BoE Meeting - June 11th, 2026

001to leave executive session and enter the public meeting motion second all those in favor aye okay can we please stand for the pledge of the united states of america to the republic which stands as a nation under the invisible liberty and justice realm okay we have a really exciting night tonight and it is my first time um so yes so please be patient with me thank you um all right so we're going to start with the most exciting part of the night some tenure recognitions i'm going to pass that on to dr. warden all right this is a great crowd i like the balloons i like that you have the balloon um so we're going to start out with the uh wonderful assistant principal of the year in new york the entire state we have

002the assistant principal of the year in our school district colleen lynch come on up colleen anywhere you'd like to be okay so good evening my name is dr kitty summers i'm the assistant superintendent for curriculum instruction and staff development it is my pleasure to read the recommendation for miss colleen lynch for tenure in the red hook central school district um dr roddy needed to be at the bosey's graduation so he asked me to step in for him so this is his highlights of miss lynch she was recognized as a 2026 new york state assistant principal of the year an honor that reflects the tremendous respect she has earned from colleagues and a broader educational community thank you all for joining us today we're going to start off with the first recommendation of the year to

003this class Magee is an associate professor of women in the American spirit arts at the güney school of the college of education and technology for the different fields of leadership and education and other subjects so she has provided a long list of the master degrees in school leadership and observation skills here today the first one is many of our top 10 top 10 opportunities that come with this program and is one of the most important ones in our community the recognition is well deserved and speaks to the level of leadership she demonstrates on a daily basis one of colleen's greatest strength is her ability to identify areas of need and turn ideals into meaningful systems and programs that benefit students and staff alike she has played a major leadership role in developing freshman focus a

004new course designed to support 9th grade students in building executive finance and an eight-year program in段um county at the college of engineering she's gathered her coaching program in the악 Wolfe she has led a program in our college of engineering to develop the first functioning, organizational skills, social-emotional learning skills as they transition into the high school. The creation of this course required extensive collaboration, thoughtful planning, and a deep understanding of student needs, all of which Ms. Lynch brought to the process. She has also been instrumental in supporting teachers, particularly those in their early careers, and I have seen Colleen in action with the learning sessions that she holds with new teachers. It is very collaborative, it is very innovative, and it really does speak to best practices at the high school level. There's a lot of

005feedback from teachers, and they truly enjoy the sessions. She has taken on operational responsibilities that are critical to the success of our school. She serves as the 504 coordinator, oversees testing schedules, and chairs our MTSS process. Now, Dr. Roddy did go on to say that she has been involved in the training camp, but not many of the staff have been involved. It is now time to give her the crown prize. I would like to strongly recommend Ms. Colleen Lynch for tenure in the position as an administrator in the Redhawk Central School District. Thank you, hold on hold on, Ms. Lynch can I get a motion to approve tenure for Ms. Colleen Lynch. Motion. Motion. Second. All those in favor? Aye. All right. Happens every time. We're excited, and I'm new, so congratulations. It happens every

006time. I'm slipping through. Congratulations. Thank you so much. Are they in line? Are you going to speak about your tenure, or are you going to come down? I'm going to do something else. There's been some from the high school that are very well-deserving, and I'm going to call them up. But, of course, I am so thankful to be a part of the Red Hook community. The four years have just flown by for me. We're busy over there, and it's the work that we love to do. I have a great partnership with Dr. Roddy. So I just thank the community, our faculty, our staff, the board, for the opportunity to be a part of this. So thank you. So, again, Dr. Roddy could not be here tonight, which he would have liked to have been, but

007it's pretty exciting. One of our students is being named the valedictorian of the CTI program at Boces. So that's a very exciting event. I'd like to start with speaking about James Cantator. I remember meeting James when we both attended the Board of Education meeting for our appointments at Red Hook. He was there with his young child, and it was immediately evident that he was caring, patient, and a family-oriented person. Even then, I knew he'd be a wonderful addition to our special education department. Over the years, that first impression has only been reinforced. Whenever I visit James' classroom, I am constantly impressed by the thoughtful effort that he puts into creating an inclusive learning environment for his students. Especially our ENL learners. He regularly develops creative and varied approaches to bridge the language barriers, ensuring that

008every student has access to learning and the opportunity to succeed. James also understands the importance of strong partnerships with family. He frequently reaches out to parents and caregivers, widening the circle of support around his students, and strengthening the community. Dr. Roddy, thank you. between home and school. One of James' greatest strengths is his commitment to seeing the potential in every student. When working with students who struggle behaviorally, he is patient, persistent, and looks for a solution. Rather than focusing solely on consequences, he works to understand the root cause of the behavior and helps students to develop the skills they need to make positive changes. changes. More recently, James has taken on the role of coordinator for the Seal of Civic Readiness. In conversations with him during the development of this program, it became clear that

009he's passionate about helping students discover multiple pathways to success. His dedication to creating meaningful opportunities for students, coupled with his unwavering belief in their potential, reflects the very best of our profession. James, your commitment to students, families, and our school community has made a lasting impact. Congratulations on earning tenure. This recognition is well-deserved, and we look forward to the many ways you will continue to make a difference in the years ahead. Okay, can I get a motion? Motion? Second. All those in favor? Aye. Okay. Perfect. All right, so let's just have another round of applause for James. Next, we have Ben Bardinet. Just over there. Doesn't have his balloon. Okay, okay. Mr. Bardinet has been an outstanding addition to our music department. He is deeply committed to helping young musicians recognize and achieve their full

010potential. He holds his students to exceptionally high standards. fostering a level of professionalism that is truly remarkable. His students enjoy working with him because they recognize how dedicated he is to their growth and success. Students respond to his enthusiasm and commitment by matching his energy and effort, resulting in performances that are nothing short of impressive. One of the most telling examples of his impact occurred ONE OF THE MOST TELLING DIFFERENT DECISIONS Iams singing During one Distance afternoon visits, has meant a lot ofa When he was out of the building, he was serving as a guest conductor for the Putnam County All-County Festival. I was amazed to see students independently assume leadership roles, remain focused, and continue practicing at a mature and purposeful level. Rather than treating the day as, you know, an opportunity to relax,

011they remained committed to their work and to the expectations that Mr. Bardinet had established. That level of student ownership and accountability speaks volumes about the culture he created. While Mr. Bardinet maintains a highly structured classroom with clear expectations and a strong focus on excellence, he balances that structure with a wonderful sense of humor and a genuine care for his students. He takes the time to build meaningful relationships, creating an environment where students feel welcomed. He also makes sure that students feel respected and valued. The band room has become more than just a place to rehearse. For many students, it is a space where they feel comfortable, connected, and supported. It is not uncommon to see students choosing to spend their lunch periods there, a testament to the positive culture he has cultivated. Mr. Bardinet balances

012high standards with warmth and lightheartedness, allowing students to thrive both as musicians and as students. Mr. Bardinet balances high standards with warmth and lightheartedness, allowing students to thrive both as musicians and as students. Mr. Bardinet balances high standards with warmth and lightheartedness, allowing students to thrive both as musicians and as students. Watching his professional growth over the years has been inspiring, and it has been exciting to see him step into the leadership role of department chair. His vision, passion, and commitment to excellence have already had a tremendous impact on our music program, and I look forward to seeing how he continues to shape and strengthen it in the years ahead. Thank you, Mr. Bardinet, for the countless hours you invest in our students. Thank you, Mr. Bardinet, for the countless hours you invest in our

013students. For the high standards you set, and for the caring and supportive environment you create. Your ability to inspire students to achieve more than they thought possible leaves a lasting impact that extends far beyond the band room. Red Hook High School is fortunate to have you, and tonight we are proud to celebrate your well-deserved tenure. Our students are better musicians because of your teaching, and better people because of your example. Congratulations. Congratulations. Yeah. Can I get a motion to approve tenure for Mr. Bardinet? Motion. Second. All those in favor? And once again for Mr. Bardinet. Good evening, everyone. I'm Dr. Brian Boyd. I serve as the elementary school principal here at Mill Road, and I'm joined. Hello, everybody. I'm Kristen Strothman, the assistant principal at the elementary school. We are very fortunate. We're very fortunate

014to have the pleasure of recommending our businesses. music teacher in the pre-k to world miss Ally but tonight it is our pleasure to recommend miss Ally bud music teacher at Mill Road Elementary School for tenure during her time at Mill Road miss but is demonstrated herself to be a hard-working enthusiastic and collaborative educator who is deeply committed to her students and our school community she approaches her work with positivity and energy she consistently seeks to make music and engaging and meaningful experience for all her learners at any point during the school day if you walk by miss buds music classroom you will see her highly engaged with little people with a big smile on her face in the time that we've been working with her over the last couple of years some of the biggest

015areas of growth that we've seen is how she even manages that group it is amazing how much she can complete in a 35-minute music lesson with four-year olds that come in unruly a bit feral and need the systematic approach to music and learn teaching and learning in general miss bud has also led our second grade chorus for the last few years if you've had the opportunity to see them at the Performing Arts Center it is nothing short of amazing she takes our second graders for an extra music period each week and by the time they rise up to our risers in the Performing Arts Center they look like they've been doing it for years we couldn't be any happier with where our music program is and I think we're in a great spot for our

016future so she comes with the highest recommendation for tenure tonight can I get a motion to approve tenure for miss bud motion all those in favor all right hi everybody my name is Stacy Smith I'm the middle school principal and tonight we are gonna start our tenure recognition with Michelle Keen would you mind coming up I have the pleasure tonight with presenting Michelle Keen to the board of education for tenure and I do so with full confidence in her professionalism her instructional skill and her dedication to students miss Keen returned to Linden Avenue Middle School in 2023 as our seventh and eighth grade science teacher and I do mean returned because Michelle joined us first as a leave replacement back in 16 and 17 Michelle brings with her a wealth of classroom experience from her

