2025-06-10 MTLSD School Board Discussion Meeting

001Hello and welcome to the discussion meeting of the Mount Lebanon Board of School Directors. Tonight is Monday, June 9th, 2025. It is 7:37 p.m. Uh we're present in room D205 of the Mount Lebanon High School and public participation is also available via Zoom. Uh roll call, please. Mrs. Berdick, here. Mrs. Crrael, here. Mrs. Fleer here. Mrs. Gellman, here. Mrs. Gensel here, Mrs. Goof here, Mr. Hoffman here, Miss Johnson here, Mr. Wland here, all present. Thank you. Um, we are going to start tonight's agenda with a superintendent report. Uh, we're pushing this up in the sequence as Dr. Freeze will be remote next week. Thank you. So, this is our last superintendent report of the school year. The first thing we're going to start out with is June 2nd, we had the senior sendoff where our

002seniors went back to their elementary schools to say goodbye to their teachers and to say goodbye for one last time to their elementary school. It was very well attended. It was really nice to see students and their families um celebrating one last time before commencement. On June 4th, we had commencement. We had 442 graduates. It was a beautiful evening. We are probably one of the only districts that didn't have rain that caused them to delay, which we were very thankful for. June 5th was our last day of school. These are just some activities across the district um some of which students were learning up until the last day um preparing for the summer and reflecting on their school year, which is always a great way to celebrate the end of the school year. The next

003thing that I wanted to provide is um throughout the year we had quite a few superintendent goals and this is one of the last ones to provide an update to the community on. Um as many of you may know at the beginning of the school year the board along with the superintendent create goals for the school year. And one of those goals was to create a curriculum review process for our district to make sure that it's consistent and to make sure that we have a cyclical response to curriculum. So, in our new curriculum review process that was created by the curriculum council, which includes our department chairs as well as our administrative team, it is a six-year cycle. Um, for the curriculum review, year 1 is research and program analysis. Year two is curriculum development

004and resource selection. Year three and four is implementation and revision. And years five and six are evaluation and reflection. The next two slides kind of give an overview of what each of those processes look like. The first one being research and program analysis. Data is analyzed to determine what degree our curriculum is being taught with fidelity as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum. This evaluation should be systematic and objective using both qualitative and quantitative data. It seeks to answer questions like did the curriculum achieve its intended learning outcomes and what worked well, what needs improvement. The next part of the process is curriculum development and resource selection. This stage often involves reviewing current educational standards, pedagogical research and best practices, post-secondary needs, stakeholder feedback, and considering future trends based on the insights

005gained from the evaluation and research. The curriculum is revised and improved. And this could involve updating content, changing teaching methods, or modifying assessment strategies. The goal is to enhance the curriculum's effectiveness and ensure it continues to meet the needs of our students. Years three and four is the initial implementation and revision. This is the stage where the curriculum is put into action. Throughout implementation, it's crucial crucial to monitor its effectiveness. This might involve collecting feedback from students, teachers, and other stakeholders as well as tracking student performance data. This is a continuous process of observing how the curriculum works in practice. And then finally, years five and six, evaluation and reflection. Continuing with implementation. It's crucial to continue to monitor its effectiveness. As issues come up, we should continue to address them. Um this next slide,

006it's small, but I wanted to make sure that everybody saw it. This is um also will be linked in board docs. This is our overview of how we are going to implement the curriculum review process. So in year 6 to 12 ELA K to2 social studies and K to2 math will research and do the program analysis in 2526 for development of resources that is going to be my vision is terrible so I thank you Dr. Shulo um health and PE is the development and resource selection and then implementation and revision is K to 5 ELA and K to2 science. As many of you know, we adopted a new K to 5 ELA curriculum this year which we're really excited about to implement next year as well as a new um some new science curriculum as

007well that will go into place. And then you'll see year-over-year the different cycle through all of our content to ensure that we have updated curriculum for our students. We are very excited about this process. Um it is the first time that we have had a comprehensive curriculum review process um for the last within the last 15 years. So we're really excited about this work. And again, this was one of our superintendent goals that we um projected at the beginning of the school year would take place. The next update that I have is in regards to the strategic plan. As many of you know, we went under a very rigorous process to create a new strategic plan. And last month, it's hard to believe that it was last month, uh we debuted our strategic plan and

008our focus areas. Um our acronym is LEBO leads. The L is leading for the future. E is engagement. A is academic excellence and innovation. D is district systems and supports. And S is safe, supportive, and inclusive environment. strategic strategic plan feedback then occurred from May 22nd through June 2nd. We received 70 responses to the feedback survey and the main themes of the feedback are on the next two slides. In regards to the overall plan, the feedback that was expressed to us was an appreciation for the inclusive development of the strategic plan. recognized the strategic plan as a comprehensive and ambitious framework commending the district's efforts to prioritize student well-being, academic excellence, and community partnerships under the uh title of technology policy, digital wellness, and AI integration. A request to eliminate eliminate cell phones in school

009to limit or eliminate overall technology use in school. a request to not use AI in elementary school, responsible AI integration, and standardized technology use guidelines. For the next section here, in terms of strategic plan, feedback, curriculum review, and instructional interest in reviewing tiered interventions, a request to review all forms of acceleration that we currently offer within the district, and consider others, which is in the plan already. under student well-being. Thankful for the plan to annually advise students on how to report incidents of bullying and harassment in accordance with schoolboard policy and district procedures and would like to see the specific steps that are taken when bullying is reported. And then under family and community engagement, partner with community safe routes to school interested in leadership opportunities for students with structure. um of the feedback, a

010lot of them already have items that are tactics within the strategic plan uh that have already been um kind of stated that we will have the opportunity to do this work over the course of the next seven years that the plan is in effect. And then in terms of updates to the plan based upon the feedback, the final version of the tactics and a timeline for completion, ongoing updates and accountability is in the plan now that we have finalized tactics. Some tactics are for um longer than one year because they're a continuous work product such as the curriculum review process. And in addition to that, some tactics have been removed because of redundancy or they have been moved to other areas of the plan. And then in addition to this, we added math acceleration review

011to the 3.3 tactic um which is special education and gifted services. And then finally, enjoy your summer break. It's hard to believe, but summer is here and we will um this is just some important dates for you to consider as you plan for the next couple of months. The district will share important information for the 2025 2026 school year on Thursday, July 24th, followed by an email from your students school on Monday, July 28th, and the weekly newsletter will resume on Sunday, August the 17th. We look forward to welcome back students in grades 1 through 12 on Tuesday, August 19th, and then kindergarten on Thursday, August 21st. And that is the end of my update. All right. The next item on the agenda is a presentation on the um year-long elementary program review. Dr. Shoul.

012Good evening. Thank you, Miss Flecher. So over the course of the last year, a little bit longer than the last year, we've been gathering and reviewing a lot of information that's come about as part of the elementary program review so that we could identify ways to enhance our programming aimed at gathering or gaining more consistently across all seven of our buildings. So tonight I'm going to share a high level overview of that process and our outcomes. As I said, I will share an overview of the program review, the external review and self assessment, our data analysis, and our recommendations and action. The program review team primarily consisted of all of the elementary administrators as well as Dr. Schuman and anyone else we needed information from got pulled in along the way. We also relied on

013our department facilitators. We have one for each content area and one for each department represented in the elementary program. and we talked four times a year or four times over the year through curriculum council about program elements and ways we could improve. The purpose of our review was to uh achieve three things. The first was quality assurance ensuring that our program is meeting the objectives and delivering a high quality education aimed at continuous improvement to identify the areas for enhancement and make necessary improve improvements to enhance student learning outcomes. And then accountability. Be accountable to ourselves. Be accountable to our stakeholders that we're operating an effective and aligned instructional program. The program review consisted of four different phases. The first phase was an external review where we utilize strategic fan strategic plan survey results and

014focus group results to inform our review. We did a self assessment where we looked at our data from PSSA testing, from PEOS, from various sources of um measure to evaluate ourselves. We collected and identified our strengths, our weaknesses, and our areas for improvement. And finally, we took a look at what do we want to do next? What are our recommendations and actions for next steps? The elementary program at Mount Lebanon is reads that our curriculum provides students with rich and robust learning opportunities in English, math, science, and social studies for all students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Additionally, we provide classes in art, music, physical education, Spanish, and library for grades 1 through five. Health is presented in grades four and five, and students may elect to play a musical instrument beginning in grade three.

015Major emphasis areas in the elementary program include literacy, numeracy, technology integration, differentiated instruction and alignment to standards. Uh when we started the process, I spoke with principles, I spoke with teachers and I spoke with parent representatives to say what should our focus area be and the main theme from all groups was that we really really need to look at our curriculum, our curriculum resources and what our written curriculum was. So that obviously took our number one priority and focus. Second to that was effective teaching practices. Are our staff trained and using effective teaching strategies to implement that curriculum? We wanted to look at how we can improve student outcomes. And then of course are we operating efficiently and consistently across all seven buildings. So for our external review and self assessment uh I received input

016from elementary PTA presidents, our curriculum facilitators, elementary teachers and pair professionals and our strategic plan and focus group results. Our input really showed that we do continue to excel academically and we maintain a strong community with diverse programs. Uh areas for improvement included enhanced support for specialed gifted education and multi-tered systems of support, balancing our rigor with student well-being and equipping students for the academic rigor at the high school level. We need to prepare students for what's to come. Re-evaluating our technology use, particular use for younger students. Improving our diversity, inclusion, and cultural representation and staff and curriculum. strengthening our communication between teachers, administration, and parents, and reassessing our financial priorities to ensure that we're all allocating equity. Continuing on, we need to expand classroom differentiation so that our middle range students or our average

017learners are challenged. Address some of our staffing shortages, particularly in PCAs, substitutes, and special ed teachers. Revising our curriculum to be more hands-on to include executive functioning and structured and up-to-date materials, increase our career exploration, particularly in internship, shadowing, vocational programs, and improve communication about testing, academic support, and career programs. We also want to increase our SEAL supports or staff, counselors, social workers, emotional supports, develop a standard SEAL curriculum, expand our extracurriculars, enhance anti-bullying initiatives, improve safety measures, adopt our clear cell phone policies, and improve operations in the cafeteria for students at the elementary level. I think we sat through seven focus groups with our elementary kids, and all of them talked about better food in the cafeteria. When we looked at our uh testing data overall, we see the students the percentage of students

018obtaining a proficient or advance is exceeding the state average, which is a great celebration for us. We should be very proud of that. However, it's noted that the district has not seen scores reach preandemic rates except for in grade four science. So, we took a look at where our performance was before the pandemic and where it's been since the pandemic. and we note that we still have some gaps in where we were before the pandemic. Um, again, we then took the same data and compared it to our comparator districts and we show that um, Mount Lebanon is performing above the state average. As I said, our comparator districts are slowly starting to exceed our performance, which is something we're very mindful of and we've been having conversations about that. Our trend line is going the

019way we don't want it to go with that. Not significantly, but enough for us to start to pay attention. Our PEOS data coming out of this year was phenomenal. Our kids grew um in almost every area. You want to see them in the blue and you'll see that all of our tested subjects for PEOS except for our grade five math is in that blue. But even our grade five math met the expectation for PEOS. So that's that's really good news. Again, we've talked about our curriculum and need to develop our written curriculum in one standard place. Uh that's available to all of our staff and available to our parents as well. And we needed to be in a consistent format so that teachers can access it and understand how it's written across every content area

020that they teach. In a nutshell, the elementary written curriculum in Atlas is not complete, accurate, accessible to colleagues or accessible to families. It might be located on a share drive or a flash drive or a Google drive. Um, but we really want to put it all in the same warehouse so that it can be accessible no matter who retires or who left with that Google f who left with that Google folder. And then for our effective teaching practices, uh, we took a really we took a look at our structure in this area uh, to make sure the average class size is pretty much staying the same as it's been. Uh, I do note that the average class size in grades K through five has fluctuated over the past four years across the district. The average

021class size in grades K through five at Mount Lebanon is below that of our comparator districts. New instructional resources obviously are needed when updates to the curriculum are made, such as our ELA and science adoption. Um, and we looked at departmentalization across the seven buildings and noted that it's inconsistent uh depending on where your student attends elementary school. And then the other thing, the last thing we looked at with that is the allocation of instructional minutes per content area in each of our seven buildings. And we found that there were four slightly different versions across the buildings. And we want to look to standardize that as well. And then a focus area that came up after we started the program review was our students who have English as a second language. uh our teachers, our

022parents, our families, our administrators all want to put a focus on that group to say how can we improve their outcomes. We're performing about the same as the nationwide statistic is somewhere around 30 to 30 35 to 40% proficiency, but the focus was how can we help them access education more. So, we took away we took a look at some ways to do that as well. Our population is increasing over all of our buildings. Our attendance though is commensurate with our peers and our dropout rates are commensurate with their peers. So we're not seeing that as an impact of that population. We just really want to look at are they accessing what's happening in school? And that final bucket was operational consistency. Once we have our curriculum written and our resources adopted, are we doing

023MTSS the same in all seven buildings? and all the resources allocated the same in all seven. Are Matt's maker space being used the same? Are evening obligations structured to be the best that they can for our families? And then is our basic building operations consistent? So there is a report that accompanies this, but here's the takeaways or here's the action steps with what we're moving forward with. Obviously with curriculum instruction, you've heard us celebrating a lot that uh ELA into reading has been purchased and is arriving at our buildings. Same with our science materials amplify that should start to arrive next week. We were able to train all of our staff in the new resources for into reading and science before they left for the year. We've also been able to give them all of

024their teacher materials for the reading program before they left last week. And they're certainly invited to come pick up their science as soon as they get here. Mr. Ramsey has it all ready to go. And then we will continue our health and physical education curriculum review that we started this year in 2425. We will continue that work into the fall of next year. We then are not we're not going to stop. We're going to we're going to keep going and start doing math and social studies in phase one for 2526. That will have all four of our core content areas and the start of our department in some kind of review within the first two years of this plan. Um it's it's a lot, but it's needed and and everyone seems to be pretty excited

025for it. All other departments who aren't in review will be focusing on transferring all of their written curriculum into our Atlas software program so it's accessible to all staff, all teachers, and all families on the public view. We have committed to the use of Ames Web Plus and MAP for the next three years so that we can use that in addition to our PSSA data to see if we what kind of impact we might see with the adoption of these new curriculum. We're hoping that if we standardize what we've used over the past, we can kind of draw a trend line and say how how is it working? Are we seeing improvements by implementing those uh changes? We also are going to make some shifts to the elementary template or to the template. um we're

