States population is Jewish. Majority of our of our students are not Jewish. So I think if they see potentially their pastor in front of them, their priest in front of them, um their their um you know their their leader of worship in front of them holding hands with everyone specifically in this case a Rabbi Freriedman may trigger some oh you know what they're getting along almost like dumb it down for these children especially

060for the hurlbutt for the whis even the middle school because the middle school is where the biggest problem is. Um, it's something to think about. I I understand there could be issues with church and state. I am not saying any bit of religious any bit of religious education with this idea. It's just to show camaraderie and friendships among different religions and leaders to show these children that whatever they're seeing on social media, whatever they might be potentially hearing from home, whatever the case may be, um, being silly, it's a joke. it needs to be dumbed down in my opinion and it's an idea like I said I brought up to Rabbi Freriedman um he seemed privy to it again this is something that needs to be more in the works I've told other people they've

061seem all privy to it um it's just again it's an idea and lastly I'd like to say thank you to the entire board of education I really really really really appreciate your time efforts listening to all of us letting this be um a an elongated topic because because it's extremely important and honestly it's a scary time. Um and I appreciate all of the faculty, all of the principles, um the new super uh interim superintendent. Thank you so much for stepping up. We really really appreciate it. And I really do hope finally that the new educators um higher faculty that will be assigned will be well thought out and realize that this is a major problem in our town amongst other potential things as well. But thank you so much for listening to me and um

062I look forward to hearing future advances. Thank you. Thank you. One moment. and I'm going to move you back to an attendee. Next up is Lisa. Lisa, I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Hey, Lisa, kindly turn your camera on. State your full name and your street address. Hey, my name is Lisa Yoni and I'm at 9 Partridge Lane. Hopefully my child will not run out of bed while I'm doing this. Um, so, um, I'm changing the topic for a second and that's by no means to disrespect everything that was said. I completely agree with everything that's been said. I just wanted to mention something else. Um, so, uh, two special ed teachers are resigning this year, one in the middle school and one in the high school. And I know that amongst the

063families that have a kid in special ed, there's been a real concern about the turnaround. And I would think it would be fruitful for the board of ed to investigate why people are resigning. Is it a salary issue? Is it something else? Is it benefits issue? Is it scheduling issue? just because with kids that have special needs particularly in the middle school and high school it is important to have consistency and I know that's been concern about amongst the community. I will just say I'm sorry I have a third grader and a kindergarter so I don't know the teachers that are resigning but I just saw that on the agenda and I wanted to point it out. Um, I also just want to say that both of my children have had an amazing experience at

064Hurlbut at Wis and not a week goes by that I'm not happy that my kids are here. The last thing I'll just say during my time period is that everything that's been said about the hate stuff is really important. And I just want to emphasize as someone who is not of a Jewish identity that this is beyond just a specific group. I consistently I'm trying to raise my kids to understand that not liking someone for who they are is frankly stupid and not really thinking about things. And so this hate that's going on in the community is as concerning for non-Jewish identity families as it is for targeted families. And I think that's important to point out. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks for the comments. Thank you, Lisa. One moment. I'm going to

065move you back. Next up, Lisa Kesler. I'm going to promote you from to a panelist. Hey, Lisa. Please turn your camera on and state your full name and your street address, please. Good evening. Uh, it's Lisa Kesler. I live at 35 Tall Pines Drive. I thought I was up last time with the other Lisa, so I was ready to go. Um, I have two daughters. I have Cassie Kesler, who is currently a freshman in high school. Um, I also have my older daughter, Lexi, who went through all four schools and is now currently a junior at Tulain. Uh, I do want to thank the board of ed. I want to, um, express a lot of empathy for our last meeting. Um, you could see that as Jewish families in this town, this is something that

066we've never seen before in our lifetimes. And also as a daughter, a granddaughter of a survivor, I grew up, you know, thinking that never again was never again. and I promised my father that I would never stay silent and now here we are. So I fully support what the mother and blues um have put together. I am familiar uh with the no place for hate initiatives. Um I think it was Jade's mom. I forget your name so I apologize who spoke about words to power. I think those are all great things. But in this particular instance, I provided all the members of the board of education um recommendations that mirror basically um similar ones that are used on college campuses throughout our country. And there's about six bullet points which I will try to zip

067through not overtake too much time. First and foremost, I highly highly recommend that the town of Weston adopt the IRA definition of anti-semitism. Um if you are not familiar with it, you should be. Um having two girls go through the schools, I have met with teachers and with um you know other administrators and I've had to explain again what is anti-semitism? Well, this definition of anti-semitism, it's been adopted not only in the state of Connecticut, it's been adopted by um Washington in in 2019 and it's also in about five other um towns and cities in including Stanford that has a huge Jewish population. Um you all have the bullet points. um they pretty much do mirror what the women or rather the mothers in blue have have put forward about educating um but mine is

068much um it mirrors it but it takes it a little step further about having deterrence in our schools and the only way um which I think is going to be successful in trying to quell this is to have it very transparent about what's going to happen to your kid as a parent and as a student if you engage in anti-semitic behavior. Um, you know, there are a number of things which are difficult because a lot of times kids don't even realize that what they're doing or saying is anti-semitic. The definitions give a map which is pretty straightforward. I know in our high school at least we have a contract basically that the student athletes sign and they agree and sign it and say that we will not engage in drinking alcohol. We won't be caught

069in a photograph drinking alcohol or with red solo cups etc. And these students know exactly what the consequences will be if they get caught drinking with forms of hate including anti-semitism. I don't see why our school can't do the same thing with anti-semitism. I it is not in lie of other forms of hate in our in our town, but right now we are the targeted most targeted minority in the country and I've never seen stuff like this before in our town and I've been here since 2005. Um, you know, there's no reason why. And and I like what Sharah said before, I come cheap. I'm happy to help draft some type of agreement that can be sent via email. You don't have to even send it on paper or postage to every family that has

070a student in the school district. And it would go to both parents, have a signature line for both parents. It would have a signature line for every student is even as young as in Herbut. And it would basically have some agreed upon definitions of anti-semitism. I would recommend it would be the IHAS that those those are read amongst the family and that they are understood and that in that also as well you get to know your consequences. Now, obviously, maybe for the younger kids, it's a little hard to take, but for the older kids, if you know the first time you do it, you're going to be suspended, and the second time you could be expelled and sign that, I think it's a very powerful powerful move to do. When you have it in front

071of you, it makes the families have to address it amongst themselves and maybe they've never thought about it before in their lives. So, um I just want to highlight two of them because I think it's very relative. And when I say two, there's about 11 definitions in the IH accusing Jewish Jewish people um for being responsible for real or unimagined wrongdoings. We've seen the signs, not just the swastikas, but the signs that have been on town hall, the signs that have been put up around town. Um when right after October 7th, we had Israeli signs put all over the place and bloody handprints in the middle of the night were put all over them. That's a call for genocide. Um, if you're familiar with what the during the second inifat was in Israel, those red

072bloody hands are a sign to kill Jews. It's it's a specific incident that happened in Israel in 2000. Um, with that said, I think we also have to understand that Judaism is not just a religion. You know, Hanukkah is a real holiday. I you know I I would take that child who spoke at the last time or former student when he says it. I would take you know a student who feels a victim of anti-semitism for his word and that you know we are not just a religion. We're an ethnore religion that's been around before the constructs of race. So you know I I agree that all hate has to be addressed but right now we need to laser focus on anti-semitism. Um, I mentioned it before at the last meeting. Anti-Zionism is very difficult

073because right now it's the flavor of the century because anti-semitism shapeshifts. And if we don't understand and we don't know when we see it, how are we going to be able to educate our students? It is not about criticizing Israel. It's not about the word Zionism being a bad word. Because for the life of me, I I can understand how the word Zionism has become such a racist evil word when it's not. All it means is it's our Jewish people's right to self-determination in our indigenous homeland. That's it. And for some horrible reason, even at Coachella, just this past weekend, you know, there was horrible anti-Zionist rhetoric coming from two bands at Coachella with thousands and thousands of American youth sitting there cheering for it, it's terrifying. So, you know, if we can consider understanding

074anti-semitism, getting out that definition, even if it's, you know, a combination of what no hate or um what is it? no place for hate or um I know stand with us very well. I've worked with with them on the college level as well. It has to be defined first and it also has to have consequences and the consequences have to be known because that's the only way you're going to get deterrence. And it's not just the students, it's not just the family, it should also be the staff, the teachers, the coaches, any um employees in the town because if you don't know it when you see it, how are you going to be able to fight it? And I'll say um lastly, for the most part, you know, the Jewish community in Western deserves to

