001Thank you everyone and welcome to the board of education meeting today, Tuesday, October 14th. If everyone would please rise for the pledge of allegiance. to the standy now like to turn it over to Dr. Yiani for the superintendent report. >> Hi, good evening everybody. I'd like to invite to the podium Lisa Walsh uh PTA president for a special um recognition to the board. >> Thank you, Dr. Yanni. Uh in appreciation of our board of education, this is board appreciation week. Uh and on behalf of the parent council, we are presenting each member of the board with a pie. Thank you for your service. >> Thank you very very much. Thank you. We appreciate it. Thank you. >> And our student representative, Joanna, please. >> Good evening everyone. Um, we have a lot of fun events
002that have been happening and will be happening this October and I'd love to share them with you all. Firstly, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, our school has recognized notable Hispanic figures in its classes, on displays around the building, and on Bay News. Now, we've also engaged in festive projects. For example, the Middle Art Club has been working on a project where students can color and cut out feathers to create a colorful display. And our World Language Honor Society and International Club have created an played a collaborative mural in the cafeteria. October is also breast cancer awareness month and Oyster Bay has also hosted a multitude of events in honor of it. Um throughout the month, students have been asked to wear pink on Tuesdays and the Business Honor Society, World Language Honor Society, and
003International Club have been selling pink pins before and after school, raising money and organizing a team for the Long Island Breast Cancer Walk. Additionally, October is dyslexia awareness month. Oyster Bay High School has featured famous individuals with dyslexia on Bay News Now and on a bulletin board and wore red to raise awareness to this month. Lastly, October is bullying prevention awareness month. October 23rd being unity day. To commemorate this month, Oyster Ray High School will be wearing orange on Unity Day to unite against bullying and for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Finally, to click to kick off the end of October, we have our red ribbon week and the beginning of color wars. Both will begin the week of October 27th. Various themes will be given for each day, and on Halloween, we will be hosting
004a costume contest. Students will earn points for their color wars team for participating on each day. For red ribbon week, stickers will be given out to our students. We will have dedicated a dedicated spirit day for wearing red on Wednesday and there will be signs around the building in commemoration of Red Ribbon Week. We will also provide the opportunity for students to participate in a red ribbon project in which they will trace and cut out their hands for a display. The project is called Hands Off Drugs and Alcohol in commemoration of Red Ribbon Week. Finally, facts about finding positive ways to manage stress will be shared each day on Bay News. Now, this is all the news I have to share with you this evening. We have some very exciting things going on this month.
005Lots of fun things. And I hope everyone has a good night. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Jovanna, for your comprehensive report. Um the um I want to invite the entire community this coming Friday at 6 PM we have the final ribbon cutting uh ceremony at uh Vernon. So hopefully we'll see a lot of community members there. Um marking the completion of the bond project that took place over the past uh four years. Um, we are also pleased to announce that sophomore Ella Copax and junior Christa Thomas have advanced to a semi-finalist in the Association of Chinese American Physicians. Um, this is the eighth annual science fair. Uh, the science fair is a nationwide research uh, scientific competition in the biomed field. Uh Ella and Christa will complete an oral presentation of the
006project on October 19th at the Flushing uh library. Ella's project is uh revolutionizing precision therapeutics targeting hotspots breast and ovarian cancer mutation via drug uh repurposing. Christa's project is co-expression network to regulate nuclei size in human breast cancer tissue cells. The 2025 science fair award ceremony will take place at the Nassau County legislative uh chamber on November 12th. We wish Ella and Christa all the best on the next step and on the presentation. Good job on that. Uh we also have Andrew Janette um is been awarded uh News12 scholar athlete. Uh this award recognized students who have demonstrated exceptional dedication, hard work and high achievement in both the academics and athletics. So congratulation Andrew. Uh you truly embody the spirit of a scholar athlete. Congratulations. uh financial aid night on October 7th. We welcome uh
007Gan Rogers, senior financial aid uh counselors at Maloy University to discuss all the details of the financial aid forms as well as differentiating all the types of financial support that are available out there. So I want to congratulate uh thank the uh gan uh for coming to us and the entire guidance department for putting this presentation together. Um, as a followup uh to safety concern raised by several community members, a formal written request was submitted for a crossing guard at the Shore Avenue gate along with a separate signage and traffic safety request for larger, more visible one-way sign, a larabe and main street by Roosevelt. Uh, the same traffic request was also submitted in writing to the town of East Bay. Uh, a new sign has since been installed, the Larabe. Uh, so hopefully people
008will uh follow the the sign and and not go the wrong way after 2 p.m. And so we will continue to follow up on the crossing guard on Shore Avenue. And um I want to the week uh like Miss Walsh said the week of October 13th to 17th is a national board recognition week which recognize school board members and in this case Joanna as a student member uh for their commitment to our school community. Recognizing board members service should be a yearround endeavor but designated one designate designating one week is an opportunity to promote awareness and understanding of the important work that board members are doing to support our students. Uh these are individuals that are not paid. Uh they spend a lot of time working with uh district team and all all the people
009uh working in the different schools uh making a vision of empowering all students to achieve excellence set the direction of the schools but most importantly allowing all of us to create a safe environment for students and much more. So on behalf of the entire community and staff and my entire team, uh we want to thank you for all that you do for for Oyster Bay and for all the students of Oyster Bay. Thank you so much. [Applause] At this point, I'd like to invite to the podium Erica Gopac, director of music, fine, and performing arts to do a presentation and give an update on the goals. [Applause] Thank you. Well, it's October, but we are already up to quite a lot in our department. We hit the ground running as always, starting with this summer.