017Arlington and Poughkeepsie school districts as well as a unique professional background as a former researcher in the pharmaceutical field that blend of real world scientific expertise and experiences gives her the unique perspective to share with students in addition to her understanding of what it means to think question and investigate as a scientist miss Keen's classroom is a great place to be she is deeply student-centered in every choice that she makes from the atmosphere she creates the topics she selects and the approach to her instruction her teaching balances individual support with high expectations and high engagement her contributions to our school culture extend beyond her classroom Michelle is our eighth grade team leader and a valued member of our MTSS team where she's been instrumental in demonstrating improved structures and practices at Lambs she serves as

018a key voice for her grade level team as well as collaborating across grade levels to ensure our practices are consistent at Lambs as advisor to student council she mentors student leaders and is at the center of planning all of our events and traditions that make lambs what it is and that's goes for adults and kids she also advises our school store which is a student favorite and the school store does help supplement some of our best activities that students look forward to the most Michelle's record at Lambs speaks for itself her strong instruction her meaningful leadership and her measurable impact on our students in our school community I therefore very happy to recommend Michelle Keen for tenure at Red Hook Central School District congratulations okay can I get a motion for tenure for Miss Keen

019motion second all those in favor all right next we want to recognize John labella do you mind coming up John it's my pleasure again to recommend John labella to the board of education for tenure and I do that with tremendous enthusiasm and confidence Mr labella joined Linden Avenue in 2022 bringing with him a strong Foundation in physical education from his work at Monroe Woodbury School District and his collegiate coaching experience when we interviewed John Pam White and Bill Stutz our former PE teachers stood and high-fived as he left the room that's how excited they were and how confident they felt that lambs physical education would be in good hands and they were right since arriving at lambs John has brought a genuinely positive presence to our building and has strengthened our physical education curriculum to

020better meet the needs of students across all their learning profiles physical capabilities and even our adaptive students John's commit John's commitment shows in everything he does but especially his dedication to students he strikes a careful balance between competitive sport and deeper purpose in physical education the understanding that it's not simply about athletic skill but giving every child a chance to feel a sense of belonging confidence and capability along with the understanding of the importance of lifelong care for themselves physically John is a positive role model for all of our students he has built a genuine rapport with students through his consistent demonstration of warmth fairness and high expectations he brings that same energy to coaching mentoring student athletes and leadership discipline respect and sportsmanship the trust he earns from students is one of the clearest

021indicators of the kind of educator he is it is therefore my honor to recommend John Labella for tenure at Red Oak Central School District can I get a motion to approve tenure for Mr Labella second all those in favor all right next for lambs is Elizabeth Lowney all right once again I have the pleasure of recommending another one of our teachers at lambs for tenure and that's Elizabeth Lowney I do that with great enthusiasm and a full confidence of the impact she has and will continue to have on our students in our community Miss Lowney is a Red Hook graduate who wanted to return to teach to teach at Red Hook specifically at lambs and from her first day she's poured her heart into all of our students she brings to her classroom not only

022fluency in Spanish but a true passion for language acquisition she brings a deep commitment for literacy social emotional learning and executive functioning skills for our middle schoolers that that what they need is what with what middle schoolers need to thrive her instructional work is matched by her extraordinary record of Community Engagement as director and originator of the annual Latin culture Fair Liz brings more than 50 community members to our building each year to share their customs cultures and and with our students creating one of the most meaningful traditions at lambs and this past November she organized and led cooking for a change a class project and fundraiser that raised money for a community kitchen in Mexico and through her summer work with cie she has supported high school students on study abroad experiences throughout the

023world extending her reach of teaching Beyond Our Walls at lambs live serves Liz serves on our building level team the district equity committee the professional development committee she coordinates the Sunshine Club she serves as our PTSA teacher liaison she advises tutoring connections and at the International Club and she coaches Unified basketball she gives her time generously her talent and her energy and our students are better for it but therefore like to recommend Elizabeth Lowney for tenure that reservation can I get a motion for Miss Lowney motion second all those in favor all right we have one teacher tonight who could not be here and that's Miss Donata Christina Donata and I just want to say a few extra words about Christina tonight Christina joined our team in 2022 as our school counselor bringing her experience

024from Newtown High School in Connecticut from her first day she provided comprehensive academic social emotional Behavioral support for students across grades six through eight and the relationship she builds with students and families are the foundation of everything she does those are the relationships those relationships are the reason that many students feel known and supported while they're at lambs during these most important formative years Mr notice also our 504 case manager she coordinates our annual reviews monitoring implementation of accommodations and closely working with students and families her work on mtss has been instrumental attending weekly grade level meetings for her insight on student needs and her ability to help develop targeted strategies has been invaluable in the time when middle school students mental health needs are at their highest Mr notice an essential partner for our

025student services team she conducts risk assessments provides crisis interventions connects with families and resources outside with skill and steadiness she approaches each situation with calm sound judgment genuine care and our families trust her implicitly beyond her expectations she also works with students on non-compliance with children for sort of holistic vision and communication and social work Ms. colleagues, parent presentations, delivering classroom lessons, and graduation requirements, and selection courses are very meaningful to students and families while they make those important transitions. Tenure represents our community's investment in excellence and our commitment to retaining educators who shape the future of our students, and Ms. Donota is worthy of that recognition. It is my pleasure tonight to therefore recommend Christina Donota at the Reddick Central School District for tenure. Thank you, and thank you everybody. Can I get a

026motion? Motion. Second. Second. Okay. All those in favor? Good evening, everyone. My name is Amanda Allison. I'm the Director of People Personnel Services here in Red Hook, and I have the honor and pleasure of recognizing four exceptional teaching assistants today for tenure. I'm going to start, and I've been practicing her last name, so don't butcher it, but Ms. Christine Sepasi. Got it right. Okay. For tenure as a teaching assistant in Red Hook, Ms. Sepasi has been an exceptional member of our special education team and an invaluable support within our 12-1-1 classroom program. When I asked staff, because I did, to kind of share their insights about Ms. Sepasi, the words I get are she's incredibly kind, supportive, dedicated to the success of all students. She builds strong and meaningful relationships with students by taking genuine

027interest in their lives, learning about their strengths, and she's a great teacher. I'm going to start with Ms. Christine. What is important to them? Whether working in ELA, math, or supporting students within the ICT setting, she constantly creates positive connections that help students feel valued, supported, and successful. Ms. Sepasi is deeply committed to supporting student growth and continuously seeks ways to improve her practice. She's participated in numerous professional development opportunities and frequently looks at strategies and ideas to better meet the needs of students she serves. Her willingness to learn and apply new approaches has had a great and positive impact on both students and colleagues. In addition, staff describe Ms. Sepasi as an outstanding team player. She's always willing to step in wherever needed, support her colleagues, and do whatever is necessary to ensure that

028students are successful and the classroom operates smoothly. Her flexibility, professionalism, and collaborative spirit make her a highly respected member of our school community. Ms. Sepasi's compassion, dedication, and unwavering commitment to students has been a key part of her career. Ms. Sepasi's beep Ooheyl, MnDOT... All foreign students make her highly deserving of tenure and I wholeheartedly recommend Christine Sepasi as a teaching assistant. Can I get a motion to approve tenure? Motion. Motion. Second. All those in favor? Yup. overboard all in favor Silva nothing ening Central School District. Ms. Webster has been a valued member of the Flex K-2 program at Mill Road Elementary School. If you haven't been in that classroom, I highly suggest you come and visit. You may find Ms. Webster running around or chasing or on a scooter or climbing playground equipment. Whatever

029we need to do, we get the job done. She builds strong, trusting relationships with students through her caring, patient, and supportive approach. She takes time to understand each student's unique strengths and needs and consistently encourages independence, social skill development, and self-confidence. The team that works with you, Megan, describe you as a dedicated team member who is so collaborative with teachers, related service providers, and families and is dedicated to helping all students succeed. They describe you as flexible, dependable, and always willing to step up. Megan Webster is a dedicated teacher, a teacher who is always willing to step up and wherever is needed, even if that means in some crazy weird position outside at recess. You continually seek opportunities to strengthen your skills and thoughtfully implement strategies and support student growth and engagement. Most importantly, Ms.

030Webster brings kindness, compassion, and genuine dedication to her work every day. Her commitment to students and their success make her highly, highly deserving of tenure, and I wholeheartedly recommend Megan Webster for tenure as a teaching assistant. Can I get a motion to approve tenure for Ms. Webster? Motion. Second. All those in favor? So the next teaching assistant that I have the pleasure of recommending tenure for is Ms. Jennifer Gundell. Doesn't have her balloon on her, but she's right back there. Ms. Gundell is a teaching assistant also in our Red Hook Central School District FLEX program in grades three through five in our Mill Road School. Staff describe Ms. Gundell as taking the time to truly getting to know all of her students, building trusting relationships, being caring and supportive in nature. While she is flexible

031and accommodating, she also holds students accountable to their own unique standards, consistently demonstrating the ideals of the Raider profile. Ms. Gundell excels at fostering independence and social skill development, encouraging students to problem solve, communicate, and build confidence in their abilities. She knows her students well and has a strong understanding of the supports they need to be successful in the moment. She is committed to her own professional growth and has eagerly participated in professional development opportunities, thoughtfully implementing strategies learned through training. Ms. Gundell also brings creativity and enthusiasm to her work, designing engaging activities tailored to student interest. I was told about an example that involved a caterpillar craft that moved using a straw, which was especially meaningful for a student who loved the very hungry caterpillar. So I need to definitely get. Info on that.

