001Okay. No agenda related comments tonight. Do we have any communications? >> I do not have any. >> Okay. Board and staff reports. Kelsey Shuffus. >> I take this off here. Okay, we good. >> All right, welcome everyone. Thank you all so much for being here tonight at Ohio Street Elementary. This is my first board meeting that I'm hosting. I get to be the principal here every day at Ohio Street and I love what we do here and I can't wait to share it with you. [snorts] This is this year's faculty and staff photo and I put this on our welcome page because we have 125 extra 16x20 available if anyone would like one. [laughter] Um so the photography uh the photographer was lovely. Uh they emailed us and I came into my office one day.
002Miss Amy, our custodian so kindly stacked about 40 boxes and I walked in like what is all this? Every single person that's ever worked at Ohio Street received a 16 by20 of this and that includes our dental hygienist and our sack people. So I have several extras if anyone's interested. There's lots to go around. So So the focus of tonight's presentation is what we are doing well at Ohio. And I we had a P2 training which is our positivity project. And this quote really stuck with me. Focus on not what is wrong but what is strong. And that is our goal this year at Ohio. So there's a lot of data that we will not be sharing necessarily, but we are working really hard to make those numbers grow this year. So we are focusing
003all the good things that we are doing. [clears throat] So to start this year, our PBIS team decided that we needed to implement some schoolwide initiatives. And to most of you, those look like pom poms. Here at Ohio, we call them dinosaur eggs. And each grade level has a different color that represents all of the positive things that they are doing. They fill a jar in their class. They get a classwide reward. And then as a school, they slowly build their dinosaur puzzle. Once the puzzle is complete, we have a schoolwide celebration that the kids choose. So that's been really exciting. It's working well. Our puzzle, I think we finish the dinosaur today. I feel like he's complete. Okay. So that'll be exciting to see what they come up with. And there are things like
004pie in the face. So, take your principal to the wall. We have to decide and all agree obviously, but it'll be really fun for them. Another feature, we had some cafeteria discipline issues last year. So, something we've implemented is the dino diner. On Fridays, our cafeteria monitors choose one student from each class and they get to sit at our decorated set table and each Friday, they get a dessert to go with that. So this is showing all the positive behaviors that take place in the cafeteria and they get rewarded for that. And so it's kind of like the other kids are seeing them earn that and they all want a part of it. So our cafeteria discipline has gone down quite a bit. New this year we have a TA and she is the reason
005Ohio is running the way that it is. Miss Melinda Hodinson. Would you just wave please? So, Miss Melinda has been in this building for 10 years and she was a building aid prior to this and this year she became a TA. So, the way that it works is she's the first line of defense. If there's an issue, they call the secretary. The secretary dispatches Miss Melinda and she has amazing deescalation skills and more times than not, it never reaches me. She's amazing and the kids respond really well to her. So, that's huge this year at Ohio. Um, she also is even teaching some math intervention groups. She's teaching kindergarten and she has a second grade group. So, she does everything for everyone. She also has scheduled breaks for some of our friends. They come and
006see her. They do some exercising or they just take a break and do some breathing techniques with her. So, it's been wonderful to have her and it's really made a difference here. We also have a new school counselor, Miss Ashley Ward. Raise your hand, please. She's doing some really awesome things. Not only does she send home a monthly family newsletter, but she also has lunch groups, the Dina Dinos. They are by grade level and they are by skill. So, she's working with our students based on problem solving skills, communication, whatever it may be. And we're tying it into our positivity project, character traits. So, that's been super helpful. and our kids love to have lunch with her. Last year in September, we had 39 referrals for discipline. Last year in October, we had 79. This
007year, because of all these wonderful people and initiatives, our referrals have decreased by 37%. So, when we made this PowerPoint, we only had 29 referrals in October. So, that's huge for Ohio. And what you see the graphic is our matrix. So our response, like I was saying, if there's an issue, they call our secretary. She kind of dispatches out to Miss Melinda, Mrs. Ward, Officer Mendes, or myself if need be. And we also have our school psych part-time, too, to help. For those of you that came in the front door, you met some of our safety patrol members. This is kind of exciting for us. Our fourth graders are taking this very seriously and are doing a wonderful job showing accountability and responsibility. So, our fourth grade teachers are selecting two students every two weeks
008from their room that are showing positive behaviors and being role models and they get to come into the building 5 minutes early every day and they're the last ones to leave at dismissal. So, they are they have a big job to do and they are doing it with smiles as you all saw and they're doing a really nice job with it and everyone's trying to get to that point. So, everyone hopefully will get a turn in fourth grade. Another thing that I would like to point out is our attendance this year. So, one of our friends at the front door actually has this job in the morning, too. And he keeps track of our attendance with our guidance counselor. And not only is our discipline down, but our attendance is up. And the lowest percentage
009we've had since school started is 89%. Which is amazing. Um, we actually have our 283ish students K4. 70 of our students have perfect attendance so far this year. So, we're really proud of that. Okay, Mrs. Amy Briggs to talk about positivity project. I don't mean Okay, thank you. >> So, this summer I went to the positivity project. >> The microphone is for the people that are virtually participating. [laughter] Um so this summer I was um able to go to the positivity project leadership conference in Savannah and um this year's theme was rooted in positivity. [snorts] Um as always it's an amazing opportunity to attend the conference in Savannah and so and I could go on and on and on. This is my passion project and I know I've been asked to kind of keep my
