001and Miss Mullenbeck, we're ready. Okay. Hello everyone and welcome to this meeting of the board of education of Glen Brook High School District 225. Um I think we'll start by calling the role please. Miss Smith. Mr. Downing here. Mr. Glowaki present. Mrs. Hope here. Miss Mullenbeck here. Mr. Mr. O'Hara, Mr. Shine, present. Dr. Steinberg, five members present. Okay. Um, number two on our agenda is approval of the agenda. Um, see, can I have a motion, please? I move we approve the agenda. Second. All in favor? I. Any opposed? Motion carries. Okay, moving right along. That takes us to our board and superintendent reports and we will actually start with the superintendent report and I have Thanks. Are we like competing against each other? Um it's hard to see. I had a great opportunity today something
002that was really meaningful me to me to be able to visit um a status update on our new transition center or new transition services site. uh which is in downtown Northbrook. Uh it's hard to see in this particular picture because the lighting isn't completely wired in yet, but we have a lovely brushed aluminum sign as part of the entry into transition services at our site there in downtown Northbrook. Uh it is something that I think we're all going to be very proud of and I can't wait for you to see it at the ribbon cutting later this summer. Progress has been extraordinary. Uh this week we will receive our appliances and by the end of the week our office furniture will be arriving. Uh we still have some minor patching, painting, painting and countertops and
003door work to be done but we are on schedule. In fact the signs were going up on the rooms today. I've got just three slides to show with you aside from the first one. Is it that one there? Aside from the sign, I apologize for the formatting here, but the picture on the left is the kitchen area where we'll have a washer, dryer, a range, uh refrigerator, dishwasher, so students can learn life skills in in a gina ginormous uh kitchen. It's a great teaching space for those students. on the right. Also kind of hard to see because the overexposure because it's such a sunny day is that we have nursing services available for those students too. As we know, a number of those students have health issues that need uh careful watch and we'll have
004services available to to help those students. And again, all we are missing at this point for these rooms are the countertops. And of course, like I said, the appliances start rolling in tomorrow. Very excited about this. I think what makes um me very proud when you look out the windows and you see the partners that we have in downtown Northbrook area and the many work opportunities knowing the library is nearby as is Metra and Pace. Uh this location will be a great advantage for our students as they learn to navigate the community as adults and then they can be seen in the community for the contributions that they make. So I'm very proud of that site. Uh we will have a ribbon cutting for everyone. Um and as we get closer to that day with
005the leadership of Dr. Pearson, Dr. Patac, Stacy Wolf, and Dr. Cummings, who really are the vision behind all of this work, I know that they'll be very proud to have you at the ribbon cutting. However, we want to make sure that ri everything's going to be ready before we schedule that ribbon cutting. So, there'll be no more news coming out yet this summer. Uh finally, I stopped by the summer school this morning and walked around a bit. Uh, it's a very large summer school this year and things are going quite well. I spoke with several of the security staff who usually give you the inside scoop on how the school is doing and they confirmed my impressions that it's going quite well. Uh, as one staff member indicated, the students are pretty chill this year.
006So, I think that's a pretty good thing. We can all be grateful for that as we wrap up uh the first semester of summer school. The principles are not giving an update today. We're giving them a break uh so we can proceed with our meeting. Thank you. Okay. Well, uh, that brings us to a very exciting item on our agenda, and that is the celebration and recognition of our superintendent, Dr. Charles John's. Um, as many of you know, Dr. John's, this will be his last meeting as our superintendent. He'll be transitioning into the role of superintendent ameritus. So, we did want to take a moment to reflect on everything that he has achieved in his role here, what he's done for the district. And we have a number of different people who would like to
007take the floor, but I think we'll start with any board members who would like to share any thoughts or comments or reflections. Mr. Lawi, happy to. Dr. John's I there have been a number of hours, days, years that we've spent together. it just and the the issues that have come across our desk. Uh the the the sincerity, the genuine uh interest of the students has always been at top of mind for you when we went through all that and I truly appreciate working with you through all those issues. I mean I hearing what you've gone through in this short time frame with our district alone and then your impressive career prior to joining us is remarkable. And so we're fortunate that we had you for this period, fortunate for everything that you've built and the
008uh foundation that's created for the next chapter for the district. So I truly again uh wish you the best in the next chapter for you and look forward to hearing about it. Mr. Donnie, as a newbie because I'm, you know, I'm just finishing up month two. Uh it's hard for me to comment. So but I will I did notice two professional things and I noticed two personal things I could share. one um the modernizing of the classrooms. We were in the finance meeting earlier and if you care to listen to it, R.J. was talking about how wonderful the new he put our classrooms up with anybody. That's approximately 200. You changed and that's changing our and improving the lives of our students, our staff, our administ everybody. Um and the transitions we just saw that
