001Good evening. I'd like to call this November 17, 2025 Sennsylvania Board of Education meeting to order. Adam, can you call the role? >> Miss Hoffman >> here. >> Mrs. Conklin >> here. >> Mrs. Lavallet >> here. >> Mr. Feller >> here. >> Mr. Bowden >> here. >> Thank you. Please join us in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay. Good evening. Uh this is the first opportunity for public participation for items which are on the agenda. Did everyone have a chance to sign up? if you'd like to speak. >> All right. >> First four. >> Okay. When I call you up, you're just going to give
002us your name and address and then you have three minutes. Uh Greg Boros. >> Hello everybody. Uh, I I decided spur of the moment. Oh, I'm Greg Boris. Uh, Saddlebrook Boulevard, Parisburg. Um, just decided I was going to do this spur of the moment. If I knew I was going to speak this evening, I would have wore a tie, but decided so. Um, first of all, I I have been a PE teacher in Sennsylvania for 28 years. Passionate about physical education and absolutely love teaching in this district. I believe it's one of the best districts in the state, but I can't believe we're doing this again. This is the third or fourth time we have fought this since it was introduced. Um, just two weeks ago, we all went to a presentation that was put
003on and financed by the district on the importance of PE and the overall wellness of all students and how daily PE boosts test scores and makes young people better academically. And now, two weeks later, we are here debating this again. The district must have thought it was an important topic to have as part of a PD day. I've taught summer school PE for over 20 years and our numbers for summer PE are way, way down, which tells us that the students of Sennsylvania want to take Fizzad in the summer. We used to have over 250 kids take it in the summer and last summer we only had about 80 students in our summer PE program. All of my colleagues are passionate about what we do day in and day out. We believe that fizzed is
004one of the most important classes that a child can take. And if all of you really think about it, we know you will agree. This decision will affect students mental, physical, emotional, and social health. Once again, PE and exercise has been medically proven to make all young people better in every aspect of their lives. Many of our students get no exercise or physical activity outside of fizzed class. Please ask yourself, is this the best decision for all the students for Sylvania or just a select few? We've been told that it's a way to save some money, but there has to be other ways to save money. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you, Kelly. >> [clears throat] >> Kelly Hy 4002 Rose Garden. Let's get this. Good evening. Thank you for the opportunity to
005speak. I am a lifetime resident of Sylvania. I was a Stran Bulldog, McCord Tartan, and Southview Cougar. The education I received through Sylvania schools has molded me into the person I am today. I am proud to be a part of this district and I'm pass and and I am passionate about what I teach. 20 years ago, I was blessed to be hired by the district that has meant so much to me. I taught physical education one year at Northw and Highland and I teach physical education and health at Timberstone for the past 19 years. I have also had the opportunity to coach varsity girls basketball at Southw for six years. Through these experiences, I can tell you firsthand that being on an athletic team does not teach you physical education. It does not teach you
006the state standards that we are required by the state to evaluate. Physical education is much more than specializing in a single sport or activity. PE is a class. PE class PE class is an opportunity to learn a variety of skills and activities to help promote lifetime fitness. It is a chance to evaluate one's health and set goals for a future successful life. The lessons I learned in PE class versus a varsity sport are different and all important, but the lessons learned in PE class have shaped my lifelong physical, emotional, and social health. The number one cause of death in America is heart disease. Heart disease causes more deaths than cancer. A disease that can be prevented by exercising, eating right, and taking care of one's mental health is killing more people than anything else. This
007is a time more than ever when students need more guidance and practice at skills that are going to save their life in the future. The PE waiver would diminish this and lead right into the statistics. When I speak to colleagues in other districts, they ask, "How do you not have the PE waiver yet?" I tell them, "Our district cares about our students well-rounded education, their health, and their future. They value what the lessons from physical education class do for our students and their future health. When making a decision, please take into consideration the importance of physical education, students health and future, and continuing to be a leader in our community. Thank you for your time and consideration. >> Thank you, Tracy Donnelly. Hi everyone. My name is Tracy Donnelly, 7165 Nissen Road, Curtis, Ohio 43412.
