Pinellas County School Board Meeting 9_26_23

001good morning I call this meeting of the Pinellas County school board on September 26 2023 to order good morning this morning's education will be given by Pastor Joyce Stone from the Christ Corner Cornerstone Church the invocation will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Vice chair Laura Hein and the singing of the national anthem by the Palm Harbor University High School after school specials under the direction of Blake Hudson so please stand and remain standing until the conclusion of the national anthem Pastor Stone would you please share the invocation with us most loving God we come here this day and thank you for this gathering this meeting we know how important it is God that your children are cared for educated and supported God so I asked this body this day to be

002a one people understanding that God loves us all and I ask you God to just allow your blessings upon everything that happens this day in this place in your mighty name amen one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all oh say can you see by the dawns without the twilight's last gleaming Goosebumps stripes and bright stars friends thank you Pastor Stone you may be seated Mr Hudson would you please introduce our second song absolutely thank you so much for having us today our next song will be a super bloom it's a song from a pop artist called Mr wives and arranged by one of the air Rangers that works with our students Ms Catherine bodor we hope you enjoy and we have Miss Addison Reese Ivy senior on the solo thank you

003resilient little thing just like Mama made you no one has to save you Wildflower in the spring no they can't contain you through the cracks you break through I deserve congratulations cause I came out the other side I've been having Revelations and I'm gonna let them shine if they tell me little things till I pick me for the very first time it's dark it's before the sunrise I deserve congratulations Revelations that's when I shine together for the Palm Harbor University high schools after school specials thank you very much Mr Hudson I was outstanding fabulous job wow so much talent in that group now I would like to introduce today's video Pinellas County Schools has so many extracurricular and athletic opportunities for our students and this year bowling went district-wide in our high school so let's

004take a look at our bowling teams at Pinellas County Schools if I joined the bowling team because I've always loved bowling and I always wanted to bowling so I got in Northeast and I found out they had a bowling team so I had to join it this year everybody wanted to be involved a lot of excitement I think it's a sport that anybody can do not anybody be great at it and it's another thing in school that can get their participation and their interest we got around 15 people for the boys on our team and around 10 of them are all people that I've been hanging out with since freshman year some of them even longer some of my friends I've known from elementary school and we're all bowling together and originally it was something

005like oh it's just bowling it's not going to be that serious and now we're out here competing competing well and bowling well and improving every day I think I'd say my favorite part of bowling for sport is that it's not a defensive sport so you don't have to compete against other people and how you perform is never based on how the other team performs against you it's all personal best and you constantly improving and I think it's easier to show Improvement and be able to be more confident with how you're improving in the sport so now all High School's got a bowling team that's that's great because now a lot more people can come and roll and we can potentially get better Bowlers more competition and just make it more fun games all right and

006now our public information officer Mrs Isabella mascarenis Will introduce our professional and Community organizations who are present this morning welcome good morning Madam chair members of the board Mr Hendrick and staff it is my pleasure to introduce the following representatives of community and professional organizations from the Pinellas classroom Teachers Association Lee Bryant president representing the North Pinellas League of Women Voters Debbie intrican from the Pinellas arts for a complete education Coalition Maria cantones today we have a presentation from the student rights and responsibility committee please welcome students Esther Paloma Brantley Monroe Monroy Kayla Tui and Lucas Fonseca from Palm Harbor University High School and their principal Teresa Patterson good morning my name is Esther breakling Monroy I'm a senior in the medical magnet program studying science biomedical at Palm heart University High School home of

007the canes Madam chair and members of the Pinellas County school board superintendent Hendrick and members and staff thank you for all that you do to lead and support schools in our district we are excited about the opportunity to talk to you about how fortunate we feel to attend Palm Harbor University High School where Administration faculty and staff support students to find and follow our passion set our purpose and employ perseverance to achieve our goals by respecting and celebrating each individual's choice and Pathway to do so pH UHS we are the hurricanes and we are unstoppable together good morning everyone my name is Lucas Fonseca and I'm a senior in the international Baccalaureate program at Palm Harbor University High School at Phu the academic success of our students is a point of Pride for our school

008we have a variety of thriving programs like our IB biomedical Sciences pharmacy technician and traditional medical programs that help students get ahead going into college and offer a specialized curriculum to help people pursue whatever they want to I know that through our medical programs offered within our nationally recognized Center for wellness and medical profession students earn industry certifications at little to no cost in high school in fact new this year we have dual enrollment classes on campus as a part of our licensed practical nurse program these students have opportunities to be employed by local hospitals immediately after graduation and earn their registers nurse credentials some of our achievements include being a Avid certified School our Career Academy of Business Administration and management is currently being considered for the Academy of Distinction with distinguished honors we've

009had 23 National Merit semi-finalists from the classes of 2022 and 2023 this year in 2024 we've had eight National Merit semi-finalists Kayla here is actually one of our eight our graduation rate has consistently been around 99 and we are proud to be receiving the superintendent's award nine times for highest GPA for student athletes but personally my favorite thing about Palm Harbor is the culture that all these different programs create I like how you're being surrounded by hard-working people who lift you up and I can say personally how it's encouraged me to do better in my studies in my classes and tests good morning my name is Kayla Tui and I'm a traditional program senior at Palm Harbor University High School at Phu students are able to further their passions through any of the over 70

010clubs that are offered and since I have attended I have been able to see myself and my peers achieve across a vast array of interests our programs have had numerous National successes within future Business Leaders of America with a consistent number of national qualifiers and this past year multiple National winners speech and debate sending members to their National Tournament and HOSA the Health occupation Sciences Association having many competed Nationals each year and having several International qualifiers our acapella group The after school specials who perform for you today was one of seven groups that competed at the national competition in New York City in 2022. the performing arts program at Palm Harbor has gained additional Prestige through our thespian troop which has received multiple top honors in the state and has recently sent a student Charlie

011Lane went to the Broadway to the National High School Musical Theater Awards after he won the Broadway stars of the future award the visual arts at Phu have consistent winners of gold keys and Scholastic art Awards and the Athletics have earned 15 team and 18 individual State Titles since the school's opening and have received the superintendence cup for athletic achievement five times students can also further their involvement in subjects of Interest through any of the eight National Honor societies offered at Phu many of our extracurricular organizations also strive to impact our community Through service projects and Outreach opportunities contributing to the 25 000 hours logged annually by over a thousand Phu students the extracurriculars at Phu give students the opportunity and ability to strengthen their passions through involvement leadership and achievement thank you thank you

012to my classmates for sharing the ways that students have taken advantage of the pathways that are made available to students at phuhs by our incredibly supportive faculty and staff thank you again superintendent Hendrick and the board and staff members for all that you do to support and give us opportunities to help increase student achievement through student experiences thank you thank you so much to all three of you for sharing about your school and being here this morning think about fantastic presentation and also to principal Teresa Patterson who's with you this morning thank you for being here thank you to everyone from Palm Harbor University High School and now Mr Mr Hendrick are there any amendments to our agenda this morning yes Madam chair there are three all three were posted last week for the public

013and the board the first is item 7.17 the purchasing agenda bid 24-961-049 to Lego education has been removed for item 8.1 setting a public hearing and authorizing the advertisement of the public hearing to consider the amendment to policies 2240 controversial issues and 2510 instructional materials including textbooks this is the first reading today but that has had an updated attachment to include what was presented last week at the workshop and last item 8.4 the adoption of the proposed greater Florida Consortium of school boards 2024 legislative program that item was added after discussion at the workshop last week and are there any additional recommended changes seeing none thank you Mr Hendrick as board chair I find good cause to amend the agenda as described by superintendent Hendrick this may have a motion to adopt the adopt the

014agenda as amended I have a motion by Mrs Hein second by Mrs Meyer all those in favor say aye any opposed none opposed so the motion to adopt the agenda as amended carries unanimously seven to zero with that we will begin our special order may have a motion to approve item 4.1 the presentation of the Proclamation observing disability history and awareness weeks during the first two weeks of October 2023. I have a motion by Mrs long and a second by Mrs Edmund and Mr Hendrick would you please introduce the item thank you madam chair I'd like to call up Lynn Moet executive director of exceptional student education to share this Proclamation and some information about how we'll implement it in our schools good morning Madam chair members of the board Mr Hendricks staff and community