009transition just outstanding. On a personal note, it was great to see at wrestling meets. He came to a lot of the glimmer cell wrestling meets which is great. Uh and then the the last piece would be you know I wasn't on the board but I certainly was a parent and the calming hand when you took over at a very difficult storm of co was refreshing and he did it with grace. So um good luck and thank you Mr. Shine Charles. Um Charles has served the district um through a number of critical um just give me a second. Um serve as a superintendent beginning in 2019 uh 20 school year and with that we moved into the incredibly demanding and difficult situation of COVID. Um Charles guided the district through a number of critical initiatives while
010also guiding us through the challenges posed by CO. We had to keep moving, keep teaching, keep learning, keep building all while dealing with CO, something that's completely unprecedented. No executive in this in our country or maybe in the world has had to deal with a problem like that. It is not the kind of thing you learned in the manual. and uh we are grateful for your leadership uh during those turbulent times. Um there are a number of long-term benefits that the district will feel for many years as a result of Dr. Charles vision and leadership and I'd like to just highlight a few of my favorite things that come to mind. um are an operational strategic plan. Um a living document that we still use on an ongoing basis to set goals and measure our
011progress. I think this is so important because most of those plans get written and they get put on a shelf. New people come in and out. But for us, we look at it constantly. Are we spending our time and resources in alignment with the strategic plan? even to the point where we are pulling out the tagging and identifiers in the plan and putting them on our annual goals and tasks and I think that is if at a high level a really really important um success. Um during your interviews I recall that you spoke of the importance of building uh of team building and nurturing staff so that they are prepared for the next steps in their careers. And as I look around this table at our um new team form team members who have been
012here for a long time, I feel that you really embodied and lived that that talk of team building. Um many of our folks sitting around this table weren't here um at the at the management or leadership level. They were within the district. But with your guidance and help, we have more strength than we have ever had in our administrative team. And I think that will really help carry us forward. Classroom of the future. Just love it. I mean, I'm a facilities guy. I love it. I I'm glad that it is has been wellreceived. Um, and it's not just the result. It is the process that got us there because we went through multiple steps, Mr. tag of iterations and we had board members saying no, we don't want that, we want this. We had staff
013saying too high, too low, too red, too blue, whatever. And this administrative team with your leadership calmly went through all of that and got us to this point where staff is pleased with it, students, parents who walk in, it's inviting and it creates um just this positive environment. So we thank you for that. Next would be a a clear focus on security and that required I I can still remember bringing the consultant in because we thought we were doing an okay job until we read the report and it's like we actually were doing okay but we weren't doing nearly enough and you came back to us and said we need to have somebody like Joel Reyes. We need to have people in the hallways. We need physical security and we're not going to do it
014in one year. This is this is a two three four year up to the point of I think what replacing what 100 doors 50 doors whatever it was the most mundane thing a door we all look at a door whatever right it's a door until you have to go put 50 of them in and look at the time and expense and I that was another really key piece uh something that we had mentioned earlier and I'm I'm almost done was the unified course guide um that aligned north and south. And this is something that we talked about going way back. And how did it get this way? How do we how do we support staff and honor their differences and the differences in the schools? Yet at the end of the day, we found that
015we were sort of offering similar things with different names or or descriptions, but were really the same. And why was that? and the cost now through all those efforts that that you and put the team through that's something that is now in the past and I just really thank you because that has an impact every time the student goes to register it's clear it is clear for the student it is clear for the families so thank you and finally in general uh being open to change and listening to all stakeholders with an understanding that a good idea can sprout from unexpected places. So, it's been an honor to work with you um as our superintendent. Thank you, Miss Hope. Well, I'll also be a little briefer as as the newbie having not had the chance
016to work with you for that long, but as a community member and a parent of a student who is about to start in 225, um a a deep and sincere thank you. Um, I've learned just over the last few months what you have put in place to set us up as a community and as a board for success. And just thank you so much. And I think um Dr. Grall would like to make a statement on behalf of the administration at large. Surprise. So when Dr. John's first uh came to the board of education the day he was announced. I noticed that he prepared his remarks to make sure he got everything. And so Charles, to make sure I get everything, I have actually scripted what I'm going to say, okay? Which as many of
017you know is not my normal process. So tonight we gather to recognize and celebrate you, Charles, who will soon retire from his role as superintendent of schools for Glenber High School District and transition to the role of superintendent ammeritus for the 2627 school year. With nearly 40 years of dedicated service to public education, Charles has profoundly impacted countless lives, shaping students, educators, administrators, and communities through your unwavering commitment and thoughtful leadership. Charles joined the Glumber community in July 2019, stepping into a role unaware of the few challenges uh that the upcoming years would bring. Your leadership was immediately evident during our initial administrative gathering where you led a session to help us understand ourselves and each other through the DISC framework. Interesting concept. On that day, I learned firsthand Charles's leadership style, one defined by
