001I am pleased to call to order the June 11th, 2026 meeting of the Shenandoah County School Board. Madam Clerk, I note the temporary absence of District 2 School Board Member, Mr. Tom Street, who we expect in about 30 minutes. Madam Superintendent, do you suggest a closed meeting of the school board at this time? I do. I recommend the school board of Shenandoah County convene a closed meeting under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act in order to discuss and consider several personnel matters involving the assignment, appointment, promotion, performance, demotion, salary, discipline, or resignation of several employees of the Shenandoah County Public Schools under Virginia Code 2.2-3711. Ms. Pence. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that the Schandl County School Board convene a closed meeting under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act in order to discuss and
002consider several personnel matters involving the assignment, appointment, promotion, performance, demotion, salary, discipline, or resignation under Virginia Code 2.2-3711 . Is there a second? Second. Thank you, Mr. Rickard. The motion has been made and properly seconded by Mr. Rickard to convene a closed session. Those in favor will say aye. Aye. Those opposed will say no. And the motion passes five to nothing, noting the absence of Mr. Street. We will now convene a closed session. An open session. Move to reconvene an open session. Thank you, Mr. Rickard. Is there a second to the motion? Second. Thank you. All in favor of reconvening an open session will indicate by voting aye for yes and no for no. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. And it is approved six to nothing. The Shenandoah County School Board hereby
003certifies by roll call vote. that to the best of each member's knowledge, one, only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which this certification resolution applies, and two, only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed session were heard, discussed, or considered by the Shenandoah County School Board. Each member will respond ISO-certified when called upon by the clerk, and the chair calls for a roll call vote. ISO-certified. ISO-certified. ISO-certified. ISO-certified. ISO-certified. ISO-certified. I record that, Madam Clerk, as 6-0. For the purpose of invocation and pledge of allegiance, I call upon Mr. Rickert, District 6 Representative, Strasburg Precinct. I would like to call Mr. Tom Hughes from Mount Carmel Church in Strasburg. He's going to give the invocation this
004evening. Yes, sir. The greatest opportunity to come to you in prayer, ask for what we desire, ask what we need in alignment with what your will is. We come to you this evening to bring wisdom, discernment, guidance upon this board, that they may hear with open ears, listen with open hearts for the needs and desires of this county. School District, we ask your blessings on the people in this room who will bring their needs and desires before this board that they may speak boldly, courageously, and in alignment with your will. The school is our young people's, children's, youth's educational formation, the most important place in their life. and this board is doing magnificent work to bring them forward into adulthood. We continue to ask your blessings on them. We ask your blessings on this room.
005We ask your blessings on the Shenandoah County School District. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Is there a motion to approve the agenda as presented? Move to approve the agenda as presented. Thank you, Mr. Rickert. Is there a second? Second. Second by Ms. Carlinio. All in favor will indicate by saying aye. Opposed, no. And the motion to approve the agenda as presented passes six to nothing. Recognitions. Dr. Shepard. Thank you. Students from across Shenandoah County Public Schools attended the 2026 Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America FCCLA State Leadership and Recognition Conference in Virginia. Virginia Beach. Along with over a thousand other advisors and members, SCPS students participated in a weekend of workshops and sessions
006that challenged, informed, and motivated them to learn more about leadership through FCCLA. One of the highlights of the weekend was the opportunity for students to compete in Students Taking Action with Recognition star events. Competitive events that recognize members for proficiency and achievement in team and individual projects. Several SCPS students earned high ratings and qualified for nationals. We're first gonna recognize Strasburg High School Miss Heather Heiserman. They're new at this. Good evening. So thank you for giving us a few minutes of your time to recognize the accomplishment of our members. As Dr. Shepard said, we were fortunate enough to attend our State Leadership and Recognition Conference in April, and our chapter participated in general sessions, workshops, competitive events, and got a chance to explore the city of Virginia Beach as well. We were recognized as a
007chapter, as a platinum level outstanding chapter. This award is given to the chapters that develop and carry out a diverse program of work and it's the highest level of chapter recognition that our state offers. Also, as individuals, Alexa Gorel, who's with us here, Bailey Walker, and Mackenzie Jenkins were recognized as Power of One completers. This is an award given to members that complete all five units of this national program. Alexa Gorel is gonna do part of the recognition before I. Our chapter was recognized as a 50-plus membership chapter given to those chapters that continually affiliate at least 50 members. We were also recognized for carrying out a project for all FCCLA's national programs this school year. We also found out recently that our chapter will be recognized at our National Leadership Conference as the National
008Runner-Up Award for the winner of our Student Body Project. We also hosted our second annual Reindeer Relay in December. This is a family-friendly 5K in partnership with other groups in our school and community. This event encourages physical activity, quality family time, and provides an opportunity to help a cause in our community. 18 members from our chapter competed in star events as a part of our state conference. Some earned the right to compete on the national level by being the top two in the state competition. I would like to now recognize these members. Brandia Back and Isabella Mumaw competed in chapter review display, earning silver medals and the first place trophy. Cameron Boyer and Mackenzie Jenkins competed in chapter review portfolio, earning gold medals and the first place trophy. Savannah Butler competed in hospitality, tourism, and
009recreation, earning a gold medal in second place. Piper Dellinger in Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation, earning a gold medal and a first place trophy. Kadiatu Diallo and Deanna Hamrick competed in Interpersonal Communications, earning bronze medals in second place. Hadley DeMarco and Alexa Guerrell competed in Repurpose and Redesign, earning gold medals and a first place trophy. Chase Greco, Arden Kimmins, and Ryson Walters competed in sports nutrition, earning silver medals and second place. Addison Jones competed in career investigations, earning a gold medal and a first place trophy. Taylor Rogers competed in teacher training, earning a gold medal and a first place trophy. So 11 of these members will recognize Strasburg High School and Virginia FCCLA at our National Leadership Conference next month in Washington, D.C. I'm also honored to do one more special recognition. Alexa Gorel, who you
010just heard from, is a rising junior. She was elected to serve as the 2020-26, 2020-27 Virginia FCCLA Vice President of Parliamentary Law. She is one of only eight members elected in our state to serve in this capacity. Alexa will have a busy year ahead. Thank you, Stroudsburg High School. Our next school is Signal Knob Middle School, Michaela Amari. Thank you. Good evening. I am honored to stand here before you this evening to share the outstanding accomplishments of our students at the Virginia FCCLA State Leadership and Recognition Conference. My name is Mikayla Amari. I'm the Family Consumer Science teacher and FCCLA advisor at Signal Now Middle School. It has been a privilege to work alongside this incredible group of students and witness their growth as leaders, competitors, and advocates for their school and community. This year,