015during the first two weeks of October we will celebrate disability awareness weeks during this time schools should engage in activities that support the history of disabilities and promote awareness in Pinellas County we serve over 14 000 students with disabilities we continue to provide opportunities for inclusion and quality programs and services we have also placed a focus on Universal Design for Learning highlighting the importance of access for all many of our students have graduated and have become employees of Pinellas County Schools throughout these two weeks schools should support activities that promote positive attitudes towards the successful inclusion of students with disabilities increase respect and acceptance of individual differences increase understanding of disabilities and related social issues and facilitate the development of literacy and language arts skills through activities about disability awareness thank you for acknowledging the

016importance of our students and adults with disabilities and the positive impact they have on our system and our community thank you so much Mrs Moen thank you for that and now we'd like to invite Mrs long could you please read the proclamation disability history and awareness weeks whereas the Pinellas County school board recognizes the important contributions and achievements of individuals with disabilities and whereas during this two-week period students may be provided intense instruction to expand their knowledge understanding and awareness of individuals with disabilities the history of disability and the disability rights movement and whereas the goals of disability history and awareness instruction include a better treatment for individuals with disabilities especially for youth in our schools and increase attention to preventing The Bullying or harassment of students with disabilities B to encourage two students with

017disabilities to develop increase self-esteem resulting in more students with disabilities gaining pride in being an individual with a disability obtaining post-secondary education entering the workforce and contributing to their communities and see re rep oh excuse me reaffirmation of the local state and federal commitment to the full inclusion in society and the equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities and whereas public awareness knowledge and understanding of disabilities promotes full participation by students with disabilities into school and community activities increased knowledge of individual contributions by people with disabilities advances inclusive communities now therefore the school board of Pinellas County does hereby recognize the first two weeks of October as disability history and awareness weeks in Pinellas County Schools and we call on all citizens of Pinellas County to celebrate the many contributions individuals with disabilities makes to

018Florida to our nation and to the world sign this 26th day of September 2023. and I want to say Miss Moen and to the audience this one touches my heart I spent what 34 35 years teaching special needs it was the most wonderful career it was every day I got something wonderful out of it and even today the kids come back my own child had a severe disability in Pinellas County Schools worked so hard he graduated with a regular diploma and he is now working full-time and he is doing fantastic and that's because of the loving caring School community that we have and the community outside of our schools every individual has the right and needs to do the best to their ability and we're doing that in Pinellas County Schools thank you today I

019think you summed it up but are there any other comments from the board before we take the vote all right thank you so much we have a motion on the floor by Mrs long in a second by Ms Edmund to approve item 4.1 the presentation of the Proclamation observing disability history and awareness weeks during the first two weeks in October 2023 all in favor say aye any opposed none and the motion to approve item 4.1 passes unanimously seven to zero moving on to 4.2 may I have a motion to approve item 4.2 the presentation of the Proclamation designating October 20 23 as National Physical Therapy month so moved by Miss Cook and a second by Mrs Meyer Mr Hendrick would you please introduce the item thank you madam chair I'd like to call Jody Becker

020our coordinator of physical therapy and she'll share a little bit more about this Proclamation Mrs Becker good morning Madam chair board members Mr Hendricks staff and community members October is recognized as a national Physical Therapy month sponsored by the American Physical Therapy Association celebrating National Physical Therapy month in our Public Schools is important for several reasons it raises awareness about the crucial role that physical therapists play in the well-being and development of students with special needs it educates students parents teachers and administrators about the benefits of physical therapy and enhancing physical abilities mobility and overall quality of life it serves as a platform for advocating for the importance of PT services in schools it highlights the positive impacts of these services on students academic achievement social interactions and overall participation in school activities it promotes

021inclusivity within the school environment it emphasizes the value of providing equal opportunities for all students regardless of their physical abilities it helps encourage collaboration among the different Professionals in our schools ensuring a holistic and comprehensive approach to supporting our students with special needs and it provides an opportunity to recognize and appreciate the hard work and dedication of the physical therapy staff in our schools it acknowledges their contribution in helping students overcome challenges and reach their potential Pinellas County Physical Therapy staff play an important role in supporting student achievement through improving students physical abilities and promoting their functional Independence in addition they continue to train all medical behavioral Associates across the county in proper transfer training and lifting techniques and proper use of adaptive equipment for maximum safety for our students with special needs as well

022as our staff each one of our PT staff members demonstrates the core values of commitment to Children families and the community responsibility and connectedness in all they do for their students their students families and the schools they serve I am proud as the coordinator for OT and PT to represent and recognize our Physical Therapy staff for all they do each and every day on behalf of Pinellas County Schools students thank you for taking the time to recognize them today thank you Miss Becker and Miss Peters would you please read the proclamation yes thank you madam chair whereas the Pinellas County school board encourages options for an active and healthy lifestyle for all students and whereas the Pinellas County school board speaks for the best interests of the students in recommending Physical Therapy by a licensed

023physical therapist to achieve Safe physical access to the curriculum and whereas through a national effort the Pinellas County school board and community members are encouraged to join together to raise awareness of the importance of physical therapy during the month of October 2023 and whereas this effort will bring awareness to our schools community and nation of the roles of physical therapists in schools now therefore the school board of Pinellas County does hereby Proclaim October 2023 as National Physical Therapy appreciation month in Pinellas County Schools and in doing so urges all citizens to join in a national effort to raise Physical Therapy awareness signed this 26th day of September 2023. thank you very much are there any discussion from board members I'd like to thank you for the intense work that all of you do in physical

024therapy it's it's more than just it's coaching and it's encouraging students every single day and it's so important to raise awareness of the selfless people out there who get up every day to do these to do this and work with our students and so we appreciate every single one of them and all that they do thank you with that we have a motion to approve item 4.3 by Mrs cook in a second by Mrs Meyer all those in favor say aye any opposed then a post the motion to approve 4.2 the presentation of the Proclamation designating October 2023 is National Physical Therapy month carries unanimously seven to zero thank you very much Miss Becker moving on this is our final proclamation of the day oh yes yes Applause our final proclamation of the day may

025have a motion to prove item 4.3 the presentation of the Proclamation designating October 2023 as dyslexia Awareness Month and a second by Miss Edmond whoever right here first Mr Hendrick could you please introduce the item thank you madam chair I'd like to call Miss Tiffany Bell an instructional staff developer for the school district she supports students with dyslexia as well as teachers who teach students with dyslexia and teachers at the centers for literacy Innovation Mrs Bell good morning Madam chair members of the board Mr Hendrick and staff October is dyslexia Awareness Month the aim of this recognition is to promote understanding of the unique characteristics of individuals that have dyslexia the international dyslexia Association identifies dyslexia as being a learning disability where individuals have difficulty with accurate and or fluent word recognition poor spelling and

026coding abilities excuse me these difficulties often persist even with the provision of effective classroom instruction Ary consequences of Dyslexia may include poor reading comprehension reduced reading experience which then affects vocabulary acquisition and background knowledge we continue to grow our training for all stakeholders in identifying characteristics of Dyslexia and grades K through two we have the lfac assessment which identifies students needs in the area of foundational skills in grades three through five teachers have also excuse me in grades three through five teachers also have access to screening tools to determine whether word reading accuracy and rate could be impeding their ability to read and comprehend grade level text this system of gathering data across all grade levels will support teachers and their implementation of strategic systematic and explicit reading instruction we are also excited to report

027that our Center for literacy Innovation program continues to grow and experience success our CLI program at Eliza Nelson is now in the fifth year of implementation Midtown Academy in Palm Harbor are in the third year of implementation we look forward to watching our students succeed and make progress in each of our programs this year we would like to thank the teachers and administrators who support our programs thank you so much misspell and Mrs Hein would you please read the proclamation yes thank you madam chair whereas the Pinellas County school board recognizes that dyslexia is defined as an unexpected difficulty in reading for an individual who has the intelligence to be a much better reader and due to a difficulty in getting to the individual sounds of spoken language which affects the ability of an individual