026going to discuss them in the fall to address executive functioning skills, career ready skills, and the intentional use of technology so that teachers are planning for it in our curriculum planning in Atlas. So it's not it's consistent, it's intentional that we specifically are paying attention to say how can we address the executive functioning skills, career ready skills really what that refers to is the castle framework for SEAL. Pennsylvania has transitioned that into career ready skills. We would look to use that same model at the elementary level. And then how we're intentionally using our technology tools. We have a lot of software packages that we purchase for families. we won't be able to define in our curriculum when and how it should be used to to avoid some of the down or free time that students

027could be experiencing. Uh we will continue to monitor our class size and efficient use of staff. Um we we build out several scenarios when we go into the staffing room so that we can identify which one works best for our kids, our schools and our budget quite frankly. and we will continue to monitor that so that we are efficient and effective in our use of resources and all buildings will begin to depart departmentalize in the 2526 school year. Additionally, all buildings will follow the same instructional minute guideline when they develop their master schedule. I do intentionally use the word guideline because there are some nuances when we throw in traveling teachers uh that sometimes throw off our minutes, five minutes here and there, not major shifts, but we do have to accommodate sometimes for those

028traveling teachers and differences in schedules. We also recognize that that's a lot of new on our teachers at one time. So, we did engage in two new partner well one new partnership with the University of Pittsburgh. Uh Dr. Davis has as well that provides some more student teachers and pre-ervice teachers throughout our buildings. And we also expanded a partnership with Point Park University that they are trying to begin a community connectors program where pre-ervice teachers will help us research and and uh promote change for problems of practice that we just don't have time for. And I'll share a little bit more about that project next. The PIT partnership is interesting. um they are advocating to partner more than one pre-ervice teacher with a teacher at at one time um trying to support multi-tered systems of

029support in the classroom. So we will see in our class in some of our elementary classrooms two student teachers with one teacher. So whereas we might see class sizes of you know 25, 24, 23, that could come with support of three adults in the classroom which could enhance our instructional practices. For our English language learners, we have made a concerted effort to increase our translation devices available for students. We were able to purchase 30 this current school year that we've gotten great feedback on for students being able to translate their teacher, put it over a book, and it will translate their book. Uh so we'll continue to do those. We're going to really focus on expanding the use of talking points for staff to be able to communicate with those students families. The moonshot grant

030um we applied to uh Dr. Freeze submitted application that will focus on offering culturally sensitive communications to families, translation services so district communications can be easier accessible to those families. We also partnered with EIOU on a grant to provide um adult learning to be able to connect parents to their kids education and they would offer those classes within our community somewhere potentially at the library if that's awarded and that's all run through the AIOU. We are just a partner with them on that. And then that Point Park partnership, we're going to utilize those community connectors to help us identify resources in our community, in the county for families of students who are ESL um to access our services resources as a whole community. And then for operational consistency, our first focus was MTSS. We're going

031to continue to refine our MTSS practice uh and communication timeline so we're consistent across all seven buildings. will incorporate recommendations from the IU into updated procedures. We had the IU come out and meet with all seven schools individually and complete an assessment to determine where we could grow and what we could refine. And we're going to start to do the the process development in the fall. We are creating an assessment inventory and we're going to analyze the use of our assessment tool and why we use it so we can potentially eliminate some unnecessary evaluation. And then we're hoping to start services sooner. Right now we've identified that students lose three to five weeks a year while we're doing assessment. We feel like if we do a team approach, we can cut that down and gain

032two more weeks of intervention for kids. And so we're going to try to to do that in the fall. We ped in the spring. It was very successful. Uh but now we need to roll it out to all seven. For tier 2 math support, we did purchase a defined program. That's something they've been asking for for some time. We were able to do that this year by reallocating some funds. Uh so with that, they're going to define a clear philosophy and goals of the program. Uh they're going to refine entry and exit criteria to meet those objectives of the program. Continue to provide targeted professional development on the bridges intervention. That's the tool that we're going to be purchasing. And then we're going to finally implement it with fidelity across all seven buildings and collect

033feedback for improvement. In our reading support, we'll continue to use our evidence-based interventions aligned with our student data. That's our Wilson reading system. That's our 95% group Hegerty uh reading mastery in some locations. We will collaborate with the ELA curriculum team to monitor the implement implementation of our program. Is our tier one doing what it should do? And if it is, how do we have to modify tier 2? And we want to be able to make those changes if we can. And we also will update the reading entry and exit criteria so that it meets the needs of our students and is consistent across seven buildings. The other thing we recognize is Matt's maker space. Matt's maker spaces are wonderful, wonderful additions that are in all seven buildings. We want to take advantage of the

034steels implementation and our amplify purchase to say how can we revamp or reexite our community and our kids and our teachers about our maths maker spaces. So the thought is that we will have monthly themed lessons that will align right with where our science is and those will be co-taught lessons between the teacher and another staff member for all of those kids. Um that implementation will take place over well that planning will take place over the course of the first semester next year with hopes to do some pilot implementation in the spring of 2026 and we'll see how that goes. And then we are planning to for instruct uh intentional use of technology again we're going to add a component to our curriculum template that specifically addresses the intentional use of technology. We're going to

035identify specific use cases for elementary platforms being used. What I mean by that is why are we using it? Where are we using it? And how are we using it? Are we intentionally using the tools that we're you that we're purchasing instead of opening it up for uh student choice or studentled um decision-m in those areas. When classwork is complete, staff are to direct students to an educational platform to rein ski reinforce skills learned in a particular core subject, not just give that open free time. Additionally, students use of schoolisssued devices during resource indoor and outdoor are limited to none. Depending if we have some specific needs to address, we certainly will, but they've been advised that it's not free time on devices. Goian parent controls have been shifted. Instead of being implemented at 4

036p.m., we've pushed them back to be implemented at 3:30 so that when school is over, that safeguard is in place. And we intend to increase the teacher and school administrator use of Schooly as a platform. We looked at evening obligations. We're contracted for three. Uh there's been expressed desire from all groups to consider about a curriculum night, more opportunity to hear about what's happening in the classroom. Um, however, instead of eliminating one to bring that in, the suggestion was, can we just add a fourth? Our contract doesn't allow us to add a fourth. So, we are going to keep the meet and greet the same. We're going to move the openhouse up, so it will not be in May. It will now take place before PSSA testing. And then we're going to provide staff a

037template to use in the class information folder of Schooly that would cover things like uh upcoming projects or special assignments throughout the year or homework expectations, things like that that we typically would cover at a curriculum night, we'll have teachers populate that in their class information folder. Uh and then for operational consistency, in addition to schooly and increased expectations, we did develop um probably a 75 80page administrative reference guide where every little nuance of being a principal we're trying to capture so that when we have question about what do we do for X, we can refer to that guide or when we have a principal move on to be a superintendent in another district, we have a replacement that can simply pick up that administrative reference guide as a good kickoff for a training point.

038Uh so that has been shared with the administrative team as well as an internal document because it is just guidelines that they can reference and use to kind of level set operations across all seven. So our program review in conclusion is an ongoing effort to ensure a high quality consistent and equitable education experience for all of our elementary students. The input from teachers, staff, administrators, and parents has been instrumental to identify our key areas for improvement, and the work being done in the upcoming months will be critical in making meaningful change across our district. That's it. Any questions? Great. Are there questions, comments, or discussion from board members on elementary program review? I'll ask a quick question. Um, so can you provide any context around the um, Keystone literature scores going like I know pandemic

039related, but was there anything else in the context to to have like zero proficiency for for 2020 324? No, I is that in the chart in a chart? Yeah, let me check to make sure the literature correct because that doesn't sound like it could be correct. Let me check on that. Okay, it said it went from 92% to zero. Yeah, that doesn't sound right. Let me check on it. Seemed a little I mean it's only a small sample of students. Yeah, but let me check. It could be that. It could have been a sample size, but let me check on it. That's for your YLES. YLES. Yeah, it could have been sample size, but I'll look into it. So, I was um happy to see that you're addressing inconsistencies across buildings. That is much um

040needed and will be helpful. and the action steps. Um, three cheers for, uh, purchasing new curriculum in ELA and Amplify. Um, and for training the teachers before, uh, before this year went out and having a plan for them to get their hands-on materials to prepare over the summer. So, thank you for doing that. Um, and for putting all the curriculum into Atlas. um that is a resource for parents to be able to be fully familiar with what their kids are expected to accomplish in school. Um and I had a couple of questions or like definition clarifications. When you talk about tier one and tier two, is tier one um your average learner in the classroom with no specialized instruction and tier two are your uh students who qualify uh by data measures to receive support

041for math learning and English learning. Is that correct? Yes. For MTS, yes. Tier one technically is your whole group setting. And what we say is when we're teaching how we're teaching should make 80% of that class successful 80 if the other 20% you then continue to assess for tier 2 support. And we say what we're doing in the classroom every day isn't quite working for that group. So tier 2 gives a little bit more um small groupoup instruction, a different intervention. So hopefully that they they get it in tier two if they're not in tier one. Okay. Yep. um more uh vocabulary clarification to departmentalize. What does that refer to? Does that mean that like for example all who teach math at a certain school from K through five are going to meet together so

042that there's a continuous um sense of like what the second graders need to learn to be ready for third to be ready for fourth. Is that what departmentalized means? Yeah, that's a great question. So we did this current year when we implemented a K12 curriculum council each elementary teacher also got assigned to a department a core content area. So in elementary land all of our teachers are general content knowledge educators for all areas of content. The thought is if you departmentalize they're able to focus on a content area and become a little bit more specialized than if they're teaching all four core subjects just at that general level. So this current year, they all got assigned to a department. And now that they're departmentalizing, we'll start to use inservice time to sometimes meet and discuss

043ELA needs or math needs or science needs as opposed to only always talking about grade level needs. So the hope is that we'll become a little bit more refined in our practices, a little more focused in our content area. Um for students what that means is some buildings starting in third grade all buildings in fourth and fifth grade they will have multiple teachers in their day. Um they'll have a teacher for potentially ELA social studies and they'll another teacher for math science depending on how many sections we have in each building. Um that's an effort too to start to prepare kids for middle school models. Is that new? cuz that sounds familiar to me. And it's not it's not new. Um what's new next year is it will be in all seven buildings. It hasn't

044been in all seven buildings until next year. It's been in some but not all. Okay. Um things that appeared absent, unless I was just uh missing it. Um how you're identifying students who would benefit from accelerated instruction and um how early is gifted education considered. at what age uh do we test for that? So, can you speak to gifted supports in elementary? Yeah, acceleration and gifted supports all are in conjunction with Dr. Schuman. Um, with acceleration and math, we have we have not revised the process that we do. We screen all kids in third and fifth grade through their winter Ames web and then we look at SCAT assessment and then CBA results and that process has stayed the same. when speaking with um the el the secondary math chair uh they don't feel as

045though we're incorrectly identifying students to accelerate for math. So that process I anticipate will stay the same but we have said we would dig into a little bit more in the fall. And for our gifted students we begin screening in grade three. Yes. Yes. Grade three. And um if there is a student that is brought to our attention by either the parent or the teacher, we we evaluate any age, but grade three is our universal screener. Okay. Yeah. And I think Miss Berdick, some of that is included in the special education plan, which is why it might not be repeated here. Uh two other things I have. Um the intentional use of technology. A lot of people in our audience are here tonight because they're concerned about our use of technology. Um, and you mentioned

046um once a student is finished with an assignment, you would suggest redirecting them to a platform which is additional um add it would increase screen time. It's almost like a reward for finishing your work quickly or even carelessly or fast. You would get uh you would get to use your screen. So I would caution about that. clarify that message. Uh the message to teachers is teach bell to bell, plan and teach bellto bell. But we acknowledge that we also as a district have subscribed and purchased software tools to help scale build individual students such as Lexia, such as Dreambox, such as there is an intentionality about those tools that teachers should plan for. The overall message to all teachers though bell to bell plan and teach bell to bell. Okay, last thing from me. Um,

047this is the first time I believe I have heard an administrator say that we are not meeting prepandemic levels in our K through five um kids and those are the kids in 2020 they were in preschool. So, I'm I'm puzzled by a statement like that. I would anticipate data to suggest that the pandemic affected those who were in school. So when I look at those who were preschool and that are now are now those who you're saying are effective, right? And that's talking about effective instructional practices. So maybe not look at it from the kid lens, look at from the teacher lens. Are our teachers teaching in a way that meets the new learner? Ah, okay. Good question. And do they have the resources necessary to do that? Which until next year they did not.