01120 Signal Knob students attended the conference where they participated in star events, leadership workshops, general sessions, and a variety of activities designed to develop career readiness, leadership skills, and personal growth. Throughout the conference, our students represented Signal Knob Middle School with professionalism, confidence, and dedication. FCCLA recognizes both chapters and individual members for excellence in leadership, service, and career preparation. We are proud to share that our chapter was recognized as a milestone 50-plus chapter, earned platinum outstanding chapter status, and received recognition in multiple national program areas. In addition, our students achieved impressive results in star events where they competed against students from across Virginia. Addie Cern and Gracie Pingley competed in chapter and review display, earning bronze medal in fourth place. LJ Haley, Roy Anderson, and Kacen Butler competed in sports nutrition, earning silver medal in
012fourth place. Kennedy Waddell competed in interior design, earning silver medal in sixth place. Kendall Wilson and Chelsea Price competed in focus on children, earning a silver medal in fifth place. Lee Barnes competed in job interview, earning a gold medal in first place. Lily St. Clair competed in teacher train, earning a gold medal in first place. She also took an FCCLA knowledge test and earned a second place. Liam Ludeman and Cooper Dellinger competed in hospitality and tourism, earning a gold medal in fourth place. Shane Foran and Derek Brown competed in promote and publicize, earning a silver medal in first place. Olivia Anderson and Carol Gimbril competed in chapter and review portfolio, earning a silver medal in second place. Jay Kieserman competed in event management, earning a gold medal in first place. He also took the knowledge
013test, and he earned first place on the knowledge test. Kennedy Emrich and Haley Robinson competed in national programs in action, earning a gold medal in third place. And Luca Schmidto competed in repurpose and redesign, and earned a gold medal in first place. The first and second place winners in each category will advance to the National Leadership Conference this summer in Washington, D.C., and we are extremely excited to have nine students participating and competing at NLC from July 5th through the 10th. I am also pleased to share that one of our students, Lily St. Clair, was elected to serve as a Virginia FCCLA state officer. This prestigious achievement reflects Lily's leadership, dedication, and commitment to serving others. As a state officer, she will represent FCCLA members across Virginia, helping lead statewide initiatives and inspiring students to
014become active leaders in their schools and communities. At this time, I'm going to invite Lily to share a brief overview of what her year is going to look like. Good evening, everyone. I am honored and excited to be serving as the 2026-2027 Virginia FCCLA Vice President and Membership. I've been a member of FCCLA since the 6th grade, and this organization has provided me with countless opportunities to grow as a leader, build confidence, and make a positive impact in both my school and community. To earn this position, I competed in an election process that included an FCCLA knowledge exam, a one-minute speech, an interview, and an extensive preparation. While it was certainly challenging, it was also an incredible learning experience that helped me develop valuable leadership and communication skills. As a state officer, I will serve
015alongside Virginia's FCCLA State Executive Council, a team of eight student leaders who work together throughout the year to support our organization's mission. Our responsibilities include program development, leadership training, public relations, and planning state and national conferences. We also promote FCCLA's national programs, competitive events, career pathways, and leadership opportunities for members across Virginia. This summer, I will begin working closely with my officer team as we prepare for the National Leadership Conference and plan activities for the upcoming school year. I have already started building strong relationships with my fellow officers and will be attending an in-person officer training next week in Roanoke. I am also looking forward to representing Virginia at the 2026 National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., where I will serve as a part of the national membership team, represent Virginia as a voting delegate,
016and participate in many other leadership opportunities. I am incredibly grateful for the support of our administration, school board members, teachers, families, and communities. Your continued support of FCCLA allows students like me to pursue leadership opportunities. to help us grow both personally and professionally. Thank you for believing in our chapter and investing in our success. I look forward to sharing updates on our accomplishments and representing Signal Nine Middle School, Shenandoah County, and Virginia's FCCLA throughout the upcoming year. Thank you, Lily. As she has mentioned, none of these accomplishments would be possible without the incredible support we receive from our students, parents, administrators, school board members, and community. Your encouragement and commitment to our programs provide students with the opportunity to grow as leaders, develop valuable life skills, and pursue their passions. And I'm incredibly proud of
017all of our FCCLA members for all that they've achieved this year. Thank you for your time and continued support for not only FCCLA, but career and technical education. Thank you. North Fork Middle School, Hannah Kopp. My name is Hannah Kopp, and I am the Family and Consumer Sciences teacher and FCCLA advisor at North Fork Middle School. And I'm here to recognize a few of our FCCLA chapter members for their accomplishments at our state conference this past April. North Fork is actually only in our second year of FCCLA. This was our second year having an active chapter. So any accomplishments that we have made in the last two years are fabulous. And we are in the process of growing and strengthening our chapter even more in year three. We did receive a gold level outstanding chapter
018award at state conference this year. And we had one student complete power of one, which was Christopher Perez Ramirez, who is here today. But we had 14 students total attend state conference this year, 12 of which received the first or second place to qualify them for nationals, three of which were able to make it tonight, but I will go through all of them with you. These star events are events, they're projects that challenge our students to use what they learn in our classrooms and apply them to real world projects. They're developing leadership skills, they are developing life skills, they are preparing for careers in the future. By completing these projects, they're conducting research at certain levels, they're creating these presentations, they're creating these speeches, they're talking in front of complete strangers. and demonstrating all of
019their knowledge that they have to their evaluators on competition day. So tonight I'm recognizing five first place finishes from state conference and then I'll go through our other students who got second place and third place. So Emily Cruz and Christopher Perez Ramirez competed in interpersonal communications receiving gold medals and chapter trophy. This event recognizes participants who use their FCS skills to apply communication techniques and develop a project designed to strengthen communication. Their project this year focused on improving the communications of families during dinner time by disconnecting from their cellular devices. Avon Buer, who wasn't able to join us tonight, she competed in professional presentation, receiving first place, a gold medal, and chapter trophy. And this event recognizes participants who use oral presentation skills to advocate about issues within the FCS field. And she focused her