018action, decisiveness, and results. Meanwhile, while my own approach was guided by enthusiasm, and connection, these differences, rather than posing a challenge, truly have enriched our partnership, allowing us to complement one another in service to our students. When our district navigated the unexpected arrival of the pandemic, your steadfast reliance on datadriven decisions, remember data, good times, provided clarity during uncertainty. You ensured our district not only complied with the everchanging guidelines, but also prioritized student and staff well-being. And later, as Mr. Shine mentioned, we embarked on developing our first strategic plan in over a decade, and you championed an approach that balanced inclusivity of voice with actionable outcomes, laying a strong foundation for the next four years for ongoing growth and measurable success. Your influence extends far beyond the professional realm as well. I'm personally grateful for
019your mentorship, always provided with an open door, compassionate ear, and thoughtful encouragement. You regularly reminded me of the importance of balancing professional commitments with my own personnel well-being and family time, advice I deeply appreciate and often fail to implement. And my colleagues share similar sentiments. Carol Smith describes Charles, that's you, as a trusted thought partner who listens deeply, considers diverse perspective, and thoughtfully guides our decisions as a district. She's valued your ability to enrich discussions through your extensive reading and insightful storytelling, using humor and heart to remind us of our core values. And principal Mandy Hughes also recognizes your exceptional mentorship during her first year at Glenbrook, highlighting your supportive nature, philosophical discussions, and genuine care for the personal well-being of those around you and their families. Though you may be stepping away from the
020daily responsibilities of superintendent, we are grateful and fortunate that you will remain with us next year as superintendent ammeritus. We all and I especially look forward to continuing to learn from your wisdom, guidance, and vast experience as we advance our four focus areas. Charles, your legacy will continue to shape and inspire us, and we are incredibly fortunate to have had you as our leader. Thank you for everything. We are excited for this next chapter and all that we're going to continue to achieve together. And I would like to say just a little bit. Um, first of all, I want to thank every first I'd like to thank everyone um for for joining us today together to celebrate and honor Dr. John's service as district 225 superintendent as he moves on to his new role as
021superintendent ameritus. Over the last six years, Dr. John's has led our district with clarity, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to the well-being of our students, staff, and families. During his tenure, as some have mentioned, our district faced some daunting challenges. And we were fortunate to have his steady, thoughtful guidance in navigating those challenges. Even while facing and managing those disruptive forces, Dr. John's continued to do the hard work of planning and implementing major initiatives that were transformative for the district such as the development of our Loadar strategic plan, the revision of the curriculum guide, and the restructuring of the top levels of our district administration. Dr. Johns, you will be a tough act to follow. Sorry about that, Dr. Gell. Uh because of that we are especially grateful that you will continue we will continue
022to have the benefit of your guidance in the coming year as you serve as superintendent ameritus. I am confident that with your support and counsel the district will continue to grow and thrive even as we transition to a new chapter of administrative leadership. As you reflect on everything you've accomplished as our superintendent, please know that you will always have the deep appreciation and admiration of all of us here. Please join me in a round of applause for Dr. Johns. And of course, we have gifts and cake. Um, and we'll probably have a little photo op if you would like to open that later and take some pictures. Thank you. I thank you very much and thank you for the kind words. I I deeply appreciate it and I'm very humbled by your your kindness. Uh
023when I thought of this time of transition, frankly, I had envisioned uh all of a sudden R.J. being in the seat at the first meeting in July and me being at the end of the table and that was it. Uh this is much nicer. I appreciate this. Your kindness and kind words mean a great deal to me. I also want to thank former board president Bruce Dowy for being here along with uh former board member um Michelle Seuin and Joel Tob who's with us today. It's really meaningful to me that you're all here. I appreciate it uh deeply. Uh as I I was thinking to myself as I came down the stairs, as my career has advanced, I've become less and less verbose, which I know is hard for those who hear all my stories
024to believe. Uh but I noticed that I say less and less. So, I'm gonna make up for it all tonight. Um, as I prepare to step away from this role, I want to take a moment to reflect and more more importantly say thank you to all of you. Uh, serving as superintendent of this district over the past years has been an extraordinary honor to me. The work has been demanding. The stakes have been high. And I am grateful that I've done so with the support of an amazing board, leadership team, and outstanding staff. And I also want to thank those who led before me because I stand on the shoulders of giants. Uh having such a long series of truly outstanding leaders in this district made my job much easier and it is amazing what