048So we need to give them a little bit of a benefit of the doubt that we will now be providing them with AC adequate resources to make a difference for students instructionally which brings me to my comment. So thank you so much for the work that you have put into this. This is something that has been near and dear to my heart and part of the reason why I ran for the board. Um I think that what we were just talking about is the important piece that has been missing is that all seven buildings were not working together and without having that curriculum council it does make it very difficult. We had a pandemic then teachers get in a habit people weren't talking to one another. So I'm very excited to see what happens to

049those numbers because I know that they will come up because now all of our students will have the same structure. They'll have the same bell-to-bell time. They'll have all of that. So, thank you so much. Very excited. Yep. I think with your leadership and the amazing team that we have here in Libo, I think we can do it. So, thank you, Dr. Chulo. On that on that point, when we um look at the implementation of curriculum council and the departmentalization that you described, that's very much sort of the the front end of the process. what if any steps are are are being taken to measure sort of the downstream performance of these efforts to become more consistent districtwide like are we succeeding in those initiatives? Yeah, I do uh you know Dr. Davis and I

050put together that report of student achievement annually. Yeah, that's our kind of deep dig to say where does curriculum council need to go next? whether it be monitoring, you know, pull someone out into a fasttrack review to fix a problem. Like we have all of that ability. That's our lens to kind of take that global look at all of our data to say where do we have to go this year with curriculum council. It it is very early in its infancy, right? We're all still kind of wrapping our hands around what's what's happening. I I think people are starting to see the value in sitting in a room together. I think we're going to really see it with the math review. I think there's opportunity for us to look at K8 math together to kind

051of tackle some of the problems that we see across the whole state with what's happening in eighth grade math and how can we help start to address that in fourth grade or third grade um so that that it's better results when they hit middle school. Thank you. Is there um somewhere that lists the members of curriculum curriculum council? Uh, is there on the website? I don't think in totality. Um, I can We're happy to share them. Yeah, we can share them out. There's a couple changes happening this summer, but once they're solidified, we can share that out. We always hear curriculum council, but we don't know who's on it. Yeah, that's about 45 people. It represents K to 12. Um, all the administrators are on it. And then, uh, we made sure that K to

0525 was represented. Previously, it was only 6 to 12 and we opened that up. Awesome. Thank you. Sure. Well, I mean, I just want to say thank you for um I mean, if people caught that, we did a special education, student services, MTSS, elementary program review, and revamped the entire curriculum review process in a year. Uh that we were also doing a strategic plan. Um, I know it's a mountain of work and I also know how excited you all were to take on the work and how you've managed to get buy in and excitement from our administrators and our teachers who are actually asking for these resources and happy for some of the more structure to come. We've always said like we have seven elementary schools. You can have the sunny funny fair at one

053and international night at another, but they shouldn't be getting different math curriculum, right? So, I think this is such a huge um you know, as I finish my my elementary parenting. Oh, well, this is such a huge step for the community and in such a positive direction. So, I just wanted to say thank you. I know um how how much you all you and your team have just dived into this. Um, this may be one of the most unflinching looks at uh Mount Lebanon program that I've seen in a final review. Like you said, one good sentence and then listed five pages of areas for improvement. And I don't think that's because anybody thinks negatively about our schools and our students and our teachers. I think it's because we're all so hungry to do the

054best by by these kids. And so much has changed in the past decade plus in education. and we just want to make sure we're we're evolving appropriately. So, and I've been the one trying to pump the brakes and the teams the ones we can do it, keep going, we can do it. So, I really we do have a lot of great people that I my number one fear is that teachers are going to come back and just be overwhelmed and not know where to go. But the teachers keep looking at me and saying, "We are ready. We want it. Keep going." So, yeah, we're gonna go. It's great to hear. All right. Thank you very much. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Okay. And the next um item on our agenda is a presentation um again

055we're wrapping up a lot of our year-long goals this year this month um on the guidelines that were developed uh for technology usage. Thank you. Okay. Thank you everyone for joining us this evening. I know that many of you are here to hear this update on technology usage guidelines, but I'm also appreciative that you're here and you had an opportunity to hear the other work that we've been doing within the school district, which will truly transform the way that we teach kids and we're very excited about it. So, tonight we're going to talk about technology usage guidelines draft. Um the first thing we're going to do is do a timeline of the guideline development followed by the strategic plan survey and focus group results and then go through each of the gradeband technology usage guidelines

056and then finally talk about the implementation plan. So just to kind of give a highle overview of where we are at the beginning of the school year. The school board along with myself and the administration set 27 goals for completion this school year. Um, this goal here is one of them, which is to analyze, make recommendations, and implement improvements to the district's student cell phone policies and procedures. The timeline for development was October 14th through November 8th, we had the strategic plan survey that was sent out to 7,700 individuals. We had about just over 200 total respondents. January 8th through February 10th, we take took those survey results and turned them into focus group questions of which there were a couple of questions related to cell phone use. We had 28 sessions and 518 participants.

057From February to May, we completed workg groupoup sessions with MLEA, which is our teacher association and administration to create technology usage guidelines for cell phones and other electronic devices. May and June, the opportunity for the board members to provide feedback on the draft guidelines and then finally this evening we'll be presenting the draft um after all of those efforts on the technology guidelines. So first things first um you may have been aware that we had a strategic plan process throughout the course of this year which allowed us to really gather a lot of data related to all the efforts that are taking place in the district and things that need to take place. And during that process, we had about a 33% survey response rate. 84% of the families or people that took it are

058satisfied or highly satisfied with the overall quality of the district. And then four areas came up as the focus areas. Maintaining a fiscally responsible and balanced budget. Um physical, emotional, and social well-being support services, classroom instruction, and then school culture and climate. And then from our open-ended feedback themes, academics, school culture and climate, support services, and management of district finances came up as the topics that families shared, families, students, and staff. The next area was this is the specific area in which we uh surveyed families as to whether or not we should implement a cell phone ban within the district. And of the individuals who took the survey, 65% of them believe that um the importance was either slightly important, very important, or extremely important. Next, we went through and we did our focus groups.

059We took the data from our survey and created some questions. What recommendations would you make regarding the usage of cell phones in our schools? The key takeaways from our focus groups were that a majority of parents support a ban at least through 8th grade with mixed opinions on high school. Phones contribute to distraction, cheating, social anxiety, and cyber bullying. Research cited on negative effects of phone use on adolescent mental health, attention span, social skill stress levels. Teachers report concerns with being the enforcer. Some parents feel phones are necessary for safety and emergency communications. Others worry about the logistics of enforcement and suggest a more balanced policy instead of a full band. And then finally, some believe phone use should be an individual family decision rather than a schoolmandated rule. Also during that opportunity um for

060feedback, we wanted to know kind of like what the possible solutions were. So these are the solutions that were provided during that time. A way for the day policy. Phones must remain in backpacks, lockers, not on students. consistent enforcement across all schools and classrooms, increased digital literacy education to teach responsible phone use, use of phone pouches or lockable bags where students store phones during the school day. And then to have different approaches for elementary, middle, and high school instead of a one-sizefits-all. So, I'm going to turn it over now to Dr. Schulo, who will go through the K to 5 grandb um technology usage guidelines, and then he will turn it over to Dr. Davis, and I will be the person that Thank you, Vanna. You're welcome. So, we will propose to update the handbook

061language uh so that for K to5 students, it includes the following. Personal electronic devices will mean cell phones, smartphones, and smart watches. The use of any personal electronic device is prohibited during the school day, including use in the restrooms. Personal electronic devices shall be turned off and stored in lockers. Personal electronic devices will be confiscated if a student is found using the device unless approved by the administration for medical or language translation purposes. Devices that go off in class, ring or vibrate will will be confiscated and the district is not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items. The recommended procedure for elementary schools is that upon arrival, cell phones, smartphones, and other electronic devices, including smartwatches, shall be turned off and put away in a student's locker unless approval has been granted by administration for

062medical or translation purposes. Students may use their personal electronic devices once they have exited the building at dismissal. Use of any technology as a PBIS reward will not be permitted. Our cost to implement this is none. and enforcement of the procedures will be reviewed with the staff. Uh we also will address the discipline matrix that's in the handbook for K5 students. The infraction of cell phones and electronic devices will include a level one consequence of a warning. The device will be confiscated by the teacher or staff member and given back to the student at the end of the day. A level two consequence would be lunch detentions, school detentions, confiscation, and parent contact. In level three three consequences will consist of detentions, confiscation, parent contact to pick it up, and suspension for repeated violations. Thank

063you, Dr. Schiller, Dr. Freeze. Uh, so if we look at the sixth through 8th grade band, it's going to sound pretty similar to what you just heard for the K through five band. Uh as we look to update our handbook language, uh it will read similarly uh the use of cell phones, smartphones or smart watches during the school day and as you know our middle school days run from 8 to 3 uh will be prohibited unless uh there has been a pre-approved uh reason by the administration for either medical needs or language translation. Uh students are also never allowed to use any electronic device in restrooms or locker rooms any under any circumstance. Uh, all cell phones, smartphones, smart watches must be turned off and stored in their lockers during the school day. And cell

064phones, smartphones, uh, smart watches that are visible or go off in class either by ringing or vibrating will be confiscated. Uh, in the case of repeated infractions, a parent or guardian may be required to pick up the device. Uh, and the student may be asked to check the device in at the office on a daily basis. Um that again similarly the district is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged items and the use of a cell phone or smartphone by students under this guideline uh may never be used to violate any other rule policy procedure etc contained in the handbook uh or the school district policies. And some examples of those include our harassment policy, our bullying policy, our network use policy, uh cheating and plagiarism policy, etc. As you know, in the middle level

065program, we have a bring your own device um program uh or a districtsued device program. A laptop, an iPad, a digital notebook or a tablet. Uh when we're looking at uh those devices, uh you bring your own technology or districts Chromebooks may be used for learning purposes within the classroom at the uh express direction of each individual teacher. Students are solely responsible for the security and the maintenance of their devices. Uh and when studentowned technology is in use during the school day, students are required to access the internet via the district's wireless network and not through a cellular network or a non-district hotspot. Uh the use of district- owned technology devices to access the internet shall be subject to all of the regulations contained in the guidelines. Unique to 6 to 8 uh is we're

066starting to make this transition to in uh engaging kids around uh artificial intelligence. uh we do believe that uh this is an age group where we can start to have some uh conversations with students uh in this area. Uh when we talk about artificial intelligence uh you know our school district believes that uh embracing the powerful capabilities of gener generated generative AI uh is a tool and it's a that has to be used in a ethical safe in in a manner aligned with our educational values. Uh as a student of our middle school, we would recognize that generative AI has the potential to augment human intelligence and creativity in remarkable ways. Uh however, we also understand that there are risks of misuse, including the potential for generating misinformation, violating intellectual property rights, and amplifying societal

067biases and harms. Students recognize that generative AI tools like language models and image generators can be powerful aids for learning across all disciplines. However, it's important to use these tools ethically and safe. And I think that will be the emphasis with our middle school program as we're uh beginning to introduce this concept, ethically and safe utilization or exploration with AI. When using AI, you know, we have we're going to ask students to be mindful that outputs can contain inaccurate information, biases, or inappropriate content. Uh and as a result, when using AI, all students should defer to their classroom teachers directions about appropriate use of AI. Double check the importance uh of facts that that are generated from you and make sure they're coming from authoritative sources. Never use AI tools to produce hate speech or

068misinformation or to violate others intellectual property rights or privacy. Attribute any text or images derived from AI appropriately and use critical thinking skills when interacting with AI and do not just blindly trust all of the information that it generates. uh and obviously we do not want uh any uh attributed behaviors or characteristics to AI. Uh it's this idea of developing critical thinking skills around artificial intelligence. Uh when uh the procedures then when we I got to shrink my screen here for a second. Yep. Our procedures when students entered the building uh is that they're going to store their cell phones or their smartphones in their lockers. uh they will only be used uh you know either on their way to school or on being dismissed from the building. Uh the use of any technology as

069a PBS word similarly to the elementary program will not be permitted. Similarly, there's no cost to implement any of these changes uh in our middle level program. Uh similarly, we will update our discipline matrix to reflect uh the additions uh articulated here. When you think about a consequence for level one, uh students will receive a warning. The device will be confiscated by the teacher and staff member and given back at the end of the day. Uh confiscations by the office uh or you know for a level two uh confiscation by the office and the parent retrieval of device uh and then a level three again confiscation by the office parent retrieval of device uh detentions and then as you think about repeated behaviors uh could result in suspensions from school. As we move into our

070high school program, uh you're going to see um the language expands a little bit. Uh so our updates to our handbook at the high school relative to cell phones and smartphones uh talks about the use of cell phones or smartphones during the school day. Again, our school day is 8 to 3. uh is strictly prohibited in academic areas or during instructional time, including but not limited to our classrooms, uh any study hall rooms, uh auditoriums, gymnasiums, libraries, and other areas that are being used for instruction as determined by the faculty, staff, and administration. uh unless the staff member has provided explicit direction to use a cell phone for a specific lesson or task uh at the high school or it has been preapproved by the administration for medical needs or language transition similar to our

071K8 model. Uh cell phones and smartphones that are visible or go off in class again ring or vibrate will be confiscated. Uh students are permitted to use their cell phones or their smartphones in hallways uh between classes in center court uh in the student activities area uh to text uh access appropriate social media, make phone calls, listen to music, etc. Uh when it comes to, you know, the idea of listening to music, students will need to have an uh earphone in or headphones on. uh if there if a student is asked by an adult uh to immediately remove their earphones or headphones or end a phone call or stop a text message uh they would be expected to comply with any directions that they receive. Uh and the district is not responsible similarly to the

072K8 model for any lost, stolen or damaged items. uh the use of a cell phone or smartphone by students under this guideline may never be used to violate any of the other rules, policies, procedures contained in our handbook or our school district policies. Similar examples were provided in the in the middle level program. You know, the harassment policy, the bullying policy, our network use policy, cheating and plagiarism policies, etc. Uh cell phones and smartphones must remain in silent mode at all times when on the school grounds or attending a school sanctioned event off school grounds. Uh students violating this policy again will be subject to disciplinary action up to including expulsion. Uh continuing uh with language changes to our handbook in the areas of bring your own technology or district issued devices. Again, laptops, iPads,

073digital notebooks or tablets. Uh bring your own technology or districts Chromebook devices may be used for learning purposes within the classroom at the direction of each individual teacher. If a student chooses to bring a personal technology device to school for use for learning purposes, they are solely responsible for the security and maintenance of that device. When such studentowned technology is in use during the school day, students are required to access the internet via the district's wireless network and not through a cellular network or non-district hotspot. Uh the use of the studentowned technology devices to access the internet shall be subject to all regulations contained in the guidelines. Uh switch to the next slide Dr. Freeze. Thank you much. Uh so similarly to the language that we shared uh relative to AI at the middle level

074program uh where we talked about ethical uh safe and uh use aligned with our core values. That language is is uh also included in our sec in our 9 through2 handbook. And as you look at uh the right hand side of the screen in the gray box, uh again re reiterating these items that it's important to use these tools ethically and safely when using AI uh be mindful of the outputs that uh that can contain inaccurate information, biases or inappropriate content. And as a result, when using eyes AI, students should again always defer to their classroom teachers directions about the appropriate use of AI. Double check important facts from authority authoritative uh sources. Never use AI tools to produce hate speech, misinformation, or to violate other intellectual property rights or privacy. Attribute any texting images

075derived from the AI appropriately. Use critical thinking when interacting with AI. Just do not blindly trust all the information that it generates. Again, do not attribute any human behaviors or characteristics to AI. and then follow the ground rules for using AI document which is a document that has been shared with our high school students already earlier in the school year uh when we were uh piloting the you the use of artificial intelligence here at the high school. Um thank you. Uh so the next slide we talk about recommended procedures. You know, upon entry uh into the school, cell phones and uh smartphones must remain in the silent mode at all times when on the school grounds or attending a school sanctioned event off school grounds. Students will place their cell phone or smartphone in a

