001ahead and call this meeting of the Board of Education to order tonight we don't have any school or staff highlights anyone signed up a public comment not tonight okay roll call everyone but Brad Miller is present we move on to 3.0 to approval of the agenda move that we approve the agenda a second it's an emotion in a second all those in favor Motion passes 6-0. I move on to Section 4, Disposition of Business by Consent. I don't have my computer up, so somebody else gets to make that today. I move the Board of Education approve business by consent, including payment of bills in the amount of $5,862,883.01. Second. Motion is second. All those in favor? Motion passes 6-0. We are going to move on to Section 5, no administrator reports. So Section 6, items
002for discussion. 6.01 is recommendation for unified communication platforms. So Jessica. Yeah, I'll take the lead on that. So you should have a one-page summary, executive summary in your board materials. This is just a summary. spoke last time about a request for proposal that the district put out the middle of May to look for that unified mass communication platform. We did have eight different vendors respond to that proposal. So after initial review, there were three vendors that met the requirements and the qualifications. We brought the evaluation team together. There were 11 people on that evaluation team representing elementary, middle, and high school, as well as multiple different areas of the district, communications, technology. administrators, teachers, coaches, athletics directors, etc. There was a student. and parent representation as well. So after seeing those demonstrations and presentations, it
003was unanimously agreed to move forward with Parent Square. So that is the first choice selection for everybody on that evaluation committee. And so we would recommend that we move forward. Basically, this unified communication platform will mean that any coaches, activity sponsors, teachers, et cetera, will communicate through this one platform so that... Parents don't have multiple different apps that they're looking at. This is the result of parent feedback through community surveys that we've done asking for streamlined communication. And then also a result of the requirements that came out of sub for House Bill 2290. So we would just ask that you consider that proposal. In total, it will be about $30,000. It's a per student cost. And so we have two different pots of money that that could possibly come out of. One is the general
004fund, one is capital outlay, and our recommendation would be that that come out of our capital outlay budget. Questions or comments? Yeah, Jessica, I couldn't quite understand if this is a communication for students too, or is that a separate thing students... Square that is a great question. So parents square and students square are the same platform. It's basically just marketed for parents and students the way they explained it is Students weren't adopting parents square thinking that it was for parents So it is a platform for students so that the coaches can reach out to the students to say hey, wear your white shirts tonight, or we're delayed 30 minutes, or meet here instead. So it is for students to also get communication from. So we would have an additional expense for students. It's all packaged
005into this. And then will it replace Infinite Campus? It cannot replace Infinite Campus as it is now because it is a nightly feed from Infinite Campus. So we'll still need Infinite Campus for like attendance alerts. Like if your student isn't in class, you know how you get the tardy alerts or attendance alerts. It doesn't have that ability. for real-time communications at this point. So we would still need Infinite Campus for that, but as much as possible, we would try to streamline through ParentSquare. So does this replace the bus app, or is that different? That's different. The what app? It could potentially, so we can... My wife hates that one. We can communicate with our bus routes through ParentSquare. But ParentSquare does not have the GPS access. I figured. Yeah, MyRideK3. Is the communication two-way? Yes.
006So kids can text back their coach or whatever? Yes. And so I know my daughter has Slack. Is this meant to replace Slack and that kind of stuff? Right. Yeah, so the biggest reason is that there are retention. with some of those other platforms. So this addresses all the retention. It allows us administrative oversight. And then it allows parents to also be on those platforms to see communications that their students are having back and forth with teachers and coaches. So it's to protect both students and employees. So then will it be policy that this is the only way that students are communicated with from? Teachers? Not teachers maybe, but coaches? So I would say... Like don't use these other apps. We have to use it. In terms of that, I would... Yes, that is the
007intent. Coaches and teachers can still use tools that are primarily for education. So Google Classroom, they're still going to be communicating back and forth. Canva, they'll still communicate back and forth with. They can still use email and that type of thing. But in terms of... two-way communication platforms. And 18 different messaging apps. Right. This is it. This is it. In the proposed contract, it looks like the cost per student goes up every year up until year five. Is there a reason for that instead of just doing a flat rate? I think it's just their standard inflation cost every year. I see. And they gave us up to five years. So it would be a three-year contract with the option to continue with year four and year five. Okay. The other thing I would say is
008they've given us, and I put this in this proposal too, so we checked references on all of the vendors. They're very highly regarded by a lot of different Kansas districts that are utilizing them. And they've offered us this. They call it the sandbox environment. So we have several people in testing it, playing around with it, sending messages, setting up newsletters, that type of thing. So we will continue testing it until the next board meeting when we meet with the idea that any red flags or issues would pop up before you see this again for action. So far, nothing has been concerning, though. Any other questions or comments? Just one last one, Jamie. Is this replacing something? So are we reducing costs or is this just adding cost? This is adding cost, yes. So a lot
009of the apps that are being used right now are the free apps, but it also doesn't have all the requirements we need to meet in terms of the two-way communication, the retention, the oversight. So it is an added cost. So as part of this, we did evaluate whether our current providers are able to provide the service that we need, and the answer was no. The answer is some might, but they're constantly changing, and there isn't enough confidence that they meet all the requirements of the law. Any other questions or comments? Thanks, Jessica. Move on to 6.02, which is updated new board policies. Yeah, because it's summertime, KASB legal counsel, they have sent a group of about 20 updates or new policies as they do every summer. So this is nothing new. Our process has been
010we go through the low-hanging fruit, so to speak, and the ones that we have to be. in compliance with moving into the new year, we want to get those to you first. So these are either updates to current policy to be in compliance with law or they're new board policies to ensure compliance with law. And so I would encourage us with this bundle, I don't think we have to go through them one by one, but you just want to make sure that we're in firm standing moving into the 26-27 school year. Now, if you do choose to approve these at the next meeting, we have roughly 10 to 12 policies remaining that we need to do some homework with and see if it makes sense for the way in which we do operations. We probably
011wouldn't bring those in as a bundle. We'll probably take those as one off and really talk to you and kind of vet them through to see if it makes sense as a Board of Education to pursue. Those we don't need to be in compliance with law. These are the ones that are the most timely. That's why we put them together. Yeah, I had one question. Yep. If you need to get back to me on this one, that's fine. For the JQK foreign exchange student, as someone who's had foreign exchange students, I was just interested what the difference is from the old policy and the new one, because it says they will now be... They can enroll and attend school in the district as if they were a student or a resident of that school district.