020project on OCD awareness and about ending stigma and stereotypes surrounding that condition. Brianna Malpica and Cassidy Pig, both not able to join us tonight, they competed in sports nutrition receiving gold medals in first place and this event recognizes participants who plan and develop individualized nutrition plans to meet the competitive needs of a student athlete within a specific sport and they created their plan for one of their friends who is a student athlete, a soccer player. and they had to include athletic demographics training. They created a three-day nutritional plan with meals, snacks, hydration plans. They even created a management tool, and they had to go through and evaluate all of that information to make sure it had all the nutritional things that it needed. Jess Alarrabee, who was unable to join us tonight, she competed in
021Say Yes to FCS Education, receiving a gold medal in first place. And this event recognizes participants who demonstrate knowledge and skills needed to explore and experience the career of being an FCS educator. So she prepared a portfolio. She conducted classroom observations in different CTE classes. She observed my class, and then she observed our middle school ag classroom. Then she also planned and executed her own lesson plan and developed an FCCLA integration plan and then delivered her oral presentation at conference. Our final first place winners were Rose Segallon and Carmela McMinn, both here with us today. They competed in interior design, receiving gold medals in first place. This event is all about applying interior design skills to design a space to meet client needs and every year the client needs change. So they didn't know their
022scenario when they chose this event. But their scenario this year was to design a flagship space for a retail storefront that welcomes customers with plants, gifts, and greenery and focuses on the client's needs, which this year were sustainability, wellness, and community. So those are our first place finishes. We also had Brooklyn Saylor and Fiona Heisman compete and focus on children, and they received second place. They also advanced to national competition next month in Washington, D.C. We also had Kate Rinker. She competed in event management, and she received second place, advancing to nationals. We had Gigi Romero, who competed in hospitality, tourism, and recreation. She received third place. And we had Becca Welch, who competed in food innovations, and she received third place as well. And we also had, finally, Chloe Ryman competed in teach or
023train, and she received second place advancing to nationals next month. So all of these students who are advancing to nationals in Washington, D.C. next month will represent our school and represent our county, and I know they will do it well. So I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for your endless support of FCCLA in our county and at our school at North Fork as we're building. Thank you. And Ashley Painter from Stonewall Jackson High School. Hello, good evening. I'm Ashley Painter, Family Consumer Sciences teacher and FCCL advisor at Stonewall Jackson High School. I have a few students that I'm bringing with me this evening that competed at state conference. Stonewall was recognized as a 50 plus member milestone chapter, which for a small school, that's a really big deal. So we
024were super proud of that accomplishment. We were also recognized as a Sharon Glasscock Platinum Level Outstanding Chapter, which is the highest level chapter that you can also receive that award for. We were recognized for having completing projects in all seven national programs at the national level. And then Aubrey Dellinger right here, she was also recognized as a Power of One completer for completing the five different units of Power of One. So she'll be recognized, I believe, at the national level as well. We had 15 students that we took with us. Out of those 15 students, 11 of them have advanced to the national competition. So I'll go down through all of those. Only two could make it this evening. We have a whole bunch that are at FFA convention, and then we also have a
025couple who are traveling abroad with another program at our school. So we had Gracie Lowness, who she placed second and received a gold medal in career investigation level three. We had Rain Lawrence and Ruth Paredes Lopez, who competed in entrepreneurship level three. They received a silver medal in fourth place. We had Lauren Holler and Haley Lutz, who competed in event management level three. They received a gold medal in first place. Lillian Grove, on the end, and her partner, Natalie Lazaro-Luna, they competed in fashion design, which was a new one, a new star event we've never competed in. So that was really exciting. They actually got to design a whole fashion line. They chose... The Kentucky Derby. The 1960s Kentucky Derby. And we actually made a dress and everything to go with it. So that was
026a lot of fun, trying out that new star event. But they got a silver medal and placed first at the state level. We had Maggie Miller and Danica Perrette, who competed in Focus on Children Level 2. They received a silver medal and second place. Aubrey Dellinger right here she competed in Say Yes to FCS Education level three she received a gold medal and placed first and then we had Aislinn Mason and Aliyah Ogle who competed in Sports Nutrition level two they received a gold medal in first place and Riley Rhodes and Lillian Cherky they also competed in Sports Nutrition but level three and they received a silver medal in third place So we're very excited. Oh, I had one other. Myla Gilmer, her competition was a little bit different. This was a new one for
027us as well. She did an online star event that you actually compete ahead of time with. So she planned out an entire chapter website for us. And hers, instead of going to the state level, hers actually went straight to the national level. And so we found out that she is one of the top 20 in the nation. and those are the ones who will advance. So she will get to go and present the website and give a presentation for that. So yeah, we were super excited. We definitely tried some different events this year that pushed us outside of our comfort zone, but it was a wonderful experience, and we greatly appreciate all of the support that you all provide. Thank you for having us. So before our FCCLA and Family and Consumer Sciences people leave,
028I would like to say thank our staff, our teachers, because they do an amazing job with the students and the groups, and they travel a lot with the kids. So thank you so much. If we can give them a big round of applause. And thanks again to the students. You guys are doing amazing things, and I can't wait to see what you do when you graduate high school and move on to your next path. So congratulations again, and have a great summer. Mr. Hensley, would you like to come and talk about the Administrative Leadership Academy graduates? Absolutely. I would like to invite Danielle Lowness, Christy Bayless, Greg Clansmith, Chandler Hatfield, Jacqueline Rhodes, Heather Brady, and John Lynch to come up. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the board, Dr. Shepard, for giving me the opportunity
029to showcase our Administrative Leadership Academy. I think that a lot of people believe that the Administrative Leadership Academy is about people that want to be principals or they want to be... assistant principals. It's not about that. It's about learning about administration and where they feel they fit. Not everybody wants to be a principal. Not everybody wants to be an assistant principal. So they get an opportunity in this program to choose areas where they go. Our program has evolved across time. It was a lot of set and get when we started it. And the feedback from the people going through the program is about we like the shadowing experiences. We like the idea of getting out and doing things in the school. So it's evolved. So the very first session that they come in, it's about