025they accomplished too. Sitting in these board meetings over the years, I could not help but be amazed by our students. While the accomplishments that we celebrate are numerous and significant, it's valuable to know that our students excel in the little things, too. I am regularly flabbergasted by the insightful, compassionate, and sophisticated conversations that I've had with so many of our students. I felt this way when I met students in my interviews in 2019, and since then, I've only come to know it as our norm. I know that there are a lot of people who played a role in cultivating these skills, and we can be proud of the students for whom we have joined together to help grow, achieve, and thrive. We are fortunate to have a staff that brings both skill and heart to
026their work. I've watched them express expertise in teaching, passion for their content and responsibilities, and inspiration as they engage with our students. They are amongst the very finest professionals I have ever worked with. Our parents and community members have played a crucial role. Their their support has not just been appreciated, but it's been essential. As our students first teachers, our parents set their children on a path for success in our schools and our community works in ways that shows how they nurture their youth. Strong public education isn't built in isolation and this community has consistently stood behind its schools. One of the accomplishments I'm most I'm most proud of is the team of leaders that we have built at the buildings and at the district office. Our leadership team is amazing. They're thoughtful, sharp, and
027committed to continuously improving. They challenge each other and me with a drive for excellence, and that's what good leadership looks like. Maintaining effective teams is like conducting a huge orchestra. So, it's quite fitting that our next superintendent is a musician, and I look forward to the music that Dr. Gavell is able to create in this district. He is the perfect next superintendent. I thank the board for their trust and confidence. Your leadership, wise counsel, and high expectations keep this district at its perch as one of the finest districts in the country. While we have spent many long hours together, the outcomes prove that it has been worth every minute. Finally, I want to thank my wife, Michelle, and our kids, Lizzie, Peter, and Andrew, for the sacrifices they've made throughout my career. Michelle and I
028started uh in our careers in education together in graduate school more than a few years ago. Her sacrifice, encouragement, and support enabled me to have what has been an enviable career. Very often, my time, energy, and attention were at the school or the district in which I worked. Many times, our family needs and desires had to be set aside as I address matters at work or built my career. While our family has always been understanding and supportive and proud of my role in this district, I know that they paid a price and I am grateful for their resilience and grace. The work of all these contributors has been united in one goal to give students the very best education that we can. Not a slogan, not a mission statement on a wall. Actual decisions, investments,
029and practices that reflect that focus. And I believe we've done so with integrity and fortitude. When I look back on what we've accomplished, I'm amazed by how much has changed and how much stronger the district is because of it. We've made strong decisions, difficult decisions, and had honest conversations, and we've kept students at the center. In my remaining time, I will stay focused on what the work demands, supporting a smooth transition, advancing several major projects, and continuing to strengthen the organization in ways that meet the evolving needs of our staff and students. Thank you for the trust you've placed in me. I leave this role proud of the work that we've done together. Thank you. Thank you again, Dr. John's. And I think we are going to break for a short cake and congratulations reception.
030So we'll reconvene and photos. Correct. Yes. Okay. Um so we'll reconvene in 10 minutes. Okay, wonderful. If we could begin, any um former board members, can you come on up? We're going to take a picture of the current board and former board members was Dr. John's. First, congratulate you on your new role. And we're going to come back together. And Miss Melbeck, we are ready. So, we are back in session. And that brings us now to item five on our agenda, which is recognition of community visitors. Um, this public comment period is an up to 30 minute period for public participation. Uh, each individual may speak to the board for up to two minutes. We ask but do not require that each speaker state their name, address, and relationship to the district to facilitate followup
031if needed. All speakers are conducted expected to conduct themselves with respect and civility towards others. Please note that this is a business meeting of the board that is held in public, not a forum. All comments should be addressed to the board and should should concern board business. The board receives public comments as a source of information and considers them in making decisions and in the establishment of policies. It is our practice to take no action on any items nor to discuss any items members of the public have raised until the board has had time to gather information and then objectively discuss available options. However, during the meeting, the board at its discretion may choose to address an issue or correct any misinformation raised during public comment. While the board does not control the topics brought
032to its attention or the substance of the public comment, speakers are reminded that their comments are not automatically protected by any immunity or other legal protection. And we have two speakers tonight. Uh the first is Hayden Leven. Hayden, if you just want to hit the button on the microphone, forgive me. Thank you, sir. Hello, board. My name's Hayden Leven and I'm a Northbrook community member. I was ashamed to have to bring it upon myself to dig up all the anti-semitic havior behavior from Glenrech North and nothing was done about it after meetings with the administration. Thus, on May 2nd, I filed a uniform grievance. It's been 35 business days and as per board policy 2-260, there should have been a written report within 30 days and by today acting superintendent Dr. John's is required to
