2-28-22 Groton Board of Education Meeting

001All right, it is 602. We have a quorum. Um, it is my honor and privilege to uh call to order the Graten Board of Education regular meeting on February 28th at 6:00 p.m. Um, and our mission statement is teaching and learning with a board goals um enrich in a richness of cultures and with respect for all, provide dynamic, rigorous curriculum, ensure effective and engaging instruction and embrace excellent learning environments. and welcome to all. Um the first uh order of business is um the pledge of allegiance and I am wondering um if Susan if you would be willing to lead us in the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, >> under

002God, >> indivisible, >> with liberty and justice for all for all. >> Looks like we had a quarter of the flag. So, um, the next part is, um, the recognition and participation of visitors and delegations. And Susan, I believe we do not have anyone in that. Is that correct? >> That's right. >> Okay. All right. Our next piece is um comments for citizens um and agenda items and other subjects of concern that lie within the jurisdiction of the board of education. This is the portion of the agenda where the board welcomes comments from citizens. Each P presentation should be limited to five minutes or less and citizens should if possible submit written comments. Presentation should be related to matters pertinent to Graten. Board members will only ask other questions in order to clarify the speaker's

003presentation and cannot respond during the comments of citizens portion of the board meeting. Citizens should state their names and addresses for the record. Um, I know, um, Mike that Mike Whitney that you had a desire to speak for the board. Um, and I Hi, Mike. It's good to see you. Um, and Mike, I just wanted to let you know that I've already forwarded to Joan your comments that you sent to me this morning, so that will be part of our record. Um, I I just didn't want to forget about that. If there is anyone else who is liking to speak, um, if you could do exactly what Noah Johnson just did, which is to put your name in the chat. I also believe that there is a a Richardson that um had contacted the board

004that is wishing to speak to the board as well. Um so but Mike um I would like to offer um I would like to offer the spot for you first. >> Thank you. >> Absolutely. >> My name is Mike Whitney 112 Deerfield Ridge Drive, Mystic, Connecticut. And I'll read from the statement that I sent earlier today with one exception. I found an error I made in the the date of an email. So, I've corrected that here. Here's the statement. I have grave concerns about removing the mask mandate in Grton public schools, how the decision was made, and the belated timing of the board publicly discussing the issue. We know masks have helped protect those wearing masks and the people around them. The school mask mandate has helped prevent COVID infections, reduce community spread, and keep

005our schools open. There are still COVID cases in our community and in our schools as the LLHD CO data and Grant public schools CO dashboard show. It's too soon to make masking optional particularly with the new omeron variant on its way. As a clear indication it's too soon, I point out that as prominently stated in the agenda, this meeting is being held remotely due to the corona virus concern. You as the board of education are affording yourselves many more layers of COVID protection than students, faculty, and staff have. The governor announced three weeks ago that the statewide school mask mandate would end and that masking ma mandate decisions should be made at the local level. Ever since then, I and many others have been waiting for the Graten Board of Education to hold a meeting

006on this. Instead, there's been silence despite many opportunities to meet. The decision to make mass optional was announced on Friday, February 18th with no public meetings at all. Where was the board involvement? Why didn't you meet? Transparency and timely public involvement is a cornerstone of public schools and our society, but it's being chipped away more and more. You all have been democratically elected the board of education and entrusted with specific and often broad authority over the administration of Graten Public Schools. Please take an active public role in this matter. The public has a right to know more details about exactly how the decision was made, particularly at a time when the average daily case rate still high in Groten. I don't know all the decision details, but I do know there were some clear issues

007with the decision-making process. The superintendent's letter points to feedback from parent student staff surveys. Firstly, I'd like to know which schools were surveyed and how participants were selected for the students. I do not believe Fitch or Grten Middle School students were included. At 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 17th, the superintendent sent a survey link to parents on masking. The phrasing of the first question on masking choice was not neutral and was biased towards optional masking. What I find offensive is this survey was sent out after the decision was made. In an email to the board sent earlier that day at 9:17 a.m. That's the correction. The superintendent stated, and I quote, "I'd like to get a clear message out to the public today. Just met with Steve Manfield LHD this morning, and he said the

008CDC is coming out with their guidance and it will support us in our communication that masks, while recommended, are no longer mandated as of February 28th. To mask or not to mask, will be a choice by families and staff." End quote. Seeking stakeholder input after already deciding is backwards and disingenuous. By the way, the new CDS guidance was not publicly set until a week after the superintendent's decision was made. This new CDC guidance is based on hospital capacity, not minimizing COVID infections and stopping spread in school. Graten went from CDC high risk to low risk instantly with a pen stroke. That's quite a propaganda trick. The new CDC risk classification is only on a county level. It does not characterize conditions specific to graten. The kinetic the current graten covid uh case level is 20.1

009cases per 100,000 people which is in the high or red category on the state of Connecticut covid data tracking map. In graten 68% of 12 to 17 year olds are vaccinated and only 32% of 5 to 11 year olds are. Overall less than half of the graten student population is vaccinated. Local COVID rates and vaccination coverage are among the seven factors the Connecticut Department of Public Health says school leaders should consider when changing district CO9 policies as included in your agenda packet uh attachment. Now that you are meeting on changing CO policies, please provide detailed information addressing each of these seven important factors to consider prior to voting on any changes that is essential for an informed public decision. The recently revised agenda for today's meeting specifically indicates you'll consider the suspension of the face

010mask covering policy. These policies are currently still active and state that violations of this policy whether by students or staff shall be handled in a same manner as other violations of applicable board policy. By the time of this meeting already one entire school day has occurred with many violations by students and staff and no policy enforcement. This is of course due to the decision letter that superintendent already sent out to the student community is a take-home point that board policies don't need to be followed. Please consider how this decision and the process followed impacts the credibility of the board and grant public schools. Please keep the face mask coverings policy active and restore the protection that helps keep our schools community through this p pandemic safe. As you reconsider CO 19 related policies, I urge

011you also to reconsider the emergency and disaster preparedness policy adopted in 2020. This policy seeds many board powers to the superintendent. Analogous emergency powers are no longer in place at the state level. I suggest you discuss which emergency powers are still necessary for the superintendent. By design, decisions made by the board are much more immediately public and transparent than those by superintendent. Board oversight is al always critically important. Finally, if you do decide to suspend the mask, the mandated masking, it is essential to make highquality masks available to students and staff that see the need to wear them. At the February 23rd board budget meeting, the superintendent stated that quote, "The state has sent us many, many thousands of N95 masks. Please make every effort to make them available to students in the entire school

012community. The changing situation will be stressful to many students. It is essential that additional social emotional support be provided by the schools. It's important to remember that CO remains a very serious illness with dire consequences for many. Let's do everything we can to support a healthy community. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mike. >> Noah Johnson. >> Hello, my name is Noah Johnson. and I live at Foreli Farm Lane. I am a junior at Fitch High School and I would like to add to the discussion about the Latin program which I heard you guys were deciding about. So when I first joined Latin back in this year of 2019 2020 I didn't know if I needed any prior experience. It was never told to me like if I could ever no one ever advertised it. And

013so I just took a leap of faith and chose it. So later on in that school year when I started Latin, I figured out that many of the kids in the class also hadn't known why they were there and most of them had only been there because they're siblings. So that's why like I've concluded that there's haven't been many kids in latin program because it hasn't been really advertised. And I know it's like in the past like in middle school like my French program I they would always tell us don't take Latin it's too hard and all that stuff. >> And so throughout this experience in Latin there has been I've learned a lot. is not only ex it has not only expanded my English vocabulary but also my Latin one in that I've been

014introduced to many classical authors such as Horus, Catullus and Virgil. Overall, it has been a really great experience and the staff which teaches it is is wonderful. So, I hope you consider this when you decide on the decision of Latin in the future. Thank you. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for voicing your concern. >> Porsche Bordon, good to see you. >> Good to see you all. Um, thank you. Porsche Bordalon, uh, 24 Jefferson Drive, Graten, Connecticut. Um, for full disclosure, I'm a Grten Town counselor, but I'm also today speaking as a constituent. Um, I would align my remarks with, um, Mr. Whitney just to an extent on the co some of the concerns that I've heard or had from folks is again what is the policy if there are students or

015staff in the building that are not vaccinated who is taking the charge to make sure that they're still wearing a mask because even though we drop the mask mandate the regulations state if you're not COVID vaccinated and you have not received all three you should still be wearing the mask. So the question is is how are you going to drive that daily to make sure with that um family members may have concerns because they might have family members that are immune compromised or other things at home elderly or whatever their personal religious or beliefs are on the COVID um pandemic. At the middle school and high school level one could say that the children could own that responsibility and it's a joint decision on the family. But when we start to look at the elementary

016level, three, four, five, kids who still need bathroom reminders and handwashing reminders, if a parent has in place that they would like their child to be masked for the school day, where is the sign off on that to make sure that when we turn that child over to the elementary school that that school is honoring that wish? So, kind of like what um Mike Whitney had stated, it I feel there should have been some type of permission slip sent home or something like that to honor those parents wishes. Middle school and high school, we kind of expect them to own it. But below that grade, we drop our child off and and still uh hope that the the staff honor the wishes of the parents. So, I feel like that's not been addressed as what

017that plan would be. you know, if I had a three or four year old who could not be vaccinated at this time, um I would want to make sure that their mask is on and I would want to make sure that the town staff and teachers and paras are helping to ensure that that is being followed. So that that's my hope. My son today came home and stated at the high school he saw about half the students wearing the mask today and as well as some of the staff members already starting to remove masks. So it's it's already beginning. Um my next thing is looking at the English um classes. This is something I expressed over many years. Um my son now is a sophomore moving into his junior year and the option to stay

018in honors falls off. Either you go AB or IB, you cannot stay honors or you drop down to college prep. Not everybody can handle that rigor. He is going to carry all IB and AB other other classes. But English is something that he kind of may want to be or another student may want to stay at the honors level. And the option is not available in Groten. Why? Because what you're doing is is pushing students to either go if they don't want to take on the challenge of that. The only option is to go down, which our lowest level in Groten is college prep. Now, that is a concern. So, why is there not an in between bridge program? Because it also allows students that are coming from a college prep level. Let's just say

019a sophomore is at college prep only this year and that's where they are. that allows them to move to an honors level for junior year, but if that's not available, they'll stay at college prep. So, just making sure we're not having the gaps as we increase the rigor. And I see that as a large concern and have over the last five years, and I've addressed it several times. Third, ROC program. Again, I have a son that just graduated from Fitch, went off to join the Navy, and is at the Naval Boot Camp as we speak. I've advocated for five to six years asking for a former ROC program at the Fitch High School in a in a military community that we serve. I've come before the board at public comment and some had stated, "Oh,

020we don't want them to have the weapons in school." And there was concerns with that and all of that. New London does a beautiful job. Um, it was also stated funding wasn't there. Well, we can look for grants and funding for that and advance that program along. As we sit here, I have a son now who's a sophomore who also would like to join the military and is looking to be an officer perhaps. And yet there is still no ROC program or bridge program or anything to support that community. As we look towards making sure we have the rigor of IB and AB and advanced courses, we should be looking at career readiness and making sure that in a military community, we offer that type of program in our town. Going into the Naval Academy

021is a career path. That is a collegebound path. And yet we do not have the baseline to support any branches in our town. Last, looking at extracurricular activities. I've been reviewing the budget and eventually obviously from a town council standpoint, it will come to me. And one of the things I've said to my constituents, I'm all for supporting the number to make sure the board of ed is covered. But I have no control over where that number that I support is moved within all the different object codes. That is the board of ed's elected decision. One of the things I see overwhelming overwhelmingly over the last several years is as we fund the upper level classes, we look at the enrichments and they start to come down. Some enrichment programs are funded at a higher

022level like uh football and others are not so much. Currently, I'm seeing a concern in marching band, the drum sets and other things like our our um last year. >> You have 30 more seconds. >> Thank you. Uh marching band um their uniforms are getting old. Um, as well as fencing, um, making sure that they have proper, uh, support. When I'm out in the community, I noticed that, uh, you know, East Lime shows up with four coaches for fencing, we show up with two and no female representation for the the females on the sports team. So, I just encourage the board of ed, whatever number you get and whatever that percent increase or whatever it stays at, when you decide to move the money around to make sure our extracurricular activities are supported at the

023same level as football and its surrounding as we Yep. I'm just going to close. As we we educate our children, extracurricularum activities should be supported at the same rigor as everything else. And we should not look less than our neighboring towns when our funding is there and we are uh uh definitely a top performer um in our community. So I just hope that we can look to funding fencing, marching band, and everything else in our community at the same level as we do all other extracurricular activities. Thank you. >> Thank you, Porsche. Um, the next one in line is Sarah Hillman. >> Hi Sarah, if you think you're talking. >> Here we go. Hi everybody. This is Sarah Hillman, 100 Pearl Street, Graten, Connecticut. I'm traveling so I'm going to do the best I can.