008Uh unfortunately a year ago we were here doing the same thing and now we're back again to tell you why the PE waiver should not be implemented in Sennsylvania schools. Our vision in Sennsylvania schools is to be the leading school district in Ohio. Last year I told you I believe we are that school. But taking opportunities away from all of our students doesn't align with that vision. And I have a hard time believing that that's where we want to continue to go. I think we should be continuing to support that vision. Our physical education classes do more than educate students about sports. They teach cooperation, collaboration, strategies, teamwork, how to deal with others that are different from you. on top of all the physical and mental health benefits that you receive from being physically active.
009This includes athletes, too. They may get physical activity through their sports, but they are only dealing with people that have the same thoughts and ideas as they do. Physical education class allows athletes to be role models for others and to teach others their craft. I have a statement from a Northview teacher uh that she wanted me to read. As an intervention specialist, I have seen firsthand how physical education can transform the learning experience from for students with emotional disabilities, behavioral needs, and mental health challenges. PE provides a structured and motivating environment where students can channel stress, practice emotional regulation, and engage in movement that directly supports their overall well-being. At this age, when academic pressures and social expectations are high, physical activity becomes a meaningful outlet that helps students build resilience, improve focus, sharpen leadership
010skills, and experience success beyond the traditional classroom. Physical education also strengthens essential social and interpersonal skills that high school students rely on as they move toward adulthood. Through teamwork, cooperative activities, and shared goals, students develop communication skills, confidence, and trust with their peers. Their experiences help break down social barriers and foster empathy and inclusion among all students. As an intervention specialist, I value PE as a powerful tool in promoting positive behavioral outcomes, supportive mental health, and creating a school structure where students of all abilities feel respected, connected, and capable of thriving. That's from Kylie Gerald. She's an interventionist intervention specialist at Northw High School. There is not one reason to instill the PE waiver, not even to save money. The students that opt out of PE will still need their half a credit. So, they
011will need a different teacher to fill that requirement, which doesn't save money, but shifts it to others. Lastly, I'm a firm believer that we should make decisions that are best for our students, all students. In the fall, you made the decision to take away cell phones during the school hours because you thought that was best for our students. And you did allow smart watches so students could track their fitness. If fitness is that important that the students should have their smart watches during the school day, then I believe more physical activity aligns with that belief, not less. I am here today to ask that you make the best decision for our students that allow for better mental and physical health, which will continue to allow Sylvania schools to be that leading school district in Ohio.
012Thank you for your time. >> Thank you, >> Neil Ellis. Neil Ellis, 4413 Standing Timbers Lane, Toledo. [clears throat] As a Sennsylvania school science teacher for 20 years and a parent, I would like to offer my perspective on the PE waiverss. As teachers, we want students to have diverse experiences in high school from core classes, art, music, and career tech. PE is certainly a unique experience. Not only are they learning from the curriculum, but PE is one of the few classes that students are not separated by ability levels or interest. It is one of the only classes where students who are mostly in honors or AP classes are in the same class as students with multiple handicaps. And I view this as an incredibly valuable experience. Some may argue that PE waiverss would allow more
013flexibility in student scheduling. My own children are in multiple music and art classes at Northview and they still have room for PE in their schedule. Students only need two semesters of PE. With our 9 period day, that means that PE will only account for 2.7% of a student's total time in their high school career. This small amount in no way interferes with students taking as many of the other great classes we have to offer here. I encourage the board to look at this decision not with what is most convenient for your own children, but what is best for all of our students. Thank you. >> Thank you. Let's go. >> Kirsten Long, Puren Long, 3809 Plumey Road in Northwood. Good evening. My name is Kirsten Long and I'm a fourth grade teacher at Central Trail