033make a decision mailed to me by first class US mail. This has not occurred and an extension was never granted. Also, as per board policy 2-260 section D, the complaintant and respondent should be notified on regular intervals of the status of the investigation. I have not received a single email or contact from my complaint manager at all since May 2nd. I emailed Dr. John's on the 30th business day saying my complaint manager has failed to file a report as well as multiple other violations of board policy. And the response I got was my complaint manager will contact me. It has been a calendar week since that response and nothing has happened. So, not only did I point out the uniform grievance process had not started, but nothing has been done to start the process and
034no apology or reasoning for the error has occurred. I'm honestly dumbfounded. I filed a uniform grievance on administration not following board policy and not properly creating repercussions only to then have board policy on grievances not followed. This makes me question the integrity of every policy at District 225. Since not only have there been many violations of board policy without consequence, but when a complaint is made, the complaint isn't even handled according to board policy. If numerous violations of policy occur without consequence or proper action, what's the point of even having policies? I've personally pointed out five separate violations of board policy in the past year alone, not a single repercussion has taken place. And the suggestions of how to handle the situations is to let faculty members who are responsible review the matter in following
035years. That's like having OJ Simpson be his own judge in the future. As per my email to Dr. John's, I'm requesting a new case manager, a meeting, and or hearing with the board of education. Uh, where was I? Weekly email updates on the status of my investigation. And if this is not resolved in a timely matter, I'll be invoking section F of board policy 2-260. And also, though I have graduated, it's not stopping me from create creating an equitable environment in my hometown community. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Leven. Our second visitor is Jeff Levven. Good evening. Jeff Leven, GBN parent. Still GBN parent. Hay has completed a nice recap. I'm not sure if you're aware of what was occurring as there's new board members. With this process, we've tried to proceed with what was
036meant to help the district and how to navigate educational equality. However, at every press, it appears that GBN and/or the district either don't take this seriously or lack the desire to make change. Our only meeting with the assigned complaint manager was on April 30th. It was told to us by the complaint manager the following. One, the complaint manager had no background information about the grievance. Why? Number two, we were told the following at our meeting. We know what the report will say. We Why don't we try and come up with a solution to verse go through the grievance policy? This was discussed with you, the board, prior to our meeting, and we agreed upon it at our meeting. Three, it was discussed at all communications with pass through the complaint manager. This did not occur
037on the GBN site and on 52, we were told, quote, "The word did not get down to the building level." End quote. This is a two school school district. What was the challenge of letting the school know? Number four. On 52, we advised the complaint manager that we wanted to proceed with the formal grievance via email. Five. On 58, we are told by the complaint manager the following quote, "Neither I nor this law firm represent or works for you. Our work will be done on our schedule as our time permits. You do not control if and when we do our work representing the district." End quote. There is a time frame allocated in the grievance process, which the district apparently doesn't want to follow. Why? The complaint manager is a lawyer who claims to represent
038the district as a client. This has proven to be a clear conflict of interest and bias which is in direct conflict of board policy 2-260. Students have the right to privacy at school. Although Hayden was 18 at the time, we as parents still have an obligation to protect our children. There were incorrect statements made in multiple GBN correspondents about graduation. Hayden had emailed Miss Hughes about one of the incorrect statements and was told it was an error caused by the SA office. However, Hayden's email with his information was forwarded to multiple GB staff members about this communication error. As Hayden is afforded a sense of privacy, there was absolutely no need for his name or email to be included in the email sent by Miss Hughes to the essay office advising of the air. We
039are requesting a formal meeting with the district board to review how the board would like to proceed with the grievance process. We'll wait for your availability and urge you to take this matter seriously. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Leven. And that is it for community visitors for this evening, which moves us to item six, the consent agenda. Dr. Johns, are there any changes to the consent agenda as it was circulated? There are no changes. Thank you. In that case, could I have a motion to uh approve the consent agenda? I move we approve the consent agenda. Seconded. Yes. Mr. Glowaki. Yes. Mrs. Hope. Yes. Mr. Shine. Yes. Miss Mullenbeck. Yes. Motion carries. Thank you, Miss Smith. Uh that takes us now to item seven on our agenda, which is our action agenda. And we have
040uh first we're starting with a public hearing with respect to the 2425 fiscal year amended budget and this is coming back I think having been presented a month ago. Dr. Grall is nodding so I think this one is his. Yes. So we begin by opening the public hearing and inviting any member of the community to speak who would like to speak. Following that opportunity, um, Miss Malmech, if you would close the public hearing and take a roll call vote to close the public hearing. Does not look like we have any takers. Um, so we will ask to close the public meeting. Is that what you need? A motion, a second, and a roll call. Okay. I will need a motion, please, for that. I move we close. Second. Mr. Glowaki, yes. Mrs. Hope, yes. Mr.