010So, um, thank you for letting me share these updates with you this evening. So, I've broken up this uh presentation into three categories. Student achievement, finance and operations, and promoting community in alignment with the board of education goals. So, we have a lot going on in terms of student achievement in the arts. Um, we started the school year with two huge accolades that I'm so proud to share. One is for the very first time we have a student Ana Shade who has been named a scholar artist in the subject of dance. This is very similar to the news days um scholar athlete where they have to have a certain academic uh standing in the school and they have to audition and show their um artistic ability and this is our very first one in the
011district. So we're so excited to see her in news day in the paper. Uh we also learned in the beginning of September that we had one student selected for all state and a second student selected as an all-state alternate. So Ari Gupta will be representing our district at all state this year and we're so excited to hear him play his trombone. So, in terms of Bay News, now we're rocking and rolling as usual. But one thing I wanted to share with you that's a little bit new is we have a lot more anchors than we have in previous years. We added a whole bunch, pretty much doubled our student anchors. Um, and we added a new segment called Bay Sports, which is hosted by James Ortiz and a couple other students. So, we're so happy
012to see that continue to grow and thrive. We also added a middle school class this year, which is a survey of broadcasting, hoping to get some of them excited about broadcasting and joining that program in high school. Of course, we're continuing with our same clubs and honor societies as we have in previous years. Those are most of those are off the ground and running. Um the honor societies are starting up soon as well. And uh just a shameless plug for our theater season. All tickets are on sale. So at Vernon, we have Matilda Jr. They will do a little performance for you here at um the next board meeting. We have Puffs, our fall play. Many of our students involved in Puffs backstage are here tonight and on stage and our stage manager. And then
013in the spring, we will do Once Upon a Mattress. If any of you are Carol Bernett fans like I am, you will love this one. It's one of my favorites. So, we're so excited about those three shows and hope to see you there. Uh, just continuing with our goal as a department to offer college credits to our students. We are continuing that this year. They have all been approved for the 2526 school year. I also wanted to share a really uh proud moment for the AP art students who took the AP last year. As you can see from their scores, we scored above the global average with a 100% passing rate um and above our local average. So really proud of the amazing work that our AP art kids are doing. Um their work is
014phenomenal. We really find a lot of value in partnering with local organizations and local businesses and Oyster Bay. We continue a lot of the same partnerships that we've had like the life enrichment center, the Empire State Ride, but we are starting some new ones this year that I wanted to talk about. Um, first at the end of last year, we developed a partnership with the Long Island Picture Frame Gallery in Oyster Bay. If you haven't been there, it's a magnificent space. They were so generous in offering a a jured art show by practicing artists for our students and we're continuing that. We have one coming up um in November. Um we're doing um a fundraiser with the Hive Market called Empty Bowls where we're raising money um for people who have food insecurity. Students are
015actually making physical ceramic bowls and art and then they're going to be bidding on them. and we're doing a really cool project with the Life Enrichment Center. It's an intergenerational media project where students are going to interview people from Oyster Bay from all walks of life and doing sort of a docu series on them. So, I'm I'm especially excited for that one. Of course, we continue to bring in master artists from the outside into our department because it's really important for students to see that these are viable careers and that uh there are people working in these fields having amazing livingings. Last year, we brought in Jessica Meyer to work with the um band students. We brought in Samiri who is a News12 meteorologist. You may recognize her. She does the weekn night uh meteorology
016report. And we have, as you can see from the bulleted list, some people already lined up to come in as master artists in the classrooms. We love taking field trips, but we don't just take them for fun. Even though they are fun, they have a lot of educational value, and it's very important to expose our students to that realworld connection of what's happening in the classroom and what happens outside. We're so lucky to live on Long Island where we're so close to New York City and even within Long Island. We have a really really rich um arts communities all around us. So, some of the fun there's so many already happening. We're going to Broadway next week, taking the kids to see Harry Potter on Broadway because the play that they're doing is based on
017Harry Potter. We're taking the kids to FIT in a uh I think a week or a week, two weeks um to do a tour of the campus, an interactive tour, and we're doing our first ever overnight with the New York State Theater Educators Association. It is a statewide um student theater conference. So, we're going to bring delegates there where they get to work with master artists from all over professionals in the industry and they get to meet other kids from New York that share a passion for theater as they do. So, I will be chaperoning that trip. Looking forward to it as well. In terms of finance and operations, uh I think we all remember when the Vernon music suite looked like that at one point and we know how magnificent it looks now. And