024Um, but I am here to um discuss the mask mandate becoming mask optional. I would like to thank Susan and the board for very seriously considering um all of the um factors that were necessary to make this decision. Um, as the board probably knows, all of our neighboring towns have also decided to go mask optional. We're in Florida right now where they haven't been wearing masks for a year. Um, and kids are flourishing and doing really well. Today was the first day of masks optional. And I heard and have seen in our group of parents of about 150 of us um, pictures and testimonies of how thrilled the kids were to go to school today. um how happy people, especially with kids with uh speech classes and kids who need extra help in special education,

025um how much better their education is going to go. We know now that the downfalls of the masking have been tremendous on a national level. Uh suicide rates are through the roof. There's a father in Fairfield who's very active in the movement to make masks optional in Connecticut who lost his son last October to suicide. Uh there are people in our community who talk about the same thing that they have children with um skyrocketing skyrocketing anxiety and depression that um have just been absolutely overcome with joy and thrill that they can return to school without masks to see their friends to see their teachers to return to normaly. We can no longer put the fear of adults over a survivable uh treatable and preventable illness um on our children. They should not be bearing the

026brunt of this any longer. It's been two years far far too long. Um they deserve to go to school and learn and have normaly returned to them. So, I would like to thank Susan for making this very wise and popular decision to let the children and families and teachers and staff decide whether or not they would like to continue wearing masks. The time has come. Um, another father at the Stonington Board of Ed meeting recently commented that there's a new party and it's of parents who will hold the line and make sure that our children deserve and get the freedom that they um are entitled to and deserve. So, there's a group of parents in Bratton that also are here to hold the line um and we're here to support mask choice for our kids.

027Uh, and I'm a homeschooling parent. I withdrew my son um because I refused to send him to school in a mask. I knew that it would be very detrimental to his health. I'm a physical therapist. I know how important it is to be able to breathe fresh air, to communicate, to articulate. Um and so I look forward to being able to send him back to school someday. Uh and I hope that I have that opportunity. So, um I disagree strongly with the idea of mass discrimination and masking children that are vaccinated and not vaccinated. Um to only mask the vaccinated, the unvaccinated children. Um that's discrimination and that we won't stand for that. Um so I'd like to thank everyone and I'd like to encourage the board to please support Susan's decision. Um it's a

028excellent wonderful decision and our community is overjoyed by this news and um we hope that the board votes unanimously to support this which will show that you have heard the parents and the families in this community uh from the surveys, the emails and the calls. So thank you everyone and um we're looking forward to returning to normal. >> Thank you Sarah. >> Um Courtney Richards. Hi everybody. This is Courtney Richards, 16 Arrowwood Drive Graten. I'm going to talk about mask choice today. Uh my first grader went to school today and for the first day since he started school this year, he his teacher said he did amazing. He was happy. Uh there was only one student in his class that was wearing a mask today and she said she could tell the difference. He didn't

029give any issues with classwork, which actually he's been giving issues with. Um, he was shutting down and not doing work. He was getting aggressive. And she said today he was a whole new child. He was so happy. Uh, everybody in the class was just so happy to see each other smiling. And, you know, I noticed a big change just in how he came home from school today between how he came home last week with the mask on. Uh, he felt better. he was happier. Uh, but I also want to speak about a situation we had happen this morning when I went to go put my child on the school bus. Uh, the bus driver called me a bad mom, told me I didn't care about my child's safety, tried to force me to put a

030mask on him, and my son was visibly upset by how I was being treated. Almost felt like he was doing something wrong, which is not okay. And that speaks to not judging those for the choice that they make. If a parent chooses to not put a mask on their child or the child chooses to not wear a mask, no one should be judging them. Just like if someone wears a mask, there should be no judgment. And I think that's really important that everybody should be talking to the students. They should be thinking themselves that no judgment should be made on either side whether you choose to wear a mask or not. It's important that everybody feel together as a community in the decision that's made by everybody. I speak for mass choice. I saw a

031huge difference in my child and as the person before me said the community was speaking about how much of a change there was and how happy the children were. So I hope that everybody votes to make mass choice and I just want to say thank you for all the time that you guys have put for this to keep us safe. Thank you. >> Thank you, Courtney. Um, Tara Bennett. >> Hello everybody. Can you hear me? >> Hi, Tara. >> We can. >> My name is Tara Chicetti Bennett and I live at 23 Lewis Street, Graten. Um, I just want to come on to thank Susan and the board of ed for also supporting Mask Choice. I have a second grader now and um it was the first day I think almost in his almost his

032whole school career that he was able to go to school kind of normal back to normal without the mask on. So we really appreciate it. He's here with me now. Um so thank you so much for to the board for for choosing that and we hope to continue that in the future. I'm also coming on to speak as a teacher in another town. Um, it was my first day going back without having to wear one. And I teach ESL, English as a second language. So, as you can imagine, it's extremely difficult to teach students trying to learn English in a mask. So, I would oftentimes have to stand far away and kind of pull it down, especially when I have newcomers to the country who really need to see your mouth. And even I also

033taught Spanish in the past. Even teaching a foreign language. Same same thing. I I I can't imagine teaching Spanish with a math. I haven't done that yet. But um but I did I do I did have to uh do it when teaching English for the past few years and it was extremely difficult for the student. Um and also so many of our kids now um are having speech language issues. our our younger learners uh in particular um and it's just they're not getting the help they need. Hopefully, they will be now that they don't have to wear masks uh in the classroom if their parents choose. Um I'm really just here to support the choice. Um just I think all parents should have the choice for their their own kids and if they want their

034kids to wear the masks or not. Um, it's been a few years now as other people have said and I think everyone should just be able to to tow the line to we parents are going to tow the line, but everyone should have the the option if they want to wear one or not. So that's why I'm here just to reiterate that and hope the board continues to support choice because for a teacher like me and any of your your staff at your in Grten, I'm sure it is very difficult for them trying to teach a language in general. Thank you, >> Tara. Thank you. >> Is there anyone else that have not put their name on the chat but would like to speak to the board? Does Mark see anybody else in the chat?

035I don't. >> I don't see anyone. I'm just making sure. Sometimes just giving people a chance to kind >> sit in it, they um they would be willing to do that. Um so um sup superintendent a I'm um this is now a chance for the board members just to kind of think out loud in a general way but Susan I um uh superintendent Austin I have a couple questions for you. Um um actually my first question is to Liz Porter who is the chair of the curriculum um part of our board and is not a review of the Latin program. Is that not um going to be discussed in in your in your um in your do in your domain? >> Well, first I want to clarify we're not getting rid of Latin. Okay. That's

036not that's not there. our numbers are down and we're trying to invest we are investigating why those numbers are down. Okay. >> And I just wanted to to reiterate that Latin is not going away >> especially for those kids who are grandfathered in. There is a period in the day that this Latin teacher will have with them. >> But I um we take very seriously Latin and the importance of Latin for especially you know for for students all around. And I just wanted to to guarantee that young man. Um Noah, are you still here, Noah? >> Um I just I Well, I just want to make sure he knows that, you know, we're not looking to get rid of it. We're looking to see what's why the numbers are down and to help correct that.

037>> Thank you. Thank you, Liz. >> You're welcome. Um um Mike, I just wanted to say thank you very much for um uh your very thoughtful uh um information about um the why we should keep the mask mandate. Um and your comment about I I do need to personally respond to the reason why we are still meeting um fully Zoom. Um I take full responsibility that we did not move to hybrid. Um I have been in a bereavement period and this was one thing that just kind of slipped but starting in March um I believe that the board is going to be going to a hybrid um uh model. So I I do want to um uh say that to the community to the board and to you my specifically that was the reason why

038we're not together or in hybrid is really because with my bereavement leave this just this was the one thing that slipped. Um and um Porsche um uh su uh Superintendent Austin um could you get back to the board um about um this honor class and why it's not um my why it's why it's not um able to be ex extended. Um I would be I think that the board would be interested to know about that. Um >> can also say we've applied to be part of our OTC but we have not gotten the word back yet. Okay. So, um because my understanding was that there was a freeze on any more um ROC programs. Is that correct? >> No, it takes a year. So, we applied last year um in the wintertime actually and it

039takes a full year. So, we're we're anxious to hear back and have even talked about a club to get it started. >> Okay. Thank you. Um and also just um to also to port um to uh council board's um uh question about the our career readiness is that the board will be and I think the next committee of the whole meeting we're going to be hearing about our new career readiness programs that we're developing in the high school um and with our partnership with um Graasso Tech um for our students. So I think that that would be an exciting part >> and our IBCT program which is an international balarat careers program as well >> right and um the enrichment programs um I do know that the board is uh negotiating team needs to be

040working um to look at the stipens in terms of what uh what those different programs need. So I feel that um I would like to say thank you to the following families that have come out. Um, and then if if the board needs anything for clarification, but for um Sarah, Courtney, and Tara, thank you very much for taking some time out um out of your world um to come in and express your concern or uh uh support of the um the mask choice. Sorry, I am losing my mind. Um, but I would recognize anyone from the board um that has any questions or if I had covered that, that's great. >> A point of clarification. >> Porsche. Yes. >> Um, could you at least um make sure that it's addressed for the people or folks

041that may want to know um how if they're wishing to have masks worn in school? um as it I fully support anyone who chooses not to, but the parents that want their children to have one on, how is the board um when you guys discuss that going to handle that uh on the elementary levels? Thank you. >> So, our primary teachers have reached out to parents, Porsha, I just wanted you to know for our our youngest learners. Um, and I've also asked for Susan to speak um to that more completely um later a little bit later on in the in our um our meeting. Anything else board? All right, hearing none. Um Oh, student representative report. I think I saw Isaiah name. >> Is he here? >> Isaiah. >> Yes, I'm here. Y. Thank you.

042>> Hey guys. >> Hi everyone. Um, I'd like to start off by mentioning our girls basketball team who has their first state game today against I forget what town is exactly, but they're hosting them. Um, the second thing I'd like to talk about is our Fitz Stones co-op swim team who just won an ECC championship over the weekend. According to my AP physics teacher, Mr. Tidley, I'm not 100% sure about this, but supposedly they now own all of the ECC records for boy swimming. >> And yes, the third thing I'd like to talk about is I was actually a bit surprised when I came to school today because I expected I expected a lot less a lot more students to have their masks off, but it was actually about like 50%. That's what I heard.

043>> So, I just thought it was interesting. That's it for me. >> Okay. So, thank you for reporting on some of the good stuff that's happening. Um the co-op team. Um I actually had two swimmers in my in my previous uh lifetime. And so it's really exciting to hear that um ECC's they won because that was such a battle. So that's exciting. >> Yes. Isaiah, did you uh know that our our wrestlers also we had a great uh showing at the I think it was ECC's this past weekend? >> Yes. I'm sorry. I completely forgot to talk about a wrestling team. >> Hey, I'm a former wrestling uh you know uh I used to be the manager at Fitch when I was at Fitch High School, so don't forget my wrestlers. I'd also be remiss

044if I didn't mention my best friend, Luca, who actually competed in state opens over the weekend for wrestling. >> Very cool. Yes, it it seems like we're doing quite well and so it's wonderful. >> Yes. >> And um Isaiah, can I have a quick question for you about band? Is there winter guard and winter drums? Do you know? Or winter percussion? >> I'm I think so. I actually saw one of my friends in the hallway after school today and he said that he was going to percussion. >> So I assume they >> I think it's really important uh that um you know I I just want the public to know that we do have things that are going on that are both not only sports wise and yes Porsche I just saw that fencing did

045wonderful. Yes, I forgot fencing. You're right. But um also you know that we do have a lot of things that are going on and we're doing quite well. So, um, congratulations to all our scholar athletes, all to our athletes, all to our, you know, everybody who's participating in in many different things. Just want to tell you that you make Graten proud. >> Isaiah, are you the only student rep tonight? I don't see. >> I think so. I'm not positive, though. We know how busy you are, Isaiah, and it we really appreciate hearing your voice, >> of course. >> And uh next next month we'll be doing this in person. Is there other board members that um have any questions or comments to um Isaiah. All righty. Hearing none. Isaiah, thank you so much for coming,

046bud. >> Of course. No problem. >> All right. Um, so I'm going to move us on to the superintendent and administration reports. And so, um, Superintendent Austin. >> Okay. So, I sent the board and we've put it up on our website. There's an entire site if you go on to the main page really dealing with all the considerations that were made and the DE deepph department of public health guidelines around that. And um I just wanted you to know that there's two different guidelines. The ones on considerations for ski school districts in making the decision on masking and other other decisions around CO 19. And then the second guidelines is transitioning to a model of routine prevention. Um and then what do you do if you need to enhance that? So um in all in

047always knowing that this um covid strain can do very different things and we have to be kind of prepared at all times. We need an almost fluid aspect that if things got worse, we'd have to be able to shift gears. Um, I do say that I've worked with all the area superintendents, the alliance superintendent, the commissioner of education and um the department of um the state department of education on a regular basis for the past two years, but especially lately in this whole transitioning that they're talking about. Um, I would say that the CDC and Ledge Health have been our local respondents and Steve Mansfield happens to be my neighbor, so I almost talk to him on a regular basis, but call him and seek his advice um throughout this whole thing and that's been