041Shine, yes. Mr. Downing, yes. Miss Mullenbeck, yes. Motion carries. The next item within the um adoption of the amended budget is the actual adoption of the budget. Uh two components of the budget are interfund transfers and a permanent abatement. um which are uh the subsequent actions that will be taken. Uh for each one of these we will need a motion and a second followed by a roll call vote. And the first one would be on the adoption of the 2024 to 25 fiscal year amended budget. Can we have a motion to adopt the every time? I motion I motion we adopt the budget. Second, Mr. Shine. Yes. Mr. Downing. Yes. Mr. Glowaki? Yes. Mrs. Hope? Yes. Miss Mullenbeck? Yes. Motion carries. And now we'll need a motion to uh abate the working cash fund. So
042moved. Second. Mr. Shine. Yes. Mr. Downing. Yes. Mr. Mr. Kaki, yes. Mrs. Hope, yes. Miss Mullenbeck, yes. Motion carries. And then lastly, we need a motion to resolve to authorize the permanent intra fund transfer to our capital projects fund. So I move. Second, Mr. Glowaki. Yes. M. Um, Miss Oh my gosh, these are old. She never She never misses it. I'm sorry. Apparently, I haven't updated my sheet. I apologize for that. Um, Mr. Shine, yes. Mr. Downing, yes. Mrs. Hope, yes. Mr. Glowaki, yes. I already said that. Sorry. And Miss Mullenbeck, yes. Motion carries. I apologize. Does he get two votes? That it's the Chicago way. That is the Chicago way. Oh my gosh. That takes us that finishes our budget discussion such as it was. Uh moving on then to item eight um the
043discussion action agenda and this is um section 8.1 of the agenda board policies and procedures. Um and I guess I will take a crack at going through this one because I am now on the policy committee and attended the last policy committee meeting where we went through these policies. Um let me start by saying one thing and that is that um being new to the policy committee I' I'd mentioned to Dr. Revel that I was interested in learning more about press which I actually wrote this out stands for the policy reference education subscript subscription service of the Illinois Association of School Boards that we use um to help us a process of updating the policy manual and Dr. has kindly scheduled some time um for our committee to meet with the associate general counsel of
044the ISB who is the person who um I guess spearheads this committee um press. So that'll be a meeting that we'll have in July. I expect that to be very helpful and illuminating as we continue to go through this process. Um and as you know we're have a a large backlog of outdated policies that we're working through. Tonight we're bringing to you six policies to update. I will run through these quickly. Um the and if we we'll start and have any questions um by policy. The first is section 4 or sorry 415 which is a policy on employee identity protection. Um, this was an update to a policy to add language that is responsive to an amendment to the federal register addressing safeguarding of information under grant awards and how you can use um personally
045identif identifiable information. Uh, this new policy or I should say amended policy is consistent with um press updates to this sort of policy. Um it aligns to our current practice and um we did discuss at this point we're not aware of there having been any breach of confidentiality with respect to staff. We did have that issue come up you know with our power school but that was restricted to um students and former students. Um so this is not something that we currently are having an issue with but this these changes will make this policy up to date and consistent with current guidance. Were there any questions or comments on that update? The next um item that we were looking at is under section five personnel. This is um policy 5 colon 100 which is a
046staff development program. It's very long policy discusses all sorts of different types of trainings that are mandated for different members of our staff. Um this particular amendment is to update the policy to comply with the ensuring success in school law. Um which we'll discuss a little bit further down because we're going to be changing another policy with respect to that or adding a policy with respect to that. Um so that is a new law. Um it does require that um a staff member be um trained and um designated as a resource for students who um will be taking advantage of the supports that are available under this new statute. Uh one thing that we talked about in the committee was making sure that um we adequately let students know that this resource this person is
047available to them, whoever that person is designated as. because um this policy will be or I should say the the larger policy that offers these supports to these kids um some of them may not want to selfidentify um and so that we need to bring this information to them and that's you know we discuss the necessity of that and we'll make sure that that's taken care of other than that um there were no other changes to this policy or any comments concerns about this policy change when you say you'll make sure that's available. Do you mean that it's available like spelled out in the policy or in in practice? I think we were talking about in practice that the students are aware that we have this resource person available to them. Um because like if
048you read through the whole policy, there are many many many other sections that that sets out you know this person without calling them out by name sometimes by role saying these are the people you would go to for this sort of support. We want to make sure that the students because these are vulnerable populations are aware of the identity of the person that we just need to do the follow-up work. We've changed the policy. We need to make sure that that that is communicated to the student population. That's perfectly explained in policy 7255, which is a new policy that it's in response to a state law that notice that students who are parents, expectant parents or victims of sexual or domestic violence may need additional support when interacting with the school district, whether it be