032Ms. Gundell's dedication, compassion, creativity, and commitment to student success make her highly deserving of tenure. And again, I wholeheartedly recommend Jennifer Gundell for tenure as a teaching assistant. Can I get a motion to approve tenure for Ms. Gundell? Motion. Second. All those in favor? Aye. Finally, my last teaching assistant that we're going to speak about today is Nicole Smaldone. She is. Yep. Give her a applause. Nicole is a teaching assistant. In our Flex 812 program at Linden Avenue Middle School. She consistently demonstrates a deep commitment to the students she serves and works tirelessly to support their academic, social, and emotional growth. Ms. Smaldone has built excellent rapport with each student, creating positive and productive relationships that help students feel supported, understood, and successful. She's an integral part of the classroom team. And the staff that

033work with Ms. Smaldone describe her as providing thoughtful academic support. She is also an integral part of the classroom team. And the staff that work with Ms. Smaldone describe her as providing thoughtful academic support. She plays a critical role in maintaining schedules, coordinating related services, creative art programming, and tracking all things Flex. Her attention to detail and reliability is invaluable to both staff and students. She's a team player and a mentor to colleagues. She's quick to offer support and guidance. Most of all, Ms. Smaldone brings warmth, kindness, and generosity in hearts. to her work every day. She's known for creating a welcoming, engaging classroom environment, often going above and beyond to making learning fun and meaningful for students. It's with this unwavering commitment to student success that I wholeheartedly recommend Ms. Maldone for tenure as

034a teaching assistant. Can I get a motion to approve tenure for Ms. Maldone? Motion. Second. All those in favor? Aye. Okay, thank you. We'd like to take about 10 minutes to celebrate the newly tenured. We have some light refreshments. Please help yourself, and we will reconvene at about 7 20. Thank you. So you can stay for those, or you can leave, whatever works for you. So we're going to start with the adaptive design of Hudson Valley, and I know they have an exciting prop over there that I think a lot of our children are very interested in. So if they're here, tonight, if they want to come up to the podium as well. Yes, we have Peter McHugh from Adaptive Design Hudson Valley, and we're welcoming up Sheena Lillis, our new OT as well. There's

035Sheena. Great. Mrs. Strothman and I will just take a couple of minutes to describe what's happened over the last year. We're very fortunate. Ms. Lillis coordinated and helped us partner up with the group. They build a system, durable adaptive tools to create an inclusive and accessible world. And as I mentioned, Ms. Lillis initiated this partnership. Mrs. Strothman is going to talk about some of the individual things that they've built, and we have a couple props, as Dr. Warden mentioned to share with you. But already, these things that were brought to us in the spring have supported and helped students across grade levels, pre-K through two. So, I'll just add that when Sheena came to talk to Brian and I about this and explain the process, she explained that they will come to the school, they'll

036go to each of the classrooms, look at what the students may need, and then go back and design, custom design, all of this equipment and do it all for free. And so, Brian and I kept asking questions and saying, well, what's the catch? And there isn't a catch. So, we started with the audit. Sheena walked through the entire pre-K through two building. They had a little bit of a long process. They had a little bit of a long process. And so, they had a little bit of a long process. building. They went through each and every classroom and looked at very specific individual student needs. And then a few months later, they showed up with a truckload of adaptive equipment and three people to help deliver it to all of the classrooms. So this is

037just a very small amount of what they brought. This is a weighted truck that some of our students who are looking for some heavy work input push around the hallways. We immediately had kids peeking out the door. They wanted to push it. They custom designed everything. So there's another one that's a fire truck. Props to all the firemen and women in the back. All of them were designed based on some creative cartoons, different colors. Sheena, I don't know if you want to explain a little bit about what you're holding. So this is a footrest to change. just helps students get in more of an ergonomic position. It helps with grounding. It helps with attention for students when their legs are dangling, they're moving, they're not able to stabilize their body as well. When they're stable,

038they're able to attend better and teachers have seen some positive results from it. So Peter and his team are doing this as a not-for-profit for schools and organizations around our county and lots of schools in the area. It's pretty incredible. It's commendable and it's already making an impact. You see them in use in all of our pre-k through two classrooms and it's equipment that we will be able to use for years to come. So really, you know, huge gratitude and thank you so much for what you're doing. How y'all doing? Peter McHugh, Adaptive Design Hudson Valley. I'm here representing my partners Greg, Casey, Hannah, Finn, our interns, our volunteers. Briefly with this truck here, it's the boxes in it are weighted. They're ice cream gallons and quarts and it's kind of a coordination thing. A

039kid's carrying this weighted stuff. Sheena can tell you more about it. It does have a flat tire here, I noticed, but we make fire trucks, postal trucks, you name it, a garbage truck. But the bigger things that we make, we make custom wheelchair trays. We make products for kids from nursery school to senior citizens. You've got to look at Instagram at Adaptive Design HG. Dot com. You will see a multitude of products we've made the past five, six years. We started, I don't want to go too long. We started very small at Ramapo for children. We had no money. We were dumpster diving, literally, for cardboard. But things happened. We're progressing like you would not believe. We have a donor for incredible cardboard, four foot, four by eight foot sheets. Perfect stuff. From there, we

040manufacture it to half inch, which is what most of this is, three quarter inch. You could drive your car up. I know you think it's cardboard. You could change your oil on some of the devices we make. I guarantee you it's that strong. So this recognition, I don't know if anybody can hear me, but we've received, everybody wants recognition, right? Personally, your business, the school, everything. Recognition is important. However, I see it in two things. Recognition is great. And for years at Ramapo in our shop, people come in from all types, fundraising people, executives. You guys are doing incredible stuff, right? Blah, blah, blah. They walk out the door, the recognition follows them out the door, and it kind of ends. So I call this recognition with legs. Sheena, I think you knew somebody in

041Saugerties schools. We're in many school districts. The Arc. Abilities first. We've probably done 250 items for them. So it's recognition with legs. Otherwise, it doesn't work. So we appreciate this. You've given us legs. And this just creates more opportunities for us, and we can help more individuals in the community. Look at Instagram. But one other thing, and I'll shut up here. Besides thinking about them, next, next, next, next. And anyway, one last thing to see a different slice. This is for kids, right? Go to YouTube. Search bar, tap in adaptive design Hudson Valley, and you will see a totally different slice of the people that we're affecting in this community. Totally different stuff. So thank you all. But for the rest of the day, I'm going to go ahead and wrap up. So I call

042this recognition with legs. Okay. We would like to, we would like to, excuse me. Hold on one second. We would love to present you with a certificate. Yep. We'd love. Yes. A certificate of our appreciation. Thank you. And just to indicate the, you know, the approximate amount where we're talking about, this is was an extensive donation. When we show these things, this was about, this is a very small glimpse of what they did about $7,000. So we thank them so much. Thank you, Peter. Okay. So I would like the members of the fire volunteer fire departments of red hook Tivoli, Rhinebeck, Milan, and Germantown. If you're all here, if you could step forward, don't be shy. Okay. So I would like to recognize the many firefighters who dropped everything to respond as volunteers during the

043recent fire. That your entire team serves as a volunteer force makes your commitment all more extraordinary. Answering the call without hesitation, giving your time, energy, and expertise purely out of the dedication to others. Your bravery, skills, selflessness are truly incredible. On behalf of the entire school community, we thank you for making us feel safe, offering reassurance, and protection during an incredibly difficult time. Please know that your efforts are deeply appreciated and did not go unnoticed. We are especially grateful for the sacrifices you make while balancing your own families, jobs, and responsibilities. Your willingness to step forward and serve in this way speaks volumes to your character and the strength of our community. And we want to thank you. Thank you for being such examples to all of us, but mostly our students. And we really

044appreciate that day and everything that you did for us. Thank you. We do have some certificates. I don't know if anybody wants to say a few words. I'm sure anybody who's related to Pat Hildebrandt would probably want to speak. Yes. Omar. Thank you so much. Appreciate you. Thank you. Okay. If we could have the members of the Red Hook. Police Department. You guys can come a little closer to the podium. I've always wanted to tell the police exactly what to do. So we would like to thank all the members of the Red Hook Police Department for their immediate response in supporting the school district alongside the highly qualified school resource officers in our buildings. The leadership of the program that Lieutenant Hildebrandt has created in our school district is deeply appreciated. All the quick action

045and continued oversight of this event has all made us feel safe. In addition, we're incredibly grateful for the tireless efforts in the aftermath. We know that there's been hours of work, hours of support, and hours of guidance during this very difficult time. And we are very fortunate to have a school district and a community to have such committed and thoughtful partners in both the fire department and also the police department. So thank you very much. We're going to turn the mic off. Thank you very much. I don't know if everybody knows this, but they obviously have been such a huge pillar in our community for a really long time. And they once again demonstrated that the spirit of acting swiftly to provide food for our first responders, free of charge, without hesitation. So this act

046of kindness reflects what makes our community so special. It shows our children what humanity looks like. Neighbors taking care of one another in moments that matter the most. So I know they couldn't come tonight, but please go and get pizza there. Yep, we can call for them. I would also like to extend our thanks to Bard College for providing space and assisting us with our senior awards ceremony. We really appreciate your partnership. We also like to thank the Culinary Institute of America and Marist College, Duchess Boces, for all reaching out and offering us support and space during this time. We're deeply grateful to St. Christopher's and the father there for their compassion and swift response and providing space and comfort. We also like to thank the Culinary Institute of America and Marist College for providing

047space and support to our staff and students. The father even went out a step further, and after a simple mention that we needed clocks, he took it upon himself to purchase them. This selfless act is a true example of kindness and the powerful model, again, for our children. While this situation was born out of tragedy, it has shown us the very best in people and how a community can come together in a time for need. So we cannot thank all those people enough. I'd also like to publicly thank Ms. Lynch. Not everybody is able to lead in a crisis. She was absolutely exceptional, calm, direct, reassuring, making everyone feel safe. She is a true leader, and we thank you very much. So also Ms. Lynch and Dr. Roddy for the tremendous amount of time and