028to speak read spell and often to learn a language and whereas dyslexia is the most common learning disability and affects 80 to 90 percent of all individuals with a learning disability and that early diagnosis of Dyslexia is critical for ensuring that individuals with dyslexia receive focused evidence-based intervention that leads to promotion of self-awareness and self-empowerment and the provision of necessary accommodations so as to ensure school and life success and whereas an individual with dyslexia may have weakness in decoding or reading fluency and strength in higher level cognitive functions such as reasoning critical thinking concept formation or problem solving and whereas the Pinellas County school board celebrates that great progress has been made in understanding dyslexia on a scientific level including the epidemiology and cognitive and neurobiological basis of Dyslexia and now therefore the school board

029of Pinellas County does hereby Proclaim October 2023 is dyslexia Awareness Month in Pinellas County Schools and in doing so urges all citizens to recognize that dyslexia has significant educational implications that must be addressed signed this 26th day of September 2023. is there any discussions or comments on board I would just say I've I've definitely heard from several in our community the impact in the last several years of the focus with the lfac and also training our K2 teachers on how to identify and assess and get them to those Services earlier rather than later and then also about our centers for literacy Innovation so thank you so much it is it's having an impact thank you so much Mrs Bell we have a motion on the floor by Mrs hi second by Miss Edmond to approve

030item 4.3 presentation of the Proclamation designating October 2023 as dyslexia Awareness Month all in favor say aye any opposed none the motion to approve item 4.3 passes unanimously seven to zero thank you very much thank you for presentation moving to number five public comments on agenda items members of our public have three separate opportunities to address the board when we gather for a business meeting the first is public comment on agenda items the second is at public hearings most of which are policies and the last is after our meeting when speakers May address the general business of the district at each opportunity for public input board members are here to listen to you this is not a time for interaction but the board will take your comments into consideration before it votes on agenda items

031the board is committed to a standard of Civility and decorum in conducting our meetings this includes refraining from clapping or making audible noises during or after a speaker's comments We Appreciate You assisting Us in maintaining a civil and constructive environment lastly please note that these meeting and all public comments will be broadcast on the internet live and the video will be publicly archived members of the public may always communicate with the board through our email board at pcsb.org or by calling the board office at 588-6300 thank you very much Mrs Houck are there any public speakers to agenda items yes Madam chair board members Mr Hendrick we have three speakers for agenda items this morning the first two are Mark clutho speaking to item 7.16 7.20 and Aunt avilia speaking to 8.1 more cluto Largo

0327.16 your priority list for expenditure of state capital outlay oh man what a joke this is all we need to do is look at what's happened so far for instance that new building that the Clearwater High School you don't get the building oriented right this way it's wrong this way and that West Wall All Glass and you're going to spend capital outlay money more appropriately it would be wasting the taxpayers money and there is a cause and effect to be had moving on to 7 20. this is this is bad again you can't even get the vernacular what right here you're going to provide energy conservation the word is efficiency not conservation efficiency since 2015 synergistic has led to 21 percent reduction in energy consumption wow and you have here student engagement healthy building and

033energy assessments to include CO2 monitoring well where were they when you built that stupid building up there at Clearwater High School facilitate the development of sustainability plan for the district how is that building sustainable where were they are going to get 838 800 dollars talk about a boondoggle thank you thank you good morning members of the board and superintendent thank you for allowing me to speak this morning speaking on agenda item 8.1 it seems that a review of the policies around instructional material is to be had by the board and I don't think I said my name I'm Aunt Avila I am a community organizer with equality Florida and we would like to employ the board when considering policies of this nature to ensure that the rampant hate field attempts at book Banning and actual

034book bands are not allowed in these this policy making that this policy is done with academics and ensuring the best educational material for students in mind and not the partisan hate that has been brought to the board in the past so I thank you for this time and ask that you ensure that process is fair and transparent thank you the next speaker is Nicole St Ledger speaking to item 8.3 good morning I know many of us in attendance are parents and so I'm pretty sure we've all had that wonderful experience of having a toddler melting down uncontrollably it's even more fun when it happens in public with a lot of people usually the Publix ice cream aisle in my case maybe not everyone else has had that one it's so much fun now I also

035know there's a lot of teachers and people with classroom experience here and I'm sure that you have had situations with children that no matter what behavioral chart or modification you have tried to use they are still not able to control themselves during learning time which is not conducive for anyone in the classroom to learn do you know that those two separate things are actually caused by the same event happening in the brain what I'm talking about is the neuroregulation of the physiological state I know big words easier to hear as top down or bottom-up behaviors top down behaviors is what we want and need in classrooms this includes self-regulation self-restraint being able to use words logic and reasoning when children are in the top-down part of the brain they're able to learn reading math science

036music art differential equations I'm sorry I apologize I'm the one Speaking over here so you've signed up to speak to agenda item 8.3 so I've seen you'll be speaking to that contract this is exactly what I'm going to thank you bottom-up behaviors are disrupted to the classrooms many people think that these behaviors are chosen but the science is realizing that these behaviors are affected by stressors outside of the classroom that in fact the instinctual fight-or-flight reaction in the body the way children thrive in school is being able to be in that top down part not the bottom up however for our unhoused community that means having extra support to help them reduce the stress and feel safe that's how kids stay in the top down part of the brain keeping 8.3 making sure that we

037are having that extra mental health support for this community is imperative for these children school Success and their families we have seen it before in other situations where we have been able to provide free food to children and they are able to succeed at a higher rate in schools and we've expanded that these children need the extra help mental health supports to be able to succeed succeed in school twos and maybe as we see success there we will be able to see success continue with other students too thank you Madam chair there are no more speakers for agenda items thank you Mrs Howe with that we have one item under unfinished business so may I have a motion to approve item 6.1 the public hearing to consider the amendment to policy 2250 fundamental schools and

038magnet programs the motion by Mrs long and a second by Mrs Hein all in favor say aye you want to introduce it first I'd like to introduce thank you madam chair we had that wrong so we're going to introduce the item and then we'll take a vote so thank you so I'd like to call up Ellen traskowski our director of student assignment School demographics and school capacity she's going to walk us through the annual District application program updates and as well as tell us about some important dates that are coming for families to engage in next year's school choice thank you madam chair school board members Mr Hendrick and staff discussed at the OG board meeting amendments to policy 2250 fundamental schools and magnet programs are being proposed among these changes are for new programs

039we do have one change since the first reading and that is with the veterinary programs to line the same Transportation AS application areas as the current centers for medical and wellness professions so they will have the same application and transportation areas as those for a full update of all the changes you have the summary proposed change document we have some upcoming dates not too far away starting on October 16th with a Facebook and YouTube live event kind of walking families over the process of what district application programs are as well as some things to do and look for on how to research finding the best fit for them we have a new change with the special assignment requests for the next year we'll be opening on November 6th this year and running through November 17th

040we have Discovery nights that'll take place throughout the month of November and December we also have a VPK VPK Pre-K application period opening up right after the Thanksgiving break with application and acceptance appearances starting in January and February for full listing of all upcoming dates just check out the district website and we will go from there but thank you so much for consideration of the changes thank you very much Mrs Petroski thank you so how are there any speakers to this public hearing no Madam chair there are no more speakers for this item all right board members is there any discussion on this Miss Edmond thank you mrskowski for presenting this item there has been many improvements and increased marketing strategies and it's important that the district continues to support and promote the offerings throughout

041the entire District I look forward to seeing the outcomes of the initiatives that you highlighted today thank you in your department as well as school staff for your efforts Ein thank you there are a lot of great improvements in here I just wanted to highlight a couple things on the district application programs one is I've heard amazing feedback about the Civil Air Patrol program in particular at Azalea and then also there's been a lot of questions from the community about the mangrove Bay middle school that's opening next year and so there's a lot of information now online that you can find on that anybody who's curious about that and I'm excited to see the Dual language immersion programs that are in here and I know we're looking to maybe put more in other places in