075have their own moment without, you know, it it's not one or the other. Um having protections for Jewish students be the focus now doesn't take away from the protections of other minorities. Um, and with that said, I feel like if you get the education out there, and like I said, I would be happy to get a response from the board of ed and discuss it with you and try to come together. I will happily draft up something if you think that that's something that can be done in a constructive way for families to have in their hands. So, I thank you for your time. Um, I look forward to hopefully, you know, having solutions here so that we don't have to keep revisiting this with with no quell in in the anti-semitism that unfortunately we're

076experiencing. Thank you. Thank you, Lisa. Thank you, Lisa. Okay, the next person up is going to be Tyler. Give me one moment, Tyler, and I will promote you. Okay, Tyler, you can turn your camera on. Uh, state your full name and your street address, and you will have five minutes when the timer goes off. Hi, my name is Tyler Delvento. I live at One Old Hyde Road. Um, I just want to say, um, I'm so excited about this community and how far we've come in a large part thanks to you all and being open to have this conversation and this dialogue because if we can all remember back to the BOE meeting not so long ago, it was a very different story. And you have almost every single person coming on here and thanking you

077all for the dialogue, for your hard work. And those are such genuine messages because there is so much passion um and and tons of emotion around this entire topic. So I want to commend you all and thank you all for being a partner to us to help change our community because we all want a better community and um you guys are the force um to help us do that. The Mothers and Blue have been amazing. I fully support what they're doing. Um and like somebody said earlier, use me. I want to be part of the change. I want to make it better and anything um no task is too small, but I just want to support the community and make it a better place for all of us, especially my Jewish friends and neighbors. Thank

078you all. Thanks, Tyler. Thanks for the comments. Thank you, Tyler. One moment. I'm going to move you back. Okay, Alexis, I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Just one moment. Okay, Alexis, can you turn your camera on? Um, state your name and your street address and you will have five minutes to speak. Thank you. Can you hear me? Okay. Yep. Hi, my name is Alexis Mcmali. Um, I live on 33 Tubspring Drive. Um, this will be a bit brief, but I just want to start off by thanking the board of ed for allowing this open forum and um, for addressing the highly sensitive ongoing topic of the anti-semitism. Um, my family and I have lived here for almost 18 years. We have three children in the school district. Um, one child at WIS and

079two at Weston High School who have attended from uh, kindergarten. well, actually preschool up through um the high school. Um there is clearly a huge opportunity at hand to make Weston a leader in combating hate. Um I support the efforts to ex to expand the No Place for Hate in K through 8. I do think it's critical to start at a very young age and build upon it as the kids move through the school system. um to review curriculum and also make inclusive leadership a priority in hiring. Uh furthermore, I just also want to support the mothers in blue for their efforts in spreading awareness and uh really hope that we can continue to work together as a community to promote and create change. I think this is a great start. I think there's a

080lot of room for movement and um I feel like we could be in a good a good direction to make this happen if we continue to work together. I think we live in a really special town and we have a lot of people that care and I think that as a whole we all can really create um positive awareness and uh continue to raise our kids in a really inclusive community and town. Thank you for your time. Thanks, Alexis. Thank you, Alexis. I'm going to move you back. You see somebody with the name fisherman on their screen. I'm going to promote you to a panelist. You're now a panelist. Turn on your camera, please, and state your full name and street address. You'll have five minutes. Hi, I'm David Fischer. I live at 37 Grace

081Farm Road. Uh, thank you to the board for um persevering with us through all of this. Um, I I I we're my family um my wife Sophia Gutierrez and I live here with our two daughters um who are in third grade and kindergarten in the district. um and uh are so happy with um the schools here. Um so happy with the administration and the teachers and everything about this community. Um uh uh not not withstanding um this issue of of anti-semitism, anti-Jew hatred that we're dealing with now. Um I just want to say I also thank all the hard work of Mothers in Blue. I fully support um what you are uh doing and advocating for the school. I fully support the ideas um that that Lisa mentioned um a few minutes ago about adopting

082the IRA definition of anti-semitism, viewing the ideas that are on the table right now as as a a start, not a not a not a finish to what this community can do. Um looking at other new educational opportunities um that are that are just launching now. Um, Dara Horn has a program called Mosaic Persuasion, um, which is brand brand new. I don't even think they have a website yet, but are starting pilots in communities, uh, in schools, I think in Florida, um, to to address these issues as well. Um, and I think uh, every everything is worth looking into. Finally, I just want to applaud um everyone who's speaking tonight. Um the manner in which we're speaking with each other um in a a civil and engaging manner um in a gracious manner. Um thank

083you all for contributing. Make your voices heard. Thanks. Thanks, David. Thank you, David. Give me one moment. I'm going to move you back. The next individual that has their hand raised, uh, KBZ iPhone, I'm going to promote you. Kindly turn on your video. State your full name and your street address, please. You'll have five minutes. Sorry. Hi. Can you hear me? Hi. Um, my name is Carrie Beni and I live at seven Cedar Hills. Um, I just wanted to say I'm going to be very brief. I just I'm a I'm actually um one of the mothers in blue and um feel a little bit you know I'm just so proud of the rest of these mothers that I've been participating with. I just am floored by what they've been able to do. I really say

084they cuz I feel like they've moved this forward so much. Um, and I support everything that was put into the recommendation to the board. And I just want to say, you know, as a Jewish community, we're seeing that hate can be normalized. So, we just need to do our best to combat that hate in all ways that we can think of of because it's scary to see it just become normal. It shouldn't be normal. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Give me just a moment and I'll move you back. Next individual is going to be Hela Jacobs. Hela, give me one moment. I'll move you to a panelist. Okay, Hela, we can see you now as a panelist. Please turn your camera on, state your name and street address, and you'll have five minutes to

085speak. Hi. Can you see me? Can you hear me? Can you see me? I'm having trouble hearing you. Okay. Is that any better? Yeah. Good. Okay. Um, so my name is Helen Jacobs. I'm at 12 New Farm Road. I have um three kids, two of whom have gone through the Weston school system and uh one of whom is a freshman in high school right now. Um and I I have to also tell you that um my mother and my father are both Holocaust survivors. So I have a clearly a real sensitivity to seeing what's going on and seeing how things evolve. things how how things start very small and get bigger and bigger and evers things have been there has been really a rise in anti-semitism even even before October 7th uh and since then

086it has continue to explode exponentially. So, I you know, first I want to say I completely support the Mothers in Blue proposal. I think it's terrific. Um I really appreciate that you guys are are uh listening to these comments. I I am really eager to see um the comments and suggestions come to fruition for you to really put them into action. And I I don't think I can possibly convey how grateful I would be to see that. Um I also agree with Lisa Kesler. I the adoption of the IRA definition of anti-semitism is crucial. Now I know a lot of people get and and it is very confusing as to when you know where politics ends and and anti-semitism starts. I think people can be very confused by this and I would urge everyone here

087to look at to see the documentary October 8 because it's very good at delim delineating exactly uh the evolution of anti-semitism in this country and and um how there's been a really concerted effort to propagandize and um you know to to miseducate our children about about you know the conflation of um politics about Israel and anti-semitism and I I you know that film makes it incredibly clear where the line is. I strongly urge you to watch it. I can tell you that my daughter um who you know my daughter in high school now had an incident where there was a a very bad slur um directed at her and um when I went in and I have to say I'm really grateful that um the assistant principal immediately called me and you know immediately invited

088me in to talk with him and I I really appreciate that. And when I asked Kennedy if there is something in particular she would like me to ask for her you know to of the school. She said please ask them to show October 8 because I want everyone to understand what anti-semitism is. So I am going to pass that on as well. Um, I also want to say that yes, the anti-semitism education programs, how to recognize it, how to respond to it, they have to be um, you know, from the smallest children to the oldest children. I also think that it has to be not just the students and the administrators and the teachers but you know following in the footsteps of the really best anti-bullying programs. Those programs educate also everyone that works at

089the school, including security guards, cafeteria workers, um the maintenance men, anyone that's around the kids that can recognize it and know what to do because otherwise they don't, you know, we don't. How would we know if we're not educated in it? So again, those are those are my requests and um you know, I really urge you to adopt the mothers in blue proposal if again also if there's anything that I can do to be um a resource. Um I actually my cousin her life's work is doing uh Holocaust education uh work. She has the memory project. I'm happy to come in and speak uh if you have any Holocaust things, but um it it needs to be not just Holocaust things. It needs to be in the here and now because kids now, the Holocaust

090is ancient history. Really ancient. It needs to be focused on the here and now. You know, Kennedy said to me, she looked at me and she goes, "You know, Mom Lake, my oldest child, he's vintage because he's he's 26." Okay, that's ancient history. So, our programming needs to focus on the here and now, like Lisa said, knowing what what various symbols mean, what various slogans that we're hearing, what they actually mean. That really needs to be a focus. So, thank you for your time and um thank you for listening. Thank you very much, Elaine. Thank you, Elaine. Let me move you back. Joan Cook, I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Okay, Joan, you're a panelist now. Please turn your camera on, state your name and your street address, and you'll have five minutes.