076device holder located in the classroom as they enter the classroom. They will retrieve the cell phone or smartphone from the device holder as they exit the classroom. Uh there will be a minimal cost to this as you can see uh in the gray text. Uh we did a survey in the 2425 school year. uh 22% of the faculty at that point indicated that they uh did not have one of those device holders and at that point in time nine individuals requested one and it was purchased for them. So we have about 10 to 15 uh uh more device holders to purchase. So a minimal cost that we will purchase for this school year. Similarly updating our discipline matrix in the high school. Um when you as you look across the infractions uh a level one

077infraction again would be a warning uh the device will be confiscated by the teacher uh or the staff member and given back at the end of the period. Uh consequences for level two uh you know detention the device will be sent to the unit principal's office uh for the parents and guardians to pick up at the conclusion of the school day and as you you know progress up in the discipline level you know a level three would be a Saturday detention. Again, the device will be sent to the unit principal's office for the parent or guardian to pick up at the conclusion of the school day. Parents will be contacted and in in the instance of repeat offenses, uh suspensions would be um prudent. When you think about our implementation plan, Dr. F, you just

078want me to continue? That's great. Uh when you think about our implementation plan, uh first is communications to families. Um, you know, we will uh be informing families about this tech these technology guidelines through our through email notification, our newsletters, student handbooks uh starting this summer uh July of 2025. Uh the communication will explain guideline purposes, the specific rules for students are expected to follow and the consequences for uh violations. Uh families will be encouraged to support the guidelines by discussing it at home and helping students understand the importance of miniming minimizing distractions during school hours. Uh the school will provide resources such as FAQs and talking points to assist families in these conversations and open lines of communication will be maintained so parents and guardians can ask questions, share feedback and stay involved in

079the process. a new uh a new addition for this particular year uh upcoming year. Families will be required to acknowledge the handbook at the start of the 2526 academic year and sign a separate statement that they understand the guidelines related to technology devices. And also at the start of the 2526 school year, uh Lebo University's technology sessions will be held to assist families with managing cell phone user devices in their homes. uh along those lines of uh training for staff then moving from families to staff. Uh staff will receive comprehensive training on the technology guidelines through professional development sessions. Uh these sessions will clarify the guidelines objectives, outline enforcement procedures, and provide strategies for managing student compliance consistently. Uh role playinging scenarios and collaborative discussions will help our teachers anticipate potential challenges and then develop

080effective responses. Emphasis will be placed on maintaining a positive classroom environment while upholding the rules. Uh staff will also learn how to communicate the guidelines clearly and consistently uh to students and parents. And there'll be ongoing support including access to administrators uh to ensure staff feel confident and supported in implementing these new guidelines. So from families to staff and then our final piece is communication to students. Uh students will be introduced to the technology guidelines again through grade level assemblies, classroom discussions, and the school handbook. Uh these sessions will clearly explain the purpose of the guidelines, the specific rules, and the consequences for non-compliance. Staff and administrators will emphasize how the guidelines support learning and minimize distractions. Students will be encouraged to ask questions and share concerns to promote an understanding and cooperation. Uh visual

081reminders will be posted around the schools and positive reinforcement strategies will be used to encourage adherence. Regular check-ins will help address issues early and uh and ensure that students are adjusting well to the new expectations. And similar to what we would do with families, uh we've historically had students uh sign a uh the handbook uh but we also then add a layer where the students will sign a statement that they understand the guidelines related to technology devices. Dr. freeze. I think that concludes the presentation. Thank you. Thank you. Um and I did also want to add to this. So, um I was an audience member for the policy committee meeting and there was a discussion about these these will be um administrative guidelines that are enforced through staff training and professional development through um student

082handbook review through communication with families um and through enforcement of of the procedures. Uh there was a question about whether or not the district um needed uh sort of a policy level look at technology usage. Um something that would not necessarily change as frequently as a student handbook. Um, I did want to say that we do currently have one policy um related to network use and um we've been uh for those who are not aware going through the very fun task of revising every single one of our policies um throughout this year to be in line with the uh Pennsylvania School Board Association or PSBA uh policy standards that are used by more than 95% of schools across the Commonwealth. Um, we have not gotten to that policy yet. It's in the operating policies, um,

083where we would replace our current network use policy with the PSBA recommended one. But in looking at a draft at that, um, I heard some questions and concerns about the phrase appropriate social media, for example, that was in some of our guidelines. And that does actually go on to make definitions about what is and is not appropriate. um as well as reinforcing that you should be using the district network when you're connecting even with a personal device um because we do already have some safeguards um uh and ways to to control what is and is not allowed to be accessed on the network. Um, a policy that we have not had but will be considering when we get to the sort of pupil 200 level policies um is an electronic device policy. So this is

084one that is a model policy that PSBA provides. Um we have not had one. So there will be sort of a policy level opportunity to engage around what electronic devices are and are not permitted in when and where um and to sort of have a board level statement um regarding our philosophy uh and the district-wide policy around electronic devices. Um so I think this is not the only bite of the apple. This is the bite of the apple for implementation um through administrative regulations in the upcoming school year. We heard from parents that they wanted basically a K through eight band and a more nuanced approach in high school and I think that's what's been provided. Um and we will I think though I am not on the policy committee we discussed these were slated

085for I think October and November discussion based on our annual calendar but look at bringing those two policies in August so we have more time together as a board um to consider them and see if like with our other policies there are other local considerations that we want to make sure we're capturing. Um, and then I feel like with those two policies and our new regulations, we'll have the ability to make sure that things are being implemented consistently and to monitor how that's going and what else is needed. I had that in my my head as I was in the peanut gallery. So, I want to open the comments and questions up to any other board members who have feedback on the current guidelines or thoughts about implementation. It sounds like we'll have more opportunities

086in the future, too. So, I'll I'll keep this short. First of all, thank you. Um, my main concerns were making sure that um that our handbook policies were being enforced in elementary middle and this seems much more direct um and just looking for consistency across the board. Um, three quick comments. Mrs. Flecher, you just made a my one of my questions was what is appropriate social media? So for the fall, will it be clear to the community what appropriate social media is? If we're I mean, I think we'll talk about that in in the policy committee. I don't think the PSBA model policy says you can use Facebook but not Snapchat. Like it says no profanity, no obscenity, no hate speech, no bullying, no taking pictures of anybody without their right notice or permission. So

087it's not like platform specific. It's more that the uses are in line with with the other educational goals and policies and the social media can come out. I mean, that's not something that we're going to die on. So, it it come out of there. Proving it is not the reason is because we know they're all doing it right. So, it's like, you know, you're saying, yeah, it comes up in other places too, of course, and there's some ways just that we can't avoid it, I guess. Um uh one other thing and these are random uh we talked about this in policy but earbuds I I really feel strongly that in the middle school like at least for um well elementary elementary we don't really run into that but for the middle school policy that we

088say something about no AirPods kids again have them in they have one in you can't see them they're listening to music granted I don't know what they'd be listening on if they don't have their phones which I think Mr. W and mentioned, but um I really think that that should be part of the at least the middle school. And then also very random, but um for the middle school since we're really um doing away for the day there um that coaches are informed like I know that we ran into some QR code issues in the past with kids even in sixth grade who don't have cell phones who couldn't sign up for track because the poster in the hall. So just making sure sort of um from a communication level that it's not just the

089administration but also um any outside coaches know that they shouldn't be requiring kids to have cell phones. Thank you. Other questions, comments, feedback? Yeah, I have uh some thoughts on this. Um some of which um we talked about in the policy meeting, but um for those listening um perhaps to just this meeting and not the prior one, if this is your first one in a while that since we switched to board docs, all of this information that was um shared tonight is publicly consumable. it is on the website under um the board and furthermore under um under not under policies but it's under meetings. So since this is not a policy and I think terminology and definitions again are kind of the theme tonight, but this is not a policy. So therefore we're not voting

090on this. Um this is an administrative regulation. That's technology usage guideline. Um the difference between the two is that it can be more rapidly changed as a guideline and less rapidly changed as a policy. So, the board I just think it's um important to communicate that we're not voting on this uh but that it is um something that will be in place for the following school year as directed by administration. So, since it's not a policy, where would a family find this on the website since um they wouldn't be looking under policies? Where would they look if they wanted to find this? Okay. Yeah. Okay. So, you would find this in the handbook. Um, and it's essentially away for the day K through eight and bell-to bell in high school. Biggest question, how are you

091going to enforce the use of a district hotspot and not a cellular network, particularly on studentowned devices? How in the world would anyone regulate or enforce? Well, it's currently in place. um we would have to see it or if we were investigating something we can see where the um IP address hits but to if it's in their backpack we're we're not going to see that there's no ability to do that but it's a part of it's already a part of our practices that we say that if you are going to bring your own device you have to log on through our website or through our internet services. It might be our recommendation, but I'm not sure that's being uh utilized consistently in classrooms. So, you're suggesting there would be professional development at the beginning of

092the year that would go over this as um a new emphasis. Yes. But again, if the if it's not out on the desk or if it's not out on the desk, we're not going to know. there's there's no way to know it in the moment unless we see it, but it's a reminder to students that they have to access it through our okay internet. Um, in terms of just editing wise, um, the high school the high school plan as presented this evening says cell phone/smartphone. It does not include smartwatch and those are the kids who might be using that more. So, I think we need to add smartwatch and earbuds to um the description of what a personal uh technology device is. That's it for me. Thank you. Other questions or feedback? Thanks. Thank you

093for raising your hand, Mrs. Gilman. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So, um, I just wrote some notes down. Um, thank you for the revised technology usage usage policy. Um, I'm very happy to see more direct language, more clear language. Um, less vague. I think clear expectations are are super important. Um, as with any of our policies or academic rules, regulations, um, they need to be clear, consistent, and enforceable. So, that's kind of how I look at anything, and this is no exception. um not not about achieving perfection. It's about creating clarity, consistency, and really shaping our school culture. I think that that's the direction we need to go. Um because we have great kids, we have rule followers, and um they know what they can do and they know what they can't do. You're

094always going to have the exception, but we need to set the example top down of what the what the expectation is. And so, um, I think that's super super important in shaping our our school culture. Um, I just want to emphasize that as we talk about this, and I was at the policy meeting, too. This isn't about punishment. Like, this is nothing to do with punishment. Like, this is directly in line with our social and emotional learning goals. Period. And it can't be I I don't think personally it should be discussed in isolation. It needs it's part of it. We talk about bullying. we talk we talk about all these other important things. This is all part of it and it needs to be part of those discussions. So, I'd like to see that. I

095I feel like it's been an elephant in the room. I want to see it as part of those discussions because it affects kids. Um, and a lot of good points, pros, cons, but we need to we need to address it and we need to talk about it and we need to be clear about it. Questions I have. So, um, it sounds as if the all instructional spaces will now have device holders after we purchased the last of it. And so, I just wanted to be clear that as Mr. Wland was mentioning, now the expectation will be that devices will be put in the device holder regardless of the classroom, regardless of the teacher. And the second part of that, will that include places like study halls, the library, places that currently aren't like they're they're

096more open spaces, right? Um and then my question leads to restrooms, locker rooms, like what is the expectation there? Um, I know some schools that have kind of this policy that we're looking at where we have some phone use sometimes have zones like green zones where phone use is good, red zones where no phones are, you know, I don't know, ways that we can we can teach students where they can and can't use devices. So, so I just wanted some clarity around that. Um, and thank you. And I I do I have sort of a piggyback question because it does say classrooms, study halls, auditoriums, the gym, and the library. And I was thinking about a full auditorium and how I I don't that's not like an on the spot question, but if we've thought

097through operationally how we would be collecting uh phones for in a way policy in the auditorium when we're dealing with more than like a classroom of of students. Um but yeah, I do think we we talked about all instructional areas and as well like educational signage. So, is there anything to add to that in response to Mrs. Gelman's? I I don't right now. No. I think that we need to think about that a little bit more because that's also a vulnerability for children's personal property. So, it's we're going to need to have a a different system for that that will work out with Dr. Thompson. Other questions or comments? I hear my grievances. Festivis is over. Okay. Um, excellent. Well, thank you again to the administration and to the board. Um, I know this was

098a high priority for us, which was why we encoded it in a district level goal for the year and have paid close attention to it in the strategic planning process. Um, all right. Next item on the agenda is proposed uh policy adoptions, revisions, and retirements. So for the month of June, we have five policies that we're recommending for approval. Three of them are related to special education and are connected to our strategic plan that we um I'm sorry, our um student student services and special education program review. The first one is um in regards to special education in general. The second one is in regards to discipline of students with disabilities and the final one is in regards to behavior support for students with disabilities. The last two policies that we're recommending for approval this

099month are related to student record management as well as records management. With the adoption of these policies, the retirements would be IGB, special education programs, IGBJ, behavior supports for students with disabilities, and JRC student records and release of information. All right. Questions or comments on the proposed policies? Okay. All right. Um, next up we have our finance uh discussion section and the first item in that is our treasurers report um and our projected expenditures and revenue. Um, Mrs. Connelly. Turn over to Mrs. Connley. The treasur treasurer's report reflects cash transactions for the month of May 2025. The first report is a listing of all of our accounts, their beginning balances and ending balances and our investments. The second report is the monthly report for financials for the month of May 2025. In this report, there

100are some changes to the um projected surplus deficit. Last month, we were reporting a deficit of $24,000. After a thorough review of all of the accounts, and as we are approaching year end, we are seeing a surplus of and we're projecting a surplus of 204,719,000. That's about a $400,000 swing. Let me tell you why we are seeing this swing. Although our real estate revenues have not increased, other revenues have. The first one is the Asbury Heights and Doorchester apartment pilot agreements. These pilot agreements were not budgeted in the 2425 budget. those uh entities have paid their um their amounts in the amount of $564,997 and that has been booked with the GOAL and that has um greatly helped with deficit. The lean delinquent tax line shows an increase of $395,000 compared to the budget. Weiss

101Burkher Kramer's collection on old and stale delinquent taxes has greatly helped in this area. it has greatly jumped and um they have really collected on very old delinquent taxes. Facility rentals came in higher than budgeted by $52,000. There's a cost to uh our facility rentals. Often it shows an increase to custodial overtime, but nonetheless we are seeing an increase on that revenue line of $52,000. Tuition from patrons has also increased. We adjusted the adult education program to make sure that there was no deficit spending and that the fees uh aligned with that program have increased. Some fees were increased to cover cost and increased patrons led to higher expenses, but we are seeing an overall increase to tuition from patrons. Lastly, other local revenues is higher than the budget by $171,000. This is mostly due