010time down but I really have a lot to tell you so I'll try to make it quick. Um so [clears throat] the the keynote speaker to start with was Ross Zabbo who was a really dynamic speaker. He is uh the wellness director at Geffen Academy at UCLA. He is the author of a kids book about anxiety which by the way is one of Oprah's favorite things and he is a nationally recognized TEDex speaker [clears throat] and he stressed the importance of learning about mental health once a week. Um he said that mental health means different things to different people and I'm sure if I took the time to poll each one of you I would get a different definition. Um it's not about having a problem because everybody has problems but it's how we address
011those problems and it's not about being perfect. It's about knowing what skill to use and when to use it. And our um new staff is doing great job like Mrs. Hodkinson and Mrs. board and they're all doing a great job with that and we're just so appreciative that they're here this year. Um, and one [clears throat] of the big takeaways from his presentation was we cannot address youth mental health until we discuss adult mental health. And that's going to come full circle when I um explain to you who the final keynote speaker was. Most of the um breakaway sessions were about how different schools across the United States are implementing the positivity project. And at the elementary level, it's pretty simple. Okay, we we've been doing this one here in um Watertown for many years
012and part of my presentation isn't showing up, but the daily instruction um 10 to 15 minutes. Uh the morning announcements, we imple started implementing those two years ago here at Ohio and those are going very well. Um P2 pets, which was an afterchool elementary level uh student council brag tags, which are these tags that you can give them and then they can attach them to their backpacks. And if you've seen backpacks lately, they're usually weighted down with tons of keychains. Uh caught using character tickets, stickers. There's a a slew of ways that they've been implementing it at the elementary level. At the middle school level, you you go down a few lessons. So instead of having them a minimum of 3 to 5 days a week, you have them one to two days a week,
013but they've already gotten the they've already received the the foundation. So, at the middle school level, it now starts becoming a little bit more studentled with a lot of adult support. And some of the ways that they recommended were were um a weekly lightboard with character strengths. So, one of the school districts showed pictures of how they have like a big TV screen in all of their hallways and it mentions a student of the week, a teacher of the week, the character strength of the week, and what that what the definition of that character strength is. Um, pen pales using the vocabulary. That's huge. And we've been using it a lot here at Ohio. We've been pushing it through PBIS as well that when we see students showing good character, we're pointing out which character
014trait it is. Oh, I noticed you used integrity today or I noticed you used perseverance today. [clears throat] um they include all staff and students in an implementation plan at the middle school level so that students have a voice in how it's implemented and they're taking ownership of it. Um they also have P2 circles where they schedule time out of lunch breaks where um small groups of students can get together and discuss the different traits and try to recognize other students and bring them into it as well. at the high school level. Now, um we're taking a a bigger leap. This is more studentled with very little adult support. Um they [clears throat] have a student led P2 club and the students actually are encouraged to go out and interview local businesses to see what
015character strengths and what character traits they're looking for in employees. And then they bring that information back and then they are responsible for um creating presentations for their classmates so that when they're getting ready to go to college to go out into the workforce they are more prepared for what employers are looking for. Um, they have an opening day where all staff take a survey and find their character strengths, but you also find your character weaknesses and that gives you a starting point. What are you strong in, but what do you need more work in? And sometimes that that reflection is hard, but it's always necessary. [snorts] Um, P2 I said is more studentled. And one thing I learned while I was there, which I didn't know before, um, the Positivity Project actually has high
016school electives. So again, that looks great on a resume when you've been, um, taking a positivity project course. Then there's districtwide implementation, and this, I think, is probably the basis of all of it. Uh, P2 language embedded in a mission statement, the MTSS summer symposium. So there was a district from I believe it was just outside of Detroit and they had 476 students K through 12. So obviously this would be easier for them than it would be for us but it's not impossible. They had mandatory professional development for all staff including teachers, custodial custodial staff, aids, the substitute teachers, the office, the lunch staff, all administration and even the board of education. And once they got everybody in their district um trained, they actually opened the symposium up to other districts and were really um
017kind of overwhelmed by how many other districts saw what they were doing, how all of their numbers improved and they now hold two symposiums each summer. Um students are screened three times a year for their character strengths. They have a bulletin board in English and in Spanish in every school and the board of education hands out character traits or character awards to kids, teachers, employees, bus drivers, staff, etc. So from the top down, everybody's doing their part to recognize these positivity project traits. Finally, the final um speaker was a man named Chase Milky and he was talking about avoiding teacher burnout. And he was really interesting to hear. He said that adult culture is the foundation of student success. And I think that kind of goes without saying, but he said everyone creates the culture
018in schools. There are no bystanders. Leaders are the stewards of it. And another quote that I wrote down that he said right after he said this was this goes for the youngest student all the way to the top leader which I thought was very impactful. Um he also showed how he had a whole diagram. I'm not going to bore you with that but [clears throat] culture is impacted by character and character is impacted by culture. So, as we know, it's just one big character circle. And um something that I certainly um teach my students by and live by this, but um connection before content and connection before correction. We can have all the best curriculum and all the best techniques for teaching it, but if we don't have a connection with our students and they