014Elementary. I'm here tonight to speak in opposition to the proposed physical education waiver. As a district, we constantly emphasize educating the whole child, supporting students physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development. This waiver contradicts that philosophy. Allowing students to replace PE with other activities and make room in their schedules to take more classes sends the message that academics are the only priority rather than acknowledging the essential role physical education plays in healthy development. This is not good for kids and it moves us away from the core values we say we believe in. I've also heard finances mentioned as a reason for this proposal. I will not dwell on the fact that a savings of $70,000 for cutting a PE position in a budget over a hundred million is inconsequential. Instead, I want to talk about what
015the cuts really mean. In my 5 years in Sennsylvania, I have taught in four different classrooms and three different grade levels because of staffing changes. Last spring alone, more than 10 elementary classroom sections were eliminated and the resulting increase in class sizes has been disastrous. So, I asked the board, why is our first solution to financial train strain always cutting teachers? Not cutting other expenditures, but cutting the people who work with, know, and nurture our students every single day. The passage of this waiver will without question lead to cuts in PE teachers. And while some may overlook the impact on staff, I implore you to consider the impact on students. I've had the privilege of working alongside incredible PE teachers who pour their hearts into their work every day. My students love PE. One former
016student even chose to do his biography and wax museum project on our PE teacher because he admired her so deeply. This just shows the dedication these teachers have to their students and the admiration the students have in return. Imagine being a student who loses one of their favorite teachers, not because of performance, but because this board chose to devalue a subject essential to their well-being. I urge you to stop these repeated cuts to teachers, honor our commitment to the whole child, and do not pass the PE waiver. Thank you. >> Thank you, [applause] >> Brandy Shepard. Good evening. I'm Brandy Shepard, 4220 Butternut Court, Sennsylvania. I may look a little bit like a PE teacher right now with what I'm wearing, but that is because I taught three periods of dance class today. Going to
017start off with a surprising way. I hated PE when I was in high school. I am the type of person that when you throw a ball at me, I'm going to stop, drop, and roll. If I go to the football game, I will ask about their costumes and when is intermission. However, I also understand the importance that it has. I was with my friends this weekend and I talked to them about the PE waiverss. They have two u they both have children that are in Sennsylvania schools and they are Sylvania graduates themselves. What they said was, "But how is that possible? That's how we get out our energy." That's where I learned about sports other than my sport. I learned that it wasn't just a softball player. I loved volleyball and I'm still on a
018team today, a wreck team because of it. In addition, we can say that, oh, they'll be required to take another class. No, they won't. We said that with flex scheduling, they wouldn't be able to flex in and flex out. They do. We said they'd only be able to flex so many periods. That's not the case. And if we're coming after PE now, I know what's going to be on the chopping block next, and that will be the arts and music. We can say we're still offering these classes, but ultimately it will dwindle and go away. We're also ultimately saying that one area of education is more important than others. But the fact is we need to educate these children mind, body, and spirit to make them a well-rounded contributing member to society. The other thing
019is I want you to imagine I told you stop, drop, and roll. Somebody like me in physical education class who a ball comes over the volleyball net and I'm hitting it like this and then you have the Kelly Hiles who are jumping and saying mine, mine, mine, mine. But we have to work together and then the Kelly Kyles and other people that cheer when I caught a football for the first time, maybe just because it hit me, but I caught it then. and listening to them cheer. There's something about working with one another, people that are not like yourself, that is such a good and important thing. In reality, this cut or this change would help my program. My numbers since flex scheduling have hurt tremendously and every year it's a little bit more with
020flex. So, if they were required to take another class, it would help me because maybe they would sign up for mine as an elective teacher. That said, I've recognized the importance of physical education for our children to truly make them the best academic student, well-rounded and healthy student that we can have and that should be the most important thing. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> Jennifer Briggs. Hi, my name is Jennifer Briggs. I have to give my address. 7865 Saltwood Court, Sylvania, Ohio. Um, I am a teacher, a parent, and an alumni of Sennsylvania schools. So, I've been around for a while. Um, all of the different hats that I wear when I come to speak to you today are in agreement that the PE waiver is not what is best for children. Um, all