042the county so thank you for all the work you do on this thank you very much any other board members saying that now we can go move forward with the vote so we have a motion on the floor for our item to approve item 6.1 the public hearing to consider the amendment to policy 2250 fundamental schools and magnet programs and we have a second so all in favor say aye any opposed none opposed it passes unanimously seven to zero thank you so much Mrs drozkowski and now we will move to our consent agenda we have a motion to adopt the consent agenda I have a motion by Mrs Meyer and the second by Mrs long all those in favor of the consent agenda say I any opposed unopposed the mo the motion to adopt the

043consent agenda passes unanimously seven to zero and we have several items under non-consent so we'll start with the first 8.1 I may have a motion to approve a public hearing and authorizing the advertisement of the public hearing to consider the amendment to policies 2240 controversial issues and two five one zero instructional materials including textbooks and this is the first reading so I'm moving for approval by Mrs Hein and a second by Mrs Peters Mr Hendrick would you please introduce that thank you madam chair as you know we've workshopped this twice now in the last several months on this policy is in compliance with state law as well as the most recent state board rule that came down governing this and it is an update obviously to our previous policies that have been in place so

044I'd like to call up our director of strategic planning and policy Leanna Ison to give you a few more details this is Ison good morning Madam chair Mr Hendrick board members staff and Community today we're recommending revisions to policies 2510 instructional materials including textbooks and 2240 controversial issues in accordance with House Bill 1069 and the most recent guidance from the State Board of Education meeting in August all of which we've discussed at the July and the September School Board workshops we'll begin with the amendments to policy 2510 instructional materials including textbooks we've made a handful of technical edits including updating the chief academic officer title and statutory reference formatting we've removed procedures from the policy as we have been doing with each policy that we review and update we've added the definition of library media

045materials using the statutory language we've brought in the language regarding the form used to file a formal objection and designated a point of contact for formal objections because the bill requires districts to use the state prescribed form and to designate a point of contact for submission of the form we're continuing to use our district form until the state's form is available to us following receipt of an objection the district instructional materials Review Committee will be appointed by the superintendent to review the objection and the materials while we recommend a single district-wide Review Committee we have not removed the schools from the process we have removed the burden of the process from the schools and the committee will include teachers as well as three parents house bill 1069 also requires that parents of students who have

046access to the material are involved in the review process and committee the structure and process of the district instructional materials Review Committee will remain constant but the people on the committee will change based on their expertise great on the grade level and subject of the objected material the challenged materials will remain in use unless otherwise required by law and the law requires material that is objected to on the basis that it is pornographic harmful to minors or describes sexual conduct must be removed within five days of receipt and remain unavailable until the objection is resolved additionally as required by law the committee meeting will be noticed and open to the public the public will have the opportunity to speak to the objection for three minutes just like they do at a school board meeting the

047decision of the committee will be applied district-wide and serve as the school board's final action and an appeal of the process would follow state law which would be filed and heard at the state level amendments to policy 2240 simplify who should review the potentially controversial materials to read in accordance with law instead of listing specific people or groups and it reflects the recommended changes for the instructional materials Review Committee with that we recommend setting a public hearing for November 14 2023. thank you very much Miss Eisen is there any discussion from board members on this first public hearing is Edmund I would just like to acknowledge the work of Staff committee members and those who have provided feedback regarding these agenda items as I've mentioned previously when the policy was originally brought forward it remains

048subjective the ability for inconsistent application remains and clear guidance has not been provided by the state the changes in the policies do not indicate that past decisions made by school-based review committees will be upheld it also reduces the ability for parents and school Community to decide on the issue impacting their school students other than providing public comment and now we'll also have district-wide implications another aspect of the policies is the fact that if the policies pass procedures are created which may or may not exactly reflect everything within the policy it is important to reiterate the superintendent in designated staff have and always have had the ability to remove materials by law thank you Miss Edmond Miss Hein I think I'll share a few thoughts as well thank you Mrs Edmund for yours you know these

049policies are being updated again due to legislative updates that happen but also because of experiences we had this spring really the first time in recent history we've managed objections and I attended some of them at that school level and it was difficult and burdensome I know that there's a worry when things get brought up to a higher level but what I want to say is in our extensive discussions in our Workshop around this I think we were very clear about requesting that the primary people who make up these committees are school-based Personnel so that it is school-based Personnel who are reviewing and making these recommendations including the parents and the teachers and librarians I also think that third piece on the administrative procedures that you brought up Mrs Edmund I think that's a really important

050third piece it's almost a third leg of the stool really and it is Administrative procedures as opposed to policy I know that we were provided those administrative procedures in the March Workshop they're publicly available and then we discussed them in the July Workshop if anybody wants to hear that thorough discussion about those and that is where the library media review team is contemplated in that document and where materials that might come to our attention are reviewed by this library media review team made up of fully like librarians I just think we have to take care and mitigate any confusion about how these things are being handled in our district and provide as much confidence as we can I think it's important to note that I believe in both policies and in the administrative procedures the

051way the decisions are being made that they're being made by licensed certified trained trusted teachers and Librarians as well as with the input of parents and families in our community and I think that's very important element there not every District operates that way I also just want to acknowledge that I think that there's a legitimate fear in the community that titles that are being targeted or titles that are primarily by and about people of color or our lgtbq community and I would just want to point you to the things that our district policies say about diverse materials we not only want them and desire them and know that they're important but we require them and then also point you to the things that leadership of this District say out loud if this is something that

052you're interested in or worried about I invite you to to listen to the workshops to go back and watch the video from the May 24th listen and learn session at John Hopkins Middle School where our superintendent and three of our school boards school board members answer questions around this topic attend the listen and less listen and learn session tomorrow at Clearwater High School we are very clear when it comes to belief in the windows mirrors and sliding glass door pedagogy around ensuring that we have widely wide diverse materials in our schools I would also say that our core values at this District are strong on this topic and your core values matter is the lens through which you review decisions so I just wanted to acknowledge that because I think that's where a lot of

053the concern is coming from and I feel confidently in the leadership of this District when it comes to that concern and we do have to prevent you know because of you know not necessarily not Vortex swirl that's germinating from Pinellas County but but germinating from everywhere it's it I used to think that swirl just kind of lived in Tallahassee and those people could kind of deal with that and now I feel like it reaches our classrooms sometime and I think that's that's a shame and so we do have to prevent any self-censorship by our teachers and so if you're engaged in our schools and you're talking with our teachers just please continue to encourage them and let them know that you trust them and value them to select appropriate strong diverse materials for our students

054and to keep putting those putting those important titles out there and I just welcome I just want to say that I welcome any dialogue or questions around this it's really important to me I know it's really important to a lot of you and important to a lot of us out there it sort of says a lot and there's a lot of information out there so just make sure when you're when you're just make make sure you find the information and ask the questions and I'd love to be in dialogue about this topic but I support the changes as far as in the written policies and thank you for all the work it has been it has been a lot of discussion and a lot of time thank you Miss Hein are there any other board

055members who comments to share her no all right thank you very much thank you to both of you for the comments we have a motion on the floor to approve item 8.1 the setting of public hearing and authorizing the advertisement of the public hearing to consider the amendment to policies 2240 controversial issues and two five one zero instructional materials including textbooks all in favor say aye any opposed one no so the emotion passes and Carries six to one moving forward I may I have a motion to approve item 8.2 the request approval of the 2023-2024 school Improvement plans even Movement by Miss Edmond second by Mrs cook Mr Hendrick would you please introduce the item thank you madam chair just as the board approved its District strategic plan last meeting we are now looking at

056our school Improvement plans done by each individual school and in addition to the 26 Pages required by the state we have each school put together a one-pager so that they're easily accessible to families in the public to know what are the big things that schools are working on and that's part of what you'll see on our website as well so Mrs Eisen our director of strategic planning and policy we'll share a few more details Mrs Eisen foreign we're presenting the 2023-2024 school Improvement plans for approval all of the school Improvement plans are currently posted on the district website the school Improvement plans are aligned with our district strategic plan of course throughout the summer school leadership teams worked alongside the teaching and learning staff the area superintendents and the climate and behavior staff to develop