019do not feel connected to us, we're talking to to dead air. So, it's really important. [clears throat] I'm going to leave you with a few things and then I'll turn it back over to Mrs. Shephus. At the core of the positivity project is the positive psychy's 24 character strengths such as perseverance, integrity, and gratitude and the other people matter mindset which teaches students actionable ways to build positive relationships in their lives. Recently um at the same P2 training I was going to bring it up but Mr. Shep already talked about is focusing on what's strong and not what's wrong. Part of our mission as a school district is to empower America's youth to build positive relationships and to become the best people that they can be. I put this out for out there before and
020I'm going to put it out there again. Nobody took me up on it the first time, but I'm hoping maybe somebody will. Um, if you would ever like to see a positivity project lesson, I would invite you into my classroom and I would love to show you all that the positivity project truly has to offer, not just what I learned in the conference this summer. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you, Mrs. Briggs. Uh, a few things to touch on the curriculum piece. Exciting things are happening here at Ohio. We have been implementing all kinds of new curriculum the last couple of years and a couple more this year as well. So, not only are we teaching students, but teaching teachers. And I won't read these to you because I know that you can all
021read this just fine. But one of the newest ones is Number World. And I want to give a shout out to my staff. We have not had all of our materials and workbooks to fully implement this, but they are doing the best that they can with what they have. And so, we are making the most of each day. And our students are learning. And so I have a wonderful group of people here who teach our students with or without the books, the technology. They make it work and they're amazing. So we are doing all kinds of things K4 to get these students doing math and reading. And quickly, Mrs. Hagglin has something to share. Good evening. My name is Stephanie Hagglin. I teach kindergarten here at Ohio. I'm also one of the literacy coordinators and
022a tutor for our building. Mark Twain said it best when he said, "Find a job you enjoy doing and you will never work a day in your life. I love my job and my school." I would like to thank Kelsey Shepus for bringing a warm and supportive climate to our building for our staff and our children. The positivity and genuine care that she exudes is just what Ohio needed. This past week was our fall festival and our first open library night. I was in the library portion as I am one of the literacy coordinators. [snorts] Um we had so many families come and participate in our raffles, stories, puzzles, Legos, crafts, and more. [snorts] I love being a member of this school family and contributing to the betterment of our community. Thank you. [applause and
023cheering] And now the moment you've all been waiting for, our student voice musical preview with Mr. Tamblin. >> So my name is Mr. Hamlin. Um, if you don't not know me, I've been here for 3 years and I'm really excited um to bring back a third grade musical, Christmas musical. So, my goal is to do a third grade Christmas musical and a fourth grade big musical. And this year they're doing Nanny Paws, North Nanny, which is almost like the story of Mary Poppins. Um, Nanny Paws is a nanny that finds out that three children are misbehaving [snorts] and she comes in and gives a lot of different magic. And there's going to be some magic in the show as well. And you become awesome kids. I hope you're enjoying any clothes that are coming. >>
024I can't believe you told about the pine cones, >> but you did want me. Just wait until I tell mother who who spilled hot chocolate on mother's recipe book you wouldn't. Oh, yes, I would. >> [laughter] >> WHAT ON EARTH? SETTLE DOWN, CHILDREN. That's enough. >> And what are you doing here? Isn't it obvious? I'm in a nanny. I live. You must be Eddie, Ellie, and Emily. First things first, do I have anything? What are those? >> Indeed, I do. You ask a lot of questions. These are Christmas. Do I say >> I got a coal? [laughter] >> She hasn't. She doesn't. special. >> Well, a teddy bear. I would have wanted something like that. knows how to WHATEVER [laughter] it was like [music] Christmas. [singing] There's no [music] [singing] way. >> That's enough. >>
025Do you actually know Santa Claus? >> Turns to black. Wow. Really? Yes. And I also know that she smiles all the time, especially at Christmas. [singing] So That's [singing] my trail. >> [singing] [music] >> Everybody knows [music] Christmas. [screaming] Can we ask you can we ask you a question? >> How long have you guys been working on that? They just did this scene after school before. [applause] >> Now, here's the really important question. When is the show? >> December 17th. Here in Ohio. >> Yes. In Oregon. >> What time? >> Okay. [laughter] That's important information we need to know. If you guys [clears throat] just stay right there, some of our board members have some certificates to thank you for your time tonight. serious. [laughter] [clears throat] >> Okay, our very last thing to share
026with you is when I started here in January, no one knew the dinosaurs name. So, we put out a boat this year and the kids participated and Dash the Dino finally has a name that we all know. So, that was the last the final piece of the student voice that we had to culminate our beginning of the school year. So, thank you all so much for listening and watching, participating tonight. I appreciate you all being here and everything you do for our students and staff today. >> Thank you. So, here's the part. If if parents and kids want to sneak out, now is a great time to do it. >> Before they go, though, can I ask a question? >> Yeah, please do. >> Is the is the security system children still here? >> They
027are not. >> They left. >> Are some of them still here? >> Could they stand up? Everybody >> just one is still here. >> Just one. >> Well, I have to congratulate you and and the little support uh students or security students who kept us safe here at this meeting because um they they are on their game. They told us exactly what it is that they do for their job. Um Mark Mason Jr. got his bag checked thoroughly before he came in. Little boy wanted to know who's that [clears throat] and I said, "I don't know. I guess you better ask him." So, he checked him out. After Smeaggel got checked out, we are good. We are safe. And thank you to your security team for taking care of us and keeping us safe. >>