102to the idea grant which was budgeted at $720,000. However, the grant came in at $936,000. So, we will be getting the second half of that payment from the AIU uh either by the end of June or July. So, that's the update on we are seeing an increase in revenues. We've also put a freeze on non-essential items for expenditures, and that freeze has gone on since January of 2025. Budget managers were directed to stay within the budget and to report unexpected and emergent expenses immediately, so adjust adjustments could be made. Now that they were at the end of May, I feel confident that we will have a surplus in 2425. That's delightful news. Um, any other questions or comments? Just the part where I clap. I think we should clap. Tremendous. Tremendous. Thank you. And thank

103thank you to our solicitor. I know you played a critical role in in two of those major major factors that were were just described. Second. You took the words right out of my mouth. Thank you. just doing my job. All right. Well, and this this is where we are as of May. Just as a reminder, um the fiscal year ends in June. We also capture expenses and some revenue, but mostly expenses um throughout the summer that are booked to this fiscal year. But I think, you know, I appreciate Mrs. Conny's sort of um responsible uh and cautious optimism that um though this number may change um by the time we close out the year and receive our audited financials that we are very confidently projecting um a a surplus to end the year which will

104help us to continue um on our path to grow our unassigned fund balance back to the our policy. levels into what where we need to be to to plan responsibly for the future. And for those folks that may not have been paying attention to the past n months, there there were there was a substantial shortfall in the money that was budgeted to be received from the state. What was the total negative 1.1 oh $ 1.1 million shortfall from the state budgets basically. So we we started very early in the year projecting a $1.1 million deficit. And through hard work and diligence, Dr. Freeze, Mrs. Connley, the administrative team chipped away at that and chipped away at that and chipped away at that until the most recent budget meetings. The number was a deficit of $250,000,

105which was, you know, a substantial improvement. But we've really believed coming out of those budget meetings, I did anyway, that they had, you know, looked under every stone and checked all of the couch cushions that that's what we were going to be forced to swallow to finish the year. And to come back with a now now we're we're running a surplus of over $200,000 is is really excellent work. So, thank you again. If there are any surprises, we will update the board immediately. Appreciate that. Okay, I lost my place. I was so excited. Uh, monthly list of bills. The monthly list of bills reflects checks authorized to be drawn from May 16th, 2025 to May 30, 2025. All checks have been reviewed by the administration. The superintendent recommends approval of this list. questions or comments

106on the bill? Okay. Um the next agenda item are the monthly tax refunds. The list of tax refunds totals $25,757.75 for three refunds for May 2025. The list has been reviewed by the solicitor's office which recommends approval. The list is recommended for approval by the superintendent. Okay. Uh questions or comments on the list of tax refunds? Okay. The next item is uh budgetary transfers for June. Budgetary transfers for June total $136,56 for facilities supplies and contracted services, utilities, boiler repair, athletic salaries, and supplies. Family consumer sciences, appliances, substitutes, and tax fees. The superintendent recommends approval of these transfers. Okay. Do we have any questions or comments on the transfers? Okay. Um, the next agenda item is the donations to schools. Annually, a list of donations to the schools is compiled and presented to the board

107for acceptance. The list shows the community's commitment to our schools and our programming, and we are grateful for their support. The superintendent recommends acceptance of these donations from our community. Thank you. Any questions or comments on the list of donations? Uh just to say it's worth noting uh the community effort that's involved with uh educating students uh our our fiscal state uh but just the involvement of our community and our various schools the PTAs that help to support and really move things forward that uh otherwise wouldn't happen wouldn't be able to happen. Um, so I appreciate seeing this enumerated here in front of us today. Uh, but it's it's important to celebrate that as well. For sure. Yes. Thank you to the PTAs for all of their work. Um, to the Black Student Union for

108their annual book drive, which is reflected here. um to uh some grant support that we've received and to a generous community donation of our new school board. Does the PTA look at the different schools like the fact that Markham didn't have a donation or the high school? Like do they look at that from an equity perspective? I don't know. I'm not on the PTA. I just noticed that. submitted yet. We can uh I can reach out to them for for comment. Yeah, I shouldn't say I'm not on the PTA. I am a member actively of the PTA. I'm just not in PTA leadership. Um, other questions on donations? Okay. Uh, we have an agenda item on bond investment banker services. The board has asked to approve PNC capital markets to provide the district's bond investment

109banker services. There are no fees for this service unless there is a transaction closing related to a bond issuance or a bond refinance. The superintendent recommends approval of PNC capital markets. Okay. Questions or comments on the bond investment banker services? Um, of note, we typically use Janney. We've used them for many years and Janney removed their office from the um Pennsylvania market. So that required us to go and look rather than just picking someone. and we did some interviews and PNC Capital we believe will be able to provide us with really great services and support and thank you for um for the efforts there and making that important selection or recommendation. Okay. Um the next financial item is the 2025 2026 uh South Central area special schools joiner or pathfinder budget. The board has asked

110to approve the proposed 2025 2026 administrative budget of the South Central area special schools joiner totaling $342,762. The superintendent recommends approval. Okay. Anything uh Mrs. Berdick to add to the um Yes. So, um just a couple comments. I was involved in the formation of this uh budget for Pathfinder and through the discussions that we were had. Um you'll remember a few meetings ago um when I talked with you about the um the new uh lease structure that is taking place has resulted in a $91,000 revenue item uh that was that's not been shown before. That is um coming from the AIU. They're essentially paying the jointer board of five school districts for the rental and usage of that physical space. Um there are there was a whole discussion around that but what we have now

111is a new revenue item $91,000 coming in. Um so revenues are trending upward but also expenses are trending upward. Um the expense of educating exceptional students is is very high. Um no longer in the budget is the capital grant award that was time-specific and was spent within its time frame. So, um, we're looking at, you know, an upward trending in revenue and expense. Um, and that addition of that 91,000 is is in place. And that's a fiveyear $91,000 for every year for five years. Excellent. Any other questions or comments on the Pathfinder budget? Okay. Um, I guess I should note that this budget is of currently zero cost to the district. Well, yeah, but it's a balanced. We pay tuition. Yeah, we but the the budget um for the maintenance and operation of the plant

112um which is our responsibility is covered by maintenance fees, rentals um and other income. All right, next up is the dairy bid. Annually, the district bids dairy for food service operations. The current dairy supplier, Turner Dairy, was the only bidder at a cost of $35,480 for the 2025 2026 school year. The superintendent recommends approval of this bid. Excellent. Any questions or comments on the dairy bid? No blind taste test this year? No. It's a bummer. Do they have brownie batter milk this year? Not that I know of. Brownie, I don't know if that's complete. Elementary school. Wow. I'll find out. That's a choice. Um, the next agenda item is the ice cream bid. Annually, the district bids ice cream for food service operations. The current ice cream supplier, Hershey's, was the only bidder at a

113cost of $8,280 for the 2025 2026 school year. The superintendent recommends approval of this bid. All right. Any questions or comments on the ice cream bid? Dairy farm. All right. Uh and final uh finance item is the PSBA policy review service. The board has asked to approve an agreement with the Pennsylvania School Boards Association for the addition of their comprehensive policy review service at a total cost of 70 $7,200 to be paid in installments over fiscal years through 25 2025 through 2028. The superintendent recommends addition this edition of the service. I just want to add a quick note to this before um you open up for questions. In our review of costs related to a variety of things and a conversation with Mrs. Kramer, she made the recommendation that a policy review service through PSBA

114would be more cost-effective for us um than her services. So, I appreciate that because she also is helping us to be fiscally responsible. [Music] Um and so uh this is an add-on to the current policy services that we have through our membership level. Um and that would mean basically we would have additional help from PSBA in policy review. Yes. Okay. Um rather than paying WBK's well-earned but slightly higher legal fees for the same one. Yes. they will help us, but they will still they'll still review them and those things, but the language will always be updated current. We've worked with PSBA policies in districts for for many many years. Um, it's just way more efficient and cost effective because they have a whole team of policy people who are constantly updating policies. We still know

115which ones that we like to tweak for our own legal reasons that we find, you know, different language might work or we have suggested revisions and we will continue to do that. But to pay a law firm to develop your policies from scratch is just not effective. the the policy review services are at least giving you a jumping point where you can much more efficiently have legal review and not have to have everything kind of going through line by line and every legal update. Um it's just very very timeconuming and not cost effective when they can do that for you. But when we have local the local flavor that we add to make it a Mount Lebanon policy, how will we do that if it's a PSBA policy services? How how will we speak into

116that? Um just like uh Dr. Freeze and her team has been doing so far with the transition from um you you used to use NSBA um but stopped updating them for a period of time. So they became they very quickly can become outdated. The law is constantly changing. PSBA pushes out every month there. It's like their policy news network updates to all the policies. So if a law changed or a case came down, they suggest an update. Um what happens is the team here reviews it to make sure it's consistent with district policy and practice from the past or what works best in your schools. and then they make their own changes and then they'll ask me to to also take a quick look at it to make sure there's nothing that you know from

117our legal lens or our advice um that we might suggest something different than PSBA is suggesting. Um so they're just really giving you that base framework and sometimes they h they suggest more policies than are actually necessary. So you have that option too. You don't have to adopt all of their policies. So, that's a decision that um Dr. Freeze works with my office on too. Like, is this a policy that we really need or is this just restating everything that's already in the code or in the regulations or something like that? Is it superfluous? And we we do um those reviews constantly with all of our clients. And you know, even that too, that's a use of me as well. I see these policies every month from 20 different places. And if I make a

118suggestion in one, I can say, "Hey, this is what has worked in one district. You might want to consider it for your district." But you always have the ability to make those policies unique to your district district aligned with the law, of course. But um any type of practical implementation or anything like that that is not dictated by law is within the B board's perview to change and and modify to your liking. Mhm. And just a a clarification. So PSBA is pushing out policy update suggestions or new policy suggestions, but no policies change unless they go through our policy process, which is the committee reviewing it, making a recommendation to the board, the board discussing it, and voting. Correct. So we wouldn't have any automatic changes to policy. That was what I was concerned about

119when I first read. So, just clarifying. No, there's there will still be a policy committee review, a first reading, and a second reading prior to adoption, which gives the board's input, the public's input um prior to anything becoming a a new policy or a changed policy. And we've updated uh around 100 policies so far this year. And I'm sure you can imagine the cost that can be associated with that. And our goal really is to make sure that we have updated policies that aren't 20 years old, but also to do it in an efficient and financially stable way. Yeah. Other questions or comments? Okay. Thank you for bringing that to us. Okay. And the next uh agenda section is related to human resources. Um the first item and we'll we'll go to Mrs. Connelly for

120these as well. Um the first item is the personnel report. The personnel report details personnel appointments, changes in assignments, leaves of absences, resignations, sbaticals, and retirements to be considered by the board. Okay. Any questions or comments on the personnel report? Excellent. Okay. Uh, the next agenda item is the Mount Sorry, eyeglasses. The Mount Lebanon School District administrative compensation and performance plan or act 93. The administration recommends approval of the administrative compensation and performance plan for the Mount Lebanon School District Administrators Act 93 pursuant to the amendments to the plan and the terms and conditions as presented. The effective dates of the plan are July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. Uh questions or comments on this agenda item? Okay. Uh the next agenda item is the superintendent evaluation and salary increase. I'll take this one.

121Um just as required by the school code. The employment contract includes performance criteria that's been mutually agreed in writing by the school board and superintendent and the superintendent is to be evaluated each year. the board um will determine in an assessment to be conducted on June 11th uh 2025 if the agreed to performance criteria for the previous school year has been met. Um so we put this as a discussion item so that it could be on our our voting um agenda for the 16th which will be following the assessment. Uh questions or comments on this item? Item D, the rating and increase for the assistant superintendent for secondary. The board is asked to approve the 2024 2025 sat satisfactory performance evaluation of Dr. Ronald Davis. Any questions or comments on this agenda item? Just just

122I guess as a note, the board was to meet tonight um in executive session to review these. We haven't had the opportunity yet. So, we'll be adding that to our executive session on the 11th and after which I'm sure we'll have some lovely lovely things to say. Um the uh next agenda item is the performance rating and salary increase for the assistant superintendent for elementary education. The board has asked to approve the 2024 2025 satisfactory performance evaluation of Dr. Joseph Schula. Questions or comments? Okay. Uh the next agenda item is the approval of administrative salaries. The superintendent recommends that the board approve annual negotiated salary adjustments for administrators effective July 1, 2025 for a for a satisfactory rating. Okay. Questions or comments on this item? Okay. The next agenda item is the approval of the

123annual list of salaries for specialists. The superintendent recommends that the board approves the annual salary adjustments for specialists effective July 1, 2025 reflecting an average increase of 3%. Uh questions or comments on on this item? Okay. And uh just to clarify, when we get into these, we're now talking about uh collectively bargain uh negotiated salaries. Correct. For most of these groups, the specialists are not in a bargaining unit, but they follow um another unit. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Uh the approval of the list of annual salaries for administrative assistants and supervisors. The superintendent recommends that the board approves the annual salary adjustments for administrative assistance supervisors effective July 1, 2025, reflecting an average increase of 3%. Okay. Questions or comments on this agenda item? Okay. Um, next is the approval of the list of annual

124salaries for 12 month secretaries. The superintendent recommends that the board approves the negotiated annual contract salaries for 12-month secretaries effective July 1, 2025, reflecting an average increase of 3.9% over the duration of the contract. Okay, questions or comments on this agenda item? Excellent. Uh, next up is the approval of the list of annual salaries for head custodians. The superintendent recommends that the board approves the annual salary adjustments for head custodians effective July 1, 2025, reflecting an average increase of 3%. Questions or comments on this item? Okay. Uh, next is the approval of the list of annual salaries for custodial and mainten maintenance employees. The superintendent recommends that the board approves the annual salary adjustments for custodial maintenance employees as listed effective July 1, 2025, reflecting an average increase of 3.26% over the duration of the