048really instrumental. We're not health experts, we're educators, so I definitely go to the experts when needing that sound advice. I would say that the survey the aspect of the survey was to get far-reaching um information. Sometimes a forum you might have 20 people come but with the survey we were able to get 2300 over 2300 respondents parent responses. We received five over 500 responses from the high school and it was actually a high school student working with a teacher who designed the student survey. So I was very proud of that. Anytime students come up with ideas and want to hear other students voices, it's really very very rewarding. Um, as far as the um the staff, we had over 600 responses from our staff and all in all between 80, I think it was 82%

049of staff, 90% of parents wanted to make the choice for themselves. And it wasn't just the choice or not choice. In that survey, we also asked if you had the choice, what would you do? would you have your child wear a mask or not? 40% of the parents said they would continue to have their children mask. 60% said they wouldn't. In the adults in the um teacher range, it was like a 50/50 split. Um and the comments were just very very thoughtful. We went through all over a thousand comments or close to a thousand comments that were there to really see if we saw themes or trends and you know we saw um all sides of the picture in the comments about parents who were concerned as Mike Whitney had said about are we lifting

050this mask mandate too early. Um, you know, with the governor's lifting of it, we knew that, um, you know, we really had to consider what our population was looking for. So, we really took that into consideration, but we still I've met with all the administrators and we've actually talked about the plan and using the DPH guidelines number two, which really has us go through all the items. We checked off to ensure that we would continue some of these other strategies, routine strategies and then enhanced strategies should we need them. So everything from the recommending the vaccination, someone had brought up the vaccination. I have to tell you, we've had um about a dozen vaccination clinics at Fitch High School for students and staff. We have another one coming up in March. I think it's March

05110th from our partners. Um Hartford Healthcare have been amazing. And at every single one of them, we've had about 200 people show up to get vaccinated. first, second, and boosted. On the elementary side, we've partnered with Griffin Hospital and they have been out to all of our schools a couple times and also to central office. So, I think we just finished up clinic number nine and we have a 10th one coming up um also in March. March 11th is the TLI day or um actual professional development day. So parents are able to bring their children to central office if they haven't already done so. And that's for school age children 5 to 12. The other one is for 12 and up. So um in the data that we've collected, it's a little different than what

052uh Mr. Whitney reports. Um although the administrator doesn't have that data, it's really gone through the nurse's office, but we really were I don't know of any other district who has really made sure that vaccinations um and our our community had access the way we have and our partners had. So I feel very confident that that's something if if people wanted to get a vaccination, they had access to it and still do. Um so we've reviewed all these um you know these um other you know um strategies and um I know that one of the things that was said is that there shouldn't be any form of bullying or harassment or discrimination in any way whether you wear a mask or don't wear mask. I know that the CDC guidelines came out late Friday. So,

053I was reading them early Saturday morning and trying to get the information to our bus company because the last we knew that was still um a federal mandate. So, we did get it out and you know, this is the second case I've heard where a child was told to put on a mask getting on the bus and um I apologize. We tried to communicate that to all of um to the bus company so they could communicate it to their drivers and I know they were going to re rest re um state that position today this afternoon again. But our administrators are well aware and I would just say to the parents in the community if you have any concerns at all please reach out to the school directly. Um the N95 masks are in the

054building. We've sent them out. We have additional um testing kits as well. So if a family wanted a kit, even just for their own sake, they could write a note to the school nurse and they have their ample kits and and N95 masks. So we're just going to continue to monitor this ever so carefully, look at our our data, the Graten data, the Graten school data, and work with Ledgeite. And you know, um that's why on the um board's agenda, the motion really is to um suspend the mask mandate, but to authorize the superintendent should we need to be flexible. And um flexibility has been the name of the game with this past two years. But I appreciate everybody who came out and and spoke about this and shared your concerns. Are there questions from

055the board? So, the board knows that. Oh, Beverly, >> thank you. Um, I do have one question. uh and it comes from the DPH attachment number one and it says what processes need to be in place for continuous risk assessment and prompt decision making regarding COVID 19 policies and mitigation strategies going forward. So do we have anything in place? So I that I think that's the flexibility we're talking about that the superintendent would be able to um very quickly make a decision and share with the community should something change drastically and anybody would be at risk again. >> Okay, thank you. I have one more question, Susan. Are we taking um temperatures or anything like that when the students come to school to make sure that I mean how other than the parents telling us

056that the students have COVID? How what do how do we know? So, um, we've really asked parents to partner with us in this, Beverly, like you know, always that if their child is expressing that they're not feeling well, to keep the child home, to take the temperature, to to see, you know, how the child does. So, if a child is sick, we're asking parents and staff stay home, find out, take a test. They actually have the ability to call the school nurse and that they can come and drive up and the school nurse can give them a test. If a child comes into school, and this happens sometimes where they they all of a sudden don't feel well by lunchtime, you know, they go right to the nurse's office and the nurse takes their temperature

057and checks to see how they're feeling and if it's something that is really COVID like symptoms, they send them home with a testing kit to their parents. You know, the parents come and pick them up and the kits come in two parts. So the first we asked them to take right away and then 24 hours later they take the second. And that's actually been a good system we've had in place for quite some time now since we received all the kits. >> Denise, I see that you um have like let go of your video. So is there something that you wanted to add to the conversation or were you just saying hi? >> Oh, thank you. Thank you chair chairperson. Um, I just wanted to follow up on Beverly's question about the processes that um

058that we'll be using to determine if we have to move to more enhanced uh strategies and one of them is um monitoring the data and looking you know monitoring to be sure that we don't have a classroom outbreak. So, the DPH has provided metrics for us to use to assess if there is an outbreak either in a classroom or in a school, which would signal that we need to go back to what the superintendent referred to as those enhanced strategies. A and how many um students need to be in that number of the outbreak in a class? Is it five students? Is it two? Is it 20? >> Sure. So the guidelines are 10% of the students, teachers or staff within a core group or at least three cases within a specified group. And we've

059shared this with the principles um and they're you know they monitor their cases and they submit them to us which get posted on the district website. So, we are communicating often, although you'll see on the district website, um, we haven't had more than five cases since February 14th. The cases have been, I think, one, maybe two a day, but mostly one where after January was really it it was really kind of frightening. So, it really did escalate after Christmas, but it has come way down. >> We also um I know Lori's on the meeting. We also looked at um you know the vaccination rate of our staff which is very high. I believe it's um upwards of 97% >> of our staff are vaccinated. >> I don't know Lori if you want to confirm that.

060Is that correct? >> That's correct Denise. Yes we're at 97%. >> And Denise can I ask you another question? >> Of course. >> Okay. What about the what are we doing for the students that um have adverse health outcomes, special ed students and you know students that you know in that health risk category. >> Many of our students with more significant um disabilities have difficulty uh tolerating the mask. So for many of those students um wearing a mask has not been something that they've been able to do um all day. Um u however we have you know been reminding them. Uh but we are also communicating with parents to see if parents want their children to continue to wear the mask and if they do um we're providing reminders. um we're, you know, kind of

061reminding them to pull the mask up um you know, put it back on after a snack, but many of those students have difficulty tolerating the mask. So, we're using other strategies such as uh frequent handashing, use of hand sanitizer, uh social distancing, um you know, keeping their cohorts a little bit more contained in order to um to minimize their risk. in those classes. Do you think the staff should wear a mask to um protect the students? >> Well, we have a very high percentage of our staff that are vaccinated. So, at this point, um I I feel that, you know, they can make the choice. We've all been um very diligent about monitoring our symptoms and not coming to work if we have symptoms. So I do feel that um you know the teachers are

062also uh aware if staff are in the building with symptoms and sending them to the nurse. So I do feel that the staff are aware of what they need to do to keep themselves healthy and keep their students healthy. And I think that they can make that decision um in terms of what's best for their health and and if they are feeling ill, you know, take steps to mitigate that. either wear a mask or stay home for a day or two with and and obviously as Susan said, we have plenty of test kits to send home with them. >> Thank you, >> Liz. I know that you had your hand up. >> No, that's fine. >> Okay. >> Anyone else on this topic? So, just want to remind um for the board is that um

063we are going to be voting on the suspension of the mask policy um and that in talking to both um CABE which is the Connecticut Association of Boards of Ed and also talking to our the attorney um it really just like going remote or not going remote is not the is not the duty of the board. it's actually the duty of the superintendent with the board's um support around that. So, um I just wanted to make sure that um we had that conversation for a second and um but also um just to remind the board that later on in the meeting we are going to be voting on the suspension of the face mask. Susan, would you like to continue or is your piece done and is Phil here? I don't see his name. >>

064No, Dr. Piaz is not here tonight, but I believe Tom Lansdale, who's really spearheaded our whole lottery process and the timeline, he should be here. >> Yes, he is. I see him. >> There he is. >> I am here. I am filling in for Phil. Uh, so Dr. Piaza, myself, and Rebecca Beas have really been kind of leading this charge on the lottery process timeline. It's hard to believe, but it is already, you know, magnet season again, if you can believe it. Uh and our our lottery process actually opened on February 1st. Um and that lottery application has been open. We already have families who are applying to our different um elementary magnet schools within the district, which is fantastic. Um as you would expect, it is a little different this year. So, we're not

065closing schools and opening new schools this year. All five of our schools are now open. um we are seeing kind of the greatest demand at the um kindergarten level which is to be expected for all of our new families entering the district choosing their schools. So about looks like roughly as of today about nine out of 10 applications are at the K level. So so very strong at the K level. Um we really now are just starting our push in terms of advertising. I know Rebecca did a fantastic job. There are um promotional videos for all five of our elementary schools now posted on our district website which all of you can view. um all different materials about the different themes at our buildings, about what we can offer at Grten at the elementary level

066and um I encourage the board and everyone on here to go on and view those. It's really fantastic to kind of see what's come together with the themes, especially at our new elementary schools, how far they've come in just a year is really great to see. Um going forward, we intend to keep the lottery application open through the end of March. Um and kind of close that off right at the end of the uh right at the end of the month. Uh at that point it'll take us a few days to run the physical lottery. So just to kind of think about what the process is, we collect all the applications. Then we run it, which is a randomized process to kind of determine an order. Um once we run it, we start offering seats.

067So we hope to by the end of that first week of April to be able to offer our first available seats to families. Um we'll give a few days to make decisions. Um and then if there are still available seats, we'll run kind of a second group through to offer as many seats as possible to our students. Um we hope to conclude all of that before students go on their April break. Um that is earlier than last year by several weeks, probably three weeks. Um and we really did that intentionally to push forward not only to be more competitive with um learn and new London. uh but also just to make sure that our principles and administrative staff knew the students they were going to have in their buildings as soon as possible so they

068can start working on things like building class lists for 2223 because that's those are processes they're starting right now as well. Um you know that is really the thing I I am really hopeful that with uh the the way CO is trending that we might be able to offer some in-person um open houses or promotional events for our elementary schools before the lottery application closes. I know we were talking today about hopefully doing some things in late March or early April. Um I know the principles will be reaching out to families, you know, in earnest over the next month and and I hope to see a really strong application pool this year for all of our elementary admins. >> And there are some highly mobile seats that will be put in there as well because

069we are a military community and quite a transient community. >> So should people come in even over the summer um and apply that they they could actually take one of those highly mobile seats. >> Yes, absolutely. And and one other change that I forgot to mention, um we are pushing very hard for all of our kindergarten families to register for school before the end of March. Um and that's just to make sure that every elementary family who's currently in Graten has the opportunity to apply in the lottery and to make that choice should they want to. Um it also gives us a much better understanding of how big our incoming K class is so we can plan and offer seats accordingly. >> Wonderful. Thank you very much. >> Are there questions from the board about

070that? Matthew, >> even um I'm really thrilled that you got the promotional videos. Are you guys planning to put them up on the Groten Community Forum, the Noank Longpoint forum, so you know, just go out there and promote those where we have non-traditional ways of communicating. >> Uh absolutely. I know earlier this afternoon we discussed making sure it's on the GR public schools Facebook page and those could be forwarded on to those other pages. Um I know Rebecca also intends and I don't know I think Rebecca's on this call if she wants to chime in as well. Um but I know she intends to kind of highlight uh a specific school here and there each week. So she might do a week on Thames River and all the great things that are happening there and

071a week on Mr. River. So no we have we have a lot of plans to really try to use some mixed media to promote our schools. Absolutely. Hi everyone. Yeah, we will >> this is Rebecca. Um, hi Tom. Um, yes. Um, we typically, Matt, now that we have our own Facebook page, which is going wonderfully, um, we typically make sure everything's up on the website first, then we post on the Facebook, we link to there, and then we are sharing within those other community forums that exist. um we start with our page and share out and then hopefully that also shows people that we have our own page that's now in existence which has been growing wonderfully um just very organically and we'll expect to continue to see growth with that um and as Tom