018we are so excited uh to welcome you to our ribbon cutting ceremony that's coming up at Vernon. We will have over 80 students performing um from the music department uh within the various spaces and um all sorts of exciting things. Bay News Now is going to be doing a a live broadcast there. So, you better watch out cuz you might end up on the news. So, you never know. You never know. Um, this is some new and exciting news. Uh, I decided with my department this year to lower the ticket prices for all Oyster Bay students with the valid student ID in the hopes that it will encourage more students to come to see the amazing shows that their friends are in. We also do a student um matinea kind of a preview. We do
019it at Vernon and then we also do it here for the middle and high school to kind of wet their appetite and get them interested in coming and seeing what's happening on stage. And we've actually had a lot of students who have found theater that way. So, um hopefully this will bring us even more. We continue to use my school bucks which I'm actually I really love. It allows us to do credit card payments for all sorts of things. So, kind of reduces the handling of cash. It's just nice, clean transactions that are happening online. So, that's been something we've continued with and uh broadened in the department. We are staying on top of all of our inventory. We use DiCapo inventory system. So, we perform assessments of all the instruments. We tag them. We
020scan them in and out when they're going in and out. All students have loan contracts to make sure that we're, you know, handling these very precious um and expensive instruments with care. And building community, that's our favorite. That's the thing we love to do the most. These are just a small sampling of the events happening this year in our department. Um, you know, we're continuing, of course, the tried andrue, and I'm really proud that some of these events, the purple ones are ones that started in my first year that are continuing and getting bigger and bigger um, every year. And of course, we do a lot out in the community. We don't just perform here in our three schools. We're participating in things like NISMA Majors, participating in uh various conferences um and performances in
021the community like the treelighting ceremony in town, uh the Teddy Roosevelt birthday celebration that our adorable second graders sing at every year. Um so we love keeping that school to community connection. I'm really proud of the teachers in our department because every year they say, "Sure, we'll take a student teacher. Sure, we'll take a student observer, but I'm proud of them, but I'm also grateful because it allows us to have connections with these schools and a lot of our students are interested in these schools. So, it builds a really nice bridge to these post-secary programs." Like and subscribe. No, just kidding. But do follow us. Um, actually we're up to 800 followers. Um, so please follow us on Instagram and we like to stay in touch any which way. Parent Square syntax is amazing to
022work with. They help us so much stay make sure you know all the amazing things that the kids are up to. And I do want to give a thank you to the open arts foundation. U Miss Fernandez is here tonight. Thank you for all the support you do in supplementing some of the things for our kids, helping to reduce costs for some of the trips, meals during tech week of the shows, so on and so forth. So, thank you so much. And thank you to everyone in this room tonight, parents, board of ed, administration, and we'll see you soon at the next event. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Geopac. Does anybody have any questions, comments? I just wanted to comment that I'm so happy you provide so many opportunities for all of our students
023from middle school all the way through AP classes and all of these extra events really add to the school culture and it's it's very apparent. So, thank you. >> Ah, thank you so much. Thank you for all of your support. >> Thank you, Mr. Gopac. Thank you. switches. Okay, now we will move on to the approval of the minutes. Um motion to approve our meeting minutes as listed and attached below. Do I have a motion? >> A second. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> All opposed. Motion carries. Now we'll move on to uh participation uh on agenda items. In keeping with its philosophy of open communication and informed decision making, the BOE welcomes input from the community. However, it's important to note that while the BOE meets the public, it is not
024meeting of the public. Respectful input and behavior by each member of the community is appropriate and expected at all times and should observe the following rules at BOE meetings. BOE will listen to comments and input from the public debate between members of the audience and the members will not be permitted. The board will not address personnel or individual student matters in public. No person shall present orally or discuss in any BOE meeting charges or complaints against individual employees directly or indirectly. The speaker shall identify themselves and confirm their residency. >> Thank you. Um thank you. Um just one question. Um the performances are wonderful that the kids do and everybody loves to come and see them. Is there any Is it just crazy to have the Vernon performance up here? It's so hard to see.
