Regular Board Meeting

001Good evening. Thank you, everyone. We will call to order the regular board meeting for this evening. If we could have everybody rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mrs. Ramirez, you have roll call, and I'd like to acknowledge that Mr. Whitman is on via Zoom. Uh we'll move on to the superintendent's report, Ms. Piazza. Good evening, everyone. I'm going to ask forgiveness up front. I have a lot of reading to do to do today with recognitions, and so I apologize if I stumble over it a little bit, but hopefully it'll go smoothly. Um unfortunately, though, I am starting today like we do all, you know, far too

002often with some moments of silence. We've had actually three individuals um from our our school community pass away here in the last um you know, last month or so. One of whom I will uh certainly mention here in a second, but we'll re um re-discuss him or talk about him as I have the opportunity to see his obituary. It was just brought to my attention a couple seconds ago. So, I want to at least uh you know, give our condolences, but I will um speak a little bit more about his service here to the district after I've I've read his obituary and have the information straight. So, the So, that one I will I will start with, and that is Mr. Richie Ricky. He was a teacher, educator, principal in our district for quite some

003time. Um normally I can give you those dates, and that's why I want to do you know, uh do a fair job in in discussing him in honor of him for our uh district family as well as his own family, but Mr. Richie spent his uh majority of if if not all of his career here as an educator, both a teacher and administrator. Um and as I said, I was just informed that he recently passed away, and so certainly send our condolences to his family, and again, we'll mention it a little bit more specifically next meeting. The second person I'd like to talk about, again, for those of you who've been around the district for quite some time will recognize the name of Thomas Blackton. Mr. Blackton was also an educator here in the district.

004Um he started in the district, if my dates are correct, I believe in '58. He was here through '84. Mr. Blackton served as a teacher. He started at Shaw um Middle School for those of you who remember Shaw over on South Side, and he taught English and social studies at that time. Following his teaching career, he uh transitioned to a stint of principalships. He was the principal at Forks Elementary School, uh two stints at Tracy Elementary School, Palmer Elementary School, and then he retired and came back to be uh an interim principal at Cheston Elementary School. During his tenure here, he was also um a coach of football, basketball, and baseball, and also coached um the Little Leagues in the in the community as well for 5 years. Uh you know, just a personal note,

005I've had the opportunity to personally know Mr. Blackton through not only my schooling here as as a youngster and a teacher, um but he and my father were friends, and so I had the the opportunity to know him a little bit through that friendship as well, and certainly know that he was wholly dedicated to his family and education. That was his passion in life was to make sure that he was passing on his privileges of a good education to those uh that he had the privilege of working with here in Easton School District, and so I certainly want to um you know, send our condolences to him and you know, to his family and to our Easton family. Uh he he dedicated a a lifetime to educating students and working within the Easton Area School

006District. The cert- the the third person I want to acknowledge tonight is Mr. Marvin Boyer. Marvin Boyer was uh an outstanding citizen born and raised here in in Easton, and spent um his lifetime and legacy being an advocate for uh the community, advocate for African-American um uh citizens, um and just an adv- advocate in general for students and and the health of a community. Mr. Boyer passed away uh last weekend, and he retired as a corporate officer from Walgreens, but as I said, as important as that was for sustaining his livelihood, his passion was around advocacy and leadership within the community. Mr. Boyer served um uh in the community on several different um several different venues. As a youngster, they recognized his leadership early on as he was an Eagle Scout uh uh an altar

007boy, worked through the basketball, baseball, football league as a youngster um as well. He went to um graduated from Notre Dame Notre Dame High School and Moravian College, but the majority of his life outside of his working um working career and his family was uh led him down activism. He participated with the Boys and Girls Club of Easton. He um served as the president of NAACP. He served in the Easton Area Community Center. Um he served as an advisory commissioner to the Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Project of Easton, Color of Justice, and the list goes on with his service to the community, all for um all for the sake of opportunity for citizens and uh strong role models for our citizens. And so, certainly is another individual who'll be missed amongst the community and amongst

008his friends and peers outside of the district, but he was also, you know, an advocate for our students and our community within the district, and certainly want to send our condolences to his friends and families as well. So, if we're going to take a moment of silence to acknowledge those three uh those three individuals, I would appreciate it. Okay, thank you. Okay. The next portion of my report, I have the uh distinct honor and privilege of recognizing three individuals, one of whom may not be here today, was feeling a bit ill, but three individuals who have been selected amongst her peers their peers, I should say, as um as the epitome of what the profile of a graduate stands for. Most of you know that the district undertook an uh an exercise of deciding what

009our profile should look like as it comes to soft skills. What do our um our our our um military force, our colleges, what do they want out of Easton graduates when they come out of school? And certainly they want a solid education with kids who know how to read, write, manipulate numbers, but they also talked about the characteristics that are not necessarily overtly taught all of the time. And those were things like cooperation, communication skills, um collaboration and so forth. And so the opportunity has been put before our staff for the past uh 2 years to recognize staff members and alumni um who have epitomized those characteristics as they transitioned into their adult life and and continue to lead as examples to our students moving forward. So, we have three individuals we're going to recognize

010today and this is where I'm going to ask for your grace as I read some longer profiles, but it's important that we're able to do do do our due diligence and really share um why they were selected from their group of peers. So, the first individual is Mrs. Katie Seames. Katie Seames is our um ESL coordinator, so she coordinates the services and staff that work um with our students who are multilingual. As a district ESL coordinator, Katie provided leadership and oversight uh for more over excuse me, for more than over 800 active multilingual learners in grades K through 12 as [clears throat] well as hundreds hundreds of students who continue to be monitored after reclassification. And what that means is if you're an English learner, you um have to pass some tests that say where