048energy dedicated to ensuring the safety of our students and our staff, while also preserving the traditions that make our school so special. I'd also like to thank Mike, our public information officer. I think you've... I think you've seen a couple of our messages that we put out for the countless hours, both day and all night, helping us communicate thoughtfully and effectively through this process. I would like to also like to recognize Dr. Hayes for her leadership and partnership through this entire experience. Dr. Hayes usually does things in the back of the house where people don't always see, but she manages the critical behind-the-scenes work, including the cleaning efforts, insurance coordination, ensuring that our safety... safety of our facilities. So thank you very much. And we're grateful to all the administrators, teachers and staff who all

049jumped in, supported us, welcomed each other in each other's buildings. We really appreciate that. And again, that collaboration and care really exemplifies the strength of our community. We have a great district. It's absolutely amazing. Despite this challenge, we all came together, and we persevered, and we will continue to, and we will emerge stronger. We will continue to keep everybody informed. Regarding the... of the year activities our ongoing cleaning events and obviously our next step so we thank you for all your support during this really difficult time okay you're gonna hear from me again um so this is this was a hard one too um i get to speak about two board members that many of us know and have known for a really long time and they've been staples up here um we have kate

050corpus and ruff russ crafton who are both leaving this year is kate crying already i haven't even said anything yet i can't see anything um stage in my life many women can relate okay so i'm going to start with russ then um so russ russ has served on the board for six years joining us during one of the most challenging times besides this the pandemic and rising to the role of the president russ has been an incredible thought partner consistently pushing my thinking and helping me grow as a leader in the community and i'm so grateful to have her here today and i'm so grateful to have her here today and i'm so grateful to have her here today and i'm so grateful to have her here today and a person he had a unique

051ability to challenge and support at the same time always encouraging stronger outcomes while offering steady guidance russ was an exceptional moderator able to navigate difficult conversations resolve conflicts and keep the focus where it belongs on our students his expertise in finance brought invaluable perspectives to budgeting negotiations and complex decision making russ is very bright and deep and deep caring and his unwavering commitment to students has made a lasting impact and we were really going to miss you russ thank you you have to get up and shake everybody's hand too or just pass this over i'll just wave would you like to see the piece yeah i'll you'll say something yeah i'll say something i can't believe it's been six years um it's been wonderful um you know when i was thinking about it earlier today

052thinking gee this is my last board meeting after six years uh the only thing that came to mind was this was kind of like being a parent you don't know what you're getting into until you're into it and then you realize you have no idea what you're doing um there's a lot of bumps a lot ups and downs along the way some complaining some great moments but in the end i can honestly say it's been one of the most rewarding things i've ever done so thank you i'm going to miss you guys and i look forward to uh continuing to support the district for many years great and kate as well as is leaving as well uh kate has dedicated eight years of service to the board and played an important role in my journey

053from the very beginning she was part of the hiring process and immediately made me feel welcomed and supported i still remember our first cup of coffee where she somehow explained the entire district in 20 minutes kate has been a constant source of encouragement support and guidance throughout my time here she'll remain our sideline for ten years and i'll see you next time She's also served as president, and we work closely together through many long days and countless calls during and after the pandemic. Kate always led with her heart, keeping the best interests of the district at the forefront. She brought thoughtful perspective to even the most difficult situations, listening carefully and offering wisdom and clarity. What I appreciated most was how deeply she cared, not just about the work, but every child and staff in

054the district. She has a unique ability to know when people need encouragement and also when we need a little push to move forward. Her honesty, kindness and friendship have meant so much to me. Both Russ and Kate, you will leave a legacy and an enduring mark on our school district. You've helped to make a better place and a stronger community overall. You've made me a better leader and I'm truly grateful for that. So thank you very much. Thank you. This has literally been one of the greatest experiences of my life, one of the hardest experiences at times. Having this lens is a privilege. It is something that I hope I manage with great respect. I think it opened up so many wonderful relationships across the district. It was a tough decision not to run. Sometimes

055you have to know when to fold them, you know. And I think we're in good hands. hands. I'm incredibly proud of what we've done over the last eight years. Incredibly proud. This is an incredible place and there's always, you know, and growth that we're going to look forward to. But thank you for trusting me all these years. And I'm going to have a tremendous amount of FOMO. I know that. But I'm going to get over it. But I'm going to be calm and will always be a steadfast advocate and hopefully, you know, continued good voice for the district. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. That brings us to our student BOE report. And it's kind of a bittersweet meeting. This is Maddie Clements' last meeting before she heads off to Syracuse. So we're going to let,

056you know, we're going to clap. Okay. So we're going to let her do her last report. Okay. So it's been a crazy past two weeks. But I think a lot of students have been making the best of it. And so we're going to start with student council. We're helping plan the end of year event that the school is going to host at the rec park. We're very excited to help in any way that we can. And we're sure that's going to be an amazing and extremely beneficial event for all the students, especially those who haven't been able to see their friends in a while. We've also been planning a few dine to donates at various businesses for the summer. So please stay tuned. So you can help us out. We hope that these will raise

057a good amount that we will then put forward to lowering the cost for attendance of the NYCLC conference for students this fall. We also had our pep rally a couple of weeks ago where we recognized spring sports and held our first club awards where we gave plenty of awards to advisors, students and clubs. Our club of the year this year was theater club. Now just from a senior's end. So these were really unprecedented circumstances have been challenging for everyone, but the senior class has been particularly devastated by all of this. We are sad to be missing our final days at the high school being all together. It has been hard, but we are making it work with remote learning and recently some in-person locations for class. We had our senior awards on June 1st, which

058was a nice event and a great to recognize different seniors with awards and scholarships. We have some exciting events coming up. prom this Saturday, the senior barbecue on Tuesday at the pool, which is a bonus, the walkthrough on Tuesday as well, and then we also are getting the opportunity to get a final bell at the middle school gym, so that's going to be really special. And then we have graduation on Saturday, the 20th, so fingers crossed the weather holds for that so we can have it outside. But I know some other events are in the works, and trying to get the whole school together one last time, I think that'll be great. Juniors are sad also to be missing our last days of junior year, but we're very grateful that we have a year left.

059It's kind of anxious and nervous for some people as we're all starting our college apps and thinking about where we're going to go in two years, which is crazy to think about. But overall, I think that we're all making the best of it besides being nervous. And then just general students are just preparing for regents and final projects. And exams while doing remote learning, so everybody's making the best of it and getting through these last couple weeks of the year. Our sports teams finished off very strong, and we congratulate and thank all of our athletes, and we're all excited for our fall sports to start this summer. And then as we said, this is my last board meeting here, so I just want to say thank you to all of you for letting us come

060and share the ongoings of student life at Red Hook. It's been a great experience for me, where I will carry these skills that I have gained with me to college and onward. Thank you so much for all that you do, and I will probably see some of you at graduation, but thank you. And thank you again, especially to Dr. Worden for giving me this opportunity, and I'm just so grateful to have been a part of these meetings this year. So thank you, everybody. So we would like to take a minute to thank Maddie. She's been an outstanding example of engagement, leadership, and commitment. She's been an outstanding example of engagement, leadership, and commitment. She's been an outstanding example of engagement, leadership, and commitment. She has had her leadership leadership and service throughout the. She's had

061her leadership leadership and service throughout the. She's juggled academics and athletics while faithfully attending board of education meetings. She's juggled academics and athletics while faithfully attending board of education meetings. She served as an important bridge between our students and the board of education. She actively encouraged student voice, ensuring that the perspectives, concerns, and ideas of her peers are considered. She brought student life to our table while taking the time to celebrate the many accomplishments of her classmates, both in school and on the athletic fields. Through her regular updates, she's helped keep the board members informed, connected, and engaged with upcoming events and the daily experiences of student body. Her dedication and commitment to representing her peers has made a meaningful impact on our district, and we're grateful for what she has brought to this role.

062We will miss her in future meetings, but we wish her the best of luck. Thank you. Okay, this is a tricky one. So we have a couple things we're going to do really quickly. Can I just get a motion to amend the agenda and move personnel subject line M to now? Motion. Second. All those in favor? Aye. Great. Okay, can I now also get a motion to add Mr. Quentin Johnson to the personnel agenda and approve the agenda? Motion. I point him to the position of Director of Physical Education, Health, and Athletics. Motion. Second. All those in favor? Okay, one more. Okay, there's one more. I also now need a motion to approve the amended personnel agenda items numbers 1 through 26. Motion. Second. All those in favor? Aye. She did that flawless. She did.