072said we'll highlight and make sure people know that all the videos are up there now um which the teams at each of the schools um did a wonderful job with those you can find that page if you go to the gratenchools.com org website underneath the our schools uh in the menu bar, you'll see all of our schools listed, but then you'll also see a call out for magnet elementary schools. And we'll also be featuring it on our homepage. And as Tom said, we'll be highlighting um each of the schools videos um probably multiple times over the next month and also highlighting um we're hoping to do a pretty good job of highlighting what's happening at each um at all of our schools on the Facebook page. We've already showcased some events at Charles Barnum and

073Graten Middle and um we'll keep that going as well. We've also had two-way communication to an email link that is posted there and that has been so helpful. So, parents, keep doing that, sending us your questions. We monitor that and um you know, keep liking it. I think what are we up to? How many followers now? >> Um we were just shy of 700 as of today and that's really just been um that organic sort of snowball effect growth. Um, we're now going to start doing more with partner pages and um to see even more growth. We're hoping to put uh the Facebook tag on our um all of our uh district communications that go out via school messenger um and just keep reminding people because uh even people say when the um you know

074the calls go out about snow days or things like that or the message yesterday morning that went out about the bus change with masks. Uh sometimes school messenger takes quite a bit of time to um filter through and get all of the phone calls out. Um so we're posting on Facebook immediately as well. So often we're seeing that people are now starting to see it there first. Um which is is good. So we're just making sure we're integrating all of our different communication media and uh getting the message out one way or another to folks. And for really important message, we put that annoying popup on the website and you can't get rid of it. There's this little corner you have to go to. So parents can go website, you know, off to the Facebook

075and make sure if you're not getting school messenger that you call your school so that we can fix that at our end. >> Beverly. >> Thank you, Kim. Um, I'd like to congratulate you on your success for the Facebook page. It sounds like it's doing quite well. Um, but my question is, are all our students are all our families connected to the internet? >> Um, Beverly, they may use a cell phone versus a computer. Although I know that when we gave out Chromebooks to our families, we did give out also hotspots from T-Mobile and I think families still are able to use those um because we do have kids if they're home sick with COVID, they're able to do their remote learning and we want them to have that access. >> Yeah, Susan, I can

076confirm that. Um we we do still have hotspots available for families and if there are any families who do not have internet access at home, we do still provide them. Thank you. Because it seems like a lot of information is being um disseminated through websites and emails. So I just want to make sure that you know even for the strategies u for co I just want to make sure that all our families have access to this information. >> That's a very good point Beverly because a lot is showcased online. You'll notice too a lot with the website and our communications. We're really trying to get away from um posting things as PDFs. Um on the website, we're really looking to make our content web-based um for two reasons. It's more accessible um for someone who,

077for example, might have a screen reader um or some other accessibility device to help them. It also helps with translation. If someone pulls something up in a PDF, it's not going to translate for them through something such as Google Translate. Um, but if they um pull it up in a web-based format, Google will automatically translate for them um based on their browser settings. Similarly, in Facebook, we have all translator settings turned on. So when we post something in English, if somebody has it set that they view their Facebook in another language, they will see our post in that language. Thank you very much for your responses. >> Any other questions from the board about the lottery? Tom and Rebecca, thank you for uh Katrina, did you hear something or were you just waving? Okay, I

078I can't tell. I just can't. Tom, thank you for filling in for Phil and and Rebecca, it's so good to see you. Um and thank you for giving us the information. Does someone want to speak to the ReadAcross America? >> I do. I do. I'm gonna share my screen. This is one of my favorite weeks of all times. So I get in Phil and I will be in every school and this this particular one in the since n since 2014 we would either do one one district one book one problem. Um last year we did one authorwami Alexander and it was a big hit K through 12. This year I talked to the DEI committee and we really wanted to do one district two authors, two of my favorite authors, Jason Reynolds and Jacqueline Woodson.

079And they have Jacqueline especially has always had these beautiful picture books with big meanings and just um gorgeous and we filled our libraries with so many of her books. So, one of the things that we do is we create a a library set of books that we distribute to each of the schools and we read their books, we read other books, we have guest visitors. We haven't had as many visitors as in the past, but um we do have a few visitors coming to read to the children. Um, and I'm sorry this is in a landscape format. Um, but I'm going to slide it over. Um, and these are posters that we have hanging in all the schools. Some of the t titles from both of these wonderful authors with information and you can if

080you Google them, you can listen to them speaking or reading their books. Um they're just amazing authors who've won all kinds of awards in literature and they get kids hooked into reading those books. Especially um that Jason, he has got so many books that are graphic novels that are um a series and kids just are just enjoying them so much. We met with the curriculum and instruction council and we reviewed our strategic plan that's been ongoing for the past five to seven years. And one of the things I hear loud and clear from the teachers are they are so proud of what they've accomplished in these years with the curriculum, the instruction. And we had several ELA teachers say there's like this new hunger for reading and for writing and um for all of our

081kids, elementary, middle school, and high school. So, it's authors like these that make kids hungry to read and to learn and to write. And so, I just couldn't be more excited. So, this week we'll be dropping off all these books that you see. And um so kids will have a more diverse set and we have another, you know, we have other very diverse um books and authors and um it gives us the opportunity to have mirrors and windows um into worlds. So, I'm very excited about this. So, that's what I went to school for, to be a teacher. And so, I love this ReadAcross America week. >> Yay. >> All right. If there's no questions about that, I'm going to move us on to Ken. So, Ken, have you missed us? I mean, you have

082been seeing us like every, you know, every day of the week. >> Seems like forever since we spoke. your wish. >> So, uh, the first item I'm going to go over is attachment number three, which is project code summary. I'll, uh, I'll share here. Um, make it a little bit bigger. Uh, so this is for FY22. Remember, it's FY22, not FY23. Uh we're estimating uh that we are on track uh set track for our 77 million438090 budget. We're estimating to spend uh 77 which is a projected unexpended balance of 101 uh,198 at this point. Um we have had some um uh cost avoidance under the custodial maintenance uh due to uh there being some positions open that we have not uh been able to fill. uh as well as having uh uh some better experience

083under our tuitions for both special education and our magnets uh our magnet tuitions uh especially the state agency place which has been um under budget uh due to uh some some students are are aging out uh and so uh we don't have to continue to pay those tuition. So, so overall, uh, we are anticipating $100,000, uh, unexpended balance at the end of the year, >> Jay, >> and obviously Ken, I don't have to say to you that uh that means that we we could just be one placement away from being at zero again. Um, but the other thing I'm I'm kind of concerned about is as I'm watching the news is is there any opportunity at this point, I know that the the diesel prices I believe are are locked in through June 30th. Is

084there any possibility of >> locking in beyond that pre- buying uh what's the I don't know what your schedule looks like? >> Yeah, so we we would look at that uh typically over the summer. Um but we there is a consortium of of uh municipalities that we are uh looking at uh joining uh Connecticut municipalities including the town of Grten uh that are looking at locking into some diesel and heating uh oil u prices now uh versus waiting until until the summertime. Uh so we are looking at that um and that uh we the it's it's a consortium so it's a group uh and I think we're meeting we are meeting on Friday to discuss that. >> Okay. So you have to go in with the the town on that. >> Uh so we don't

085we don't uh so if if we wanted to join this consortium they are part of it. Uh and so yes, uh we um decide to go on our own, but uh uh the feeling is that uh with the with the greater amount of um uh uh buying power uh that we'd be better off uh with with the group, >> right? That that makes sense. But like like you said, I think time is of the essence. >> Yes. Yep. >> All right. Thank you, >> Katrina. And I was looking at the um well obviously the object code summary and on page six four lines up from the bottom what is 3710 not um community services non-public schools. >> Uh >> is that the stuff like that? >> So that's mainly uh we provide uh transportation services

086for Sacred Heart students. Uh, and that's that's what that amount is is is is for. >> It's a lot of money. Okay. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Any other questions for Ken on that? >> Beverly. >> Uh, Ken on function 1260 enrichment. Um, we only spent I hope we spend more than $38,000 on enrichment. >> So, uh, we we have quite a few uh grants that that cover enrichment. Our DODIA grants um uh uh cover a lot of enrichment. Uh, and and this is this is uh this does not include any of the um any of the um additional um what is it? the student activities for the 6th through 12. Uh so this is uh this is enrichment and we have this broken down it's by by school. Um and we we

087also have funding within the uh SR2 I believe. Uh so so it's kind of spread out. Uh we have spent so far this year 9,161. uh we would anticipate spending that uh that entire amount of 38724. >> Okay. So, this isn't the line item where um support comes in for students that might be in that AP class that needs the support. That's not considered enrichment. Yeah, enrichment is more of a uh there's a lot of afterchool uh uh type of um enrichments uh u additional help um maybe maybe you're thinking of I don't know if I reading correctly type of uh uh um cost support which is the next function down function 1270 correct that's what I was thinking of all Katrina, >> do we um or I think the grant goes right to the

088town, the magnet school busing grant or is that for all schools that we have to transport students to? >> The magnet school uh grant that goes directly to the town. Uh that's uh the cost that the uh that the state reimbures us for for transporting uh students to to the magnet schools outside of our district. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Any other question for Ken on that? If not, let's go to the insurance. >> All right. Here is uh hopefully you can see that here is our uh claims through the month of December. Uh we should have the January report by now. Uh we have not received that yet. Um but this is through December. Uh you'll notice for that for the month uh claims total cost of claims for the month of December were

0891,181465 which is above our projected monthly number of 990 by 190,000. So it's showing almost 120 uh% of of that projection. Uh so th this was this is anticipated. uh we anticipated uh at some point for claims to to to be uh larger due to um postponed uh appointments and procedures. Uh so this is built into what we anticipated. Uh through year to date we're still at 94.8%. So I think we're well within our um uh anticipated numbers with regard to uh with regard to the claims at this point. Any other questions for our business manager? Jay, >> uh, not to put you on the spot, Ken, but um just out of curiosity, how does that track toward where we were for that month last year? >> Yeah, last year um the month was at

09093 and a half% and year to date 75.4. before, but the last year was probably not a good uh metric or gauge. And actually the same thing with the year before, it was 922.6% for the month, but once again, that was 2019. So if we look back at 2018, uh it was 86.8%. So I think we're this December is quite a bit higher than what we have experienced in the past. But I do believe um it's the postponed uh procedures, appointments that are that are driving that. >> Okay. Thank you, >> Mr. Kilpatrick. >> Yes. Good evening. >> Where you are? >> Hi, guys. >> I'm up here. >> Top square. Up in the top square. So, uh, yeah, I have a couple of things I want to, uh, report on, but I, uh, I

091heard Katrina mention the out of town transportation to the, uh, to the magnet schools, uh, across the bridge. And, uh, I just received an email today from the state, uh, regarding the EDO2, which is the, uh, form that we fill out. So, I'll be working on that and getting that into the state uh, right away. So, but uh, those numbers are down, too, because we have less kids going across the river. And uh I'm sure that we all hope that that trend continues as we move forward. Uh the next item are solar panels. Uh questions about solar panels. We have Emily Basham from the Connecticut Green Bank who will be attending our next finance and facilities committee meeting to continue to discuss the power purchase agreement. Uh she did send me in the meantime uh

092three references uh of uh towns that she worked in. I've talked to two of those. Once I get the third uh reference taken care of, then I'll be sharing that with the chairman weight uh so that we can discuss that at the next meeting as well. Uh and of course uh the uh the happy news uh is that cameras on buses have all been installed. So all buses have brand new cameras uh much finer cameras than we had previously. The whole system works a lot better. Um, so the regular size buses uh uh have four cameras each now. They used to have two, they all have four cameras of higher quality and the uh shorter buses have three cameras each. So uh that's all been taken care of by STA and uh since they've been

093installed we haven't had to use any but uh we do know that they uh are much better. So and that's my report. Jay, >> Mr. Kilpatrick, um I I know we're going to have her at our meeting next week, but just out of curiosity, um one of the things that that I've heard as a concern is the massive amount of toxic waste that will be on our hands in about 20 years when all of these solar panels come off buildings. Um, and I don't know what the plan is for how we're going to dispose of all that. I I have heard that recycling it if if the materials can be recycled, uh, usually costs 20 to 30 times as much as dumping. Um, of course, I don't think we have any dumping facilities around here.

