001[Music] Good evening. Good evening. I'd like to call to order this public hearing for the Mount Vernon City School District personal device policy. Please stand for the pledge. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> This evening's hearing is on the district's personal device policy. The floor is now open for any questions or comments from the public. Please state your name when you're called to the podium or when you come to the podium. You will have three minutes to speak. The floor is open. floor. So, the floor is open for anyone who has any comments on the policy cell phone policy the district is going to roll out for New York State.
002Good evening. My name is Janine Fertil. I'm the PTA president of the Mount Vernon Steam Academy and I'm also the vice president of the Mount Vernon PTA Council. Um, today I guess more so a question, a comment maybe. Yeah, question that I have in regards to the district's policy for the phone policy is were there parents involved in the creating of the policy on the state level? for the Mount Vernon City School District policy. Were there parents that were also involved in planning the policy? >> Some of these uh this policy actually should have been going through the motions already. Um, unfortunately the Mount Vernon City School District is a little behind the eightball with uh this uh student and personal electronic devices policy uh policy 5695. Um I cannot answer that question as of
003right now, but do know that um and one of the things that I want to uh recommend is a policy roadmap as we move forward with adopting updated policies and ensuring that there is parent voice as well as student voice at the table uh for policy adoptions. But to be quite honest, the uh student and personal electronic devices policy uh was very very much state driven and passed down to districts and now we're just in the process of tailoring the policy based off of the individuals in our school district. >> Thank you. also because um I've seen other school districts that have involved parents and have also involved students in creating the policy. And so with their policy, they're ensuring that students aren't penalized or like suspended because they have their cell phones because there
004was even a case before this policy came into place where a student used their cell phone to take a picture of a picture that they created and they were suspended with in lunch suspension. And I thought it was really unfair. So, I don't want our this cell phone policy to overp police our kids even more than they're being policed. And also ensuring a way that if students do need to contact their parents, they will be able to and no one will tell them, "No, it's not important enough to contact your parent so our kids don't feel like they're in prison the whole entire school day." >> Thank you. Do we have anyone else who would like to make any comments? Um, Cynthia Krenshaw and I was the PTA president at the historic black school, Cecil
005H. Parker Elementary School for years. Um, I think it's a good thing with the phone situation. I believe the kids should not have their phones during school time. When we was coming up, and I know we dating ourselves, we didn't have phones. If you had an emergency, you go to the office and you call your mom, your father, or whoever you have to call. These kids be on their phone 24/7. Even when the teachers are teaching, they have their phones and they be on them looking at their phones. I'm a substitute teacher and I see these kids on their phones. I think you should have a cell phone policy in place. It's good for the teachers and it's good for the students and I say it's good for the parents also. Thank you. >> Thank
006you, Miss Grshaw. [Music] Got it. [Applause] Do we have anyone else? >> Good evening everyone. >> Thank you. Just state your name for me. >> Okay. So, my name is Latoya Anderson and I have one question. May I see a copy of the policy, please? Where can I find it? >> It's on board docs. Okay. Okay. Thank you. >> So, um just an FYI, Miss Fertill, I wanted to give you an update around the question that you had in regards to parents. So, the reason why we're actually doing a public hearing for the cell phone policy is because of the fact that it's an actual law. like we cannot have cell phones in our schools um during the during the school day. Now we're having the public hearing to actually cap actually capture the voice
007of the parents and community so that we can uh consider other things that may need to go into the policy. So for instance when you talked you were talking about um cell phone policies uh should not overp police our students more than they need to. So, I wrote that down, but that also has implications around the code of conduct, which I'm also seeing needs to be updated as well, but that needs to be updated through a a year-long committee. So, those are the things that I'm already taking into account based off of your um message um that you stated at the podium today. Good evening, Sakai Brown. Um, I am the PTA president for Nelson Nelson Mandela Jose Salakoff for school. Um, I guess I have two questions. One, what is what will be the
008SOP for this policy? And will each principal who are over the school buildings follow the same mantra? And in addition with this new policy van, I'm a parent and my daughter does have a phone and a watch um just because the communication for us um how will that be rolled out at the schools? Will they be in a specific locked box? Like how is that how does that look like at each school? And how will the kids be notified as well? And I would love to know what would be the um disciplinary actions and the different levels that children will receive. um if they are to have these phones out, what are the different step plans? >> Hey, thank you for those questions, Miss Brown. Uh just an FYI, um again, so I come from