091Okay, I'll be brief. Hi, everyone. My name is Joan Cook Anger and I live at 22 Beaverbrook Road. I have three children in the Weston school system, twin boys in the seventh grade and a daughter who will soon graduate from Weston High School. I just want to echo everyone's appreciation for the school board. I've never been to one of these meetings before. Um and the principles and the staff. I'm grateful for all that you do in service of our beloved community. Um, as a mom and a citizen in our town, I want to say that I support the Mothers in Blue proposal to address anti-semitism and other forms of hate. I applaud their courage in putting this proposal together and advocating for all of us to be more respectful and inclusive. As a clinical psychologist

092who specializes in trauma, I research its effects and treat its survivors. I want to offer my hands and my heart in friendship and advocacy. I am so sorry that this is happening in our town and in our world and my heart breaks for you and I want you to know that you are not alone. Thank you. Thanks a lot, John. Thank you. Okay, next person is Alyssa Stoaltz. Alyssa, I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Okay, Alyssa, if you can turn your camera on and you'll have five minutes. Please state your name and street address. Hello everybody. Uh my name is Alyssa Stoultz and I live at 87 Norfield Road. Um I have three children in the Weston schools. Uh one in WIS, one in the middle school and one in the high school.

093and I really appreciate the opportunity to speak up tonight on this important topic. Um, first I wanted to say that I fully support the Mothers and Blue proposal to address anti-semitism in our schools. This group has been diligent in their research and thoughtful in their recommendations and I hope the district will continue to partner with them on this critical issue. Um, I also wanted to express my sincere hope that the search committees for our new superintendent and middle school principal make experience in and a willingness to fight anti-semitism along with all forms of hate a non-negotiable requirement for these roles. Um, I think that, you know, we're seeing how important that is and the experience and willingness to kind of like jump right into the fire here. Um, I think will really be important for

094their success in this role. Um, and then third, I just wanted to mention that I hope that we will take proactive steps to prepare our high school students in particular um, to recognize and address anti-semitism. Um, all ages are important obviously for various reasons, but for our high school students as they transition to college and beyond. I think these are really critical skills that they'll need. Um, as many of us know, older SC students face unique challenges when it comes to navigating bias and hate. Um, and to ensure that our students are equipped to handle these challenges, um, I would urge the board to consider implementing targeted programs specifically for this age group, there are several organizations that offer programming resources and advocacy skills tailored to high school students, which can help them understand and

095respond to anti-semitism in more complex environments, including college campuses, which is a really, you know, important hoted place right now. Um, programs from organizations such as Stand with Us, the Anti-Defamation League, Echoes and Reflections, and Hasbro Fellowships, among others, provide students with the tools they need to confront bias and hate, advocate for themselves, and engage with challenging issues in a thoughtful and respectful manner. Um, by integrating these resources into our district's curriculum and extracurricular activities, we can help ensure that our students are not only aware of anti-semitism and its implications, but are also empowered to stand up against it in a meaningful way. Um, I strongly encourage the board to consider these options as part of our ongoing efforts to foster an inclusive, respectful, and informed school community. Um, and thank you each for the

096work that you do and for your support in helping Jewish students to feel safe in Western schools. Thank you. Thanks, Alyssa. Thank you, Alyssa. I'm going to move you back now and promote the next panelist, Michael Kapner. I'm going to promote you to a panelist now. Can you hear me? Hi, this is actually Brenda. I'm just using my husband, Brenda. Um, yes, thank you uh to the board for taking the time to listen to all the different comments. I know it's a long night, but we appreciate it. I am the mother of two children in the Western school district, one in the high school and one in the fourth grade at the intermediate school. Um, I was also an individual that was targeted with the letter of anti-semitism earlier this year when somebody connected the

097fact that I am running the Western Women league's diaper drive for the Family and Children's Association with the fact that I am Jewish and sent me a hate letter assuming uh making assumptions about who I am, my Judaism, Israel, and basically being very anti-Semitic uh and somehow finding my address and sending it directly to me in the mail. So that is the type of experience that I think is becoming more prevalent in our communities um across the United States. I grew up in Texas and experienced anti-semitism growing up. It's a very different anti-semitism that we have today in this era after October 7th with the different types of hate that there are currently out there against the Jewish people. Um, and it requires a much stronger vigilance and actions from communities around the world to

098really take a stand against this type of hatred. Um, I fully support the mothers in blue proposition and also really believe that activities to educate our children need to start younger. We want to actually not change the behavior but stop the behavior. And that means actually being present in the conversations before they even begin. So I really do recommend while I applaud activities starting in middle school, it needs to start younger. Um, and also I think it's really important for us to understand that we have an obligation to raise a generation that are empowered to stand up against hate. And while ideally every family out there would be teaching this in their homes, they aren't. And there are different families that actually um raise and share beliefs of hate. And I'm hopeful that our community

099and our organization and our schools are creating a generation of children that will stand up for what is right. Not only do they know not to do it themselves, but they actually will stand up for what is right and say something and stop something. um especially as we we send our kids off to colleges and they're experiencing the things that are going off at Colombia and all sorts of other universities um across the United States. It's a lot to handle. Um so again, I just ask that as both a community and as a board of ed that we really focus on recognizing that this isn't just rhetoric. This is a fear for people's lives. It's a fear for um the validation that they have a right that a group of people have a right to

100be alive. It's an intense panic and an intense feeling that a lot of people have at this moment in time. And we're really looking for the support of our communities and our schools to make sure that it's not just something we speak about, it's something that we actively do something about. Thank you very much, Brenda. Thanks a lot. Thanks for the comments. Thanks for staying on this line for the better part of an hour and a half. And you know, I think I speak for everyone on my board, everyone on this call. We're so sorry what occurred. Um, and we're going to do everything to make sure that it doesn't occur again. Much appreciated. Thank you. Brenda, I'm going to move you back. Edith, I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Edith, you've joined

101as a panelist. Please turn on your phone, uh, your video camera, and state your name and street address. Sure. My name is Edith Ratinov. I'm at 21 Lakeside Drive. Um, and I won't need five minutes. I have three things to say. One is our our family is in Israel. My husband's from Israel and I think it is very very very important that the parents are involved with um the education of their children. If nothing else, to understand that they may have their own opinions, they are not allowed to express them or push them or anything else in school or against their peers. And why I say this, I think there are people in this town, shockingly, that are um very anti-Israel. And it is very easy to go from anti-Israel to anti-Jew. Always has been,

102always will be. So that's the first thing I think we need to admit that children are young and impressionable and you know they aren't probably going and getting this from nowhere. They're hearing it. Um and if you are Okay. And then the second thing I want to say because I just want to say I agree with the the the mothers in blue and thank you for everything you're doing mothers in blue. Um but also that it cannot be education only. The fact that there have been no clear guidelines as to what will happen for children. If there is not a clear consequence, there is no reason to stop the behavior, the action because they know they will be able to say they are sorry and that will be it. And then the next occurrence will

103happen. So, I have three children in the school, three-year-old at Hurlbut, a 9-year-old and 11-year-old at WIS. And I can tell you from my own personal feelings that I have been so disappointed, I would border I would say horrified at the fact that there has been no repercussions. Yes, we need det. You need deterrence by involving the parents, signing a uh an agreement as Lisa had brought up. Amazing. Because then it's it's they're they're on the line. They said they wouldn't. When when we're in medicine, we take a hypocratic oath. We will do no harm. It's very clear. What's harm? Harm is when a a person does badly. So I just want to say that uh first of all so first and foremost parents have to be involved parents have to be responsible for the