094Everything now is transferred out. So, I guess my question is, are they involved at all with wind or are they is is this Connecticut Green Bank strictly solar? Uh, from my understanding, they're strictly a solar. And, uh, I think we asked her the question, I believe we asked her the question about what they're going to do with the panels or what we're going to be able to do with the panels if they had a plan and they have no plan because uh, it's too far into the future for them to think of that apparently. Uh it's it's certainly a question I've heard it from three or four different people. We're concerned about that and it's something that uh I think we need to look a little more uh carefully at for sure. >> Yeah. I

095mean they're uh going to be responsible is my understanding but um I think as a community we have to think about you know um you know really what what problem are we creating for our children uh when all of this technology uh becomes superseded or um you know reaches end of life. So >> yeah, I agree. Just just because they're going to be responsible for removing them, taking them out of here, we should still know what they're going to do with them so that it's uh done in a responsible manner. For sure. >> Right. I mean, I don't think that we are particularly interested in hosting, you know, the uh the burial of all of this toxic waste uh in our town. So I'm curious which towns have stepped forward to to agree to host

096that. So, thank you. >> You're welcome, >> Beverly. >> Um, when the person came to speak with the um board about the solar panels, he gave us a list of list of towns that currently had solar panels. Did you reach out to any of those towns to ask them about this company? >> I I've talked to two of them so far. I have one more to talk to this week. Uh, and once I have that report, I'll share it with the chairman weightloff of the finance and facilities committee. >> Jay, once he sends you that report, can you send it to the members of the or the entire board or the members of the finance and facilities committee? >> Yes, it's on the agenda for uh next Tuesday, March 8th, and obviously will be available

097to everybody. It'll be a public document. I can tell you generally speaking, >> will we get it before the meeting or at the meeting? >> Usually our packets are have always been um come before each of the meetings. >> No, because he said it's on the agenda. So I didn't know >> so we can discuss it >> implying that the material the information would be at the meeting or if if it would come before the meeting. >> Be thank you for the clarification. Yeah, that um it would be that sounds like that's too hard to discuss just getting the information. So um Sam, hopefully that information can come to the finance and facilities before um Monday so that they can that they can at least chomp on it for 24 hours before the meeting. >>

098It's actually next Tuesday. Right. >> Right. Marie. >> Yeah, it's a day later than usual. Um and uh in general the two people two uh customers that I talked to uh so far have been favorable uh with regard to the the green bank installation. There were a couple of recommendations but other than that uh generally favorable but I'll put that in my report to Jay. >> Any other questions? If not, let's jump to Lori. Welcome back from your vacation. >> Good evening, everyone. Nice to see everybody. So, I wanted to take an opportunity to give uh just a staffing update on where we are from a district perspective, talk a little bit about our recruitment efforts, and then I'd like to talk just briefly about our um efforts to diversify our workforce. So, I'd like

099to touch on that a little bit as well. Um, so in relation to recruitment, we I want to talk a little bit about all the um events we have coming up and what we've been doing to, you know, spread the word, especially with the adjustments we've made with the um incoming salaries for our positions. We've definitely seen considerable movement um from a recruitment and hiring standpoint. So um last week we attended an event at the Department of Labor um office in Montville. We collaborate with them and we actually go onsite and do recruitment events right in their office. Um so we uh were there last week um on March 9th we will be at the um student Fitch High School student career planning event um that is held every year at the high school. So

100we'll we will be there. We will be um talking to students about their interest in careers in teaching um as well as giving those students support related to resume writing and interview preparation. So we'll be supporting that event. Um April 6th we will be at the day's job fair um which is typically held at the Mystic Marriott. We do that every spring and fall and usually is quite successful for us um put on by the day sponsored by the day. And then on April 7th, we actually have two uh events on that day. We'll be at Yukon recruiting for certified teachers. And then we'll also be um participating in a diversity in education virtual career fair that they do each year which is uh focused on um teachers as well. Um so we have we

101have a number of events coming up. Um we've we've recently um completed a number of them, but those are the upcoming events that we have. And as I mentioned, the new pay rate has certainly had an impact. We're seeing a, you know, quite a bit of uptick in hiring activity. Um, especially in our non-certified staff. Um, we've got, we've hired a number of, uh, custodians, kindergarten aids, bus aids, paraprofessionals. Um, so we're certainly seeing um, definite progress and growth as it relates to some of our challenges that we've had coming through the pandemic. Um and um we've also collaborated and had social media presence, you know, with the uh addition of the Facebook page. We've been collaborating with Rebecca Bea. She's been posting our upcoming events on the on the page on the Facebook page

102and inviting people to come out and see us. Um so that's been wonderful. Um and then as far as diversifying our workforce, there's a number of things that we have been continuing to work on which are proving to see uh promise and success. Um we have been networking with Martin former Martin Luther King scholars. There's a couple of them that we have been um working with and we're we're pr you know we're quite proud to network with them and and encourage them on their path to teaching. one of them has joined the district and um she's working for us as well as we're supporting her with her student teaching requirements um so that she is gets herself fully certified and um she's pursuing an elementary certification. Um we also have our teacher and residence program

103this year which is going very well. Um we supported three teacher and residence candidates at the elementary level and those individuals are doing well and they are wrapping up with their programs and they will be um filing for their certification this spring. Um so those are individuals who are specifically um brought into those programs to give them opportunities and prepare them for certification. And then we're with our own grow our own program, we've been very successful at placing individuals in special education um which we're expanding the program this year to additional areas at the secondary level, especially areas that are challenging to hire um such as science um again more special education. So we've been very successful with our own program in supporting special education certification. and we've had several individuals complete their um programs

104and we've hired them on um into teaching positions. So um so you know we continue to work on those efforts to diversify our workforce. It's an important part of what we're doing. Um in addition to all of our recruitment efforts to fill our vacant needs. Um, and what I'd like to offer is we can certainly come back to the board at a cow maybe in the spring and and I'd like to also invite some of our other DEI leaders um in the district um to join me and we can um have an additional presentation talk about, you know, all of the efforts that we're doing around diversifying our workforce and what we're doing to um embed um the importance of this in everything we're doing from a recruitment, retention, and hiring standpoint. point. >> Sorry,

105I'm just reading down the note. Writing down the note so that we can get you back in in spring in late in spring for >> Y. Yeah, because I think it'd be nice. We we met with the principles. Um Jamal Davis, the DEI coordinator, and I we met we um um had a presentation that we made to the principles uh last month and talked a lot about what we're doing to diversify our workforce and what role we all play in that process. So um it was a wonderful meeting and we'd like to share that some of that information with the board as well. Katrina. >> Hi, Lori. Um, do do we get advertisements put into like online newsletters, Edtopia, and things like that? >> Um, not that I'm aware of. Just just the social media

106presence at this point. But if those are resources you're aware of, if you'd like to get those over to me, I'd be happy to take a look at them. >> Great. Thank you. >> Yeah. Thank you, Cap. I'm gonna recognize Dean and then Andrea. >> Thank you. >> Hi, Dean. >> This this may come across as um me being a smartass, but I'm not really honestly. Questions for Lori. >> Sure. >> So, the term that's used is a gerand. Uh can you folks still hear me? because I'm going to be losing battery power. So, I'll be quick. You'll be you'll be pleased. So, we're talking about diversifying. I imagine the goal will be a diversified, right? An accomplished task that I imagine or as close to that as possible. The basis is that students should

107have teachers that look like them or that they can relate to or however you want to phrase it. is an effort being made to match uh ultimately match the staff the teaching staff to the student demographic. So specifically uh if we have Filipino students are we looking for Filipino teachers people of that background? Are we trying to match exactly the composition of black and Hispanic which for political purposes is so often two groups are simply lumped together? Are we looking for anybody from the Middle East? We're looking anybody. We're looking for teachers from India, Bangladesh, people with those backgrounds, Pakistan, anybody from East Asia. We're going to match the Korean students with Korean teachers. Uh because if you follow the principle all the way through, then our staff should look like our student body. Um

108with very few exceptions as much as possible. Wondering if that's an effort. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, Dean, to answer your question, we've talked about as a as a collective group um around our efforts, um diversity comes in many shapes and forms, and you're exactly right. It's not necessarily focused on anyone's specific race or gender, but it it can be role models um um from the LGBTQ. It could be um males in elementary. It could be all these different um ethnic backgrounds and experiences. We've hired teachers who have had uh placements overseas, who have worked in other countries. So, you're you're right. Um have we done we have not done an exact match, but that's something I think we could certainly continue to fine-tune our efforts. At this point, the gap is so wide. you know,

109we're trying to keep the opportunities as open as possible, but as we get um you know, as as we close that gap, I think it allows us to kind of continue to kind of fine-tune those efforts to see where we might need opportunity representation. But at this point, we're just trying to um diversify um through many shapes and forms and role models. Dean, did you have a Is that Are you all good? >> Oh, I'm done. Okay. >> Thank you, Dean. Andrea, I just wanted to thank Lori for her uh her reaching out to students that I have recommended to her. She has has talked with students who are still in college and and those who have graduated. And I wanted to to also thank the U DEI for giving us all the opportunity to

110do that. And and I'm on the recruitment um committee and we are we will be uh meeting uh pretty soon to continue this. And I I just wanted to say how welcoming Graten is to all of our uh communities constituents. It's just a wonderful place to be. Thanks, Andrea. Any other questions for Lori? All right. Hearing none. Andrew, you're done, right? Okay. All right. Well, you're muted, so I'm assuming you are, but your hand's still up, so I just was making sure. All right. I'm going to move us on to community. Uh, yeah. Community. I'm going to actually move us on to the committee reports policy. >> Yes, we met and you'll you will be receiving some three three policies tonight for to be voted on meeting again next week. >> Okay. Um Liz curriculum.

111>> Yeah, we um we met on the 23rd of February and we did a couple things. We reviewed the timeline for course proposals on the secondary level. Um, this happened as a result of two courses that had been proposed in April of 2021 that did not get developed over the summer. However, the high school would like to add them to their 2022 2023 program of studies. One is a course on meteorology. The other one is to enhance our um you know support of our own homegrown you know teachers. It's called um if you love it teach it. And so we're we're hoping uh Dr. Piaza asked us if we could um entertain the idea of allowing these two courses to be accelerated through you know to to us through the curriculum committee if they could

112get us the outline of the and the um the syllabus and everything that was goes along with writing curriculum um to us before April break so that we could bring it to the full board after we've had an opportunity to look through it. Um so um and then we're also looking at the uh revamping poss possible revamping streamlining the course proposal timeline because it currently takes 18 months to get a new course and we are talking about that might be a little bit uh too too long. Um, we're also going to be conducting an audit of the high school and middle school courses um to see what is obsolete, what is, you know, really needed, what is what is wanted, you know, start to do some uh looking at that. Um, one of those things

113and Susan, I I just want to ask you quick question about the the Latin. Can I talk to you about that later on? >> Yeah. >> Like tomorrow at some point? >> Sure. >> Okay. So, um, we meet again next month. Um, but we're Dr. P Dr. Piaza is, uh, and Katrina and Andrea and I are looking forward to, you know, having another chat. >> Okay. Beverly, do you have a question specifically for either um, policy or curriculum? >> Curriculum. >> Okay. Um, Liz, you said that we're not doing away with Latin, but someone on the chat said that their ninth that their middle school student is choosing classes for his for ninth grade and the Latin is not being offered. >> So, I think that's the confusion you that we that we're we are

114phasing it out. >> I you know what, Beverly, I'm going to talk with uh Susan tomorrow and I'll get back to you personally on that. All right. Because I I was under the I maybe I misunderstood. Um but I thought we were not phasing it out but because of lower enrollment and because our teacher that one of our Latin teachers is dual certified and she'll be taking over some social studies classes. But I want to clarify that with Susan and Dr. Piaza and I'll get back to you. Is that okay? >> Okay. Yeah. because this person is thinking well they're saying that it's not being authored in ninth grade. So >> I saw that too and I I I will I'm on it. >> Looks like Dr. Arian has her >> Andrea. I wanted to

115uh get back to Latin. One of the things that I heard tonight from the young man from the high school was that he was discouraged from taking Latin and and the comment was don't don't um don't take Latin. It's too hard. And I I really want to encourage us and I'm on the committee with with Liz. I want to encourage us to look into what's happening with Latin because it seems to me that there's a great deal of interest in it and maybe our students are being discouraged from it from taking it and I I really want to take a look at this again. >> So I'm urging >> that's why it's on that's why it's on the that's why it's on the agenda for the curriculum. >> I just Yeah, I just wanted to

116lend my voice. Seth >> thank you. I'm glad that you did. Thank you for doing that. Um Jay >> Yes. uh finance uh did not meet uh in February just because we have been basically as a board meeting as finance uh every week at least once a week. Um however we will meet uh next Tuesday March 8th. >> Okay. And communication and I believe that that's Katrina. >> Yes, communications has not been able to meet. We are trying to get um a date for March. >> Okay. So, moving on to our other committees um negotiations. I don't think that we have anything coming up. Oh, actually >> yes, we do. We have that stipen >> stipen >> to complete with GA and Lori is back. Lori, do you have any information on um trying to

117find a date or time? >> Is she on? >> Um I think she is, but we we can come back. I mean, we know that we need to get that done. >> Yeah. All right. >> Quick quick clarification, please. >> Yes. >> Susan, is that when you talk about stipen, is that schedule C? Yeah. >> Okay. Thank you. >> That was something that we left um on when we did the contract with the teachers that we would come back and look at the stipens for the for schedule C. Um uh in um in Rita'sstead, she asked me to read this report from learn um of the regular monthly meeting synopsis. Um and I will also I've also sent it to Joan so that it can be in uh in for the record. Um so based