125contract. Okay. Any questions or comments on this agenda item? All right. Um, and the final human resources item is the approval of the list of annual salaries for food service workers. The superintendent recommends approval of the negotiated annual contract salaries for food service employees as listed effective July 1, 2025, reflecting an average increase of 3% over the duration of the contract. All right. And any questions or comments on this item? Excellent. Our next uh agenda section is related to curriculum and instruction. And the first item is the approval of the 2025 to through 2031 strategic plan. The board has asked to approve the 2025 to 2031 district strategic plan. No big deal. Um, so we've obviously had the chance to preview the draft and discuss it, but I wanted to just open it one additional

126time for questions, comments, or discussion um, from the board on the draft plan. So, when Dr. Freeze is out of town next week, we're going to vote on it. And it's exceptional. Thank you so much, everyone. It's a lot of work went into this and it's much appreciated. We're in great hands. Yeah. I mean, I I just want to reiterate how excited I am by the plan. Um, since we saw it last time, the thing that has been added has been sort of suggested time frame for completing the many many elements of the plan. Um, it's daunting but exciting. Um, and it it uh I'm excited to work with all of you and the administration to really frame um sort of clear annual goals that get this work done. So, okay. Uh, next up on

127the agenda is the approval of the 2025 list of graduates. So, the board has asked to annually approve the list of graduates for the current school year. This list has been reviewed and the students recommended by the high school administration of meeting the requirements for graduation. The board will take action on the approved list of graduation at its June 16th, 2025 regular schoolboard meeting. Excellent. Um, any questions or comments on this agenda item? I just uh want to say thank you again to Dr. Freeze, Dr. Davis, Dr. Shula, and Dr. Thompson for um and everyone involved, which I know were many, many people, for a a really lovely um commencement ceremony. Thank you for arranging the good weather we had. Um, and I think, um, I've heard from so many people how how meaningful our

128traditions are, and so, thank you. Okay. Uh, next up is the agreement with the Bradley Center Schoolbased Mental Health Program. Good evening. The board has asked to approve an agreement with the Bradley Center Schoolbased Mental Health Program for the 2526 school year. Schoolb-based mental health brings together schools, county mental health programs, community resources to develop a continuum of services that enable children to have their educational and mental health needs met within their school setting. SPMH is not a replacement for school counselors, but rather a referral resource for counselors to ensure students receive the behavioral health support they need. The Bradley Center offers a tiered approach to behavioral health supports including assessments, assistance with transitions from a more restrictive school placement or hospitalization, individual therapy, family therapy, group therapy, psychiatric services, psychiatric evaluation, and medication management.

129These services are accessed through a family's medical insurance. There is no cost to the district for these services. If needed, additional services are available at a cost as stated in the addendum. The superintendent recommends approval of the service. So, any questions or comments on this agenda? Okay. Uh the next item is educational service agreement with the Bradley School. The board is asked to approve a contract with the Bradley School for the provision of special education services for Mount Lebanon exceptional students during the 2526 school year. The cost will not exceed $35,8816 per student anticipated for five students. The superintendent recommends approval of this agreement. Okay. Any questions or comments on this item? Okay. Uh the next agenda item is our ed is for educational services provided by the children's institute. The board has asked to

130approve an agreement with the Children's Institute for the provision of special education placement for the 2526 school year. The tuition cost is $73,141 per year. The Children's Institute is an approved private school which is state subsidized non-residential. The district is responsible for 40% of this cost. The cost of the program will not exceed $29,256.40 for one student. The superintendent recommends approval of this agreement. Any questions or comments on this item? Okay, next up is an agreement with leaders in learning. The board has asked to approve an agreement with leaders in learning for supplemental school psychology services for the 2526 school year. If services are needed, the cost is not to exceed $10,000. The superintendent recommends approval of this agreement. Excellent. questions or comments on this item? Okay. Uh, next up is a PHEA school psychologist

131intern agreement. The board has asked to approve an agreement with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency through the PA Helps Grant for reimbursement of a school psychologist intern from August 13th, 2025 through June 4th, 2026, not to exceed $25,000. The superintendent recommends approval of this agreement. Excellent. And is this there's a parenthesis PA helps grants. So, okay. So, this is being grant funded. Yes. Thank you. Uh it is it's it's late so I apologize. Uh questions or comments on this item. Excellent. Uh next agenda item is a consultant agreement with a school psychologist intern. The board has asked to approve a consultant agreement with Haley Balovc to prov provide school psychologist intern services supported by the PHEA through the PA helps grant from August 13th, 2025 to June 4th, 2026, not to exceed $25,000. The

132superintendent recommends approval of this agreement. Excellent. Any questions or comments on this item? I didn't know if you were gearing up. Excellent. All right. Um, and the next item is an agreement with the Deu Turtle Creek Valley MHMR Incorporated. The board has asked to approve an agreement with Devo Turtle Creek Valley MHMR, Inc. for the provision of a program of educational instruction and related services for students with special education needs for the 2526 school year at a daily rate of $335 with related services build at an additional hourly rate anticipated for one student. The superintendent recommends approval of this agreement. Thanks. Any questions or comments on this item? All right. Next up is the agreement with the AIU school-based access program. The board has asked to approve an agreement with the AIU school-based access program

133for support services related to Medicaid invoicing through the PA Department of Human Services for health related services that students receive at school in the amount of $17,500. The superintendent recommends approval of this agreement. All right. Any questions or comments on this item? Okay. Next up is an agreement with the Alageney Children's Initiative. The board has asked to approve an agreement with the Alageney Children's Initiative ACI to provide student assistance programming SAP services to the district for the 2526 school year. There's no cost to the district for this service. The letter of agreement has been reviewed by the solicitor. The superintendent recommends approval of this agreement. All right. Any questions or comments on this item? Okay. Next up is a career assessment agreement with Life's Work. The board has asked to approve an agreement with Life's

134Work to provide career assessment for students with special needs. The cost of this service is $1,000 anticipated for one student. The superintendent recommends approval of this agreement. Questions or comments on this item? Okay. And the final item is a Mount Lebanon High School ski and board club student trip. The high school administration is requesting permission for the high school ski and board club to travel to Killington Ski Resort in Killington, Vermont for the club's annual trip from January 15th to 18th, 2026. Students will not miss any days of school and will be responsible for the cost of the trip. The superintendent is recommending approval of this student trip. All right. Excellent. Any questions or comments on this one? Okay, thank you for bearing with us as we gear up for the next school year uh

135through a lot of agenda items. Um the next item of our agenda is questions or comments from residents. Presentations or comments are to be limited to 3 minutes. This public comment period is open to residents and taxpayers regarding matters of concern, official action, or deliberation which are or may be before the board. All commenters should begin by stating their name. Comments are limited to 3 minutes and will notify commenters when their time has expired. Questions requiring follow-up will be referred to the administration for later response. Comments by public participants are their own and should not be assumed to be the statements of the district. The Mount Lebanon School District is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and welcoming school environment that recognizes and celebrates the diverse identities within our community so everyone feels a sense

136of belonging. Is there anyone who wishes to make a comment? Please approach the podium and state your name. You'll have three minutes. Mr. Single, is that mic removable or Yeah, it is. Yeah, you want to hold it. Thank you. Put this one down. First, I have a question. Wait, first I have something to say. We are not going to be sharing the three minutes. We are just going to be standing up here during each other's. Excellent. That's great. You can state your name and you have three minutes. Hello, my name is Rebecca and I just finished second grade at Washington. When we had indoor recess, most kids would play bottle. That is a game disguised as learning. My best friend and I were the only ones not playing bottle, so we couldn't really play many

137of the games in the classroom because most of them need three or more kids. It was like the other kids weren't even really there. They were just in bottle and not in the class. Even when I tapped my friends on the shoulder, they didn't react and they were just staring at their screen. Someone called them bottle zombies and I think that is correct. The reason I think bottle zombies is correct is because every single second they could play bottle, they wanted to play it. And I don't understand why. Even on the day bottle stopped working, they didn't want to play with us. They were just trying to fix it or just sitting there being sad and sulking that bottle wasn't working. And they aren't listening after playing bottle. And sometimes after playing bottle, there is

138a math question and they raise their hand and the teacher calls on them and they're like, "What was the question?" That is after they play bottle. If they don't play bottle, they listen better. Which is why I think Bottle Zombies is definitely correct. Once you start playing it, you never want to stop playing it. I think that you should ban playing any games disguised as learning on school devices. Another thing about devices is that my mom told me high schoolers are allowed to bring their devices to school and maybe middle schoolers are too. I think that you shouldn't allow that because if you bring devices to school, you might get distracted or you might might forget something you're trying to learn and you're just trying to get more time with devices, which is bad because

139you've gotten too attached. You shouldn't be playing games on your phone in class because if you're playing games, you're not learning. I think kids should be allowed to have their device when walking to school, but I think there should be a room with tiny lockers with everybody's name on it. Then the devices go in there when they get to school, and the room is locked until the day is over. Thank you for listening. Thank you so much for your comment. Next commenter, please. Hi, my name is Zoe. I'm There we go. Hi, my name is Zoe. I'm going to be in third grade at Washington Elementary. I personally think you shouldn't be able to go on the Chromebooks during indoor recess or free time because my friends and I are some of the only ones

140who don't go on the Chromebooks. So, we are usually playing alone. It would be more fun if we would all play together. Whenever indoor recess is done, if you are on the Chromebook, a lot of kids keep playing and ignore the teacher. The reason why people are going on the Chromebook is because there is this new game called Bottle. It is on Clever, and if it's on Clever, you are allowed to play. You can play bottle against your friends at a match game. You just have to answer really easy math questions like how many blocks are there and there is one block and you just have to type in one. That's what they like to play during indoor recess. It makes it not fun to play alone when everyone else is playing on their Chromebooks

141during indoor recess. I also think that there shouldn't be YouTube on Chromebooks because some of my classmates got in trouble for going on YouTube during indoor recess. I'm not even allowed to go in the on YouTube at home. Indoor recess is if it's raining outside, we have to watch a movie in the auditorium. Some of my friends aren't allowed to watch TV. If we have indoor recess and don't watch a movie, something we can do is pop. Pop is where you go at in recess when you're injured. At POP, you can play games like Twister, art, and reading. Those are some examples of what you can do. Technology should be limited to learning apps like Lex and Reflex. Thank you. Thank you very much for your comment, and thank you both. We we said that

142we needed to hear from students about our technology policy. So, we really appreciate you guys coming out, especially so late on not a school night anymore, but a week night to to share your thoughts with us. Thank you. Any other comments? Please approach the podium, raise the microphone, and you'll have three minutes. It's a tough act to follow. Yeah, exactly. Hi, my name is Marian Dixon and I am a mother. I want to say that I am in the mother of the 14-year-old who just completed 8th grade at Jefferson Middle School and I am a university professor and I have taught university students for nearly 15 years and I am glad to speak with you about the district's technology regulation guidelines. I'm not sure. I'm assuming that the regulation and guidelines are still being reviewed

143and will be finalized. The most important aspect of the district's strategic plan to me and the technology guidelines to me is based on what the evidence tells us, not some parents and how they feel. And the research is clear and growing. The use of cell phones and other electronic devices for personal use in schools is harming student academic performance, mental health, and sense of belonging. Based on the evidence, I strongly urge the school board to implement a district-wide phonefree school environment. Such a bell-to-bell phone free policy should include exceptions absolutely for glucose monitoring devices and other medical devices and devices potentially other needs. Last year, the former US surgeon general, Vivicc Murphy, advocated, quote, "Schools, that includes high school, should ensure that classroom learning and social time or phone free experiences." This statement came after

144the Surgeon General called for warning labels on social media platforms and the Surgeon General's office published their 2023 report on the mounting evidence of the risk of harm social media use poses to children and adolesccents. a bell-to-bell phone free policy differs from the proposed high school policy that I would call that an instruction only or a class byclass ban and I'm just going to highlight two aspects of how it differs. The first aspect is that a bell-to-bell policy helps students helps address student distraction because the evidence is clear that even the presence of a phone say in the student locker in the classroom can lead to distraction or a student pocket can lead to distraction. Second, a bell to bowel policy keeps social time phone free. Before and after class, in the hallways, at lunch,

145students are interacting with one another rather than using their phones. Your time has expired. I'm just if you want to wrap it up. Okay, I'm wrapping it up. As a university professor, I have witnessed the steady deterioration of student learning and sense of belonging as students compulsively use their phones rather than have their attention on reading and on their peers in the classroom and in the hallways and everywhere else. As a parent, I have been happy with the phone free environment at Jefferson Middle. You know, the first bell rings, students put it in their lockers, they get their phones at the end of the day, the last spell. I mean, it would be even better if students didn't have access to the phone. You know, put it as these students have said, put it somewhere

146in a locker room, somewhere uh a closet in the home. Yeah. I'm going to ask you to to to wrap up, but thank you very much for your comment. Thank you very much. Um, anyone else have a comment? I do. Thank you. Hey guys, thank you so much. I appreciate I know it's a late night. My name is Ashley London. I am a law professor at Dukane Klein and my daughter is a rising seventh grader at Jefferson. First of all, I came here to talk about phones, but has been aly addressed by others. I want to go back to your slide talking about our PSSAs not being up to preandemic levels. And what I want to foreshadow for you guys is I am seeing that fruit right now in my law school classroom. Law schoolers

147have gone to high school, four years of undergrad, and then they have to do three years of law school. reading on screens. I I'm sure you all know, although I didn't hear anyone talk about the science behind it, but all of these online programs, I don't care, Lexia, whatever, textbooks, all the science is showing us that students need to hold paper, hold pens, and actually make those connections in their brains, in their neural development pathways. So, you're exactly right. We should not be seeing these preandemic level results with these students right now. So I would urge all of you to consider the use of technology, our budgetary constraints. You even mentioned we have these ongoing contracts with these online companies from the pandemic. I urge you please look at the research, look at the studies

148because my law students decreased attention span can't read a case unless it has been like you know right okay you've seen you even the new lawyers coming out please think about taking technology out of elementary and middle and then teaching appropriate use in high school. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Does anybody else have a comment? Thank you. Please state your name and you'll have three minutes. My name is Matthew Hackworth. My wife and I are the parents of three students in the district, one middle school and two high school. Thank you for the clear and improved phone policy in elementary and middle. The high school policy is profoundly disappointing and sounds essentially like no change. It fails to recognize impracticalities with enforcement and the broader damage being done with the presence of smartphones

149in the school. Phone access can be limited. I've done that with my own kids. And they can deal with the social disconnection and occasional mocking, including from a boy's high school track coach, which I'm glad that the board apparently has heard about when my son didn't have a phone to sign up via QR code. But if we don't make a district choice to limit prevalence of phones in schools, the social damage and disconnection continues more broadly. They miss out on meaningful interaction with their peers and teachers. Their work and focus suffers. Other districts have recognized this, including Penn Hills. I would like Mount Lebanon to show similar leadership. And a way for the day policy will benefit all our students and is a reasonable step. The phone challenges are legion, but I need to pivot.