049for discipline or attendance or achievement issues. And so that policy requires us to identify someone who will be helpful and responsive to those students. Our conversation was to make sure the students know that that help exists. And then this particular policy makes sure that we have our staff is aware and so that the staff member designated for that responsibility is trained. Any other comments? Okay. Uh the next policy is also a personnel policy. This is in section five um subsection 110 the policy on voluntary termination for teachers. Um I may need a little help from uh Dr. Grall explaining the background on this one but my understanding is that um this policy um is consistent with what um we have agreed to the district has agreed to with the GA. um what was current the
050current language in the GA contract did not conform with actual practice. It seemed to indicate that the board could um change policy with respect to voluntary um terminations. And this this new language was crafted along with our council Justin um Petraraa um to indicate that that would not be done unilaterally but in consultation with the GA. Um and so this language has been approved by the GA. You've covered that perfectly. I was paying attention during this meeting. I could offer more thought, but I So this is not a press. This is a this is a holy Glenn Brook thing. Yes. And so this is our own policy, but it's just to to make it um to be aligned with actual practice. Um question on page one under section C, the proposed language, is that and
051intentional or was that to be an or between HMO and PO because that would change the calculation if it's an and it is supposed to be and. So we're taking the averages of everything. You take the average of the HMO and the PO single premium amount. Um and that's what determ that's what quant defines the value we deposit into an H. Okay. So regardless of what plan they were in and stuff because previously you had a slash. So my understanding was it was based on the individual and what they program they were in. Yeah. No, in order to establish a consistent baseline for all retirees, it's a blend. Okay. Anything else on this policy? Okay. Um then we are moving on now to section six of the policy manual instruction. Um we have two policies
052that we're looking at under section six. The first is subsection 235 access to electronic networks. Um this is an update to try to deal with artificial intelligence. It is aligned with our current practice and also with press guidance. However, we did discuss how this is probably a moving target and we will likely need to readress this as technology changes. So, we're basically putting down a marker on this one and see how it goes. And we will likely have to come back and and tweak this as things that are not apparent to us now become apparent as um this technology develops. But other than that, um, it's consistent with press and our current practice. Is use of AI, say to write a paper, considered cheating? So, I'm going to suggest that we let Mr. Britag who
053is the one who led the effort the collaborative effort from across the district to to put together a position statement is probably the wrong term but um district guidelines and and the the collaboratively designed uh understanding of AI at at the point of this past spring. So yes, it is considered cheating to blatantly take um AI and say write your paper. That that's like the cleanest example we could have of um academic dishonesty when you turn around and claim this paper was written by you with your uh intellectual effort, but it was really done by AI. I think where we're at at this point though is all the gray area between that. How do we use can we use it? How might you use it? What what are the best uses? As you spoke about,
054I think it is a moving target right now. So, we did have a a team of of staff members come together as a as a committee of roughly 28 educators to work through this. We developed guidelines how to begin that process. And I think what has been really important is this entry point. So for our staff members, we began giving them access to the AI tools now so that they can experience them, experiment with them, understand what is this lived experience. Um so they're uh they're about three months ahead in that process right now. Um and then next year teachers have the option of being very clear to our students whether it is a restricted use or a prohibited use. Prohibited would mean AI is prohibited in this classroom. You use your own intellectual ability
055and it's a very clear outline to the students. Restricted would be you're allowed to use it with these clear parameters as established by the teacher. That will all be in their common syllabus at the start of the year. Um, and teachers will go over that with their class. Would every teacher say teaching freshman regular English have the same standard? Correct. That was an important piece to the um from the committee that we weren't pitting different classroom experiences against each other, staying common and the ability to learn from each other that it we are moving at such a rapid pace with this. we society um that how do we leverage this is where efficiency of a team can really become a hallmark of of what we're trying to do there. Mhm. Any other discussion on Yeah,
056I had a question regarding section G the unacceptable uses given in light of Mr. Pekk's comments and stuff. Was there any discussion in policy about amending that or in press not having the access to press? I don't see any references to just some of those practices that AI kind of makes a little easier for people to write something but then AI tweaks it being identified here. Was there any thought to having that included? So we felt that the actual policy itself is aligned with with the work. And so what we did was simply make it clear in our working guidelines and what goes in our procedures within each class that you are still beholden to those those um the acceptable use and our uh academic honesty or dishonesty. I may reference and suggest that new
05716 be added with that reference to just close the loop reinfor and reinforce it back that it meet that we should be following our other standards. Uh and then under section I the new section use of artificial intelligence. Was there any discussion during the committee regarding the ownership of there's different forms of AI out there and a lot of organizations are now wrestling with those that generative AI that own the data being collected and in some cases you know students may be um say a science uh well we'll pick on psychology class I'm trying to think of a example but psychology class where they may be doing a study and capturing information from students that may be protected data uh otherwise be private data but you know they're not adhering to any policy that we