118upon the survey results of the board regarding the 2021 2022 meeting schedule format the following has been agreed upon. Learn will resume hosting in person all board meetings as of September 9th 2021. Learn will also provide a remote option to those unable to attend in person. All members were asked to identify themselves and districts prior to commenting for the audio recording of the meeting in compliance with the Governor Lamont's executive order. Um, superintendent's perspective. Graten superintendent Susan Austin and assist assisted by the assistant superintendent Dr. Philip Piaza presented on the graten 2020 plan. Um, there there's a hiring um an updated list of resignations and new hires were provided. Staffing continues to be of a challenge. Human resources continues to plan hiring events that have offered sign on bonuses to encourage staff to recommend friends

119and families for positions in learn um distribution excuse me distributions um risks which is the regional educational um oh my goodness student I can't remember what the resk stands for but it's a regional education service center service center >> center right alliance legislative ative priority sheet was distributed and reviewed. Legislative updates um for the resk which is the executive directors met with representative um who confirmed that the state legislation is very active in supporting school choice options and listen to the allianc's legislative priorities and discussed the proposed bill of Connecticut teched and career systems funding as well as state funding to replace district funding for magnet school tuitions. The chef versus O'Neal courts settlement resulted in significant funding to go to correct schools. Um, learn agency update associate executive director Dolan hosted the midyear leadership

120retreat with Miss Ericson with which provided time for school and department leaders to hear about their leadership work this year. The executive director Ericson is working with Mitchell College president Dr. ESP and Mitchell College leadership to forge a partnership that will benefit their college students and learn schools and programs throughout through internship programs. Holding conversations with region 17 board chair Susan Sack regarding a potential student support service additional site in Handm to serve districts on the southwestern corner of the Learn Resque. A visit to the site is planned in March. The office of young children and families have contracted with the golden the global child to work on curriculum development and will perform a prek review for Clinton public schools. The friendship school will be hosting the commissioner of early childhood in late February to

121share insights and advocate for support for early childhood education funding support for programming for children. And the office of teaching and learning has launched a new network for school leaders on equity proposed by the shoreline equity network. Learn continues to review and update policies each month. Approved new policy um number 6159 special education planning and placement team and revise policy 5149 students on campus recruitment. And there is a round um table discussion with the governor expected to announce new protocols for masking throughout the state. The topic continues to be a very contentious subject. Mask policy provides district superintendents many challenges due to conflicting health reporting information and guidance from the local, state, and federal agencies. There are also many concerns from staff, students, and parents to be considered as the various groups are often pitted

122against one another on the subject. Many administrators and boards of ed are currently surveying uh their district to get a sense of which way to move forward. East Hatam has decided upon making maskearing optional by announcing that it will be a personal choice and ask that decisions may be made by individuals should be respected. That is from Rita. Um we have not been able to gather for town council um RTM and board of ed leazison. That's still in the works. I'm actually waiting to um get the um the membership from the other um from our other town colleagues. Um we are we have not had any meetings with the ASA um DEA and the board of edison and maybe Susan we should be working on getting that going. >> So I meet with the GA

123for breakfast this week. So I will find out. Beth has not been in she um is feeling better now. So she's back. >> Okay. Super. I just hope that you don't eat the ASA that you can go out to dinner with them or breakfast but don't eat them. >> Yeah we take our turns going to breakfast. Sometimes we all go together. >> Graten scholarship. >> We met on the 17th and um as of the the uh deadline was um on the 18th for Graten scholarships. They were going to possibly extend it, but I never got confirmation that that's was had happened. So I'm going to say that probably the G graten scholarship application has now closed. Um which is what's an unfortunate thing is is as of the 17th there were only 24 students who

124had applied whereas last year there were 62. So, it was it was quite a difference. And but like they were saying, if you know students don't apply and they've been trying to get the word out and get things going, um that would just mean that the students that do apply, there's going to be a lot more money for them. Um so, I'm not sure about the number at this point. Um I did not you know I just got on the committee and they had already set up their reading committee for you know the three people who are going over all the applications. So um the next after the next meeting we should have an idea of what's happening. So I just was like I was disappointed to hear that there was only 24 students as

125of the 17th of February. Um it's just and it was a fluke. I mean, it this was one of the lowest numbers they've ever had. >> Um Stacy said that um we have a someone in the chat saying um Elizabeth Liz that um it's been extended for a week. So maybe you'll be getting more. >> Thanks, Stace. I didn't know that. They didn't tell me. But >> Andrea, >> I wanted to ask, I don't know if Liz knows this, but does anybody know how the scholarship is, you know, all of the scholarships are being moved at the high school? Is there a you know, is there a a a way of get I mean an established way of getting the um information out for to students to apply? Is there a drive? I I do

126know Andrea that they do the guidance counselors are really involved in this and they do you know they do push it. I you know I do know that they did anyway. I'm I'm sure that hasn't changed but they've also had um I'm wondering the career counselor I think up there I think is also involved. So there is a lot of push going on, but for some reason there's a, you know, they're not sure of what the reason for the gold numbers are and um but I do know they promote they do promote these scholarships. >> Thank you. Okay. >> Um Jay Athletic Fields, >> uh I had a conflict. I was unable to attend uh their last meeting. However, um they did draft a letter uh to the Graten Town Council asking them to make

127uh a decision about the uh fate of the Claudchester school site uh a priority uh so that they can um complete um you know their plan for uh athletic fields across the town. >> Thank you, Jay. Um and then for military children was had there been a meeting? >> There will be a meeting on the 24th of of March. >> Okay. So we look forward to hearing about that. Um so the next one is going to be our action items which is a consent agenda which all matters listed under the consent agenda are considered um to be routine and will be enacted by one motion um and we can have points of clarification will be allowed. Can I have a motion for um the consent agenda, please? >> Motion Fitzgerald. >> All right. Can I

128have >> I have Liz for a second. Is there any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor of the consent agenda, please say I. >> I. I. >> Oppose. Abstain. That motion has carried. Um we are now getting into the old business of our um agenda. Um I do want to just take a second um and just to note if people could change um turn to page three of their agenda and we have a discussion that will be going into um executive session if we agree to go into executive sess session. Um and I would um like to propose that we um ta not table but we move three to the very end of the meeting um so that um people I I guess we can be put into a group mark um but then

129we could then come um leave the executive session and be done with the meeting um once we vote to adjourn the meeting. Do people have an issue about that? >> All right, sounds good to me. >> Thank you, Bev. Thank you. >> I know that I think Kate is uh running the meeting tonight. >> Yep. I'm making the breakout room right now. Hold on one second. >> Thank you. >> Oh, thank you. >> Wrong mark. All right. All right. So, um um I'm going to go into old business. Um and um Liz, I am wondering if you would be willing to read the motion um under number one, please. >> Certainly. to approve policy P4118.239 COID9 vaccinations as a second reading. >> Can I have a second to that? >> I'll second that. >> Thank

130you, Andrea. Can we have discussion? >> Is Lori Leine still on? >> Yes, I'm still here. Um, this was one that I think we thought was going to be tabled because of the time. Can you I think you spoke to Floyd. Can you fill us in on this policy? >> Which one was it again? I apologize. I was >> This is um P4118.239, the COVID 19 vaccination as a second reading. We spoke about that. We thought it was off the agenda, but I see it's on. >> Oh, okay. So yeah, the P4118 vaccination policy we aren't proceeding with because it's no longer relevant with the removal or um expiration of the executive order. So there's no longer those requirements. So the the policy is no longer necessary. >> We did check with Floyd on that.

131>> Yeah. And you know what, Sus, you know when I told you I called you called you, but I couldn't remember the reason why I called you? It was because of that. So Joan, we are in we are in we are in a motion. What is um and maybe I can ask Dean um what should we do with when it's not going to be done? >> Joan, >> well draw the motion the first and the seconds. If they take back their first and second then you declare that it's being tabled. >> Okay. So, um Katrina, no. Who did the first motion? >> Liz and Andrea. >> Thank you. Liz, would you um be willing to take um your motion away? >> Absolutely. I make I I withdraw my motion. >> Thank you, Andrea. >> I

132withdraw the second. >> Okay. So, and so this motion has now been tabled for further u for further meeting. That was easy. So Kim qu just a point. Uh so does this mean we're going to discuss it again or because the executive order has Okay. So it's done. >> So it's really tabled because the executive order and I think Lori you had talked to Floyd and he suggested that it go away because so did the mandate, right? >> Yeah. It's no longer relevant because the mandate's no longer um uh active. A point of order, Madam Chair. >> Yeah, Dean. Abs. Absolutely. >> So, we've had the motion withdrawn. >> Uh I don't know that that necessarily tables this agenda item. >> Okay. So, Dean, could you um give me a remedy? >> Yeah. A motion

133to table this motion. This this item. Sorry. >> Is that Is that your motion? >> I Yeah. >> Can I have a second to that motion? Second, >> Liz, any discussion? >> Beverly, >> uh, just for clarification, um, does table mean that we're bringing this up again later or does table mean like, um, Susan said that we do no longer need this policy and it's not necessary? >> I appreciate that really very clever and good, uh, question. Dean, do you have a response for me on that? Well, I suppose, yeah, I suppose that what I could have done was to move to table it indefinitely >> or withdraw. >> I mean, we're a little hyper technical at this point. I mean, if it never appears on the agenda again, we have the same effect. >>

134Yeah. >> So, but there is such a thing as a motion to table indefinitely, >> which is one of these motions people use uh to to kill things. I just need to know which word I should use. Definitely. >> I I'm I am I I I had moved. That wasn't clear. I had moved to table the thing. Indefinitely. >> Indefinitely. >> All right. I've got Matthew and I've got Katrina. >> Um >> Matthew first. >> Katrina. Okay. >> Matthew and then Katrina. >> Let Katrina go. Let Katrina go. I might learn something. Let Katrina go. >> We can um withdraw the motion or modify the motion. So we withdrew the num the um we withdrew the motion already with the first and the second. >> Okay. Thank you. Right. Is this it's an agenda item

135and so does not does it not have to be treated somehow? >> No. Um to withdraw change a motion already stated by the chair. We would request for permission to withdraw or modify the motion. Let me look further. We can get this straightened out once and for all because I think this has been a question before. >> Yeah. >> 191. Okay. >> Can I just jump in real quick and ask another question? Kim, why don't we just take it off the agenda? >> Well, we got a motion on the Beverly, you're absolutely correct, but we got a motion that's kind of hanging out on the floor, so we got to do something with that anyways. >> Well, we withdrew the motion. They withdrew their motion. Yeah, but then Dean then I asked Dean to do

136a motion. It was seconded. >> Yeah, we'll leave leave that leave that one. >> Oh my god. >> I know, Beverly. I'm sorry. I'm just trying to make sure that it doesn't come back to haunt us. >> We >> may I >> Yes, Matthew. >> Thank you. I voted for this motion to come out of committee because I felt it would be inappropriate for one person to kill a motion and keep it from coming to the board. But I had raised some substantive objections to the mo to the policy as it was written. You recall I mentioned that I thought that there was some legal exposure to us. I'm perfectly willing to be overridden, but I think it's as it is for us to keep on the table something that may, to use Dean's words,

137come back to haunt us. I would much prefer to kill this motion and if we need to do something in the future, we always have this document to go back to and resurrect it if we need to. So, so what needs to happen is that someone needs to request of Kim permission to withdraw the motion and then Kim would ask for unanimous consent. >> Which motion? >> What? >> The original motion. I'm sorry. >> Yeah. >> Okay. So Kim or Mr. Chairwoman, I request permission to withdraw my motion. >> Okay. So all those in favor, right? >> I >> All right. And so um so with by by full consent, we have moved that from the from the agenda indefinitely. How's that? >> So just just again any other I'm sorry. >> I'm sorry. I

138was going to say, so my motion to table, however qualified or unqualified, uh, is considered out of order then, right? >> And and we don't have to go back to that. >> I don't have to withdraw anything because if it was out of order, I'm out of order. >> Okay. I'm gonna say that you were out of order. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> All right. So, I'm gonna move us on. >> All right, Katrina. Thank you. >> Welcome. I I I'm going to say I'm confused. Uh if we withdraw the motion to act on this, my understanding, and I may be wrong, is that this proposal still lingers in the nether world is never having been acted upon one way or another. >> It's still somewhere on the table. Is that correct? >> It

139should remain old business. Yeah, >> technically it remains on the old business list. Yeah, >> but it's not approved. Not Not unless the board approved it for a second reading and you have not done that. >> But it remains a It remains on their old business. We may not print it in the agenda, but it remains technically as an old business item. >> If it is, would it be in order? >> I don't know what's in order anymore. Would it be in order to, if it's legal, make a motion that we vote no on this item? If that motion passes and we dispose of it, we still have the document in our records, we can always resurrect it in the future if we need to. Is that in order? >> Is that necessary? I would

