001I am going to take a motion to go to executive session to discuss personnel matter. >> Thank you Dennis. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Cindy. We're going in favor. >> We'll be back at 6:30. That's Test one, two, three. Test. Test. Test. Welcome everybody to the school board meeting tonight. We're going to start with the pledge of allegiance. flag. >> Thank you. Roll call. I believe we're all here. I'll take a motion to approve the tonight's agenda. >> I'll make a motion. >> Thank you, Dennis. Do I have a second? >> Second. Thank you, Mike. All those in favor? >> I I The motion passes. I'll take um if everyone reviewed the meeting minutes and executive session minutes from October 6, 2025. Anyone have any questions or comments on those
002meeting minutes? Hearing none, I'll take a motion to approve those meeting minutes. Make >> Thank you, Don. Do I have a second? >> I'll second. >> Thank you, Mike. All those in favor? I >> announcements. Um, we have the New York State School Board Association Champions of Change recognition family support center. >> And I would turn things over to Trustee Andrew for some more information on this. But while she's heading to the screen, I would ask our family support center to join her up here. She's going to read some information. We'll offer our congratulations and then we're going to have the rest of the board come over to join us at this Good evening. It is an honor to be here tonight representing New York State School Boards Association Awards and Recognition Committee. Tonight we
003celebrate the very best in educational innovation and community partnership. The New York State School Boards Association NISBA Champions of Change Award is reserved for those who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment, vision, and effort in transforming the schools and by extension the lives of their students and families. It recognizes organizations that don't just solve problems but fundamentally change the way things are done for the better. This year the choice was clear and beha and on behalf of NISBA president Sandy Rufo and executive director Bob Schneider I couldn't be more thrilled to announce that the recipient of the NISBA Champion of Change Award is the Clarence School family support center led by coordinator Evan Veration social worker Penny Connors and Secretary Cheryl Weiss. In education, we often talk about the whole child, but what the team at Clarence
004has demonstrated is a profound understanding of the whole family. They recognized a critical need within their community that a student success isn't just what happens inside the classroom, but it is also linked to the well-being and stability of their home life. The family support center is not merely a resource. It is a lifeline. It is a space built on empathy, trust, and a deep-seated belief that every single family in the Clarence School District deserves to thrive. In a world that can sometimes feel fragmented, the Clarence School's family support center has forged a truly integrated approach. They've gone beyond traditional boundaries, providing comprehensive services ranging from mental health support and counseling to basic needs assistance like food and clothing, and even offering parent education and referral services. Headlamp hikes at the nature center, art therapy programs,
005studentled podcasts, and spring into reading literacy events are just a few of the fun community events that they have provided. By making these resources accessible right within the school system, they've reduced barriers and stigma, ensuring that help is not just available, but actively utilized. The center has become the essential bridge between the school building and the home. The results speak for themselves. Families are more engaged, students are better supported, and the entire community has grown stronger and more resilient. This is the very definition of a champion of change. To the dedicated staff, the tireless volunteers, the visionary school board, and the courageous families of the Clarence Schools Family Support Center. Thank you. Your work is a powerful reminder to all of us across New York State that the school district must be the center of
006the community, not just a collection of classrooms. You have shown us that by tending to the foundation needs of families, we build a more stable ground for every student's academic and personal growth. You haven't just adapted to change, you've driven it. You've set a standard for what it truly means to support the community that you serve. It is with immense respect, pride, and heartfelt gratitude that I present the NISBA Champions of Change Award to the Clarence School's Family Support Center. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition. And I would ask the board and those in attendance to join me in congratulation congratulating and applauding the students, staff, and administration for this great honor. Lost the shoe. We need that. the mom and me. I'm like, "Grab that shoe. Put the shoe on." No. Moving on to correspondence.