063That's great. That's a lot. Thank you. Hopefully we did it right. So I just want to say how exciting this night is for all of us to welcome Quentin Johnson back to Red Hook. Come on up, Quentin. So there are a number of us that had the pleasure of working with Quentin when he worked for six years here in the primary building. We were sad to see him go as he continued on his journey, but he left us for 10 years, and we're thrilled to have him back. When I checked his references, they were all very similar and said, he is a... He's a consummate leader who leads from the heart. He always puts kids first, and that came through in his interview process, but also in our personal experiences with him. And somebody caught

064wind of him here for his final interview because that night my phone kept blowing up. Is Quentin back? Is Quentin back? So we are thrilled to have him back. He has huge shoes to fill with Tom Quesada, who's been his own legend here as well, and a consummate friend and support. Really, really great. So Quentin, and Paulina, and Jeremiah, and Elijah back there, welcome back to the Red Hook family. We're thrilled to have you here. I want to say I'll use my teacher voice, but I guess I got to use my administrator voice now. Okay, so I just wrote a couple of things down. Thank yous. Thank you to Dr. Worden, Dr. Summers, Dr. Hayes, the Board of Ed. Thank you, all the administrators who are here tonight. I want to say a special thanks

065to Tom Quesada, who's been a great mentor and a friend to me. And we had this conversation, I don't know how many years ago, but, he would say, oh, you should think about doing the administrator thing. And I'm like, nah. And then he would see me and say, did you start taking any classes? Nah. And I don't remember what year it was, but you know, you'll probably remember saying it. I was like, I'm really into the kids and coaching. And, you know, he kind of said, you're going to want to do something different at some point. And he was right. So thank you very much for that. All my former colleagues, some, you know, a lot who were here tonight. So I'm grateful to reconnect with them in this next chapter in my life. My

066wife and kids, who, Dr. Hayes mentioned, who've been really supportive. My wife has been incredibly supportive of all my crazy ideas. So when I was a head football coach, I used to say there's a special place in heaven for coaches' wives. My new saying will be, there's an even more special place in heaven for athletic directors' wives. So anybody who got tenure, I want to just congratulate them. 15 years ago, I sat in the parking lot out there, the same one. And I was just, you know, hoping not to mess up, but I was just hoping to get up and interview for a teaching position. So I remember pulling up and seeing the Mill Road primary sign and going, oh wait, this is just K2. I'm not sure this is going to work. But nonetheless,

067you know, I was hired and I'm really grateful. I learned so much about how to be a professional, work hard, and just try and be the best part of the student's day. Tonight, when I sat in the same parking lot, a lot of the same feelings did return, not to worry about the kindergarteners, but the excited nervousness, that I had, back then. So now I'll stand here humbly. I'm excited to return. I'm eager to learn and grow, and I'm gracious for all the blessings that have come my way. So I plan to work hard. I plan to listen, support everyone I can. My goal has always been, and it will always continue to be, to try and make a difference and do what's best for kids. So thank you very much. So good evening. We

068are welcoming some other members to the Red Hook faculty tonight. So I have a few things to say. Heather Mold, Peter, is she here? Yes. Come on. Stand up. Okay. So Heather will join us as a special education teacher. We're pleased to welcome her. She's an experienced and dedicated special ed educator with nearly a decade of service at Questar 3 BOCES. She graduated from the University of Albany with a master's in special education and literacy, as well as a bachelor's in English with a minor in deaf studies from SUNY New Paltz. Her background is in the field of language and communication, and she's a teacher at the University of Alabama. She has a background in the language and communication department. Her background also includes roles as both an elementary special education teacher and a reading

069resource teacher. She enjoys working with youth in the community and travel. So we welcome her. She will be at Lambs Middle School. So welcome Heather. Kara Dunbar has been with us for three years. She has been a teaching assistant and a part-time special educator. She will now join us as a full-time special education teacher this fall. She holds a bachelor's in social work from Gordon College, as well as a master's in special education from Empire State College. She enjoys reading, fitness, and coaching. So welcome Kara. We're happy to have you. Allison Webb. Allison comes to us as a seasoned special education teacher with over 15 years of classroom experience. She holds a bachelor's in elementary ed and special education, as well as a master's in social work. She is also Gordon Gillingham Associate level certified.

070Outside of work, she holds a second degree black belt in martial arts. So welcome Allison. We're happy to have you. She will also be assigned to Linden Avenue Middle School. So welcome. Katie Henke, elementary teacher. Katie, welcome. Katie has worked with us this year as a full-time elementary teacher. She is a full-time elementary school teacher as a contract sub. We are so happy to welcome her in the fall as a full-time probationary teacher. She holds degrees from SUNY Brockport and SUNY Geneseo and is certified in childhood education, special education, and literacy. She also enjoys running, volunteering, and coaching, and she will work with us in the elementary school. Welcome Katie. Katie. Crystal Smith-Minal. She will be our new library media specialist. She has worked with us at Mill Road and the 3-5 library while pursuing

071her certification. She holds a degree in early childhood education from Salem State University, as well as a master's in library information science from the University of Albany. She enjoys reading, travel, and karaoke. So we welcome her. My last person is Molly. Is Molly here? Molly Castillo. It will be our school counselor. She'll be a half-time school counselor at Mill Road. She comes to us with experience. She currently holds a bachelor in sociology from SUNY Oneonta, as well as a master's in school counseling from SUNY Buffalo. She enjoys reading, exercising, and looming outside of work. So very unique but wonderful faculty members that we are very, very pleased to welcome to the Redwood Central School District. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

072Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Kilfoyle. We are so incredibly lucky that he'll be joining our high school team. He has years of service in the police department. He's served not only in. There's a bunch of different ones. I just want to make sure I get them all right. Townie and Poughkeepsie Police Department for 16 years. As well. as the town of Ulster police, town of Saugerties police, and also way back then was at the town of Ulster to start with. He also has a degree with criminal justice and we are very lucky to have a retired police officer coming again into our school and to assist us as a aid in the building. And I'm sure that

073he will be used all over for so many different things, but I'm sure really mentoring our students and we really appreciate you joining our team. Thank you. All right. We are keeping you really busy tonight, Dr. Worden, because it's back to you for a presentation on strategic planning. As you know, we've been participating in strategic planning, planning as a district where we have our pre-K through high school teacher leaders at grade levels and departments. Thank you. Come together and really talk about where our future is for our school district. So despite everything that's going on, obviously our focus continues to, to be planning for the future. So we had a meeting on May 27th and we had a representative from BOCES come in and talk with our leadership group about next steps and New York

074inspires. So we work to have a foundational understanding of New York inspires. We've talked about that at the board table, numerous times of all the changes that are coming from the state education department. We talked about building common elements connected to the New York state portrait of a graduate. We develop our connections between our Raider profile and the New York state portrait of the graduate. We also talked about steps that we're going to need to take in phases over the next couple of years to ensure that we are in line with the goals of New York inspires. And then we reviewed a framework and we also talked a little bit about looking at project-based learning and adopting a clear model for the school district. So we've discussed this before that the state has put out

075a new outcomes under the blue ribbon commission. And as you know, they had feedback and research for many years, and then they identified four priority areas and 12 recommendations, and then they created a draft profile. They also then adopted a portrait of a graduate. I think that there might be copies. Yep. There's copies at your table of what New York state portrait of the graduate looks like. And then we also provided you with our Raider profile, which are all familiar, with the state is also looking at redefining credits and learning experiences. So you often hear that the, uh, Regents exam will be one option to show proficiency and there'll be other options for our students to show that they will be looking to sunset diploma assessment requirements. So then moving to one high school diploma,

076it will not be advanced Regents diplomas anymore. It'll be one high school diploma for all of our students. So the first thing that they're looking at is to adopt the New York state portrait of the graduate. So you can see basically in what you have in front of you and the graduate profile that we have, here's the New York state portrait of the graduate, which has many similar things to what our Raider profile already did. But the state talks about being academically prepared, creative innovator, critical thinker, effective communicator, global citizen, and reflective and future focused. These words will eventually end up on students' transcripts. And as a district, we will be looking to say, what does it look like to be an effective communicator throughout each grade band? And eventually what does our graduate look

077like? That's being developed and that will be one of our phases later on, but this will be the language that we're really, as a group we met and we all talked about what this means, what this looks like, how does that look in our classrooms? How will we assess that? How will we determine proficiency in these areas? Because as a, school system, we're much more used to, we're really used to saying you have a grade in science of 80, you have a grade in English of hopefully a hundred. But we're really looking at the skills of the future to say, what does it look like to be a global citizen? And therefore, what does it look like in our classrooms to provide those experiences so that students can be measured in these areas, but also

078be proficient in these areas? One of the advantages that we've had is over the past, I believe it's about our fifth year, maybe fourth or fifth year of having the Raider profile in the school district where you can see a lot of the attributes that we had in the profile are very similar to the attributes that they have in the profile in New York state that was just put out. So as a team that day, we really talked about how is it aligned? How is it different? Where can we see those connections? Of language being very similar? Where do we see some areas that we need to improve upon? So we did that crosswalk that day and really had a good, better understanding of where we need to go in the future. So I'm going

079to turn it over to Kitty, but that was phase one of looking over the portrait of the graduate. Thank you, Dr. Ward. Thank you. So our goal that day was really to have some common understanding of what New York state is expecting over the next several years. So we had a lot of good conversation. We had teacher leaders as Dr. Warden said. So we overviewed what the expectation is from the state. So from fall 2025 to summer 2027, there are certain elements of installation that school districts need to be aware of and to really work on as a team. So there's the release of the portrait of the graduate. We are waiting for the rubrics and we'll move on to looking at what the learning standards are, how to prioritize them, and then require, they

080do now require instruction in financial literacy and climate education. We are in good standing with that. We have offered financial literacy over the last couple of years, which was a need that the students said they needed almost eight years ago. So we are in good standing with that. I did a crosswalk with the teacher. And certainly Dr. Roddy has been on top of this at the high school. So we'll continue to make sure that we are aligned with the expectations for that course. And then they're also releasing information on climate education, which we do feel through our science courses, through our garden program, through the different things we do throughout the pre-K-12 instructional environment. We are in a good place for that also. So thank you. Thank you so much. So they will need to

081continue to release information to school districts. And I did go to a number of workshops that really gave some in-depth information about work groups, advisory panels, and continuing the communication. So transformation number two is to redefine the credits, really organize the diploma requirements over with the components of the portrait of a graduate, add the new requirements that the state has for CTE, personal financial literacy, and climate change, and really expand ways for students to show evidence of proficiency. This was a wide example of what that evidence could look like. It could be approved work-based programs, capstone learning projects, which as an IB school, some of our students already do that. So that could be something we could make more widespread across our district. Early college, high school, P-TECH, earning New York State credentials. And currently,