011your English aptitude has progressed over the years and when you progress to a certain point, we don't just forget about you. We continue to monitor and make sure you don't need additional supports from the district. Um and so, she has the 800 students who are active learners of the English language and those who have kind of progressed along, but may need us to just touch base with them. Um she works closely with a team of 37 staff members to ensure that multilingual learners across the Easton Area School District receive the services, instruction, and support they need to thrive. Throughout her tenure as the ESL coordinator, Katie has been a tireless advocate for multilingual students. Um the person who nominator goes on to say, I have personally witnessed her advocacy for essential language support as well

012as um mental health services >> [cough] >> excuse me, to ensure that students' academic emotional well-being well-being is adhered as being um attended to. Her advocacy extends beyond the students to include multilingual families whom uh she supports in accessing critical resources such as health care, utilities, shelter, food, and personal personal care needs. Katie's passion for language and culture is evident in her daily practices and in the way that she supports both teachers and students. She is a thoughtful listener who approaches challenges with care, collaboration, and a commitment to problem-solving so that every student has the opportunity to succeed. Katie uh Katie's intentions are never in question. Students and their families are always at the forefront of her work. Trustworthiness, dedication, and compassion, Katie works tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure equity and access for our

013multilingual learners. Her leadership has has a profound and lasting impact on our students, families, and school community. A colleague um commented, "It is an honor to work with Katie. I admire her commitment and passion for our students." So, without further ado, we'd like to uh provide a round of applause for Miss Katie Seames and thank her for all of her dedicated service. >> [applause] >> Miss Seames is the individual who um let us know that she wasn't feeling well today and most likely would not be here, but we certainly thank her for her services. She continues in that role um as we speak today. Our alumni uh recognition today goes to Miss Katrina Harrison, a law officer at Kenneth S. Cooper. Uh Katrina Harrison is a 2011 graduate of Easton Area High School, exemplifies the

014excellent and achievement reflected in our district profile of a graduate. Her academic journey includes earning a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and studying in internationally at the University of Paris Sorbonne in France, experience that had um that highlights her growth excuse me, highlights her growth and continuous learner um and global mindset as a professional. She has built an impressive career and has led to her current role as an attorney for the law office of Kenneth S. Cooper. Prior to this role, she served as a Delta um privacy counsel at Morgan, Lewis and Bockius LLP. Throughout her career, Katrina has demonstrated the competencies of effective communicator, innovative problem-solver, and collaborative professional. Prior to becoming an attorney, she served as the project manager where she coordinated more than 50 trans week while

015managing budgets and deadlines. Her work required precision, uh adaptability, and strong cross-cultural communication. She is um a she is a uh proofread and edited translated document she has proofread and edited translated documents for accuracy, uh recruitment, um so uh so and support of linguistic linguistics, I apologize. Negotiated rates and um and maintained strong professional partnerships. Katrina remains I think Katrina remains connected to the Easton community and recently returned to the Easton Area School uh middle school with family member to support their transition and orientation reflecting her character and engagement of empowerment of citizens. Katrina's accomplishments, professionalism, and global perspective embody the spirit of the Easton Area School District's profile of a graduate and represents the level of success we strive to cultivate in our students. So again, Katrina. Present. [applause] >> [applause] >> We certainly

016thank you for your influence and impact um on our students and community through your work and also through your advocacy for our students and your own families as they transition through our district. It is always an honor to uh see graduates succeed and come back and be able to share their experiences with our students and I'm thrilled that somebody on our staff or in your circle of of trusted friends uh took the time to acknowledge you and nominate you for this award. So, congratulations and thank you for being here. We do have a certificate um for you in recognition of this honor. So, if you don't mind coming forward. We certainly like to thank you and congratulate you. Congratulations. >> [applause] >> And I apologize, I skipped over once. I went a little bit out

017a little bit out of order, but uh never fail, we're we're back on track. So, our third individual is an individual who also works through us by uh by way of a partnership with Family Connection. Family Connection is our family center here in the Easton Area School District um and has been so I lost count about 20 28. I was going to say 24. For 28 years now has served our community um with with grace and diligence. They came into the role um advocating for parents who might need support when they're coming into building meetings, may need support with uh personal um um needs, you know, your well-being needs, whether be food, shelter, um health services. Um and they also ran an after uh a um preschool program for our youngest students. Within that, they

018also now picked up a new role with us in the district and that is our um our liaison, if you will, to our community schools. That partner for a number of years had been Communities In School, um but we made a transition and a mutual transition and asked Family Connection to be our partner with that because they have proven as a great partner for our district and our community and it made sense to have them be our lead partner in our community schools as they are housed in that in that building already. Um so, the person that we are recognizing has been doing exemplary work in our district um in the same manner under another leadership, the Communities In School as our community school liaison, but now is a proud proud um member of our

019Family Connection family and continues to do exemplary work for our community schools in our district. That individual is Mrs. Janine Ebenhart. Janine is the Paxinosa Elementary School uh uh community school coordinator. Janine um Ebenhart consistently demonstrates the core competencies of the Easton Area School District profile of a graduate through her leadership, compassion, and unwavering commitment to the students' success. In her role as community school coordinator at Paxinosa Elementary School, she models effective communication, empathetic collaboration, and empowered citizen and citizenship in her daily work with students, families, staff, and community partners. Janine is a highly effective communicator who builds trust and fosters strong relationships across the school community, ensuring students and families feel supported, connected, and valued. She approaches challenges in an innovative innovative problem-solving way, working collaboratively to identify the needs >> [cough] >> Excuse