058have about the use of that private data. Uh some organizations will put a policy in place that you cannot be utilizing it with certain groups that may take that data and use it for something else. Correct. So we obviously have those and and I think that would be another place to close the loop. Our procedures definitely state that that we are following our protocols in terms of data security, data privacy and uh our legal requirements to do such and that is also why right now we're status quo on any use of AI is already built into our systems Google Gemini and that's the direction we would be going because right now that's the safest place for us because we have that agreement it's already built into our system. So then maybe I would suggest you
059know if this is this is first read going back and adding a piece about those different types of AI solutions that they have to have certain rights in place that adhere to our district responsibil uh our other district agreements and everything in our Okay. Thank you. Uh Pete, just to make sure I understand then. So with respect to section G. Oh, sorry. Right. Section G, you wanted to add a subsection 16 specifically references the AI protocols. No, our you know what Mr. Brit referenced was our other u policies regarding student discipline. Okay. And all that. So we're just circling back that anything that we do here has to be inherent with that as well. Okay. And then a separate section under separate separate no in section I expanding upon giving a little more detail about
060the types of AI including the types of data that might be collected and the uses or well reinforcing that from what I understand of our policies that we do not allow uh to use any AI that any AI that uses our data and we do not have we have an arrangement with them that protects that data. Okay. It's would be in reference to Furpa and COPA complian. Okay. Because there's a number of them out there and correct. So we'll make those those um adjustments then to policy 6235. Okay. Uh that takes us then to uh policy 6431 on final evaluations. Um and this actually um is it going to sunset the policy on um final evaluations and instead have that be addressed in the um parent and student handbook. And the thought process there, we
061talked a little bit about this concept um when we were talking about um changes to the curriculum guide is that we're having more and more and and and also to the final exam schedule that more and more of our classes don't have traditional final exams. Um there are other ways to do an endofter term assessment rather than just writing an exam. You might have a project or a paper or something like that. So this really is more of an operational um um issue or um implementation type issue. So it really lives more in the handbook or should live more in the handbook than at the policy level. So that's the thought process behind sunsetting this provision or this particular policy. Any issues there? Can't be blink finals anymore. And then lastly, this um section 7
062se um as Dr. John's explained, there is this new statute um dealing with children and students who are parents or victims of domestic or sexual violence. Um so this is a new law. Um this policy is consistent with the new law was drafted by press to be um consistent with that. Um, one thing to note is that in discussing this, um, there is a a a process by which in built into this policy and consistent with state law, um, that, uh, a a stakeholder who has an issue with how this is handled can take it through a grievance process. And this opened up for us a discussion of making sure that in all the places that we see this happening throughout our policies that they are all referencing back to the uniform grievance process to
063be consistent as much as possible. um and Helica had had walked us through what is our in our process versus what's in this process and they're very consistent I think already but that is something that uh we as a committee will be um trying to to close keep coming back on is making sure that um throughout our policies as much as we can we cross reference and are consistent um so that we aren't having multiple different um procedures to essentially do the same thing in different um spheres of um of whatever the particular subject matter is. Um and I think that's all. So we'll make the modification language that uh Mr. Glowaki recommended and we'll bring this back for consent at our next meeting. Excellent. And don't worry, we have another policy committee meeting coming
064up soon, so there will be more policies. Just you wait. All right. Um, that takes I've got too many pieces of paper up here because I've lost track of where we are. Was that it for action agenda? Yep. Well, that's I'm not missing a page. Okay. Um in that case I think we are ready to go into closed. Is that right? Okay. have the updated agenda from Robin. I believe soft shoulder closed. Just looking to see. I don't know. I don't think I have the update. I only Oh, I do. I have my drafted version that has the four. I know what they Okay. Yeah. Okay. So, where's my This is what happens when I try to do too much. Okay. Um, moving into closed. The board is permitted by law to consider the following
065matters in executive session. Collective negotiations, the acquisition or sale of real property, pending court proceedings, appointment, employment or dismissal of an employee or testimony on a complaint against an employee, a student disciplinary case, information relating to individual students and special education programs, the appointment of a member to fill a vacancy on the board. Sessions with an advisory committee to provide professional consultation which are held about matters of professional ethics or performance and formal action on these and all other matters must be taken in public sessions. that is and the sections of the open meeting act that are um relevant this evening are section 2 C1 5 and 11. Can I have a so moved? Thank you. All in favor? I I Any opposed? Motion carries. Okay. And I would anticipate this will be a brief
066um close session or relatively brief close session if we want to go right into it. Up to you. Yes, let's do it.