025Like last year, we got it there late and you know, you could barely see the kids over everybody because we're all flat. I know you do a a middle school one here and the high school one, but it would be nice maybe I know the kids can't practice here, but it would be nice if the kids from Vernon could come up here so for the community to be able to see them and more people to come because it is quite crowded on the night of the um performances. So, >> thank you for the suggestion into it. >> Just just one thing. So, something else the policies um I see that I'm I'm glad that you're going back to first read second read um policies. Um I just want to go over last week month you
026had three policies for adoption. Now you've moved them to first read which follows the policy. Um and then I've looked through the last couple of years and it doesn't seem like I've seen that where there's a first read and a second read on the policies. Um so I was a little concerned about that. I also don't quite understand policy 8440, which is a new policy for a first read tonight for field trips. This policy has been changed in the last um three years, five times. I'm a little I don't quite understand why of all the things that are going on, it's this policy that gets the attention of four uh rereads. Um, in addition on the policy uh 1510 that you're talking about tonight for the board of education, there's various things that you're discussing.
027The one thing that um I see that I'm a little concerned about is um voting emotions. So, there's a section in here where it reads the an abstension from um will indicate a conflict of interest. Um ethical or moral dilemma unresolved by a division of questions and other reasons for personnel. So, if a board member is going to abstain, it's on page seven of 11. Um you're taking it out and you're you're first of all, you had a change to it last month that said uh that an abstension will count as a no vote. you cross that out. Um, unless there's conflict of interest now you're putting in it does not do that. Um, I'm just a little concerned because I feel that there is a tremendous conflict of interest right now that stands with
028the board of education and voting and this person can't um sit and be on any votes. It's a definite conflict of interest. I'm not going any further. I'm sure you know what that is. And um I'm concerned about changing this at all as a board of education right now when it directly relates to a board member. So I'm concerned about that as well. >> Thank you. I just wanted the board to um be aware that your policy on policies only currently only requires one reading when it's a policy that's being revised because these policies involve the board. The board president, vice president requested that they put up be put on for a first reading, which is the prerogative of the board to not only have one reading, and it's my understanding that we're going to
029revisit your policy on policies to see if we want to always have a first and a second reading. But right now, your policy on policies does say if a policy is being revised, only one reading is required. >> Thank you, Mr. So now we'll move on to instructional personnel. Resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent schools board of education of Oyster Bay East Norwich Central School District hereby approves the instructional personnel items as listed in the entirety. Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Do I have a second? All in favor? I. All opposed. Motion carries. We'll now move on to noninstructional personnel items. Resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools. The board of education of the Oyster Bay East Norwich Central School District hereby approves the non-instructional personnel items as
030listed in their entirety. Do we have a motion? Second. All in favor? I. All opposed. Motion carries. Approval of business resolutions. Resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools. Board of Education of the Oyster Bay East Norwich Central School District hereby approves the business resolutions as included in as listed in their entirety. Do I have a motion? Do I have a second? All in favor? I. All opposed. Motion carries. We'll now move on to special services. Resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools. Board of Education of the Oyster Bay East Norwich Central School District hereby approves the special services resolution as listed in their entirety. Do I have a motion? Do I have a second? All in favor? I. All opposed. Motion carries. We'll now move on to um approval of new
031business. Resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools. Board of Education of the Oyster Bay East Norwich Central School District hereby approves the new business resolutions as listed in their entirety. Do I have a motion? Do I have a second? All in favor? I. All opposed? Motion carries. I'd like to um thank our PTA and also an anonymous person that have made donations uh to the school district and in particular for our 10th grade college trip. Thank you very much for that. now would like to move on and um have a discussion regarding athletic awards. >> Yes, thank you so much. I have um I've asked the board to discuss this um item for the past several years um since I've been here. Every varsity athlete will get a a plaque um at the
032athletic uh banquet awards which is at the end of the school year. Several parents have approached me with the idea of uh changing uh that that tradition and give a students um letters at the beginning of their varsity career and then every year they will get a pin to add it um for every sport that they play. Um this again will be sort of a a change in in the practice. Um, talking to some of the people in the athletic department, this was done years ago. Um, so I want to bring it up to the board because I know that uh some some people feel very strong about the plaque. Some people feel that um after several years those plaques will go just uh put on the side and they rather have something that uh
033they could keep it um like uh like a letter like like this one. Um, so I just want to present it to the board and and see what's uh what do you guys think? >> I mean, I'd like the input of the students. Uh, you know, they're the ones who are either receiving the plaque or the pins and um, you know, if it's something they've been looking forward to, which a plaque I doubt, but I'd still like to get their input on it and, uh, help that guide policy. So we have done um a a survey in the um physi physical education classes. Um a lot of the students were on on the side of the the plaque. Um, so those were the athletes, but you know, some community members have shared that the the