140argue that that that if we don't kill it, we have something on the table even if we don't take it up and that if sometime in the future there's a need for something, we can't do what we want while there's still something on the table. >> I since this motion is um the whole policy is moot because it's expired, there shouldn't be any reason for us to have to go back to it. But like Dean said, um it'll be under old business um and it will be maintained in the record. So if we we wouldn't have to bring this particular item back because it's >> no problem. >> Okay. All right. I'm going to move us on to new business. Once again, I'm going to do one, two, three is going to be at the

141end. We're going to go through information and proposals, advanced planning, um suggested agenda items, um and then we're going to before we hit agenda go into the executive session part um piece. Um can I please have Jay um read number one, please? The motion. >> I move to approve the suspension of policy 4118.237. 237 face masks coverings and policy P5141.8 face mask coverings and grant the superintendent of schools or the superintendent of schools designate the authority to determine the appropriate requirement regarding masking as conditions warrant. >> Can I have a second to that? >> I'll second it. >> Thank you, Liz. discussion, please. >> I've really wrestled with this. Um, I'm gonna vote no for this. >> Um, I'm going to do uh Matthew and then Jay. >> Thank you. I'm also going to vote

142no for this. I don't think we can predict the future any better than we could predict it in 2019 and know what's coming down the pike. I agree with the spirit of what's being proposed, but I don't know what's meant by the appropriate requirement and I don't think any of us knows what's going to be appropriate in the future. uh we have recommendations for Ledge Light Health District about what we should be doing for masks and we're somehow using other metrics rather than the most local thing here. So I would feel I support the concept but I'd like to know what the metrics are. It it just seems dangerous to pass something when we don't know what we're authorizing. Thank you, >> Jay. >> Um, I listened very carefully to to both sides on this

143and I um I appreciate uh the points that uh Mike Whitney um made that uh there are some people that think we should wait a little bit longer. Um however, um the way I look at it is the the mask mandate has expired uh at the state level. Um, but I don't think that we can sit here tonight and revoke the policy because uh I for one don't know for a fact that the pandemic has ended. Uh but I think it's appropriate to suspend it since the state mass mandate is over. So the underlying purpose of this uh policy is no longer there. And I think that uh the only thing that was keeping us was the CDC guidance which has changed and they provide the metrics >> metrics >> uh to to Matthew's uh

144point um CDC is now providing metrics based on >> hospitalization um and the uh the strength of of the um of the virus. Um, and so rather than us calling an emergency meeting every time the conditions change, I think it only makes sense that the superintendent can then react to CDC guidance, Department of Public Health guidance, ledge light guidance. the legislature uh specifically authorized the Connecticut Department of Public Health to extend the mask mandate if in their judgment conditions warranted. Uh the legislature gave the Department of Public Health for the state of Connecticut authority to extend it until June 30th. However, they did not do so. In the meantime, CDC has also changed their guidance. So, everything upon which this policy was based has been removed. And I'm in no position. Uh, believe me, and

145I want to thank everyone that's written to us. It's the folks that have come out tonight, but also the many people who have emailed us, called us, messaged us, uh, with their opinions. Um, however, I'm not in a position to make a scientific judgment. Um, and so I'm deferring to CDC, Connecticut Department of Public Health, and our local health authorities >> to determine uh, you know, where the where the state um, uh, is going to go. And if any of that guidance should change, then rather than hold an emergency meeting, the superintendent can can respond to that change. >> And I have to add too that Ledge Light Health District has also verified that. Um Steve Mansfield in my multiple conversations, especially recently, he said that CDC would really give us the guidance that we

146needed and give us the metrics and they did. So he had forecasted that and now he's made it certain. >> Susan, what would happen if this mass if if if this policy if this debate um this policy does not pass tonight? What happens? >> Well, it's going to put us in an awkward situation because you're going to have an existing policy, as Mike Whitney said, um that wouldn't be supported because we've already given people the idea of choice. 90% of our public wanted to have choice in this matter. um and they have it and um as um we've heard about it's 50/50 wearing of the mask at this point and by suspending this policy with the ability for me to be monitoring it um like I did with remote learning and and other things. um

147you know, if we needed to go back, if the CH metrics changed and we were high again, it might be my call to say we're going to have to mask up for the next week or two. And um you know, the community certainly has supported us. It's been two years of this and um the parents and students have been very compliant with the whole thing. So, you didn't So, what is an awkward Beverly and Andrea, I'll recognize you after I just finished my question. Um, so when you say that this puts us in an awkward position, what does that mean? >> Well, it means that you're going to have an existing policy that we're not following >> Beverly. >> Thank you, Kim. >> Absolutely. >> Um, you're absolutely right, Susan. We'll have a if we

148don't do away with this policy, we have an existing policy that we're not following. And I have to say, and I don't mean any disrespect, that we should have waited until the board to the board voted on this policy to send out a letter saying we're suspending masks. I mean, because now we're caught in a catch 22 situation. You already sent out the letter. We're going to look bad if we don't suspend this policy. So, I don't see what much we could do other than suspend the policy without making the school system and making the superintendent look bad. Um, I would have preferred waited until the middle of March to suspend the mask policy to make sure that our numbers were remaining stable and that just because they're stable now that that's the way it's

149going to be. But because you sent out that letter, I don't see what I can really do as a board member. So that's my opinion. >> Beverly, thank you for your voice. >> Andrea, >> it's a a suspension of the policy, not a revocation of it. So it can be a suspension means that it can be brought back, right? >> So it's um to me it's a moot question. You should just do it >> because she already sent out the letter. No, no. Oh, Beverly, I wasn't taking issue with what you said. I was just clarifying that it's just it's a a suspension, not a revocation. That's all. >> Okay. Thank you, >> Jay. >> I just wanted to um clarify um again a question that uh Mr. Whitney brought up earlier and that is

150uh do we currently have on hand uh sufficient number uh of adult and student N95 masks for those who um uh request them. My understanding was the state was going to provide those. We have thousands of masks and we've sent them out to schools along with all the additional um kits for testing and they're available for families, >> COVID test. Yeah. >> All right. Thank you. >> Any other discussion, >> Dean? >> Thank you. Holy smokes. I would prefer to end the policy, but I'll take a suspension if that's what's on the table. The kids should never have been masked to begin with. This is the least vulnerable population. It's to an infinitessimal degree. I, you know, my kids went along with it. They were older and so they Yeah, that's fine. You know, that's

151what they want. Had I had younger kids, I would have had some pretty serious reservations about sending them into the schools. Not because of a health risk, but because of they have to wear that stupid thing on their face. I'm sorry, I'm getting a little heated about this. Uh but you know, the the countries to which we supposedly look to for guidance, Denmark, I don't think they ever mask their kids or Sweden, one of those, right? They're always models except when they're not. Uh I I I'm I'm voting to suspend if that's the best that I can get at this point. Uh you know people who are look who are waiting for no cases. Let me tell you something. Corona virus thank you People's Republic of China Corona virus is going to be with us

152kind of like the cold which is exactly kind of what it is. That's the corona virus. It's going to blow through the planet. We're going to have these periodic outbreaks. Call it a pandemic endemic what have you. Well, let's, you know, mask now, mask tomorrow, mask forever if we want to. I choose not to live that way. I got my shots, by the way. I regret that my children got shots. One didn't. God helped us if those things prove to be bigger problems than their help. I enough with this madness. I vented. I'm voting to suspend. I have to also say in the chat, one of our um parents has said that, you know, almost all the districts in Connecticut um are making mass optional. There are four major cities with 20,000 or more students.

153So with a much larger population than we have who have remained masked for like one week or two more weeks. So I think I mean I have been in communication with all of our superintendents around and it was really virtually everyone's decision that once the mandate is lifted what authority do we have to impose the that so >> Liz and then Beverly >> you know this is a really difficult decision and I want people to understand that we don't take this very lightly um I understand the fear. I also understand that I have a choice. And the choice I make for me and mine may not be the choice that you take make for yours. But you have countries like Japan. Back in the 80s, people were walking around with masks in Tokyo. They still

154do. So it's masking is a choice. And as much as I am concerned about this virus, I personally am tired of living in fear. And I want my choice to be for my health and for myself, for my family is up to them. For my children, if I had young children, I would I would talk to them about this as they were how they were older or younger depends. But I think it's it's come to the point that now it is a parent choice. We are not in the the the state we were two years ago. You know, I I have to say I would, you know, Dean talks about his children. My daughter is a COVID nurse. She's watched 60 people plus die and it's still a choice. And so, you know, it's not

155an easy thing, but I think it's time we have to we have to follow what our hearts tell us. And I have to say I'm going to go with choice. >> Thank you, Liz Beth. >> I have to agree with Liz with some of the things she says. Anyway, but I have to say that I am glad when CO first came out that we had to wear a mask because I think masking did initially, I don't know, maybe for 18 months or whatever, save a lot of us from dying. So, um, but I do believe it's a choice now that things are getting a getting a lot better and people should have a choice whether they want to wear one or not wear one. But I totally disagree with Dean and his vaccination spill and

156all that nonsense that he's talking about. Um Jay, >> uh so I um I just want to say that one of the other u parents and I believe uh Superintendent Austin mentioned earlier, I think it's really important that people respect uh the the other choices for those children and staff members who will continue to wear masks. And I hope, you know, I I would highly encourage everyone to wear a high quality mask, an N95. I mean, science does tell us that the the cloth is probably not helping. And I do agree with uh Beverly. Um that in the beginning, this this did save a lot of lives before vaccines. Um it's just the landscape has changed now. But that's why we're not revoking the policy either. we're suspending it because um we don't know that

157it's over. We thought it was over in the fall and look what happened. So, I'm not willing to say it's all over. So, that's why I support uh the suspending. Uh but furthermore, I I just hope that there will be respect for whatever choice each person makes and that um you know, we can at least you know find some common ground there and that there not be any um any bullying or anything else with regard to whether you know a child uh want or or a staff member wants to continue to to wear a mask. Thank you. >> Thank you, Jay. Katrina, >> do we know you're probably going to say no, but do we know what percentage of our students aren't unvaccinated? >> Um, the only way we would know is through our nurses

158because it is private information. Um, but I would say that if I've had, let's say, a dozen vaccination clinics with about 200 students and adults attending from Groten and I've had another 10 um for our little ones and same thing, you know, from probably a hundred approximately a hundred each of the pediatric clinics. That really is like the majority of my population. So that really reaches out to and I know 97% of my grown-ups that work for the district are all vaccinated. You know, not just teachers, everybody. To me, that's outstanding. And I feel very safe and secure. And that's one of the major that's number one on the DPH list of factors I've got to consider. And I did consider every single one before DPH even sent it out. They were all the things

159I had considered you with my colleagues with my department. So I feel very confident. >> I'm gonna say we are talking about the mask policy. So I think that um I think we need to keep our discussion to that. All right. I think she was asking me though if um you know about the vaccination which is part of the DPH guidelines on whether >> but we're talking about the policy um specifically about suspension. So I would like to keep our comments to that. Thank you >> Dean. >> I have things to say but I won't say them. >> Thank you. Any other discussion? Jay, may you read the motion because you added that last part that's not on our agenda and I don't want to get that misconstrued. I don't mean to put put you

160on the spot. >> I read it as I had it printed. >> Okay. cuz we got an update, Kim. We got an update. >> So, can and I don't have that update. So, >> Liz, could you read the motion for me then? >> Okay, I'll do it. To approve the suspension of policy P4118.237 face mask coverings and policy P5141.8 eight fa face masks and coverings and grant the superintendent of schools or the superintendent of schools designate the authority to determine the appropriate requirement regarding masking as conditions warrant. >> All those in favor of that motion, please say I. >> I. >> Do you need a hand or I just I um Beverly, I don't know what your vote is. Um, I I think I'm I don't know. Um, I'll vote for it. We're suspending it.