150A few weeks ago, we received an email that in the latest Tik Tok trends, students were damaging Chromebooks. While troubling, it still left me waiting for the email that I had been hoping the district will send with the recognition that Chromebooks are damaging students. So again, I I want to note that I have been powerless against the school Chromebook. The f the phones are their own challenge challenge, but at every turn, I'm defeated with my kids inability to focus. Even if the Chromebooks were managed in the classroom to prevent students from switching to other more entertaining tabs and if somehow we could ensure that te teachers could be successful with their whack-a-ole. Uh I still lose the battle at home. I don't have any of these management tools over their Chromebook use. If they had

151a boring assignment on paper, I could sit there sit them in a chair and say, "Don't get up until you filled the five note cards." With the Chromebook, I give that guidance and within 5 seconds, my kid can be on to another tab for entertainment. It makes the battle impossibly long and opaque for the parent. And it's far too easy to lose for the indifferent or challenged student who wouldn't want the instant dopamine hits over the hard slog of mastering a skill or sustained focus that an assignment requires. Yes, we do have some students who have that self-mastery, but the rest are set up to fail. Please consider the most important stakeholders in this equation, the students. They have one shot at growing up and getting a decent public education. Please take the time to

152improve and limit or eliminate the use of technology in Mount Lebanon School District where appropriate. Unless technology has a substantial positive impact on outcomes, both physical, mental, and educational. It should not have a place in the classroom. Oh, and the kids told me before I came tonight to tell you that they all hate. If the kids if the kids aren't cheating with Google to complete it, they are subject to it as an endless frustration machine with zero meaningful pedagogical feedback. Finally, I'd note that the AI policy is hot garbage. You state that you understand the risk. Really, I don't know that anybody understands. I just want to note that your time has expired. If you could wrap up, I would just note that I think that you need to consider that and and evaluate that.

153um because I think it is at odds with critical thinking abilities and erodess the incentive to master facts and we're seeing it at the college level. Why are we encouraging it at the high school level? Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Next commenter, please state your name and you'll have three minutes. [Music] My name is Katie Bailey. I am a Markham Elementary parent. Have been a family practitioner for 16 years. I'm speaking today to advocate for an away for the day phone policy at our schools. I appreciate the suggested changes discussed today, but don't want the importance of this in higher grades to be ignored. Many of the nation schools have banned or restricted cell phones in K through2 institutes. We will fall behind in protecting students mental health, attention spans, engagement in learning,

154and social emotional development if we continue to allow devices in our school. Change is needed now. Mounting research shows the damaging effects of a phone-based childhood and how it disrupts child development. We know it contributes to sleep deprivation, social deprivation, attention fragmentation, and addiction. 90% of cognitive brain development occurs before ages five or six. The remaining 10% takes place in the prefrontal lobe of the brain, which is responsible for executive functioning, impulse control, and decisionmaking. These critical functions do not fully develop until our early to mid20s which further supports implementing a ban through graduation. This slow growth stage stage of development needs to happen naturally. We as parents, educators and mentors must be responsible during this critical period of of enormous potential and plasticity of the brains of our students and children without the distraction

155of a smartphone or device. Currently, this distraction exists in our schools. The iPhone was released in 2010. The research shows a sharp increase in mental illness in teens between 2010 and 2015. The rate of self harm from young adolescent girls nearly tripled from 2010 to 2020. The rate of suicide in the same group increased by 167% from 2010 to 2021. Social media and smartphones are linked to cyber bullying, social comparison, and are changing for the worse how young people pay attention. Schools that implemented a phone-free policy found students wrote down 62% more information in class and bullying dropped 44.5%. The importance of away for the day cannot be stressed enough. If devices are not completely away, their underdeveloped brains are still very distracted by their presence in their pockets. 50% of kids get an average

156of 237 notifications a day and some as many as 4,500 a day. In one study, 97% of students admit to using their phones or devices during the school day, and 35% have admitted to using their phones to cheat. Teachers should not be burdened by phone policing and feeling bombarded by constant disruptions. Simply not allowing phones in class does not remedy the issue of lack of detriment to social interactions between our children. Our students need to form social relationships and confidence between classes, interact at lunch, and have opportunities to be active at recess. In closing, when you hear someone say that ship has sailed, or it's too late, it's simply not true. Now is the time to make a change, and there is no better place to start than in our schools. We need a long-term

157coordinated plan that enables our children and students to engage in learning at our schools without distraction. and a way for the day policy or phone ban will pay off substantially and put our district in line with many other schools and with the recommendations of renowned child development and medical professionals. I encourage you act now. Our children are depending on you. Thank you for the opportunity to be heard. Thank you for your comments. U do we have anyone online who wishes to comment? We have two online commenters that we'll take. We have three online commenters that we'll take uh just to make sure they are heard as well. We're going to have an online comment first, Mr. Slater. Hi, can you hear me? Yes, please state your name and you'll have three minutes. Um, my name

158is Lauren Smathers and I am an ESL teacher. Um, and I've taught at Keystone Oaks for the past 14 years. Um, with the last five being at the middle school. Um, my son just finished kindergarten at how. Um, I want to say as both an educator and a parent, I know how much digital content and devices are becoming central to our children's education. While we can't ignore that screens are now a part of learning, what should not be a part of the school day is access to social media, mindless games, and the endless dist distractions the internet brings. During school hours, our students deserve a focused, purposeful digital experience. Limiting personal cell phone use is definitely a great first step, and I'm glad to hear that this is happening at Mount Lebanon. But we also

159need a purposeful plan for how to limit usage while on district devices and the network there. Computers can be used very much like cell phones. So getting rid of phones is not going to completely solve this issue. When listening to some of the comments and concerns tonight from the students and parents, there is a simple solution to nearly all of these concerns. Um, I'm urging the district to seriously consider implementing GoG Guardian Teacher or a similar classroom monitoring tool. Keystone Oaks has used it for several years now and it's been essential in my classroom. I can see in real time what students are doing. I can close distracting tabs, block inappropriate content, and help them stay focused. I will tell you that even the best behaved, rule-following middle schooler is quick to click and easily

160tempted by going outside what it is their teachers are telling them to work on at any given moment. And I'm only privy to that because of GoG Guardian. It teaches accountability and minimizes disruptions, something that benefits everyone. Frankly, I was shocked to learn that Mount Lebanon teachers don't have access to this tool. Allowing students to use devices without giving teachers the ability to manage how they're used is, in my opinion, a disservice to both students and educators. I reached out to your tech department um earlier this spring and was told that there is a web filter on the network, but that to have any specific website blocked, including YouTube, um it would need to be requested through the building principal and assistant superintendants. That process is outdated and inefficient. In my district, I can block

161a distracting site in seconds. Here, it sounds like that could take days, if not longer, or not at all. If devices are to be part of the classroom, then teachers must be empowered to manage them effectively. I urge this board to look at the budget, find room for this investment, perhaps in that surplus I heard about, and make it a priority. our students ability to focus and succeed depends on it. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you for your comment. Um we'll take another online comment, Mr. Stangle. Hi, my name is Becca Sew. I have twins who just finished kindergarten. Oh no. Wait. Okay. Am I back on? There you are. I just wanted to share a quick concern about kids having access to YouTube and other websites during the school day. Um,

162I am fine with I know iPads can be used for academic practice, but students shouldn't have open access to the entire internet, especially at the elementary level. Um, I don't allow internet access at home, but my kids learned how to get on YouTube from classmates at school. Their teacher is absolutely amazing and she does her best to monitor the kids during tablet time, but it's just not possible for one adult to keep eyes on every single screen at once. Um, I was surprised to learn that teachers can't block specific websites in their own classrooms. And when I contacted the tech department, they suggested I use GoG Guardian, GoG Guardian Parent. And I did, but my kids don't use their tablets at home. and that only works before 8 and after 4:00. That just doesn't sense

163to me. Kindergarten's only a half day program and the iPads go home with the kids for the rest of the day. Also, in the mornings before school, I've seen many students watching random videos while waiting for the doors to open. My kids didn't join in because I walked them to school, but a lot of students walk on their own and are unsupervised until 8:20. I just would really love to see better limits on internet access during school hours, especially at the elementary level. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you for your comment. U Mr. Sang, I believe you said there was one additional online comment. Hi, my name is Lauren Coker. Um I didn't intend to speak today, but I'm going to just kind of give you my thoughts on what I've been hearing.

164Um, I have three kids in the district, a rising eighth grader at Jefferson and rising sixth grade, uh, kids going into sixth grade that are twins, also at Jefferson. Um, I just want to agree with everything all of the previous callers and commenters have said. Um, a couple comments. The plan from kindergarten through 8th, I think, is wonderful. Um, regarding technology, um, and cell phone use in schools. Um, my son is in seventh grade. Uh, like I said, he's going into eighth grade at Jefferson, and I can already see because he is not allowed to have Snapchat or Tik Tok or Instagram, you know, any of those things, um, that he is already being excluded from things socially. So, my feelings are when he goes into high school, if kids are allowed to be using

165all of those platforms in the halls, at lunch, you know, different down study hall, whatever it may be, that just continues to exclude more and more kids. And I don't see any benefit to that. Now, you could say, well, they're going to do it outside of school, and yeah, they are gonna do it outside of school, but there's no need for that to be in school. There's literally zero benefit. Um, I also wanted to uh make a note about a caller or head or a speaker, excuse me, had mentioned um kids using Chromebooks for education and learn and how important it is for writing with like paper and pencil. Um, my twins the last two years, you know, the writing has become more and more expanded in fourth and fifth grade and all of their

166writing assignments were done on Chromebooks. They really can't even type yet. And so watching them try to learn how to write while trying to learn how to type seemed very counterproductive and I don't feel that their writing skills improved the way they could have had it been all paper and pencil. Um, I think the Chromebooks are nice to an extent for some things, but not for every single thing. And that was my experience was that they were being used pretty much all day every day. So, I feel like that could be scaled back a little bit to benefit kids. And then as far as cell phones in schools, I in high school, I just do not see the benefit and I can only find many, many things that could be damaging to students. Thank you

167for your time. Thank you for your comment. Is there anyone else in the room that wishes to comment? State your name and you'll have three minutes. Uh Bruce Slater from 140 Skylark Circle. Uh if we end up with a surplus, we ought to be repolishing our rainy day fund because it has been drawn down about as fast as the crude oil in the reserves down Louisiana in the last four years. a little bit disastrous draw down for us. 200,000 is just a drip in the bucket, but it'll start. Um, the other thing is uh some years ago I saw I was at another school's football game and I saw a flying object over where the stadium while everybody's in the stadium. You don't know whether the the person controlling it knows what he's doing. or

168has maybe uh bad uh bad ideas to do something with it. We ought to have a policy nothing within the school property at all around the windows or anything else building. They can't fly into the building. Uh the other thing I I I've suggested in the past was about three years ago I was at a playoff game here we hosted um about three years ago away team side kids came in dressed in black like Antifa faces covered you know can't see their faces I would say that policy nothing there you know and nothing to cover your identity including inside of um face mask unless you have a doctor's excuse for safety. That's for safety again. Um one one other thing is I I was officiating a swimming maybe this might have been 12 years ago.

169I can't remember all the years now, but it was a major college. They could they didn't show up at the swim meet because they got uh uh they got caught one of the coaches got caught with a a phone inside of the locker room, the girls locker room. The whole staff was fired and uh and they disband the team for that year and they start had to start it up next year. The other the other thing is the policy about cell phones. I think it'd all be expanded to the um after school activities also in inside of locker rooms, you know, very very important. Um uh I have several other things here, but u uh I noticed on the um on the program here didn't say when the uh meetings are in August. There's none

170in de in July, I believe. But uh and there's no dates on on the back sheet showing when the meetings are for public meetings. Um I I did notice that the only item elementary scores were up was science, which is a good one, but all the others are down. Uh if you make up a school uh uh day u uh snow day, I I always felt it's wrong to have it online. You know, probably made up in the classroom at the end of the school year or or at Christmas or Christmas or or Easter break or something in classroom is best. Thank you, Mr. Slater, for your comments. Is there anyone else who wishes to provide a comment? Please state your name and you'll have three minutes. All right. Good evening. My name is Chris

171Msutka and I want to preface this by saying I am not anti-tech. Uh my job relies heavily on technology. That said, as a father of a rising third and fifth grader, what scares me most about being a parent today is big tech. And the thought of sending my kids to school um in high school where kids could have any usage of smartphones throughout the day weighs heavily on me. Look, this is a big deal. Bottom line, kids are not mentally equipped to reasonably control the usage of their smartphones. The social media apps and games used via these devices are specifically designed to make sure that adults have trouble. Silicon Valley has created an attention economy with our children's attention being the commodity they are fighting for. They want engagement. They want you constantly wanting more.

172And it doesn't matter if my kid is using a device in school or her kid or anyone else's. Um it's not only distracting to the user, it's distracting to those not using the device. Our school should be a safe place from the constant pull these devices demand. Our kids attention and engagement should be towards that of the teachers, higher learning and each other. I have a couple of good friends who work for big tech. They will be the first to say unequivocally and without hesitation and off the record, "Keep your kids away from smartphones for as long as you can." And across the board, all of them send their kids to private private schools where smartphones are not permitted. Look, I am old enough to remember a time when this high school used to have

173a smoking section. That seems ridiculous nowadays knowing the addictive nature of smoking and all the associated health risks. I won't get into the stats, but we now also know beyond the shadow of a doubt that smartphones and social media are also highly addictive and have quantifiable harmful effects on the health of our children. Again, our school should be a safe place from smartphones and the constant pull these devices demand. It is realistic to believe that we are going to look back years from now and think the same about letting students use smartphones in this school as we do now about having let students smoke at this school. It would be nice to look back years from now and say that Lebo was at the forefront of an away for the day policy in this area.