034fact that those plaques after a while, if you're a varsity athlete and you're playing two sports, three sports, you collect a lot of plaques and then at the end they, you know, they go on the side. I mean, one of the idea uh would be to have a letter with the different pins and then at the end of the year at the at the senior year to give them a plaque so they would have both, but it's up to to the board. I think I like that idea of switching maybe to the letters and then something more significant um that recognizes a senior who's played on on the team at the end of the season when they're a senior. >> Something more that may like be a culmination of what were there, >> right? maybe
035a personalized um recognition with similar maybe to what we have in the athletic hall of fame but for that individual to be taken home and displayed >> listing all the teams and things >> teams accomplishments and uh maybe a picture as well >> I agree. So, is the push back on the on the student body that they're not going to use that that lettering on something like what where are they going to put the lettering? >> What were you thinking? >> Yeah. So, the letter my understanding is that they will get the letter at the beginning of their varsity once they uh become a join a varsity team and they get a pin for every sport that they play. So if you >> Yeah. But where where did he put >> the letter at the
036end that could be framed? Um it could be framed in a in a in a frame with all the pins. Um >> so that's different option. I mean years ago this I guess was sewed to a jacket. Yeah. >> So so I think the kids today probably have no idea what that might be. >> That might have been the push back. Um Yeah, I I'm indifferent. I think I'd prefer to do whatever the kids think is more valuable to them. >> So, I I know this is a a decision that obviously I don't want to recommend anything because I don't know what the what the sentiment is in the community. But if it's okay with the board, what I'll do, I'll ask uh my athletic director to put a some sort of committee together with
037parents, uh students, and come up with a plan and and um let let them decide um and I will share obviously some of the comments that we have shared tonight and then maybe uh before there is a final decision, I'll come back and I'll present to to you and and the community what is the final welcome if it's okay with you. >> Thank you. >> Great. Thank you. >> Now we will have the opportunity for the public to be heard on non-aggenda items. Miss Henry Longo. So, I think the community, the kids want jerseys with their names on it that they can take with them. They've been raising money. I've been going to fundraisers for it. Um, I think the every sport, every child wants a jersey with their name on it that they can
038keep, that they can use, and that they can take home with them. You know, a sweater, a jack St. Dominic's gives the kids a sweater that they could do it. But, you know, I'm just saying that I think in the community and you can poll them, but I I believe that the trend is the kids want jerseys with their names on it. So, >> would that meaning when they're graduating as seniors? >> I guess you can't have a football team with only seniors with their names on it, right? >> Like if you if they're playing varsity football, they get their name on the jersey, they got to bring it back, you know? They play it a couple of years or basketball or they grow. I mean, but I mean, I'm sure that we could as
039a community fund raise for the kids to get jerseys in every sport with their names on it and then they I still have my sons and they've been out a long time now. So, and they have names on them. So, you know, um that's that. But I just have a question. So, on a first read of a policy, do you not read and discuss? I mean, I thought that when you change a policy and you have a discussion, the sunsigning law states that you should discuss this in public. I've heard no discussion in public on any of these policy changes. I know you have a policy committee that discusss what the changes should be and then you bring them back to not once have I heard that in in discuss and you adopted these policies
040tonight. Um yet there was no open discussion. >> You didn't you didn't adopt the policies. >> I know but there was no open disc. You didn't adopt the policies. You adopted the business meetings and wasn't the policy on there. So, I've heard no open discussion about these policies and the changes to the policy and I know that this is as stated before, >> Miss Longo, but we're not I I know you're going back to the question, but we are not adopting the policy tonight. We this is a first reading, >> but you didn't read anything. You didn't discuss anything. >> They had they had access to the policy um when the policy was released. >> What I'm just saying is that and Mrs. Sandowski is here, but Zowski, there's there's there's been no discussion about
041the changes in the policy in public under the sunshine. That's what the sunshine law is. There has been no discussion in in in last month. You guys changed the statements that on how people what you say when people are to talk that should have been discussed in public. It changed between uh September 9th and last month's meeting. There was no discussion about that in public. We just came to a board meeting and it was changed. I I I don't see discussions of of things that the board takes actions on and is in charge of policies especially that are held in public where the public whether they're here in person or they're watching on TV can understand what's going on. People don't access board documents. They don't access the stuff that they should and can read
042at. They depend on coming to meetings and having you as a board of education discuss these things openly so they understand what's going on in the school district just like you did just now about the athletics which I think was wonderful. People in this community do not understand when policies changes and there is not discussion. I understand the board reads them. The comments that the boards have amongst yourselves and I could be mistaken, this is what my understanding is, should be done in public in the sunshine. That's what the sunshine law is. Not via text, not via emails, not via phone calls, but at a board meeting. Every single thing that changes in this school and that you taking, you're considering whatever you're doing has to be done at this meeting in front of everybody.