007We did receive correspondence regarding technology at the middle school. I believe that was it. Moving on to unfinished business. We don't have any unfinished business, I'm aware of. And now on to board reports. So we'll start with the New York State School Board Association Convention 2025. Who would like to give the report on that? >> I could start. >> One program I went to I thought was very interesting was about the electric school bus and a pilot program at one uh district. This district worked with the Wendell company which did the feasibility study and to be uh eligible for the grants that are available you need to do that. They are also serviced by national grid. Um this district is 15 square miles and all of it is flat. So all of their routes could
008be handled by an electric bus. Some people in the audience said their district actually none of the routes could be handled by electric bus because of the elevation that they have. Um this district did their uh transition recently uh redid their transportation center. Um and they have uh 68 buses although they are parked outside. Um now with the successful grants they would be able in two years to purchase 11 electric buses which is about 16% of their fleet. Um I congratulated them on their efforts but I I had a some questions. Um you know they're one of 700 school districts in New York State. Um and it is estimated that 50,000 electric buses would need to be purchased in the next 10 years to meet this mandate. Um so I question to the speakers on
009the panel. If every uh power company that services each school district could supply the infrastructure um the the um charging stations and everything. And if every school district could raise the money with voter approval to purchase all these charging stations, retrofitting their facilities, etc., could could the bus company supply 50,000 buses over the next decade? It was a long pause and then they said we don't know. I think I know. Um and yeah, we all do. And uh so it's it's a big concern for all of us. I know especially our Erie County Associated School Boards, the legislative legislative committee is working very hard on this. So good information, but a lot to ponder as we move forward. >> Thank you guys. >> Sure. >> I'll go next. Um at the convention, two presentations that
010um stuck out to me were in the areas of special education and enrichment education. I attended um one of the first sessions on um autism and the session was presented by the Institute for Learning Centered Education. They provided 20 tips for um addressing the needs of people on the spectrum. It was a very informative um session. And then the second was um on a junior seal of biiteracy program which was presented by the vestal central school district. They actually have um their biiteracy program started elementary and they started with a fifth grade passport project which was super cool. They um the fifth grader would receive a certificate. Then at the eighth grade level because then the students are already taking the language they add additional projects and addition to the um language they have to
011complete multiple projects and then they get this really cool middle school feel of literacy. >> Um so that to me I don't know I just it was a very interesting take concept on adding literacy in earlier level. So I thought maybe we should take a look at that. >> That's it for me. >> Thank you. Um I attended one that was called more than wins and losses fostering respect and integrity in student athletics. Um it talked mostly about the importance of sportman sportsmanship in school athletics. Uh for students it builds character, respect and self-discipline for teams creates this positive supportive culture communities provides uh pride in school spirit. Uh sportsmanship matters now more than ever because there are increasing incidents of challenging behavior among students. There's increasing in taunting and disrespect of officials. There's lack
012of officials these days. Um it talked about the role of school board should have in sportsmanship. Um basically talked about policy development, establishing clear expectations for behavior and conduct, aligning athletic programs with our district values and supporting our leadership and providing resources for training athletic directors. and I um attended two sessions on AI. Uh one of them that really stuck out was a session a session that was discuss discussing um embracing the full potential of AI and education. Um the discussions were focused on develies work together as AI is unrolled. Um some of the topics that were highlighted included equity to make students have equal access um and resources available um and opportunities there. Um data privacy making sure students information is always protected. Um personalized learning was also highlighted making sure that um highlighting
013where AI is used to educational experiences needs and then of course of course teacher support making sure that teachers have the necessary tools for >> Thank you very much. Um, moving on. CE, >> um, we didn't have a meeting, but we did have our fall fiesta. So, I'd like to thank everyone who attended that fundraiser, and we're currently in the middle of our gift card fundraiser, but other than that, that's all I have to report on. CESA, >> thank you. PTO meetings, who's attended the PTO meeting? >> I have attended one. Um, I attended the Harris, Actually, I didn't take that back. I didn't attend the Harris Hill PTO meeting, but I was provided with some notes. Um I was at this dinner with the commissioner of education on October 7th. Therefore I couldn't attend.
014But um Harris Hill held its first annual trunk retreat on October 17th. It was a very successful event. This was an idea from their top dog student leaders that from last year. So they were excited about having um something that came from students and following through on that. The Halloween parade will be this Friday and it starts at 8:30. There's a special thank you to Peshi's Pizza. Carousel was the organization of the month in of September and they received $450 in donation. Plus, Peshies gave each child a $10 gift card. So, I thought that was very nice and very generous of Peshies. Um, kindergarten is going on an explore and more field trip. Uh, Mrs. Dvau is taking the third graders to the BO. Mr. Gretch is taking the fifth graders to the Darwin House.
