001Good evening and welcome to welcome to the August 20th regular meeting of the cohasset school committee. Will all members who are present please indicate so in roll call. Um Mr. Dial I do not see here virtually um and he was potentially and um absent this evening. Um Mr. Evans I also am not seeing >> he just said he's going to be late. >> Okay. Mr. Evans is going to be late. Thank you. Miss Hannah >> here. >> Great. Mr. Mlen >> present. >> And Miss Leki is also uh present. So we have a quorum right now of three members. So we'll call the meeting to order. Will all those who are present and able please stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to
002the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> So, August is winding down um and we are moving it closer, ever closer to September. Um probably making some viewers very excited and others may be dragging their feet or flip-flops a little bit. Um we will begin um with our public comment section. Um so that this portion of the meeting is reserved for topics that are not otherwise on the agenda. And if you would like to comment on a topic that is on the agenda, please wait till that part of the meeting. Um of course, please state your full name and address before addressing the committee. Um if you're watching the meeting from home, you can participate using the Q&A feature on Zoom and you can access
003this meeting using the Zoom link that was shared with the agenda for the meeting. The meeting is also streamed live on Cohasset 143TV and on Facebook via Cohasset live streaming. Um we are uh have a very sort of empty audience here today. So we have no public comment um from the panelist over participants. >> Thank you. on the right or there. There we go. Right. And so, Mr. Evans has joined us at 6:04 p.m. Hello, Mr. Evans. Good to see you. All right. And we have no other public comment at this moment. So we will move on to the superintendent report um from superintendent J. >> Okay. Thank you very much. Um I actually don't have a lot to report because we just met last week. Um but as you said we are in the
004end of August and this is this week I would say has been or is maybe the unofficial start to the new school year. Um this Monday marked the point at which you know more and more staff were back in buildings. All of us principles were really geared up to get the year up and running. Um and so it's an exciting time in our schools. Um Dr. Scholins will speak in a minute, but our new teachers are coming back tomorrow and then all staff will be back next week on Wednesday. Um we'll be here Wednesday and Thursday. And then just as a reminder to those watching, school begins for our students in grades 1 through 12 on the 2nd. So that is the Tuesday following Labor Day. Our kindergarteners come back the day after. We do
005give them one day to to get ready to come in. And so it'll be very exciting over the next three couple two weeks really, two and a half weeks. Um, and we love when all the kiddos join us. The one thing I did want to update everybody on is actually that um, through work with Chief Quickigley and Glenn Pratt who is in charge of emergency management. We have been working with a gentleman by the name of Christian Cunning who is actually a Cohasset graduate who's the head of emergency management at SuffK and he has been doing um a security assessment for us and he's actually working with all of us to make sure that our protocols are up to date that we as administrators have a good sense of what to do in a crisis.
006um he met with all of the principles this past week. We're meeting again tomorrow and then he's going to continue to work with us to make sure that should anything happen, we are well trained in how to manage the media, communicate effectively with families, um and with other stakeholders in town. So, we're not redoing our safety protocols in the sense of we're not changing what students do. We're not changing emergency exits. It's really about crisis management um in communication. And so, I wanted to just make the school committee aware of that. And as we learn more, he's just starting this process. Um we'll share what we can with you. Um, we are fortunate that he grew up here and has kept connections with ChiefWigley and Glenn Pratt because he's actually doing all of this work
007for free for the district. Um, and so we are grateful to him and to SUFFK for supporting our district. I think their ultimate goal is to be able to figure out what this process looks like so they can do this and make money off of it for other districts. But in the meantime, they are doing this work for us for free. And I think we will benefit greatly. The hope is that we absolutely never have to use what they have created for us. And yet I feel better and I think all of us principles Chief Quigley um all of his officers and Glenn Pratt feel better knowing that if something happened we are going to be more prepared. >> So that is that's actually the extent of my report for this evening. >> Excellent. That's
008a great report and um I love that sort of connection to Cohasset. Um do any committee members have questions for Superintendent Shannon? Fire it. Okay, then we will move on um to teaching and learning at doctor's conference. >> Thank you so much. As um Superintendent Chin stated, we have new teachers and so they start tomorrow. They have to do a three-day teacher induction that's required for them if they are new teachers to the state. And so we start that tomorrow. One of the things that Cohasset does that is different than some other districts is that even if you have your professional status with the state, we consider you new. And so you also get a mentor and you spend time with us for those three days. And it's all about getting them acclimated, but it's
009also about teaching them about the things that we do here in Cohassid and how things work. They are given a mentor for the year. And then we meet monthly to go over topics that are important to them, things that I think that they need to know about. And so it's a really nice way for us to um share and collaborate because we do have people of varying experiences. Some are right out of college. We have some that literally have just graduated and others that have been teaching for several years. So it's a really nice um it's a really nice program. It's one of the my favorite parts of my job is to work with new teachers and to get them um up and running. And the mentors are amazing. So we have 11 new staff.