104things that they are encouraging their children to come to school and bring. The second thing is there absolutely needs to be clear consequences that are stated for everyone to understand including parents. If this is not done this will not stop. This will not stop. Uh I think current events are showing that if you do not protect yourself, it's not going to end well. So, uh, and again, I I beg I really beg, um, the board of ed to remember that it is our job to show the students how to behave and things like this are amazing because these are open conversations, but again, we can talk all night long. We can talk for a year. We can talk for years and if there are no consequences for hateful actions against anyone there there will continue

105to be this and it will get worse. Um and I did want to mention someone else mentioned that you know at the moment we really need to focus on the anti-semitism that is actively happening. Um and again that does not take away there's there's no hate that's okay. Um but to say oh it's everyone is taking away from hey our Jewish community is suffering and our Jewish community is under attack. Let's call it what it is. So, I just want to say it is very very disappointing that I send my children um whose parents are actively being bombed right now uh into a school where they also have to walk by swastikas. And for me, it is an absolute red line. If there are not consequences and clear deterrence for children, it will continue. And

106it is our job to provide those consequences. Thank you. Thank you, Edith. Thank you, Leila. Just one uh I'm going to move you back to a panelist right now, Edith. Just give me one moment. I move you back to an attendee. Sorry. Keith Lender, I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Okay, Keith, you've been promoted to a panelist. If you can turn your camera on, state your full name and street address. You'll have five minutes. Yeah, my name's Keith Lender. I'm at 11 Arrowhead Way. I apologize. I'm in the middle of carpool. I am in a parking lot uh as we speak, but I just wanted to uh echo what everybody has said. all the platitudes both for the board for uh also the mothers in blue. Just wanted to state my support. Uh,

107I had a a much more articulated way to write it and say it, but the only comment I'll make just the seriousness and the levity of what we're doing with a lot of family uh, and friends in Israel, including my daughter, who while we worry about them and the war and the bombs and everything that's happening there, uh, just the magnitude that they turn around and are is concerned for the anti-semitis ism that's happening here. Uh, and just something that I think everybody, you know, we sort of let it go sometimes or or don't take it as seriously sometimes as it should. Uh, seriously is not the right word, but sometimes we just don't notice um, you know, the importance and the and the tragedy of what we're living through. So, uh, again, I support

108everything the mothers in blue are doing and and thank the board, uh, and the staff and faculty for everything they've done as well. Thank you. Thanks, Keith. Thank you, Keith. I'm going to move you back to an attendee. And our last speaker of the night for public comment is Ila Fernandez Brier. Ila, I'm going to promote you to a panelist. Okay, Ila, you have five minutes to speak. You're on mute, Ila. Sorry. There you go. Wamp wamp. last last commenter and I was on mute. Um, thanks everybody. I know that I'm probably going to reiterate a lot of comments from before, but I do so not to beat a dead horse, but rather to show visibility to the sheer numbers of people in this town who who believe similar things. So, um, I wanted to

109commend and thank the Mothers in Blue for what they put forward. Um, I think it all sounds wonderful and would move our um, school system in a way that is uh, more inclusive and more respectful and uh, for all uh, whether they be micro communities or um, all students just in general. Um, oh, sorry. My name is Laya Fernandez Brier and I live on 17 Cedar Hills. Um anyway, and just to go back, uh I do think that the need for further and ongoing training for our educators to equip equip teachers with the knowledge and skills to create inclusive learning environments is absolutely important and not just to create inclusive learning environments that value diversity, but also to support all students needs. Um, you know, the idea of cultural competence, bias awareness, strategies for creating

110equitable and inclusive classrooms. I love the idea that we should review the curricula at each of our schools. I agree that no age is too young. um to know what it means to be a good citizen of our community, to identify bias, uh to know what it means to be an ally for those in need and to be critical thinkers in every aspect of their education, but also their lives in general. Um, I do want to mention a slightly different um or just perhaps a distinct uh take on all of that we've discussed today in terms of I want to make sure that we get comfortable with being uncomfortable. meaning obviously in addressing uh the recent acts of hate um and any other discrimination or bias um I think there is the uh sometimes the

111tendency to make things uh more difficult to talk about and to perhaps inhibit discourse. And so I'd like to encourage um or at least encourage but also say that it's really important for me and our family and our kids. Um we have two kids in the Western public schools. um to realize that engaging in allyship often requires confronting difficult conversations and uncomfortable situations and that we need to as a community, but also specifically as administrators and teachers um be prepared to step outside of our comfort zones and engage in conversations with empathy and understanding. Um, I bring this up because, you know, um, specifically after the presidential election, um, uh, my daughter, two, both my daughters were told, um, in their respective schools, um, that, you know, as a policy, we're not going to talk

112about who won the election. um and where I can imagine where that was coming from in terms of you know we we don't want to um take sides etc. Um I think that that response actually came across in a way that is completely um the antithesis of what we want to create in terms of an environment for our schools. Um I think that we want to encourage um students and faculty um and administrators to listen and learn. You know that's where we can actually learn from people's experiences experiences lived experience perspectives of you know potentially marginalized individuals and micro communities and to be willing to educate ourselves on relevant issues and historical context etc. Um, I think that it's important because it helps us acknowledge privilege. It helps us give um, uh, people a chance

113to speak up, to be advocates, to acknowledge intersectionality, to learn to be a good role model, um, to continue to build empathy and I suppose just, you know, selfreflection and learning. So, um I think a lot of this um is is probably obvious to many people, but I just would be remiss if I didn't um raise my hand uh literally and figuratively to um to advocate for continued discourse. um because I think it would be a shame to miss out on that in hopes to solve for um uh a more socially just curriculum and environment. Thank you. Thanks, Laya. Okay. And we had one more person that just raised their hand. Oh, no. Maybe not. Sorry. Nope. That's it. No more hands raised. We are thanks Jody. Um look before we move on um I

114think I can speak for all my fellow members of the board. This has been a a very very constructive evening. Very much appreciate everybody that spoke. You can see we still have better than 50 people listening to this meeting. This has been a uh I think this has been a very important conversation and it's going to conver it's a conversation that will continue and it's just starting. I don't know if you know G given what we've heard this evening um I don't know if any of my fellow board members would like to say anything but I do find that this has been a uh this has been a a very interesting uh two hours to listen to the community. I mean I'll say something. I'll just say, you know, I appreciate um everyone's, you know,

115I we've all talked to the mothers in blue as they've reached out to us and um I've appreciated their collaborative tone that they've taken and um and all the work that they've put into their proposal as well. So, um I want to thank them for all of the work that they did. And I also want to thank um everyone that came out and spoke tonight in support of what they've done and in support of adopting um what they've done because um as the whole the whole tone was respectful and at the same time collaborative and um and it certainly is um you know it makes it makes me hopeful that we're going to be able to implement um some a successful program that will hopefully bring this um under control uh and and bring it

116to an end. So, I just want to thank everyone for um for the tone that they took tonight because this is this is how we work together with the community best, right? And so, thank you to everyone for for um for your approach tonight. It was appreciated. Thanks, Sharon. Shall we move on to old business? Uh the first is a discussion and approval of policy 53199 safe school climate. I think that's Tracy, right? Y Tracy has shephered this one. Um so if you want to update us briefly, Tracy, and then I think we're ready to go. Sure. So this is a second read. Good evening, everybody. This is a second read of the Connecticut school climate policy. You'll remember that this is a required policy. We need to adopt it no later than July 1st,

1172025. Um there are a number of changes to this policy when compared to the previous bullying policy. That's the policy that this aligns most closely with, including the definition of bullying. Um there's also information here related to school climate improvement plans which will look different beginning in the upcoming school year. Um and perhaps most importantly the work around restorative practices um which happens in conjunction with a number of other policies that are already in place. Um I think we've addressed questions in previous meetings but if there are questions tonight I'll do my best to answer them. questions. Uh, can we have a uh a motion, please? Chad, have you got the language there? You're muted. Yeah, I have to pull it up. Give me a second. I I have it. move that the Weston Board