057their plans schools were provided support through written resource guides 16 online office hours sessions an in-person full day work session and one-on-one support when staff and students returned to campus the school's draft School Improvement plan was reviewed with the staff and the school advisory committees and their input was collected and the Improvement plans were updated accordingly School Improvement plans are iterative documents and continue to be monitored and refined following your approval they will be reviewed by the State Department of Education please note we are using the state's School Improvement plan template because it meets all the statutory and role requirements and incorporates all the Essa components required for support and Improvement plans the school's data will be automatically updated by the state at a later date so as you check back on those throughout the

058year you will see some of that data populated over time the new state template also includes a Title 1 Section which is optional for our schools and it includes a budget section which they have specifically identified is only to be used by schools that qualify for the Unified School Improvement Grant schools will submit their mid-year reflection in February and the website the district website will be updated following those mid-year Reflections for all of the new school Improvement plans in the meantime School Improvement plans once they're approved by the State Department of Education are posted also on the State Department of Education website thank you for your Opera for the opportunity to present the 2324 School Improvement plans today thank you Miss Eisen I learned discussion by board members Miss Hein did you relate on no

059I would like to say thank you so much for all of the work from staff every year I look at the school Improvement plans and I'm overwhelmed by the amount of data that is assessed and by the amount of work put in by staff to create these I think it is second to our strategic plan some of the most important documents in our district because that's what moves us forward continues to help each staff member innovate and creatively move in a better Direction always improving ourselves our practices our policies and what we have continued to strive to do as a district and incorporating our strategic plan into those individual School Improvement plans is what's going to continue to move us forward as a district so we can achieve some of our goals like obtaining a

060school district is one of our goals and so each School Improvement plan is really what makes the difference as it trickles its way all the way down to the classroom and to our students improving on their education so I think you and I think the entire department and all the work from each principal and staff and all just so many staff members who contribute every year to this incredible amount of work and I thank you so much for presenting today with that we have a motion on the floor by Ms Edmond in a second by Mrs cook to approve item 8.2 the 2023-2024 school Improvement plan all in favor say aye any opposed there are none so the motion for 8.2 passes unanimously seven to zero thank you very much Miss Eisen thank you may

061I have a motion to approve item 8.3 the request for approval of the renewal agreement with directions for mental health Inc family works not exceeding 480 762 dollars per year my heart emotion from Miss Edmond and a second by Mrs long Mr Hendrick would you please introduce the item thank you madam chair a couple months ago you approved the mental health allocation plan and we had a discussion about that at the workshop this sounds similar but it is not this is a different item funded completely separately and to explain a little bit more I've asked our executive director of student services Donna Sicilian to tell us about the work of this allocation thank you superintendent Hendricks school board members and staff I really am grateful for this opportunity to be before you this morning to

062present another opportunity to continue your support of some of our most vulnerable students and families and that are is our families experiencing homelessness so we had received from the American Rescue plan fund specific for this serving of this population and we have engaged in a contract with directions for Living that contract does expire at the end of this month the funds there are funds remaining this contract allows us to continue to spend those funds that were designated for this purpose we also wrote into a Title IX grant for additional funding for mental health services specific so they will be adding a licensed mental health therapist to the team I also wanted to mention that I'm aware that directions for Living is seeking opportunities in the community to get additional funding from other resources to serve

063the population and to continue and sustain and even expand the work that we've started here with this partnership so you've heard me say before how schools are that microcosm of what's happening in society there's another example of that you're I'm sure we're all well aware of the affordable housing crisis that our County and our families that live here are in and so we see this coming into our school every day and this is just another way that we as a school district can support families and youth and prepare them so they can do the learning that so many of our staff here are providing for students so I do ask that you would support this again it's funding specific for this purpose it's the renewing of the agreement to expend the funds that were allowed

064along with some additional grant money so thank you thank you very much Mrs Sicilian is there any discussion or comments from board Mrs long I just want to say thank you for the hard work it is becoming more and more evident that our students not just in Pinellas County but all around the country really were extremely affected socially and emotionally by covet and on top of that all the issues that this country is facing is causing emotional and social problems so our students unfortunately are the ones that you know they're not old enough to reason some of this they have a lot of questions and everything you do and your department does is just phenomenal your heart is where it's supposed to be it shows every one of our social workers our psychologists our guidance

065counselors they're doing the best they can and it's helping our students I know that maybe we won't see it during the school years but afterwards we hope that they will be able to become strong individuals that can figure out a way to handle it and go forward so I really approve this thank you thank you thank you very much Miss Long I'm seeing no other board members lights on so we have a motion by Miss Edmond and a second by Miss long to approve item 8.3 the request approval of the renewal agreement with directions for mental health Inc family works not exceeding 480 762 dollars per year all in favor say aye any opposed there are none and so item 8.3 passes unanimously seven to zero thank you for being with us this morning Miss

066Sicilian and moving to our final non-consent agenda item we have item 8.4 may have a motion to approve the adoption of the proposed greater Florida Consortium of school boards 2024 legislative program I have a movement by Ms Edmund and a second by Mrs cook and we're going to ask Miss Edmond would you please introduce the item thank you the greater Florida Consortium school boards met August 17th and 18th to draft the legislative program that we will vote on today they provided an opportunity opportunity for represented districts to provide suggestions prior to the completion of the drafted program opportunity for the board to discuss this item was provided at the workshop last week under Consortium bylaws if any board rejects an issue that issue is automatically removed from the program no items may be amended so

067to you chair thank you very much thank you for that presentation and thank you for being a representation on this item and for and you and also Mrs cook I know you both attend and bring us back all of the important information we need to know so thank you very much are there any any discussion from the board miss long you have your light on did you no okay just asking all right with that we have a motion on the floor to approve item 8.4 the adoption of the proposed greater Florida Consortium of school board's 2024 legislative program and a second all in favor say aye aye any opposed there are none opposed so the motion to approve 8.4 passes unanimously seven to zero and that concludes our non-consent items for the day so down

068to new business superintendent Hendrick do you have any items to share on new business yes Madam chair first I wanted to make the board and the public aware of the upcoming State Board of Education meeting on October 18th a couple of important items to pay attention to there one is the cut scores for the Florida assessment for student thinking which will sort of set those proficiency levels for really years to come in school grades and have a big impact on that so pay attention to that and also the objection form that was referenced in policy 2510 earlier today is finally going to come up before the state board on October 18th and you can learn more about that on their website and see the proposed rules for the state board meeting a couple of upcoming

069events here in the district first tonight the all-county art exhibition for the conference Hall takes place tonight here in this building it will feature 1514 2D and 3D artworks displayed throughout this building it's one of the largest student artwork displays and exhibitions in the state families will be here tonight invading the building thousands of them it's a great night and their work with student work will be up until April of 2024 when we'll start with next year's exhibition tonight also we'll celebrating the transition to teaching graduation where 24 teachers in Pinellas County Schools will graduate from the transition to teaching program fully certified in the State of Florida these individuals took up teaching as a second or third career and completed the requirements including hundreds of hours of professional development through our own professional development

070department we're always looking for great employees especially teachers and have a great support system to bring those on board and we want to congratulate those teachers this evening coming up next week our annual College and Career Fair that is hosted at Countryside High School it takes place on Monday October 2nd the event features College administrators vocational schools employers military recruiters and typically draws more than 1500 attendees we look forward to that next week also next week is Nash on October 4th is National Bike and walk to school day I'll be joining Ridgecrest Elementary for their annual event promoting walking and biking to school you can check out your local school to see how they're celebrating and join them in that walk or bike to school upcoming as well are open houses for our Pinellas Technical

071colleges both PTC campuses will have Open House events in October with prospective students having a chance to explore career programs meet instructors counselors and financial aid Specialists PTC offers more than 60 programs and training in 40 career areas each campus will offer different activities including free haircuts hors d'oeuvres by the professional culinary arts Hospitality program and free health screenings by the nursing programs the Saint P campus event will take place on October 3rd the Clearwater campus event on October 10th see our website for more details as was mentioned earlier by Mrs Hein our upcoming listen and learn Community sessions are back and the next one will be tomorrow night at Clearwater High School from 5 30 to 7. you can find more information on the website about the upcoming sessions on October 12th and November