010We have 11 mentors. So um these people are um amazing to give their time and they're they're required to do 15 hours. They do well over 15 hours of time. Um and so they just make a huge impact on teachers and research shows that um the better we do at our induction with our teachers, the better our retention. So um so it's a really wonderful thing and I'm really excited about it. Tomorrow they will be here at 8:30. um anyone of you if you would like on Tuesday morning we have a breakfast to celebrate them. It starts at 8:30. If you want to come if you're not doing something feel free to to stop in and see them. Um and then just a quick update. So our administrators do lots and lots of different trainings
011and so the past two days have been involved in training with um Caitlyn Leech Molr who is a lawyer. Um and she came in and did a couple of hours of training with our administrators yesterday on legal updates and kind of refreshers around 504s um IEPs, Title N, some of the current cases that are either um impacting us or could impact us. So, um that was a really um wonderful training yesterday and then we did another one today through um North River Collaborative and that has also um all sorts of training on what we should be looking for, how we do our processes, what kinds of um things we should be looking at and then a lot of case law for us um in particular around special education. But there are lots of things that
012um have come down the pike that are going to impact us. Um and so for us to be aware of those and then also have the opportunity to work together and with um our partners and our law firms to figure out what are our processes in place and how do we make sure that we are following the law and at the same time um making sure that we are um doing the best we can for our kids. So um so that's been really eye opening. So, they probably had about five hours of training the last couple of days. Um, and uh, but they all said it was worth it, so it's good. So, um, but I just want to kind of give you an update on that so that you know that we're staying as
013current as we possibly can. >> And I think we're grateful for our partner attorneys because a lot of things have changed recently and they have been excellent at sending out briefs and contacting us when they know things are impacting us directly. So we're grateful to them. >> We really are. So that's all I have to talk about. >> Right. Thank you. Um if any members of the committee have questions, please say so now. Seeing none, I will just add my thanks to that. I I think all of that training is so helpful and really the the just the words that you used about remaining current um so critical um to our operation. Um we are moving on to budget resource and governance and we do have a topic there but we are going to bump
014that topic um to our next meeting which will be in the second week of September um because pieces of information were unavailable to us um in time um for the meeting. So we will um move that to next um next time um which brings us to community re relations and communication and so reports from any subcommittees or liaison are welcome at the moment. The finance committee had a a great meeting last week. Um, you know, kind of a kickoff for this session. We put a bunch of great things on the map to get to work. Um, and so, you know, I think we've got some good pieces together. No updates at this time from that obviously, but um, that committee is is myself and Lance and the rest of the team are already digging in.
015So, >> thank you, Mr. Evans. Um and we'll continue to move right along. This might be the fastest um meeting ever. >> Okay, here we go. >> Efficiency. That's how you talk about it. >> Um, school committee governments. Um, we do have um the acceptable uh use policy which we saw at our last um meeting um and our student responsible use agreement. Um, and those two policies are coming to in front of the committee for a vote today. Um, so I think we'll we can open that discussion um with any questions or comments anyone has. and Superintendent Shannon, if you have any sort of additional points that you'd like to bring forward at this time before we begin. >> Yeah. So, one other thing, so we sent you um the the um acceptable use policy
016and there was a slight change because there's some questions about some of the language. So, we did consult with our um lawyers and they uh they gave us some language that we think is probably better. And so if you are to look at the acceptable um terms and conditions for CPS acceptable use policy and if you look at 1F um originally it said the Cohaza public schools reserves the right to examine all data uh stored on but not limited to students and staff devices, network drives, hard drives and communication software. The language has been changed to information sent, received, viewed, stored or maintained using the stool school district's network and all hardware and software provided by or installed by the school district are considered the property of the Kohasa public schools and are subject to
017review, inspection and monitoring the sole discretion of the school district. That was the only change that we've made um based on some comments. So, >> but everything else is is the same. Okay. >> All right. Um it looks like Mr. Evans has a question or comment. >> Yeah, I do. So, um, this is I like this language much better. I like that it's, uh, much, you know, much more precise. The only, uh, thing is that with the live edit, it just messed up the the bullet lettering. Um, but I'm guessing that'll be fixed, but I just wanted to point that out. >> Yeah, once I take it out, it will. >> Thank you, Mr. Evans. Any other comments or questions? Yes, Mr. McFly. Just a minor thing on there's some emboldened font. I don't know