015They're talking about upcoming fundraisers, possibly being a parents bingo night out event. Um, book fair went very well and their big news is they ordered a new husky a new husky costume has arrived and it's I got the privilege to see that and it's really kind of really cool. So um they're looking to unveil that soon. >> Thank you. >> Yep. Um a couple weeks ago I attended the Clarence Middle School PTO meeting. Um I mean generally speaking a lot of uh a lot of organizational uh topics relative to upcoming events. a lot of the same uh activities and functions that they help support and coordinate like they have in years prior such as Makaker Mark and the like. But one thing I guess that was mentioned which uh uh was shared with the PTO
016by uh his drive bus um which I thought was interesting was uh the librarian has been tracking the number of books uh that get signed out every month and in the two preceding school years in the month of September roughly 420 or so uh books have been signed out of the library. this year with um the changes in the cell phone policy there was over 600 books signed out in the month of September. Uh so one month certainly is uh is only one data point. It's not a trend but it was very very interesting to see that. >> Thank you Mike. Anyone else? >> Yes. Um I attended the high school PTO meeting last week. It was really well attended which was so reassuring to the officers as most of them are moving out of
017the high school next year when their children graduate. So, um it was wonderful to see so many people there. Was the biggest PTO meeting attendance I've seen at the high school. Uh there was a representative from CESF there and there was a productive conversation about collaborating on a possible fundraiser for postprom fundraiser. So that's in the works, but I won't talk about specifics yet until they are finalized. Um they had a successful trunk or treat last week which um I think they opened theirs to the community as well. So little kids come and trickor treat and it it was very successful. Um and then just lots of talk of postp prom because they have to start fundraising now. So look for those emails, look look for the PTO updates on the Facebook page talking about
018how you can get involved and uh begin to support that really important event at the end of the year. >> That's it. >> Anywhere else? >> Oh, I have to talk about the wellness committee, but I don't know if I do that now. >> Not yet. Sorry. >> Um any other PTO meetings hearing? None. We'll go to Erie County Association School Board Representatives. >> I don't have um meeting to report on, but I did want to welcome Dave Lowry from Erie County School Boards who's attending our meeting today. So, welcome Dave. >> Welcome. >> I just mentioned uh uh Trish and I went to the Rick Tim's dinner on October 16th. He's always gives a very interesting presentation. Um he actually sat at our table. We're able to uh pick his brain a little during
019dinner as well. But the one big takeaway he mentioned is um the outlook for uh state funding in the future is not at all. He said the state is looking at a possible 34 billion that's with the fee deficit over the next three years. So have to do our work to >> superintendent report. >> Dr. Frame. >> Thank you, President Boli. We have four different items on the agenda tonight. a school board recognition report, public hearing for districtwide safety team plan, a presentation on our strategic plan that's connected with our uh school resource officer team, and then our student body update. Um, I did just want to make a quick comment about the NISBA convention in New York City. I had a chance to travel with our four team members that were there and spend
020time with folks from NSBA and schoolboard members from around the state. If I were to highlight one thing, it would be from the opening keynote that was given by Tim Shrivever, who uh is probably a familiar name for people in addition to being connected to some very prominent families in American history and American politics. Um, also is somebody who's been very involved in the Special Olympics. Anyway, he gave a very engaging uh keynote address and one of the the key concepts that he was talking about was the fact that we in many ways live in a society that is wired um for conflict and talked about things like media and talked about things like politics and that we have algorithms and rewards for getting people upset and getting people to be angry with one another.
021And he introduced the concept of a dignity index where it's really getting at how do we respond and how do we speak to people during moments of conflict when we uh disagree with them. And so he gave a really thoughtful talk, some very um interesting activities that came with it. But as I was um flying back, I couldn't help but reflect on the fact that it was a really important and a and a really substantive talk for schoolboard members because when we think about elected officials, often times there is this tendency to pit uh one against another. And when you run for school board service, you are elected. But we have to figure out how to work together and put student interests first. And so a really interesting talk, but I think about the modeling
022that happens with our governance team and with schoolboard officials from around the state and just really proud of the group we have here in Clarence and really proud of the work that schoolboard officials do. Um, with that as a bit of leadin, um, I wanted to read something about school board recognition. There's a specific week in October that's set aside by NISSBA to recognize uh, school volunteers uh, for their board service. So, I am going to read this word for word. I'm quite fond of this group and want to make sure that I get it right. Um, and then I'll share a gift that was given by our PTO teams. So, tonight we recognize a group of individuals who take on one of the most important civic responsibilities in any community, serving on a board
023of education. Schoolboard members help guide public schools, ensure they stay strong and responsive to the needs of families, and keep students at the center of every decision. What makes this service especially meaningful is that it's voluntary. Board members give many hours each week, all without compensation, simply because they care deeply about children and believe in the power of public education. Across New York State, schoolboard members collectively oversee nearly 2.2 million students and more than 86 million in budgeted spending. Their work, setting direction, ensuring accountability for results, supporting a healthy school culture, and developing responsible budgets is all carried out with one primary goal, student success. Those same commitments are reflected here in our own community. Our board members help shape the vision for our schools, partner with us to strengthen student learning, and make thoughtful