030so you think you want to be an administrator. So they go through some scenarios and talk about things inside of administration to see where they want. It's about setting the program up that they're going to get three shadowing experiences across the year. and they're going to work with an administrator at a school to create something that's meaningful to that school or to the community of that school. So they all did that this year. So they chose their areas where they wanted to go. They worked on their projects throughout the year. At the very end, we come together at Triplet Tech, and we talk about our experiences. We share our projects that we did that year. We decide, like some people say, I don't want to be a principal, that's for sure, but I want to
031do this. So that's been positive with this program. The one thing that I think that we see with the individuals that come in, it's an opportunity for our own staff to grow and see some things differently than what they see in a classroom. And they get to share that, but they also make an impact on our schools when they do different things. They were talking about a cell phone policy. One of our teachers did something with cell phones. So a lot of things connect across, even with our kids that are doing it in FCCLA. We have our teachers connecting, doing the same thing. We're very proud of what they did. It's exciting to sit and watch their presentations at the end of the year. It's thoughtful, and it's something that's outside of what we think
032about sometimes, and it gives us great ideas also. I think that's it. They did a great job. I thought about this too. A lot of times we dictate what people do. And this program gives them an opportunity to do what they want to do and sometimes that's hard to get that project going because it's thinking outside the box of something different. So I just wanted to mention that too. That concludes recognitions, Dr. Shepherd. It does. Okay, public and staff comment on agenda items and non-agenda items. The Shenandoah County School Board welcomes public comment from Shenandoah County residents, parents, or guardians, as well as from current students and employees of Shenandoah County Public Schools. School board members do not respond to public comments during the meeting or hearing. Each speaker may speak for up to three
033minutes. The board generally allows up to 30 minutes for public comments on agenda and non-agenda items at the beginning of the meeting. If there are a large number of speakers, the board may limit. the total time for comments and or may reduce the time a lot if you're each speaker only one person is signed up i don't think that will be an issue tonight all comments should address a matter related to shenandoah county public schools complaints regarding division employees should be directed to the school principal or an appropriate school division official The school board expects that each speaker will be courteous modeling for our students how one can respectfully disagree with other views. Speakers will address their comments to the entire school board and not to one individual board member, to the superintendent, to a
034staff member, nor to the audience. Speakers will not engage in personal attacks. Speakers may sign up to speak at the school board meeting or public hearing on a document provided by the clerk of the school board. The school board clerk will ascertain that speakers indicate their role as stakeholders and valid addresses. Speakers are called in the order in which they signed up. If time allows, the chair may allow comments from individuals who have not signed up. A speaker may not speak more than once on a specific topic. Speakers who wish to speak on more than one topic must submit a separate request for each item. If a speaker would like to present written comments to the school board, eight copies should be provided to the school board clerk as the speaker approaches the podium to
035speak. So first up, Ms. Urbach. Good evening. My name is Lucinda Urbach, and I am the librarian at W.W. Robinson Elementary. Thank you for allowing me time to address you regarding the proposed policy KLB-BF. To recap, a policy was brought forth in April without input from many stakeholders that would require book fair materials be reviewed prior to a fair. Once made aware of this proposed policy, several of us librarians, several of us who historically run the fairs provided feedback on the policy in a variety of ways. God bless you. It was suggested that stakeholders meet to discuss, but this was never facilitated. I have made my input open to as many stakeholders as possible, with Mr. Scheibe and Dr. Shepard providing helpful feedback and clarifications. From those, this is what I took away. A few
036parents had expressed verbal concerns to board members, not to people running the fairs, regarding scary or inappropriate books available at fairs. This, along with potential legal issues, prompted the proposal of this policy. I remain flabbergasted that these are the justifications for a division policy being devised surrounding one very specific fundraiser, book fairs. Why not concerns over the lack of vegan options offered at concession stands or unhealthy chocolate sold in school to students as fundraisers? I'm not suggesting that fundraisers, any fundraiser, be required to jump through extra hoops in order to function. There are so many programs in our schools that rely on fundraisers to meet the needs of our students. The line item allocation for funds to the library has not increased in at least seven years. In actuality, it recently hasn't been fully funded
037twice with not all budgeted funds being released. In that same time span, the average cost of books has increased by over $5 per book. I ask, why are you considering adding layers of bureaucracy on a fundraiser that is needed and has done no harm? My flabbergasted side, I'm not opposed to policy and rules. I'm a librarian. We're very particular. So, we like rules. It was mentioned that several Virginia school divisions have policies regarding book fairs. A deeper dive showed this to be an exaggeration. There are many localities with mention of monitoring and or vetting vendors who sell on campus. None of these policies, though, specifically mention any one type of fundraiser, nor require prior public display and pre-approval of specific inventory. Also, all of these policies are found under the financial business focus section of
038their school board policies, not instructional or library materials. Historically, the more specific a policy is, the more an organization opens itself up for lawsuits. It makes much more sense, if found to be necessary at all. to amend the current SEPS policy, JL, fundraising and solicitation, to include more stringent guidelines and offer a pathway for public concerns, or make the current proposed policy more generic to cover all fundraisers and place it in Section K, school-community relations, under KGA, sales and solicitations in schools. No fundraiser policy should go with KLB, Public Review of Learning Resources, since items in fundraisers aren't learning resources. Prior to my knowledge of this proposed policy, I committed to hosting a scholastic book fair this fall. Sadly, if this policy is currently presented as passed, it will likely be my last book fair
039fundraiser, which historically has been greatly benefited by my students at W.W. Robinson. Thank you for listening. Thank you. We now take up consideration of the consent agenda, which consists of 11 items. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? Move to approve the consent agenda. Thank you, Mr. Rickert. Is there a second? Second. Ms. Corallino seconds. The motion is to approve the consent agenda as presented. All in favor will indicate by saying aye. Aye. Opposed, no. And the consent agenda. is approved i gotta make my way over here to information information agenda item number one draft policy gbar shenandoah county public school anti-retaliation policy dr shepherd Thank you. A school board member and school board counsel developed a draft anti-retaliation policy intended to ensure that employees, students, parents, guardians, volunteers, applicants, contractors, and community