082right now, we do have the seal of biliteracy and the seal of civic readiness. High school courses, New York State approved CTE programs, participation in the arts, and passing approved assessments, such as project-based learning. So there's many ways to show that. So these are two new instructional requirements. Initial implementation from fall 2027 to summer 2029. Again, moving to one diploma. Looking at sunsetting, some of the diploma requirements. Redefining seals, redefining credits, and expand ways for students to earn credit. And students entering grade 9 in 2027 and beyond will be required to earn one CTE credit, which could include financial literacy. So there is a support network. And we are also looking to have a common understanding. Professional learning opportunities will certainly be out there for our administrators and our faculty. And through BOCES, we could

083start regional learning networks, which would be important for common understandings across multiple school districts. So transformation number three, sunset diploma assessment requirements. So students will be able to get a diploma, but they will also be able to get a CTE. So they will be able to get a CTE. So they will be able to get a CTE. So they will be able to get a CTE. So they will be able to get a CTE. Students will no longer need to pass the regents or a plus one pathway assessment to graduate. State assessments will continue to be administered per federal ESSA requirements. And those requirements include regents in the area of English, math, and science. Those three tests will be required for all students. I still have more information on that to come. But because we

084state takes, those are the ESSA requirements. So move to one diploma. Districts must confer diplomas to students who satisfies the state requirements. We can add additional seals or endorsements. And so that would be one diploma for all students. Full implementation is scaling up. That's fall 2029. This is on a cohort model. So students get into a cohort. cohort by whatever year they attend, the first time they attend ninth grade. So new system will begin, will be phased in and beginning with students who enter ninth grade in 2029 and graduate in 2030. So that would be cohort 2029. Before that, students will be required to meet the standards of the current requirements. The state is looking to do a statewide transcript. So on part of that transcript will be the proficiencies in both portrait of a

085graduate and the prioritized learning standards. So we have seen some best practices from some districts and that support will continue through the state and support administration, new assessments aligned to these learning standards and the support of the transcript requirements. So most of this I've gone over. It really is just breaking down the cohorts and what the requirements will be. So the first time it will be fully implemented is with those students in the cohort who are currently in the seventh grade. So we talked at this meeting about the impact New York Inspires will have and the portrait of the graduate will have on teaching and learning and how we need to continue to be ahead of the game by looking at different ways to assess students, by looking at professional development that will support what

086the expectation is from the state and really think about the new vision of what school is for students. Performance-based learning and assessments are, there's two, this is the first one, the first one is the performance-based learning and assessments. the gold standard that was shared with us, the seven essential project design elements, and then the seven project-based teaching practices. So that was shared with our teachers. Next steps for our team is to, and I did work with the curriculum council and I'll be working with the principals about how to make sure that all teachers are kept abreast of what is necessary and also to support the professional development needs that will be necessary to make sure that we work forward on this and are future focused and ahead of what the state expects. So thank you.

087Yeah, I see this as transformational to our system. I think we've been doing the same thing in our New York educational system for quite a long time. So I see this as a beginning to really change what the outcomes and what classrooms look like and what the end result looks like for our students. And as you know, we've done a lot of this work to get ready for it. So I feel like as a district, we're in a really good place to continue to provide that innovation and what's happening in classrooms. A lot of these gold standards that you see up here is already occurring. And a lot of our principals have already created spaces and the atmosphere and the risks that teachers can do to put a lot of this in place. So anybody

088have any questions? I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but we'll keep you aware as we go through this. Again, we have a strategic planning group that is going to be completely focused on this throughout the course of the year. Then like Kitty said, they go back and speak to their department. They go back and speak to their grade level teachers. And the principals follow up with this. And as an entire district, we meet as an administrative team. And this is our focus. This is what we're talking about every time. Like what else can we do for students? What else can we provide to our teachers to ensure that we're ready for these changes in the future? Any questions? Okay. Okay. Thank you. I have a quick question. Just wondering, so I know Red

089Hook is doing a lot of these things and innovating and we'll look to leverage a lot of what we're doing to meet the parameters of this. Are there any other like schools locally or across New York State that we're also like looking to partner with or looking as a model to just wondering like what that landscape is like? Yeah. I think, well, I know Kitty can speak to this a little bit too after me, but yes we go to conferences with people throughout the state, but also we go to national conferences, which sometimes I think is really important as well to see what other States are doing. I know there was one school in particular that was really focused on pathways and what it looked like for students that picked, say for instance, law, in

090a high school and everything was centered around them filling that and their English class was based on that. that their science class was based on that. Kitty, do you want to talk about the school that you recently? Well, I think that the administrative team also went up to the council school superintendents and spent some time with the former superintendent of Kosaki Athens. And he's going to lead a cohort of people through Questar 3 BOCES, which we are joining so that and it's going to be focused on the portrait of a graduate. Um, certainly I took, I went to a conference at Duchess BOCES that focused on the pilot schools that the student that the state has supported. And we will apply for that. If that comes up again, we did apply last time we were

091not accepted, but there were some panels of groups of administrators and teachers from different schools that talked about the steps they have taken. This is really early in the process of this. But there are some. School districts that are working hard of changing what school looks like through project based learning through different methods of assessment. And really, I feel we're a bit ahead of the game because we've been working at this for a while. But there are some schools that are very traditional that to this. This plan here is almost so innovative that they're still wrapping their heads around it. So it depends where the school districts are. But there was a number of school districts out there that did present and I can get the names of them. I have that in my office.

092But certainly, um, the educators of New York State, I think, understand this is a shift and that people need to be working hard at it. And if you go on the state education website, uh, for example, Saugerties High School, Saugerties District is a planned pilot school. So there were select districts around the state. So they have their project based learning. And they're doing assessments available for us to look at. Um, and then what I think will happen after that as a county will work together to say, what does it look like to assess students in earth science? We have a lot of school districts in the county that are really small and may have one earth science teacher. So coming together as a county to say, what will that look like beyond a region's exam?

093What real world experience will student have? One of the biggest obstacles I see in this, and I really hope the state addresses is that there's this concept of seat time. Um, so I think that's a really good idea. Um, and then what I think will happen after that as a county will work together to say, what will that look like beyond a region's exam? So students need to sit in front of a science teacher for a particular amount of time throughout the school year in order to receive credit. A lot of this stuff is just not about sitting in a science room. It's like, can a student learn and also be in front of an English teacher, but learning science, but learning math and seeing how it all relates together and not like an isolated

094class. So that's where I see hopefully in the future that's going, but there are a lot of mandates that the state puts down requiring seat time and a certain amount of hours for things. So that's a really good idea. So that's a really good idea. So that's a really good idea. So that's a really good idea. A certain amount of hours to sit in front of a certified teacher in one particular area. So a lot of those things are going to need to change, uh, for us to provide some of those really authentic experiences for kids to go out in the community. I mean, you learn when you're in the community, you learn all the time. So really going back and looking at like, what does an internship look like? What does a capstone project

095look like? I mean, we have fifth graders that are trying to fundraise to save the world. Like they could, they could look to keep that going throughout their entire school year. So I think that's a really good idea. So I think that's a really good idea. And then at the end have a capstone where they're really saying like, here's what I did to meet that portrait of the graduate in all these areas. And here's the project that I could also present to you to say, I am proficient as a graduate of Red Hook, but also a New York state student. Yeah. And one thing that I took away from the strategic planning, um, time together was that we did group students, the teachers as K-12, pre-K-12. So the discussions that happened were not building specific

096or grade level specific. They were the pre-K-12 discussion as what does a pathway look like when a student enters our school system and the journey they take through each of the grade levels. And that discussion, I think caused a lot of awareness of great things that we're doing and things that we can build upon, but also, I think almost an awakening. That what happens at the kindergarten level mimics in some way, the innovation that happens at a IB class, the critical thinking skills, and just the, um, collaboration, small group work, large group work, and literally the innovation. So that was, I think, a great experience for our teacher leaders to understand that they're not just stuck in one content area. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

097Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. grow the wonderful things we're doing, but make sure that we can forward planet and then backward, backward chain planet so that the foundational skills are forever developmentally appropriate for our students and can be built upon from pre-K all the way up through grade 12th. So I found that to be a wonderful takeaway. And I've heard a lot of conversation about that with the, our teacher leaders that are joined us for that strategic planning day. Kind of a more simple question. So we have our our rater profile and the language is pretty similar. Will districts be asked to kind of adopt exactly this language? Just curious because that would be. So yes that has been a

098very hot topic. So we've gone back and forth about that. I don't think we've really landed at this point. We've had the discussion that the New York State Portrait of the Graduate that language under each of those categories will what is the what will appear on a transcript. So we have to get really used to that language and what goes into that. But we also have already branded our district in such a way that people recognize that and know that. So we're really looking to see if we can get that language into the language that we're using. So I think that's how they connect and what that visual would look like. So yes that is right where we're at of figuring out not abandoning our identity. And also the state will say don't don't abandon

099what you've already done. Yeah don't abandon what you've already done. But also we have to from you know make sure that we're all familiar with this language so that if students are going to be assessed on this we all have to be really clear that I mean language matters. What we use to our students from the beginning matches this. So they're not seeing it for the first time. When they get their transcript and stuff. So yeah that's exactly what we're thinking. And we did a gallery walk with the state portrait of a graduate and how it kind of relates to ours. But what does that mean? What does that language mean? So teachers had the opportunity to for each of those attributes to write down what does it mean? What do you wonder about? So

100it was really kind of an awakening and understanding of the state portrait. And then the next year, we'll be working on how to set work together with ours without abandoning our identity. So there's work to be done. But I think there's excitement about the work. So we're really looking forward to it. Thanks. And I like the radar profile. I can't leave that. Right? My elementary people back there. Okay. With that said, that brings us to our first recognition of visitors. We just ask that you please come to the podium, state your name, and then we'll get started. Okay. Okay. Thank you. And I'm going to ask you to please stand up. And gentle reminder to please refrain from using the names of students or staff members in your comment. And just adhere to our three

