Board of Education Meeting - May 19, 2026

001Calling to order the West Hartford Public Schools Board of Education regular Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, May 19th, 2026 at 7.05 PM. Amani, can you please call the roll? Ms. Merriman? Here. Ms. Yagaloff? Present. Mr. Gagnon? Here. Ms. Herz? Mr. Wiener? Ms. Bleich? Here. Mr. Goldman? Here. Savannah Singh? Here. Conrad Kalki? Here. Thank you. Conrad, would you mind leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I believe for this evening we have a revision to the agenda order. Can I have a motion for that revision? Motion. Second. You want to state the order? Yep. So I have a motion to amend the agenda pursuant

002to Connecticut General Statutes 1-225. First, add an item prior to public communications in order to provide for a recognition for Conard High School by the CT Association of Schools. Sorry, I have a man in my mouth Number two to add an item under new business titled discussion of a confidential educational record protected by the state and federal law in an executive session and three Move the staff report culture and climate in the middle schools to follow the executive session their motion I Made the motion second second Miriam, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? The motion passes. So with that, we will start with the first revised order, which is recognition for Conard High School. And I will turn that over to Superintendent Vicena. Absolutely, and it is my honor and

003pleasure to welcome to our podium Ms. Tiffany Coette, who is the Assistant Executive Director for the Connecticut Association of Schools, and we are proud to have her here today to offer this recognition. So, Tiffany. Good evening. It's my honor to be here tonight on behalf of Connecticut Association of Schools to recognize Conard High School as the 2026 Cass High School of the Year. Principal Tamburello-Noble, will you join me, please? Everyone always asks how schools get to this point, so I wanted to go through the process because it's not something that happens lightly. Last year was the first year we opened it up to high schools, and Woodland High School was our inaugural recipient of the award. The high schools have come in fierce. There is strong competition, and this year was no different. So it

004was a really tough year. The two finalists were amazing. But the process is pretty intensive. There's an application process that covers many domains of a high school or any school, and then we have a committee of administrators from across the state, principals and assistant principals who read all of the applications, and they use a rubric to score. We select two finalists. We do site visits. They're half-day sites. SITE VISITS. WE MEET WITH GROUPS OF ADMINISTRATORS, PARENTS, STAFF, STUDENTS, BOARD OF ED MEMBERS, CENTRAL OFFICE. IT'S VERY RIGOROUS. AND THEN A RECIPIENT IS SELECTED. SO THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, CONNOR'S stood out as a school that's both high achieving and deeply student centered. The application highlighted strong academic opportunities, including advanced placement classes, UConn ECE, and career pathway options, along with impressive student participation and success. It also

005showed a school that pays close attention to belonging, wellness, safety, and student voice, and that was apparent in the application and at the site visit. The award recognizes the work of the entire Conard community, Principal Amarillo-Noble, staff, families, administrators, central office leaders, and the Board of Education. This does not happen without purpose and design. So congratulations to the community and the board for supporting such great schools and doing right by kids. So congratulations. It reflects the pride, the care, and continuous improvements that are evident throughout the school and the district. So on behalf of Connecticut Association of Schools, congratulations to Conard, and it's my pleasure to present the banner for School of the Year, which I think is going to be hanging in the lobby soon. With all the love of the community, Jocelyn cannot

006be heard holding it. A school community that truly values its children. As a product of West Hartford Public Schools and proud Conard graduate, this recognition feels especially meaningful. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE INCREDIBLE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS AT CONNOR, TORR FISK, JUAN MELEAN, AND LINDSEY TRINGALI, WHOSE LEADERSHIP, COMPASSION, AND UNWAVERING COMMITMENT HELPED MAKE OUR SCHOOL A TRUE PLACE OF BELONGING FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF ALIKE. AND THE CONNORD EDUCATORS HERE TODAY, WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. YOUR DEDICATION, CARE, AND BELIEF IN OUR STUDENTS ARE WHAT MAKES CONNORD SUCH A SPECIAL PLACE. I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our parents and caregivers. Your partnership, trust, and encouragement and unwavering supports for students are essential. The strength of our community comes from collaboration between home and school. We

007are deeply grateful for your partnership and especially our amazing PTO. At the heart of Conard is an unwavering belief in students. The legacy lives within every adult who has walked these hallways, taught in these classrooms, and dedicated themselves to supporting young people. Together, we continue to carry the mission forward each day, grounded in belonging, connection, opportunity, and a deep commitment to ensuring every student feels valued, supported, and empowered to succeed. We extend our deep appreciation for the incredible educators across West Hartford Public Schools who support children every single day, especially the elementary and middle schools that help shape and prepare our students long before they arrive at Conard. Thank you to every teacher, counselor, clinician, special educator, service provider, library media specialist, paraeducator, teaching assistant, bus driver, security officer, cafeteria worker, custodian, office staff member,

008school resource officer, and department supervisor. Every role and every person contributes to the success, safety, and well-being of our students. Thank you for truly embodying the spirit of every child every day. Together, we continue to strengthen our community, inspire hope, and create a brighter future for our children. We truly are, all paws in, when it comes to creating spaces of belonging, a culture of care, and opportunity for every student who walks through our doors. And to our students, you are the best part of the day, and you are exactly what makes this job worth it every day. Thank you. Wonderful. Well, thank you, Cass, for making the trip up here to celebrate this amazing recognition. And as someone who was sandwiched between a Conard graduate and my mother and a child that is now at

009Conard, I myself did not have that privilege, but I'm just so impressed with everything that is happening at that school and how it reverberates through the entire community of West Hartford. So congratulations. So we will now move on to public comments. This is an opportunity for the Board of Education to hear from the public regarding thoughts, suggestions, concerns, or questions. And when you come to the podium, we ask that you state your name and town of residence. Please note that each individual is allowed three minutes to speak. Please be mindful of Amani who will hold up a yellow card when you have one minute remaining in your time and a red card when your time has expired. At that time, please conclude your comments and respectfully take your seats. Please note that we as a

010board are actively listening while you make your remarks. However, it is a Board of Education policy that we do not respond to comments as they are being made. We will begin with comments on agenda items. And as a reminder for tonight, our agenda includes new and revised policies, first reading, revision to the Board of Education Committee, culture and climate in the middle schools. approval of the financial report for the period ending March 31st, 2026, and approval of the minutes from the May 5th, 2026 Board of Education meeting. And lastly, approval of the minutes of the Board Budget Workshop of May 12th, 2026. There is no one signed up for agenda items, but just want to- Before you call the members of the public up, if I may, Madam Chair. Sure. I know that we have

011just a crowd of very proud and dedicated Conard folks here, and I'd love just 30 seconds to, if any of them should choose to, well, before they leave, we can give them one more round of applause, but perhaps they might choose to do other things this evening. Noted. So you are free to, you can stay, but you are also free to go. Thank you all. Yeah, you're ready to go. So it's hard to come down from that rush. So anyone looking to speak on any of the agenda items? Okay, so we will move on to general comments from the public. And first up, we have Navia Kushu. And apologies if I mispronounced any names. My name is Navya Kushik, and I am a seventh grader at King Philip Middle School in West Hartford. Today, I

012would like to bring three items to your attention. Number one, when a teacher says you can get Chromebooks, everyone immediately starts playing games. This distracts other people, and they don't learn anything in class. I don't understand why we have Chromebooks if they're not going to be used properly. Number two, my science teacher, Mr. Mall, gave us an AI tutor that did not help anyone. It kept repeating what I asked. Third, I learned better on paper, and I bet others do too. There are more reasons to why we shouldn't use computers, but there are also reasons they are useful. People use computers to email friends they don't see, and learning how to properly use technology is important as it's used more. Especially this generation, devices weren't our fault. COVID arose when we were very young, so

013the only way to get proper free time and socialization were devices. I think that Chromebooks do need more limitations in order to help students because right now this isn't working. Thank you for listening to my comments. Thank you very much. Next we have Gunjan Sharma. Good evening. My name is Gunjan Sharma. I'm a resident of West Hartford and the mother to Navya Kushik here. To make our point, we have written our remarks on paper instead of on an electronic device. So a month ago, I was actually here in a Board of Education meeting talking about, you know, the fact that we should be funding more textbooks rather than Chromebooks, while my husband... As you can see, we are here family unmasked tonight. My husband was helping my daughter review for a science test, and suddenly

014there was an AI tutor on her Google Classroom. And it was very jarring, also ironic, that I was here advocating for less educational technology. I think it was... It was very concerning for us that when we are trying so hard to curate our daughter's online experience at home, that all this exposure to new stuff is coming from school. Without warning, without even a heads up, and we're very concerned about that. My fellow economist, Emily Oster, wrote a New York Times editorial last week saying that the evidence on AI tutors is mixed at best. Why is this grand experiment happening on our 12 and 13-year-olds? Is a study, a physical study packet not enough? Why is this exposure happening in school? The other thing I want to... you know, sort of ask about is why is

015there no opt-out policy? When I wrote to the teacher, he was very responsive, but he said he couldn't remove the AI tutor from her Google Classroom. We were not asked, we were not told about it before. There was no option to opt-out. Why is there not an option to opt-out of this new experimental? you know, ed tech. The last thing I do want to say is that a lot of you have probably read the news of month ago, LAUSD, which is like 50 times the size of WHPS, has committed to making very significant changes, not just at the elementary level, at the secondary level, to go to paper first pedagogy. And I... I sincerely believe that WHPS can also do it over the summer. And I sincerely ask the headquarters and the Board of Education

016to ask secondary departments to audit their use of Chromebooks during instruction time, audit their use of subscriptions, audit how much homework is online rather than on paper, and exactly what is this educational technology being used for. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we have Sermani Singh. Hi, everyone. My name is Sukmani Singh. I'm a faculty at UConn and a resident of West Hartford, a developmental and community psychologist by training, which is important for what I want to share with you all. And I'll start, because I'm a researcher and a scientist, so I'll start with asking us to take an internal survey, the adults, not the kids yet, although kids obviously might echo some of this. How many of us are thinking, I don't know how to drive. Like my, I don't remember directions anymore. I can't

017be without my GPS. How many of us are watching our phones as we are watching our TVs? How many of us are zoning out when people are speaking because we're waiting for them to get to the end of their sentence? Because we already think we know what they're going to say. And how many of us are annoyed when we're... out for dinner with our friends and everybody's screens are on the phone. Sorry, everybody's screens are on the table. How many of us are worried when we go to bed at night? That's too much screen time. I'm not sleeping so well. As soon as we wake up, what's the first thing we do? We check this leash. This is what we are socializing and inculcating into our youngsters. And I did not grow up with screens

018and Chromebooks thrusts onto me. There is a mental health crisis of teenagers. Suicide rates are up. Isolation is up. Anxiety is up. And that is up not just in our children. It is also within ourselves. ADHD diagnoses are up, and these are all developmental crises. We do not want our children to grow up saddled with such burdens. And screen time, from all that we know in research till date, suggests that screens reward the same pathways that substances do in our brains. So let's limit Chromebooks. Let's also be very very mindful of the way AI is being thrust onto us. It is being thrust onto us by broligarcs. What do they have in it? You tell me. Right? So are we creating a generation of young people who are going to be equipped to deal with

019climate change crises, to deal with structural inequities inherent in our society that strongly need addressing? Not to mention that KO, a private school, does not do this. Public schools, we are doing this en masse. What are we reproducing? What class divisions and racial divisions and gender divisions are we producing? Because screens also have, and social media have a very poor effect, more... Great. Of course, I forget my English. But the effect is stronger for girls, for example, when it comes to anxiety and depression. So I've said a whole lot because there's a whole lot to say. As a parent, as a scientist, especially as a developmentalist, I am deeply concerned about the longitudinal impacts of screen time on our children. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we have Ramveer Singh Kumar. Hi, my name

020is Ranveer Singh Kumar, and I am a freshman and resident of West Hartford Public Schools. To go off of what the last people, last three people just said, I would like to raise the points of normalization of AI in our schools and how it raises incompetent students. In my experiences, many of my teachers have been enthused about using AI. They have advertised it kind of as a study tool. And one of my teachers would, as a class, would invite us to like, I would ask ChatGPT for like multiple choice questions for like a certain grade level and then have us like write down the answer. And then he would ask for the ad to show the answers. And I feel like that's not, that is not going to help you on the test. Self-studying and

021like making questions yourself, practice tests are also very good. Also, it's also really become really normalized and such a casual thing to say among my peers that like, oh, like I couldn't, I didn't have time. I just AI'd that last paragraph. I AI'd this, I AI'd that. And that is not raising competent students. Colleges have been bringing back proctored exams because they cannot, because students are not competent enough to finish the exams without using AI. So they need someone to watch them. As public schools, as a community, one of the things that my parents decided to move to West Hartford specifically for was the school system, how good it was, and that it was just really an excellent school. So I ask that we severely limit AI use and how much it's put on us

022in schools. that should be very much regulated. Also, there's a bunch of posters about how to use AI responsibly saying that, it's like there's like a, how to use it responsibly saying that. Like you can use it to organize your thoughts you can use it to this like generative AI is also like it's such a casual thing It's very normalized like the Google AI overview whenever you look something up like, you know That's the first thing that pops up. I wasn't there before that's just teaching us. It's like instant gratification That's what society is built on today. We just want We just want the answer very quickly, like my mom said. We are waiting for the people to finish the end of their sentence, and we're annoyed by how long it takes. So I ask

023that we set more ground rules about it and have specific limitations and rules about it. As a community, I feel like we should live up to our name of being a good public school district, and that's all I have. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we have Jonathan Rayoum. Ladies and gentlemen, members of the board, principal of the CNIS, good to see you again. I had to miss the last time because I was traveling, but a month ago when I was here, we talked about a book. I'm an avid reader, and we talked about The Radium Girl. There's one point about that book that I didn't make. which was in the early 1900s, around 1911, just after Marie Antoinette won the Nobel, not the Peace Prize, but the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, rating was largely seen

024as a panacea. One could buy a salubrious elixir you could drink, and it would impart vitality. Nowadays, Chromebooks are our modern rating. So nowadays... I want to move on from books. Let's shift our focus briefly to music. In 1987, hard rock group Guns N' Roses, they dropped their first album ever, Appetite for Destruction, in which Axl Rose, their singer, in the song Sweet Child of Mine, asked, where do we go now? Where do we go? We have all this technology. What are the next steps? Well, parent group focus has a roadmap for the next few months, and here's what we would like to do. About a month ago, I wrote a letter about the CNRE, which was the money that was allocated for capital spending, and I asked for an audit to be performed. And

025the reason for that is because if we pull all of the Chromebooks out of K-2 and iPads 2, as well as if we disconnect all of the personal Chromebooks and smartphones from the high schools, then our end users, the number of end users will go down. In addition, the peak bandwidth will go down. And when it comes to specifying IT gear, which is the goal of that capital allocation, There are two things that drive that. It's peak bandwidth and number of end users. So I'm hoping that before any money is spent, that that will be further investigated. But since capital is a use it or lose it situation, we would like to take into account that, or I'm strongly urging this board to go to the town council and petition them to spend any remaining

026funds on textbooks. Textbooks and workbooks. I understand that photocopying fees in the district have been somewhat of an unexpected expense. And I believe that that's related to the lack of high quality teaching material. And I think that if we can buy textbooks and workbooks, then some of those expenses can be avoided. So those are the main points that I wanted to say. Those are the main things that I would like to see in terms of where do we go now. I don't have a lot of time to talk about waivers, but I'll save that for next time. Thank you very much. Thank you. There is no one else signed up for general comments. Is there anyone else who would like to speak? So moving on from public communications, we will go into our reports from

027our student representatives. So Savannah, would you like to start? Hello. Good evening, everyone. My name is Savannah, and I'll be filling in for Kayla today since she's at the Hall Orchestra spring concert tonight. Okay, so here are some updates from Hall High School and our community. This month has been very busy as we begin winding down the school year. Students recently completed AP exams, and we are continuing senior nights in athletics to recognize our varsity senior athletes and their accomplishments. On May 6th, Holland Conard High School participated in SkillsUSA National Signing Day, honoring students who are pursuing career and technical education pathways after high school. Junior prom was also recently held at Aquater. This week, Hall hosted its Spring Showcase featuring our Solisti and Camerata music groups. Tonight, we are holding the Orchestra and Band

028Spring Concert. Next Tuesday, we will also have our Spring Jazz and Band Spring Concert. Next Tuesday we will also have our Spring Jazz concert. In athletics, the CCC Divisional Track Meet took place today. Tomorrow, the Varsity Girls Softball Team at Conard will hold a special 50-year celebration ceremony. Hall Baseball will also face Conard at the University of Hartford tomorrow and Boys Tennis Senior Days tomorrow. In addition, Ms. Isaacs will be visiting King Philip Middle School to meet with incoming ninth grade parents as students prepare for the transition to high school. Next Tuesday, Hall will honor students entering military service during our military induction ceremony. The Future Educators of Diversity organization will also hold its pinning ceremony on Tuesday and Wednesday's Hall Awards Night, where students will be recognized for scholarships and academic achievements. Thank you.