040members may report concerns regarding misconduct, legal violations, ethical breaches, discrimination, harassment, or violations of school board policy without fear of retaliation. The draft policy establishes... Division-wide prohibition against retaliation towards individuals who, in good faith, report concerns, participate in an investigation or complaint process, request legally protected accommodations or otherwise exercise rights protected by law or school board policy. The policy defines retaliation to include materially adverse actions which... such as intimidation, harassment, exclusion, interference, or negative employment, or educational consequences, while clarifying that good faith reports remain protected even if allegations are ultimately unsubstantiated. The policy further outlines procedures for reporting, reviewing, and investigating retaliation concerns, including expectations for prompt and impartial review, confidentiality, conflict of interest, safeguards, and corrective action if retaliation is substantiated. Information regarding the proposed policy is presented at this evening's meeting. Following the
041initial presentation, the board will discuss the policy at a work session, and this policy is scheduled for consideration at the... July 9th school board meeting. Anything to add to that? Yes. I guess we're not going to be discussing this today, but this is actually a policy that has been long in the works because it's not particularly easy to do. I know this is something that has been up a lot. It's been worrying some and it's been something that has been in the mind of a lot of people even before I decided to run for this position. But it's difficult to kind of, you know, write down exactly what it is that such a policy would include. So for that reason, we're very grateful that we were able to work with our council. and he looked
042through all this and he's the one who actually helped us draft this. So it has been already council approved and I guess we'll be looking at it more closely at our July meeting. Okay, any other comments? Moving on to item 4.2, information on drafts, Green Town Policy, IIAG, Dr. Shepherd. Thank you. A school board member and school board counsel worked collaboratively to develop a draft policy regarding the instructional use of digital and print materials to establish expectations for balanced, purposeful, and age-appropriate use of technology and instruction. The draft policy recognizes the value of high-quality instructional materials in print, digital, and blended formats while emphasizing that physical books, handwriting, manipulative... manipulatives, discussion, direct instruction, and hands-on learning should remain central components of the instructional program. The policy establishes grade band expectations intended to ensure that screen-based
043instruction is educationally justified and developmentally appropriate with greater emphasis on print rich. teacher-directed and hands-on learning in the early grades and increasing flexibility for digital tools in middle and high school settings to support research, career and technical education, digital literacy, advanced coursework, and college and career readiness. The policy further clarifies digital instruction should not be used merely for convenience, filler activities, or as a default replacement for physical instruction materials and requires that screen-based resources be connected to a stated instructional purpose. The draft policy preserves access to assistive technologies, individual supports, and legally required digital resources for students with disabilities, health. English learner supports, and other educational plans. Information on this proposed policy is presented this evening. Following the presentation, there will be an opportunity to discuss and consider the policy at the Thursday, July 9th
044school board meeting. This is an issue which has been getting a lot of attention lately, not just from the print media, but also to... broadcast media and so forth. So it is very timely, I think, that we take up consideration of this policy at our July 9th meeting and also have conversation about this at a time before the vote on July the 9th. Any other comments? I guess I just wanted to add again to what Dr. Shepard said. I mean, again, I want to... emphasize that we worked with council on this. There's a lot of things that I would have liked to have seen, but obviously we have some parameters that we have to follow because we have to follow also what the state tells us that we need to do. But again, this is
045something that, as the chairman said, has been a subject of discussion, not just in the national, overall, the national education spheres, but also here in Shenandoah County. And we've talked to a lot of teachers. librarians, principals who are also very supportive of this. And basically what we want to do is we want to make sure that we have some parameters as to how it is that we're going to use technology in terms of what our children are learning. So I look forward to having this discussion in July. Okay. Other comments? Nope. All right. Item 4.3 is library book materials purchase list. Dr. Shepherd. Thank you. Regulation IIBP-R, library material selection, establishes procedures for the selection of new library book materials. In May, the librarians developed a draft list of new books proposed for purchase and
046provided the list to the principals and the assistant superintendent for instruction for review. On Monday, May 18th, the final draft list. draft list were placed on the division website for review. The approved list is being presented for information this evening. The recommendation for school board approval will be at the Thursday, July 9th school board meeting. Thank you. Mr. Hensley, resolution approving land exchange and related transactional documents for the Southern Campus Connector Project. And I believe this is scheduled for consideration under action item this evening, 5.3. So listen carefully. The resolution, Mr. Chairman, members of the board, Dr. Sheppard, thank you. The resolution before you for approving land exchange and related transitional documents for the Southern Campus Connector Project is so that you are given permission for the superintendent, the designee, and legal counsel to complete
047the documents to complete that project. As part of that project, we have to do a land exchange with the adjoining. landowner that you have a document that is behind that you can see that where the drainage on the left hand side it looks like two pipes that is the land that we're exchanging for so that we have room to have a right-of-way through and on the far right it's a small narrow upside down v that's the land that the landowner will be getting mr street has worked tirelessly on this project across time And this is one of the final things that we need to do to finalize to get the deeds transferred. And our legal counsel will handle that. Any questions? I was just going to say that. Sorry. He said he would take questions.
048Is there any money changing hands for this or is this? No. So it's not costing the school division any money? For the legal documents, yes. So you can see the SCPS is getting 13,800 square feet. Just by the way it lays out, one thing that we worked with with the adjoining landowner with their farming, they get 14,264, which is less than 500 square feet difference. Thank you. Other questions? Okay, moving on. Action item number one. personnel Is there a motion to approve the personnel list as presented? I move to amend the personnel list by putting whoa whoa whoa whoa we have to have a motion to accept the personnel list Is there a motion to approve is there a motion to approve the personnel list as presented I move to approve the personnel list as
049presented. Is there a second to that motion? Second. And Mr. Rickard seconds. The floor is open for discussion or amendment. I move to amend the personnel list by putting number 78 on hold. I second. The proposed amendment is to approve the list, putting number 78 on hold. It has been seconded. Further discussion or amendments? then we must first of all vote on the amendment, which is putting item number 78 on hold. Do you have that recorded, Madam Clerk, that way? May I suggest a roll call vote on this one, please? Yes. Yes. Yes. No. Yes. Yes. You record that as the amendment passes five to one. Back to the original main motion, which was to accept the personnel list. Only now we are voting on the proposed personnel list as amended. Any further discussion? Amendments?