043So everybody can understand it. I mean, if you look on YouTube, there's 200 people watching these meetings. They want to know and they don't know what the changes are unless everybody is openly discussing it. That's all it is. You you've changed things and you did not do it in public. You you just inadvertently changed statements of the board meeting and it was not discussed in public. I've been at public board meetings. It was not discussed in public. So I'm I'm just saying is is I would like you to consider what is being said and the frustration that is being had and to please consider to come back to discussing things in public under the sunshine so we can see what's going on because we don't know. We just see you take action on things without
044discussions. Just like the athletic thing, perfect discussion. It was a full discussion. People will understand. People will comment. you'll take polls. We should know what these policy changes are and why they're being made. They're policies that affect everybody in this district. You know, you've got one policy you've changed five times already and people don't even know what you're changing it again for. The travel policy, where the kids can go, how far they can go. You know, just have the discussion in public. You're the board of education. Should have the discussion in public so we know. That's all I'm asking. Do you have some specific question about the policy? >> Why you don't respond? >> No, I I want to know what your questions are. >> That's fine. You don't >> I'm just saying I want
045to know >> I asked you if you had specific questions about the policies. >> I'm I am saying that I want to know what your discussions are about the policies. >> You're making you're making assumptions, but >> I'm not making any assumption. The board of education changed f four policies >> and then you revised the policies again based on what I'm reading. There has been a discussion about these policies. That discussion should be had at this meeting under the sunshine law. So we understand what you people as board of education who are in the know more than the common person in Oyster Bay of what is going on and why the changes are happening. It should be discussed and published so we understand what it is. >> I have a lot of questions but it's
046not for me to ask the questions. It's for you guys to discuss it. >> So I just want to uh remind the board the board has a policy committee. All of the changes that the policy committee reviewed and and recommended are in a redline version that is there for your uh review. And if you have any questions, as you saw, Miss Castri Castra Giovani uh made a motion made a second any discussion, it's at that time that you would have a discussion. So those policies are up for you to review. Um I am not aware that there has been any discussion other than the policy committee meet policy committee meeting to review the policies and then placing them on the agenda for approval um just to allay any issues. I have not received any direct
047communication from any of you where there was a discussion outside of this meeting. If the board if individual board members have questions, the time to ask is after the motion and the second. >> Just just to be clear, there will be a second reading. >> Okay. >> And is reading us reading it on our own or is there a public reading of these policies like it like as a new board member? It's is it mislead? So, you don't read the policies aloud if that that's what you're asking. The entire packet is posted um with the agenda. You all have it. If there are very specific questions you have about words or or whatnot, ask them at a board meeting. >> Okay. So, can I motion to reopen? >> Reopen what? >> Reopen conversation on policy.