021three of my children were athletes in Sennsylvania schools. All three of them participated in sports. Multiple times every week they had practices. Allowing this to substitute physical education is not the answer and is not what is best for our students. Physical education in 2025 is very different from when I went to school. Um students are introduced to lifetime sports like golf and tennis. They focus on mental health and activities they can do to stay healthy such as yoga, meditation, um things like that. Uh students gain skills like teamwork and communication. They learn to work together with students who have different abilities and interests. It's a chance for students to take a mental break and have fun during their school day. This is especially important when we have students who are struggling mentally. Sorry, we are
022overloading many of them with heavy class loads in college level classes. It seems we're pushing them to complete things earlier and earlier instead of encouraging them to enjoy high school and have fun. The things I listed are just some of the many reasons why all students in high school should be required to take physical education. This class can be a way for them to learn to handle stress throughout their lives. There's a there's a room full of educators here tonight explaining to you why the PE waiver is not what is best for students. As the people who are in the classroom and in the buildings with our students, I hope you can trust our evidence that even though athletes and band members are getting exercise, that isn't what physical education is only about. PE these
023days is so much more than just games and exercise. Please trust us when we tell you that physical education is good for the well-being of our students both physically and mentally and after school practice or g practices or games cannot replace that. Thank you. >> Thank you [applause] >> Zack Coralooki. Good evening. My name is Zach Corooki. My address is 5071 Main Street. Um, I'm here tonight as a parent. I have two children in the district. Uh my wife and I actually moved into the district six years ago this December because of the school district. Um my wife is a North View alum and we were looking for a school district to bring up our children in and I wholeheartedly believe that Sennsylvania was the right choice for that. That being said, I stood in
024this exact same place last year talking about this exact same issue, and I'm frustrated as a resident that I'm here again to discuss the same issues that we had last year with the same questions, no resolutions that I'm aware of to change any of the issues, and we're still presenting the same information that we presented last year. Um, for example, high school athletes, the WIAA said that there is a has proven that there's a 62% increase in the risk of injury to an athlete when they participate in a single sport event. I coached soccer at Springfield High School for 9 years. The number of soft tissue injuries that high school girls presented with is absurdly high. And there is a huge correlation between single sport training and injury risk. I've heard that presented as a
025reason why PE should be eliminated. And I can tell you as in my experience as a coach that what we do as coaches is not education and curriculum based as presented to all of our students and athletes in Sennsylvania. I as a coach did not have a license for education. Another issue that I brought up last year at this time that I will bring up again and I think it is unfair to all of the educators in this room to consider activity the same as physical education. Education that they're getting in classrooms is curriculum based. It is not physically moving for the sake of motion. I as a soccer coach did not worry about proper nutrition, kinesiology, proper rest, working on meditation, yoga, recovery for athletes. My job was to make them the most game
026ready for a soccer game. My job was not to present them with the education that they need for the rest of their lives and the appreciation for physical activity that they find in PE class. Another point that I made last year that I want to reiterate this year is the social inclusion that happens at a high school and junior high level that you do not get in other classes. It's been brought up multiple times tonight, but in my opinion, the electives, especially physical education, are one of the few classes where you have the largest melting pot of students that you can have. And I believe it's a huge injustice to the entire student body to take that away from them with a PE waiver. Especially in today's world where so many kids already do not
027have enough physical activity. The increased risk of childhood and junior obesity is higher than it's ever been. Our health care system is strained in a way that it it's never seen before. And a resolution to that is not to eliminate physical education from our school. I really hope that you reconsider this. I was hoping that last year after we had this conversation that the voice of the residents was loud enough and pronounced enough that we wouldn't be doing this again. And I hope that you keep that in consideration because as I alluded to when I started, my wife and I came into this district looking for the best opportunity for our children to succeed. I believe that is the goal of this board and I hope that you prove that by reconsidering your stance on