0728th as well and breaking news today we have two special announcements One Alicia Provost a physical education teacher at Madeira Beach fundamental will be informed today and maybe right now if she's watching I hope not I hope she's teaching as the 2023 shape Florida Middle School physical education teacher of the year for the State of Florida she'll receive her award at the shape Florida convention next month in Kissimmee and at the same time today is also announced that 37 schools in Pinellas County have been recognized as America's healthiest schools for 2023 Pinellas County was the Florida district with the largest number of Awards in 2023 and that includes two of our schools Lynch Elementary and Ponce de Leon Elementary that received perfect scores one two of only 14 schools in the nation to get a

073perfect score in all nine topic areas as America's healthiest school so congratulations to the 37 schools and especially Lynch and Ponce de Leon Elementary's and finally the superintendents stand out for this particular board meeting is Mitchell Latimer a music teacher at Richard all Sanders school has worked for Pinellas County schools for three years and his colleague noted he's been a tremendous Mentor for new Performing Arts colleagues at all three ese centers he took the lead in mentoring the group and recently facilitated discussions and new teacher trainings and continues his commitment to children and the Performing Arts at every one of our schools in our district thank you Mitchell and all of our teachers for the work that do each and every day thank you superintendent Hendrick and now are there any items to be introduced

074by our school board attorney Mr kapersky Madam chair there are no items to be introduced thank you thank you any items introduced by the board members don't miss long yes I just want to notice that the equality Florida has members here today it's nice of you to come out and get involved in our schools and I appreciate that I believe we need to educate all children and meet their needs to the best of our abilities so I thank you all from coming out as long as Peters thank you madam chair I just wanted to mention that I had the opportunity last Wednesday to attend The Florida Orchestra they were hosting our fifth grade students from multiple schools for three three days total at the Mahaffey Theater I attended one day I was able to greet

075and speak to students as they were coming in chaperones teachers and I just wanted to mention my takeaways from the event many of these children had never and may never have another opportunity as a child to attend an orchestra or a ballet so this is this is an amazing opportunity for our students and the conductor who who was in charge of the event I guess leading the event she was absolutely she was amazing with the kids she encouraged them to to respond she encouraged their participation she encouraged them to get excited and it was just really I didn't know what to expect when I attended but they performed classical music ballet of Romeo and Juliet and the most unexpected thing at the at the event was the in the front row were the hearing impaired

076students and there were several districts staff members and Florida Orchestra also had a sign language interpreter on the stage and the kids were so the staff and The Florida Orchestra staff were signing to the kids and then they were also encouraged to put their hands up on the stage so they could feel the music while it was being played so it was it was very inspiring and I was thank you to Mr Spencer and all the Mr staff who put this together and orchestrated it was a lot of work I just got to stand there and greet people and listen to the music and observe the children and listen to the children while they were just immersed in the event and cheering and oohing and awing and it was just really it was really neat

077so I just wanted to share the my takeaways from that and seeing the work that we do in real life here in our district so it was just really cool and I thought more people would want to know about that so thank you not seeing any other lights but I want to thank you for mentioning that because it's such a highlight on student experience which has been a focus of our district from last year and moving into this year and that's just one of the many incredible opportunities that we also want to thank the citizens of Pinellas County because it weren't for our referendum we couldn't offer programs such as this where students are getting those experiences and the Arts that they may not ever have another opportunity to see and it's incredible I've been

078also been on a lot of field trips and gotten the incredible opportunity to see this from both sides as a board member and also as a parent and we appreciate all those who continue to support our Arts initiatives but also our student experience field trips because not even just an Arts but in the sciences and in business and many other areas of our community that they get incredible opportunities to experience other things and expand their Horizons that well one day benefit their future and so we think thank you for sharing also Mrs Hein you put your light on I wanted to say thank you also for sharing that Mrs Peters and then just wanted to mention yesterday I had the opportunity to be with a number of teachers you know yesterday was a day off

079for students but it was not for teachers so and it just really inspiring and then today hearing this vocal performance and then what Miss Peters just shared I mean there are so many great things great people happening in our schools and you can participate you can you can certainly Mentor you can volunteer at schools you can visit any school and just say what can I do for you and there's really great ways to be in our schools the only way to really know what's going on in our schools is to visit one is to be at one is to be engaged and you will see there's a lot of great ways to do that also when it does come to Performance you can attend high school or Middle School drama or music performances there are

080Athletics going on right now you can come to my son's middle school volleyball game tonight at John Hopkins Middle School if you'd like I will be there so there are so many ways to show up and see and feel what's going on because it's incredible incredible people doing incredible work so thank you thank you Miss Hein see no other board lights Mrs Woodford could you please review any board requests that we've had Madam chair I did not record any board requests thank you is there any further business for this meeting that needed to be addressed saying none with that I will adjourn the meeting and then move to public participation so with that I adjourn this meeting of the Pinellas County school board for September 26 2023. we are going to move to public comment

081on the general business of the district please note that the views and comments of the public speakers are their own and not endorsed nor sponsored by the school board or the district we cannot ensure the accuracy of the statements made but will review concerns that are raised and take appropriate action which may include clarifications or the referral of our speakers to the proper staff members for assistance the board is committed to a standard of Civility and decorum and conducting our meetings and this includes refraining from clapping or making audible noises during or after a speaker's comments in respect to their time We Appreciate You assisting Us in maintaining a civil and constructive environment additionally please note that although board members or superintendent Hendrick may leave the Deus briefly there are speakers in our back room

082and we will be able to continue to hear your comments throughout thank you very much Mrs Houck would you please introduce our speakers yes Madam chair board members Mr Hendrick we have 13 speakers signed up this morning the first two are Steve Freeman and Lindy Lindsay good morning board Madam chair Mr Hendrick and staff I'm here to discuss the proposed lgbtq guidelines that you as a school board are going to develop I'll give you a little background about myself that you know my involvement I've been in St Petersburg since 1968. I went to Azalea and then Boca ciega eventually University of Florida law school been practicing law with my wife since 1981 in Saint Pete in addition well I have two children who both went to private and public schools within Pinellas County my mother

083Corrine Freeman sat where you sat for 10 years approximately 1994 84 to 94. but what I'm here for primarily to talk about these guidelines that you have to create I think the law creating his guidelines is an Abomination but it is the law and you have to follow the law and create these guidelines now specifically out some of the things that I believe that should be done or as follows provide Clarity and guidance around don't say don't say lgbtq and its expansion through High School stop the Banning of books and inclusive literature and provide thoughtful thorough and clear procedures for how to challenge materials and resources without uplifting bigotry address restrictions on bathroom and locker room access for transgender and non-binary students every effort should be made to expand the number of single user unisex

084bathrooms for faculty and students support inclusive working environments for educators and empowered teachers unions to support their members likewise ensure a parent's right to have their child's name and pronouns respected at school I believe that the primary reason for any school board their focus is the students teachers parents and administrators are all to be considered but schools exist for one purpose only and that is to educate children and do the things we saw today whether it be music of the Arts and or and Athletics and things like that in my mind that means all students which include students of every race ethnicity and sexual orientation should be considered the guidelines should not discriminate against children because of any sexual orientation or deny any rights including First Amendment rights for children to be who they are

085and who they want to be parental rights are important but I believe student writes Triumph and as an aside parents and I say this good morning my name is Lindy Lindsey and I'm a fan of the public school system I have volunteered in in the schools all throughout my two boys education and in all the schools I have been a homeroom mom a library assistant fundraiser PTA president so I get how much books mean to kids how how I discovered this was in the second grade I had a maid of honor who insisted that I go to public school and I had wanted to go to private school she kept telling me what all the public school system offered the opportunities and if my boys were gifted then the opportunities even expanded even more so

086I noticed this in public in second grade at public school when I was taking the kids that were below reading levels and my son my youngest son with an IQ of 146 was in that group a book came out that year and it was called Harry Potter series I had nine boys and three three girls and we had attention just like that I read the book in advance and I knew when Harry was getting ready to jump on his broom and I closed the closed the book and I said okay kids you'll have to find out what happens that let me know what kids were truly lazy as my son was or those that really needed help from that point on we went to Captain Underpants another of the school's banned books I simply don't

087get it and by the way I'm so happy for listening for my main event honor you may know her Susan latvala and she knew the educational system we cannot have board members chasing our teachers because because of radical beliefs when did politics get into our schools we have to teach students to understand that there are those that are different from themselves this right here is put in the hands of kids from Two and under you might want to ban books but they'll find worse things here thank you the next two speakers are Mark clutho and Lee Bryant Mark lutho Largo what I say here is accurate your thermostat is set at 68 degrees 68. so all you fools will be comfortable wearing coats so you can buy more air conditioning to belch more carbon into

088the atmosphere that is sick the thermostat at our house is set at 79. you people are just disgusting disgusting see what a building should look like Winston Churchill said we shape our buildings thereafter they shape us in 1960. U.S sets record for billion dollar weather disasters hotter oceans push July to be the Earth's warmest month on record soon our oceans could feel like Jacuzzis 10 years ago I swam from Cuba to Florida I couldn't do that today hurricane shatters weather rules Antarctica's sea ice at unprecedented low now this is because you ignore science and you're wearing coats when it's blazing hot outside you can't get the uniform of the day right these are words I learned when I was in the Army in 1968 uniform of the day this is 2023. thermostat set at 68.