050Amendments to the amendment. Okay. That motion was made. It was seconded. We are ready to vote on that. And I will once again call upon the clerk for roll call vote on this. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. So the motion passes as amended. Six to nothing. Approval of policy KLBBF selection and approval of book fair materials. Is there a motion to accept this policy? I move to accept the policy as presented. Draft three, I'm sorry. do you understand your motion that you move to um that draft three of policy klbbf selection approval book fair materials be approved as presented is that what do i understand your emotions okay and is there a second to that motion second and mr rickard seconds the floor is open for discussion uh go ahead uh mr rickard just
051a quick question i've read through it and the librarian we have here tonight spoke on it um And she talked about it being that the materials would have to coincide with our instructional materials, and I don't find that in here. Is there something I'm missing in here? No. I mean, it says end align with instructional goals. Yep. But it doesn't say anything about being an instructional material. Correct. So it's more suited, you know, from my understanding and in working on it with the attorney, with our school board attorney, it's they're supposed to more or less coincide with our library book and our library materials with some other caveats to it. That's. That was my understanding from reading through this was it seemed like it just set up guardrails as far as being age-appropriate and not
052sexually explicit. Correct. Would that be a correct interpretation? Yes. I would like to make three amendments to it, though, three changes. So I move to... amend this policy. Do I have to do three amendments or can I do them all in one? Two are identical and the third is to remove one part of this. Okay. So I move to amend draft three in section three paragraph one. under catalog and shipping access, the Book Fair vendor shall provide links to their full online catalog. And I would like to amend after that for it to read, and or a manifest of the specific items being shipped to the school. And then in the following. Paragraph first sentence under public posting the school division shall post the spare the fair specific inventory list and or List the vendors
053entire online catalog and that will cover Because some some people that have had or vendors have not put in Don't have full online catalogs So this would cover both and lessen the burden on those putting the book fair. So that's my first, so that's amendment one, to make those two changes under catalog and shipping access and public posting. Sorry, could you just say it one more time, please? Yes, so all right. So I've moved to amend draft three, section three. We'll call it paragraph one. First. to read catalog and shipping access the book fair vendor shall provide links to their full online catalog and or a Manifest of the specific items being shipped to the school etc next paragraph under public posting I Move to amend it to say the school or division shall post
054the spares the fair specific inventory list and or the vendor's entire online catalog or a link to such list and so on. I guess so. I move to make that amendment. Do I do the second amendment or do we vote on that one first? Yes. Second. Second. So we're voting on these two amendments and then he can come back with his third. Yes. I'm sorry. Yes Discussion Oh discussion. Yeah. Well, I thought we had discussed it floor is open for discussion I made you know, I made my points during the amendment. I guess I should have done that but that's to ease the burden and to have it a Little more thorough and easier on those putting on the book fairs So if they provide if they can provide either or or both, I think
055it covers all the bases Okay, other discussion roll call vote please Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes, so the amendments are approved and did you mention a third? That was one amendment. Okay, so I move to to amend draft 3 section 4 Paragraph two, by omitting that entire specific title restriction, because I do believe, I move to omit that paragraph, specific title restrictions, stating parents may restrict their child from purchasing specific titles by notifying the school in writing. Well, the motion is to omit the specific title restrictions. Is there a second to the amendment? Second. Mr. Rickard. Now the floor is open for discussion to omit specific title restrictions. And I'm moving to do that because I think it is unreasonable for an outside vendor or a librarian putting on a book fair or the
056PTA putting on the book fair to have to list every child. And what... subjects or books they may be allowed to purchase. That burden should be on the parents, but they still have the option if the parent doesn't want their child to be taking place in the book fair, they can have an opt-out of the entire book fair. I think that would be an unreasonable amount of work, and that was one of the most common. Pieces of feedback I got from PTA and and different folks doing the book fairs was that that would be a very difficult one to handle so and that's covered in the Sentence or the paragraph before it further discussion. Mr. Ricker I may be aging myself here, and we may need the librarian to clarify for us. I don't know
057if any of us can. But back when my kids were in school, they had a trip to the book fair during the day at some point, and didn't they make a list of the books that they would like to purchase and take home to their parents for approval? Do we not still do that? Please. Thank you. Other questions, comments, discussion? We're prepared to vote, Madam Clerk. Roll call. This is the amendment, right? Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. And the amendment is approved. Does that conclude your amendments, Mr. Schoenberg? Yes, sir. Yes, it does. Other amendments, discussion, questions? Ms. Carlinio. Questions. Okay, so I I do think we have to do something and just in terms of writing like mr. Rickards said just the guardrails of what it is that we're gonna be showing I
058do have a couple of questions I don't know if I'm just not reading enough but when we're talking about the parental control and reconsideration and we're talking about a formal challenge Who's gonna be? Next one talks about committee review. I mean who is the committee who's gonna be sharing it? who is the formal challenge made to? So I'm on section four, parental controls and consideration. So formal challenge says NESCPS parent guardian may challenge a book. So who is that challenge made to? Who's gonna be looking at that challenge? And then in the next paragraph, it says there's a review process that challenges will trigger a committee review. Who's that committee? Yep, it's meant to mirror that. Oh, okay. So, got it. Okay, so any formal challenge will be made to that committee? Mm-hmm. Okay. Other
059questions, comments? Should we clarify that in here? Or is that already clarified and I just missed it? Yeah. In the front? Paragraph kind of infers. Yeah. Well. It says the committee review process identical to the procedures used for library materials as outlined in the library materials policy. Identical, not the same. I mean, I don't know if that should be. I mean, if you think it doesn't need to be clarified, I'm fine. It didn't jump immediately to me saying that it was the same committee, just that the procedure was going to be identical. I mean, you could make a motion to amend and put in there the library book committee. Or instead of, yeah, maybe amend it to say challenges will trigger the library committee review process as outlined and then just reference the other policy.
060Dr. Shepherd, does form KLBE, does it state who the committee is? I feel like it does. So, no. No. It does not. I'm looking at it really quickly. It does not. However, KLB-LB, Public Review of Learning Resources-Library Book, does name who the committee is. So then we can add that into that last paragraph? Mm-hmm. Yeah. It's KLB-LB, Public Review of Learning Resources-Library Books. So maybe say challenges will trigger a committee review process under KLB-LB used for library materials. Would that help or? All right, so I'll suggest an amendment for this to say that in that last paragraph of section four, that will say that the review process challenges will trigger a committee review process. under KLB-LB used for library materials as outlined in the library materials policy. This is your amendment, correct? That's correct. Okay.