020me. And remove barriers to learning learning and engagement. >> [cough] >> Excuse me. Her work reflects emotional intelligence, adaptability, and the mindset of continuous learning. All of which contribute to the positive, inclusive, and supportive school climate. Through her role, Janine exemplifies the skills and disposition we seek in we seek to cultivate in our EASD graduates graduates, engaging learners, responsible citizens, empathetic collabor- empathetic collaborators, critical thinkers that prepare that prepare to contribute meaningfully to our community. And again, um knowing Janine, you know, from many for many years here, this certainly captures the essence of who she is, and I think there is so much more that can be said about the work that she does. She is certainly a connective >> [cough] >> a connective unit um between the schools and our community partners for that

021leverages resources both uh fiscal supply, but more importantly the volunteerism and the support of our school and community. And she does that through the leadership of Family Connection. Janine is a is a staple at Paxinosa. Her reach is reach far beyond Paxinosa um as she and our other community community school partner work closely in tandem um and she has certainly um brought in all of our schools as part of her advocacy and and support network as she's seeking resources for the district. So, we couldn't be more proud of acknowledging her and thank the person who acknowledged her in terms of a an application. She is certainly more than deserving, so if you'll give join me in giving Janine a round of applause. >> [applause] >> And Janine, we have a certificate um from the organization

022thanking you for your service as well. And I'd be remiss if I didn't share the fact that many of her colleagues um and board are here to support support her as well, and so thank you very much. >> [applause] >> We appreciate your support. Okay, give me give me 1 second. Okay. One more uh uh quick announcement and then a few shout-outs. Um another announcement that is actually happening tomorrow, so we'd like to draw some early attention to it is um that our uh What's So Cool About Manufacturing uh team project at the Easton Area Middle School is underway and much to be proud of. They're actually going tomorrow uh to Stabler Arena to uh Lehigh the Lehigh campus to uh receive some awards and be recognized there and as well as acknowledge their peers

023across the the valley who have engaged in um this manufacturing engineering um this project and mindset as they're giving themself a leg up in their education and kind of finding a pathway that gives them some um some experience that that may not always fit traditionally into what we're doing in the classroom depending on the pathway that they're choosing. And for our middle schoolers to get an early start on that, that's a pretty impressive undertaking and certainly um kudos to them for spending you know, spending the time into our staff for providing those opportunities. For those of you who may be interested, the awards program tomorrow, it's tomorrow March 25th at Lehigh University in Stabler Arena, and it starts at 4:45 and will conclude approximately 4 5:45. Stem There will be STEM activities in the in

024the lobby during that time period. 5:45 to 6:45, there'll be an expo of the manufac- of manufacturing tables um as well as some sweet treats that they'll make available. And then 6:45 to 8:00 p.m. will be the actual um award program. This will be captured live on WFMZ-TV. So, if you're able and interested in attending, you are certainly welcome to um reserve some tickets, and if you need further information, you can reach out to the middle school or here to Dr. Draper who I'm sure can provide you information on how to reserve tickets as well. So, I would like to thank Mr. Percell who is uh the lead um lead uh faculty member who has worked with these students to move them through this pathway. So, thank you to him and congratulations ahead of time

025to our students who are being recognized at Stabler tomorrow. Uh last couple of shout-outs as I always do, thanks to Mrs. Ramirez who keeps me on track. We have a few groups uh that are employees of our district who will have their national um day, week, or month of recognition. And so, I'm going to share this ahead of time, so as you see these individuals, you can certainly express your gratitude to them. For uh on April 1st, it is paraprofessional appreciation day. We have uh pro- I'm going to be wrong off on our number, but approximately 90 to 100 paraprofessionals in our district who work tirelessly with our students on a number of um in a number of ways from classroom support through cafeteria support, security support, nursing support, and certainly they're an integral part

026of our district. So, uh certainly uh want to recognize them and and wish them a happy appreciation day on April 1st. The second group are our school librarians. Their uh national appreciation day is April 4th. And again, we have uh librarians at at each of our buildings who um continue to uh introduce students to books, to research, to um processes in terms of accessing knowledge, technology, and partner with our teachers on projects projects and lessons that they're doing in their classrooms. And so, it is a a space where kids can have some quiet relaxation and reflection and do some work. It's also a space for them to learn about good literature and expand their horizons around books, um technology, and writing that they might not otherwise explore on their own. So, we certainly appreciate the

027work that our librarians do, and congratulations to them as well. And then the week of um April 6th through 10th is National Assistant Principal Week. And again, a uh a job that um you can't say enough about the roles that our that our principals have to do as well, and our assistant principals um are no different than the head principals in that their days are filled with busy interactions with students and families and teachers um and certainly trying to um support our kids in a positive manner and work with our kids when indiscretions happen in a positive in a positive light as well. So, to our assistant principals, we thank you for all that you do. And with that, I believe that concludes my report for now. So, thank you. Until I think of something

028you think of something else. Okay, that's fine. >> All right. Next, we'll move on to reports. Um we um the Easton Area School District held the following executive sessions February 24th, 2026 for negotiations and legal and confidential matters, and on March 10th for contract negotiations negotiations and informational. Okay. Next, we will move on to um Colonial Intermediate Unit 20, Mr. Snyder. Yes, thank you. Real quick, the uh the monthly uh the monthly newsletter was was emailed to your inbox on February 26th. Uh if you note on the agenda today, the agenda item 10A is their general operating budget. Uh Dr. Wolf was here a few weeks ago to present uh their general operating budget, and I think that is the the next meeting is tomorrow. Other than that, there's no other report. Thank you. All