089well what we have here is an ineptness incompetence and most importantly irresponsibility good morning chair Kane members of the board superintendent Hendrick and staff my name is Lee Bryant and I'm president of the pcta this is my 29th year in Pinellas County Schools and I've never seen so many Educators at such a breaking point so early in the year the way I see it there are several factors in such an early burnout one of them is one of the most cruel and effective ways of breaking people is to punish them for breaking rules without knowing what the rules are the State of Florida has turned this into a cruel game against Educators in our state the governor the Department of Education and the state legislature are constantly attacking Educators with threats of punishment up to

090and including the loss of certification and even jail time for vaguely and ill-defined rules and laws labeling Educators groomers and indoctrinators while they're just doing their job of helping students become whole and complete human beings is punishment trying to make teachers fearful without them knowing where the lines are is cruel the lack of proper work-life balance is another Factor leading to the burnout of our educators so much is put upon the Educators in our state that to do their job completely and correctly they must always work far and above what they are compensated for it was pointed out at the last school board meeting how many teachers were sitting in the gallery grading papers and entering grades at five six seven and eight o'clock listening to the board discuss the policies that affect their professions

091and lives or waiting for a chance to speak about how difficult their lives have become the system would collapse if teachers put in their compensated hours and then stopped to live their lives the final factor I have time for this morning is being or feeling underpaid while pay rate alone doesn't guarantee contentment believing you are underpaid can and will contribute to job dissatisfaction and burnout if an employee thinks their compensation doesn't match their work performance and efforts they will feel undervalued Florida has made under compensating Educators into an art form there are 21 laws on the books to regulate educator pay we are a state with historic budget surpluses yet pay 48 in the nation to Educators budget surpluses are the equivalent of a corporation's profits and record profits deserve record contracts and regarding Educators

092pay let your mind let me remind the members of the board and superintendent Hendrick that the bargaining team your bargaining team is currently negotiating a contract in your name I invite you to watch the live stream of tomorrow's bargaining session at four o'clock to see what is being said and done in your name thank you the next two speakers are Andy satino and Courtney Burt good morning everyone thank you for allowing me to speak this morning my name is Andy setino and I'm one of the invisible looked over transgender kind I am a transgender man and now most of you wouldn't know that unless I said it to you and I make this point because much of the anti-trans bills and laws that come out are speaking only to or specifically to transgender women so

093that says to me it's more about Anatomy than being transgender and I really really wanted to make that point this morning because if you and let's go on to the bathrooms now I know I'm not a youth anymore clearly but I did struggle in school because I couldn't be me and that led my life down a very very terrible Road for two decades until I found my truth I am an activist and an advocate I am one of the co-founders of trans Network we are a new 501c3 and we are here to help the transgender community I can't explain to you what it's like even I've been transitioned for 20 years I still something happens in my head when I head to the men's room something happens even though I know you're not gonna know

094but something happens and that is very very important when you're out and about and scared to go to the bathroom not cool also I am very tired of being a pawn in a political game and my very Medical Health my medical is it in jeopardy I don't see that happening to anyone else they want to take my medical care away from me and they're doing it to the children the children cannot get access to gender affirming care that's sad because this is a medical issue I don't care what anybody else says being transgender is a medical issue I am human I'm a good man I love my community I love Pinellas County this is our home my wife and I have been here for well over 20 years and I don't want to leave here

095and I'm grateful that I live in a community that is very open and I'm sorry to those that have to follow the law good morning everyone my name is Courtney Burt for more than two decades I have been a trusted leader within the public health space for Community but today I come to you not as just a public health Advocate but as a concerned mom who graduated from Seminole High School and now has two children who are in the Pinellas County school system I stand before you today driven by hope that the board will release clear and compassionate guidelines for Pinellas County Schools and prioritize the safety and well-being of both our dedicated School staff and most importantly our precious children one of my three children is transgender and excuse any emotion because this is

096the first time I've publicly announced that their Journey began approximately two years ago shortly before the enactment of House Bill 1557 by Ron DeSantis despite my best efforts to Shield my child from hurtful rhetoric from many supporters of House Bill 1557 uncertainty and fear eventually consumed my child Middle School is a challenging phase of Life marked by heightened insecurities but in addition to the typical stressors of Middle School my child faced Relentless bullying due to their transgender identity they were subjected to hurtful comments almost daily including other students insisting they end their life and that they would be better off dead by the end of eighth grade my once vibrant beautiful joyful child became isolated despondent and overwhelmed by Panic we were forced to withdraw my child from eighth grade a month early to admit

097them to Rogers in Tampa for Behavioral Health Therapy the entire summer we spent there instead of attending eighth grade dances or graduation ceremonies our Focus shifted to helping my child simply survive and ReDiscover themselves after intensive therapy and medical interventions we have made considerable progress but the scars from the traumas that they endured ran deep and therapy is ongoing much of the bullying my child endured resulted from several School staff refusing to use their chosen names that my child pleaded or I pleaded for so how were my rights validated a safe School environment should be one where teaching and learning remain untainted by political agendas it should be an environment where every child has their needs met regardless of the race ethnicity gender orientation schools should be places of inclusivity where no form of discrimination

098or promotion of hatred is tolerated policies that support either of these even if indirectly have no place in our education system every child should have the right to be addressed by their chosen name and receive an educational experience that supports their identity leading medical authorities such as the AMA Academy of Pediatrics and others unanimously agree youth should receive affirming care yet politicians who have no expertise in the areas are crafting policies that threaten irreparable harm to our children's mental health I implore you to please do what is right protect children like mine and the 95 000 others in Pinellas County school with clear guidelines the next two speakers are Tawny Thompson and Caroline heuerman my name is Caroline heireman thank you for your attention and time October is bullying awareness month and there are many

099excellent programs and resources for students in Pinellas County Schools year round although obviously some of them do need to be implemented better maybe but however as everyone knows kids learn a lot more from what they see rather than what we say I'm sure you all will agree with that and so I'm here to speak to the board and superintendent to ask them to take a serious close look at the issue of workplace bullying according to research from 2020 30 percent of adults are bullied at work in addition I found in my research that teachers are the second most bullied profession right after nurses I'm here to tell you in my 27 years of experience teaching in Pinellas County Schools it has happened to me more than once I am very sad and sorry to say

100and I have personally witnessed and been a victim of workplace of toxic work environments in Pinellas County Schools I can only speak to my own experience but there are many research studies showing the serious impact of bullying especially when it's the boss who is the bully and the fact is right now the district has 93 openings as of today there were 20 resignations three retirements and 90 teachers out of field and as our wonderful superintendent has stated you know please we need teachers but you know this is hurting our students ultimately the openings in the classroom and I really have to ask why I realize low pay lack of respect confusion over the ever-changing state laws and doe requirements are things that this board and superintendent have no control over however you can do something

101about bullying in our school workplaces first of all I'd like to ask how much does it actually cost taxpayers to recruit higher and train teachers quite a bit I would imagine and I want you to know and realize that bullies cost us all money the loss of efficiency time wasted and possibility of lawsuits if policies say that bullying and harassment are not tired are not tolerated that's true we do have policies in place but you can do so much more to implement change and improve teacher retention in Pinellas I would like to offer some recommendations for Best Practices number one exit interviews because yes repercussions are a reality number two keep doing those climate surveys but please revise them so that there are questions relevant to individual supervisors rather than the individuality then rather than