118of Education approve policy 5131.99 safe school climate and I'll second all those in favor I I um move on to new business uh the consent agenda. Good evening everyone. Um there is a rather lengthy consent agenda this evening. I do want to highlight uh some important components of that listing. Firstly, Priscilla Scandlin, fourth grade teacher at Weston Intermediate School, has provided notice that she will retire at the end of the 2425 school year after 21 years of full-time service to the district. Miss Scandlin began her tenure in Weston as a grade 1 teacher at Hurlbut Elementary School after completing her student teaching assignment there. Ultimately, she found her home in fourth grade where she has served the students and families of WIS for the past nine years. Miss Scandlin has consistently brought knowledge, professionalism, and

119care to her work, and we are grateful for her many years of service. I would like to wish Miss Scandan well in her impending retirement. Also on the consent agenda this evening um is an item that is new to the agenda this school year and that is non-renewals. Um there are a series of non-renewals here in the form of reductions in force um as well as the non-renewal of substitute teachers and uh cafeteria aids. I will note that the non-renewal of those in substitute positions and cafeteria aid positions is an annual um event. The reductions in force in particular, there are eight teachers recommended for non-renewal of their contracts next school year due to reductions in force. And I would underscore that this recommendation is due to reduced staffing which was based on enrollment and

120the budget planning process. The non-renewal of these teacher contracts is in no way a reflection of their performance. So if you have any questions um I'd be happy to take them. And I have a motion to approve the consent agenda. Hold on before we make the motion. I don't have any questions, but I do want to go on record because one of these teachers in particular has been a special touch teacher to my family and I do want to say that um we will miss her and we really appreciate and it's unfortunate that we you know have to make these changes and and due to the declining enrollment etc. But um Miss Want has been a really wonderful teacher for my son and I just want to recognize her for that and say thank you

121for all that she did. Thanks Sharon. Uh, may I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? I move that the Weston Board of Education approve the consent agenda as presented. There a second. I'll second. All those in favor? I I I Thank you. Uh the next item uh is a discussion the superintendent's observations and recommendations regarding combating anti-semitism in the schools. Debbie. All right. Well, thank you. Um and I add my thanks to all the uh public comment speakers tonight as well. Um as they all have said more eloquently than I can say. Uh Dan, could you wait on that, please? Yeah, thanks. Um I just have to do an intro before we get into my strange pictures. Um so anyway, um uh people have um echoed or stated the themes tonight much more

122eloquently than I can in terms of the importance of combating anti-semitism in the schools. Um, I have spent the fir the uh last couple of weeks trying to gain as much background as I can as to some of the events that have happened. Um, the communications that have gone out. Um, I've watched board meeting tapes. I was uh able to attend the March 27th community conversation at the library and then I met uh with and listened to as many people as I could both individually and in groups. Um, I spoke to each principal. I spoke to the central office team. I spoke to the president of the Weston Teachers Association. I met with the PTO leaders. I met with the mothers in blue. I met with the first select woman. I met with the Weston

123High School student leaders. I met with the Jewish uh student union uh leader. I met with Rabbi Freriedman. and I met with the Western Police Department. So to all those and more, I say thank you. And of course, in addition, the people tonight. Um I was also able to attend um the parent conversation that Rabbi Freriedman led uh regarding hate symbols. Uh that was last or yeah, last week in the I'm sorry, the week before last in the middle school library. Um, I've seen the signage about hate symbols uh that went up at the middle school and the high school. I know there um continues to be ADL training um for school climate committees. Uh it's upcoming at the at Western Middle School. I know the Jewish student union had an ADL workshop uh recently

124as well. So I think that we are starting with a really obviously given tonight as well a strong base of support. Uh you can feel the concern, the care, the thoughtfulness, the thoroughess, the expertise, the collaboration, the teamwork and the dedication that is that exists in Weston and centrally in the Weston schools. Um we also are starting with a lot of good work already being done um the existing curriculum programs, uh our school climate initiatives, our discipline policies and procedures, etc. Uh I think it's quite remarkable in this community that we've had statements officially uh by the school district, by the board of ed, by the PTO, by the town, by the mothers in blue, by the Western Teachers Association. So these are all groups that has stood up and against anti-semitism in our school

125and I think that in and of itself is quite powerful. We're also starting with a wealth of suggestions and ideas and I think that's um really healthy. Uh and so uh what I have tried to do is my challenge has been to look at it all to listen as carefully as I can and to try to incorporate as many of the ideas and the suggestions and the directions and the themes and the emotions and the energy and the commitment to the work. So now Dan I can begin my strange uh picture. Um I'm going to share the screen or Dan's going to share the screen. Thank you. Um, if you could do it into the slideshow view. There you go. Okay. So, this is a rather strange graphic, but I would like to see the

126work that we do um be embedded in all that we do. So, it becomes kind of woven into what we do. So my view is that if a fabric has some weak spots or maybe it's not finished or maybe it's not complete that that does leave us vulnerable to ignorance and to hate to come through. Um my my view also is that we don't want it to be by that I mean our efforts towards anti-semitism to be a standalone uh check the box kind of approach. Um, I remember decades ago and I remember one speaker recent tonight said uh to her son vintage was 26. So gosh knows what that makes me. But anyway, decades ago um I was an English lit major and the criticism was um began was like you know we're sitting

127in all these English classes and it all is basically we're reading dead white men. Uh so isn't that terrible? So the answer was, well, let's make a women's lip class. And I want to say I'm not sure that that is the healthy way to go. I'd rather see it fully embedded and an integral part of everything we do because as someone else had said tonight that we have to provide our students with the best foundation possible so that they are well-grounded and well informed. So when they leave us they can navigate what they see and what they hear because they know how to think critically. They know how to think carefully. They know how to find out more. They know how to listen. They know when to debate and they know when to stand up.

128So what I've tried to do is in this trying to weave it together, trying to make the strongest community fabric possible is I've broken it down into four major areas or four major book uh buckets or four themes, whatever you want to call it. So the next slide, Dan Dan there. um thank you is looking at curriculum and instruction and you've heard this u mentioned again several times tonight but this is our academic mission. So again if you don't want to be a standalone item that we do have to look at what we're doing K12 and we have a lot to build on. We we already include history, current events, government, geography. But let's review. What are the sources? What are the textbooks? What are the sequences? What are the grade levels? Uh is it

129enough? Um is it current? Is it accurate? Are we using the best resources possible? Another bucket that I thought of in addition to curriculum instruction that goes side by side is the social emotional part. Um, as we know, this is now an area that's a priority with schools. And again, this is another difference from generations ago, but we now know that the social emotional piece um if you have that being socially emotionally healthy and having a safe, nurturing environment in schools is essential to being able to learn. And also when mistakes are made, what do we do? How do we heal? How do we continue? This is a small a small school district. Everyone in the class knows each other for years and years. So we have to build a sense of community, a sense

130of kindness, a sense of respect, uh and a sense of what to do when something goes wrong. The next bucket that leads me to the next bucket, next slide is the accountability piece. Um and you heard some of the messages tonight and I've heard them as well. uh before tonight is how are we proactive and we've we've heard much about the ADL programs. Um how do we make sure that our students know and understand the consequences of unacceptable behavior? Are our disciplinary procedures clear to students and families? How do we communicate with students and families? Who gets to know what when? So I suggest that we build on our positive partnership with the SRO's and police department. And when I spoke to the police department, um they went out of their way or uh Captain

131Matelli did to talk about the partnership that's there and the strength that's there and the collaboration and the calling back and forth. Um and he also uh assured us that the investigations that our administrators do are thoughtful and thorough. Um but there are other places we can go. We can look at anonymous reporting systems. We can look at social media and we can make better connections to the uh social emotional learning piece. Um so I think that's another big bucket. So you have the curriculum instruction, you have the affective social emotional piece and you have the accountability piece. And the last piece that I see as a big thought that a big theme is uh culture and heritage. And some people brought that up tonight too that we want to and we already nurture. Again,

132there's a lot going on in this district along these lines, but a way to share the traditions, the holidays, the food, the language, the music, the art. Um what can what can bring us together? What can be the happy moments? How can we celebrate? How can we exchange? Um somebody tonight called it the kumbaya moment. Um whatever it takes that sort of bind us together, you know, sort of in a happy uh common humanity um place. So those are the four major areas I see and I'm thinking that as I reviewed my notes and I listened tonight as well that I think the ideas that any one person has or the suggestions would fit into one of these areas. So what do you do with those areas? Well, I'm going to um propose that on

133the next slide that we look at each area and we ask sort of a set of um common questions. Pretty simple, pretty straightforward. What are we doing now? What do we want to revise? What do we need to add? And then I think we need to perhaps get stronger in the next uh column, which are what are the homeschool connections? How much do we communicate back and forth? How much are the parents aware? What do we need to know that we don't? Um, and what are the community school connections? There are a wealth a host of people in this community with wonderful backgrounds and expertise that they could come in and share with us. Excuse me, I got to take a walk. And then, uh, what training for staff and what education for parents? So,

134what do parents need to know about um you know what we're doing so we can be as transparent as possible and what training do we need for our staff to make us as strong and informed um around this very sensitive topic. And then lastly, um there are laws out there, there's mandates out there and there are policies. So, we need to make sure that we are familiar and following those. And um if we need to revise some that are in our control, then we will do that. And we also need to uh take care because as we bring um uh other sources in as we look at existing uh resources and texts and materials that we need to vet those that they are in they align with our school goals and our and our objectives.