028You can sneak out if you want. >> You're welcome to stay. Everybody's welcome to stay, but All right, we are on to superintendent of schools report. Mr. Dr. Lar. >> Okay, I just have a couple of announcements. Um the first is our world kindness week is next week. It's actually on Wednesday. Um we are planning a World Kindness Week breakfast. Um, and that will be taking place at the beginning of each of the school days at each uh, building. The board is invited to attend, and you have a flyer in front of you on the dates and times for that. And schools will be putting out something for World Kindness Week as well. The second announcement I have is more of a question of the board. We received a request from the Pop Warner uh,
029League. They had an event that took place on 10:26 and they would like a reduced rate as a nonprofit. Did we get that on monitor information? >> Yes, it's it would be around 1,800. >> Just want to know the Okay, moving forward with that. >> Yeah, I think so. Anybody in disagreement? >> We will update their invoice from 3,000 to,800. >> Ask a [clears throat] clarifying question. >> So, if another group was doing that, if they didn't ask for it, they wouldn't get it. They do have to ask the board because the rate is in board policy. >> Are they told that when they [snorts] >> uh this person was and now they were told that >> I just want to make sure we're being consistent. >> Yeah, the message is the same except for
030the the receiver of the [cough] [clears throat] Thanks. >> Um and then the last thing that I'd like to mention is we are partnering with the Children's Home of Jefferson County and uh providing kinship care in our schools. So for any staff members that we have in our district that would like to serve as foster families, uh we have two trainings, one taking place on November 10th and the second one on December 4th. So we're looking forward to partnering with them to see what we can do to help the kids in our community that do not have a home. >> Thank you very much, Dr. Smeaggel. Uh assistant superintendent for instruction, Mrs. Lynne. >> Thank you. Good evening, everyone. Just three things. Last Friday's early release day provided some valuable professional development opportunities for our
031staff. Many educators engaged in training focused on effective reading instruction while other departments meant to analyze assessment data and plan next instructional steps. The afternoon offered meaningful time for collaboration reflection and continued alignment of our instructional practices. Also, our district technology committee met yesterday to begin the process of updating our instructional technology plan, which is due to the state in June. This team will review current practices. We will identify needs and ensure our plan aligns with our instructional priorities and supports innovative, effective technology use in the classrooms. Finally, we just want to recognize our school psychologists. This week is National School Psychology Week. It's a great time to pause and recognize the incredible work that our school psychologists do every day to support our students academic, social, and emotional growth. Thank you. >> Excellent. Thank
032you. Next up is assistant superintendent for personnel and student services team. >> Thank you. The B sensation committee met yesterday to kick off planning for this year's community wellness [clears throat] event and we are thrilled about the exciting work ahead. I'm pleased to share that the committee has officially adopted the new name healthy students bright futures committee. This this updated name truly reflect reflects the full scope of our efforts strengthening community partnerships supporting student wellness and promoting success both in and out of school. Our mission continues to grow and this name proudly represents [clears throat] the positive and forwardthinking work happening across our district and community. We are also excited to announce the 3rd annual Healthy Students Bright Futures Community Expo scheduled for March 10th, 2026 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Case Middle
033School. As always, we are committed to hosting students and their families. Free child care, dinner, and transportation will be available again this year. This year's expo will highlight the wide range of community organizations and resources that support our students and families every day. It will be a wonderful celebration of collaboration, wellness, and opportunity. And we expect it to be our most engaging event yet. And I'd like to echo what uh Lynn's sentiments were on the school psychologist. Our school psychologists play a critical role in supporting our students academic success, their social, emotional development, and behavioral [clears throat] growth. They help to ensure that every student has access to a safe and supportive and inclusive learning environment. Their expertise, compassion, and commitment make a tremendous difference in the lives of our students and in the overall
034well-being of our school community, and I'd like to thank them for their efforts each and every day. Thank you. >> Thank you, Ch. >> Assistant Superintendent for Operations Finance, Brian [clears throat] Brian Durham. >> Good evening. A pretty short report tonight. Um, a food service update. New York State conducted an audit of our summer food service program on October 30th. It went exceptionally well with zero findings and Dennis and Brenda's management of the program is commended. Um all six elementary buildings are now receiving the fresh salads and subs daily and there has been a steady increase in adult purchases. Um from the transportation department um the K6 late and tutoring buses launched last Monday, October 27th. We're serving about 50 students staying for extra help and school clubs. In the fall, field trips are underway
035with students visiting educational sites including the farmers market, the local fire stations, Old McDonald's farm, campaso, and Fort Drum Star. And then finally, from the maintenance department, um the team has serviced the over 30 pieces of summer equipment and has prepared all of our winter gear, which includes our plows, salters, and tractors and snowblowers. Um on October 24th, the team held a working lunch to establish the district's inclement weather plan. So they have outlined the equipment capabilities, assigned personnel and locations, the alert processes, and so forth. Um and so the equipment is all ready for our first snowfall. [clears throat] I just hope it's not going to be next Wednesday. And lastly, all the district vehicles have been wrapped with the school the school pride branding and they look amazing. >> I did I did