029right. Next, uh we have the Easton Area Public Library. Good evening, everyone. I'm Betsy Walker from the Easton Area Public Library. Um our programs are continuing to boom. You can read what what I've sent ahead, but um there's an electronic newsletter, and I was looking at it this month. There were 41 different programs, but when you look at them, everybody thinks it's all those kitty book times. 11 [clears throat] of them were for adults. 13 of them were for older kids. So, the programs have been just booming. A lot of that happens because of the generosity of our Friends of the Library, and one of the things that they do that is of specific interest to the school district is that every year they give two $500 scholarships um to graduating seniors. All of you

030who are your seniors, remember that. The deadline is Friday, May the 1st to apply. Um the library has received a $10,000 grant from the Carnegie Foundation celebrating the 250th birthday of the signing of the Declaration. We are um the library is, of course, a Carnegie library. There are a little not quite 1,300 that still operate, and 750 of them use their Carnegie buildings. We had our partnership start with this school district 160 years ago when we were the Library Association, and in 1901, that's when the tax to get library services happened, and that is how we got a Carnegie grant because that was one of the stipulations. And I always think it's sort of interesting. I like history a lot, but the interesting thing about this is that when we got this dedicated land to

031get the free public library given by Carnegie, it was done through the efforts, huge efforts through William White Cottingham. So, it's just one of those things that when I'm also involved with taking the fourth graders through the historic Easton Cemetery. And one of the things that we tell the the fourth graders is how schools were not K through 12 before, how William White Cottingham was superintendent for 60 years. So, for those of you um you know, who want to be superintendent for 60 years, go at it, but he started at 28. You're going to have to hurry up. Um mentioning the 250th birthday of the country, everybody's going to be celebrating that. And so, um we are Marx Room is the home of the Easton flag. And so, there's going to be a lot of

032attention to that. And so, I've asked Ali to hand out some of our just happening swag, um bottle openers and of course bookmarks. We're just starting to get those. T-shirts are going to be at the library. Everybody's going to be doing stuff. But I give you the preview of the newest library card that you can come and get with the flag on it. So, there's probably not going to be any kind of dearth of um things that you can have with the Easton flag on it. Um the other thing is that the Marx Room is really well used for all kinds of genealogy studies, for all kinds of things. But in celebration of the 250th birthday, they will also be generating historic facts about Easton and about Northampton County. I did not realize until I

033saw one of them that Northampton County once in encompassed Lehigh and a whole bunch of other counties. So, look for those things at the library. There's going to be a lot happening there. And also, the library is involved with the city. And I'm sure that the whole city and the school district, although it will be during summer vacation, everyone will be celebrating that. So, that's it, unless you have questions. Thank you very much. Thank you, Ms. Walker. All right, next we have Career Institute of Technology. Would any Dr. Keegan? Yeah. Do you have Okay, you did this. Okay. So, um Friday, March 6th was the CIT National Technical Honor Society Induction Ceremony. I just wanted to list the names of the Easton students that were um inducted. Penelope Alestus, Brian Bittle, Danique Dominique, Nicholas Hall,

034Lilyvette Hearn Hearn Hearn Hearn Hearn Hearn Hannah Cline Top, Hannah McIntyre, Sharley Smith, Ellie Spidle, and Kendra Son. Thank you. All right, I'll add a little bit to that. Um based on that, there were 28 new members inducted. Uh they participated DECA participated in the state competition. Uh they will become they will be competing in the What's So Great About Manufacturing Competition. And I do have to say, I think for the >> [clears throat] >> last, I don't know how many years, they've won the cupcake competition. And if you have been at CIT and eating the the cupcakes, you'll understand why. Um I want to congratulate Nicholas Hall. He was the February afternoon student of the month. He's an 11th grader here at Easton. And they will be holding a clothing drive on April 9th

035from 3:00 to 6:00 at CIT and and April 18th from 9:00 to 1:00 at the Fidelity Bank on Sullivan's Trail in Forks. Okay, that's uh concludes for Career Institute. Uh next we have Northampton Community College, Mr. Fainal. Thank you. So, it seems like one of the standard themes here tonight has to do with manufacturing. And uh manufacturing, machining, and things like that. 2 months ago, when Dr. Ruth was here, he addressed to addressed everybody and had shown a picture up there of some of the areas we're starting to convert for new machining. This past month, as you'll notice in the report, we again talked about it. And not only the funding, but now we're getting three programs lined up for the students to take in the machining area. And obviously, we're hopefully by uh the

036time it starts in the fall, we're going to have full enrollment in those programs. Along those lines, uh this afternoon I attended a program. Uh it's an endowment that was done by the Shafer family. Uh Shafer doesn't ring a bell, but probably Just Born Candies does. Uh that started 41 years ago. And what they do, they bring in uh different executives from across the valley or whatever that are associated with the college and otherwise that are leaders in the area. And uh this afternoon was Rob Albert, um who is the president of B. Braun. And uh you know, again thinking about manufacturing and all, he today and earlier this week, they had taken the students and shown them and given them tours through B. Braun, talked to them about opportunities and everything that are there