135Uh so then the last piece is we've got lots of resources and I think um I mentioned them before but they are literally all around us. Uh so whatever we need I think we can find in Weston. Um we talk about our faculty and staff which has done an amazing job continues to do an amazing job. Our students have voices uh that I think are important to hear. Families of course are the crux of the matter. We have PTO leadership that's very positive. The mothers in blue have been invaluable and have guided us through this process. Um clergy somebody suggested earlier and I have uh relied on um Rabbi Freriedman quite fr uh quite frequently the last couple of weeks. We have area school districts you know what are the other districts are doing. We

136have student groups including the Jewish student union, community groups, town departments, the police department, the library, and state and national organizations, and you've heard a few mentioned tonight. And we, as you know, um have partnered with ADL and some of those programs, and we can look to expand um or, uh even search further. So, we take those resources, you take those buckets, you ask those questions. So what I would also suggest is the last slide is that we start. So my work that I would like to continue in the short time that I'm here is I would like to communicate this sort of general overview. I would like to gather a working group and start tackling the accountability piece. And I do that because it's concrete, because it's specific, because I think there's some uh

137very tangible things that we could do between now and the end of the year. Come back to the board of ed um you know, ask for approval when necessary or give you an update at least. And that could be done, I think, between May and June. and we could get I don't want to say it's ever finished, but we can get um the bulk of that um underway and some things uh within that um done by the end of the school year. And then the art the other projects just because we are um within the last nine weeks of school and we have to realize there's a lot on our plate and we also have to realize that what we do I would like to do well. I don't want to rush through. I don't

138want to check a box. I don't want to just say, "Okay, that's enough. We're done." Um, I think that perhaps we um think about a small steering committee and who are the potential uh participants in the various work groups uh besides accountability and then we leave basically a pretty clear uh roadmap for the new superintendent to lead. So um he or she will not be starting from scratch. Um so those are um my suggestions and the way I plan to work for the next uh uh 9 10 11 12 weeks. And so um I think in summary uh that we do have lots and lots to build on. My guess is that in any one bucket we're at least 80 85 to 90% there. But we do have important work to remaining in each of

139those buckets. we have a powerful set of resources. I've tried to capture everyone's thoughts and ideas within these major themes. Um, I think that using those questions will be helpful as a way to focus it. I've listed some of the resources that we have and as you just heard, I plan to start on the accountability piece. Uh, because there is a sense of urgency. Um, we are trying to keep this issue front and center. it is a sustained effort. Um, and so again, my goal is to embed it in sort of the fabric of what we do. So, I appreciate your attention tonight. I thank everyone again who has spent time with me um talking about their perspectives, their experiences, their ideas. Um, and I know this is a lot perhaps for the board to

140to digest fully, but I would really welcome at this point we can shut off the uh PowerPoint and uh just open it up to discussion from the board members um in terms of um my plan for u moving forward. So I open the floor to board members. And as a former teacher, I'm really good at wait time. That's where I just kind of wait until somebody jumps in. Would anyone like to make uh some comments or or a question, Deb, for what she's just said? I'll start. I'm sure I'll have lots of hard-hitting questions to to throw out in a moment, but my first is actually just a comment, which is I I really appreciate everything you walked us through. I think that it walks the exact right approach, which is there's some urgency and

141also some methodical approach because we can't just sprint and rush and be haphazard. Uh we have to be mindful and take our time and make smart decisions. And it also does need to be driven with some urgency especially because we should not be in a position of like just kind of waiting until the next superintendent is in the seat. We have to take advantage of this time that we have. So I actually and I think that the sort of buckets or themes that you kept talking about does encompass a lot of what the discussion has been. So I think it's a great blueprint to begin with. That's my initial response to it. Thank you for that. And I might have some additional questions, but overall, thank you very much for the hard work. And I

142think you've done an excellent job on this this listening tour that you've been on. Would anyone else like to make a comment or ask Deb some questions? You know, I'm going to second what Chad said. I think that um that you've you've clearly been meeting with the right stakeholders in this in this uh situation and listening and um and I like the fact that you've kind of put it in different buckets. I think that that's really important. You mentioned something about a small steering committee at the end um of the presentation. How do you for how do you see that steering committee working with the implementation of what you've um kind of outlined tonight? Um that's a good question. I don't know that I've thought through all the details. Um there had been sort of

143early on, you know, like let's form a task force or let's form a a community committee or let's form um I don't know the you um you know some uh yeah I'll just leave it at committee. Um and so I I uh then somebody said but you want to keep it workable. So I see a steering committee as you know maybe trying to you know look at timelines and uh decide when when what goes on the agenda and vetting some of the ideas etc. But then I'd like the flexibility within those buckets. Each bucket to um assemble a workg group that makes the most sense. You know, curriculum and instruction there'd be an obvious cast of characters. Accountability would be slightly different. The cultural heritage piece, um my goodness, like just open the door to

144the community, you know, open really wide. um have community representatives and parents on everything, but there will be some places that are a little bit more workable than others. Uh so those work groups would be flexible depending you like the uh Western Police Department doesn't need to be working in every single bucket. Uh the library would would step forward for some and step backward for others. The same with the you know we I would want uh PTO leadership on all of them. I would want mothers in blue on all of those buckets. Uh and then different staff members have different titles and area of expertise. You know, there's some times when uh Dr. Henle is the person to go to. There's other times where the principles are the place to go to um around social

145emotional learning. Um that might be Dr. Edwards. So, we have a a wonderful staff here, but again, they don't all have to sit on all of the on all of the work groups. Uh, but they would be pulled in when needed. And the steering committee would be the sort of, okay, who do we need now? And and what's the timeline going to look like? And I would just see that as, you know, pretty much a skeleton crew of, you know, maybe five, six, seven, eight people. And would those people all be part of the administration? No, I would see it a mix of staff, but you know, heavy staff, but also uh a parent, a parent. Okay. Uh PTO person, a mother's in blue, a board member. Okay. All right. Excellent. Community member. Yeah. Thank

146you. Except Rabbi Freriedman has to be on everything. So just because he's been um very wise throughout this whole process. So that's great. Awesome. Okay. Thanks. So you have a Go ahead. Someone else started. Michael, was it? Yeah, Chad. Um, just really quickly, Chad, I'll let me jump in here. No, you go ahead. Um, Deb, so a couple things. First, I I actually want to commend you for coming in here and and and really hitting the ground running. I've I've gotten so many comments from members of the community that very much appreciate your outreach um the clear and frequent communication um that you've engaged in with the community. Um you know I wasn't aware of all the meetings you've had along the way here with respect to this topic. Um, so I I just want

147to commend you for um stepping in here in a difficult situation and and and really not missing a beat. And so um I want to thank you and I know you know everyone feels everyone on the board everyone else on the board probably feels the same way and there are many members of the community that are very appreciative um a that you're here and b of your communication style. So so thank you for that. um on on this sort of you know the presentation you put together. Look, you've you've covered the key areas that I can see. I I I need to go back and think about this a little bit, but my initial reaction is I hope along the way here um we keep up this clear and frequent communication and include the community

148because there's a lot to chew on here between let's call it these four pillars and there are so many um topics within each of them um that I think that you know with the help of the community as well um can in full wholesome be addressed. And so I want to thank you for putting this together. I hope along the way we continue to communicate with everyone to highlight progress to get their feedback. Um so we know sort of we're in the we're going moving in the right direction. We're not missing anything. So those are my sort of highle comments here. Um, I'd love to understand sort of what we're going to dive into in each one of those and how we're going to measure progress. Um, but that's maybe a question sort of in