024decisions that benefit our student, staff, and families. On behalf of our entire school community, thank you for your leadership, your time, and your dedication to our students. Your service makes a real lasting difference and we're grateful for all you do during school board recognition week and throughout the year. So, if you would join me in giving our school board a round of applause. You shared a little while ago about the different commitments and committees that you're a part of. Uh some of those are parent teacher organizations. They have a really thoughtful practice of um presenting gifts of thanks, tokens of thanks each year. And you should have found a bag on your seat when you came in. Those are from the that that you represent as as a symbol of thanks for the the good
025work that you do for kids and our school community. So, this school board recognition week in October, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Uh the second item up under the superintendence report is a public hearing regarding our uh districtwide safety plan. This is something that usually happens over the summer months. Uh although this year New York State was um a little later than usual in terms of rolling out some changes that had to be made. So, we adopted our safety plans for the start of the year and have had to go back and add some required information. So, Dr. Grupka, I'm going to turn things over to you for a very quick intro and then we'll pause to see if there are any questions or comments and then we'll move along. >> Thank
026you. So, if you recall on August 18th, we approved the state the districtwide building level safety plans which needed to be in effect for September 1st. A few days before that, the state had added some requirements to add a cardiac arrest appendix. um to both the district and the building level plans which required us to repost the plan with the cardiac arrest appendix. It is on our website currently. Um it's open for a 30-day comment. Um if there is any questions now, I'd be happy to take them. Um otherwise, you're welcome to reach out to Dr. Frame or myself with any concerns, questions, or thoughts about the plan. >> All right. Thanks, Dr. I'm going to head down for the third report to the podium. This is the number four of four in our strategic
027planning updates and we'll be focusing specifically on our school resource officer team. That's why we have so many armed individ armed armed and unformed individuals in the back of the auditorium tonight. just nervous standing at the podium with this crew behind me, especially you, Officer Bellow. Um, if people have been joining us for schoolboard meetings, you know that for the first four this year, we have tackled a specific part of our strategic plan. As a reminder, this is something that a large committee of about 40 people u meet to work on each spring. Uh this year we had looked at a lot of quantitative data, a lot of feedback data for our school community and have four focus areas. A couple are new, a couple are modifications of what we've had in recent years and
028we have introduced one of the four strategic planning areas at each meeting this fall and then done a deeper dive within that strategic planning area. So I'm going to give some information on the strategic planning area. I'm going to turn things over to our school resource officer team and then offer a couple very brief thoughts at the end. So, if you reflect back on the previous three meetings, you'll know that so far we've covered people first always as a strategic planning area. We've talked about progress with purpose in the area of the thoughtful integration of technology and artificial intelligence. And we've also discussed learning for a changing world and within those three different areas given a more specific presentation. The fourth area of our strategic plan is an enhanced version of what we've seen over
029the past three or four years and it really focuses on safety or belonging. And as we worked with our survey data and we worked with our strategic planning committee, the group kept coming back to the concept of when we come to school, we need to be coming to buildings and classrooms and learning spaces that are places where kids and adults feel totally safe. And when you look back at our previous strategic plans, it really has focused on the first subcomponent, the security and preparedness. Making sure that we have good safety teams and procedures. Dr. Grubka had just uh referenced our safety plan. We have members of our school resource officer team behind us. We engage constantly in professional development. We have active safety teams here in the district. And so that first part is really
030building on some of that work and anchored into the security and preparedness. As the group talked and reviewed uh survey information, it went further than that in saying that when we come to the Clarence Central School District and we're in learning spaces, kids need to feel comfortable and they need to have different support when they may be struggling. So, we recognized our family support center. We have counselors, psychologists, um, uh, school social workers. We have training in the areas of mental health here at school. But the committee spoke loud and clear of saying we want to extend that and really press into this area so that we're not just a place that is safe and secure. It's a place where we're supportive and connected with one another. And then a third area is really talking
031about inclusion and belonging and making sure that we see people that we're extending respect and care and dignity uh for all members of our school community. And the way that we've approached that over the past few years is through culturally responsive teaching and learning. So there's an instructional component. There is um uh work that we do with our families to make sure that as a learning community, no matter what your background and beliefs, when you come to school, you are safe, seen, respected, and cared for. So that's the main priority area with some of those action steps and focus components below it. What we're going to do tonight is really anchor into that first subcomponent of security and preparedness and talk about our school resource officer team. And earlier Ben was explaining to me how
032a clicker worked in terms of needing to go from red to green and I sort of razed him back saying jeepers and I just botched it Ben. So thank you for that tutorial as I try for the seventh time to advance the slide. Um, so it is a pleasure to introduce the members of our school resource officer team. We have met uh a couple times working on this presentation. We also meet on a monthly basis to talk about different um district-wide safety issues and some of the work that's going on in schools. I do just want to say that we've got a really really talented team. I am excited as I watch this team work team work with one another and work with members of our building communities. Um and if you haven't had a