037for students that are uh in the in the community college program, a 2-year, where they can go there, uh be working, uh that there's programs where they end up being able to pay for them to continue their education and things like that. Again, going back to 2 months ago and prior to that, when we talked about different types of programs where students can start to get involved in everything as they're going through their community college career. And uh you know, he shared a lot of details about what they do, size of the company and everything, which is privately held. And uh you know, what they supply and everything to the marketplace, to the medical field. So, again, interesting programs. And just like you, at this time of year, everything seems to start to pick up

038as you head towards graduation. And uh we'll be doing the same. So, thank you. Thank you, Bob. >> [clears throat] >> All right, next we have Foundation for Easton Schools, Ms. Sayago. Thank you, Mrs. Hess. So, the one thing that I want to talk about this evening is uh the foundation is hosting, as I have mentioned, a dance-a-thon at Cottingham Stadium on April 26th. Now, I know you're all thinking, I don't need to go to this cuz I don't dance. But that is not true. You don't have an excuse to not go. This is going to just be a big party at Cottingham. It's $10 to get in, whether you want to dance or just come and hang out and support the foundation. I told a few board members earlier, I um I'm sponsoring the

039event, which allows me 10 tickets. And as a school board and superintendent, we are a team of 10. And so, I am giving each uh member of the board, as well as Superintendent Piazza, a ticket. So, you can come out to that event and um also meet one of your school board members, in addition to supporting the district. So, I hope to see everyone there. Registration is available for participants on the website. And we are also still looking for sponsors. So, if you know of any local businesses that would like to sponsor, uh we would uh appreciate their support. Thank you. So, following the exemplary leadership of Ms. Sayago, I am going to purchase tickets on behalf of our cabinet and executive team. So, you too can enjoy the the festivities without having to buck

040up the $10 admission fee. So, look forward to seeing you all there. All right, everybody get their dancing shoes on. >> [laughter] >> Sneakers. Sneakers. Sorry, sneakers. For our students and and public in the audience, for those of you who may not have heard previously, I think the plan is still to go through decades and play music from, you know, each each decade of time over course of the hour. So, you know, if you happen to be a fan or born in the era of the '60s, there'll be some music or graduate in the '60s, there'll be some music to that. '70s, '80s, so on and so forth. So, it should be a fun night. And we do encourage you to come out and just have a little fun and and uh you know, dance

041or or see the the other set, you know, um settings and tables that are out there for our community to enjoy. So, it should be a fun night at Cottingham. Ms. Sayago, what dec- I'm not going to promise anything. >> [laughter] >> All right, next we have the Charles Chrin Science and Technology Initiative. I have no report this time. We'll move on to student reports. Thank you, Jack. >> [snorts] >> Good evening, everyone. This month, we held the Gymnastics Special Olympics at the middle school. It was a big success. There were tons of participants and volunteers, and everyone had a great time. We also have many volunteers to help out with the Track and Field Special Olympics. That's held at uh Liberty High School at the end of April. Last week, we had our exact

042board meeting. Everyone's currently working on fundraising money, and the senior class has begun their preparations for prom. There were no major concerns brought up in the open forum. Sign-ups for EAG are currently going on as we get closer to that. EAA Chess Day is also coming up in May. And the exact board and senior student council have also begun meeting with the principals to work out all the details for graduation. And that's all I have. Are there any questions? All right, thank you. Thank you. I'm getting excited for this one. I have to tell you. >> [laughter] >> Association reports, EAA, Mr. Quinn. So, uh yeah, I have the hat on. Uh as the kids at Forks apparently are saying now, I'm the man with the hat. Not to be confused with the man in

043the suit, which they know, like if there's somebody in a suit, it's somebody important from the district. So, I'm just the man with the hat. I'm not an important person. Um So, a couple weeks ago, uh National Read Across America Day, Dr. Seuss Week, and NEA's Read Across America all coincided. I guess I sort of missed the memo that it was just supposed to be a day or a week. Uh and I had so much fun reading that I guess I didn't really care if I just stuck to the day or the week. Um instead I've had the pleasure of going into our schools across the district all through March, all through this month, and reading to students from kindergarten all the way to eighth grade. I actually still have a couple more visits planned

044to elementary schools and one to the high school to read Shakespearean sonnets as well, so I'm looking forward to that. Uh one of the purposes of my visits, other than just reading to Easton students in different classes, is to deliver books that the Easton Area Education Association bought for each school. Uh for each of the elementary schools and middle school, we donated a book called How to Write a Poem by Kwame Alexander. So, this is what the book looks like. It's a really uh it's a really neat book, and the whole point is that uh anybody can write. Everybody has ideas, everybody has imagination, and all you need is for those ideas to flow sort of through your body, down your arm, into your hand, and out through your pencil. So, it's a really neat

045way for the kids to realize that they can write, and that poetry is really just about what you're thinking and what your emotions are. Uh so, it really, you know, is inclusive for everyone. Um for the middle and high schools, the EAEA bought and donated a book called A Fu Love Story by um Loanne Lay. It's essentially a modern-day Vietnamese-American uh Romeo and Juliet. So, sort of a neat thing. And those um the middle school got both books cuz it's it's a pretty wide uh you know, wide spectrum at the middle school. So, uh in addition to the book donations, I was able to deliver bookmarks, erasers, pencils, stickers, and other fun goodies to the classes when I visited and read. We read everything from Richard Scarry to Steven Kellogg to Dr. Seuss. What hit