174Lebo leads. I guarantee you other schools will follow follow. Um and that said, I do want to applaud you for your away for the day through 8th. And I just want to leave you with a question. Um I know you said you have a through 9 through 12 you have a nuanced approach uh that kids can use it between classes but knowing that you know it takes kids from what I understand 20 minutes to re-engage after using any sort of social media or their phones. Why would you want the kids having to start over at the 20 minutes beginning every period every day when we could just have it done for the day? Thank you for your time. Thank you for your comment. Is there anyone else who wishes to provide a comment? Please state

175your name and you'll have three minutes. Hi there. I'm Dr. Ashley Labota. I'm a pediatrician in the community and also a mom of four. We have two children at the high school, one at Melon Middle School and one in elementary school. Um I think the elementary policy um that K through 8 looks, you know, very well planned. I do have some concerns about the high school policy much as others have stated. Um, I just wanted to share some of our personal experiences. We didn't let our children have cell phones till high school. Um, and had them really like locked down during the day and they found that they couldn't access quizzes. They couldn't access visiting the guidance counselor without scanning a QR code. Um, so to be aware of that and I think the policy

176mentioned like but sometimes the teachers can use phones. So, I would get messages from class saying, "Can you unlock my phone? I can't access the quiz the teacher's giving." Um, and it's embarrassing, let alone the child who doesn't even have access to a cell phone. Um, when we went to the parent guidance meetings you have in 9th grade, when we get there, you have to check in with a QR code. I'm like, "You have to go up and say, "I can't check in." You know, my kids all embarrassed. at the end of the guidance meeting they're like, "Take out your phone and scan this QR code to take a survey." I'm like, "He doesn't have access to that." You know, my kid's embarrassed to say that. Um, so just thinking about that stuff, especially at

177the high school level, how I could not believe how much it's used every day in class. Um, I also appreciated uh Mrs. Gensel pointing out some of the sports communication. My middle schooler has no phone. Um, and things change all the time with track and sports and um, it's all communicated by phones and now I need to pick them up and I would have to call the secretary and say, "Can you tell my kid this?" And she would be like, "What? You can't communicate with your kid." So, just like remembering that as we make this policy, you know, announcements need to be more clear when things change um, for sports or after school activities. Kids don't have access to that information. So, I appreciate your efforts. Um, I think there's still a ways to go,

178especially at the high school level, but wanted to share like this really is an issue that impacts students every day. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your comments. Is there anyone else who wishes to offer comment? Please state your name and you'll have Luke Labota, 142 Sleepy Hollow Road. Um, so I just want to add as um I'm a teacher at Upper Sinclair High School and from my experience as a teacher that's really important that the administration be consistent and encourage the teachers to uphold the changes. So I'm very thankful that these changes have been made. Um, but it's also important because teachers often have to pick their battles and if there's not that support there, they do not want to dedicate time to enforcing the cell phone code and being the only

179one that's different when like they just want kids to learn, right? So, um, if we want cell phones to be not a focus, then they need your support and encouragement to enforce the policy. That's all. Thank you. Thank you for sharing that perspective. Other commenters, please state your name and you'll have three minutes. Um, Aaron Marks. Hello. Um, I just want to share an observation from my experience as a parent of a student with learning difficulties, um, including challenges with attention and writing and math. Um, I it was the spring of 2024 when I saw the email about the GoG Guardian parent app. So I uh made available by the district um and saw how easily students can end up spending unstructured school time on sites like YouTube or online games um especially during periods

180intended for academic support. He uh I have a I don't want to get too into it but uh for his IEP this uh academic support and extra team time is super precious. Um anyway, um I appreciated the transparency the app provided um along with the ability to block sites, but I was hesitant to block YouTube entirely because some classes, you know, they they use YouTube. So it was a I was a stressful thing to figure out, but I was able to address it. Um so it was frustrating and eye opening, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how difficult it must be for schools to monitor screen use during times when students are expected to be self-directed. Um, we mentioned this before for teachers to have to look at everyone's screens

181all the time. That would pretty much be the only way to do it. I think that would be impossible unless the GoG Guardian Teacher app, I didn't even know that was a thing. That seems very smart. Um, and um, when students with attention challenges have open access to distractions, they're going to use them. Like my son's therapist said, when you have a 13-year-old with ADHD having access to YouTube, uh, they're going to go there. Um, for students with learning dis differences and especially attention challenges challenges, these distractions can make it harder to benefit from support time and put extra strain on teachers and families. And I understand this is a complex issue. I'm very grateful the district is looking at it closely and I hope this example can contribute to that conversation. Thank you for

182listening and for working to build a thoughtful, supportive tech policy that works for all learners beyond the cell phon. Please state your name and you'll have three minutes. Hi, my name is Sam Smith. I um I have two boys, one who just completed his first year in college and one who is a rising freshman. Um I'm concerned about the use of personal electronic devices in the high school and I'm advocating for a true bell-to-bell system. I'm motivated by the research. Yes. Um but I see it with my own eyes and I feel it as a mom. Cell phones are damaging our children's education. In 2002, Pew Research found that a full 46% of teens said that they are online almost constantly, estimated to be about 16 hours a day. This obviously includes school hours. It

183shows a they're physically on their phones um a lot and b when they appear to be in the real world sitting in class, they're still thinking about what's happening online and therefore not entirely present. You've probably heard we're conducting an experiment on our kids. And it's true. Um, not only does screen overuse negatively impact attention span and emotional and physical health, but it directly affects academic performance and multitasking is associated with cognitive loss. Uh, it's changing their brain development, possibly permanently. We just don't know yet how this experiment on our kids will end. Uh, we all see it in our own homes. We know it in our gut that something isn't right. Uh, my youngest has asked me repeatedly to please take his phone away because he can't. and and then I'll find it in

184his hand soon after. Um so others may say it's important to be able to contact their child in an emergency. Um the guidance is clear here. Law enforcement says it's critical to be quiet if there is an active shooter situation and children trying to talk or text can actually make it much more dangerous. Uh social media platforms also are filled with content that does not belong in schools. No matter where the kids are, whether they're in class or in center court, uh access to smartphones and social media inspires violent behavior. About 46% of schools in the US has seen an increase in fighting and violence. Um students uh are are their eagerness to to post fight videos u means that they don't often help to break up physical confrontations and that puts students and teachers

185in danger. Um, you know what Rebecca said right in the beginning, um, you know, about the kids not being social, the the bottle zombies that you heard about, I mean, when these kids are at lunch, if they're hopping back on their phones after being off for a while, you're going to have bottle zombies everywhere, and that's sad. Um, and certainly there will be kids that are going to game the system and of a bell to bell, but but a system is a good deterrent and should help the rest of the students. So we are a smart and empathet empathetic community of uh parents, guardians, mentors and teachers. We need uh to do what big com big tech is working so hard to prevent to break free from the hold that these devices have on our

186children. Uh what everybody wants to do with their phones outside of schools, school hours absolutely their prerogative, but inside schools is a sacred place for learning and phones disrupt this. My oldest says the prevailing feeling here is it's their loss for those who use it in school. But we all want what's best for our kids and the harm we do by keeping phones far exceeds any small struggle we face in doing the right thing now. Let's lead the way here as we do so well in so many other areas. Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Please state your name and you'll have three amendments. Yes. My name is Christine Sorenson Griffin. I have three kids. One who graduated one uh two years ago, one who just graduated, one's a freshman. We love Mount Lebanon

187schools and we're grateful for all you do to make this district so amazing. And I'm here because I really believe we're on the cusp of a cultural shift when it comes to technology and kids. And I believe Mount Lebanon schools can be a leader for positive change. You know, when the phones and iPads came out, most of us, including me, gave them to our kids. We marveled at all these amazing things that these phones can do. But now we have research to show that the kids are spending too much time on the screens and much of what they're seeing and they're doing is harming them and their mental health and development. Like cigarettes, once we knew the harms, we put restrictions in place for kids, allowing adults who have fully formed brains to make their

188own choices about something that's addictive and potentially dangerous. We need to do the same with the phones in the schools. I appreciate the phone free policy at the elementary and middle school levels and I hope that this can be extended to the high school as well. Here are some things my kids and their friends have seen at Mont Lebanon High School with kids using their phones. Cheating on tests, using AI to cheat, gambling, listening to music in one earbud during class, taking unwanted pictures and videos and sending them. Texting using smartwatches while they're looking at the teacher. using social media for bullying, using their phone at the lunch table when I know most families don't even allow phones at their dinner tables. This doesn't get to the inherent problems with the phone, how addictive, distracting,

189attention spans declining, social media. I've talked with the principles at two high schools that have removed the phones for the entire day, including between classes and at lunch, and they tell me it's led to a dramatic improvement. At my niece's public school in Colorado, the principal said, quote, "Teachers love it. Parents love it. Teachers no longer have to argue with the students. Students freely admit that it is low-key nice to be forced to talk to people." She said, "I would say it has been an overwhelming success and is absolutely the right thing to do. Some parents were really against the idea at first, but they have admitted they were wrong and that it is an awesome improvement to the culture of the school. At that school, the kids leave the phones in their backpacks all

190day so in case there's an emergency. But if they're caught with their phone, there are very strict penalties. And they say after 3 weeks, everyone got used to the new policy. Here at Mount Lebanon, I've seen a table of eight kids all on their phones. This is not what we want for our kids. We can free them from the phones at school so they don't have to constantly feel that addictive pull and they can come to school to learn from their teachers and from each other face to face. Mount Lebanon should lead this cultural shift and go phone free at all levels for the good of all of our teachers, students, and families. Thank you for your comment. Mr. Stangle, do we have anyone else online who's waiting to comment? No. Okay. Anyone else in

191the room who wants to comment? I might be the last one. Okay. My name is Jane Cassella. Uh when my kids first told me about some of the games they played at school, I was interested. I remember playing Oregon Trail occasionally at school um or programs to practice typing. But when I looked on GoG Guardian, I saw my kid was spending hours on various edtech games. This led to a conversation where I learned they were alt tabbing between games and school work during class. Unlike Oregon Trail, where my ability to play the game was restricted by my physical presence in the computer lab, the one-to-one technology policy enables our kids to have access to these games everywhere they go. And these games are very different than the ones that I grew up playing. There is

192rarely a day when my kids don't play some sort of gamified educational app, whether that's Dreambox or Gim Kit. The ad tech they are using involve addictive game design like arbitrary rewards, earning avatars and card packs, and sometimes even user generated content with no quality control. I actually tried one of these educational games, Book It, and I found that I was given more time to defeat monsters than answer math questions. In Mount Lebanon's network internet use policy, it says students may use the network only in support of educational activities consistent with the educational objectives of the district. Either some edtech websites like blockage should not be used in the district or the district's definition of educational activities may be too broad. When we use gamified edtech too much, there are risks like attention and focus

193issues, lack of patience, and a decrease in social skills. Why would students want to sit through a math lesson when they could be playing games on Dreambox? And we know kids don't always stick to the assigned edtech. As I mentioned before, kids are free to open tabs and access YouTube or unblocked gaming sites. Maybe a teacher catches them, maybe not. As you've heard before, if teachers have access to GoG Guardian Teacher, they could limit how many tabs students can access or only access access only access certain websites. Without it, kids are held back only by willpower. and adolescence aren't known for having much of that. I've heard people tell me that kids need to learn with the constant distractions because that's the world that we're living in. But kids brains aren't fully developed. It is

194much harder for them to resist the temptations to click around. Ask yourself how many times you have been distracted by social media, the news, or a new email. If we can't manage to stay on track, why are we allowing kids access to distractions and then expecting them to resist? Some of the issues myself and others are bringing up today may seem complex, but there are answers. We can vet all edte to ensure they truly add new and singular value to students education. Yes, implementing these changes will take work, but that doesn't mean we throw our hands up and allow our students to be guinea pigs and hope for the best. If Mount Lebanon truly wants to lead the way, they need to make changes in their tech usage now, not 5 years from now. Thank

195you. Thank you for your comment. Is there anyone else who wishes to make a comment? Please state your name and you'll have three minutes. Hi, my name is Becky Campanero. Um, I'm not going to talk about technology. Uh, I was going to answer Mrs. Galman's question about um PTA. So, just for context, I um am the most recent past president of the PTA council um having finished my term about a year ago and I received permission from our current president to address um that question. So, um, with regard to the donations, so um, I noticed in my kind of cursory look over the donations list, um, you know, a couple of key things. I think that for sure there's some year-to-year variability variability in, um, you know, what units are donating. So, as an example

196of that, um, for example, Foster this year donated a sun shade. Um, and I know that Hoover did that a couple of years ago. Uh, number of units had a lot of excess funds uh, over the pandemic as we weren't funding events. Um, but we still had members um, coming in. So, we've been working on spending down those funds um over the years and different units have decided to use those in different ways. Uh some some units have, you know, uh built community gardens, etc. Um and another, you know, variability there I can think of is like Melon this year, I think, probably put a little bit more funds in because they were starting off a musical as an example. um units are also still our fiscal year ends at the end of June. So

197things are still kind of um in flux and I think that um my everyone told me that they submitted their reports. Um so I Melon and the high school I think were the missing ones. Um and everybody has made donations. Um we also over the past couple years have worked really hard to ensure that all the units are making um comparable donations for things like the instrument fund. So I think all of the units have a line item for $100 towards the instrument fund. Um, and there I think one of the units $200 was listed. I'm assuming that was like they paid for a you know two years um at once. Um things that are also not reflected on there. I think that there's a lot of things that are probably missing. Um for example,

198field trips. Um most units pay I think about half of the cost of field trips. Um, and if anybody is interested, the budgets uh for every single unit are available on their websites, which is on the Mount Lebanon district website um for each each individual school. Um, so since I'm up here with this opportunity, um, as you can see, the PTAs do a lot a lot a lot, um, and have a wonderful partnership with the school district. Um, so join your PTA. You don't have to volunteer a scent of your time if you don't have it. Um, but without us a lot of things wouldn't happen. So, thank you guys. Thank you for your comment and that added context. Is there anyone else in the room who wishes to comment or anyone online who wishes

199to comment? Okay. All right. Um, I want to announce our upcoming public meetings. The board will meet Monday, June 16th at 7:30 p.m. for the board regular meeting in D205 of the Mount Lebanon High School with public participation also available via Zoom. Do I have a motion to adjurnn? Second. You can't do that.