012How are they being treated before that? I think that there are some districts that because of a recent law put into place because of capacity didn't allow automatically a foreign exchange student residing within the boundaries to be able to enroll without going through a process. And I think that because that surfaced within the last year or two since the capacity policy is now in play, that they've just updated the policy to say that as a school district, you can't say that's a one-off for a foreign exchange student. If he or she is within your district, get that individual enrolled. It's a benefit or a perk to the foreign exchange student. Can you talk a little bit about the J.B. attendance records? So is the legislator voted to find schools experiencing walkouts? Yeah. I'm going to
013use the term maybe supporting walkouts. Okay. So the reality... Students walk out. Yeah. So... But if we're encouraging... Yeah. So... A couple of times in the time that I have been here, something has happened across the nation. And maybe as a good thing for kids, some students choose to utilize their voice and try to do something to create change. And sometimes something has surfaced as, well, let's do a walkout. It hasn't happened here often, and we really haven't had large numbers. But it has in other places. And in those school communities, it has created quite a disruption. So I think the legislature chose to take action because of that. As long as we make it very clear to our parents and our school community that we do not support a walkout and that if somebody
014chooses to walk out, we're going to take the necessary appropriate actions about an absence, about whatever the case may be, then we're compliant with the law. So I think that probably bubbled up from some other parts of the state, not necessarily Topeka. Any other questions, comments on that? Good feedback. Thank you. All right. If not, we'll move on to Section 7, which is Action Items. The first one is 7.01, Specialized Science Curriculum Resources Final. Brought last time. Any further development from last time? If not, would entertain a motion. I move the Board of Education to approve the presented instructional resources in the amount of $38,182.10. Second. There's been a motion and a second. All those in favor? Motion passes 6-0. 7.02 is the Science Instructional Lab Supplies final read. Questions or comments? Otherwise, we'll entertain
015a motion. Mr. President, I move that the Board of Education to approve the presented instructional resources in the amount of $59,507.87. Second. Motion is second. All those in favor? Motion passes 6-0. Next up is Board Policy Update JCDC, which is the Student Personal Electronic Communication Devices. Questions or comments on that? Mr. President, I'd go ahead and move that the Board of Education approve Board Policy JCDC as presented. Second. Motion is second. All those in favor? Motion passes 6-0. Next is Board Policy IIBGC. Mr. President, I'd go ahead and move that the Board of Education approve Board Policy IIBGC as presented. Second. Motion is second. All those in favor? Motion passes 6-0. 7.05 is the 26-27 Administrator Handbook. Questions, comments, or would entertain a motion? Go ahead and move the Board of Education approve the 2026-2027
016Administrator Handbook as presented. Second. There's been a motion and a second. All those in favor? Motion passes 6-0. And then the 26-27 Elementary School Handbook. Well, with a great enthusiasm, the Board of Education approved the 2026-2027 Elementary Handbook as presented. Second. There's been a motion and a second. All those in favor? Motion passes 6-0. And then last is the 7.08, the Food Service Update Final Read. Well, don't do we have 7.07. I don't want to skip any of these 26-27 early childhood handbook. Yes, and I would go ahead and move the Board of Education approve the 2026-2027 early childhood handbook as presented. Second. And a motion is second. All those in favor? Motion passes six to zero and then last is the food service update final read and Mr. President I will happily move that
017the Board of Education approved maintaining current breakfast and lunch prices for all buildings for the 2026-2027 school year as presented. Second. Motion and a second. All those in favor? Motion passes six to zero. Made that easy on Jessica tonight. All right, no communication items tonight. And so at this time, the chair would move that we go into executive session at 6.45 p.m. to discuss students pursuant to the exception relating to actions adversely or favorably affecting a student under coma, to discuss personnel matters pursuant to the exception of non-elected personnel under coma, and to discuss budget pursuant to the exception for employer-employee negotiations under coma. For 45 minutes, the open meeting will resume in the boardroom at 7.30 p.m. Second. It's been a motion and a second. All those in favor? Motion passes 6-0. We are
018in executive session. Executive session for an additional 15 minutes. Second. Motion and a second. All those in favor? Motion passes 6-0. We're back in executive session. Have I shared this comment before? Open session after being in executive session. At this time, the chair would move that we go back to executive session for an additional 15 minutes and come back into open session at 8 p.m. Second. Motion and a second. All those in favor? Motion passes 6-0. We're back in executive session. Open session after being in executive session. Are there any motions? I'd like to make a motion. Hearing case one discussed in executive session, I move that the board... Second. Motion and a second. All those in favor? Motion passes 6-0. I would move that the Board of Education present it... I'm going to motion
019and second. All those in favor? Motion passes. James. He hasn't asked for it yet. I don't have to ask. I move to adjourn. Second. I'm going to motion and second. All those in favor? Zero. We are adjourned.