029Thank you, Savannah. No shortage of things going on at the end of the year. Conrad, love to hear about Conrad. Good evening, everyone. I'm excited to share some new updates from Conard. The peer mentor breakfast was a wonderful celebration of the mentors and their dedication to the program. Thank you to all mentors, mentees, and staff involved. Our juniors had a wonderful prom last Friday. A big thank you to the advisors, Ms. Thoreau and Ms. Franich, for all of their hard work putting it together. Celeste Camerota and solo choirs performance on Sunday was another truly amazing thing to see. We've so many talented musicians across both schools. Also, congratulations to Cece Sarsasamo who earned 200 points in girls lacrosse. Sports teams across the school have been celebrating senior night, honoring our athletes as they wrap up

030their final seasons. Congratulations to all of them. Also, congratulations to Jamie Gomes who received the visual arts award. Also, congratulations to Delia Cannery, who has been named a Sondheim Award winner and will be heading to the Jimmy's later this June. We are so proud of you. Our senior prom is coming up on Friday at 6 p.m. We hope all seniors will have a memorable evening. Conard has also been ranked number three in the entire state for the number of UConn ECE programs. On behalf of the students, a heartfelt thank you to all the teachers and staff who were recognized at Cass. It is wonderful to receive an award and it truly reflects the incredible dedication and hard work that goes into this school every single day. Thank you. Thank you, Conrad. Any questions for our

031student representative? All right. Well, congratulations on winding down and just... take a beat when you can to take it all in because it's going to go really fast. So you don't want to let it pass too quickly. All right. So moving on, we have no unfinished business. And at this time, based on the revision to the agenda order, I would entertain a motion to go into executive session. So Madam Chair, I'll make that motion. Madam Chair, I will make that motion. I'll move that the Board of Education enter into executive session pursuant to General Statute Section 1-206E for the purpose of discussing a confidential educational record. Which discussion would result in a disclosure of confidential information exempt under Connecticut General Statute 1-210B11 and is further protected by the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act,

032known as FERPA. And that the following individuals be invited to attend the executive session because their presence is necessary to provide information regarding this matter. That would be Superintendent Paul Vicinus, Assistant Superintendent Julio Duarte, Corporation Council Dallas Dodge, and Assistant Corporation Council Cynthia LaTorre. Is there a second for my motion? Is there a second? Second. Miriam, thank you. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? All right. So with that, we will be adjourning for executive session. So we'll take a recess or we'll be stepping back. So you can take a break, stretch your legs, use the restroom. We will hope for this to be very expeditious. So we're excited to hear our presentation coming up. So I will be gaveling out for executive session as of 7.38 p.m. Calling back to

033order our regular Board of Education meeting at 8 11 p.m. Thank you for everyone's patience and we are very excited to move on to the next agenda item which is a revision to the agenda where we will be hearing our staff report on the topic of culture and climate in the middle schools and so I just we know already we're in for a treat just seeing who's in front of us but we will be turning over to Teresa Rangel to kick us off. Great thank you very much. Good evening everyone. I'm super excited to have the opportunity for us to start our evening this our presentation with students so they can kind of give you an authentic experiences and thoughts about the program that they've been able to participate in since January. The Voices of

034Belonging. is a program that was developed after we did a dive into street data the year before. And we went to talk to middle school students and we asked them what were the areas that they were the most concerned about, how can we help and support them. All of our data says that middle school is really our battleground in school systems. It's not unique to West Hartford. That is the case across our country. And obviously we can tell all the reasons why, like there's so much transition happening. And so what we heard from kids was that what they really were looking for were stronger relationships with caring adults. They wanted engaging hands-on learning, more opportunities for that, not to say that we don't have them because we obviously very much do. Peer connections, stronger peer

035connections. And they also, I think what resonated the most, though it's last on the screen, is that they really wanted to have an opportunity for their voices to be heard and for the adults to not just ask them the questions, but to genuinely listen to their responses and then take those responses and actually do something with it. So from that study and from going into middle schools and talking to middle school students, the Office of Equity and Advancement had the opportunity to apply for a grant that we were extremely excited to receive, a sizable grant. through the state of Connecticut, where we were able to design a program and implement a program that is still ongoing. So we are still in the midst of the program. When we finish, we will present a... A FINAL

036REPORT AND PROBLEM TO OUR FUNDERS WHO PROVIDED US THE FUNDS BUT WITH LOADED WITH THE DATA FROM THE PROGRAM WE HAVE OUR BEGINNING OF THE PROGRAM SURVEYS AND WE WILL WRAP UP BUT IN ALL HONESTY SURVEYS ARE ONE THING NUMBERS ARE SOMETHING ELSE BUT REALISTICALLY SPEAKING WE DON'T DO THIS FOR NUMBERS WE DO THIS FOR HUMAN BEINGS AND LITTLE HUMAN BEINGS THAT WE WERE LOOKING TO IMPACT ARE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE AN AUTHENTIC hearing of what happened and how things went. So I'm actually going to turn it over. So each student we have here are the seven students from VOB. And before they start, they'll introduce themselves and tell you their name. And then they'll talk about a different portion of

037the program. Hello, my name is Zushi, and I am an eighth grader of Bristol Middle School. My name is Amina. I'm a seventh grader at Bristol Middle School. My name is Guilherme. I'm a sixth grade on Sedgwick Middle School. My name is Mariani. I'm a seventh grader in King Phillip Middle School. Hi, my name is Gabe, and I'm eighth grade in Bristol Middle School. I'm Arthur. I'm a seventh grade in King Phillip Middle School. I'm Tyler. I'm an eighth grader in Bristol Middle School. Good evening members on the Board of Education, families, staff, and guests. As previously stated, my name is Zushi, and I would like to share the after-school aspect of Voices of Belonging. One part of this program would be the teamwork and leadership activities that we went through during the after-school program,

038many of which included teamwork, precision, and socialization skills, which we all greatly... and I mean greatly, were better at. See, before Voices of Belonging started, we were just students, and now I feel like we, as a collective in Voices of Belonging, have all been trained in the ways to be a leader and how to accommodate for other people. Another part would be the academic segment. During every single day, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, there would be a segment during Voices of Belonging that was strictly for schoolwork and to make sure that the kids were kept up with their schoolwork and were in good academic standing. And the last part of Voices of Belonging would be the Wednesdays where we met important people, important figures, and the physical education part of the segment. During every Wednesday, usually

039after some of the previously stated teamwork activities, we would start with some physical activity, almost akin to PE in actual school. Now, this would be a great way to spice up any week. as I feel like I speak for all seven of us here, that school sometimes can be a bit of a chore. Sorry. But, and I feel like the Wednesdays are a great way to make us not feel as bored throughout the week. And overall, this program has created a place where students felt supported and together in Voices of Belonging, socially and emotionally. Thank you for giving us the opportunities and helping us grow into stronger students, leaders, and better people. Good evening, everyone. My name is Amina. When parents ask us how's Voices of Belonging today, the answer is usually good or great.

040But when many people don't... realize is how much we were actually learning and growing during that time. One of the most inspiring parts of the program was meeting guest speakers from different careers and hearing their real-life stories. We even had the opportunity to interview them and ask questions about their journeys, challenges, and successes. One speaker who really inspired me was our very own Ms. Rangel. She shared how she started as a teacher assistant and then became teacher, then a principal, and now as an executive director. Hearing how her path changed over time showed us that success is not always a straight line and that hard work and determination can open many doors. We also had an amazing guest speaker named Doc C who works at Arizona State University. He traveled all the way to West

041Hartford to speak with us about his passions for art and how he discovered it was the right path for him. He shared how his grandparents immigrated and worked hard to create a better future for their family. He also spoke honestly about the struggles and setbacks he faced growing up and how he kept pushing forward to achieve his goals. His story reminded us that where you come from doesn't define where you can go. Another inspiring speaker was a young woman who studied abroad and became an associate director with the Jewish Federation. She talked about using her experiences in education to represent and support our community. Her message reminded us that our voices, cultures, and backgrounds matter. We also had the opportunity to hear from police officers about the important work they do every day to keep

042our community safe. What made that experience even more special was learning that one of the officers used to be a Bristow student. Seeing someone who once sat where we were came back to inspire us was truly powerful. All of these speakers taught us something different, but they all shared one important message. Keep pushing forward, believe in yourself, never stop discovering your passion and purpose. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. My name is Guy, and I also want to share about the guest speakers we had at Sedgwick. We had the opportunity to learn about a aerospace engineering and one of the speakers even show us what a real engine looks like on the inside. That experience was incredible because it made engineering feel real and possible. One thing that really stood out to me was learning that

043people can have more than one passion and career. One guest speaker was both a senior engineer and a fitness coach and trainer. That showed us that we do not have to limit ourselves to just one dream. I have always wanted to become an engineer, and after hearing that presentation, my goal felt even more real. We also heard from firefighters and from someone who works as an interpreter in courts and hospitals. It was inspiring to learn. about careers that help and serve people in different ways. These experiences opened our minds to many different opportunities for our futures. They helped us see that success can look different for everyone and our dreams are possible if we work hard for them. Thank you for believing in our students and giving us experiences that inspire us to dream bigger.

044Good evening. Good evening. My name is Mariani, and I would like to share about our Saturday program experiences. Saturdays quickly became one of my favorite days of the week. Honestly, none of us expected to be excited by waking up early on Saturdays, but this program made it worth it every single time. We appreciated it. We part... Painted in cooking, fitness, music and art and leadership. That's one of our biggest goals in this program. Every Saturday gave us something new to learn and look forward to. In cooking class, we learned how to make pasta from scratch and how to safely chop the vegetables. One of the best parts was being able to bring ingredients home and recreate the meal with our family. This experience made us feel proud and independent. Fitness classes change us to work

045harder, stay active and support each other for every workout that we did. We're a little intense. These workouts were a little intense sometimes, but they were really fun at the end and motivating. In art, we learned how to express emotions and feelings creatively, which is an important skill of life. that many of us will continue using in the future. We also had the opportunity to learn drumming and even perform at a festival, which was an unforgettable experience. This program gave us confidence, new skills, friendships, and opportunities we will carry for us for a long time. Thank you for believing in the students and creating programs that truly make a difference in our lives. My name is Gabe and I want to talk about the field trips that we've experienced through VLB. Some Saturdays we've had

046the opportunity to go on trips that were both educational and fun. One of my favorites was visiting a pottery studio where we took an art class and designed our own mugs and bowls. It allowed us to be creative and express ourselves in new ways. We also went bowling and mini golfing which helped us build friendships and teamwork while having fun together. Another memorable experience was our in-house field trip with Empower. We spent the day participating in team building activities in the gym that challenged us to communicate, cooperate, and encourage one another. We also had the opportunity to tour Trinity College and attend Samba Fest, where we also performed drumming alongside college students. That experience made us feel proud and inspired because we could see ourselves attending that college one day too. These trips gave us

047the experience we may not have had otherwise. They have helped us grow, learn, grow, and create memories we'll never forget. Thank you for investing in opportunities that will make learning come alive. Good evening. My name is Arthur, like I said, and I would like to talk about the HBCU trip to Washington. Before the trip even started, I was very nervous because I'd never been away from my parents for such a long time, but the VOB staff made us feel safe and supported. We also, during Washington, we visited landmarks and colleges there. During the college trip, we visited Coppin University. Virginia University, Brampton University, and Morgan State University. We had tours around the campus, and we also learned a little bit about the history behind the colleges. After that, we visited a museum where we learned

048about the earth and about the cultures. This trip helped me grow more independent, confident, and motivated about my future. Thank you for making experiences like this possible for students like me. Thank you. My name is Tyler, and I also want to share my experience from the HBCU tour. Each of the four colleges that we visited were all unique in their own way. We visited Virginia Union, Hampton University, Morgan State University, and Cobbens State University. Walking through all the campuses for each college helped me picture myself in my future attending college. I also really enjoyed visiting the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of Natural History. These experiences helped us connect with real life and better understand our culture, history, and science. What made this trip even more meaningful was

049that it gave us a chance to practice our social and leadership skills that we learned in VLB. We learned responsibility, communication, teamwork, and of course how to represent ourselves positively. All of these experiences helped me and many others feel more confident about our future goals and possibilities. Thank you for supporting our opportunities to help students grow. Wow. I love it. I love it. And of course, I did not get to read those before, so I'm going to, you got me. So I'd like to... close with a little video of the program so you can actually because we described it we tried to I know sorry guys we described it we tried to show you with words but I really do think that sometimes pictures and images really do capture the lived experience so I'm going

050to going to work you can On Saturday mornings in West Hartford, something special happens. I'm waking up for a good reason, to be in a group bigger than myself. Students from across our community are coming together, not just to learn, but to connect, lead, and discover where they truly belong. Our voices matter here. I have a lot of friends here, mostly people I don't even go to school with. I know everyone here. I really like it a lot. Voices of Belonging brings together middle school students in grades 6 through 8 who reside in Hartford and West Hartford. It's designed to build meaningful connections across communities while supporting students during a critical stage of growth. This work began by listening. Students told us that they value friendships, engaging learning, and caring teachers. They also shared real

051challenges, including academic pressure, keeping up in math, social dynamics, and not always having a trusted adult. Those voices shape everything we do. In response, Voices of Belonging offers a dynamic, wraparound experience that supports the whole child. Students take part in after-school learning labs that blend tutoring and study skills with hands-on, interest-based activities. Twice each month, Saturday Academies brings students together for deeper learning, collaboration, and shared experiences across schools. Voice to Belonging helps me be a better leader. It helps me express how I feel and if I'm having any trouble at school, Voice to Belonging helps me personally. Throughout the program, students are supported by dedicated educators, tutors, and licensed social workers who provide constant encouragement, guidance, and connection. Families are also engaged through outreach and workshops that strengthen the partnership between home and school. Even

052like the school counselor said that I've changed a lot since I joined Voices of Belonging. You learn how to be a leader and I'm more confident to like talk to people and like meet new people. I've developed being more confident in myself, more organized. a bit more of a team leader. It's pretty nice because we get to do things that we wouldn't if we weren't here and like we get like more knowledge and education and like the program helped us to get like better grades and be like a better person. At its core the program is built around four key goals academic growth, a strong sense of belonging and safety, meaningful engagement and leadership, and deeper family connection. Students do more than participate, they lead. Through experiences like career exploration, action research, and identity-based murals,

053they explore who they are, share their stories, and grow into confident, capable leaders. It's kind of like making a jigsaw puzzle, slowly finding pieces of yourself and connecting them all together until you get your true self. I used to be like very quiet at the start of it, but now like I feel comfortable with talking to people and doing stuff. The program also opens doors to new possibilities through cultural experiences, community partnerships, and opportunities like an HBCU college tour, helping students expand their vision for the future. We got to go on a tour to four colleges on that trip. It was really fun and it really can help us picture ourselves being there. I'm very grateful that I had a chance to visit all those colleges. When students feel a true sense of belonging, everything

054changes. They engage more deeply, build stronger relationships, and begin to see what is possible. It's really fun. I like coming here every week. Everyone is collaborating and working together. You get to meet new people and do new experiences. I'm really glad to be a part of this program because I feel like it's helped me grow into someone who's more organized and who has a different variety of options to experience. I feel happy, joyful, and great to be here. Voices of Belonging is more than a program. It's a powerful investment in our students, ensuring every child feels seen, supported, and inspired to thrive. You belong. No matter of your gender, or race, or ethnicity, you always belong. Don't stop belonging. I feel like this group has been a major success, and I would love to see

055it continue forward with or without me. This group is helping me a lot to see in my future more and my future is like very very bright very bright for me My beloved child, right? Do you know? Oh my goodness, I cannot be blamed for commercial So, you know that that That concludes our part for Voice of Belonging. I did want, the kids I know want to sit so they can see the video, but if you did have any questions that you wanted to ask them, I would obviously open up the opportunity to ask if you wanted to ask them any questions. You want to come back up to the table? They can ask you questions from there. Had you guys seen the video before? Oh. You all looked great. It was wonderful. Any questions