046me and inspired me most though, as I got to visit all of our different students in the district, is how sweet, kind, empathetic, hard-working, and loving all of the kids were. They welcomed me to their classrooms, were respectful and curious while I read, and were appreciative and polite when I gave them their goodies. I talked last month about the fact that test scores don't and can't define our students or our teachers. And my visits this month only further reinforce that fact. We have such wonderful kids from all walks of life in this district, and the human beings they are becoming is a testament to the students, their parents, our teachers, and the community we have in Easton. If I can leave leave everyone with a homework assignment, I want everyone to find a child to

047read to sometime in the next week. Whether it's your child, grandchild, family friend, or someone else's child entirely, take the time to share a book. I feel a lot like LeVar Burton, and for those of you guys who are old enough or have watched some of the newer versions, um you know, the spirit of Reading Rainbow and watching those shows really hit me a lot, and it really uh it really hit me that our kids really can do anything, and they can be anything, but they just need a little bit of help from us. So, thank you very much. Thank you. [clears throat] Okay, do we have any other associations here this evening? PTA? Anyone else? All right. Next, we have public to be heard on agenda items. Is there anyone in the public who

048would like to be heard on agenda items? No? Okay. Moving on. Um Have it noted that executive session Oh, we did that. Sorry. It's on there twice, sir. Okay, next we will have um approval of the minutes. Motion to approve the minutes of the following meetings. Standing Committee Meeting, February 10th. Academic Can you clarify agenda items versus non-agenda items? I have a non-agenda item, but I'd like to speak. That's why I'm here tonight. Non-agenda items will be at the end. Thank you. Okay, so next we will move on to approval of the minutes. Motion to approve the minutes of the following meetings. Standing Committee Meeting of February 10th. Standing Committee Meetings of February 10th. Uh Academics, Budget and Finance, Buildings and Grounds, Safety and Security, Educational Technology and Student Supports, and the Regular Board Meeting

049of February 24th. Motion. Second. Any questions or discussion? All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Okay, next we will move on to Personnel. Um We'll take items A, B, C, D, E. Well, we'll just take all of them. I'll just read them. All right, we'll take all the items. Okay, A, motion to motion with regrets and best wishes to approve the following retirements as presented. B, motion to approve the following resignations as presented. C, motion to approve the following leave of absences as presented. D, motion to approve the following administrative transfers as presented. E, motion to approve the follow following voluntary transfers as presented. F, motion to elect the following support staff as presented pending receipt of all forms and documents required by the district. G, motion to elect the following coach as presented pending receipt

050of all forms and documents required by the district. H, motion to elect the following volunteer coaches as presented pending receipt of all forms and documents required by the district. I, motion to approve the following support staff substitutes as presented pending receipt of all forms and documents required by the district. J, motion to approve the following temporary employment agreement between the Easton Area School District and retiree for the 25-26 school year as presented. K, motion to elect the 26-27 fall coaching appointments as presented. L, motion to approve the memorandum of understanding between the Easton Area School District and Delaware Valley University as presented. And that would be the end. I need a motion. Second. Is there any questions or discussion on all of those items or any of those items? All in favor? Aye. Any opposed?

051Okay, next we will move on to Academics. These two items. A, motion to approve the support ed updated EL ELD contract as presented. And B, motion to approve the following field trips as presented. Motion. Second. Any questions or discussion? All in favor? Aye. Aye. And any opposed? All right. Next, we will move on to Athletics. Um A, motion to approve the baseball team trip to Cooperstown as presented. Motion. Second. Any questions or discussion? All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? All right, next we move on to 10. Uh motion to e- approve the financial matters as presented. The Treasurer's Report, the General Fund Revenue and Expenditure Report, monthly student activity statements for EAMS and EAHS, the bill register for regular and AHC, the general funds, the special activities, capital projects, new EAHS, and food services. And

052then we will have B, motion to approve the Shane Lamas Legacy of Kindness Scholar Scholarship as presented. C, motion to approve motion to appoint and approve Jack Trent as the Northampton Tax Collection Committee delegate for the Easton Area School District. D, motion to approve the settlement stipulation with Agree Shelf PA LLC, 15 1519 Sullivan Trail as presented. E, motion to approve the settlement stipulation with Willow Properties 328 LLC as presented. F, motion to approve the attached request to establish a student activity account, the sick sick student uh student sick student association as presented. G, motion to approve the food service management renew contract for the 2026-27 as presented. H, motion to approve the Colonial IU 20 2026-27 budget as presented. And if I may excuse [clears throat] me, make one correction just for the record,

053for letter E, it is a settlement stipulation Willow Properties number 28 LLC. Thank you. Mhm. Okay, any questions or discussion? I have Oh, I'm sorry, motion. Uh motion. Second. Okay, any questions or discussion? Yeah, uh two on on 10A, and then I just a comment on 10H. Uh on 10H, just I I'd asked this before. Um in the check register, there was a check for Alloy 5 for like $789,000. Um and going back, we paid them so far for the high school renovation of about $4,900,000. Do we I I had asked this before. I don't remember if I got an answer about what they're about what we're going to be end up paying them. Uh somebody told me a guideline on these projects is 8%. I don't know if that's correct or not. That came

054from somebody who doesn't work in education. That then I have a question on the other item, too. I'm certainly looking into that for you, etc. I know most of that those payments have been up front loaded through the design phase, which we're now getting towards the phase that we'll be bidding it out, which will reduce the amount that we owe Alloy. Um so a lot of that was kind of front loaded, but the exact percentage I'd have to double check that to just to speak about that, you know, correctly. >> Okay, thank you. Just just cuz it's it you know, $5 million is a big number, and if it's 3% or 4% 5% that's fine. I just kind of want to want to know what what to look at, right? >> do that. Absolutely, no