036see them last. >> And that's all I have tonight. >> Thank you. You're welcome, >> Michelle. Items for consent agenda. >> Resolve that consent agenda items A through E are hereby approved. >> Let's make a motion, please. >> Tina. In a second, Melanie discussion. >> All those in favor? >> Any opposed? Motion carries. Items for board action. A approval of a separation agreement. >> Resolve that upon the recommendation of Dr. Larry Schmegel, superintendent of schools. The settlement agreement as presented to the board is hereby approved. >> Motion, please. >> Tina and a second. >> Discussion. All those in favor? >> Any opposed? Motion carries. Item B, approval of separation agreement. >> Resolve that upon the recommendation of Dr. Larry, superintendent of schools. The settlement agreement as presented to the board is hereby approved. >> Motion
037Melanie in a second. >> Tina discussion. All those in favor? >> Any opposed? Motion carries. C. Approval of personnel report that upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools, Dr. Larry Peele. [clears throat] The board of education hereby approves the following resignations leaves of absence appointments probationary instructional cycle academy after school programs part-time permanent winter coaching boys substitutes instructional substitutes non-instructional motion please >> Melanie and then discussion all those in favor I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. Item D, approval of a special education coordinator assistant. >> Resolve it upon the recommendation of Dr. Larry Schneel, superintendent of schools. The appointment of Carrie Tipples as special education coordinator assistant in the district is hereby approved. >> Take a motion, please. >> Call in a second. >> Tina. Discussion. >> All those in favor? I >> any
038opposed? Motion carries. Item E, approval of educational trips. >> Resolve that the educational trips as presented to the board are hereby approved. >> Motion, please. >> Tina, >> Melanie and then Tina. Discussion. All those in favor? >> Any opposed? >> Motion [clears throat] carries. >> That is the end of the resolutions. We had nobody sign up for public comment, but as we have done in the past, we'll open it up for anybody that came for uh comments. So, public comment session is now open. Same rules that we discussed for [clears throat] the agenda related items. Is there anybody that would like to speak to the board for public comment? How you >> that's good. >> Um I I was just wondering if you guys had any updates about um any information from what I asked
039last time like about the playground or the prior one that I didn't know may or may not be available. So, I just figured any input's better than no input. So, do you guys have a plan? Is it in the plan? >> The um playground equipment was purchased. I can't track back how many years ago the the equipment was purchased. >> Okay. >> It was obviously, as you noted in your last comment, was not installed um prior to this administration and this board. It was something that was a PTO PTA initiative to replace playgrounds. Um, playgrounds are vital roles in our schools, >> of course. >> Um, it was not, as you noted, or at least alleged to, that it may not have been included in the $110 million capital project. Um, we're focusing on windows,
040doors, roofing, structures, HVAC units. Um, however, we built in an escalation within that $110 million capital project. Um, so when we actually get final costs in, we will look at and assess alternative projects that might be able to get, uh, completed in the 110 that we don't know currently. >> Oh, okay. Well, um, so is [clears throat] it okay if I start reaching out to some grants and then I'll come back and let you guys if you have any suggestions? >> Okay. Thank you. I just figured I would put it forth because like the windows and everything else, the kids being safe outside is extremely important as well while they're playing. >> Absolutely. >> If there's anything we can do to help with the grants, please let us know. >> I will um when I
041leave, I guess I'll get everybody's name or somehow so that I can forward you guys the emails and then just go from there. >> Excellent. >> Or I can grab them now. >> Thank you. I just happen to have my business cards. >> It's okay. Great job. >> Thank you for letting me come up here and speak and I appreciate that. >> Thank you for being so passionate. >> Of course. >> Is there anybody else that would like to speak for public comment? >> So, my name's Nolan Horton. I'm an attendee of the Watertown High School and I'd just like to speak about what happened yesterday during around the middle of our fifth period where we had an accidental lockdown happen where I was at the current time was in the lunchroom and obviously [snorts]
042everyone was panicked knowing current events that have happened in the United States and everywhere else. So everyone got up and ran and they were scared. People ran outside. I was terrified. They screamed at kids to come back inside, which I I know you'd like for them to stay inside, but they were running for their safety knowing what could be happening at the current time. And also, I'd just like to mention how kids, including me, took out our phones texting parents because we were concerned about what could happen to us. And multiple people had told us to put them away rather than letting us tell our parents to keep our safety. I really just wanted to bring this up because everyone was terrified and we were not even told about what happened or what was happening
043cuz the only messages that were sent out were to parents which children could not access. So we had nothing to know. We just thought there was some danger in the building when really it was only a mistake that happened from a previous testing. It's really all I wanted to say. I just wanted to bring up the fact that we really need to fix something there cuz that did not go well. If something actually did happen, I don't think we'd be very prepared. >> Nolan, thank you so much for your time tonight. Thank you for [clears throat] >> that's my son. I'm very proud of him for coming and talking makes me choke up through a student. And I need to say that the communication is lacking. The the parent square that went out to parents,
044it didn't even tell us what was going on. So then I get text message from my kid. Mom, we're in a lockdown. I'm terrified. I don't know what's going on. I text him back. You're okay. I got a parents where what is it, Mom? So that came out. Then the next parent square came out of everything is fine. Everything has been checked. Okay. Everything is fine. But what was it? Why aren't we able to know this information? These are our children. These are this is staff. This is everybody in this building should know exactly what is going on. Message should have come out and said we're unsure of the situation currently. We do not know what it is. As soon as we know, we will tell you what has happened. But that didn't come out.