056for our students? Latoya? No questions, but very proud of all of you for the work that you've put in, for your participation, for you coming up here and being courageous and sharing all of that so vulnerably with all of us adults. I learned so much from everything that you shared, and I hope that everyone who's in this room and who's watching has also learned a lot from you. So congratulations. Y'all are amazing. Miriam? I agree. You guys are amazing. Is there one area of the program you would have wanted more of? The gym. Anybody else want to offer something? I would say more of the cooking classes that we had in the kitchen on Saturdays. I would also say the cooking classes because I learned a lot of cooking from others. I did a recipe

057that we did in cooking class that day. More teamwork things. Can I just ask how you found out about the program and how you decided you wanted to sign up for it? I was at a festival with, basically, I went to the gym. I go to the gym sometimes, time to time. And Amanda, Ms. Goler, she came up to me and said that. We were starting this new program and she explained to me everything and my mom explained to me more information about it and I said, oh, I want to join. And I got to know a lot of new people. It was really fun. I'd like to say that when I first found out about this, I say in honesty that I did not want to come. But now that I'm here and I've

058had opportunities to do a lot of things, and even before that, I'd say this program has a lot of good moments. I really like this program a lot is what I'm trying to say. Yeah, no, I'm not gonna lie. My mom just like came up to me one day and just told me about an email for a program and I thought it was just gonna be slightly more school things, which I didn't mind, but it turned out to be so much more and I had a great time. I didn't find out about it. My mom just signed me up for it. And to be honest, I really didn't want to go for the first two days. I just skipped those and as soon as she described it to me, it was just sitting around the

059table talking about her feelings. But I still did come, and I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed it. Maybe you could be a little more careful about our questions. I was going to say, no matter what way you got here, it seems, I mean, what's really evident is how close you've gotten with one another. I mean, you were... Kind of nodding your heads at each other's comments and clearly rooting for each other. And you just seem to have had a closeness that's been created. And I hope, I'm curious kind of how you see opportunity to stay connected. And what would you want this program to do next if you had the opportunity to continue? I mean, I kind of feel like everything that was done throughout these months was really great. There's not a

060single suggestion I think I could make. that would benefit everybody. And I feel like this group in general has just done a great job and there would not be a single thing I would change about it. To add on to Zushi, I would say this program throughout the months again was very well put together. Everybody was, I would say for the most part, everybody was enjoying it, was having a good time. And I think Guy would say if he would add to anything, more gym. But yeah, it was a great time being here for these months. Yeah, so gym was the best class because I love sports. Any other questions, comments? Well, this has been such a treat and we hope we get to hear more from you in the future. We want to hear

061how your engineering career turns out and look forward to getting input as you think of other ideas to keep this if we can. I think I heard that there might be an opportunity to apply for another round of this grant to get your input on making that application even stronger for future students. Mariana, yeah. I feel like... I don't think only middle school should have this. I think elementary, high school, and even college should have this because it brings people together and you know them more. It's really fun to be having a program that you're part of and knowing people there, and you feel accepted, too. I'm going to high school next year, but I would love to have this in high school next year. This is very, like... It was just a good time.

062That's what I'm trying to say. I second what Gabe just said. I also love to see more people in the program next year. The pressure is on. I'm like, thanks. More work. High school and elementary school. Love it. Well, to my young people, thank you. You have been absolutely, I don't typically get to, and I keep telling the kids, but I don't get to go all the time, that they're like, where are you? And I'm like, I got a day gig. Like, my boss wants me to do my job. But I do have Saturdays. But, you know, just being with you has absolutely made my job. more meaningful, reminds me of the why of what I do. So I want you to know that you, you know, we're looking to impact you, but you definitely

063have impacted the adults that have been with you as well. And I know I can speak for my entire team when I say that we have adored spending the time with you and finding new ways to listen to you and make sure that your voice matters. I appreciate you. Thank you very much. Thank you, parents, for trusting us and sharing them with us. Many of you were absolutely how your child got here, and we appreciate that. We're going to keep that moving forward. But without this partnership, I don't know what we would do. So thank you so much again for that. My little people, I let you go. Thank you so much for representing. Come on down. I have not left you yet. I'm still here. So our second part of this, and I should

064also say we have had such an amazing partnership with our middle school administrators just helping us recruit kids, you know, find kids who we felt might benefit from the program. problem-solve when things go wrong. Again, it takes a village, and I think that we have just worked together beautifully, and I'm so grateful. Cedric has been our home on the Saturdays, and every time we leave, like, you know, we try to leave everything the way you found it, but I'm always sending Karen text messages. I hope everything is right, but if your art teacher says anything, let me just tell you what happened. So, you know, I really do appreciate the trust that you have had in us and us being in your spaces and us. partnering with your staff, right, to make this program happen.

065So, um, but we're gonna move on to the next part of this because we're talking about middle school culture and climate and, um, I'm actually going to turn it over because you've heard a lot from, well, you've heard a lot from kids, but you've heard a lot from me as well. But I'm going to actually turn it over so that we can kind of talk about, last time I came to present to you, I think it was in February, and we talked, I had high school and I had elementary school, and I did not bring middle school, but there was a reason for middle school not being present at the time. I knew that we were working on this program. I knew that we were, you know, middle school, like I said, for so many

066reasons, space in place where we really do have to heavily reinforce all those values that we know that we need our kids to kind of hold on to and build that bridge. And so I felt it would be more appropriate to have this conversation later once we had actually dug in a little bit more and had more to show and talk about. So I'm really excited to have my middle school principals here with me so they can talk a little bit about the work that we've been doing. with culture and climate restorative practice, like it's all of it, right? Because it's about creating a community. So I'm going to turn it over to my friend Chad over there. Hi, good evening. For those of you that I've not yet met, I'm Chad Ellis. I am

067proud to be the principal of Bristow Middle School. So we are shifting gears a little bit to talk more broadly about restorative practices at the middle school. And for those of you that are newer to the board, this is not anything that's new to us. This really has been formally something we've done over the past five years. So what you're seeing in front of you on the slide. The beginning of this really traces back, we had a partnership at the district level with a program, the School-Based Diversion Initiative, which is something under the previous central office administration, taking a look at our approach to discipline the middle school and really just with an eye toward the reality of trying to combat the school to prison pipeline and our potential role as a school district in

068a broader society. So part of that, each of the middle schools went through a two-year fairly intensive training with the group, a series of professional learning experience modules with someone that was dedicated to us, where really we were introduced formally to the idea of restorative practice, is what that would look like in practice. You know, things in terms of really trying to start with setting a positive culture, right? And then... the idea of you want to restore back to something that is positive and not just restoring back to something that just reifies bad circumstances. So starting with setting and creating a school environment that is welcome, affirming for everybody where everybody is seen, valued, heard, and feels like they belong. Another important piece of that as well, which I think oftentimes we do forget is

069the adult component of it as well. Because we think about the oftentimes school culture in the terms of student behavior, but also the interactions with the adults. We often forget about how the adult lived experience, how we were raised as children, how we were disciplined. How we were raised goes into influencing how we interact with students. And part of the SBDI piece, which has come as well, some of the other modules we've done through Teresa's work, has had us reflect on ourselves. You know, the idea that we are adults, but just because we are adults doesn't mean we have the answers. And just because we think, you know, we... had a certain set of normative expectations of how we were raised, that doesn't mean that those expectations are universal. So really providing the opportunity for

070us to reflect on ourselves and how we are, how those things are shaping our interactions with our young people. And then through this year, we've done a series of modules as part of our professional development series that have really supported and underscored some of those key points. So part of the piece of when we think about restorative practices is what happens when we kind of break a respect agreement. At KP, we have what we call our KP charter, where we say this is how we want to feel at school. And when we don't, these are things we're going to do to get there. And when we don't, because... We're in community. Conflicts happen. We have a set of expectations of how we address it and what we do. And so, first of all, we have

071to come to a fact of understanding what the behavior is and how it not just impacts us, but our impact on others. And that's a big thing in middle school. It's very kind of me-centered at times. And so empathy is a skill that we're building to say beyond us, what does that look like for someone else, for my peers, for the adults in the space? And so that has to happen with guidance, reflection, and teaching. And so we really talk about reteaching those expectations, that we are all on a continuum of learning. Sometimes for certain folks, you just have to tell them once, and it never happens again. Some of us require more learning and longer time to understand that. And it's also understanding that that is normal as well, and so that we have

072to be where about teaching and teaching and learning takes place. time. And so there's opportunities for students to demonstrate that in various ways. And so one of the pieces is there has to be an educational component. Discipline is education. And so making sure that they have opportunities to reflect on learning with work that's provided, but to also demonstrate that through things that they're doing. And it could be a student. said something that was racially charged. And this was the second time that it happened. And so at this point, we said, we gave you some learning and now I need to know you understand it. And so they created a product to show how would you teach this to someone else who had another sixth grader, right? Who kind of said this, what would you say?

073How would you instruct them? And then there's always the big piece about restorative is repair. When we create harm. We have to repair that, repair it with ourselves, repair it with those around us. And those are small. It's not a, there's a restorative conference component to restorative practices. That's huge, right? It does require a lot of thoughtful reflection, training, lots of people around the table. Most of our conversations are kind of restorative chats, repair conversations that happen. It's bringing the students around the table to say, what happened? How did this make you feel? so that the other person understands that what do we need to do to make it right and for them to acknowledge. I just had a great conversation with two students. There was something that was unkind that was said. There was

074a reaction that wasn't appropriate. And you just say, like, well, what do we need to do to fix it right? I'm sorry that I called you that. I'll never say that again. I shouldn't have hit you. That wasn't okay. I'm going to keep my hands to myself. If I don't like something, I'm going to go to an adult. I'm just sitting there. That's the kind of thing that we're creating, and that's what community does. You have to kind of repair to get us back to a place of where we feel confident, safe, connected, respected. and accept it. And so then when we think about it, if we have to have someone who has a longer extension of reflection, how do we then reintegrate you back? What does that look like? There was a point and

075some of that is, is how are we going to, you did something within the community. It may, maybe it wasn't just between two people, but it was something that impacted the whole class. How do we address that? We talk with them through it. I walked with a student. They did a, sometimes I'm there, I gave it to the teacher, the student repaired with the class. I said something that I shouldn't have said, it impacted your learning in this way, it was disruptive. This is what I can commit to going forward. And they are capable, right? They need guidance and they need support and they need to understand too, you are not the mark of your error, but we learn and we grow from it. There's a saying that I share with them, the road to

076wisdom is paved with mistakes. That's how you become wise. We expect you to make them. What we want is that you're not making the same ones over and over again. And every error is an opportunity to learn differently. And so the whole piece, piece of restorative is really that we're living in community, we're creating community. If we're giving something that's not great, we're going to give back energy in a positive way. And I have to say, students... are open, want to be heard, and it does require that we as adults say, what do you need? What do you need to make this right? Instead of us saying, this is what needs to happen. Sometimes an apology can be hard for students, can be hard for adults. And so really it's about how are you accepting

077responsibility for what you can control. what you can do and what's your commitment to be your best self at another point in time. And so I'm really appreciative of the work that we've done, as Chad said, probably over the last few years because we were probably the first ones before Sedgwick. And then we were doing KP ruler pieces. So we've been doing this for like six, seven, eight years, and it does. It takes the adults thinking about it in a different way, and we keep coming back. One of the things in restorative practices is... the social discipline window and what we want to be with students and with all of us is in this with box we are working together in collaborative partnership and making sure that it is a constant commitment to engage the

078students that we work with and we're together. When we say we have a charter that's for all of us, this is our agreement as a community. It's not what the adults want. It's not what the students want. It's what we want. And then how are we going to live that out? And when we don't, how are we going to come together in community? And so it's really been a wonderful thing that we're continuing to grow in, continue to work on. But that's part of what it looks like to do this work and do it well. and be part of a community and kind of guide students in what does it mean to be citizens. And so I really feel like at the middle school, we are hopefully preparing them for that next stage so that

079they can continue this when they go beyond. Good evening. My name is Karen Cookish. I'm the principal at Sedgwick, the proud principal of Sedgwick Middle School. I think I need to start by saying that I'm so proud to work for and to serve a district like West Hartford that I've served for. gosh, almost 25 years now, because we have such a strong emphasis on building community. And we mean that when we say it in a very authentic and a very real way as we work with our kids. And a huge aspect of building community is creating that culture of belonging, of true belonging, where kids really feel safe. and accepted and welcome and I think most importantly part of the community. You are an important part of our community, of our class, of our team

080and when you're not here. We miss you. We notice that because it matters that you are here and we all need to work together as one school, one community and one team. So we really try to consistently deliver that message to our kids that they are important, that they do matter, that what they think, what they have to say, how they feel really matters to us as the trusted adults in their lives. And we take that work extremely seriously in particular. at the middle school level. So creating cultures of belonging and creating environments where everyone can thrive, staff, students, and families, that piece and also our restorative practices work that we've been doing over the years have really led and helped us to improve our school climates and to set our students up for success,

081which is our task and our responsibility. So there's... some data here to look at. Um, and I want to just share in our report some of our some of the numbers here. So our current middle school data shows and we're pleased to see this, um, pretty notable decreases in several categories of behavior incidents that were resulting in school suspensions, out of school suspensions or removal from class. So these are not all of the incidents, but they are the incidents that have resulted in those type of more severe consequences. So when we look at disruptive behavior at this point last year in 2024, 25, we had a total of 28 incidents and at this year, same point in the year, we are down to five and that is an 82.1 decrease in reported disruptive behavior incidents

082across our schools. In terms of insubordination and disrespect, total of 31. incidents last year at this time and we are currently at eight. So that is a 74.2 decrease in these reported incidents. Obscene language profanity, last year we were at 16. This year we are down to seven, a 56.3 decrease in reported incidents. Our racial slurs and hate crimes, we, as you can see, have remained stagnant in this area. We're going to dive a little bit deeper into this on our next slide. But the reductions that we are seeing, I think, really speaks to the efforts that we're putting in. And when I say we, I think we all mean, you know, our district, our district leaders, our staff, our teachers. our kids and they need and they deserve so much credit for this work

083and it really shows that we're making a lot of great progress. We have ways to go and that's something that we are well aware of but we are making progress in this regard. Thank you. So one of the things I want to kind of dive a little bit deeper in is this persistence right with the hate speech or racial slurs, hate-based incidents that continue to happen. And, you know, I think one of the things, you know, as I was, you know, preparing the report and reflecting, you know, I really struggled because I was like... How could we possibly be the same number? And then I had to actually check myself because when I looked at the numbers across, you know, the state, across the country for incidents, we are seeing unprecedented rises. I don't even

084have to tell you to, like, look at the news in the last week or so. Like, it's just, you know, I said I think the last time I sat in front of you, hate is on the table as something that's on the menu for... people at this point. And so really when we think about the work that we're doing and the fact that our children are seeing the adults and they, you know, rather, you know, You know, my parents used to always, you know, they always talked about like them, you know, you as a child, you know, following what they say, not what they do. But that's just not how it works, right? When you see things, right, that is really what impacts, you know, what's happening. And there's almost no place where you can

085turn where you're not seeing some form of hate or, you know, discrimination kind of playing out for our children. So, you know, I do think that. considering that everything else is going up, I had to like, okay, realistically speaking, these numbers should also be going up. And the fact that they're holding steady gives me some hope that the work that we're doing and that the proactive conversations that we're having is taking shape. I will also own, although this is a middle school conversation, that I will say that I'm seeing an alarming rise in elementary school. And so what's happening, it's almost like it's... passing down to younger grades. I've had more conversations about, you know, racial slurs, hate-based speech in elementary, and I'm an elementary person, so when I say I've seen more, for me

086it's alarming. Maybe as a principal of my entire career, maybe I've had it happen twice. And this is not, I mean... It's more and more of a conversation. So I do think as a community, we really have to dig in and dive into how do we insulate our little community from this work? And kids didn't get to talk about it because that wasn't what was on their men to talk about. But, you know, they're looking at they have a pledge and they're going to launch their. their Many Voices, One Belonging pledge on the 30th when they have their showcase, but really it's designed to kind of get people talking about like how do we treat each other, right? And how can we pledge to do something better? And so they're going to continue their work.