048>> It's up to the board president. >> Yes. Yes. >> Okay. Well, then I'd like to motion to reopen discussion on the policy changes. >> I I don't mind waiting for second reading, but I do have comments. >> Okay. So, whatever James. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. So, I apologize for the for the fauxa. Um >> James made >> Okay. All right. Thank you everyone. I'm sorry for for missing my opportunity. Um I do also have some concerns with with the policy. Um uh uh if I can also uh a a policy committee meeting with more than two members is supposed to be public or no? >> Your policy committee is advisory only. It doesn't have the opportunity to take any action. So it does not need to be public. >> Okay. Um so
049with policy 1110 uh the schoolboard legal status uh in the policy updates we have when an individual board of education member receives an inquiry the member will forward such inquiry to the board president and the superintendent for a response. It also says the board president shall be the spokesperson for the board of education. Uh, one thing I wanted to uh, point out was that language uh, appears to restrict trustees from acknowledging even uh, those emails or routing concerns um, and concentrates communication authority in administration. Uh the blueprint uh document for uh better board uh operations. Uh section two, page four, correspondence addressed to the board should be directed to the district clerk who's responsible for ensuring that all board members receive the same information. Uh and then the board acts as a corporate body and
050no individual member has authority to act independently of the board. All members should be equally for informed of district matters. Um, you know, I think that that's something that uh should be uh up for discussion. Uh, I I don't want to feel that I can't politely respond to a a constituent parent um and say that I have to send that to the board president and the superintendent. Uh my opinion is is that goes to the clerk um who then brings it out to everyone else. Um on top of that, the board president is absolutely the spokesperson uh for the board. Um, but only for positions formally adopted by board vote. Um, that's that's me on 11:10. I don't know if anyone uh wanted to comment. Um >> um in that 1110 policy, I think it
051it the new changes indicates that when an individual board of education member receives an inquiry directed from a staff member, parent/person in parental relation, or a student requiring action, the board of education member will forward such inquiry to the board of education president and the superintendent of schools for a response. So I guess to comment on what you said um I'm wondering what that specific language means um where we wrote requiring action. >> So it's exactly what Mr. Aard said. Obviously you're all community members. You shop. you have the ability you you interact with the community. So if there's something that requires action, you need to send it to the people who can take that action. You as individual board members don't have the ability to do that. And that's why we added the the
052committee added the language requiring action. >> I just want to be clear on what that could you give an example of what an action is an action. >> I'll give you an example. So, the other day, um, a community member approached me and asked if we could put clear signs at Roosevelt because they were noticing that people didn't realize it was a one-way at dismissal and it was very dangerous and there was cars parked on both sides and somebody was going to get hit over there. So, I took that recommendation and brought that to Dr. Yanni um and Moren um to see if they could do something about that and then I had mentioned it also at our board meeting. So my response was I will let them know but I that obviously required an
053action that was beyond me as an individual community member. So I think what we're supposed to do is to take back the community concerns to the appropriate to superintendent to the board um for discussion. I think that's what the p purpose of at least my understanding when we're talking about in the policy committee if something requires an action. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Um uh policy 1510 board meetings uh specifically says the planning and development of the agenda is the responsibility of the superintendent in consultation with the board president. Uh I feel that this centralizes control. It could omit uh trustee initiated items. Um and the blueprint document again says the board president and the superintendent jointly prepare the agenda. Any member may request that an item be placed on it within the posting time
054frame. Um, you know, I know we've talked a little bit about time frames, uh, you know, posting, uh, and there's a change coming to Thursdays versus Fridays. Um, I think that the agenda planning needs to remain a joint responsibility of the board president and the superintendent. Um, I also think that with the um the the time between agenda items um and board meetings, uh I believe that any two trustees should be allowed to place an item on board business on of board business on the agenda by notifying uh everybody at least 48 hours uh before the agenda is posted for public review. So, um, that's what I have to say on 1510 is that, uh, I think that it's it needs to intentionally continue to reflect the board president and superintendent jointly and not um,
055you know, that it's the responsibility of the superintendent in consultation with the board president. I think that kind of changes the dynamics a little bit and I just want to be careful of that. any Okay. Um, if no one has anything about that, the last thing uh is the policy 8440 on field trips. Um, as a as a uh audience member, I I witnessed uh you know, different teams not being able to travel distances. Um, and I I can appreciate us removing the 550 miles uh restriction on it. Um we're trying to do the best that we can for all of our students and by removing that restriction we are allowing them to uh compete more broadly. Um the only call out to that um policy is that um I think that that part of
056the policy uh you know um planning uh should include reasonable accommodations so students with disabilities can participate. I think that should be in there because I know it's it's the rule of law. Um, but I I like the idea of it literally being in here in field trips and excursions is that planning will include reasonable accommodations so students with disabilities can participate unless participation would fundamentally alter the trip or impose a documented undue hardship. Um it just recommmits our intention uh for all of our students um to be uh in an inclusive environment and make sure that if we are going somewhere that will be difficult for a student with disabilities that we look at every possible angle to make sure that they are included. Um and while we already do that, I think the