101minute per speaker. We'll just kind of give you a wave when you get close to your three minutes. Okay. Thank you. Hello? Okay, good. Hi, my name is Carol Brown, and I'm a mom of a third grader and a fifth grader at Mill Road School. I'm also a high school math teacher. And I want to start off by saying thank you to all of you who have been with us today. I want to start by just thanking everybody up here who's been working on helping us move forward after the fire. I think you've all done an excellent job. So thank you so much for that work. I'm here today, as you probably know, on behalf of a group of parents who first came together around the district's Red Hook Reads initiative based on the anxious

102generation. And we have now about 70 members, all parents in the district who are united in our desire to work for thoughtful uses of digital technology and screens in our schools. We feel very lucky that our district takes these issues seriously, and we are grateful for the many open conversations we've had with board members, school leaders, and administrators. The district has seen many positive changes in technology this school year, including the bell-to-bell cell phone ban, the removal of laptops from the middle school lunch period, the delay of issuing laptops for students to take home until the second half of sixth grade, the installation of Jamf web filtering software on every school-issued device, all of which are now being used to support the school's education. All of these steps were significant and greatly appreciated. So too

103is the district's decision to form a technology task force starting in the fall. The movement toward more thoughtful tech use in schools is bipartisan, and it's gaining momentum in school districts and states red, blue, and purple nationwide. Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services released a Surgeon General's warning on screen use, urging families, schools, and other institutions not to wait for more information, but to act as a tool to help the school community. Thank you. Let's act now. This research-based document calls on schools to invest in physical textbooks, to assign work in books or on paper, whenever possible, and to limit screen use to enable distraction-free learning. After speaking with many students and parents, our group is making an urgent request that the one-to-one laptop program, at least in its current form, be

104delayed until ninth grade. We are asking Dr. Smith, with support from the district and the Board, to please take swift action action and seriously consider switching by this fall to a model where laptops in the middle school stay on carts to be brought out by teachers and checked out by students for specific tasks that truly benefit from being done on a computer while other assignments are completed on paper and in books whenever possible. When I'm done, you'll hear from more parents to help explain how we came to this conclusion. We appreciate that the one-to-one laptop program was undertaken in a spirit of equity and provides an essential resource for families in need of devices for their students' home use. We hope this can continue. Like many districts, Red Hook is now several years into an

105initiative that greatly increased the role of digital technology in our students' academic lives. As with any new initiative, it's important to stop and take stock of costs and benefits and to adjust course if needed. Thank you. Thank you. Hi, my name is Nora Paynton. I'm the mom of two LAMS students. Thank you so much for listening tonight. I'd like to share a brief and non-comprehensive list of some of the games that are available. to LAMS students on their laptops at school. Grand Theft Auto 5, Horror Nun, Granny vs. Baby, Five Nights at Epstein's, Undead Corridor. That's a zombie first-person shooter game that my son has played in class. These are not materials that middle schoolers should have access to in the classroom at school. These are obviously some of the more shocking titles. There are

106also more run-of-the-mill but extremely mind-numbing games that LAMS kids access daily. We've learned through our research and through conversations with our students that LAMS students can access these by accessing all the content and all the resources that they need. We're also learning from our recent conversations with the school district that it is essentially impossible to block all content like this. There are infinite unblocked Google classroom sites that continually sprout up and our children are unfortunately very skilled at employing various workarounds. What is the district's policy on gaming in the classroom during the school day? We have not gotten a clear answer on this nor is it stated in any district-issued handbooks. Our family has personally experienced our children using computer games during the school day to fill free time. They've been exposed to inappropriate YouTube

107videos. They've needed a device for video games and the students have also received a laptop to play video games. They have not had access to computer games during the school day to fill free time. They've been exposed to inappropriate YouTube videos. have reported spending hours in a single day on gaming websites. At after school, it's common for kids to bring their laptops to town and play whatever games they want on open Wi-Fi networks. All of these issues have occurred consistently and frequently throughout the school year, even though we have often communicated our concerns to school leadership. Aside from the gaming issue, the latest research and data on technology as an educational tool are overwhelming. An over-reliance on screens inhibits optimal learning pathways for young brains. Humans learn from other humans face-to-face using tools like paper,

108pencil, books, and project-based learning. We know that change is possible as we've seen school districts nationwide reverse course, restrict one-to-one device access, and report beneficial outcomes in learning and in social development. The district has not provided any specific or convincing evidence that one-to-one-enabled devices enhance learning in all academic subjects to the extent that the risks associated with unfettered screen use should be tolerated. The solution is simple. Take laptops away in middle school full stop. Have them accessible only for specific tasks and then put them away on technology carts. If your position is the district does not have or need to have a policy on gaming in the classroom and that it's not possible to ensure that children don't have access to inappropriate content at school, then taking away laptops is really the only logical solution

109at this time. My kids have one in two years left at LAMS. I urge you to consider change that can be implemented in time. For the 2026 school year. My family cannot afford to wait for a task force to do a year-long study. We need leadership and action on this urgent issue now. Please eliminate one-to-one device use at LAMS in time for next school year. Thank you so much for your time. Hi everyone. My name is Liz Munsell. I am mom to an awesome first grader, if I may say, who has had two absolutely idyllic, ideal years here at Mill Road. My partner and I are so close. We are so grateful to Dr. Boyd and Mrs. Strothman and really all the staff that we've interacted with over the last two years. We have seen

110them truly enact the excellence that attracted us to the district in the first place. And for this we cannot be more grateful. With this as our baseline, we have been dismayed to learn that children as young as 10 and 11 years old have access to laptops and exposure to digital media that frankly cuts childhood short, that have been proven to have negative mental health impacts, and that even diminish the educational processes, progress that they can make by reducing their attention spans. I acknowledge the educational benefits that these devices can have, but to me and my family, the benefits quite simply outweigh the risks. Do not outweigh the risks. My partner is a professor at Bard College, and in recent years he has seen his students arrive at college able to read whole books, unable to

111make it through a full duration of class with their devices at their fingertips. This generation of college students were frankly subject to a cruel experiment. What happens when you give developing minds over to nearly unfiltered world and don't provide enough protections against people who are not able to read, and don't provide them with the necessary protections against big tech's powerful interests and addicting their mind to their products? We are here today to say that the experiment must cease. Device usage should be aggressively peeled back and ask for the end to one-on-one devices and the middle school. I want to close by thanking the administrators and teachers who have opened themselves to dialogue with us on technology use in the classrooms. Your ability to respond to the latest research and parent input and pivot would be

112a true embodiment of the gold standard that Red Hook is known for. Thank you very much. Hello. My name is Stephanie Valley. I'm the parent of three children associated with Red Hook schools, two recent graduates, and our five-year-old that is finishing a really wonderful year in pre-K. I'm here also on behalf of Red Hook's parents for Thoughtful Tech. As a current Mill Road parent and also the incoming PTA president, I am deeply grateful for the openness and partnership of Dr. Boyd and Mrs. Strothman. I've had on this issue. Last month, we hosted an inaugural and successful parent advisory committee meeting at the elementary school that over 30 parents attended at 8 p.m. in the evening to have a collaborative dialogue with school leadership around tech. I'm hopeful about the openness expressed by Dr. Warden about

113the future collaboration with parents on the issue via the tech task force. The use of technology by students is complex and evolving with an unbreakable tether between home and school. With our older daughters, about 10 years, and our older daughters, about 12 years, and our older daughters, we've seen the promise of technology offered in a lore that was hard to turn away from. And there was a sense of ensuring that your child didn't get left behind. But when we know better, we do better. And nationally, we've seen the promise of educational and childhood technology evaporate into flat and declining test scores, limited attention spans, a loss of critical thinking and executive function, and a youth mental health crisis. We will make different choices with our five-year-old. I'd also note that most of this technology is

114being created by folks that did little more than learn typing and how to avoid getting dysentery on the Oregon Trail and computer lab during their early years. And they were not left behind. I would echo the call that there is an end to the one-device policy in the middle school. And again, express my appreciation for the really thoughtful and limited use of technology in the elementary school. I deeply believe in public education in Red Hook schools and know the district can lead on this like it has on so many issues. And finally, just a note, I just want to honor that being a teacher and all the amazing teachers we saw here tonight is the hardest job. And when you are in a classroom where a teacher is directly instructing a child, it is pure

115magic to watch them learn. This conversation is not about what teachers are doing or what they're not doing. It's about how we as a community come together to determine our shared values and empower our school leaders to make parent-informed. This about what drives the outcomes we all want, our children thriving. Thank you. Thank you. Hello. My name is Betsy McCall, and I'm the proud parent, along with my husband, Matt Ferilli, of the Mill Road second grader. These are excerpts from a letter to the board of ed from Amy Kutea, who is unable to attend tonight's meeting. The full letter has been emailed to the board and the district clerk. Thank you. Thank you. Members of the board of education, I'm writing as a concerned parent of a rising sixth grader to respectfully urge the board

116to take immediate action regarding the use of one-to-one devices, such as iPads and MacBooks, in all classrooms from pre-K through eighth grade. I'm particularly concerned about reports I hear from middle school students and their families regarding robust usage of devices for homework, excessive access to gaming while in Wynn and other classrooms, and general accessibility to YouTube while on school property. Recent evidence has raised significant concerns about the widespread use of these devices and their impact on children's health, learning, and overall well-being. The US Surgeon General's warning clearly outlines the harms of excessive screen use, highlighting increased distraction, decreased attention spans, and negative effects. The US Surgeon General's warning clearly outlines the harms of excessive screen use, and negative effects on mental health. Nationwide student achievement has declined in reading and math, as reported by the