087And so like that's why I said the program's not over. We still have some time to go and they're going to kind of go out and really try to advocate and get other community partners and stores and really like stop by like the door-to-door knocking that you used to do. with the adults to really try to engage people in this discussion about how can we as a community be better and what are some things that people can pledge to do. So it is, it's a concern. It's something that we don't hide from. Again, I work in a community of people who have similar to my job titles and do the same work that I do and we talk about it all the time. I don't think that... There's another community who talks about it as

088openly as West Hartford does, and I stand on that ground that we're going to talk about it. We're going to acknowledge when there is a problem, and we're going to address it to the best of our ability. But we certainly cannot do it alone, and we look for our community to kind of partner with us in helping us to kind of shape a different narrative for our young people. So, unfortunately, I can't say that we've changed that number. Are you open to questions, or do you want to save them until the end? We're... You know what? Pretty much you're open to questions. You remain. Okay. Please dive in. John. Well, thank you for the presentation. Really, especially thank you for bringing in the students from Voices of Belonging. You're very welcome. Just a question about

089the hate speech and the slurs. When you're confronting one of these incidents and digging into it, do you have the opportunity to ask the students, where'd you get this from? Yeah, actually, it's interesting. You know, the other great thing about having my little crew of Voice of Belonging students is that, you know, we talk very openly with them about, like, okay, this speech and what have you. And they had lots of interesting things to tell me about, like, where it's coming from or why it's coming from. And it was different reasons, right? Some of the kids were like, oh, it's popular culture. It's, you know, music. It's whatever, right? And then other kids were like, well, you know, sometimes, you know, I visit with relative so-and-so and that's how they speak. social media popped up

090a lot. And again, I will remind, you know, our community and our parents that I full-heartedly understand the assignment about making sure that we are conscious about what we expose students to when it comes to educational things. But social media is found on cell phones and devices. And we're not, as a school system, providing those things. And so the checks and balances have to run both ways. We cannot do during the school day what you won't do at home. And actually, to be honest with you, you are modeling for your students, for your children every single day. So if you're scrolling, I will be totally honest with you. I am not here preaching about it because I literally deleted all of my social media because I went, there was a screen that pops up that

091tells you your activity and I avoided it for like, I won't lie, months. I finally looked at that number and it horrified me. So I've deleted them all and I had to warn everybody, listen, don't send me anything because I'm not looking. Because I'm not my best self when I spend my time doing that. And what I tell young people is you're either building your own dreams or supporting somebody else's. And where do you think that's actually more valuable, right? And so I think a lot of what came up from students was that social media had a lot of the content that we were seeing repeated. And then, you know, it's interesting when you have conversations with kids and they tell you that they just don't know. Like a lot of times they'll tell you,

092yeah, I don't know. I don't know why I said that. I got angry and then I just said it. Which again is developmentally appropriate in some ways, but also very scary as adults because if it's your child who does it, you're like, you are really freaked out when you get that phone call, right? And you want to be able to pinpoint, you know, what went wrong, right? And you're in their exposure and what happened with them. But I think that, you know, my philosophy is if we create a community, where you would, you just wouldn't want to harm someone else and you know that those words are harmful, then you know that is really the best countermeasure that we can actually create. Just this caring for each other, which would make that way less likely.

093I have to tell you within this, since January, we have not had one incident of that in the VOB program, not one. And you know, we've had upwards of 72 kids. So I do think building community makes a huge difference. I think it's that, and I just also think I'll say, I don't care where it came from. It's just not allowed here. And so it's also saying there's a piece of the community, because I can't address that fully. There's things outside of my control. What we say is, in this space. We say we want to feel safe, connected, respected, accepted, right, and ultimately happy. Is that something that helps someone feel emotionally or physically safe? No. that's what we have to focus on. And so, so many things I can't control with social media, what

094YouTube does, what, what, what streamer is doing. I can't control that. But when we're here in our community, this is what we're going to do. And this is what it's going to look like. What is your intent is not the importance. It's about your impact of what that happens and they get it right. And they get it and they understand that. And that's what we have to focus on. Um, and we come from it yet. You don't know. And I said, I, I, you don't, we don't know. Thank you. for telling me and being honest. That means we have to teach you so that you don't make this mistake again. And so that's where we go with education. This is why we have to kind of educate you about why this comment, what you did,

095that's what we do. And then you're like, now do you understand? Oh, I get it now. Okay. So we're moving on to something else. Latoya? Yeah, I first wanted to say, you know, back to the voices of belonging, that was great. You know, thank you just to your office for continuing to show us why diversity, equity, and inclusion is important and we need it. I am, you know, it does make me think about... Just I feel a little disheartened that there are other programs that get over a million dollars for not as a diverse group of kids and you had to apply for a grant for way less than that to be able to do something so impactful. So I'm just always like. how do we rethink some things? And like, how do we really

096walk the walk with equity in a way that's sustainable as the students asked for sustainability, right? And so how do we level the playing field with what we're funding? And like, who's advocating for that stuff? Some of those other programs, when I see people who come out and advocate for that, I don't see a lot of diversity. I see a lot of privilege. You know, White kids with ADHD are called twice exceptional. Black kids with ADHD are called problematic. So I'm just throwing that out there because it's truth telling. I think I'm really excited about all the restorative practices stuff that I'm hearing. You're speaking my language. I love this stuff. I think one area that I love or one direction I'd love to see us move in in the future. is like that in-school

097suspension piece. I'd love for that one day to be just called something else and to be structured in a way where students are just spending that entire time repairing harm and reflecting and getting wraparound service. I know that consequences have to be given, but I'd love even to just think about how we could dream up. calling that something different so we can move out of the two bucks with that and more into the width. I think all the other practices, I feel like our district is so advanced in. So now I'm like, what are the little things that we can now start to tweak to really make that full leap over into the full restorative journey? But I think y'all are doing great. And thank you so much for this presentation. Student Support Center. Yes.

098And so we have our student support coordinator who, and there's many reasons. It's like you can be there because you need some longer learning where you're getting your academics, counselors go in, teachers go in. But then there's also students who need to just. She has a chair. You just need to take a minute. Students ask. There's some students like, I just need to go to see Ms. Brown. That's our student support coordinator. I need to meet in Ms. Brown's room. I need to go to the student support center. I need a period. I need a couple periods. So we have begun that work of going. And we introduce her. She's the student support coordinator because we don't want it to be seen as, right, just when something I want them choosing to say, I'm not

099being my best self right now, and I need a space where I can talk. with someone where I can kind of get myself together where it is and so we we have shifted the name it's hard because when you put it in it's in school suspense right when it's that kind of disciplinary thing but for others like it's not just for that you can be in there because you're going to be in here for a day working on some things but you can be here on a period by period basis and so there are students who go in for many things and she has become kind of like she's not a counselor but she has become one of the people that they go to because they know she's been trained in restorative practices. She does

100hold restorative conference chats. She knows those pieces. And so I agree with you. And I think it's important for them to see that there is someone when you're trying to self-regulate, when you're trying to do all the things, all the strategies, then we have a place where you can go in addition to our school counselors who do such an amazing job. Thank you. Ethan. Two unrelated questions. First, and this is just me, the school-based... Diversion Diversion Initiative, where's the money coming from? That was grant funded as well. Right, but from the state from the federal? I believe it's a state grant. Okay, and I can't find it here. So I realize you don't but on the documents of state and federal grant reports. Is it? Yeah. Oh, we had a different name. All right, my

101apologies. No worries. On the incident types On one hand, the racial slurs was good because it gave credibility to the other numbers because otherwise the numbers look so good that it was like questioning, reporting. Listen, one thing I don't do, Ethan, is lie. No, no, I don't do that. But just so you know, listen, I like to live in my integrity. But I appreciate that. And I think, you know, when you look at the numbers and the change in numbers, so again, if I pulled out just the number of incidents. we have a whole different conversation. So no one, just to be super clear, is saying these are the only incidents that have occurred. These are the incidents. So our new, our new charge is to report, um, what, what gets reported as a challenging

102behavior, which has a very, um, discrete definition, right? It's in school suspension, out of school suspension, removal from class. Um, and so, you know, I look at those numbers and what I say is it's not necessarily it's that there are less incidents that rose to the severity of needing that as the only way to solve that problem, right? So for me, but again, I'm a strong believer in celebrating small wins. I think that when you do work and people are working hard, as hard as our teachers and our staff are working, and you can acknowledge when we've moved the needle in some way, shape, or form, I think, you know, research says that those are important things to do in order to keep people moving forward. And I have to tell you, the work that

103we... are doing is way more labor intensive for the adults than it ever is intended to be for the students because really what we're really trying to change is adult practice adult how adults engage with students how adults perceive disrespect how adults because there are different there are certainly cultural differences there's you know lots of differences in our idea of respect right there's a continuum i used to do this with my staff like i used to have one staff member who's like if a kid rolled their eyes oh that's the worst thing that could happen i said okay let's follow that line down see what's the worst thing that could happen if a kid is being disrespectful. Oh, if they put their hands on you. Okay. So now we can see the difference between the

104kid rolling their eyes, which is trying to tell you something and you may not like it, but that's a conversation. Exactly. Versus them putting their hands on somebody or you, which is very, which is vastly different. Right. And so I do think that, um, but you know, the data comes directly from power school and, and I am, um, unfailingly always honest and always direct just so you know so the numbers are the numbers are legit I promise you yeah the racial slurs and hate crimes in a macro environment I don't question is worse in the country in general my hope is it incentivizes to keep working on it because I think it is critical that we make improvements on that across the board oh yeah it's this is you know if we can't we can't

105say that all students belong or feel safe if we can't I mean, this is like, these are like basic rights, right? My right to exist as myself without being judged or harmed. And so, like, you know, this is, nobody looks at that number and says, oh, thank goodness, at least it's only 22. I think that we are, like I said, I was freaked out. And then I just, I really just had to talk myself off the ledge because I know how much proactive work we're doing. We're doing, you know. assemblies with students beforehand and talking about it and, you know, making sure that we do as much as we can to build understanding. So when you're working that hard, you want to see the number move. But we will continue on this path. I hope

106it continues. Can I just say, too, I think what's beautiful about part of that is that we don't talk about it is the students who say that's not okay. the students who are reminding their peers, like, that's not what we stand for, that's not what that looks like. And that happened so much ago. You can't say that. And let me tell you why. Do you know why that's wrong? Is that we're seeing that happening, and kids are feeling more comfortable talking to one another about what's okay and what's not okay. And when a kid says, like, they need education, or I tried, and maybe, Ms. Wright, you need to talk to them because they weren't listening to me. So we are having, yes, we have these pieces. but there are so many students who are

107standing on the side of right here, too. Thank you. Sorry, just real quick. I just wanted to, because I know you had a question about school-based diversion initiatives, so I just wanted to tell you real quick where it comes from. Basically, schools, it's money that is, it's a state grant, but it's... through an organization called CHDI, which is the Child Health Development Institute, and schools can apply for this grant. So it's opt-in. So as a district, you can opt-in. And it was about, you know, disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline and providing more restorative ways and, like, strengthening culture and climate in schools. And so districts around the state can opt-in to the program. It's free to the district, and they get it for three years. So teachers, I mean, any school staff can get trained in

108it. So paras, teachers. can get trained and then they have a leader in residence that's assigned to their schools to support ongoing technical support. And so, Wes Hartford opted in to the program and so that's why they got the three years of the free support. I was just trying to find it and I was looking under the wrong title. Yeah, but just wanted to give you context. Flutoy, Miriam? Thank you, and thank you for the presentation. I think certainly the decreases in the reported behaviors is very much worthy of being applauded, so thank you for that. Just to understand, these incidents under the challenging behavior are the CSDE required reporting. So my question is about classroom management and who's tracking those, what do those rates look like, and what does that mean for the teachers

109currently and the amount of restorative practices that they're engaging that is not being captured in these required reporting numbers. That's my first question. So I think I would start with your last part of the question about how much they're engaged in. It is a regular part of our practice. Typically on Mondays, we will do circle up time during our advisory block, which for us is a little bit, probably about two thirds of the way through the day or a third of the way through the day. And it's really the intent behind that is to get a sense of where kids are coming. at the start of each week. And it helps teachers sort of, you know, gauge where they're going to go, what, you know, what we need to sort of do with the kids

110as they're coming into us. TEACHERS ARE TASKED PRIMARILY WITH ESTABLISHING A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT IN THEIR CLASSROOM. IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT IS CLASSIFIED, WE CLASSIFY THINGS AS SORT OF LIKE MAJOR BEHAVIORS OR MINOR BEHAVIORS. A MINOR BEHAVIOR WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE HANDLED BY THE TEACHER AT THE CLASSROOM LEVEL. ANYTHING THAT QUALIFIES AS A MAJOR THEN MOVES ON TO AN ADMINISTRATOR FOR SOME TYPE OF INTERVENTION. Teachers will have conversations with students, depending on what the topic is, what the issue is. We have had teachers facilitate restorative conversations on a small scale, but it's something typically that they're comfortable doing. And if they're not, they would come to one of us and ask for some guidance and some help. I don't think in terms of the record keeping, we would have to take a look at

111PowerSchool, but I do think more than anything, we're seeing... It's middle school, right? So I mean what there's always something exciting and interesting happening I do think though that the shift, you know to Joyce point about kids speaking up We're also seeing an increase in students reporting to us. So I would say Five years ago, it was an adult observes something or overhears something and then reports it to administration for some type of action. Now we're having students report to us directly. And we have multiple avenues for them to do that. I know students feel very comfortable emailing us directly. You know, I get emails regularly from kids, you know, Doc, so-and-so did this. I want you to talk to them. And that is very refreshing. So I don't think, you know... If we were

112to talk to teachers, there's just a very different, you know, kids are different today than they were 10, 15 years ago. And I know you would hear some, we're trying to figure out where we fit as adults into that. And I had referenced earlier the idea of, you know, our adult norms about proper behavior versus what we're seeing and trying to reconcile ourselves with, all right. I, as a middle-aged person who was raised a certain way, when I met with the eye roll or whatever the other thing is, in my house, that would have gotten me this consequence. But here I am in school, and the kid's getting spoken to. In my mind, that doesn't seem right. I want some type of action. So we're really spending as much time working with the adults and

113having us reconcile our expectations versus the new reality. And that is difficult work, but it is also probably one of the most important parts of it. It's not lowering the expectation, right? It's just deciding when do you need to engage and when you don't. Right. And so that's the piece of kind of going to the point. Is it an emergency? Do you need a break? Do I need a break? Right. And so I have to say, you know, most people would say, oh, I thought you really kind of had it together, how you speak with kids. But it's taught me how to kind of just go, you know what? I'll give you an example. Classic eighth grader kind of had the hood on. We don't have hoods on. So we say 740, walk through those

114doors, hoods come off like this is what we do. And so, you know, so I watch someone tell her, like, take off. hood I saw the eye roll you give a few minutes and then it's still not coming off and I'm like hey can we take off the hood the eye roll and I was like oh well you seem like you're like why don't you come to the office and let's talk so she goes the opposite way not towards the office and of course I say hey where you got the office is that way I'm going to my locker and I was like well let's just go to the office you seem a little upset and so she sits down and it's just major attitude and I had a choice I have positional power, but

115I have a choice. It's 7.45 in the morning. None of us want to be here right now. And so I just sat down and I said, I want you to know I'm not your enemy. I just want to help you. What do you need? Tears. Now, I could have come at it a different way, right? I could have asserted. And so it's really just having those conversations about how do we want to engage to get to the point to say, okay, you need a hoodie pass today? I can give you a hoodie pass. All right? Can I get you to the counselor? Because you don't want to talk. So I'll have the counselor connect with you. Five minutes later, she was out the door. We were okay. And so that's a piece of kind of...