055problem. Great, thank you. And then uh if I may on on 10H, the Colonial IU 20 budget, uh just for the board's information in case you weren't aware, uh the IU committee has not uh approved that budget yet. That is not even come up for a vote. Uh and in fact, it is not even on tomorrow's agenda yet. So it'll likely come up for a vote in April. I did go back in the records and look that they did approve it last April as well with the board that I'm on, uh but I believe it's been the last 3 years where there was no increase. So that's why I, speaking for myself, I was okay with passing the budget even though the IU hadn't voted on it yet because there was no increase. But now

056this year, of course, we have a 3 and 1/2% increase. We're looking at Easton's share about $68,000 uh with a 3% the 3 and 1/2% increase is a is a bottom line number of 2299. So just some numbers if if if anybody had missed the presentation uh 2 weeks ago or had any other questions. But I figured that was worth mentioning that since there is an increase, the IU budget has not technically been passed by our committee there yet. So that's just a general comment uh not meant to sway either way, just informational. Thank you. Thank you. All right, is there any other questions or comments? Okay. All in favor? I. I. Any opposed? I'm opposed to the payments to Home Depot. You're 10A. All right, and I will >> Yes to everything else. I

057will be a no for H. I'm a no on H, as well. I'm a no on H, also. Okay. Next we'll be moving on to buildings and grounds safety and security. We have A, motion to approve the contracts with On Demand for lawn care services as presented. That is the only one. Motion. Second. Any questions or discussion? Yeah, so another question on that. Sorry to keep everyone for the for the grass cutting contract, and I put my notes here. Um I see that it's by property. And it also something in their references the document about uh per Easton request. If if they don't cut a property, we don't get billed for that. That's correct. So if if one of the properties doesn't need to be cutting and it's omitted or there's been a drought or

058it's too rainy, I just want to make sure that that's clear in the the contract that we're still not getting billed if there's a delay. And also at request, that means if it's unnecessary, we can request that oh, the Ed Center doesn't need it. It's been really dry. It hasn't grown. So I just want to make sure we kind of have those guards in there. Thank you. Yeah, Mr. Snyder, that is correct. Uh typically that does occur in August during times when it's dry. And then I reach out to the contractor and let them know that, you know, there's no need to cut one, two, or you know, possibly 3 weeks you know, in time of drought. So that that does currently occur. It's occurred in the past and continues in this contract. Okay, thank

059you. Okay, thank you. Okay. Any other questions or discussion? All in favor? I. I. Any opposed? All right, next we'll move on to 12, Educational Technology and Student Supports. Uh A, motion to approve the E-rate proposals as presented. And B, motion to approve Mind Matters LLC IEE contract as presented. Motion. Second. Any questions or discussion? All in favor? I. I. Any opposed? All right, next we'll move on to Personnel and Negotiations. We have A, motion to approve the attached coordinator job description as presented. And B, motion to approve the Memorandum of Understanding between the Easton Area School District and the Easton Area Educational Support Personnel Association PSE/NEA as presented. Motion. Second. Any questions or discussion? All in favor? I. I. Any opposed? Okay. Next we'll move on to Policy. A, motion to approve Policy 204

060Attendance as presented. B, motion to approve Policy 218.1 Weapons as presented. C, motion to approve Policy 808 Food Services as presented. And D, motion to approve Policy 918 Title 1 Parent and Family Engagement as presented. Motion. Second. Any questions or discussion? All in favor? I. Any opposed? All right, next we have Other Business. A, motion to approve the settlement agreement as presented. And B, B is just information, Miss Hass. If I could speak to it when we get there. Okay. B, >> [clears throat] >> the Special Education Plan 2026 to 2029 update. So if you want to take A separately. Okay, we can do that. That's fine. We can take A separately. Motion on A. Second. Okay, any questions or discussion? All in favor? I. Any opposed? All right, then in informational purposes, I think

061I don't need a motion, do I? Okay. Thanks, I appreciate that. >> Sure. So I'm going to also ask Mr. Killen to join here, too. But wanted to give the board a quick brief summary in regard to what the special education plan is for. So every 3 years we update our special education plan for the state of Pennsylvania. Within that plan, they have, you know, quite a few things and things that we need to improve, some information regarding our case managers in the districts and the programs that we offer. Um and Mr. Killen, since he's been on board with us in as the director, I would say the second week hit the ground running and you know, convened a team of administrators and and teachers and staff and has worked with the one of the

062directors in the state in in regard to our plan itself. Shawn will be giving a full presentation at the standing committee meeting in April regarding this, but we wanted to put it on here as a draft just so you could see. It is just that. It's actually changed a little bit since Friday when we posted it in full transparency. Um but the public needs to do a 28-day review of this. We're going to post that online probably next week. So we wanted to make sure that the board had, you know, they were able to view it before we did that for the public. So you can go ahead and take a look at that. And then once it goes up for review with the public for the 28-day period, then we will bring it back

063for board for approval. But wanted to make sure that you were aware of that. Mr. Killen, anything you want to add to that for The plan is up as of right now. >> Okay. So and also just for to help with parents, you know, typically we would have an email responding. So we created a Google Form, really easy, just connected to the plan. So community members can review the plan and then provide any any feedback to our team over the 28-day review. When the 28-day review closes, we will take all that feedback and make adjustments as necessary. And then we will vote at the regular board meeting at the end of April, and then it'll be submitted May 1st to the state for review. Okay. Uh is there any public to be heard on non-agenda

