001Good evening everyone. We're going to call the special meeting of the Malden School Committee to order. The time is 6 o'clock PM. The day is Thursday and the date is August 7th, 2025. Our next meeting will take place Monday, September 8th here at 6:00 p.m. So, this evening's agenda will consist of the following. Uh we'll first pledge allegiance to our flag. We'll then have a moment of silence for those who have fought for our country. We'll then take attendance to ensure that we have a quorum and then we'll get into several items on the agenda. The first is the approval of the minutes from June 9th, which was the uh budget hearing, and the same goes for the regular meeting. Then we're going to go over to Miss Spaphora to discuss a Stonem Bank donation.
002Uh from there we'll go to Miss Rose Zyberg on the student and family handbook and then back to Miss Mataphor regarding the school calendar. After that, everyone will take a motion to go into executive session. If approved, we'll go in for two reasons. The first is to approve the executive session minutes of June 9th, 2025. And then the other one is to discuss strategy with respect to collector bargaining or litigation with the Malden Education Association units A, B, and C. Uh from there, we may act on some of those items out in public session and after that we'll move a journment. So any questions, everyone? All right. If not, let's pledge allegiance to our flag. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it
003stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> As always, please remain standing for a moment of silence in honor of all those who have fought for our country and continue to do so around the world today. Thank you. >> Ask everyone to please rise for one more moment of silence which Miss Far will lead us in. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um this past July we lost a former member of the Maldin school committee. Mr. John Freyo was not only um a member that sat with us but also um an educator longtime educator in the Malden public schools. I just ask that we um respectfully have a moment of silence in his honor. Thank you. All right, let's take attendance now. >> Mayor Christensen >> here. >> Mr. Drum. >>
004Mr. McCarthy >> here. >> Miss Bataphora >> here. >> Miss Mlin >> here. Miss Hordy, Mr. Gray >> here, >> Mr. Bernard >> here. >> Miss Rose Zyberg here. >> Superintendent Tipple >> here. >> All right. So, we have a quorum allowing us to come together. Let's take a look at a few of these items here. So, uh first up are the minutes from June 9th, 2025 budget hearing. >> Motion by Mr. McCarthy, seconded by Miss Rose Zyberg. Any questions on those everyone? If not, all those in favor say I. >> I. >> Anybody opposed? The eyes have it. Those are approved unanimously. Now, the minutes from June 9th, 2025, regular session. Motion by Mr. Bernard, seconded by Miss Paphora. Any questions on those, everyone? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I.
005>> Anybody opposed? The eyes have it. That carries unanimously. All right. Now, let's go to this bank donation. And to lead us in that will be Miss Betaphor. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, every year Stone and Bank graciously um donates to the Maldonian our yearbook um to assist in the costs and and keeping creating the yearbook and also um maybe subsidizing those costs for students that um can't necessarily afford. So, um, this year, um, they have donated $500 to the Maldonian. >> Excellent. And we need a motion to accept. >> We do. >> Okay. So, any questions on that? A motion. >> Motion by Mr. Bernard, seconded by Miss Rose Zyberg. Everybody clear on this? >> Okay. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Anybody opposed? The eyes have it. That carries unanimously.
006Miss Rose Zyberg, you're now up to discuss the student and family handbook. >> Thanks, No. We are. Here we go. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, recent decision that had come down from the Supreme Court on Mahmud v. Taylor. um which has to do with um curricular materials and parents rights um surrounding that and decision-m. So it was recommended um through the attorney that we come up with some worded wording for that to be included and updated in the handbook to go through. So this would be to discuss it and also for a motion to um use the wording provided by our attorney to update the student handbook. Um, everybody should have the basics uh in front of you. The wording is consistent with Massachusetts regulations 603 CMR 26.051. The modern public schools through its curricular
007and materials encourages respect for the human and civil rights of all individuals regardless of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation. In accordance with district guidelines, families may request information from the building principal on available accommodations related to curriculum content. So, what we are hoping to do is be able to include that in the um make a change and include that in the student handbook. >> All right. Questions of the chair, Miss Betaphor. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Rosyberg. Um this is just for the superintendent. Um, in regards to just that verbiage, which I I appreciate the work that our um, legal counsel did to put that together for us, I'm just assuming that you have um, procedures in place for how a caregiver would go about contacting
008um, the principal. Would it be email, a phone call, a form request? I'm just curious. Would that procedure then be outlined just a simple just call your principal and you know discuss um the curriculum >> right? Um thank you for the question. the um so as as many of you are familiar the decision is very broad in its potential applicability. And so, um, really without being able to anticipate every situation in which a parent may have a religious object except objection to something in the curriculum, um, it would really just begin with a conversation with the principal. And that could be initiated with a phone call, could be initiated actually visiting the principal's office and requesting to discuss their concerns or an email um or a parent square message, which is soon to be something
009that they'll be able to do. Um and then the principal would meet with them to to have their concern and clarify what the what their uh what the concerns are. And then should then there be additional guidance um needed then they would consult with in this case since it's around curriculum assistant superintendent Bassine and then with me with the superintendent >> so safe to say that and I don't know if it's something we would want to put in that just stating that this would be taken up on a case by case basis. >> That's right. >> Okay. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you Miss Pedaphor. Any other questions? If not, Miss Roseberg, you want to make the motion? >> U motion to um I guess add motion to to adopt the >> I'm Do