033chance to meet and interact with them after tonight's presentation, I think you'll share that excitement and that gratitude that people who report every day with one specific job and that's to keep our kids and our staff safe. So, uh, thank you for all that you do. We're looking forward to your comments and presentation tonight. >> Thank you, Dr. Frame. Uh, the first thing I'd like to do is introduce the members uh of our school resource off officer team. Mike Bow, I was a New York State trooper for 30 years. This is my ninth year here working at the high school. Uh, Bill Cazino joined us last year. He is at Harris Hill and Leeds View. Officer Deserber retired last year since uh he uh so we then put uh Officer Scott Peele at the middle
034school. He's a retired sheriff's deputy and detective from the Erie County Sheriff's Department. And then also new this year is Rob Ellis, retired New York State Trooper, um who is covering Sheran Hill, Sheran Hill and Sun. daily basis. Um, I might add that between the four of us, you have in excess of 100 years of law enforcement experience and I think you'd be hardressed to find four more qualified individuals that are committed on a daily basis to keep all our buildings safe. >> My assist my assistant Oh, you got it. Uh to give you a little background, um I uh began this conversation uh back in 2016. Uh many conversations uh inerson conversations with then school board president Mary Alen Clauss. uh we've developed a program going forward to try to initiate getting this program
035going and it commenced in 2017 when I was hired as the first school resource officer. Uh the next year we hired officer Dererva for the middle school in 2018. And again this was a joint effort between the town of Clarence um Pat Casilio, the town supervisor and the town board and the school board and the school at that time to get this off the ground and get this moving forward. Um the program grew to two more uh officers that we now have last year and this year. So we have four of us covering these six buildings. Um, and again, this expansion couldn't be uh keep going forward without the continued support from you guys and from Patilio and the town board members. So, thank you very much. >> Good evening. I'm going to discuss the
036roles and responsibilities of an SRO, which most of you are familiar with, but we'll review really quickly. So, it's to promote school safety, which we do such as like we're going around the buildings, checking locked doors, looking for safety in different areas, and we respond to emergencies. That would be things as if a first aid comes up, a kid gets hurt on the playground, and even sometimes we'll go to uh a suspicious person. So, there's quite a large role in that first uh part. Second, we build positive relationships with students, staff, and families. We do that throughout the day. We are constantly um working with the teachers, talking in the hall talking with the kids but then it's also after school hours football games open houses anytime we have a chance to interact we try
037to take that opportunity to make it a positive interaction we support law related education we do that by entering the classrooms at the high school level uh we're going to go and teach a little bit more about law middle school health classes they can talk about drugs and alcohol in the elementary level we can talk about bike safety coming up or even just some different things uh playground safety I did last year so different things such as that. We uh collaborate with school staff on safety planning, drills and crisis response. We work with the principles. We create presentations and uh sometimes we train the staff and different things like our safety measures we have to treat them uh to train them to be the best they can be for safety. And then last is for
038my section is we address issues proactively. We uh review current safety. We're constantly reviewing what we currently have and we're also looking for any improvements we can make moving forward. Good evening everybody. How are we tonight? >> Primary function of ours team is for the safety, security of our students, faculty, staff and the school grounds. We achieved this through regular patrols, monitoring the cameras, and being visible throughout the day. Being visible allows us to engage with the students and staff, build relationships, as well as monitor the potential threats and concerns that may arise. Additionally, we check for vulnerable areas such as unsecured doors and blind spots not covered by the cameras. The team provides security for some after school events as mentioned before such as the football games. In a situation such as a lockdown,
039a fire, an injury, our team coordinates and cooperates with the first responders, assisting them in any way necessary. This gives the occupants of the building a sense of safety within our schools. Additionally, we work and connect with local authorities for assistance with a threat assessment or to investigate suspicious activities. We actively participate and observe in safety drills, confirming they work consistently with the school safety plans in place. The team provides feedback to improve the existing plans. The team also provides safety training sessions such as reviewing protocols with safety monitors and aids. By taking a proactive approach, we minimize future possibilities of concern. By working closely with the school staff, we create a team-based approach to create and support the needs of our students. I'm back. I'm going to go over the informal counselor and mentor.
040This is very important to me as well as to everybody because we're constantly trying to work with the students, the staff, and the family. So, one thing is we have an assistant a checkout check out check-in checkout concept. something being worked on a little bit to maybe the kids that need a little bit more extra support, check it in the morning, see how they go throughout the day and check out so we don't leave them hanging at midpoint. So something we're working on, we positively reinforce our safe student behaviors. We do that at all different levels of the buildings. I know for the elementary we have paws we hand out that they've put on stickers to receive rewards. We write a pause at ledge view for the good behaviors that we're trying to enforce. uh
041safety teams, junior safety teams to promote safety within the building, like making sure they're walking or being kind to others. Uh we create opportunities for improved interactions with students. So that can be anything from we enter into the lunchrooms and interact with them when they're having their fun or we go into uh PE classes, go out to the playground for the elementary levels to interact with them at that because all those stages of learning, it's all different stages of learning that we can interact with that. Also uh the upper levels they have an open office concept make the kids realize they can come in and talk either at a private level or even with peers and sometimes given snacks that actually bring them in make them more comfortable to go there. We will assist students