061Second that amendment. And second it. Could you read that again, please? Yes. So you'll say review process challenges will trigger a committee review process under KLB-LB used for library materials as outlined in the library materials policy. if there is sufficient time for such a review. Madam Clerk, do you have that? I did. Mr. Scheibing, you want to read that back, please, just for clarification. Sure. It says review process challenges will trigger a committee review process under KLB-LB used for library materials as outlined in the library material policy if there is sufficient time for such a review. Other discussion or questions? The motion has been made and seconded. Okay. Madam Clerk, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Is there a limit, Mr. Parliamentarian, to the number of amendments we can have on policy? Oh, come
062on. Any other discussion, questions, or amendments? No? No. No? This side? No, no, no, no? Okay. I'm going to add another amendment. And we are prepared to vote on the on the draft three approval of book fair materials as amended Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes and the policy is approved as amended Item 5.3, the resolution approving land exchange and related transactional documents for the Southern Campus Connector Project. I move that the school board adopt the resolution approving land exchange and related transactional documents of the Southern Campus Connector Project as presented. and authorize the superintendent, superintendent's designee, division council, other necessary school board officers, employees, agents, or representatives to take all actions and execute all documents necessary or appropriate to carry out the intent of the resolution subject to approval as to form by division
063council. You have heard the motion. Is there a second to this? Second. Thank you, Mr. Rickert. Discussion? Hearing none, we shall proceed to vote. All in favor of resolution approving land exchange and related documents for the Southern Campus Connector Project will indicate by saying aye. Aye. Opposed, no. And the motion carries six to nothing. Superintendent's report. Thank you. I'd never get here. We had a wonderful graduation week. Over a busy few days, we celebrated 441 seniors in the class of 2026 from Strasburg, Central, Stonewall Jackson High Schools, and Triplett Tech. We're sad to see our seniors graduate, but we can't wait to see all they will accomplish. We had another strong performance in our attendance rate across the school division this past school year. For the 2025-2026 school year, SCPS had a 94.7% attendance rate.
064I want to wish the Central High School girls soccer team well as they play Glenvar High School tomorrow at 11 at Salem High School in the VHSL Class 2 state semifinals. Also, good luck to the Falcon singles and doubles tennis players who will play in the state semifinals at Liberty University on Friday. Congratulations to the Strasburg High School for about 800 meter relay team of Emily Gorel, Piper Himmelright, Laura Galloway, and Hannah Logan on winning a state title. Also, congratulations to the Rams baseball and softball teams on winning the Region 2B championships. It was their first region title for Strasburg baseball since 2015 and the first ever region title for Strasburg softball. Our FFA students from across the county have been down at the 100th FFA State Convention all week and have once again done
065an excellent job with several first place finishes and honors. We'll have plenty to celebrate at the next month's school board meeting. And then we have students from all three of our high schools participating in the 2026 Student Leadership Shenandoah County class this week. Graduation is tomorrow at four o'clock here in this room if you're available. This is a great opportunity for these students to learn about Shenandoah County, develop their leadership skills, and build relationships that will benefit and move them forward. And finally. I want to take a moment to address the announcement of my resignation. Serving as the superintendent of Shenandoah County Public Schools over the last five years has been a significant chapter in my career. While I am looking forward to the next step in my professional journey, I remain proud of all
066we have accomplished here in Shenandoah County over the last five years. Through the hard work and dedication of our teachers, our staff, our administrators, the students in Shenandoah County, public schools we have experienced steady and measurable growth in student achievement our students have risen to meet increasingly rigorous standards and their success reflects the commitment and care demonstrated by each of our schools every single day I've truly valued the opportunity to work alongside our students employees families and community members Shenandoah County is a strong educational community and I'm glad for the collaboration and shared commitment to keeping students at the center of our work. I appreciate the opportunity the school board provided me to lead this division and I remain fully committed to ensure a smooth and orderly transition in the weeks ahead to support the
067school staff and our students. So thank you very much. That's all. No, it is us who need to thank you. And we will have more to say. at a later time. We're going to do things a little different here for the conclusion. There will be the report of board members and other business starting on this end and working my way south. And then the school board is going to join in a part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary. So stay tuned on that. So report of board members starting with Mr. Ricker. First of all, I want to thank Dr. Shepherd for my past two and a half years working with you. It's been a pleasure. I couldn't imagine working with anybody else. I'm sad to see you leave. I wish you the best in
068your future endeavors. I know we've got until August, but you went ahead and made it official tonight. I'll keep that short and sweet for now. the staff to the staff that are in our buildings every day. I want to thank each and every one of them. I hope that they all find some time to rest and relax over the summer and rejuvenate. I look forward to what you all bring to our schools and our students next year. To our students, I hope you enjoy your summer. To our graduates, I congratulate each and every one of them. And I believe that's all I've got tonight, Chairman. Ms. Carlino. Thank you. So I'll keep it short also. Dr. Shepard, thank you. We really are going to be very sad to see you go, but I'm sure we'll
069have another opportunity, like the chairman said, to speak a little bit more about that. But I did want to also thank everybody who's here. And as we go into the buildings, we still see the administration and everybody working really hard. And it's interesting because I... every time I ask them, you know, how are you guys doing? Are you enjoying your summer? And they're actually working harder now than they did during the school year. So thank you all for being here. Thank you all for the staff who comes here, like our librarian today who took time from her summer to come here and speak to us. We really appreciate that. And to all our children to also enjoy their summer, and I hope everybody gets to enjoy the 250th anniversary celebrations this summer. Thank you. Ms.