149the in the weeks and, you know, two months ahead. Um, but I want to thank you for putting together, you know, the presentation and and and a very thoughtful approach. So, thanks, D. And I just want to say um none of this is possible without all the people that I have talked to and and listened to and um a special shout out to our staff who was absolutely tremendous. Chad, were you going to say something? I just a couple questions to follow up, but I'll let others speak if they want to speak first. No. Uh, so just echoing what Michael said, one question Deb, where would you see in these four buckets, the question Michael's bringing up about communicating back that sort of communication feedback loop? And the reason I ask is because one theme

150we heard in common a lot tonight was everyone saying, "Thank you for the communication. Thank you for communicating. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for communicating." And one of the the real places or um areas of frustration when as this thing was sort of exploding a month or two ago was around the idea of what is being communicated about the resolution of these incidents or not. So I do think that idea of how this work gets communicated back or that dialogue continues with the community how it works. And I guess one question would be where you think that piece fits into these four buckets or perhaps all of them I guess is the first question. Um well yeah it would it would need to be in all of them. Um I think you know we're

151having this discussion with uh you all tonight and the staff and um the 35 people that are um still here because it's so late. Uh so I was thinking that I have a PTO meeting um this week. So perhaps setting up a coffee and a conversation with parents and inviting them in and just to go over what we just went over and you know get their input and get their take and if they're interested in any of the particular buckets and where they would like to see themselves. Um so just communicate that through a couple of coffee and conversations type. I can also of course uh do a message home that's easy. um you know try to get get it condensed into like a one pager that we could send out to all the families.

152Uh so that's the most immediate thing and then on the within the accountability bucket a big question is communication. Uh and there are you know um parameters around that that are legal um and rightfully so. Uh but there's also I you know I hear clarity is needed uh and the who gets to know what when piece is important and I think we can better or better communicate that. I think the information's there but we need to make it in simpler format or highlighted or somehow just get it more front and center. And then in terms of communication, uh, uh, what was not brought up tonight, but was brought up earlier was the idea of an anonymous reporting system. Um, so whether that's a great idea or a terrible idea, there are products out there. Um,

153and that we're we're currently gathering materials to look at. And when we get this working group, you know, to define the purposes, look at the different products, is there a cost involved? and then what is the staffing needed for it? Um, and that I see, you know, just that work starting immediately because we'd like to get I think we'd like to get that done by the end of the year. Yeah. Okay. All right. Thank you. just just let me add um in my thanks uh to Deb and to you know to everyone uh in the administration um you know you know so we've engaged uh as the board of education uh fellow named Steve Ginsburg who is a for lack of a better term a crisis consultant um he is lives in Westport port. Um

154he's worked with the uh Westport school system when they had a similar problems. He's I know he's working with the University of Pennsylvania. Um and uh we engaged Steve and I introduced him uh to the town uh and the town has engaged him as well. So we're going to have a coordinated uh effort uh between our respective constituencies. in our case, uh, the school community, uh, in the case of the town, the much broader town constituency. And, and I think, um, I know, um, that Steve and Rabbi Friedman have said, you know, this is going to be an iterative process. It's not going to happen overnight. Um, and it's going to involve, uh, the full community. Um, but it's going to be one not of talking to the community. It's a it's going to be

155talking with the community in small groups to get to the end that we're all trying to get to. Um so um I don't know I you know I think we heard from lost count on the number of people who again thank you for participating in this evening's meeting but my guess is we're going to have a number of conversations like this over the coming months and I can assure you everyone on the call that the board my fellow board members this will be uh front and center in the conversations that we'll be having later this week with the uh candidates uh to be the permanent uh superintendent of schools for for our town. And Steve, to build on your point about uh Steve Ginsburg, um he has been um tremendous as well. Um I've consulted

156with him um uh numerous times. Um you know, sometimes a short question or two, but um again, his his wisdom around this um again another another wonderful resource. So he's been very helpful already in guiding this. Yep. And he jumped right in, you know, without, you know, with he jumped right in the following day and he's been great. Okay. Um, let's move on to uh uh the next item is to approve uh a field trip uh for the mock trial team. Great. Good evening everyone. Um, I have some exciting news to announce and request an approval for. Our Western High School mock trial team has qualified to compete in the National High School Mock Trial Championship which is held in Phoenix, Arizona in May from May 7th through the 10th. Um this team um has

157earned a very prestigious um opportunity to advance that they advance through various uh regional and state competitions and they are going to represent Connecticut on this national stage in May with your approval. Um for those of you that don't know um this is a national tournament. It brings together top teams from across the country, US territories and even international programs for four days and they will engage in intensive highle competition. We have nine students uh that are part of this team. They will be joined by their coaches, advisor and a parent chaperon on this trip. And when they are there in Arizona, they're going to participate in multiple trial rounds judged by legal professionals and attend educational events designed to deepen their understanding of law, public speaking, and civic engagement. Um, this is an extraordinary

158learning opportunity that aligns to our district goals for student leadership, college and career readiness, as well as the competencies outlined within our portrait of the graduate such as critical thinking and effective communication. Typically, just for those of you that um are not on our subcommittee meetings, um we typically request and review overnight field trips um on a firstphase level with our subcommittee meeting prior to coming to all of you for final approval. However, we received this uh notification right after our April Board of Education subcommittee meeting and so we missed that timeline. So, I'm asking um for us to um move this approval a forward uh forward because we are in a little bit of a time crunch for this team and we would respectfully request your support this evening to approve this overnight field

159trip for this team. Great. That's exciting. Questions from the board? I celebrate the the academic success of our students. Great job. Agreed. And I just want to also give a little shout out to Amy Holmes, who is um our English CIL 612, but she also serves as the mock trial advisor who essentially moved heaven and earth um and became a travel agent for a couple days trying to make the arrangements for the students and the team to make this happen um at a last minute. So, um, shout out to Amy and thank you. Huge thank you to her and our coaches. So, can we have a motion to approve the field trip? Yep. I move that the Western Board of Education approve the mock trial field trip as presented. And is there a second? Second.

160Second. All those in favor? I opposed. Great. Move on to gifts and grants. versus a uh a Hes PTO donation in the amount of $3,200 for a new display case. Is there any comment on this? I think it's very generous, but I'll make a motion if you'd like. Yes, please. Okay. So, I move that the Western Board of Education approve the test donation in the amount of $3,200 as presented. Is there a second? I second. All those in favor? I I opposed. The next um is the SPTO in the amount of $4,100 for two custom entryway rugs and hallway mats. Sounds good. And I'm going to move that the Western Board of Education approve the Hest donation in the amount of of uh Yeah, the Hest donation in the amount of $4,100 as presented. I

161second. All those in favor? I opposed. The next is the Weston Middle School PTO donation in the amount of $1,400 for courtyard garden materials. Sounds like those kids are going to be busy. And I move that the Western Board of Education accept the middle school PTO, the Weston Middle School PTO donation in the amount of $1,400 as presented. And is there a second? I second. All those in favor? Hi. Hi. Does that mean we get to bring the kids over to our house when they're done and they can do a little gardening and I think this is a great thing. It will cost you. Yeah, exactly. All right. Sorry. Next is the Weston High School PTO PTO donation in the amount of $1,000 for flexible seating in the health classrooms. I move that the Western

162Board of Education accept the Western High School PTO donation in the amount of $1,000 as presented. I second. All those in favor? I I opposed. Motion passes. And the last is the Weston High School PTO donation in the amount of $1,800 for flexible seating in the social studies classroom. I move that the Western Board of Education accept the Western High School PTO donation in the amount of $1,800 as presented. Second. All those in favor? Opposed? Let's move on to district updates. Deb, uh, you've certainly heard enough from me tonight. Um, with with your permission, I'd like to excuse the principles um, and let them get some sleep for tomorrow. Um, and I really uh, don't have an update other than what the students had already said earlier. Um, the NEAS visit, congratulations, Megan, and the

163whole high school staff for that. Amazing. Um, one student referred to the gallery of uh, work walkth through. Um, and I I wish there was a way to make that more public or take it on the road because the demonstrations it was a cross-section of assignments, disciplines, grade levels, and teachers and students just explain the work that they did. It was accessible, didn't take long to get through, but it gives it gives the everyone a sense of how teaching has changed. uh you know so when you talk about all the things that go into uh truly student centered learning um group work collaboration creativity um all that stuff that you go yeah yeah yeah but what's it look like you got to see what it looks like uh so if there's a way of um