042staffs and families navigating complex law related situations. I found that they will come to us on every level such as uh staff may come to us if they have a legal concern. families will come to us maybe they can't understand a legal document that has come across their uh life that they're unsure with or even like sometimes of kids uh driving issues that they're going to officer ballot to deal with like driving issues. So we use that history and the background we have to guide them with that. Also we promote respectful constructive interactions with law enforcement. We are really big about being a positive role model. If nothing else, we want to show the police are here to help anyone, adults or children. >> Ladies and gentlemen, how you doing? Thanks for having us. Um,
043we all share the common goal that we're here to teach and we're here for the kids. And I think that's an important thing to remember. Um, most recently I found myself doing a video on the Clarence News weekly news program regarding Halloween safety. Uh it was pretty spontaneous and came off the top of my head, but it turned out pretty well and I got the idea across. Um much less in this very room I gave a uh very impromptu uh threat assessment, threat safety um and why not to do it to the sixth graders when I was asked last minute to do so. Um it is something that I enjoy doing. It is something that I think that is important for them to see us um in the roles that we are as people and
044as people that they can approach and people that they can talk to. Um, we also like to Mike does an annual thing every year. Um, he does a parking safety course for student drivers. I believe there's one right back there who had to take it recently because I know she just got her license. Um, and serving as classroom readers in relating um, speaking on law enforcement topics is something that I enjoy doing. When invited to classrooms, I'll talk about whatever you want to. Um, I mean, we will do school safety, we will do Halloween safety, bike safety, traffic safety, car safety, all that kind of stuff. but any subject that we're, you know, welcome to talk to. I was in health classes actually showing kids how to do handshakes recently because I was asked to
045do so and I thought it was kind of a neat thing to do. Um, Mr. Gallagher was nice enough to invite me in. Uh, high five Fridays, something that we organized for the sports teams. I think the young kids and the old kids enjoy it just as much and they come in and just kind of greet each other and I think it's a big thrill for the kids. So, here to educate and here to help and thanks for having us. Thanks everybody. I'm honorary law enforcement tonight. I get to do the last slide. Um and this one's really focused on for this specific team at this point in time moving forward in a couple different priority areas. So they talked in more detail about what an SRO does. And I just offered this comment that
046when uh law enforcement members retire, there's no shortage of opportunities. A lot of people go to work for private security firms. A lot of schools use private security for firms. And there are times when people come into a school community and they really are there to provide oversight and unstructured times or to have an armed presence on school grounds. It's different here in Clarence because you're an educator as as opposed to a safety uh uh safety expert and you've got to be allin. So when we're talking about this group of people, they don't show up as people who are just writing numbers on a time sheet. They're people who come in and their primary focus is on keeping everybody safe and they're looking for ways to keep us more safe. So whether that's providing specific
047training to monitors, reorienting our camera system, reviewing our safety plans in addition to all the education and counseling components, this group is all in and they take ownership of student staff safety and I've just lucky we're lucky to work with them and and couldn't be more impressed. As we talk uh as a team and this group meets on a regular basis, really three different things come up as appropriate uh things to focus on right now. One is to deepen relationships with staff and expand classroom interaction. So, this is sort of a fancy way of saying we want to find ways to get our school resource officers in classrooms up in front of students with that education component in respectful ways. So, uh half of our team is brand new. They're still making connections with teachers,
048with staff members, with students. And there's a recognition that that takes place over time. And once you get more comfortable and you understand who teaches what and what the curricular opportunities may be by strengthening those relationships it opens doors to invitations for classroom reading uh for speaking on different topics and and d um delivering different curricular experiences. So really deepening relationships understanding how our community works in order to expand those classroom interactions. The second one is to engage in safety related professional development. My guess is that when you talk with members of these teams uh this team, they have cutting edge training when it comes to what it means to be a member of law enforcement and to operate in this community uh that changes and modifies in some ways when you come into a
049school environment. And so for them, there's engaging in in a lot of professional development on training uh that's related to how to be an effective school resource officer. Uh they interact with Erie County, they interact with New York State Troopers. Uh we just had a couple members that drove out to Monroe County to part to participate in a training. They'll engage in different webinars that are offered from national organizations. They'll do trainings with the FBI and Homeland Security. So part of it is saying we want to invest in our team so that they have that cutting edge information as they make us as safe as possible. And the last one is a little bit more specific, but one that fits um uh for some really appropriate and heartbreaking reasons here in Clarence. when we talk
050about safety and we talk about instructional opportunities to have this group in some ways take the lead with some of our student leaders on developing bike safety presentations or learning experiences for our younger students. Uh we know that we tragically lost a student this past summer. We almost lost a second. And as residents of Clarence, we know that during the spring and summer and fall months when we're out on the roads, too often we see students that are on their bikes uh without helmets and not making safe uh decisions when they're in our community. And so really asking this team to partner with student leaders, perhaps partner with a family support center to make sure that we are educating students about bike safety. We're providing access for things like bike helmets if uh students don't