070Pence? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First of all, I want to congratulate the Central High School girls soccer team for an outstanding season and as they continue their run for a state championship tomorrow in the semifinals in Salem, I believe. I would also like to thank Dr. Shepard and just I would be remiss if I didn't point a couple things out just on my very... short few months here that she's extremely student focused and data driven. Data is her thing. That's true, that's true. So I just wanted to briefly thank her for that and that's it. Mr. Street? Yes, thank you Mr. Chairman. Definitely wanna congratulate the students for completing another year and your accomplishments. I want to thank the staff for guiding and accomplishing another year and all the staff at all levels that make
071it happen, make it work. And the number one thing as far as getting our students, educating them and getting them through another year and they continue on. So thank you to all the staff, whatever it may be in the building, the coaches and everything. Also, congratulations to the ones with sports representing our school division. And I wish the ones the best of luck that are continuing on. So congratulations to all the sports and their achievements this spring. Also, in regards to earlier that we voted on with the Connection Road down to Southern Campus, I want to thank the board for their support on that. It's definitely gonna be a plus. The number one reason for it is for safety. At our campus, we need another way to access to all the schools. So I wanna
072thank the board for always supporting that. And final, Dr. Shepherd, it's been a very, very pleasure experience working with you and getting to know you. Very sad to hear your announcement and but I want to thank you for all the things you've done for our school division very great to work with and definitely What wish you the best and whatever the next thing is in life, so thank you very much Mr.. Shabby this is my most difficult comments in my short term on this board. Thomas Jefferson once wrote, if a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never could be. He understood that the very foundation of a free, thriving community relies entirely on the education that we provide to the next generation. And
073even though the school year wrapped up a few weeks ago, I want to take a moment to thank and extend my most sincere appreciation to the people who deliver that vital education every single day, our teachers, administrators, and staff. And now that the dust has settled on another year, it's clear that your hard work has moved the needle in a great direction. And it's on to next year. And I thank you for your dedication. And the harder part, tonight we approved the personnel list that without question is the hardest in I guess the six months I've been on the board. Because it included the resignation of our superintendent. Dr. Melody Shepard. And Melody, I want to thank you personally for your leadership and all you've taught me about being a school board member and, you
074know, in our conversations over the years here. Before I took board, I really... appreciate those and then if you look at take a look at where the schools were when you started and compare them to where we are today the turnaround has been nothing short of incredible so your dedication and vision have driven a massive change in Shenandoah County education and You leave us in a far stronger place than when you arrived. I wish you all the best of luck in your next chapter. And, you know, I hope to hear from you, though. Don't be a stranger. On a separate note, I also want to highlight that the private-public partnership or public-private partnership, you know, that everyone mixes them around when they talk, that is evolving over our CTE continues. It has me pretty excited,
075and I look forward to the collaboration between businesses and our technical education. It's a massive and... Excellent opportunity for our students and I also wanted to take this opportunity to quickly clarify some comments I made during our last meeting My goal then as now was to try to unify those efforts not disparage anybody because I certainly Appreciate anyone who puts in time, resources, any effort to expand our CTE programs and help our students. Anyone willing to invest in our CTE students in any way, shape, or form, I am a big fan of. So thank you, and to you, sir. More than a year after the shots heard around the world, the Second Continental Congress was meeting. Philadelphia. On June the 7th, 1776, a delegate from Virginia by the name of Richard Henry Lee proposed, these
076united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states. A committee of five delegates was appointed to draft an explanation of that motion. That committee was composed of Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, Ben Franklin, John Adams, and a 33-year-old delegate from Virginia by the name of Thomas Jefferson. Mr. Jefferson was given the assignment to prepare the draft, and he worked on it religiously for two weeks, relying on the works of John Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu, and others. He took the draft back to the committee, who made changes. The changed resolution was taken to the Assembly, and they too made significant changes. However, on July the 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was formally and unanimously ratified. The words and principles of the Declaration were clear. George Mason of Virginia had published those ideals a
077month earlier here in Virginia in his Declaration of Rights. where he said all men are by nature free and independent and that certain rights are inherent to a person's existence and no government and no monarch can deprive people of these rights. The Declaration set forth a plan for government instituted by the people, a government where it derives its powers from the people. The Declaration helped to inspire the French Revolution. served as the foundation for an immortal address in 1863 at Gettysburg. It encouraged social progress, suffrage movements, furthered equality, and certainly freedom was on a president's mind 39 years ago tomorrow by a president speaking in West Berlin at the Brandenburg Gate. The Shenandoah County School Board is pleased and proud to join in remembering the profound wisdom of the Declaration of Independence and its 250th
078birthday of the United States of America. Here now, an abbreviated reading of the Declaration of Independence, which founded this, our great nation. Dr. Shepard. When. In the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them. A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among
079men. deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Now whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes, and accordingly all experience has shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right,
080it is their duty, to throw off such government and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present king of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our immigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow this usurpation, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They, too, have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity
081which denounces our separation and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace, friends. We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America and General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions. do, in the name and by authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare that these united colonies are, and of right, ought to be free and independent states, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved. and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things
082which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. Thank you. Thank you. And thank the board members for participating. Thank you for doing this. Thank you. Dr. Shepard, do you recommend a reconvening of a closed session of the school board? I recommend the School Board of Shenandoah County convene a closed meeting under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act in order to discuss and consider several personnel matters involving the assignment appointment performance. demotion, salary, discipline, or resignation of several employees of the Shenandoah County Public Schools under Virginia Code 2.2-3711A14 and pursuant to the provisions of Virginia Code 2.2-3711A3 to discuss or consider the acquisition of real property
083for a public purpose or for the disposition of publicly held real property. where discussion in an open meeting would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body, and in order to consult with legal counsel employed or retained by a public body regarding specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel under Virginia Code 2.2-3711A8. Ms. Pence? Aye. So moved. Is there a second to the motion? Second. And second by Mr. Rickert. All in favor will indicate by saying aye. Opposed no and we shall convene and close session to reconvene an open session Reconvene an open session. Thank you. Mike Rickard. Is there a second to that motion? And miss carlini o seconds all in favor of reconvening an open session so signify by saying aye No, it is
084unanimous in The Shenandoah County School Board hereby certifies by roll call vote that to the best of each member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which this certification resolution applies. And two, only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed meeting were heard, discussed, or considered by the Shenandoah County School Board. Each member responds. I so certify when called, the chair calls for a roll call vote. I so certify. I so certify. I so certify. I so certify. I so certify. I so certify. Is there a motion to adjourn? Move to adjourn. Thank you, Mr. Rickert. Is there a second? Second. We have two seconds. All in favor of adjourning, signify by saying aye. Aye.
085Opposed, no. And the meeting is adjourned until July the 9th. Maybe one in between.