009a district that actually already had cell phones being collected and even this public hearing is a little late. Um so um I am actually in the process of making a communication plan that involves making sure that we contact parents, making sure that we get information to families in the mail so that they understand that you cannot use these devices during the school day anymore. In addition, that also goes um that also entails smartwatches. Uh so uh the way it goes is as long as every school has a format in which they are not seeing phones then we leave it up to schools. One of the things that school districts wanted to do was leave that up to district control. We did not want the state telling us the way that we needed to do certain
010things because everyone does certain things a different way. At certain schools, they may say that yonder pouches can work here. At certain schools, they may say, "These yonder pouches don't work. I have to collect them this way." Regardless, we and I was just talking to the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction today. We have to get a formal plan from every single principal to actually understand how they are going to uphold the law. However, the way it looks at one school, it may look very different at another school. But the biggest thing that I want you and the public to know is that there will be a formalized communication plan. That's what I'm used to. Just these are the people that need to be contacted by this date. This is what needs to happen by
011this date. Um and um we're going to make sure that that gets to the families. Any more comments? I can lean a bit down. It's a lot of preparation. Um, one of the questions that I've heard is what would happen if a student is found with their phone. Uh, the state has made it very clear that suspension should not be the first rung. However, the state has left a very gray area for repeated offenders, which makes sense, right? I mean, you know, this is new for everyone. But then there's a difference between new and trying to evade or trying to avoid. And so we will have to feather that out as the year goes on. We know that within any school district, certain principles have certain personalities and certain APs have certain personalities and we
012would have to try to keep the equilibrium as we go through looking at who's penalized and why they're penalized. But the state has made it very clear that suspension should not be the first rung in reference to having the phone. All right. And just reiterate what the superintendent said is that as far as funding and as far as the state's vision is concerned, noting that every school is different and noting that some schools have already put this in place. You know, some teachers are already collecting whatever and you just haven't heard anything about it because the kids don't mind it. They're used to it. as uh Miss Craw has said, once you get used to the routine, it becomes not a problem and maybe becomes more of a problem for the parents than the kids.
013Uh and they're more focused. So, all of this is it's new. It's a test try, but it's going to be here to stay and we'll perfect it as time goes on. And we'll lean on off of the experience of the superintendent as to the district that he was uh superintendent for and as the monitor in reference to figuring out what's the right uh equilibrium. All right. How you doing, Warren Mitchell? So, I think we kind of spoke to uh a standard. Basically, what that says is a standardized process of how we're going to do it across the buildings because we've talked about the silos between the buildings. So, how you just mentioned how it can look like one thing in one building and one thing in another. So do we or do we or we
014go at it from a grade level standardization so that we can expect to see from our K to six buildings here's how the cell phone ban is in place and then cuz you know the the the friction comes as you go into the middle school grades and of course the high school. So my are we that's for one. So, we're going to move on a standardized process that we will roll out to parents in writing to let them know what the grade level what what our what our structure is so they'll know because I do know a lot of the schools do have they have already been collecting phones in the morning uh and you know in many of our buildings. Um, I just want to know first. I want to make sure we're going
015to keep the communication crystal clear and early because it'll be September 14th and somebody 14 people will say, "Where did this come from?" So, the standardization of the process and of course knowing how we're going to deal with the push back. I we're hoping that you're going to have if you got the experience you got I'm pretty certain you already know what the push back is going to look like. Okay. So that's really my real question. Are we able are we ready for the standardizing? Is that the aim? >> So I don't feel we're ready for the standardizing and I'm also I'm going to acknowledge that principal A is different than principal B. And as long as you might have two different ways of making sure that I don't see phones during the day, but
016as long as I don't see the phones during the day, however principal A does it, however principal B does it, it makes me no difference. I just want a plan for how it's done. That's what I can assure. Um I said that we need to develop a communication plan. I just talked to the communications team and I said we need a plan for how we're going to communicate this to our families. We're already late. We're already late. Um so, uh but later better than ever, uh we will get that communication plan, ensure that families know, ensure that students know and what we can do in the event that a student needs to be reached and vice versa. And it is just like u Miss Krenshaw said the main office. That's why we have main offices.