057intentional language would be a great addition to that. Um that's everything I've got for tonight. Mr. Ricard, just a note for you. There is another policy that addresses students with disabilities and there is language in that policy concerning um field trips. I'm happy to add a cross reference so that there is that cross reference for anybody who's looking for that language. >> That would be great. And if I could add back to um 1510, the language that's being added says the superintendent of schools will include the request on the agenda for discussion and for a determination as to whether a majority of the board of education requires such report. So I I appreciate that. My my understanding of that is any item that a trustee wants to be on the agenda will be placed in
058the agenda and we'll be able to discuss that at a meeting >> and that's correct. Right. Thank you. >> Any other discussion comments? >> No, I have nothing else to add. >> Thank you. Just with respect to Mr. Ricard's um comment on the agenda, I need to know how the whole board feels in terms of modifying the section on page four. Right now, the first sentence reads, "The superintendent of schools will prepare the meeting agenda during the week before the meeting and review it with the board of education president. Mr. going to speak for you and you tell me if I got this wrong. Um, I believe Mr. Ricard would like to revise that language to say the superintendent of schools in conjunction with the board of education president will prepare the meeting agenda during
059the blah blah blah. >> Correct. >> Okay. And board does the board want me to modify the language to reflect that comment? It's not your policy. >> I I'm not getting the distinction. What What's the distinction? >> The distinction is that Dr. Yanni doesn't prepare the agenda on his own. He prepares it in conjunction with the board president. >> Yeah. I mean, he does do that. >> He ultimately I think that's what happens anyway. But I think Mr. Cart is just looking for the language to reflect that. >> Okay. Okay. Yeah, that's right. >> Practice right now. >> Yeah, that's why I was confused. We do that now. >> Okay. >> And that's existing language in this policy that was not modified. >> Mr. You also had another comment in this section which I couldn't
060write more quickly enough. I think the policy permits board members um to submit requests to place matters on the agenda. It doesn't have a time frame within which to do that. Are you suggesting that I add a time frame to to that for the second reading. >> Uh so I don't have it in my notes, but I thought there was a time frame in there. Um uh maybe it was any which way. If that doesn't exist, then it then it doesn't exist. I do believe that there should be uh some time period where uh not in just an individual board member, but two board members if we need something on the agenda. My my um my concern is uh you know that that the blueprint NISBA recommends that all this information is available to us
061on Wednesday night. Um it it it's not it's not available till Thursday, which is our policy. It's the way we do things. Um but by getting it Friday night and having a meeting on Tuesday, there's not enough time to really react. So my recommendation was to put the two board members at 48 hours to be able to get something added. Um because language elsewhere was that we would bring it up to get put on the agenda and then it would have it would go through a process and from a Friday night release to a Tuesday meeting. I didn't think there was enough time um to process that and at that point we get pushed off to the following board meeting. Um, but if that language doesn't exist and I'm and I I'm I'm you know
062seeing a ghost of something then then that's fine. Um, but I do think that that 48 hour ability to add something to the agenda in an emergency situation with two board members agree in agreement. I think it's not that you wouldn't put it on there. I just like the language in there. Um, so that's my recommendation is that 48 hours any two board members can insist that an agenda item get added to the agenda. um that's something for bigger discussion and quite frankly I thought that the policy committees were different than what they are. So I thought that there would be an announcement. I knew that as a as a member on the um not the policy committee that I would be able to go to a publicly announced policy committee go and at least
063observe um to then uh follow up through individual email to board president um or uh to the entire board through the clerk um so so yeah I think I lost myself >> it's okay it's advisory only so that's and that's why the policies as as deadlines. >> Um, >> you may I just >> I want to remind that on Friday the Friday Friday update we receive every Friday from the superintendent, it specifically says that if there agenda items that you would like to add, >> right? Right. >> Right. But but the board meeting is on Tuesday. >> We're all given the opportunity. >> Right. You're given a business day. >> No, the f even the Friday before that. So every Friday we get a packet >> and but the superintendent will say the agenda meeting
064is on the Thursday. Please provide any agenda items you would like to add to the agenda. >> Mhm. >> So it's the Friday before. It's actually like a week and a half before the board meeting. >> Right. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Okay. We can come back to that if I'm wrong if I if I made a mistake. I'm fine with that. A and just for the rest of the board, the the blueprint that NISBA put out is a guide and every board makes their own decisions in terms of those time frames. Sure. So, >> it's just a guide. >> Yeah. It's an important guide. And so I just want to confirm that the board members were okay with Maddowski changing that sentence on page four that the superintendent of schools in conjunction with the president
065setting the agenda which is what currently occurs. Is everybody okay with that? Okay. Thank you all. Any other uh discussion points Mr. Mr. Copz? Okay, please. So now I'd like to have a motion to uh convene to executive session for the purpose of discussing a matter of personnel. Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. All in favor? >> I >> thank you everyone for attending our meeting.