116managing differently. And sometimes it means, hey, send them to the Student Support Center, send them to get a little break because you need to recenter and that's okay. And students are understanding that kind of language now. Like I need, you know, we, sometimes I say, I use the meta moment, right? You need to take some breaths. Let's just walk away. You're going to take your time so that you can think about who you want to be as your best self. And I'm going to do the same thing. And then we're going to come back and figure this out because we're people and we're working in community. And I think maybe the difference is going. my positional power, right? I'm operating in a two. I'm doing something to you instead of with you. And we're focusing

117on let's do something together, right? Because we're in community. And that starts with community circles. That starts with those pieces. But that's the difference. And I think teachers would say it's different, right? As adults, it's different, but it's so worth it when it's all said and done. And we've seen over the years, like the benefit of it. Just in keeping with Joy's point, I think in my prior point. As adults, the number of students that are not compliant for what really are minor tasks is vastly, vastly more now than it ever was. And I think for adults, the idea of when you're met with noncompliance, there's the issue of I'm a teacher or an administrator with positional authority. I have given you a reasonable direction, which you are now ignoring me as an adult and

118you're walking away from me. Right. So it's really it's that. This is not a West Hartford thing. This is a national issue where anytime you see news about, you know, polls of teacher morale, a lot of it is perceptions of disrespect. And it's really because our kids, and again, it doesn't make the behavior okay. Our kids are dealing with so much more than they ever, ever, ever had to, and they don't know how to handle it. And so somebody's hassling them at 745 about a hood. Right. And at the end of the day, that can go one of one of a couple of ways. And we're trying to make sure it goes the way that at the end of the day is best for kids. And again, not best for adults, because we're not in

119the business of, you know, taking care of adult pride. We're taking care of kids. Yeah, that is true. That is true. I just hold on to Miriam had part two or. If I may. Thank you. Is it possible to share of the 22 racial slurs and hate crimes which were, as you identified, like anti-black, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, etc.? Can you share those numbers? Because we're looking at middle school and it is a small number, we don't typically out... We don't typically separate them. I can tell you that the vast majority were racial in nature. And racial in nature, then we had... I did have it. The majority were, in fact, racial. There were a small number. There was some anti-Semitic in there. There was some comments that were related to special education students with disabilities. There

120was a couple. And then the racial slurs did cross. There was some, you know, it was a variety of races. So it wasn't all singular, but those were the overwhelming majority. And what's interesting about the numbers, no numbers, one's a bad number, but... There were some group things where three students might have been making an exchange with each other in one way, shape, or form. So that counted up on the screen as three because there were three separate logged incidents as they relate to the individual students, but it tied back to one incident. But that's the best answer I can give you to that question without, you know. At such a small end, it does start to become something where it can out a particular student. Thank you. And my last question is... If given

121the increasing number in elementary student issues that you referenced, Ms. Rangel, and this number that's stayed the same, is there a change to the current plan for the Office of Equity Advancement District to address racial slurs, hate crimes, given our strong mission and vision on anti-racism? So I'm interested in hearing what that might look like. Thank you. Yeah, we don't, we actually don't wait for change. We change in the moment. So what we've done is with the elementary schools that we've implemented a fourth for fourth and fifth grade, we actually had a very like a, and if you're a parent of a young fourth or fifth grader, you got that letter home. So we actually went in and had a direct conversation about hate speech and hate crimes and tied it to just like students

122also understand that we have a legal obligation to make sure that that students feel safe and that these things aren't occurring. So We actually, that was in January, where we did that. So we saw, and I will lie, it also tends to come back. We have that winter break. People spend time. I'm just going to say students spend time, more time maybe having free time perhaps. I don't know. But we, it typically is that there's, we usually see a huge rise once they come back from winter break with incidents. And when I started seeing it happen in elementary school, we actually developed, our office developed and sent out and then asked each principal at each school to go, to physically go into and deliver to every fourth and fifth grade class and then send the

123letter home to parents to let them know. Because again, we are not teaching this language in school. This is not. This is not a school problem. We're looking for school solutions for things that are not school problems. Like, we don't generate this problem. We are on the receiving end, and we have to, so it can't just be us working on this. So anytime we do any education directly to students, particularly with elementary students, because they are young, we also ask that we make sure that we notify, and we ask that the home also engages in these conversations, because... The reality is, like I said, you know, do what I say or do what I do. It's a very different scenario. So we started that process of changing practice in the moment. Like the moment we

124start seeing the rise, we start having more conversations, more focus groups with students because we are trying to figure out where is this coming from. One thing that did pop up is some social media content creator who's actually daring kids to do it. And I'm like, I can't. Again, there's only so much that we can control. It's a trend, you know, and so again, parents have to be aware that that's out there and that they've made it seem like jokes and like, you know, like something funny or pranks. And so our best thing that we can do is make sure that we educate kids, but also then... educate and ask parents to actually be partners in that, which is what we have already started to do and we will continue to do, as well as

125bringing in additional resources and guides for that. But again, at the end of the day, if you don't want to hurt, if you know your friends and you don't want to hurt your friends, you're less likely to cross over those lines, which is by far because then it covers everything. Anytime I try to isolate, it becomes problematic because as you said, okay, so we talked about it, we worked on it and I got you to stop doing this one thing. And we had an incident happen in one of the elementary schools where we solved for X for that one kid, but guess what? He literally, it didn't cross over to... to another race or to and I'm like, oh you've got to be kidding and so realistically speaking if we want for young children you

126have to be able to get them to be able to connect the dots with something that that makes sense for them which is that we simply don't say things that harm each other and here are some of the areas where somebody you know all the things that we find as differences those are things that people feel really personal about and will be harmful to your friends and that's not what we do right and so that's really our our approach that we've had to take particularly with young students because MANY TIMES THEY GENERALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE WORDS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF THEIR MOUTH. THEY'RE NOT MAKING IT UP. THEY LITERALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY BEHIND SOME OF THESE WORDS AND SYMBOLS AND THINGS THAT THEY MIGHT BE HEARING FROM ADULTS OR SEEING. AND SO WE

127ALSO CAN'T DISCOUNT THE FACT THAT THEY ARE YOUNG. JOHN? TWO OTHER QUESTIONS, BOTH OF WHICH RELATE TO, I GUESS, THE NUMBERS IN THE REPORTING. AND THE FIRST QUESTION IS, TO WHICH EXTENT Any of these numbers and incidents reflect out-of-school incidents or response to out-of-school behaviors that are deemed to affect things in school? So in the same way we don't disaggregate it, we haven't disaggregated it for in-school, out-of-school, but I can just tell you that the out-of-school is typically for, I think, what's up there on the screen is then. But you'll be getting a report from Julio, and I don't know if Teresa's gonna lend a hand with that at all, but Julio will do a lot of the heavy lifting at the June 2nd meeting for that end of year, kind of the roll up

128of all the different discipline across, you know, for all incidents. These incidents we picked isolated really in and around climate and culture. And I guess the other question goes into reporting and thinking about our hypothetical hoodie student. I mean, it sounds like that was an extremely appropriate way to respond to that student who obviously had something more going on than not wanting to wear the hoodie. But does that intervention in the office then get recorded or documented as an incident of insubordination or disrespect? Because she's been to the office now. Is that going to be documented at all? No, we didn't need to do it that way, right? It was let's take you somewhere private. I may have marked it as we keep a log for our hoodies because we have a hoodie pass thing

129where we say, okay, you get like two per year, one per semester. So if there could be one kid who wants to come in every day and want a hoodie pass, we're like, okay, come on. You had one bad hair day. We can't make it every day. But no, that's an intervention. That was a moment. And I want to say. That is what happens a lot where we're getting now adults to go, let's have a conversation. It doesn't need to be a write-up, right? It doesn't need to be a referral because we can communicate and fix and solve the problem in this way versus writing a referral for something that really just requires a conversation. What do you need from me? What's going on? So, no, that wouldn't happen. Okay, thank you. Conrad, yeah. So

130you were talking earlier about how it's been seen more in elementary schools. Is there a way to, once a situation is identified in an elementary school, provide that extra understanding that they may not have yet at that point before it reaches the middle school? That is like my hope and prayer, right, that we do. No, we actually, particularly because they're so young, the learning part of the intervention usually goes on for like... an extended period of time. Like, so the principal or sometimes it's a social worker or whoever on the team, you know, you teach something, you have them reflect, okay, what did you get from that? And it's a really, with young kids, it's a really lengthy process because it's... it is going back to this idea about who are you centering in what

131happened, right? Because with really young kids, you know, it's really hard to hold on to for more than a second the fact that you hurt somebody else. Like, it goes right back to how is this affecting me? Wait, I can't do X, Y, and Z? And so we do. We spend a lot of time with that learning piece. What I will say is typically, typically... once you've had to have that kind of intervention, we don't need to have that intervention again. But again, just the fact that it's happening and that kids that young are feeling okay. And when I say that young, I'm talking elementary from, let's say, second grade. I think the lowest I think I've gotten is a first grader. But second grade, typically, to fifth grade. And so for fifth graders, we're

132usually very... I would say we're a little bit more intensive about it because we know that we're sending you to middle school and we're really trying to make sure that we've shored up this understanding because, you know, I tell people all the time, there's such thing as freedom of speech, there's not such thing as freedom of consequence, right? And so you can let your lips fly, but you don't know what's going to happen once you do. So for me, I'm always very concerned that depending on what you're doing, who you're saying to, where you're saying it, like you don't know the reaction you're going to get. And so I'm always trying to like... you know, it's protective. Like we're trying to protect them and we need them to understand so that, you know, the older

133you get, the less likely somebody is going to believe that you had no idea that what you were doing was wrong, right? And so we give that, we give that grace when you're really young. The older you get, and we know that we've had the proactive conversations, I'm like, do you remember when we talked about, and they're like, oh yeah. And so it's a little bit of a different conversation, but we do. We do spend a lot of time with our young kids, just making sure that we have those reteaching moments and bringing them back in and bringing parents in as well. So middle school, high school, you might just be having the conversation with students. In elementary school, we're literally bringing the parents in and having a conversation with parents in collaboration as well.

134Because again, it does have to kind of be followed up with at home. Marian? Thank you. Question, with all of the, I guess, new things that students bring into the school that they see or, you know, absorb from all over the place, are teachers asking for specific professional development in certain areas to help them support these conversations? And are there new sources of professional development that the District Office of Equity Advancement is bringing in to support our teachers in handling these conversations as well? Thank you. So what teachers have asked for is de-escalation training, which we are absolutely looking into and providing. Interestingly enough, CPI, which is the organization that does the trainings, if you look up for a nationally recognized organization that does trainings, they have a de-escalation training. It's about a 45-minute module

135that you do online by yourself. When I called I called the representatives to ask I want to know like hey, you know price-wise, what does this look like? Because they don't really give you numbers online. You've got to talk to somebody. But it was interesting because I got in this really great conversation with the salesperson. And they were like, but what it sounds like, you can have your de-escalation training. It's quick, it's simple, it's what have you, which is what the teachers asked for. What they actually spent an awful lot of time talking to me about, which fell in line with, of course, my thinking, which is you can work on when something goes wrong. but it's more important for you to work on how to make sure that things don't go wrong, right? And

136so what we actually looked for and signed up some EDC members for so that we can boost, not necessarily rewrite the whole, you know, but really how do we augment the modules that we actually did this year because one of the issues is if you keep doing something new that doesn't help you. We need to actually embed practice. And so what they really sold us on was classroom culture training which was markedly more expensive and is a full day training with a person in front of, which like I said, and realistically speaking, that is, that is the reality, right? We can, um, and we will do both, right? We will have, we will have some training that looks at de-escalation. Um, luckily we have some amazing RBT, um, staff on, on, um, staff that can

137actually, um, work with and support that work, uh, for our days that we have equity CSIs. But, you know, realistically speaking, our, you know, Where we are going to get more, you know, mileage from the work that we're putting in is really deeper understanding how we build a positive culture and climate, which was exactly what the experts who I reached out to to kind of just make sure, like, is there something I'm missing? That was their suggestion as well. And so we are and we will be doing that. But just to your point, we did that this year. So there were six opportunities, and I have to say teachers appreciated the restorative chat pieces that talked about how can you respond and what does that look like. So all of those pieces built on community,

138building trust, how do you do that. So the things that we had this year really did help boost that. So I would just say it's in the process. That's the reality. You can't have people do something different every year and think that you're going to change something, right? We have to actually allow people to get really good at the work that we're doing. But if there's new ideas, so again, I signed us up. I'm like, all right, let's go. If we can have new ideas and deeper learning that's going to actually help and contribute better to support more adults, then we're always willing to do that as well. Thank you for that question. Any other questions? Great. Well, thank you. Oh, Latoya? Sorry, I just had one final comment that wanted to just underscore something

139you said earlier and just wanted to lift up that you were just talking, you know, you were talking about the power of relationships. And I think that is just like so important in our schools. And lastly, wanted to also just highlight again the importance of parents having these conversations with their students. I mean, I can't tell you how many times just in my own household, like some of the things that my kid tells me that other kids in their schools say that their kids are saying, their families are saying at their dinner table. And I think, you know, we have to be mindful of the social political climate that we're in right now, where we do have the leader of our country who speaks about people in really inhumane ways. And a lot of people

140that support that are speaking with people. So I think when you have leaders who are like... casually like dehumanizing people like that's going to be a natural trickle into our schools. And so yeah, I just wanted to like the work that you have is hard. The Office of Equity Advancement hasn't been around for 20 years in the district. And I think within like the short period of time that you've been here, you have done some tremendous work and really impactful work. And I think there can't be an expectation for you to erase all of the problems in the district overnight, and it's not on you. But I think with the resources that you have, you've been able to do a lot. And so, again, just wanted to appreciate everything. Thanks. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you.

141Thank you all. Thank you for staying a little longer tonight and for taking the time and being such wonderful leaders in our middle schools. So thank you. Thank you, Teresa. All right. I think we are back on track on our agenda. So moving on to a new and revised policies, a first reading. So seeking a motion by, or recommendation of motion by Latoya Letyagiloff, Miriam Bleich, and Jason Gagnon. that the Board of Education accept as a first reading the following revised policies reviewed by the Board Policy Subcommittee. Student Series 5000, Policy 5110, Confidentiality and Access to Education Records, Policy 5320, Student Discipline Suspension and Expulsion, and Instruction Series 6000, Policy 6421, Parental Access to Instructional Materials. So moved. Thank you, Jason. Is there a second? Second. Thank you, John. And thank you, Julio, for joining

142us at the table. Any context you want to lay out or? Sure, I'll defer to you, Madam Chair. Do you want me to go through each one individually? I know there's no voting today, so it's simply an opportunity for members to have good conversation and to hopefully be able to respond to any conversations that occurred as well during the policy subcommittee from our members that are on that committee. So I'll defer to you how you'd like me to proceed. Does any member of the policy committee want to? COMMENT? THESE ONES ARE FAIRLY STRAIGHT FORWARD. MY RECOMMENDATION IS THE 5000 SERIES COULD PROBABLY BE HANDLED TOGETHER. OKAY. I THINK IT WOULD MAKE SENSE IF YOU JUST GIVE A QUICK OVERVIEW FOR THE REST OF THE BOARD ON THE 5000 SERIES POLICY CHANGES. Sure, happy to do

143that. So I'll start with 5110. So as part of our policy review, we updated language regarding student records and parental access to better align with FERPA. In short, when a student turns 18, the right to access educational records transfers from parent to student. FERPA does allow schools to share records with parents if the student is still claimed as a dependent for tax purposes. However, the law makes clear that schools may provide that access but are not required. Our policy update simply clarifies that distinction, so exceptions are clear and consistent. In addition to that clarification, we also made a few minor technical and housekeeping edits to the policy language. So I know that we had a good conversation at the policy subcommittee and some questions were asked and really I think sort of going through that,

144if there's any scenario that... I'll call as a little bit outside of the traditional ask that truthfully we would consult with shipment to make sure that we're in alignment with that. Um, but again, in that practice, I, when I was in the high school, there would be situations like that. Um, and we'd always really work with both students and parents and guardians to make sure that people are understanding why the decisions were what they were. Any questions or discussion? Okay. Oh, Ethan. One actually, uh, One additional comment, Paul. Is it possible with the page numbers on the agenda for when we do this? Yeah, we can look to do that. Happy to do so, Ethan. I understand the policies are rather lengthy these days, so I appreciate it. It takes a minute to find them

145in the book for sure. Page 40, session number 33. Yeah. Yes, so I... Oh, I'm sorry. We're still on the first one. Oh, okay. Well, then I'll wait to get the second one. Okay. I thought you were doing them together. Will you just describe the first one just to go over the changes? So, do we want to hear the explanation for 5320? Which is I think the one you're looking at yeah, so on page 33 is 53 20 student discipline which I believe your question is gonna pertain to I was questioning the paragraph that's all crossed out But still has a chapter Can you give me that? So if I understand your question, Ethan, on page 4-0, under hazing, the entirety of the paragraph has been lined out, but the numbering picks up at 34.