045The next message comes out. Everything has been safe and secure. Okay, great. It's safe and secure. So, what does that lead people to do when they don't know enough information? They go to social media, right? We all don't want that to happen. Or what do the children do? They spread rumors. Oh, it was a shotgun wound. It was this. It was It wasn't any of that. Tell the people be transparent with your messages and tell us what happened. I sent Dr. Smeaggel a message and asked him to call me because the parents wear came from Dr. Schmeaggel. I sent another message and said, "Why weren't the children notified?" Because the parents wear came from Dr. Smeaggel. Dr. Smeaggel had Leslie Atinson speak to me. Leslie called me. Thank you, Leslie. I appreciate Leslie. But the
046message did not come from Leslie Atinson. The message came from Dr. Schmeaggel. So therefore, he should have been the one to reach out to me, not her. We need to be transparent with our messages to everyone. Parents, students, the community deserve to know what's going on. You you create an uproar by not telling everything. I would ask for you to be transparent. If you do not want a roar of community and you want the children to feel safe, then you need to tell them more information. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Is there anybody else that would like to address the board for public comment tonight? >> Thank you, ma'am. Um I'm a little confused about the public comments because so the previous board established under Jason that we would have two sess two um
047sessions of the public comment and it's very it's understandable that the first public comments is agenda related. the agenda is put out and we get to review it and so if I want to pose a question or if anybody in the community wants to pose a question you have opportunity to review and then we can email and say we're going to talk but during the second public comment section which is a non agenda related [clears throat] like you can't really expect people to send an email about that because we that second public comment is really can be a result of what's being said what's being discussed, things that just come out at the meeting. So, I appreciate that you're flexible on that because sometimes people are not going to know that they're going to speak.
048Something comes up. Great example. Tonight, I did not plan to say anything about facility usage because I really didn't know that you guys were approving that. But [clears throat] just a little historical data in the past when [clears throat] teams you know that are soccer, lacrosse, basketball that are all your feeder programs and all your feeder basketball whatever that those kids were never charged to use our facilities for playing time or practice time because especially if those are our own kids that those practices those travel teams and those outside extracurricular teams, they are feeding our athletic program at Watertown. Um, you also have to pay attention that, you know, there's education law 414 which indicates and has there's there's information on school usage and ground usage. And I believe that, and I could be wrong,
049and someone wants to correct me, I'll stand corrected, but I've read that law a couple of times, and I believe that as a community, if you live in the community and you live in the district, I don't think that you are allowed to charge an organization to use the facility. And I know that they char that somehow I I know this rule of charging and usage came after the fact, but and I know that they put in they told them they had to do $3,000 and now everyone's being gracious and say it's $1,800, but I I think that as a board in terms of being, you know, considerate to your community members, you need to be looking at that. I I think that that's not really appropriate to charge your students and especially the parents
050who volunteer. No one's making money out of this. Those kids pay to play and they turn around and use that money back and invested back in the kids programs. So, I would ask you guys as a board to please take a look at that because I don't think that that's really a a in terms of being community oriented. That's not appropriate. And we're changing the rules here a little bit because my kids played in those sports and we never paid. So, I'm a little surprised that you guys are voting on this and saying it's okay for an organization to pay $1,800. Um, another thing I wanted to say is at the last board meeting you guys talked about the MTC and you collectively decided that you were going to wait until I I think I
051heard that you're going to wait until the next election. >> Correct. >> Okay. So, there's three options. I know the three options are you can nominate someone, you can do a special election, you can wait till the next one. So as [clears throat] a community member, I think it's and I will ask the board to reconsider this. Um this community and our policy says that we are supposed to have seven board members. That is what our policy states when and someone stated last at the last meeting that no one has ever [clears throat] everyone's gotten a seat by election. Not true because the first time I got on the board, I was nominated and that was a okay nomination because Ambrose resigned and I had eight weeks before he resigned and I sat in that
052seat for eight weeks and then I had to run. So, and that was eight weeks. You are asking this community to accept one less seat for eight months. You are neglecting due process to the taxpayers of this community. And the reason why I'm so passionate about this is because this board is clearly split. It's lopsided. You had a board member that said there's no accountability. There's no transparency. And her voice was not heard. You lost the board member for that. And I don't think that in good conscience it's okay to leave an empty seat with a lopsided board for eight months. Someone mentioned, "Oh, do we really want to spend money on on the special election?" That to me is a short-sighted comment as well. We have a $110 million capital improvement project that was
053approved by this community. Our general fund is very healthy. Very healthy. [clears throat] The district is not being fiscally responsible. We purchased an $85,000 Denali that's not being driven by administration anymore, which is a good thing. But why does this community need an $85,000 Denali when the average income for a family member of four is $50,432? That's an insult to our community. We have five new grand minivans that was purchased for transporting children. So [clears throat] why are we having $85,000 an hour? But we're talking about maybe $1,000 for doing a special election and give the community what they deserve, which is a full board of seven board members. A lot of us feel very slighted right now because our voices are not being heard. And with a lopsided board, it's a lot to swallow