017If a student needs to call for whatever reason and it's very important, we have the main office and that's that's the that's the way we just have to go back to this is the process. And it does work. It hurts at first. It does. But the children do need to learn how to be without the phones, >> right? And um the will we also as we roll out the standardized process to parents will we also give them the breakdown of what the disciplinary reaction will be for state for step one two repeat offenders will we be able to put that together in time? So, I'm currently um and our incoming uh assistant superintendent for people personnel services is already uh analyzing our code of conduct and we have to actually put something in there on
018cell phones, but as our general counsel stated, um if there's one infraction, um you're not going to be suspended for that. However, um, one of the issues around cell phones is when the cell phone is asked for, then it generally escalates into a disrespectful behavior or a fighting or an altercation of some sort. And that's when we start pairing off of the the initial consequence which would have been you'll get it back at the end of the day versus now you're suspended for 3 days because you hit me when you were trying to snatch it. We're going to have to um have we're we're going to have to really think about how we are going to ensure that families and students are aware about what's going on. Okay. Now, one of the things that I
019also am not sure has happened is that code of conducts should be reviewed with families every year in every building. And that needs to happen and we will press upon that. every principal is going through the code of conduct in particular pages 44 uh through I want to say pages 44 through 49 which is actually the discipline hierarchy so that families understand the implications around if they are with the phone and then they are caught just give the phone do not let it escalate to something else cuz often times that's what it It's not even the phone. It turned into so and so hit so and so or so and so did this or so and so did that. So, um I hope that answers your question. >> It does. The only other thing I'm
020I'm going to leave with is it's going to also open up our conversation about there's going to be parents and staff who know that the >> communications in their building, their PA systems and communications are broken. And I mean for like at least about 10 15 years. We need that's hopefully this is a segue to that conversation so that we can pinpoint those buildings. We understand the technology was an issue. The fact that the dollar attached to bringing those buildings and getting those PA systems up to a better place. This is definitely going to be part of that conversation. As Miss Krenshaw mentioned, when you had an issue, you went to this office. If the office called to the class and there's no PA system that works. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank
021you for that point. And I I did note that. >> I want to know what schools Good evening, Erica Peterson. Um, so as a parent, I just want to clarify that it is for smart devices. So that includes watches, glasses, phones. it is if the cell phone is not internet capable that's I'm you know like the one like my grandpa used to have like a cricket which I don't know if anybody still has that but those are not a problem if they don't have the internet on them but internet based phones tablets iPads watches glasses that's where this law comes into play >> correct >> um >> and it it it discounts assist of technology as well just an FYI. So, students with disabilities, they will if they have um certain um ailments that require
022specific devices, then that would be written into their 504 plan or their IEP, and then we have to come up with different uh plans for those students. >> Okay. Um, so as a parent to other parents who may be feeling some haste about this, you know, it's like we, you know, I want to remind you we are the parents. We pay these bills for these cell phones and these devices. And there have been so many issues this school year, terrible issues with students that have happened based around what goes on with cell phones and what's on them and how they use them. As someone who has worked in the classroom, there is no worse feeling as a teacher for an emergency to happen and your students are busy on their cell phone trying to while
023a teacher is trying to give the class instructions. So those are things we have to think of. Each school has a secret as a board trustee. Each school has a secretary has someone has an administrative assistant, someone who's there to pick up the phones and things like this. We need to know if you should parents should be able to contact their schools if it's an emergency to get through and if that's not happening then we should know that as well. So from as a parent as someone who used to be in a classroom and as a board trustee these are things that we are definitely taking into accountability and just as parents you know I want parents there are parents who are nervous about this. There are parents who, you know, certain certain their kids,
024they try to take their phone and device away and it is it is a huge issue and it's an issue in the household. So, they're worried about what's going to happen now that, you know, the child is going to be at school without it. So, and I get that. So, I think we also have to just be cognizant of that and how we're going to be working with our parents to get them through that as well. >> Thank you. Do you have any more questions or comments? No. Okay. This public hearing, Are you good? >> I'm good. >> This public hearing is adjourned. Thank you and good night.