051have them. We are participating to be good communicators with regard to PR and public awareness about this issue. Uh this is one that that matters deeply to each member of our school community and we talked at the beginning about our SRO team as being a partnership with the town of Clarence. There's no group that believes more strongly in this than the town and they have been very focused on the policies and the resources to make sure that our roads and paths are safe here in Clarence. So that is a third uh focus priority that we're working on in addition to things that we had shared earlier in this presentation. So uh we'd like to thank this group for being here tonight for working every day to keep our school community safe. And I'll pause to
052see if you have questions for either myself or members of our SRO team. >> I just love seeing the pictures and videos of the high- five Fridays. But for people who might not understand, could you briefly explain what it the high five Fridays are? Uh yeah, it does not have to be mostly it's athletic teams. We have had other teams in the plat in the past. Um I know Mr. Meyer brought his um I can't think of the name of his group. Um but we've had other groups. Um basically they go to the elementary schools are there when the students arrive at around 7:45ish and greet the kids in the hallway or outside the building depending on the weather. Uh with high five as they come in. We'll have like the field hockey girls have
053raised their sticks so they're making like a triangle that the kids have to walk through and uh the kids just it just brightens up their day. I've had the kids go into the cafeteria and I had a an aid at Sheran Hill last year who specifically uh said to me that she said this is just wonderful. She said I am in here every day when these kids come in the cafeteria they get dropped off. and she said, "The connections I see and the smiles I see from when you bring the kids in here like this is just it makes an amazing difference." And the kid the the our high school students that come in, they love it just as much because what what they're doing, the kids that went to that building we're going into,
054they go around and see their old teachers. We bring them into the classrooms, tell them about junior high coming up if they're in fourth grade, fifth grade. And it's just a Yeah, it's a great thing. and uh Sheran Hill, we always use usually end up playing a game of uh um fuzzball, dodgeball with the with the whatever classes in their second graders and >> it's a big hit. >> Thank you. >> It's a great It's a great thing and I like to do it. >> Good. Good. >> Um I actually have two quick questions. Um and Dr. frame kind of touched on part of one of them and I was going to ask about um how you uh engage with your peers and in learning and talked a little bit about some of the formal
055activities but I'm just curious is there um an informal network or collaboration with neighboring districts as far as how the various districts approach SRO activities >> you don't have to raise your hand though >> I've been a school resource officer for the town of Alder for the last 10 years So on a daily basis I have an interaction with a neighboring community. Um other than that I do have associates with we all do. I mean it's uh you know the two steps separated from Buffalo New York works for police in one step because you always know someone. So I know the sweet home high school. Uh I'm also a volunteer firefighter so I have associations with the fire departments through that. So yes it's it's definitely a collaborative thing and if there's a better idea
056I'm willing to listen to it if someone else comes up with it. >> So Yeah, I will say Kim Smith from the FBI. She's a community outreach coordinator for the FBI. She's not an agent. She's a civilian employee for the FBI. She's been doing this, she took it over from I can't think of the gentleman's name. He retired a few years back, but Kim's been doing it now for about five years. and um she sets up regular trainings, uh meetings. Uh she gets information out to us anytime she has the chance to about upcoming uh webinars, seminars. Uh the ones that Scott and Rob just went to in Rochester came from her, the training that the FBI and Homeland Security put on. So there is a Yeah, there's a collaboration there uh going on all
057the time. >> Thank you. And I guess the other one, Dr. Frame or Dr. Um there's a lot of comments made relative to um the four of you ensuring you know buildings our buildings are safe and and secure and identifying areas for opportunity for improvement uh within within the actual physical construct of the building or processes. We're coming up on budgeting time. I guess I'm curious the the opportunities to maybe further invest in the safety of our buildings. Is that coming up through the building principles and their budgets or is that going right into central office? How are we going to uh kind of understand some of the things that we have opportunities to improve? >> Yeah. Uh great question. Um our district-wide safety team is the vehicle and structure that we've used it as
058representation from each of our six buildings. And there's a back and forth between the district team and our building level team. So we we we have and we will ask that members of our SRO uh participate in building level teams, district level teams and are able to identify some of those recommendations and actually as the board has identified the SRO team as a priority they have as well when they rank order different things. So, as we look at the past couple of years, everything from the strategic use of 3M film to panic buttons in buildings to enhanced uh trainings for individuals for enlarging our SRO team, those are all things that have come uh by way of our district-wide safety team to the board and our building level teams filter into that. So, we'll be
059asking this group to engage in addition to our monthly conversations. I just want to say how grateful I am as a parent um for all that you do. Um not just for myself, but I've been trying to talk to a lot of other parents about all of the wonderful things that you do because a lot of people don't know and um think of you just as, you know, guards and what you do is so much more than than that. you add such a a really great presence to our buildings. I'm so glad we have four of you now and I'm just really thankful. I want to say thank you and we appreciate that in the fact that by doing even this presentation and the fact that the more we get the word out and the
060more we can be around people and interacting, I think the more they're going to get to know we're more than just somebody standing at the door because they see us out and they see us interacting with the kids and hopefully that makes that lasting impression. Thank you. >> Thank you guys. Mr. B, thank you for being on the ground level and helping us build this program. You guys are great. >> And last up is Avery Collins with our student representative. So, Dr. Frame already touched on this, but I would like to recognize our amazing board members. Board of Education appreciation appreciation week was this past month from October 13th to the 17th. All these board members work incredibly hard to make our school district work as efficiently as it does. and put so much effort