054for this community to think that you're going to sit with an empty seat for eight months. So, I would ask this board to please reconsider that. Um, I would like to give Caleb a compliment. I heard your morning announcement where you petitioned your peers for opinions on how to improve or anything that they have concerns about and that you are going to collect all the information and come back to the board and feed that information to the board for reactions, concerns, comments, whatever. I want to commend you because that is what an elected person does. You are the voice of your peers. You are in the same element with them and you are big enough to ask everyone what their opinions. You may not agree with everything and that's okay and that's the price we
055pay as elected officials. You may not agree but your job is to be their voice. And I think that when I heard your announcement, it made me very proud that this board selected you to represent your peers because you're your peers. You're exemplifying what a leader does. And you're a young person. You have a lot to learn from that. So kudos to you and your family. They've raised a nice leader at this young age. I was very happy to hear that. Um, Bri, I want to thank you for answering my email regarding the surplus, the budget surplus, and you know, the amount of general fund. I'm assuming that when the order was come on December 2nd, and they tell us, you know, what the finances are, that's that's a good thing. But I do appreciate
056that you that you responded to my um email. I think people know that I'm very very very concerned about our [clears throat] finances. Not that I need to be, but that's who I am. So, thank you very much. That's all I have done. >> Thank you. Appreciate it. >> Is there anybody else that would like to speak in the public comment section tonight? >> Okay. Thank you. change. >> Shane, did you or Jeremy want to add anything regarding yesterday there was some public comment regarding the lockdown? Do you want to add anything from your perspective with our partnership with the police department and what we're doing? >> You want just to speak on some? >> Yeah, >> I'm officer Ryan if you don't know me. I've been with the department for over for around 20
057years. So, uh, we collaborate with the Watertown City School District. I think we have a great relationship, uh, between the police department and the school system. Uh, safety is our number one goal for the students and the staff alike. Uh, and we do a lot of training with school staff [snorts] uh, and the school. Uh, the district is great, allowing us to do a lot of training for our personnel in the police department to be familiar with schools in case an event does happen. Um, I will say we have been doing a lot of drills lately, uh, as part of the kickoff to the school year. Uh, just making sure staff are prepared. Uh, I will speak as the police department. We do not, uh, train students at all. We leave that to the staff
058of the school district uh, just because staff or students are more comfortable hearing from people they're connected to as teachers. And if the teachers have concerns or comments, they come to us and we uh we give them guidance and some suggestions. Uh and we don't want our goal is never to scare anybody with this training. Our goal is to empower people and let them know they have the tools that they need to get through any of these situations. We totally understand that these get chaotic. No matter how much we train, chaos ensues. [clears throat] Uh but the more prepared we are, the better we handle these situations. I do a whole training talk about lizard brain when it kicks in. Uh there's no thinking involved. You just respond with that. And the better prepared you
059are when lizard brain kicks in and you respond, you're surprised afterwards like, well, I I made it through this and I'm not quite sure what I did. Well, you did just what your brain was trained to do and you got through it. So, I think we're doing a great job so far. We're working out some glitches as we get through the trainings and drills that we're doing. And there's been a lot of positive feedback, a lot of positive um communication and some things that we know we need to work on [clears throat] more and some things that we are definitely um listening to staff as they give us feedback and we've already made some changes with that and along with us and the district and the leadership. Uh we are always critiquing stuff and hopefully
060making it better for staff and especially more safe for the students. Thank you. >> Okay. Uh any items for board discussion this evening? See none prior to the agenda setting but anything. Okay. Very good. [clears throat] Upcoming dates. November 11th, Tuesday's Veterans Day. No school means two Mondays that week. November 12th, Wednesday, is the fall sports banquet at 6 pm. November 18th, which is a Tuesday, policy committee meeting at 5:00 in the district office, followed by the regular board of education meeting in the district office conference room at 6:00 pm. All right. Around the table, Mel, you want to start tonight? >> Um, I was able to attend the National Honor Society banquet a couple weeks ago. So, thank you, Mrs. Atson, that was um lovely. It was nice to see all of the students
061um welcoming the new inductees. Um, and then yesterday, I think I had a Heaton teacher reach out to me and so she had reached out to a North Carolina basketball player and he sent a video message back to her, used her name, used his full name, and just encouraged the kids to um, make good choices and keep going down whatever path that they are looking to go to. And I just thought that was really really powerful to see um an athlete at that caliber reaching out to our buildings and I know she uses his game tape throughout her youth. So I just thought that was a really cool opportunity for some of the kids here. >> Amazing. >> Thank you Melanie Kale. Um as [clears throat] as of last week I had an opportunity to
062host a student survey in the high school rest of the school should be getting the survey so they are able to voice their student opinions. Uh this survey should be able to help me narrow down ideas that support the board's goals and my personal goals. The survey will be sent the case in every school like Ohio Elementary as I have mentioned that hasn't took the survey yet. This surveys main purpose is to address students concerns that are important to them. I know in the survey I had them narrow down three to two important ideas to them. But according to the survey I saw this morning, our key satisfaction according to high schoolers is a 3.07 satisfaction rating. From the point of view, I have gone [clears throat] through 300 out of the 600 surveys that
063have been brought in the survey. I also would like to bring up the opportunity of the mistake of that happened I believe yesterday. I I don't remember lizard brain. [laughter] This moment was scared. Um I believe students were scared as student as students tried to leave the building due to them believing that it was a real lockdown. I'm thankful that this that Miss Atinson announced I believe yesterday afternoon that it was a mistake and a glitch in the system. I'm happy that no one was injured from this and that we have to make reflections and try to fix to become a better district. Thank you. >> Thank you. Tina, >> um I have a thing to read to you from um [clears throat and cough] Melanie or Elizabeth. Um it says, "Good afternoon, John and