010I have to read it again? The wording provided >> we have it >> um to be included in the student handbook. >> All right. Seconded by Mr. Bernard. All right. Any other remaining questions? Final questions of the team? If not, all those in favor say I. I. >> Anybody opposed? The eyes have it. And that carries unanimously. Um, next up, the school calendar. Miss Better. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm going to ask that we table this until after executive session as um it does uh correlate to um what we are going into that for. So, I just ask that we revisit it after executive session. >> All right. Very good. Any uh questions? If not, we're going to use Miss Bataphor's aotted time to have our superintendent introduce our newest member of the team. Superintendent
011Civil. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh just wanted to I I informed the committee and we informed the community um in June that we have a an interim principal uh for the early learning center. Um his name is Mr. Alex Rock and um since it's been summer and you all all of us have been busy running different places. I think a lot of us may not have had a chance to meet him, although he has met with parents and he's met with a lot of the staff at the early learning center since he started on July 1st. But I wanted to give uh you all a chance to meet him and give him uh a chance to uh briefly introduce himself to you. Alex Rock joins us from Lawrence Public Schools where he was an
012elementary principal for the last few years. He'd been a high school principal in Chicago. um prior to that. So, he's a very experienced hand. Um he also has two very young children and had uh a preschool program in his elementary school and also an autism program in his elementary school. So, he's has a lot of experience with early childhood also. So, Mr. Rock, welcome. >> Thank you so much. It's been such a pleasure joining Malden Public Schools um as superendent just mentioned a little bit of my biography. Um, I can't express just how warm of a welcome it has been to Molden. Meeting with staff, with families, and and also some some students at the ELC has really been quite a pleasure. On multiple occasions, I've made a point to visit ESY extended school year
013to get to see some of the learning taking place this summer. And I couldn't be more excited for the upcoming school year. So, thank you for the opportunity. Um, I'm looking forward to the upcoming school year and making sure that the early learning center continues to serve its mission of ensuring that our youngest learners are ready for kindergarten uh and making sure that the ELC is a vibrant place within multiple schools. >> Okay, well said. Thank you, Mr. Roth. and welcome. >> All right. So now we'll entertain a motion to go into executive session. >> Motion by Miss Bataphor, seconded by Mr. Bernard. Clerk will call the role. >> Mr. Demi, >> Miss McCarthy, >> yes. >> Miss Fataphora, >> yes. >> Miss Ma, >> yes. >> Miss Horty, Mr. Gray, >> yes. >> Mr.
014Mr. Bernard. >> Yes. >> Mr. Rosver. >> Yes. >> Mayor Christensen. >> Yes. Okay. We will now be in executive session. Okay, the school committee is back. We're now going to go to our agenda back to item number eight, the school calendar. Let's go to Miss Spaphora for that. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, so this committee authorized or approved a calendar that was subject to change based on the ratification of the um, contract with the Malden Education Association. Um, we knew that there was a potential for calendar changes to come back to us if that contract uh was to be ratified and um we need to approve that um school year calendar for the 2526 school year. Uh the only change to the calendar is the removal of half days on um the we'll
015call them the monthly half days, the addition of a um the day before Thanksgiving off as well as a half day before winter break, Good Friday, and the last day of school. >> There you have it everyone. So motion by Miss Bataphor. Is there a second? Seconded by Mr. Bernard. So, any questions on that everyone? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Anybody opposed? >> The eyes have it. That carries unanimously. We'll now entertain any other motions. Mr. Fataphora. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, I'd like to make a motion that we approve the unit A memorandum of agreement and authorize the chair to sign on the committee's behalf. >> Unit A with the Malden Education Association. >> Seconded by Mr. Gray. Any questions on that, everyone? >> All right, let's
016call the role on this one. >> Mr. Jimmy, Mr. McCarthy, >> yes. >> Miss Baphora, >> yes. Miss Mlin, >> yes. >> Miss Hardy, Mr. Gray, >> yes. >> Mr. Bernard, >> yes. >> Miss Rosy, Mayor Christensen, >> yes. >> Okay, that carries unanimously. Any other motions? Miss Baphora. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to make the motion to approve the Malden Education Association's Unit C Memorandum of Agreement and authorize the chair to sign on the committee's behalf. >> Seconded by Miss Rose Zyberg. Any questions? Clerk will call the role. >> Mr. Mr. Drum, Mr. McCarthy, >> yes. >> Miss Battleora, >> yes. >> Miss Mlin, >> yes. >> Miss Hardy, Mr. Gray, >> yes. >> Mr. Bernard, >> yes. >> Mr. Rosyberg, >> yes. >> Mayor Christensen, >> yes. That carries unanimously. Okay.
017I'm now going to uh leave the chair. Miss Bataphora will take it from here because the next motion um it's not a conflict. What's the terminal? It is. Yeah. with uh someone in the bargaining unit that is directly related to me. Okay. Any questions on that hearing? None. >> Plus, you've always wanted this, so now you get >> Madam Chair, >> thank you. Do I have any other motions, Mr. McCarthy? Hold on. There we go. Uh, thank you, Madam Chair. Um, I make a motion to approve the UNIB uh contract uh authorized by the Malden Education Association for um to be authorized by the the full school committee. Is that the right terminology? >> Um so we're going to motion >> to be signed by the by the uh the chair >> vice chair. >>
018By vice chair. >> Yep. Do I have any seconds? Seconded by Mr. Bernard. Clerk will call the role. >> Mr. Drum. Mr. McCarthy, >> yes. >> Miss Vaphor, >> yes. >> Miss Mlin, >> yes. >> Miss Horty, Mr. Gray, >> yes. >> Mr. Bernard, >> yes. >> Miss Rose Zyberg, >> yes. >> Mayor Christensen. And that passes unanimously. Do I have any other motions? Motion to adjourn by Mr. made by Mr. Gray, seconded by Miss Rose Zyberg. All those in favor say I. All those opposed. The eyes have it. School committee is hereby adjourned.