061into making it seem easy. Thank you to the board. We all appreciate it. High school students celebrated the annual homecoming week in October. Starting off with a flag football game. There were spirit days, a pep rally, football game, and it ended off with a dance. High school students had a great time celebrating their school spirit with this fun-filled tradition. Five athletes and one coach were inducted into the Clarence Athletic Hall of Fame. These six people were successful players and coaches and contributed to the respective teams. All these people were detrimental to the success of Clarence's athletic programs and their legacies will be remembered. Congrats to Sophia Bonafi, Victoria Keenir, Vivana Hall, and Julia Moo for making their way to the state championship in girls tennis. All players either came in first, second, or third place
062in their respective events and punched their ticket to the state championships. The individual championships are the 27th to 29th which is um today and to Wednesday happening at the Billy Jean Tennis Center in New York City. Congrats to these athletes and we are all supporting you from back here in Clarence. The Academy of Visual and Performing Arts had an amazing time hearing from Dylan Ganish, a Clarence grad now working in New York on Broadway and on national tours for lighting and technical design. The high school students got to hear firsthand experience on what is like working in the arts industry and had a great seminar. The family support center held their second annual headlamp hike at the Clarence Nature Center. Families from around town gathered there to go on a walk where kids could trickor
063treat as well as enjoy crafts and learn about organizations in the community. This event is such a great way for kids to become immersed in the area they live and a great way for parents to learn about local organizations. The family support center did such a great job with this event and it is such a great tradition. Seventh graders at the middle school took part in the walk for water project which raises money for clean water projects in Uganda. Learning about the struggles many people in Uganda and other countries have to endure in order to have clean water. These students wanted to raise awareness and help those in Uganda have greater access to clean water through these projects. The annual fun run in carnival occurred this past month. Students from all elementary schools gathered at
064the high school for a fun run around the grounds. Although the weather was not ideal, all students had a blast afterwards at the carnival hosted by the Clarence Schools Enrichment Foundation. Thank you to all organizers for make this event fun for students and parents. >> Thank you. >> Thanks. >> And that is it, Mr. Buly for reports tonight. >> Thank you. Um, next is our public comment session. We have no public comment cards, so no public comment. Moving on to finance. Dr. Ruper. >> Thank you. Today I will be asking for approval of the 2627 budget calendar. Um approval of our external external audit that was reviewed by the finance committee as well as the corrective action plan associated with that. Um approval of community education stipens, approval of a nursing contract for uh substitute
065nurse staffing, approval of two transportation contracts, and a resolution to approved a detailed energy audit um performed by Danforth during our RFP process. Dan Danforth came out as um the leading contractor for our energy performance contract for lighting. >> Thank you, Dr. Any questions on items F1 through F7? Hearing none, I'll take a motion to approve items F1 through F7. >> Thank you, Cindy. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Trisha. All those in favor? The motion passes personnel, Mr. Michelle. >> Thank you, Mr. Bob. Our P1 is a request for absence from one of our teachers. The actual end date of that absence will be June 30th rather than July 31st. As noted, prior appointments, we just had a substitute this month. Appointments we have all of our winter sports coaches
066as we're starting to get to the next season. P4 is information only. It's notification of a of a tenure award. P5 is this evening for an approval of a different teacher's tenant. P6 is list of salary adjustments that teachers put in usually twice a year when they've added professional development or graduate credit hours to their salary and P7 is the changes to the substitute. >> Thank you, Mr. Michelle. Any items on any questions on items P1 through P7? Hearing none, I'll take a motion to approve item P1, P2, P3, P5, P6, and P7. >> I'll make a motion. >> Thank you, Adrian. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Trisha. All those in favor? >> I The motion passes. Mr. Michelle, not instructional. >> P8 is just a change in the start
067date for one of our employees. We have seven resations this evening. One bus driver, three buildings and grounds workers, two aids, and one clerk. P10 has two transfers and an increase in eight hours. The New York helps classifications. Right now, civil service in New York has changed the competitive titles slowly. There is a collection of them. It's not just all of them. But during this time, someone would not have to take an exam. It's an effort for some some of our employees that are sitting on on a provisional list waiting six months to two years to take an exam to be able to have a full-time position. So that will expire June 26, but you'll be seeing probably each board meeting coming up uh titles as they are added and for approval. Prior appointments this
068month, we have some substitutes and a summer tech person appointments. We have a part-time clerk, lifeguard, student tech monitors, and unified clubs. P13 or changes to the substitute. >> Thank you, Mr. Michelle. Any questions on items P8 through P13? Hearing none, I'll take a motion. Approve items P8 and P3. >> I'll make the motion. >> Thank you, Trisha. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Cindy. All those in favor? >> I The motion passes. >> Misska, special needs and student activities. >> Thank you, Mr. Scott. Do I have any questions? S1 and S2 hearing. None. I'll take a motion to approve items S1 and S2. >> Thank you, Don. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Trish. All those in favor? >> I We don't have any board development
069or policies tonight. In our packet, you'll see a schedule of upcoming meetings, upcoming events. There are no more information for tonight. I'll take a motion to adjourn the meeting. >> I'll make a motion. >> Thank you, Dennis. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. All those in favor? >> I The motion passes. Everyone have a nice night.