064Lar City School District Board of Education. Our prek teachers began PELI, which stands for preschool early literacy indicators training on Friday and will practice scoring in November to assess students alphabet knowledge, vocabulary, oral language, comprehension, and [clears throat] phonological awareness, all aligned with our literacy framework. Additionally, our district was selected to be highlighted as one of the strong primary project teams across New York State and invited to participate as a panelist team. We'll also be releasing our September and October [clears throat] podcasts very soon for families supporting our literacy initiative aligned with the science of reading. Thank you, Elizabeth Mau. Um, I too was at the National Honor Society and I was absolutely blown away by the amount of students that are in our National Honor Society. I I couldn't believe how many kids I
065they just kept coming. It was just like, you know, like how many clowns can get out of a car type thing. They just all kept coming and I thought, wow, I was I was very impressed. And I think that has a lot to do with the high school and parents and all that stuff. But I was very very impressed and they were just very kind and to the kids that came, the new ones that came in very, you know, took them right under their wings and it was just very very nice to see. Um, I was surprised to see that Case has a esports club. I didn't I didn't um know that I don't think, but I saw their pictures and looks like they're doing great. and I'll have to go check that out and
066see what that's all about. Um, other than that, I think I I think I'm good. No. >> How are your Mario Kart skills? >> Not good. [clears throat] >> Take advantage of that. >> Seriously? >> I'm sure they do. They look like they were serious. I've never played Mario Kart in >> Randy. >> Uh, nothing else to add other than just to to thank Mrs. Sheepus and her team, all the folks from Ohio that are here tonight and visited with us. thanks for creating a great culture in this building. It's got a lot of good history over here. Good to see her keeping that going. So, I appreciate that. The only other thing is um I wondered if at some future meeting I know we have a new athletic director. I would love to have
067I haven't had a chance to get in yet. So, >> to come to our future that >> Thank you, Randy. >> No, just like Randy had said, just want to thank Mr. Sher team and Dash the dino. Now we >> um and the presentation Annie Claus very talented kids appreciate that. That makes um board meeting really worth it. Um the other thing I just want to mention um and just kind of present to the board that I had the pleasure of attending the NISBA convention over last week, last weekend. Um a lot of great information, a lot of networking. Um talking to peers on the struggles and successes of other school districts is always is always nice to hear. I'm bouncing ideas off others. Um but definitely um the the intro keynote speaker was um
068forgot his name now. Um Tim No, the intro Tim um um he's a Kennedy Triver. Tim Shrivever um and he did a great great job talking about um dignity and he has a scale of dignity he went through on um it was very interesting um and relevant but definitely the highlight was the the uh keynote speaker at the end was Steve Hartman um who I followed for quite some time he's definitely my favorite correspondent if you don't know who he is he is a um network correspondent he does kindness one on Fridays in the morning show he took over for Charles Caralt um if you know that name that'll tell your age. [laughter] Um, and I used to watch that. But he took over for him and did a thing where he would throw a
069dart at a map and then find the phone book and then find someone and and basically say that everyone has a story. Everyone has a a story to tell and he would tell that story in a great way. Um, easily um, accessible if you, you know, definitely just Google him. Um, but have a tissue handy. Um, he's very he's very good at what he does. Um, that's all I got. Thank you. >> Uh, I've got a report from Dr. Dr. Amy Gharts. Dr. Amy says, [clears throat] "Get ready rooms will be up and running at Sherman and Ohio elementary schools on this Monday, November 3rd. These rooms are a tier 2 social emotional intervention that provides a unique benefit and opportunity to our most neediest students. These students not only have access to basic hygiene
070products, they also learn the basic skills of getting ready in the morning. In addition to feeling good about starting the day, they have the opportunity to connect with an adult in order to bring levity to sometimes difficult mornings. I wanted to commend Ohio Elementary for piloting this program last year. They saw great success. Students loved coming to the get ready room. It even had a trickle up effect and that students who were not part of the get ready room started using muchneeded hygiene products on their own. In the future, it's hypothesized this could improve student attendance and engagement in school. I also wanted to give a tremendous shout out and much thanks to Janessa Lev and Lynn Bates at Sherman Elementary. First, it is because of their thoughts shared with me last year that any
071of this got started. Additionally, the amount of time and effort they have put in towards getting donations and finding volunteers is immeasurable. They're passionate about this great support is truly inspiring. So, sounds like a great program there. I could probably use some of that myself in the morning. Um, Mrs. Shep, thank you so much for hosting tonight. U, Mr. Camplin, thank you so much for the preview. I love the preview every year. I can't wait to see the show. Um, Nolan, you weren't the only one that was afraid. I know that for a fact. Um it was a rough situation and our number one priority is to keep our children safe and we did everything we could and we shared information when we had it. So um we're going to find that glitch in the
072system wherever it is. We're going to get it fixed so that doesn't happen again. Um but you know with any system, any electronic system, um there are often times things that sometimes go wrong. We're just thankful that all of our kids were safe uh and that we knew where they were and that we had a quick response from our emergency responders and our staff to try to get it alleviated as quickly as possible. Uh beyond that, I just want to say congratulations to all of our fall sports teams. Um swim, I believe, is still going. Um cross country is still going. Um so good luck to them as they move on. Um and um good luck to our winter sports. They'll be starting here in the next week or two. Hopefully there's no smell between
073now and then. [laughter] Um so with that I will entertain a motion to adjurnn. >> Tina and a second. >> Melanie. All those in favor? >> I we stand and adjourn it.