102the supervisory team as a whole and professional development for Teacher staff and especially administrators with a focus on recognizing reporting and taking action on hi my name is Tony I'm a Pinellas native I'm non-binary and I am a parent to two school-aged kids my children have attended and I have volunteered in five different Pinellas County Schools the teachers are overworked and underpaid asking them to trust that you trust their judgment without offering clear guidelines add additional layers of stress and discomfort the teachers and School staff do and shouldn't have to choose between supporting the development of lgbtq plus students and their job security teachers are scared they want to protect and serve their students and they don't deserve to feel as if they're putting themselves their careers and therefore their own families at risk please

103offer these School staff members Peace by creating clarity as soon as possible their job is challenging enough without waiting through the Muddy Waters alone I would also like to remind you especially David kapersky that there's a large power discrepancy in this room and speaking up for students especially homeless ones and their families is brave bold work interrupting feminine presenting speakers during their very limited time is rude and the unnecessary use of power is noticed thank you the next two speakers are aunt avilia and Nicole St Ledger hello thank you again to the board and superintendent for allowing us to speak Aunt Avila and I want to thank the board for or the vice chair for your sentiment of confidence in the policies that are that are now going to have a hearing regarding structural material

104it certainly is a bit of a it certainly is heartening to know that you have confidence in them but do understand to the whole board that it is difficult for the folks in this room who are speaking about their children and dealing with this hatred is incredibly harmful hatred every day to have that type of confidence in this District especially without clear guidelines being released so that teachers support staff and administrators can effectively support every student in response to the hateful industry legislation from Tallahassee so again as well as the other speakers have have asked of you these guidelines need to be released as soon as possible we know that in Pinellas these guidelines were in place and then pulled back for Amendment so this should not be a exhaustive process that it has been

105two years or and since the legislative session several months since these laws have passed they are there it is clear other districts have released their guidelines they're very clear including our neighbors across the bay in Hillsboro these are legally sound guidelines that allow teachers to create supportive learning environments and so we just ask of you that you instruct District staff to move forward with the release of these guidelines I want to thank and acknowledge all the parents that have spoken from their hearts I think especially the groups that came groups in purple here from the MCC or use uuc Church MCC right MCC Church that solidarity from community members here in Pinellas is exactly what we are trying to do at equality Florida to empower folks within their communities to stand before their elected officials

106and advocate for what is right I've heard a lot of appeals for folks to be engaged and that's very again reassuring so guarantee that this group and more will be taking you up on those offers thank you good morning again I spend a lot of time in my car driving kids so I listen to a lot of different things last week I heard a really interesting article or interview within former Navy SEAL who had served many combat tours around the world suffered a career-ending injury in Afghanistan and decided to go to college he became meals oldest freshman at 52. this was a follow-up as the Yale's oldest senior at 56. while I don't think it was the main point of the interview of him I have not been able to get one thing he said

107out of my head that literature is the connective tissue of humanity I keep thinking about that how books can connect people allow support of each other allow the stronger to assist the weaker and to hold each other up books tie people together within a greater organization of society with understanding and empathy and with every book that you remove and restrict those ties are being cut the stories and topics and the books removed do not disappear with those books those situations already exist in Pinellas County Schools independently from the books he remove I think about when you pulled The Bluest Eye and the teacher spoke here at a school board meeting about having a student who was pregnant from incest when the term inappropriate sexual content is used to remove a restrict book after book I

108think about the inappropriate sexual content that who has been sent to my daughters and their classmates female classmates by their male classmates of unsolicited unsolicited photographs of the male classmates body parts Pinellas County has had at least three deaths by Suicide of school-aged children within the last 16 months with at least one more of a recent graduate each of those deaths touched the entire cohort of students who are connected to them and those that cohort needs to have support and tools to help them process what has happened books are not causing this you pulled the book traffic last week to air in the sight of caution regarding the sensitive topic of sexual trafficking I think of the family I know who had to pull their child from Pinellas County Schools because a fellow student was

109grooming their child to be trafficked in the school that they attended our children are not being introduced to these topics through books these books are being written for our young adults because these topics are already in their lives in removing and restricting books to protect our children children you are not actually achieving that goal children are not safer because the books are removed they are losing tools that help develop critical thinking and understanding of the world around them the connective tissue is being severed that cuts connects them to the parents and teachers the next two speakers are Brendan Park and Elizabeth Braden good morning I'm a graduate of Pinellas County Schools my oldest son is a sophomore doing in high school and my youngest receives all geology Services through cross Bayou and will be a

110freshman at at Dunedin next year I'd like to make three General comments one is to commend the leadership of superintendent Hendrick on his dedication to supporting teachers and ministers somebody I love very much worked under him as a assistant superintendent and cannot speak highly enough about his his supportive teachers and educators secondly education should not be political as elected officials the School Board needs to be a firewall that protects teachers from the ugliness of politics and phony outrage of the controversies of the day teachers need your support to maintain inclusive and supportive educational environments kids need to read books that engage them in teachers are the best people to know what books will engage those children they need read books not just excerpts lastly I'd like to recognize the most dedicated principle I've ever seen

111principal James kiblinger at Dunedin High School I cannot in a short time my son's been at that school I cannot tell you I actually have lost count how many times I've seen him at after school events both athletic and non-athletic events enthusiastically cheering on the students and supporting the staff so thank you very much for my time good morning thank you for letting me speak today my name is Betsy Braden both of my kids went to Florida Public Schools one is at Florida State the other one who is trans was at new College until the governor destroyed the college she is now a political Refugee going to school at Hampshire College due to book and curriculum bans and attacks on the lgbtq community by the legislature Florida is being compared to fascist states such as

112Russia and Myanmar we need to fight back and give marginalized communities their first amendment rights Pinellas County Schools need to move forward and release their lgbtq guidelines these guidelines outline for students families and Educators The crucial information they need to be able to best support students within the Draconian laws that have been passed in Florida these guidelines protect not only students and teachers but the district and administrators too it provides Clarity so that everyone knows what the district is expecting releasing the guidelines is essential for everyone involved and the districts in action harms lgbtq students and families thank you the next speaker is Brad decorte good morning my name is Brad decorty and thank you for letting us speak I was here a couple weeks ago when we for the last nighttime meeting and I

113said something about you know September 11th the how we commemorated that and the seemed like the country was coming together but I've seen over the last few years that we have another attack and that attack is inside this country we are attacking we are attacking innocent children putting schools in the middle of a conflict that they don't need to be in the students it's time that we put all these differences aside and concentrate on the students somebody earlier said students were the important most important part of the school which they are that's what they're there for we need to be able to concentrate on all of our students not just a select few we continue to argue over how students want to be identified I was an English teacher for 22 years here in this

114district and I and I said this before I never thought I'd have there'd be such a problem with PR with the use of pronouns except that students didn't know when to put one in and because they are children people decide people other people have decided how they should be identified I don't know why so students students have enough going on our students have enough to deal with without having to live by somebody else's standards many of these students are the most vulnerable to begin with and now we have adults deciding how they should feel and how they should see themselves I had middle school students who were just trying to figure out where they belonged where they fit in and then they had adults trying to tell them who they were without considering what was

115best for the student it's time to do it's time to return to or it's time to return to a time when people showed compassion and respect for each other's each other and that goes further than just the students that goes to the teachers I heard somebody talking about teachers being bullied people think that they can they can teach in a classroom because they went to school at one time it doesn't work that way then then they said you know we'll put veterans in just the classrooms I am a veteran okay and I am was a teacher neither of those positions you know got me ready for the other one being in the Navy did not come did not prepare me for being in a classroom with middle school students okay so we need to be

116we need to listen to The Experts the classrooms the teachers and we need to listen to the students and see where they are and what they need instead of just kind of telling them what they need that's you know thank you Madam chair there are no more speakers thank you very much but that is the conclusion of our meeting this morning I hope you all have a wonderful day and thank you for being here