146Well, the paragraph number still stays. Understood. So I would believe that once the board votes on it, it would be renumbered. Okay. So actually I think the clarification to that would be that what's been crossed out is all references related to bullying and so the actual term above which the 33 reports to is hazing and so hazing would remain as one of the items. However, all crossed out references to bullying are removed because as you recall bullying is now actually A on page 33. And so the entire definition of bullying was changed related to the safe school climate. So I apologize. I think if I had followed Jason's direction and just done both policies together, we would have been clearer on that. Okay, so hazing will just be listed as a one-word entry? Correct. Remaining

147as that number. Okay. Well, I thought you were defining. Okay. Any other questions? I have one, but let me make sure I'm in the right section. Page 53. I think that's still in that section. Yes. The bottom paragraph, the student enrolls in the district on expulsion payers hearing. My question is why would we, if somebody is going through expulsion or has been expelled, why would we just not accept what the other district was saying? Or we should investigate it. Please so legally we have to have our own hearing essentially what happens at that hearing is we just take the ascending districts Decision, but we do illegally need to review it. So okay, cuz it's like this red like it was optional I'd want to clarify what you said There's a due process requirement for us

148to have the hearing. We would carefully consider what the other district did, and oftentimes we might take their decision, but we would obviously look at everything on its merits. Absolutely. Maryam, can I ask a clarifying question about that? So if that student was currently... Like to get to an expulsion situation, perhaps they're not physically in school, they're out of school suspended or something. So does that mean that that would carry over then into the district too, or they would immediately like go into the classroom until they have the due process? No, great question. So the way that it works, let's say for instance, in this instance, I believe we faced it this year even, but let's say I attended school in another district and I was out on a one-year expulsion. And two months into

149the expulsion, you know, my parents, my family, and I all moved to West Hartford, and we enroll here. The records would come over with the student. We would be aware of the expulsion, and we would advise the family, you know, they have a legal right and they have a property right to be enrolled in the district. but Mr. Duarte would work with the team and they would schedule for an expulsion hearing to review the conditions and to make the decision if we were gonna uphold that expulsion and for the period of time, because it could be possible also, maybe I was nine months into the expulsion and the time of the move, hey, we were just coming up on a new marking period. There could be a scenario where we'd look for something clean with

150the student, but. EVERY CASE WOULD BE HANDLED INDIVIDUALLY BUT NO BUT THE SHORT ANSWER IS NO YOU WOULDN'T AUTOMATICALLY COME IN UH WE WOULD NEED TO HAVE AND YOU WOULD REMAIN OUT OF SCHOOL UNTIL SUCH TIME THAT THE THAT THE HEARING WAS HELD BUT WE ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE OUR OWN SEPARATE PROCEEDING AS A DUE PROCESS RIGHT FOR THE FAMILIES Thank you. Can I just one or just make one quick comment on page 33 in our policy subcommittee meeting I had suggested that under Or alongside the definition of a bullying that we add this statute reference Just like the statute reference is for B. That is correct, and we'll get that in awesome. Thanks I have a very minor question. I didn't notice it before, but on page 34 with the addition of the definition

151of generative AI, the fact that it's explicitly calling out chat GPT seems like an odd choice to pick one branded entity that could change because there's a lot of activity happening and every day a different one becomes the leading. So I'm just kind of curious if we could make it more just like large language models or something more generic so you're not pinned into a certain name to product. Yeah, so I mean the way I read that it says including but not limited to. But TADGBT might not even exist. Right, right. Again, I think when we take our model policies, we look at what shipment's given us, but I don't think there's any pain in removing that word and just doing a more generic term. I'm sure there'll be, although chat safety seems to continue

152to thrive. I'm trying to avoid product placement. Understood. Understood. So it sounds like we can move on to policy 6421, parental access to instructional materials, which starts on page 62. Page 71. Oh, no. 71, I believe, correct? Oh, did we skip over? They're in different order. 71. We skipped. They're chunked in different ways. They're chunked out. We've got a revised agenda. It's late, so I'm trying to keep everybody on their toes. So 6421, under Public Act 24-174, beginning with the 26-27 school year, the law requires school districts to post the objectives, scope, and sequence of all approved curriculum on the district website each year. The revisions to this policy simply align our practice language, our policy language with those new statutory requirements. Any questions? Nothing? Okay, great. So that will conclude the first recommendation set

153as a first reading. So we'll take those, that feedback and have a, and just a note that our next policy subcommittee meeting is, I think, now scheduled for May 20. 7th at noon. So we'll have a chance to, this will be very fresh on our mind when we meet next Tuesday. So seeking a motion by Latoya Liagaloff and Jason Gagnon that the Board of Education accept as a first reading the following revised policies reviewed by the Board Policy Subcommittee. Instruction Series 6000, Policy 6237, HIV and AIDS Exemption, Policy 6410, Media Center, Parentheses Library. Bylaws series 8000 bylaw 8100 purpose of the Board of Education so moved I have a second second. Thank you. Thank you Jason and Latoya and any You want to just dig into the first one? Sure. So, 6237. So, the first

154piece is actually you'll see that looking at changing the name. It's currently named as HIV and AIDS and really looking to go to curricular exemptions. So, it's important to note that the Connecticut state law already requires boards of education to provide curricular exemptions in five specific areas of instruction and those legal requirements have not changed. What has changed is the broader legal landscape following a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision which ruled when notified that schools must give consideration to parent requests for excusal. As a result, we revised this policy to make clear that in addition to the five-state mandated exemption area, district administration will also review and consider other requests for excusal in accordance with applicable law. The revision is intended to ensure that our policy reflects current legal guidance while maintaining compliance with both

155state and federal requirements. Any questions? Miriam? Just to put it out there, or share rather, that my name is not on the motion. I felt moving these forward is a bit too premature. The conversation though was very good and I look forward to continued conversation about it. My suggestion for this policy was to add a number six to explicitly name religious exemption. Jason? And so we did have a robust conversation about this in policy. I think the majority feeling on policy was that, well, the Supreme Court decision to deal with religious exemptions, religious exemption doesn't really fit with the one through five. One through five are actually areas of curriculum. They're specific subject matters that you can be exempt for, for any reason that you so wish. The religious exemption is a broad exemption, which...

156could get you out of something that is not one through five. So that's why it's dealt with under the other curricular exemptions. I think this concern could be addressed by simply adding parents who wish to request a curricular exemption, including for religious reasons other than those noted above, dot, dot, dot. And I'll just offer a point. Apologies to the board and to the subcommittee. I did ask that we have this be a first reading knowing that there would be no vote today only because this law will go into effect. And so the hope was that by virtue of conversation this evening, by virtue of additional conversation at the upcoming policy meeting, that there would be the opportunity for the board to be able to potentially, you know, come back with the second reading with any

157changes to language that you might see fit in order to have a vote. And if not, that's fine too. It would push into the next year. Regardless, the district will be responsible under Connecticut state law to enforce the legal requirements absent any changes to language that you might want to make. So I just wanted to take responsibility for that with all of you and provide that rationale. All right. Moving on to, oh, Ethan. Question for you. The bottom, it says parents wish to exercise a deduction, must notify the building principal. It doesn't give, would it be helpful to have, you have to do it a week ahead, you have to do it two weeks, or? Really, just upon, you know, parents going to find it, we wouldn't limit a parent if. you know, if they

158found out 10 minutes before versus 10 weeks before in terms of their ability to exercise their right, obviously from a practical point of view as a school district, the sooner we could get the notification, the better our opportunity to work with parents, hear what that concern is, make a decision, and then react with any potential, you know, interventions we might make relative to an alternate assignment, et cetera, et cetera. I just assumed you'd have conflict. But if you're being that flexible, that's fine. We seek to follow the law. That's all what I'm after. Jason? This will feed into it, but I just think that if we can agree on any revisions to this, I think it would be a good thing to do today as a board. That way we can look to get it

159passed at the next meeting. This is just a question, and I know the answer is not what I read, but firearm safety program, that's not the handling of a firearm, is it? I assume that's what happens if a firearm comes on campus. So there are lessons, in fact, like in, I want to think about. I want to say that I've heard from time to time there can be a lesson, and oftentimes the police department may come and do it, especially with their younger children, to talk about safety, especially if you have a gun owner in the home. It's not so much a lesson in how to handle firearms in any way, shape, or form, but how to be safe in case there were firearms in the home. I think it's typically something that's done with

160younger children that's supported by the police department. We send notices home about that. If the legal, you know, if the law says that a parent can opt away from that because they don't want their children to even hear about that potential, you know, that's the exercise of their rights. The way I read, I was surprised. Jason, I would support your revision to add including religion. Can I just ask a question? Jason, your thoughts in terms of... consistency in both sections do we need that or Well, they're not consistent sections. They're different things, right? So a religious exemption could cover just about anything under the sun. What the state of Connecticut has done, it says these five things you can opt out of for whatever reason you'd like. So it could be a religious exemption to

161one through five, but a religious exemption, it's like one of these things is not like the other, and so putting a six in there would not fit. Because this says you can, the board shall permit curricular exemptions for instruction in, six would say religious exemptions. They're not getting instructed in religion, right? So that's why it gets called out as a separate section where you can petition for any other exception, including religious exemptions. And what's important about that, and I don't know if this is super well understood, but I think this is going to be a big... component of the conversation at your next upcoming policy subcommittee. The Mahmoud decision is... perhaps sometimes often misunderstood by families that just I get to say religious exemption and that's an automatic. It's a fairly narrow decision and I

162know that law is still evolving and emerging around it as law will. Law is like a living breathing thing when decisions are made. But the focus of that decision wasn't strictly about just a religious exemption. It was also about what alternatives or options that particular school district under that particular set of conditions had offered or not offered. And so that's why the opportunity to request an exemption would be the most appropriate place for such language because the school district is not necessarily legally bound to... To say yes, it's going to depend on what the ask is and then how the school reacts may also depend. Like, is the school going to just exempt you straight away or is there going to be an alternative provided to you, et cetera, et cetera. So there's other considerations.

163But I think that's going to be a more in-depth conversation. But I do appreciate and understand the distinction that Jason's bringing up. Yeah, and I think just to piggyback on that, I think that's been our, you know, our legal understanding and advice has been that what it really has created is the practical takeaway that school officials must consider those requests. So I think to your point, Jason, that's probably the best place to put that. Right, I can't get a religious exemption from math. Right. Yeah, I guess yes, I I understand and I think that becomes very clear I guess my question is maybe two twofold was at which I'm trying to understand So there's the one that's tied to my mood versus Taylor and then can't parents request To have alternative, you know curricular plans

164if let's say their religious beliefs don't align with a specific curriculum that's taught currently not math not like SEL for example, you know can parents opt out of that? So I guess I'm trying to understand there are reasons parents would opt out for religious reasons. So so there's that and then there's Mahmoud versus Taylor's right? So in theory these are two different things. Well, it's not limited just to religious exemptions because parents can And I think there's a very important distinction between request and opt-out. Opt-out is, I think to Jason's point, like a right. And request is an ask. And we've had lots of parents, absent religious rationale. including religious rationale, request to be excused from different parts of the curriculum. And sometimes we can say yes, and sometimes we can't. And it really depends

165on what the scope of the request is. You know, our goal is never to be confrontational with parents, but it's, you know, it's also difficult as a public school system. It's not, you know, it's... And it's not that we can necessarily be all things to all people and customize things the way that every parent might like. So there's a practicality to some of that. And some of the times we have to say, you know, the best that we can do is advise you that this is when we're teaching it and you can make a decision about attendance on that day. But that does not, you know, so we try to work with parents as best we can, but it's, you know, it is a request. So the language that Jason recommended was kind of qualifying

166under other curricular exemptions, sentence to parents who wish to request a curricular exemption, including for religious reasons, other than those noted above, must notify the building principal. And we have Tuesday to kind of confirm that. I don't think that would be substantive either because it already exists within that. So it's just a call out. Yep. Okay. Great. Moving on to 6410, page 65. These change so this is a new policy and these changes are related to section 321 of Public Act 25 dash 168 which requires boards of education to adopt three policies connected to school libraries these policies address library collection development and maintenance library displays and programming and the review and reconsideration process for library materials The law also requires that these policies be developed in consultation with the superintendent, curriculum leadership, and school

167library staff, and that they be reviewed and updated at least every five years. In addition, the policies must ensure the library materials and access practices align with state nondiscrimination requirements. To meet these new statutory requirements, we have developed one comprehensive policy that brings all three required areas together into a single cohesive document. Questions? Miriam? Thoughts about, so on page 68, number 6, that section, and I guess looking ahead, so like if a parent or an interested person can only challenge a specific material once every three years, Is it possible that we would include a number six, which like a link or some way so that parents can reference what books have already been posted online so that they are not going through the process only to then to, they're not filling out a request form

168and then they're told, oh, well, this book was already challenged. You can't do it for another three years or it was challenged on this date. So in two and a half years, you could, you know, re-challenge it. Is there any way just to make that? clear or available somehow. I think that would actually be very helpful if we're going to have this policy because I think it could probably save us all quite a bit of a headache if we list books that have been vetted through this, to the extent that a book should be vetted. If it's been done, I think it would be helpful to our citizens to have it out there that there's some precedent on this. TWO DIFFERENT ASKS THAT I'M HEARING. A LIST OF BOOKS THAT HAVE BEEN VETTED AND ARE

169APPROVED WOULD BE A DRAMATICALLY LONG LIST? I MEAN BOOKS THAT HAVE BEEN VETTED THROUGH THIS PROCESS, THAT HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE REVIEW COMMITTEE. MY FEAR WITH THAT IS BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE REALLY THEN TALKING ABOUT IS A BOOK THAT'S BEEN CHALLENGED BUT UPHELD, WHICH, YOU KNOW, I WOULDN'T NECESSARILY DIFFERENTIATE A BOOK that's been vetted and made part of the curriculum that then receives a challenge and has been upheld is any different than a book that's been vetted through our curriculum and not challenged. You know what I'm saying? I think we're basically in the same place. I think where Miriam and I seem to be together is just to avoid repetitive challenges, to publish the titles of those books that have been through this review process. I THINK ONLY THOSE BOOKS THAT HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS REVIEW

170PROCESS. JUST TO MAKE CLEAR THAT THIS BOOK WAS, HAS BEEN REVIEWED, IT'S BEEN UPHELD ON WHICHEVER DATE, AND THEREFORE NOBODY NEED REAPPLY FOR THREE YEARS FROM THAT DATE. YOU COULD INCLUDE A COPY OF THE REPORT. YES, I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF THAT. I GUESS TO THAT POINT, I mean, just to put it in context, the number of books that are challenged in the district is dramatically small. I think in my 30 years, I'm aware of two, maybe three. So then this should be easy. Sure, but I guess, you know, here's my fear. Is this in one way, shape, or form trying to, would it create a scenario that's trying to create sort of like a... A list for someone to want to then go seek. I don't know what unintended consequence can come if

171the effort is to assure that we don't see repetition. I guess I'm saying I'm really not worried about repetition at that rate, but I'm worried about... Are there unintended consequences? I mean, I think to the extent that you could have a book that might be controversial, I think what we wouldn't want to see is, okay, parent A comes in, files their petition to have the book reviewed, it gets upheld, and now parents B, C, and D come in, and we have to go through the process over and over again. I think if we put it out there as a matter of transparency that, hey, this book has been subject to challenge, and we've acted on it, and... Basically, it's precedent. I think we're trying to solve something that doesn't exist. But I'd be happy to

172have that be a topic of conversation with Jess. But I honestly, I think if you're worried about people renewing challenges, you're sort of creating a path to encourage renewed challenges by virtue of this. But that's just my humble opinion. I'm happy to be overruled on this in any way, shape, or form. I hope we don't see this personally, but I think if this new procedure is out there, we might just want to close that loop. The only other question I would have is, are we going to have a board committee to review the decision? Or is that going to be a, if there's an appeal under sub seven, would that go to the full board or to a committee of the board? No, so that goes to a committee of the district for which a

173board member will be asked to serve as part of an ad hoc committee. But the law delineates who can serve on the committee. But it does require that a board member be part of that. So at that point, it falls under your board policy for ad hoc committees, committees that have kind of a, they're not standing committees. They just occur as needed. They have a definitive shelf life based on the amount of time it takes to review the challenge. I think Jonathan's talking about paragraph seven, which is the appeals process, which does say the appeal comes to the board. I APOLOGIZE. I MISSED THE QUESTION. 68-7. SO THE BOARD REVIEW, AND THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING I WOULD INFER WOULD COME TO THE FULL BOARD, BUT IF WE COULD ASK IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE

174A SMALLER COMMITTEE. THE BOARD REVIEW FOLLOWS AROUND A, IT'S A DUE PROCESS QUESTION IN TERMS OF A PRESENTATION OF INFORMATION TO SAY, YOU KNOW, SO The committee that's formed to review the claim reviews the claim, follows the law, and then makes a decision and writes a report back to the parent. Let's say the parent or the interested party doesn't have to be a parent. I guess actually by law it does have to be a parent. You know what I'm saying? The interested party wishes to appeal. They don't get to appeal the decision. They get to appeal the process. And my picture of the world would be, in this moment in time, we would, and my picture of the world, number one, would be that the person would probably be upset and they'd want... the opportunity

175to sort of air that grievance. We could do it in a committee, offline as a special meeting. We could do it as a full board, as part of a meeting. But I guess we would have to ask if that's... you know, something that you want to make a subcommittee around or if it's an ad hoc committee, because again, there's a difference between a standing committee that, you know, you guys have your standing committees, they meet with regularity for a defined purpose that, that defined purpose, you know, remains an ad hoc committee. They're assembled for a specific purpose for an abbreviated amount of time. They complete their mission and they're all set. I THINK I'D LIKE TO SEE THIS AS AN AD HOC COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD TO HANDLE THESE APPEALS. I THINK THAT'S A QUESTION

176FOR JESSICA AS TO WHETHER OR NOT WE CAN DELEGATE TO AN AD HOC COMMITTEE. I'm personally not looking for any extra responsibilities and dealing with people who want to ban books. I'm good on that. So if y'all want to take on extra roles, do you? I got a full-time career. So I just, I feel like we start getting into the weeds of too many day-to-day things. If the superintendent and admin team is saying these ain't problems, I'm just like, what are we trying to solve for? So, I mean, I'm not going to sign up. Miriam? This is maybe on the implementation side, but just a thought in terms of making the request form, which we talked about, that it would be a hyperlink and that it would be able to include attachments for additional documentations

177parents want to include. So making it as thorough, I guess, and accessible in that way. I also think, just for the record, that three years is too long, but that's a state statute, so that's that. All right. And then last in this list is bylaw 8100, purpose of the Board of Education, which is on page 72. So this language just sort of codifies the concept of a curriculum committee and the board as a whole being that. And so the language that was proposed was serve as a district curriculum committee receiving reports from the superintendent and or his slash her designee related to the curriculum. Does that language come from council? So we did run that through council and it was vetted to meet the statutory requirements. Mary? Yes. So I have a lot of thoughts

178about this. I shared some of them already with the policy committee, in our sub-policy committee. You know, the conversation, number one, is about the state statute. So the language, and I'll read it, says each local and regional board of education shall establish a school district curriculum committee. The committee shall recommend, develop, review and approve all curriculum for the local or regional school district so that we learned from our educational attorney means that either we have to codify the entire board to fulfill this responsibility or the board has to formally approve you know a current existing committee or some other arrangement and so i think the converse what i would like to you know discuss is the gravity of this responsibility because it's my understanding that adopting curriculum is one of our four central kind of

179tenets of serving on the board, at least according to CABE. And so this is the curriculum is what we're looking at that drives student achievement. We're supposed to be looking at. you know, measurable data to look at student achievement. And so to me, this is a really big deal. And so I think it's a conversation about are we If we approve all of us to be the board and continue as is receiving reports, are we really fulfilling the active role that the responsibility of this committee holds given all of the other responsibilities in the function of two meetings a month? One idea, which is not original because most of the other districts, at least in our DRG, have curriculum subcommittees, and actually some of them also combine the professional practice and evaluation committee, which I

180was asking whether, because it's written in a similar way as an active, the board shall. If that also is a statute requirement that we need to kind of look at when we're talking about this policy as well to formalize that and make sure we're following the state statute the same way we would for this curriculum committee change. I think the con I would like to know you know I guess how my colleagues feel about a separate subcommittee to really do this due diligence and I had shared some material from other districts about what's kind of posted online for transparency, for understanding kind of what the curriculum schedule of evaluation looks like, what curriculum subcommittee language and what their responsibilities are, what their curriculum committee minutes look like. And I found it to be very interesting

181and very thoughtful. It seems like it gives board members who... are willing to, let's say, be on a subcommittee, which would be my preference, I think, more time to really have conversation and, most importantly, perhaps, it gives the public another opportunity to come, share, and be a part of a designated public meeting time to really partner with the district and support district initiatives for curriculum. and student achievement. So those are my thoughts about that. I just want to acknowledge, and I apologize, because I want to talk very fast and let you guys talk, because Miriam asks a very important question. What does the board want? And ultimately, this is a board decision. I just wanted to give a couple of caveats. First, I agree with you 100%, Miriam. This is a responsibility of boards of

182education that has gravity. And it's with that in mind that... YOU KNOW, I'VE MADE THE OPINION, I THINK I'VE MADE THE OPINION KNOWN THAT I THINK IT OUGHT TO BE A SHARED BOARD RESPONSIBILITY FROM EVERYONE. AND RIGHT TO YOUR VERY LAST POINT ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, OUR REGULAR BOARD MEETINGS ARE THE ONLY MEETINGS THAT ARE AIRED PUBLICLY ON TELEVISION. They're warehoused online so that folks can go back and reference them. The reports themselves are all there. So it provides the opportunity that I can read the written report and I can go back and watch the dialogue and have a full understanding. So to me, that's an importance to it. The other piece is you were excellent in your research you shared. There's really only one district that I saw that... THAT HAD, IF

183IT WAS A SUBCOMMITTEE, THEY WERE SEPARATE MEETINGS, WHETHER IT WAS A SUBCOMMITTEE OR FULL COMMITTEE, I DON'T REALLY RECALL, BUT THERE WAS ONLY ONE THAT HAD VIDEO TAPED THEIR STUFF, AND SO I GOT TO WATCH THEIR VIDEO TAPES, AND I WATCHED SEVERAL OF THEIR VIDEO TAPE REPORTS, AND IT WAS A PARALLEL TO WHAT WE DO WITH THE FULL BOARD. SO IT WAS LIKE, OKAY, IF THAT'S THE CONCEPT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ACHIEVING THAT, AND THIS LANGUAGE WAS DESIGNED TO CODIFY IT. BUT WHAT I, I DIDN'T WANT TO LOSE THE OTHER THING THAT I WANTED TO SAY ABOUT IT. Well, what I was going to say is and and I agree that the board, you know might take up the conversation about Do we need a separate? Board of Education policy that references Teacher Evaluation Professional Development

184Committee. We have it. So this was what legal counsel said. You guys are satisfying all the law. And what's important to know is I don't think there's really anywhere that you're going to find in the Connecticut General Statutes that says the superintendent shall. I don't think that phrase shows up anywhere. Every instance is the Board of Education. You guys are the Board of Education. You have, you know, which is as a policymaking board, you have the responsibility to make the policies, to make this stuff happen, but you make it happen through, and I don't want to pretend through me because you just saw that, you know, a dedicated, dramatically impressive team of professionals that make the work happen in the schools. And then through the teachers, and you've seen the teachers do it, and then

185you see the results with the kids. But, you know, but ultimately that's kind of like... You tell me, and then I go work it out with the team and we make it happen. And there may be some policies where you need to kind of codify how it is that you're operating and how you're making it happen. But there's not the expectation, and I hope you realize, you're not going to have to be experts in pre-K, calculus, you know, every single thing. And God, I try to be knowledgeable on a lot, but I hope you don't think that I'm going to be experts on all those things. I have experts. I bring these experts forward to you to be able to provide you with the salient information to build that confidence of what we're doing for

186all kids at all grade levels. So that's just the two cents I wanted to kick in. But you ask an important question. How do your colleagues feel about it? And I will yield my time and not say more. What do I? I'd say one, like... We meet twice a month, which is already more than a lot of other boards in the state. So when we look at the extra meetings they have because of committees, I think it's different because we are meeting twice a month. And the other thing is we have curriculum nights for families. We get reports. There are experts. And so I think we haven't had... parents, we haven't had community members come here and voice concerns about curriculum. And so like, I would need to know, because again, like that is a

187specialty. Like you, you need a master's in education. There's a lot of different things you need to do in the state of Connecticut to be able to be a curriculum specialist, to be able to be an analyst. And so I just like, I would need to know. With all that being said, what curriculum are you so concerned about that we need to be getting in the weeds of managing and potentially dictating what should go and what shouldn't? I need to know what are the specifics you're concerned about because I know we all have kids in this district that go to these schools, and I would think if we were that concerned about the curriculum, we'd be homeschooling and we'd be controlling. And so I need to understand, like, where is this concern coming from and

188what specific curriculum are you worried about? Do you want to take this offline? So I would just say that my thought is this. Number one, it's a part of the state statute for a reason. And I think the responsibility of the board to sign our name saying that we know what's being taught, right? So we are parents. We have rights. We want to. It is my understanding that having information presented on a variety of topics would allow us to really understand and have a better idea, not in the granular, but I'm talking about big picture, right? So we can talk about strategies, what's going on for K-2, especially now that we're talking about ed tech, for example. So to understand what does that look like from K-2 as a board as we develop policy, three

189to five. different six to eight, different nine to 12 in reading, in ELA, in math. How does certain curriculum affect our students with special needs? So there are general areas that as the curriculum office also revises their material, which it sounds like that happens during the year, certainly over the summer. There's that summer workshop I remember that came up. So I think The issue is big picture and having an understanding of actually what's being taught. Not, again, in granular, but really kind of a better idea of big picture, of what history topics, what's kind of going on, what's new and exciting in the history and civics and government, et cetera. So these things, I think, are exciting. parents seem to be more curious these days. And I hope that parents know that they have rights

190to look at their curriculum. It's a federal law. So again, it's about community engagement, continuing to build conversation and support with parents in the district and collaboration with our teachers and to support our students' learning. So for all these reasons, and of course, for student achievement. So we want to make sure, I think, that we're... we have an idea of how the curriculum our district is bringing in, our district is formulating, is innovative, et cetera, is affecting our student achievement. And especially when we look at certain trends and rates, and I think I had sent an email with the Education Opportunity Project recently came out with new statistics, which I had referenced this group earlier in the budget season. This is a joint project between Harvard and Stanford. You know, there's some concern about how

191black and brown students are performing in our district. You know, there are reasons why I think, and again, that was just one small snippet from this report, but really looking at all of our students and all of their options for achievement and how curriculum impacts all of our students. No, absolutely. You know, there's a lot that you just said that I think, not only do I agree with, but I think is our current practice, which was... which was why legal counsel reviewed and recommended this language to basically codify what we're doing. I don't remember if it got sent to you, but at some point, as we were looking at this question, I compiled the list. If you go back and you look at all the different agendas over the last... FIVE YEARS EVEN OR EVEN

192OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, THERE'S 15, 20 DIFFERENT CURRICULAR REPORTS THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED PUBLICLY TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. AND THEY'RE AROUND, YOU KNOW, TO THE POINT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE HAD A MAJOR CHANGE IN A CURRICULAR AREA, WE'VE PROVIDED THAT REPORT WHEN WE HAD A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT IN OUR MATH SEQUENCE. WE PROVIDED THAT REPORT. WHEN WE LAUNCHED AN EFFORT TO REALLY KIND OF DIG INTO COMPUTER SCIENCE AND AN EMERGING FIELD, WE DID A SERIES OF REPORTS. WHEN THERE'S BEEN PUBLIC INTEREST, SPECIFIC PUBLIC INTEREST IN AND AROUND A CURRICULAR TOPIC, SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING WAS ONE, WE PROVIDED A SERIES OF REPORTS TO BE TRANSPARENT, TO SHARE WITH THE BOARD, TO SHARE WITH THE PUBLIC. everything that was ongoing with that. And then obviously, you know, to the concept of student achievement, those reports will

193either have direct student achievement associated with them. When we did one recently, I think, on next generation science standards, that was not all that long ago. Some of the board members may have been sitting for that and coupled that with student achievement results. And then obviously we have our regular and routine reports where we're going over. our student achievement, which is a measure of the curriculum. And then to your point about how does our community as a whole, but how do we disaggregate that data and demonstrate how different segments of our population are doing? We've been over the years, because I've been at this for a while, very responsive to how the board would like us to report out on data. Some of the time when you ask us, like, hey, if it's a small

194N, it's 20 kids or something, can we disaggregate that for you? We might say, yeah, no, we can't. But in the large N, when we're giving those big reports, yes, yes, definitely. And we've changed that up. We've had board members say, hey, can you disaggregate it differently? And we started disaggregating it differently. So we're very happy to be responsive to that, but we're also very happy if the board said, you know, to your point, hey, you know what, you haven't talked anything about social studies in a while, can you give us a report on social studies, we'll work that into our rotation, so there's, you know. We do this based on when I'm aware, hey, there's going to be a big shift. We want to do a change. We want to provide you a report

195because maybe you've seen in the news this whole science of reading thing or what have you. We'll do that report. When we've identified a major curricular area and a good one, we've had an initial report, AI came up, right? And there was some commentary on AI. There was even some reference to some things that... previous board presentations, the responsible use of AI, because we do feel, you know, we've said we don't want to overdo AI. I certainly don't like it when I hear, you know, students talking with students saying, well, AI this. In other words, we'll just get the answer from by asking ChatGPT or something else, which is why. We recognize we can't also just stick our heads in the sand and pretend it doesn't exist because they're just going to go home and

196do it. So we teach responsible use and we share that. IT'S NOT GOING TO BE DONE IN ONE LESSON. IT'S NOT GOING TO BECAUSE I SAID IT STUDENTS ARE ALL GOING TO, YOU KNOW, OH, OKAY, I UNDERSTAND THE RULE NOW. I DIDN'T KNOW I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO. OF COURSE THEY KNEW THAT. BUT WE HAVE TO, I DON'T WANT TO GET OFF ON THAT TANGENT. THE POINT IS WE HAVE CURRICULAR REPORTS ON EMERGING TOPICS THAT WE'LL DO AND THEN WE'LL ALSO BE RESPONSIVE AT ANY POINT. if there's a request from the board which you know that's the whole at the end of the meeting You know or coming through or coming through the board chair We can make a report and the idea is it should be consensus of the board So if enough people are

197sort of nodding and agreeing during the meeting It's good if there's discussion and some people I really don't want to hear about that Then you bring it to your vote and and whatever you guys collectively decide you collectively decide So so just in response, you know, I want to make sure that there's an awareness for everyone. We you know HOW WE HAVE OPERATED AND HOW WE ARE HAPPY TO OPERATE WILL ALWAYS SATISFY THE ABILITY TO KEEP THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC AWARE. I think this is a really important conversation. I appreciate it. I appreciate the homework you've done. I took a look at it, and much like Paul, I kind of came away with this is what we do as a full board, and I think there's very much value in doing

198it as a full board. This is the public forum, and we do it twice a month, and I would dare say that our... public comment policy is probably the most liberal in any government body in the state of Connecticut. So I think there is something really important to that. You know, we just wrapped up for some of us our third budget season, and so I think that gives us a view of how this has worked in practice. Much of what we do is curriculum. It's getting those reports. A lot of what we do is on the professional development side where we hear about what the teachers are doing. We got a little bit of what professional development was today in Teresa's presentation. So this not only codifies, and I trust Attorney Ritter that this satisfies

199the statute, it not only codifies what we do, but it's a system that's working. I mean, our test scores tell us it's working. Our math scores are as high as they have ever been. Reading is continuing to rebound from COVID. So, you know, if you look at our curriculum, our curriculum is a model for, in many parts, for the state. Our curriculum has been presented at national conferences. This is a system that's working. It's open. It's public. I'M IN FAVOR OF MOVING FORWARD AND CONTINUING. I DON'T WANT TO LOSE MY ROLE AS A BOARD MEMBER HAVING A SAY IN THE CURRICULUM AND HOW IT'S PRESENTED AND DEBATED. SO I WOULD NOT BE IN FAVOR OF MOVING IT TO A SUBCOMMITTEE. ETHAN? I HAD ONE ON CURRICULUM, BUT I HAD SOME OTHERS. DO YOU WANT ME

200TO DO THEM ALL AT ONCE OR JUST DO THE CURRICULUM? THE OTHER BALL POINTS ON THIS. THOSE ARE ALREADY CODIFIED. WE'RE ONLY REVIEWING THE TRACK CHANGES. OH. All right, well, I think when I read this, it sounds very passive. I don't believe we're passive. I believe we're having feedback and conversation, and I think it should reflect that in the wording. And then let me throw in my other bullet points, which I guess have already been codified. Adopted annual budget, we do adopted annual budget, but we also review it on a regular basis to make sure we're within budget. And then... Engage in periodic long-term district-wide planning. It's strategic. It's financial. I think it should, if you don't want to add to it, but it should say strategic. And then the final one was, gives me

201heartburn, is advocate. I think advocate with legislators. It should be liaison, coordinate, or some other word than advocate. Advocate sounds like we're just marketing. Since those are out of the scope, I think of what the original. policy changes were, that can come later if that's a priority for other members of the board as well. Latoya? Yeah, I just wanted to reiterate that we do do this, we do get these reports. And I also just want to kind of highlight something too around reading a report and seeing how black and brown students are doing because that's an issue that's near and dear to my heart and something I've been on the front lines of for 12 years now. And black and brown students in the opportunity gap there is much bigger than what West Hartford... curriculum

202entails. And it's a story about systemic racism and oppression and about there not being enough black teachers, about, you know, Western society, about colonization. It is deep. And it's about not coming after the Office of Equity and Advancement who creates programs like Voices of Belonging so black and brown kids can see themselves in college. It's about all those things. It's about white-bodied humans being more than allies and being accomplices in the fight against racism, against anti-black racism. And so if we're going to bring that up, you got to be willing to stand 10 toes down in that fight alongside us. That's what that has to be. That's a bigger issue than... what West Hartford is teaching. And I'd even argue that West Hartford is helping with closing some of those gaps. I hear, I mean,

203we've got white students taking our African American history class. Like I'm hearing about the positive impacts of that. We have our Office of Equity Advancement that's offering all these wonderful opportunities for students to engage in different cultures and experiences. And so like I. I'm just like when people talk about how black and brown kids are doing and that gets used as a reason about why we should like push an agenda like I just kind of want to course correct that and say like be very careful if you're not willing to be an accomplice in that fight with us like a real accomplice. I'm here because I want the best for all of our students and I want them to have equal opportunities to be successful. I've made that clear and I've definitely said that before.