164I don't know using that showcase in some other format or in some other setting that would be great so anyway congratulations high school thank you all right and good night principles good night everyone Good night. Human resources. I just um have two brief updates this evening. I wanted um to talk very quickly about the teacher and leader evaluation plan that as you know is in a pilot year this year. Um the teacher evaluation subcommittee of the professional development and evaluation committee has been working throughout this year to gather and analyze feedback. um from those people who are participating in the pilot. They've had um really robust and really positive feedback from uh the teachers and leaders who are participating in this plan and they are moving forward with very minimal revisions and our expectation is

165to be able to bring you um a revised plan for your approval going into next school year in the June board of education meeting. Um, so we are excited about that. And in addition, uh, just one quick thing, as you may know, there is a special meeting of the board that is planned for tomorrow evening at 6:30, um, with a singular agenda item, and that is to, um, appoint the Weston Middle School principal beginning July 1st, 2025. And we will, of course, provide notice to the community following that appointment. Thanks, Julie. Uh, people personnel services. Hi, everyone. I know it's very late, so I'll just share um a quick update for PPS. This is a particularly busy time of year. We have lots of meetings, annual reviews, trienals, planning for extended school year, uh planning

166for next school year, and we're also in the midst of a number of different appreciation weeks and days. So, I just wanted to acknowledge the efforts of our special education teachers, our assistant directors, related service providers, mental health staff, our nurses, and our paras uh for all the work that they're doing on behalf of Weston's students and families. That's it for me tonight. Thanks, Tracy. Phil, just want to everyone just want to provide a brief update on budget for fiscal 26. Um, so you may have heard by now that the board of finance on on the 10th approved our budget. Um, a few weeks ago I did share a memo with the board that was that was presented to the board of finance which dropped our slight reduction to our budget of approximately $52,000 which

167had a net increase at 2.96%. Um, so that was approved I want to say unanimously by the board of finance um on the 10th. Um we also shared a revised capital budget. Um we went through a few iterations of this um budget. We started with a budget of $3.3 million and um the final vote or final presentation uh to the board of finance was approximately 1 $1.4 million. Um just to note the changes that were made, we had a reduction to security of $230,000. The LED retrofit was also removed. The north the northhouse project which is a significant project was reduced by approximately $1.5 million and there was a small increase to the radio project of approximately $30 million. So both the capital on the and the operating budget were approved um on the 10th.

168The next stop will be the ATM on Wednesday um followed by a vote final vote um in May. Hey Phil, my one question on this was just looking at sort of the evolution here. Um so we have here the $230,000, right? Um for the North House HVAC. What does the rest of that schedule look like now, Phil? And what does that mean for the timing of the project? So, it it still looks good. We have issued an RFP. Um we should be getting results back um I think another week or so. So, the plan is to ultimately we're working with an award date of sometime in January. Um so awarding and also funding of the project in January. Uh assuming that we get full funding for the project in January, we'll be on target to

169start the project whether it be over a year or two in the summer of 26. So we're right now the 230 is pretty much going to allow us to design the project and cover soft cost. Okay. And so then if I play that back, so we have the 230 this year that we approve. We move forward in January. We we find, you know, we put it out to bid. We find a contract or who whomever and we start we start the project in summer of 2026 and right depending on whether or not we can finish it in one year or two. Okay. But does that mean then that the other let's say according to you know what we started with the 175 the other one.5 has to be approved next year is that the full

170amount is that what we're saying yeah I think it's a it's this one is a little bit it's probably will not follow the normal budget or normal budget cycles. Um the the board of the board of finance pretty much said do you finish your homework and once you finished your homework you come back to us and you let us know what it is in terms of what the mechanism will be to fund the project. That's still to be determined. Um but we're just following you know the plan as directed. So we're we're doing the first phase which is the the the design component of it to hopefully fun get funding whether it be the full the full amount or partial amount in January of 26 to for a start date of um summer of 26

171June 2026. Okay. So to your question is it going to be a part of the usual budget process? I'm not 100% certain. There's there's been discussion that it could be um it could be or it could not be. So we will definitely have conversation with the board of finance between now and January. So I I do suspect that in the upcoming months our subcommittee will have several discussions as well as that ultimate discussion um with the board of finance. My last question on this then um so the way forward here is we have approximately you know we'll we'll we'll of course bid it out but approximately there's 1.5 million that's still out there that we need to fund and that that will be funded either 1.5 million potentially in its entirety by January of next

172year or let's say we'd split that up 750 and 750 and fund it between next year and the following year. Are those generally speaking two of the let's say main options that you're looking at as you as as you're looking to complete the project? I mean, is that is is is that where you're seeing this? Either we're going to fund the whole thing, the other 1.5 million, you know, by the beginning of next year so we can get this thing out to bid or it's going to be funded in two additional pieces, let's say, just generally speaking, 750 and 750 over the next two years. Is that is that how you're thinking about this? I I think I think it's safe to say that there are multiple funding options that's been presented or floated by

173the board of finance. Um, so we won't we honestly won't know for certain what that will be until January, but we have an assurance that the project will go forward. The question could be, as you described, they're they're going to go through a a determination on bonding because they have bonds, bond anticipation notes they have to roll over or conceivably they could take it out of the surplus. Okay. Okay. All right. Fair. Okay. Thanks, guys. Any more questions for Phil? Uh, don't we need a motion, Phil, to approve your report? Um, no. This this was primarily informational. Um, the the budget the budget I mean the budget is has been approved by the board of finance. Um, so now we're waiting um the final vote or ultimate approval um by the town county town resident.

174So, let's just move on committee updates. Cabe, that's David. Go ahead, Lisa. No, that's me. Um, there's really nothing um new for April and May. I encourage people to um look at their webinars, which are really interesting and and can support background knowledge for a lot of the things we do. Um but there wasn't really um much new things for April, right? CES curriculum committee. That's David too. David. Yeah. Is Tina? Tina's always really good at at a summary. I don't get an update. Um, so just real quick, Earth Day activities. Uh, happy Earth Day tomorrow. Uh, whole week long activities throughout the school throughout the schools that we're celebrating. our green teams are really taking the lead in collaborating with our teachers. Um testing state testing uh the window begins actually um next week.

175So um smarter balanced next generation accountability uh next generation science assessments um uh those are all happening um within uh the next coming week. And then also uh just a heads up uh we are opening our panorama survey window for school climate data collection for staff, students, and families starting on May 4th. So you'll um uh schools and community members will be receiving communication shortly from principles and from uh Dr. Edwards as well. So just a little um a little tickler there letting you know some things that are on the horizon. Terrific. EOC Peter Yeah, I can tackle this or Phil. I our understanding is slam structural engineering walkthrough phase one is complete. The report is being uh prepared for us. Uh the envelope will be delivered to Phil in the in pretty short notice

176and we'll be the second to know. So when Phil knows, we know what their assessment is. So we look forward to that. Great. uh finance and operations. We didn't meet this past month. Policy committee chair. Well, basically what we did with the policy committee was uh we were working I get second uh read of what we just did the climate policy. So that's pretty much it for this last month. And Michael safety and security. Uh yeah, we um we received a recap of Jim's community outreach in March. Um we went over roll uh an update of the quick links roll out which is on schedule and almost completed. Um we discussed which I thought was a really interesting topic actually um just the the raptor check-in system um that we use throughout our school district.

177We talked about some upgrades to cyber security and then we welcomed Deb Low as um our spot our spotlight conversation. She talked about um just all the good things she's doing and her outlook on safety and security. So it's much appreciated. Great Sharon We um yeah, they're still in the midst of planning their fundraiser. Um, they're having a trivia night fundraiser and I should have the date in front of me and I don't. I believe um 17th of May. May 17th. I knew it was in May. All right. Thanks, Tina. Yeah. So, May 17th. Um, keep your eyes open for marketing. That's it. Um, and our next board meeting is May 19th, which is a Zoom meeting. And I think that's it. Yeah. have a motion to uh by the way, thanks to everybody uh

178for this evening. I thought it was actually a very it was a terrific meeting. Terrific meeting. Yeah. So, can I have a motion to adjurnn? Don't all speak up. I'll I'll make the motion to adjourn. I second. All those in favor? I thanks everybody. See you tomorrow. Yeah. Bye bye guys. And now