018it was at the bottom of the page talking about in the cases of like violations they'll be handling it in it says in correlation to the districts or schools. Uh I think it should just be in accordance with >> it's on the bottom of the page to >> so just regular print. Okay. So I think changing that to a regular to regular >> from in correlation to to in accordance with >> oh >> that's all it can remain like that. >> Think it makes more sense that way. >> In accordance and did you want um and did you want it unbolded >> or you want it bolded just a language? Okay. >> All right. I made that change. Okay. Any further? There are no further comments or questions. I'll take a motion to approve the
019acceptable use uh policy. >> So, >> and a second. Thank you. So, motion made by Miss Complun, second by Miss Hannah. Um, uh, we'll do a roll call vote. Um, Mr. Evans >> Evans I >> uh Miss Hannah >> hi I >> Mr. Mcbullen >> I >> and Miss Leky I and it passes four to zero. No abstensions. All right and then we have the um responsible use of technology agreement for students. Are there any comments from the administration on that? >> So that technically doesn't have to be approved. It's just our procedures but I wanted you to see how that was written and what we'll be doing in cor in relationship to the acceptable use policy. And at the last meeting there was a request to change to there's a link to all of
020the the legal language and so we are going to make some of that >> we're going to take that and make that more student friendly but because that didn't need a vote >> um we did but we are taking that feedback and that change. >> Thank you Dr. Schol. >> Yes, please go ahead. Um in under the student responsibility section >> the fourth star down starts I am responsing others. Oh, it just >> under that section >> responsibility section there's a fourth star down that begins I am responsible for treating others. Yeah. >> The first bullet I will not send and or distribute hateful discriminatory harassing digital communic I think it should be hateful discriminating discriminatory harassing comma or offensive digital communication. >> We want to add more offensive. >> Yes, please. >> That's it.
021That's all I have. Is it okay that the something being offensive is a subjective term? >> We can say or hurtful. >> Okay. I I I I'm asking actually more as you as a lawyer. Um >> I I I think that it can certainly say offenses. >> Great. >> I think it can too. Um especially given some recent cases that were just determined >> by actually Supreme State Supreme or >> Yeah. Supreme Court. >> Are there any other comments or questions on the student responsible use of >> agreement? Sorry. Um so now we are moving on to our service dog policy and this will be um introduced to us by the administration and we will discuss it a little bit today and take a vote on it um next meeting. So we have um we
022don't have a false service model. So we wanted to make sure that we had one. So we have taken the one from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees um and use that as the model and um we've also worked with our um partners in law firm to help us with the guidance and procedures that will go along with that. um because you know service animals are sometimes needed for um persons with disabilities. So um but there are guidelines through the state and so we will follow those and uh but we thought it was important to have this on in our policies. So um it's really based on what the law says and it does include the fact that it could be a small horse which sometimes catches people off guard. Um but certainly there's sometimes
023that that strengthen might be needed. So um there's a whole procedure that we would use to look at whether that the person needs that dog to um based on their disability. So but there's also processes around the fact that we do have people with allergies. So how does that how do we handle that? Um and how do we notify people? So um so this will take you through. So if you look at that first when you have an opportunity to read the policy, you can look that it kind of sets the tone for what it would look like and then the guidance feeds exactly into what the policy describes. >> Thank you, Dr. Schol. Are there any questions from the committee about the service dog proposed service dog um policy? >> Just one typo. >>
024Okay. Third paragraph, second sentence. Missing a space between certain English, at least in my languages. I don't know if it's a PDF export problem. >> Oh, you already fixed it on there. Oh, it's right here. >> You had fixed it. >> Oh, I fixed it. Okay. All right. >> But it wasn't in what got sent in a packet. >> It's on the document. Okay. Great. Yep. >> Thank you for the careful eye, Mr. Mr. Evans >> just got comment or Mr. Mlen any questions or comments on this potential service documents? >> Not for the first >> I am glad we are considering adding this to our um cadre of policies. Um I have no topics that I have not anticipated. We have no minutes to approve um and no reason to go into executive session.
025Um, so at this point I will take a motion to adjourn uh the meeting. >> So >> and a second. >> Second. >> Okay. Uh motion made by Craig Mlullen app. Um seconded by Tori Hannah. Um we'll do a roll call vote. Mr. Evans. >> Tory Evans. I >> Miss Hannah. >> Hi. >> Miss Mclullen. Hi. >> Miss Leky. I. Um good night Cohassid. The meeting is adjourned. Thank you.