204I don't think so. I just don't think so. You've used terms like oppression Olympics up here in 2026, which is a racially charged statement. You've launched a microaggression at this table. You said things that I find to be really concerning and problematic, and I'm disrupting it. If we can't disrupt it, we got disrupted locally before we disrupted federally. I don't think we're going to resolve this at this table. I think at this point... I think we bring this back to the policy committee on Tuesday. The general sentiment, I'm on the same page as others who have said that I feel like we're codifying a practice that's already been well established. It seems to be working. We're not hearing concern otherwise. I think on an individual level, you can have a different opinion and we can

205agree to disagree. And at the end of the day, it'll be a consensus decision that moves us forward one way or the other. I know, I believe Jessica Ritter. will also be there on Tuesday to just verify that this is in accordance with statute and we can feel good about moving it forward if that's the consensus. So, all right. Thank you, Julia. Oh, this last, then we have one more recommendation seeking a motion that the Board of Education revise the scope of responsibility and rename the Student Discipline Committee to the Student Discipline and Residency Committee. Is that? Yeah, and I can speak to it in Julia, you know, if you have any questions. Thank you, Conrad. You too. But we'll need someone to make that motion. So moved. Thank you, Jason. Thank you, John. So

206the purpose here. Under the Student Discipline Committee, which the way we have that structured, as you guys know, we have identified a set of members to serve as the primary members, but then we've named all of the board members as alternate so that, you know, Student Discipline Committee primarily will hear expulsion hearings as necessary. WE DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE THAT AN ADHA COMMITTEE BECAUSE THERE'S SORT OF A STANDING NEED FOR IT BUT YOU NEVER NECESSARILY KNOW WHEN IT'S GOING TO COME UP TIME TO TIME SO THE IDEA THAT EVERYBODY'S AN ALTERNATE. WHAT ALSO HAPPENS AND THIS HASN'T HAPPENED WITH ANY GREAT FREQUENCY BUT THERE PARENTS DO HAVE A LEGAL RIGHT AT ANY POINT IF WE DENY THEM ENROLLMENT TO THE SCHOOL BASED ON A RESIDENCY QUESTION THEY HAVE A LEGAL RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS TO

207REQUEST A RESIDENCY HEARING AND WE REALIZED WE HAVEN'T CODIFIED HOW WE DEAL WITH THAT SO WE WANT TO SIMPLY CHARGE THIS SAME COMMITTEE. WITH RESIDENCY IN ADDITION TO STUDENT DISCIPLINE IN THE CASE THAT WE NEED IT AND EVERYONE THAT'S ALREADY THERE WOULD ALSO BE AN ALTERNATE SO IF SOMEONE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. AND PART OF THE REASON FOR THAT AVAILABILITY JUST SO THAT THERE'S NO MISUNDERSTANDING ON THAT IS BECAUSE WITH BOTH RESIDENCY HEARINGS AND WITH STUDENT DISCIPLINE HEARINGS, the family's due process rights include timelines. So as soon as they request something, the district is on a clock to have a hearing so that they can have their, you know, so that they can make their case. And, you know, so that's the quick overview. I WOULD SUPPORT THAT CHANGE. I THINK THE SKILL SET CERTAINLY CARRIES

208OVER. IN TERMS OF RUNNING IMPARTIAL HEARINGS, MY ONLY QUESTION WOULD BE, IN THE EVENT WE CAN'T GET THREE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD TO SERVE AS THE HEARING PANEL FOR RESIDENCY, WOULD THAT ALSO GO TO AN IMPARTIAL HEARING OFFICER? YES, IT WOULD. THANK YOU. Just on this point since it's related I would just urge our my colleagues that when requests go out about this given the timeliness to be as responsive with email as possible because then it can cause an issue when we run up against the clock and maybe there's a way if I'd like to Like we could well, I'd like to stick with the email just so that people stay on top of their email I'll leave it at that all those in favor Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? The motion passes. Moving

209on to staff communications and reports, the superintendent's report. I'll be brief. But it's been a great spring thus far. I want to recognize a few things. I want to congratulate Bristol eighth grader Ethan Sanchez on being named among the 100 Young Men of Color Award recipient, one of 100 in the state. This award is presented by Generationally Enhancing Males, GEM. They spotlight middle school boys of color for their achievements, their potential, and their leadership. Ethan himself at Bristow is an honor roll student. He's active in many community service programs and he is described as a truly sweet and humble young man and we're very, very proud of him for this award. I think you heard briefly Jamie Gomes who is one of our amazing. members of our plant and facilities, alongside Phil Buchanan, who works

210here in Town Hall. They were both recently recognized as recipients of the Arts Advocacy Award, which is an award provided by the Connecticut Arts Administrators Association. for individuals who demonstrate exceptional sports for art, education, and advocacy. And I think they were recognized for all the support they provide to our buildings, both at Conrad High School, where he works, and Town Hall in setting up art shows and things of that nature. We have congratulations going out to Stacy Lima-Gomes of Conrad High School, who took top prize. In the Listen to a Life Story contest from the Legacy Project, this project involves an interview and writing process in order to craft a theme-based essay focusing on intergenerational connections, life wisdom, and overcoming adversity. So Stacey interviewed her world language teacher, Lynn Race, whom she calls her grand

211friend, based on meaningful and impactful student-teacher relationship that has inspired her learning and her personal growth. Kudos to Conard Senior Hannah Dijek, who is one of only 627 semifinalists for the 2026 United States Presidential Scholars Program. really big deal nationwide. This program recognizes and honors some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. We're incredibly proud of Hannah. We wish her continued success, and we wish her the best of luck as she hopefully moves from a semifinalist to finalist. I believe that involves a trip to D.C., if that is the case. Kudos to Bugbee 5th grade scholars Pietro Belli, Nolan Gussie, Wesley Morin, and Tali Langser on their outstanding achievement in the Connecticut Student Writing Contest. Pietro was a Platinum Award winner and the other students took two silvers in an honorable mention. Kudos

212to their 5th grade teacher, Danielle Herbet, for her inspiration of writing and her guidance throughout the writing process. Huge kudos go out to Shelly Solomon, the entire adult education program. They had an amazing end of year celebration. Mayor Cantor was on hand. She recognized program graduates who completed their citizenship as part of that. I had the honor of presenting a diploma to the NEDP graduate. And the event was a visible recognition of the progress and success of so many adult students and a true celebration of their cultures and their identities as they went through this. As recently as was it yesterday morning, a huge thank you to Carol Wilkes, our district mentoring coordinator, for another successful year and a wonderful celebration of our mentors and mentees at the annual breakfast. Our own Conrad Kalki, who

213stepped away, he emceed the event. Carol coordinated a number of great speakers to include Roland Harmon of the Governor's Prevention Partnership. They've been excellent partners with us over the last several years. and Tashia Levy-Grant. She's the Senior Vice President and Chief Inclusion Officer at Webster Bank. She gave a moving and inspirational speech, gave tidbits of her life story. She was so impressive. But the mentors and the mentees and their personal stories, they were the highlight of the event. OPERATIONS AND BUDGET. I THINK EVERYONE SAW MY E-MAIL, BUT WE WILL BE, YOU KNOW, AT OUR JUNE 2ND MEETING, WE WILL BE FINISHING THAT UNFINISHED BUSINESS AND IDENTIFYING THE $700,000 BUDGET CUT AS LEVIED AT THE TOWN COUNCIL BACK IN APRIL. We have a plan for that that should hopefully honor the conversations that were held here

214at the board table in terms of finding a way to do so without any increases to class size or laying off teachers, which I know was also the hope of the town council. TechDiet, you know, I'm not going to get ahead of reports, but I want you to know and I would want the listening public to know, you know, there is a generally overwhelming agreement with most of what is shared. I do want to, you know, there is some stuff that folks don't necessarily understand, so I wanted to highlight some existing practice that's already in place to clarify any misunderstandings. and or to at least show progress on efforts that have already happened. So over the course of the last year, we've already eliminated one-to-one device distribution in our middle schools, which had been a

215practice. We eliminated smartwatches from our elementary schools. They had already been eliminated from our middle schools. We conducted walkthroughs in grades six through eight. That was early on in response to screen time at the middle school that had come up as a concern. From those walkthroughs, we've developed recommendations. We've conducted a parent workshop on the impact of delaying cell phone usage among adolescents. We've enacted, obviously, the off-and-way cell phone policy at the high school in accordance with state guidance. And YouTube... And any sites that are categorized as social media or shopping are blocked, have been blocked at our elementaries. That is a standing policy. So I think some misinformation out there, but there's also, you know, clever ways by which students can get around filters. So we're aware of that and something that we monitor.

216Emerging practice, this is ongoing practice and efforts and lines of inquiry based on a district team that has already been developed and is working on this problem is to establish guidelines for technology integration by grade level. There is a focus in K-1, but we're going to look at every single grade level. We look to eliminate or restrict technology as an indoor recess activity, eliminate or restrict technology usage as a classroom reward, develop time limits for screen usage across grade levels. Assess technology usage into three categories. Required, and there is some required, so I know there was some talk about, hey, we're just going to get rid of all devices in grade three, for instance. Well, that's not possible because there are requirements. High value usage and then discretionary usage. And then clearly we're going to

217promote anything that's high value and we're going to monitor and set. guidelines and around discretionary. Decrease online text footprinting in preference to hard copy and reduce the number of devices at the high school. And our primary strategy right now for that is a one-to-one. That's more of a budgetary thing than a... than a device thing. There's a number of other lines of effort that we have that are under discussion, but I'd be getting kind of ahead of myself and ahead of the team to present anything publicly at this time. I just want the board and the public to have an understanding of the fact that this is something that we're working on in earnest. and we will be taking opportunity for a lot of public conversations and reports about this over the course of next

218year and likely into the future. Beyond that, I want to highlight some things. I did hear about the 50th softball season celebration that's at the Mayor's Cup. It's going to be hosted at Conard on Wednesday the 20th at 3... This says 345. I want to say be there by 330. The military inductee ceremony is coming up Tuesday, May the 26th. Looking forward to Latoya's comments, but the entire board is invited. The Inter-El Festival is at the Bushnell on the 27th. High school graduation is scheduled at each of our respective high schools on June the 11th at 5 p.m. We have an FEOD pinning ceremony. and I will send it to you in an email. I don't have it written down when it is, but I had it on my list to ask the principals if

219it was appropriate. And FEOD, I see the faces. Future Educators of Diversity. It's a collaborative program we've had. something that we built on our own and then created a collaboration with Central Connecticut State University. We're extremely proud for our students that go into that. You all have a save of the date of a town event, which is really, really cool in honor of our deaf and hard of hearing population, a community mural unveiling on June the 15th. That is my report. And I thank you for your attention. Maryam. Thank you, Superintendent. Can I ask one quick question? Please. Our parent... EdTech opt-out waivers on the table? Something that is under discussion. Okay. Yeah. And I would say also fits in that, more or less, that other category in the recent. And you don't need a

220religious waiver. Thank you, Superintendent. Moving on to routine matters, a financial report seeking a motion that the Board of Education approve the financial report for the period ending March 31st, 2026. So moved. Thank you, Jason. Second. Thank you, John. And thank you, Barbara, for joining us. And who will be doing the, okay, Ethan will give us the report. Okay, the financial update for this month was a fiscal year 26 forecast as projected at the end of March 2026. In terms of the school system, there are four specific funds. General fund with budget of $214.1 million, state and federal grant funds of $6.5 million, special program fund report of $2.3 million, and then the nutrition service fund of $2.8 million. The fiscal year 26 full-year school adjusted budget general fund was budgeted to be $214,051,800. The

221difference between the fiscal year 26 budget and the forecast as currently projected is a positive $16,000. There were minor changes since last month's report, which would have been at the end of February 26. which had been a positive variance of $10,000. It's now being projected, as I noted, to $16,000. The most significant change month over month was a positive reduction, $40,000 in the expense of line 5186, student aid, and a positive $40,000 in the expense line of out-of-district tuition. On the negative side, counterbalancing that, there's a $50,000 increase in the expense of line item. 5142 custodian overtime and there were additional adjustments both positive and negative resulting in the net $6,000 difference in projection. For the full year the most significant negative variance has been the health care reserves spending of $625,000, $260,000 in line

222as well as $260,000 in line 5117 pair of professional salaries as well as a negative variance of $267,000 and other purchase services. On the positive side for year-over-year, or for the full-year forecast, has been the utilization of the $700,000 in education non-lapsing accounts that have been put in a non-lapsing account at the end of 25, which we used this year, and that partially accounts for some of the savings in line 5430 out of district tuition. That's all I had on general funds. In terms of grants, the district had 6.5 million grants, their own state. 6.1 is specifically earmarked for the West Hartford school system. There was no significant change to last month's forecast. In terms of special funds, the third set of fines, the 10 different funds in that group are expected to end the

223fiscal year with a $2.3 million balance. As with the other funds, there were no significant changes. And then there was readily nothing, that material in the nutrition service. That's all I had. Thank you, Ethan. Any questions or discussion? All right. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? The motion passes. Moving on to approval. Thank you, Barbara. Approval of the minutes. Seeking a motion that the Board of Education approve the minutes of the regular Board of Education meeting of May 5th, 2026. So moved. Thank you, Jason. Second. Thank you, John. Any... Changes or discussion? All right. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? And I will abstain. Okay. Seeking a motion that the Board of Education approve the minutes of the budget workshop of May 12th, 2026. Moved. Thank you,

224John. Second. Thank you, Ethan. Any discussion? All right. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Abstain. Abstain. I'm not there. I'm not there. Okay, fine. Abstain. Too abstain. Okay. Thank you. Yeah, and then Jen is up. Okay. Information and reports. Board members, any reports from other boards and organizations? Any other information or discussion? Announcements for future meeting dates. Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026, our last regular Board of Education meeting of the 25-26 school year here at Town Hall, room 314 at 7 p.m. Any requests for future agenda items that have not already been discussed? Any comments from visitors? No. All right. We already had our executive session, so seeking a motion to adjourn. So moved. Thank you, John. Second. Thank you, Ethan. Meeting adjourned at 1056 p.m.