161We're tableabling. We're suspending it and if we need it, we we get it back again. Is that the motion? >> Yes. >> Yeah. Okay. >> So, one, two. Okay. All those opposed. >> I >> abstain. >> Matt. So that motion has carried. All right, let's move us on. Um um let's see. Can I have um Matthew, would you be willing to read um under new business number um two the motion? >> I'd be very happy to read the motion. Thank you >> to approve policy P5141-25 students with special health care needs as a first reading. >> Can I have a second to that please? >> Liz, thank you. Um, can I have discussion about this, please? >> Can I have permission to speak? >> Oh, please. >> Thank you. Um so we h we're working

162on the um policy for students with special health care needs. This is specifically a policy for students with life-threatening food allergies. Uh we were revising the policy in the fall to add a section about glucagon storage disease. It's a um form of diabetes that requires special procedures uh for addressing in the school setting. And at our policy meeting, we had a had a parent join us uh and she shared some information that she found lacking in our current policy um in regards to how we address students with life-threatening food allergies. And she shared with us the Connecticut General Statutes 10-20 212C that outlines the components that should be in a policy to address life-threatening food allergies. And although we felt our policy addressed these topics, we felt our policy didn't go into um a great

163deal of detail. So, we did a thorough review of policies from other school districts and we worked with our medical adviser and our school nursing supervisor and we added much more specificity um for our staff and our parents to better understand how we address um the safety of students with life-threatening food allergies. And I just want to review the five broad areas that were added to this policy. uh we specified how first of all number one how we identify students with life-threatening food allergies and diabetes and glycogen storage disease. Number two, we addressed how students that have these disabilities receive what's called an individual health care plan and if needed an emergency care plan. and there's steps that help the schools create those plans and we actually have templates so the plans are consistent from

164building to building. Um next, um we included training and education, which we're we're doing, but we felt it was very important that we specify what that training of the staff consists of and how we educate staff and students in terms of uh making healthy food choices and having making sure that classrooms don't have allergens present that could potentially um put a student with an allergy at risk. Um next uh the fourth domain is prevention. Um we have a section um that's dedicated to cleaning, sanitizing, making sure that um we have steps in place to prevent students from having a reaction to an allergen. And then lastly, communication. how we communicate with our food services department, our bus drivers, our parents, and of course our teachers and students. So that's how we have um really made

165this a more robust policy um so that th these five areas are very clearly and specifically outlined um in this revised policy. Katrina, do you have a question? >> Yes, I do. Um, on page three 31, school transportation, excuse me, school transportation. Who trains? I mean, are the drivers trained? Who trains them? >> So, the drivers are informed if there's a student with a life-threatening allergy. It doesn't always have to be a food allergy. It could be um an allergy to bees. Uh so they would need to know that the student carries an EpiPen. Uh they're also trained on looking for signs that a student may be having a a severe allergic reaction. And they're trained in the procedures for pulling over, calling 911, and making sure that that student gets the help that they

166need if they are in fact having a allergic reaction. And that's done in communication with the parent uh the bus company and it's done generally through the principal or the assistant principal. >> So staff is trained but drivers aren't. They're just notified. >> Um they have training if it's needed in terms of looking for signs of anaphilax shock. They're trained in how to administer the EpiPen. Okay, thank you. Beverly >> Denise, is everything in green is that new or everything in black is new? >> Yes, and that was part of the feedback that we received from a parent that was very, very helpful. Um, because as you can see, our policy was brief. We alluded to these plans. We alluded to training and education and prevention and communication, but we didn't go into great detail.

167So, the bulk of this policy is new. We've been um very methodical in specifying uh what each of these components looks like. >> You did a good job with the policy. I had to look up myself what uh glucen storage disease was because I did I never heard of it before. So, I had >> Yeah, that's how we started. And then we had feedback, you know, again from our parent group um that that told us we really needed to do a better job with communicating um all of those different areas that I just outlined in the policy itself. >> Oh, I was just going to say obviously parents who have students with life-threatening food allergies um want to be sure that um all of these procedures are in place so that their children are safe

168in school. Do you let the cafeteria staff know that um so and so student has a life-threatening allergy? >> We do. >> Okay. All right. Thank you. And we have special seating arrangements in the cafeteria depending on you know what foods the student needs to have a you know a safe zone uh so that they don't come in contact with because some of our students um have a reaction not just if they ingest the allergen but if they come in contact with the allergen. The are those EpiPens, do the drivers carry them in in their first aid kits or are they relying on the student having one? >> Students that have the very severe allergies generally carry the EpiPen in a special pocket of their backpack and we show the bus driver where that pocket

169is. Some of our younger students carry it in a fanny pack that they wear on the bus and then when they come in the classroom, we have a hook inside the classroom door where they hang their fanny pack so it's there but they don't have to wear it all day. >> Okay. Thank you, Denise. >> Katrina, >> I forgot to lower my hand. I'm sorry about that. >> No, no problem. Just want to make sure I I got it. Any further discussion? All right. So, Andrea, >> I just wanted to thank Denise for her thorough explanation of that. It really it really uh gave everybody a clear view of what this is about. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> All right. If I if there's no further discussion, um let's move to um the vote

170on the motion which is to approve policy um P5141.25 students with special healthc care needs as a first reading. All those in favor of that motion, please say I. >> I. I. >> All those opposed. Motion has carried. Beverly, that was really very good about you just putting up the hand so I I knew what you were doing. Thanks. Um, all right. So, as we discussed, I was uh we're going to move on to information, letters of communication, and Beverly, I'm going to start with you. Um, I had communications from a couple of bus drivers about being notified for snow cancellations and they want to know if uh if Susan could possibly or or Sam possibly notif u get the notifications out at night because what happens sometimes is the some bus drivers live an

171hour away and if you call them if you close let them know that schools are being closed at 6:00 in the morning. Some of them are already on the road. So, they want to know if at all possible, can you let let the schools know ASAP um that the that classes are being cancelled? >> We actually heard some of the same things, Beverly, and that's why we called it at night um just the last one. So, yes. Okay. As if we if we had that information, we certainly would do it sooner than later. Okay. And uh Susan, I don't want you to forget about my requesting that one of the libraries in the elementary schools be named after Dr. Mitchell. >> You're here. >> Okay. I don't want I'm not I'm going to talk about

172that at every meeting because I really >> So, we have a we we have to bring our board committee back, the naming committee. And um we might want to think of two different names for the two new libraries at the two new elementary schools. >> Okay. And uh that's it. And thank you everybody that attended the meeting, the staff I'm talking about. Um this has been very helpful to hear your input about different items. So, thank you. Matthew, >> I got several communications about all things masking. I try to respond to all of them, speaking for myself. Um, the only other is it's a personal communication is I'm looking forward to getting into the schools. When we did our blue ribbon festival, I met with the librarians at uh the new middle school and uh

173they said they'd love to have board members come and read. So, since reading is on the agenda, we're here. >> Yeah. This week, give them a call. >> Okay. And uh and uh student career fair. Um if we're able to attend that, I'd like to attend that, too. Thank you. Dean. >> Uh, hold on. Am I on? I'm on. Okay, fine. Um, lots of messages of course from parents regarding the mask update. I won't go through them individually. I think we've heard enough. Um, maybe not. I don't know. U, that's that's a I'm going to leave it at that. Liz, >> yeah, I received a lot of messages like you all did about the different the mask um to mask or unmask. Um, I did want to inform the board that we have a group

174of middle school students from Grten Middle School that will be participating for the first time in their history uh at Connecticut History Day, which will be on they will find out if they have placed to go to the state competition in on March 19th. I find out March 18th, but I can't tell anybody until March 19th. Um and so I just want to applaud um Trish Snyder who has been the lead teacher there on this as well as a couple of other teachers have volunteered to judge. We're hoping that this is a you know this is another avenue for our students to be able to ex you know to show demonstrate uh their creativity as well as their knowledge and it gives a balance not only becau you know to um a very of course

175science in STEM but this gives a humanities end to it as well. So I just want to applaud those teachers. I want to thank everybody for coming tonight and I want to thank those who have reached out and asked us to really consider and I want people to know that we have really considered. So, thank you very much. >> Thank you, Miss Andrea. >> I thank everybody as well and I echo what Liz has said. the uh letters that we got were passionate and well thought out and I I really appreciate the trust that parents have in us. Thank you very much, >> Jay. >> As I said earlier, um I received um numerous communications about masks. Um and I u I agree u with Dr. Acriman and uh Liz, we appreciate uh hearing from

176everyone. Um I attended the first ever uh Black History Month flag raising at the Grten Town Hall. Uh this was organized through uh the town DEI committee. Um but um I should uh mention it was spearheaded by councelor uh Porsche Bordon. Uh in addition to councelor Bordalon, uh councelor Bumgardner spoke, councelor Juliet Parker, uh Mayor Juan Melendez, um the state controller, uh Natalie uh Brwell was there, Connecticut College, um Professor Kevin Booker Jr. was there. Senator Heather Summers, Representative Chris Connley, um Susan and Phil were there along with Fitch High School's Black Student Union. And I'm sure I've left many names off, but um that was the first of what, uh I expect will be an annual event. Um, and then on February 15th, uh, I was able to attend the, uh, blue ribbon ceremony

177at themes, uh, River, uh, Magnet School with Congressman Courtney. Um, of course, Susan and Phil. Um, Kim also addressed the crowd. And I I took away um a statement from Assistant Principal Ada Allen. she was at Mary Morrison um and she uh talked about how uh they were one ship, one crew and u then we were able to tour the building. So that was a very good event also. Thank you >> Katrina. >> Okay. Um I wanted to thank all the staff that attended I think it was eight budget meetings that we had. um they provide a lot of good information, answered a lot of good questions. Um I received the same emails regarding the masking. Um I would say I hope it's has started a trend where the public will and parents will communicate

178with us um feel more comfortable communicating with board members. Um, I wanted to remind everyone that there is a food distribution in the event in um, see it's every last Friday of the month and while it's in the city, it's open to all Graten residents. You can they can um, people can find more information on the city of Graten web page. And then I had a question from someone about registering for preschool. um would now be the time to do that or is there a certain period of time? Do they contact the registar about that? How does that happen? >> So really depends on the students age, but they can always contact the registar. Um Naen Mlin from the district is also um really overseas all the preschool and prek. So she's another really good

179person to reach out to. and we have ECAT if they're children who are in birth to three or turning three. Um, so that's at Charles Barnum. So there's several ways that they can find out. >> Thank you. That is it. >> So um I will just Rita asked me to state that she was in support of my um Whitney's um communication. She asked me to share that um in a text earlier today because she's was unable to be here. Um and I received um all the correspondence that everyone or most people had respon um received um to uh about the masking um uh the masking issue. I did attend um the blue ribbon and I'm just very proud of that staff and how hard they worked and what a great way of um bringing the

180community together and um to have the CEO of the base speak so highly of Grten um was really kind of cool that we have really um really developed um and nurtured those relationships um through um Miranda and also just for um uh just uh how we have kept the military as part of our um thought process. Um I I just um would like to say that um Beverly, there's no time like the present. Um I would love for us to develop a naming committee and if anyone is interested in doing that, could you please email me and I will um get that formed and established. I would also like to um establish an openhouse um committee which would include some staff and possibly some community members um so that this could become a graten community

181event. And it sounds to me that with the magnet schools where we want parents to kind of come in and kind of take a look at it um that that would be great. Um, and so once again, if you are interested in doing that, um, I think that that would be imperative and I would, you know, I would encourage the communication um, committee members to think about their attendance to that as well. I'm not trying to usurp that, but I just think that we need to sort of have a wider um, lens with that Katrina and that's why I'm I'm establishing a separate a separate but combined committee with that. So that's where that was coming from. Um I ask that people pay attention to we have lots of meetings that are coming up. Um

182one of the ones that I think is really important will be at the end. Um uh um that would be the March 29th um which would be the town council meeting and the board of ed budget. um as well. I at this point would take um agenda items. I think Susan and I could Thank you, Katrina. Sorry. Could we maybe um I'm not sure what committee, so I'm just gonna say committee of the hall. Um in one of in the our assert funds, there was over $10,000 um earmarked for our unhoused students. Could we hear a little bit more about how um that money is going to be used and what we're actually doing right now for our unhoused students. Also um I know the legislature has started their session. It's a short session session

183I think. Katrina, we've lost your voice. >> Can you put that exactly how you want it in the chat box so I can read it? So, you said the CO A R A R A R A R A R A R A R A R A R A RPSer and then I couldn't hear what you were saying specifically >> for the um the money it was over just over $10,000 for our unhoused students. unhoused. >> I'll put it in chat. >> Put it in chat for me or just reach out to >> fellow students. >> Okay. All righty. Sorry about that. >> That's all right. I just want to get it right. >> Know that we are going to um with an upcoming um very soon um to to hear about the career the magnet

184and the career um programs um at the high school. Um, I think that we're going to come in and have a have a pretty high school um laden um CO so that the board can understand all the things that are happening there. And I think Susan and I are trying to flush that all out. Katrina, do you have another? Okay. Any other agenda topics? Thanks for hanging in with us, guys. All right. I would like to take a motion to go into I would like to make a motion to go into executive session with Lori Leine and Susan Austin. Can I have a second to that? >> I'll second it. Andrea. >> Thank you, Andrea. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. Anyone oppose? Abstain. Hearing none of those, can we have um

185can we go into a group? >> Yes. >> And then when we come out, Caitlyn, we are going to then need to do um to do our um adjournment. >> Okay. So, I'll make the meeting and I'll wait in this one for you guys to come back. >> Yeah, we'll come back to join you. >> Okay. >> I told you we be back for you, Caitlyn. Thank you. All right. One, two, three. Do we have everyone? One, two, three, four. Two, three, four. >> Okay. All right. Um, I will entertain a motion for endermanment. >> Motion to adjurnn. >> Second. >> I got Jay. Katrina, can you make sure that um you you can just make mark that we've we've adjourned. Yeah. >> Okay. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Abstain.

186Motion is carried. Guys, really good work and good conversation tonight. Thank you. >> Good night, everybody. >> Good night all.