064items? Now would be the time. Come up and sign in. Let us know what municipality you're from, and you'll have your 5 minutes to speak. >> [snorts] >> Um my name is Mary Ann Sufroni. I've been here before. It's now 8 months that my daughter has been enrolled at Easton Area Middle School, where she endures bullying on a daily basis. According to the code of conduct, Easton Area Middle School should be a safe and productive learning environment to ensure the success of all students. With cooperation from students, from parents, guardians, administrators, teachers, support staff, and the community at large, this is possible. But at Easton, this is nonexistent. I have come to the school board meeting in January playing the voicemail my daughter received that threatened her life. I was hoping things would get better,

065that people would show some empathy towards an 11-year-old child that is nondeserving of these actions. She's here, right back here. She was punched close fist today, by by way. Rather, nothing has changed and these actions have only progressed. According to statistics, 70% of teachers know and witness bullying firsthand and do nothing about it. When you have a whole classroom of children shouting, "It was better when you weren't here." or "Boo." as my daughter walks into the classroom, it's clear that the consequences are not changing the behavior of the bullies or that the teachers are complacent and acting. Her phone number is handed out by other children like candy on Halloween night. A typical Friday night for my daughter consists of random phone numbers calling her, harassing her, stating things like, "We are watching you from

066your kitchen window." as well as calling her fat, ugly, dumb, or that she has chopped up bangs. I don't find any of these actions funny. I don't find it appropriate to raise children that deliberately hurt others. I think that it is a mental health condition to continue doing this. She has received text messages confirming that the whole student body is involved at Easton Area Middle School targeting her because she is ugly. According to Officer Ramali, there is nothing wrong with targeting my Juliet, bullying my Juliet. There is nothing wrong with handing out her phone number even though she's a minor and only 11 years old, and there's nothing wrong with leaving a death threat on her voicemail. As of most recently, teachers will state things to her like, "You're annoying." and "You have an attitude

067problem." in front of her classmates and other teachers. The only person with an attitude problem is the teacher who obviously doesn't love what he is doing, otherwise he wouldn't find children annoying. Students are randomly reporting her for feeling uncomfortable around her. The only person that should feel uncomfortable walking through those doors daily is my daughter who has been the target of the nastiest bullying and smearing campaign at Easton Area Middle School, which the school is obviously aware of and has been aware of. When I reach out to speak to the staff, I'm not addressed by my name, rather I'm Juliet's mother or Cecilia's mother. There is no level of respect. Actually, it is said that narcissists often avoid using names to dehumanize you, maintain power, and establish emotional distance. I have requested on more than

068one occasion to be addressed by my name. My name's Mary Ann Sofronie in case you guys didn't know that. So, from this point on, I want my name to be used in all correspondence. I've also tried to have a meeting with the superintendent, but she has yet to respond to an email or a phone call. Rather, she will send someone else to reach out to me. As a taxpayer with a student that attends the school, I was told by the Pennsylvania Board of Education that it is standard to escalate this matter to the superintendent and they have an obligation to respond. But at Easton, they don't follow any rules. It's funny how when 69 News was at my house and came to interview us in regards to the bullying, they're still waiting to hear back

069from Easton Area School District on the bullying that has been occurring, which is documented and I came and spoke to you guys about in January. I'm sure you'll say it's an isolated incident and it may be, but it's not normal for staff and students to continue targeting an innocent child who is kind, empathetic, smart, beautiful, charismatic, and braver than all of her bullies. She's the brightest student in that school and her light dims everyone else's and that's the problem. And [snorts] you guys need to do something. Tomorrow, I better get a phone call from the superintendent because my daughter was punched today in gym class with a closed fist. Her nose hurts as she's sitting here. This is the sixth physical altercation because the director of transportation as he knows there's been four incidents on

070the school bus and I still have yet to get the video footage of it. It needs to stop. You guys talk about how great the student body is. You guys talk about how well and kind the students are. Why aren't they kind to my daughter? Why are they treating her and harming her on a daily basis? Would you guys feel comfortable walking into those schools or would you have anxiety going to school every single day, having a belly ache, having a headache? I'm sick of it. We deserve respect. We've done absolutely nothing to any of the school board members. We've done nothing to any teachers or any citizens in Easton Area. More so, I've raised millions of dollars for many sick children through muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis. I'm a graduate from Drexel University. I

071graduated from Easton Area High School with Matthew Boltz right over there. I deserve respect from everybody and so does my daughter. I was here in January and I'm not going to stop until it stops and I will make it known all over the United States that this is happening here and it is a bigger issue that is derived from the staff. It's not just the students. It's not just the parents. It is the staff. >> [applause] >> Okay. Is there anyone else from the public to be heard on non-agenda items? Okay. Seeing none, do we have any other business from board members? Okay. Um this I would I sure I'm going to miss some, but I I'd like to congratulate all of our students and staff and all the individuals who were involved in the

072play. Unfortunately, I didn't get to make it this year, but it's usually a a great presentation and so I hope everyone enjoyed it. Um I'm sure I'll miss some of our uh athletics, but I know we have our girls basketball who won several different titles. That was exciting. We had our indoor Is it indoor cross country? Indoor track? Um our girls, correct? Um who else am I missing? Multiple boys and girls wrestling state medalists. Girls and boys state medalists. So, I'm sure Dr. Dr. Boltz in swimming. Well, I'm sure we will have a little bit of a presentation on that, but I just wanted to congratulate everybody with that. Is there anybody else on the board? No? All right. If so, if I can call for adjournment at 8:02. Motion. All in favor? Aye. Any

073opposed? All right. Thank you. Have a good evening. Thank you.