028this because I wholeheartedly believe that a PE waiver is not what's in the best interest of our children. Thank you. >> Thank you. Okay, with that we [clears throat] are with you, Adam. >> All right, I just have uh one item for um looking to get approved 3.1 bid acceptance with Mami Bay Turf. We did have um we publicly bid uh our Nerf Northview turf. Um it has been 12 seasons that we've had that back in when those got installed. They generally had a useful life of anywhere between seven and 10 years. We were able to get 12 years out of it. So, it we knew this was coming. Um, and we went out to bid. We got a bid. The lowest bid was 150,000 below estimate, which is a good thing. Uh, we did
029have eight uh people uh submit bids last Friday. So, the lowest uh responsible bidder would be Mommy Bay uh turf center out of Oregon. And um [clears throat] the resolution is attached. If you have any >> I'll move approval. I'll second. Any comments or questions? I >> I do have a question. So I know we've got an agreement with Lords um for portions. Correct. >> Yeah. >> So and I know they're having discussions, but we have I mean we have a contract with them, right? >> Yeah. So we have a contract. The contract stipulates 40% will be paid by uh Lord, 60% us. >> Okay. >> Um so >> and they're going to pay their 40%. >> That's the understanding. Yeah. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Anybody else? >> Adam. >> Julie? >> Yes. >>
030Kim? >> Yes. >> Tammy? >> Yes. >> Greg? >> Yes. >> Dan? >> Yes. >> Thank you. And we are with you, Dr. Mley. Thank you, Miss Hoffman. I recommend item 4.1, uh, policy for a first read, which is policy 5460, graduation requirements. >> That's all unless you want to have some discussion. >> Just for discussion, does any >> Just for discussion, there is not a vote this evening. >> There's no vote on this this evening. If um it moves to a second read, we would be voting on it on the at the next meeting. Is there any discussion about this policy? Yeah, I just had a question is, you know, I guess one of my thoughts if is and I don't know what we can and can't, you know, by law put in there,
031but can we like I don't want it to be I'm hoping the waiver like there I think there should be a reason to get the waiver like not just hey I want a free period but they want to take another class or take a CCP class or you know need need the time to to work a job or something like that. Is there anything we can do to I don't know how to word it, but like you have you can't just get the waiver just to get it. Like you have to have a reason for it. Does that make sense? >> We can explore what those options are. I know that it is a concern that someone's just not taking the PE waiver to sit in a study hall and to opt out, right, >>
032or to flex in or flex out, right? >> Um we can certainly explore what some um options would be for our students. I know I would have to look at what the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce says what we can and cannot do, but we also have a number of districts in the community that have this PE waiver in place. And one thing we can do is take the opportunity is to learn from them about how they've managed that type of scenario. >> Okay. And another question I have, I know there's been talk about flex the f you mentioned flexing in and out. Isn't >> if someone's going to flex in and out, don't they have to get that approved at the building level? >> Yes. So it's students can't just come and go
033as they please, right? They have to get it approved. >> They need to get it approved. >> So So if it's getting out of control, is that a building level? >> Yes. >> Enforcement. >> It would be. >> It's only juniors and seniors, right? Correct. >> Correct. And I know that I can certainly um provide the board with what those numbers look like. Um I know we went down this road a couple of years ago. Correct, Mr. Xerov? And we did. in true transparency. We needed to tighten up how at the building level flex in and flex out was um being handled. And I know we put optics on like how many students are doing it. What are they leaving for? Because I think there was some perception that students weren't were just leaving. I
034think we need to make sure as students are opting in and out, it's by the guidelines stipulated in our course description book and our handbook such as for employment, [music] for internships, for CCP. I will also say there are parents who sign off on flex in and flex out and we do have regulations and expectations. I do believe there is a qualifier for even a GPA. Is that correct? >> Correct. Um, in regards to if you can continue to flex in and flex out, a couple of years ago, we did need to tighten that up. So, we can certainly revisit and I will share that information to our board members in regards to what those numbers look like this school year at this point in time. >> Okay. >> Thank you for that question. Thank
035you. >> Appreciate it. Anybody else? Okay. This is a second opportunity for public participation for items not on the agenda. Seeing none, I move that we adjourn. >> Second, >> Adam. >> Uh, Julie, >> yes. >> Greg, >> yes. >> Kim, >> yes. >> Tammy, >> yes. >> Dan, >> yes. >> Thank you.