117nation's report card in 2023. This decline corresponds with increased screen time and device dependence in classrooms. Organizations and leaders all over the country are hinting at a movement towards reduced screen usage in schools and greater policy restrictions, including Governor Bill Clinton's and the New York State United Teachers. Given these facts, I request the following immediate policy changes to be enacted prior to the 2026-2027 school year without waiting on state mandates, BOCES guidance, or other outside authorities. The Red Hook School District has a great opportunity to present itself as a thought leader by implementing immediate and impactful changes. Eliminate one-to-one device access for all students in pre-K through eighth grade. Implement a strict gaming ban on all school-issued devices. Restrict all YouTube access for students in these grades on school devices. Make available device-specific browser history

118for device usage on school property at the request of a parent. Ensuring a healthy focus on the use of devices, and a focused and distraction-free learning environment should be our highest priority. Please act decisively and swiftly to protect our children's education and well-being by removing one-to-one devices and restricting in-school gaming and YouTube usage for pre-K through eighth grade students. Now is the time to act, not in the coming years when state mandates may or may not trickle down. Thank you for your time and attention. Hello, my name is Ben Popper. I'm the parent of two children here in the district, and I'll be reading tonight for two parents who wanted to voice their opinion but also remain anonymous. From a parent of two children in the district who have attended LAMS, I am concerned about

119the access my children have to unnecessary technology in their school day. I understand that this is a nationwide problem and not specific to RHCSD, but it is my hope that our school district be on the forefront of responding to the issue. It is widely understood that kids are distracted in the classroom when they have laptops open. These kids know how to get around the school barriers to access websites and games. They know how to hide what they are looking at from their teachers. They are watching YouTube and playing video games during class. I don't see that the school can mitigate this except by restricting access to the devices. I'm very concerned that the laptops are being intentionally used by staff to keep kids occupied during unstructured time. Like a toddler on an iPad at a

120restaurant, there is less noise and less bad behavior when kids zone out on their computers. The profound consequence is that students are losing the social and executive functioning skills that they need. After promoting the Anxious Generation book to the group of parents last year, it seems the district has an obligation to support our students in unplugging. Please be a leader in the pushback to digital childhood. And I have one more very short one. From a medical professional and parent of a LAMS student, a child of 11, 12, 13 years does not have the impulse control to justify unfettered access to an online universe. It is reckless and parents should not be expected to be the gatekeepers to a system that they do not have the training or access to police. Getting a one-on-one computer has

121been very detrimental for my particular child. He was an avid reader prior to getting this computer and the addictive quality of these programs has greatly affected his learning trajectory for the worse. His attention span has suffered. The dopamine rush has made other activities seem duller and he is easily distracted away from school activities by screens. I really wish that daily engagement with screens could have been delayed for a few years until he was more mature and able to incorporate screens in a way that was more meaningful to his education. Hi, my name is Aaron Martin. I'm the father of a pre-K student and a two-year-old and I'm reading an anonymous statement from a scientist and father of a current LAMS student. Computers are uniquely useful for certain things. In the sciences, I have often found

122them to be particularly helpful for visualization, movies, animations. However, in my experience and that of my son, computers have been used to assign all sorts of work for which the computer had no added value. For example, my son did innumerable simple math exercises on the computer. He dreaded this work, didn't gain appreciable skills from it, and didn't develop any interest in math from it. There have been certain classes where essentially all of the work that my son did was assigned via and completed on the computer. This goes way beyond the scope in which a computer is a useful addition. I did not look forward to my son entering the attention economy via the use of a cell phone. His mom and I carefully planned for when we would buy the phone and eventually settled on

123close to his 13th birthday. The generous gift from the school grant of a laptop was completely unexpected for us and didn't get as much thought. It began a few years before the cell phone. Unfortunately, this meant that many of the downsides and risks of the attention economy were already playing out in our house at a rate that I wasn't keeping up with. My son started using the computer in his room to do schoolwork during the pandemic. At first, this was very natural and reasonable. Unfortunately, soon he was using it to do work, and very soon he simply refused any parental guidance around whether the computer belonged in the room he slept in at night. I certainly view some of this as a lack of foresight on my part. That said, the last thing that any

124parent needs right now is another facet of our children's life to police. Even if these machines were not initially designed to plug into our dopamine systems, they have since been highly optimized for this, and it is shockingly difficult for our children to avoid this trap with them, let alone us as adults. It's clear to me that this insidious interaction with computers has directly influenced my son spending less time outdoors and less time in face-to-face interactions with peers, both of which have been shown to have long-term negative consequences for young men. I think both of these outcomes have been to his detriment, and I'm concerned that they will last into the longer term. Thanks. Hi, my name is Heather Gurtin. I'm the mom of a five-year-old that attends Mill Road School, and I'm going to read

125two short anonymous statements by Lam's parents. The first one. We don't have major concerns with our child specifically, as he is generally quite responsible, follows rules, and has good self-restraint. As parents watching him try to learn, one concern we have is that he refers to the Internet when he has a question, rather than to any written materials provided by the school. We also do not have a very good sense of the actual material or scope of what he is supposed to know. Our son says that he feels tempted to play video games on the computer, and he can get off task because of that, both at school and at home. He is also tempted when he feels that an assignment is pointless to refer to the Internet and AI to get it done. We provide

126a lot of guidance around this, but it could so easily be a total non-issue if he didn't have this computer and was looking at a book and a piece of paper instead. This is from a mother of two Lam students. My husband and I, reading about the many concerns with technology, had always been very conscientious of our children's time on screens. We read up on parental controls and used them on all of our devices. We felt that the kids did better without screens. They played better together. They were more imaginative. They gravitated towards play, art, and the outdoors. While we understood the positive intent of sending home a one-to-one device for our children in sixth grade, our daughter struggled to manage her time. She was suddenly in front of the screen for many more hours

127a day, and we were uncertain if she was doing schoolwork or watching videos online. We had been accustomed to transparency through parental controls as well as limits, but this device offered us zero control. It felt like an invasion of our family culture and an override of our parenting. I reached out to the superintendent to see if we could at least have the option to add an evening downtime, and then I reached out to the technology director who said that downtime was not possible. Our last resort was router-level controls. We just turned the internet off at bedtime. That was our solution. We feel that one-to-one devices at home should be optional for families or reserved for later years. They are unnecessary at home, and they interfere with home culture and parenting in so many ways. Thank

128you. Good evening, everyone. My name is Gigi Gatewood. I am the mom of a five-year-old in pre-K who is very sad that the school year is ending because she loves her teacher so much. And I'm also a professor at Siena University. I'm going to read three short statements from Lam's parents. Okay. So the first one is, My fifth-grade child already has had several ways to bypass computer safeguards, but his middle school friend taught him even more ways to get around the school's security to access content. Next, from a Lam's parent, My child played a game called Ragdoll Playground throughout all of the when period, the what I need period. He says he is not sure if his teacher knew or not, and that sometimes his screencasts successfully, onto her monitoring app, but sometimes it doesn't.

129And then lastly, from a father of an eighth grader at Lam's, Our son has never had an easy time in school. He is fiercely intelligent. But when there is a screen around, as in the pandemic, school is nearly impossible for him. When he was issued a laptop in sixth grade, we immediately scheduled a meeting with the middle school IT team. He was the only one with a password for this computer, so the only way we could prevent its misuse was by taking it away from him at home. The IT team told us there was no way to change his password. We mentioned having him leave the laptop at school, but we're told that he wouldn't be able to do his homework. Well, it's been almost three years, and he hasn't done much of his homework.

130I do not think that I'm exaggerating by saying that by teaching from a screen, the school has made his education almost impossible. He has barely scraped by with a lot of help from dedicated teachers and aides, and at the end of eighth grade, is failing all of his classes. He has essentially not had an education. I recommend asking yourself if you, growing up, had been asked to do your work on the family TV, how you would have done. He just cannot work on a computer. Issuing him one was a miscarriage of education. Okay, thank you. Hi. My name is Sarah M. Bowden. I have three kids in the district, third grader, eighth grader, and tenth grader. I wasn't going to speak tonight. I actually came because you had such a wonderful full agenda, and there

131were many things I wanted to watch, including some of those wonderful tenured teachers, many of whom my kids have had and really loved in class. But I am part of the Red Hook Screens group, and I'm one of the only parents there who has a high schooler. So I've tried to weigh in occasionally, and I did want to say a couple of things as I was listening to everyone else's statements. I want to thank Carol especially for her wonderful leadership of that group. Groups like that only happen because someone is dedicated enough to keep the emails going, and keep talking to administrators. And I want to thank you all for also listening. And I also want to say, as a parent of a high schooler, thank you so much for everything you've done with the

132fire. And I think it's really relevant as we think about how quickly the high school was able to pivot to remote learning, right, this topic. And it's been on my mind a lot because I also have an eighth grader and this conversation about the LAMS laptops. And I don't think that there's an easy solution, and I don't envy anybody who's going to be in a decision-making seat for these topics. But I do think what's important is that we think about some of the things you said, Janet, about what's the identity of Red Hook amongst all the guidance from the state, right? What do we believe is best for our students and also helps them meet the benchmarks and the learning goals that we have, right? The thing that I want to point out is that

133when the students, when the bell-to-bell cell band happened, I thought that's great. Something that happened almost right away, my high school reported, that what happened was kids just pulled out their laptops at lunch and immediately were doing shooter games, like somebody said, and other games that left other kids out at the table. And that tells me, I'm sure that that, I hope that that went away over time, I don't know, because he spends every lunch with Mr. Barnett, as somebody else said. But it tells me that we maybe haven't thought through, and I don't mean just us, I mean as a state, if the purpose of the bell-to-bell band is to help students be more social with each other and to put away their devices, we need to do more guidance because then they've got

134the laptops and they just pull those out instead because unfortunately they have already made an arc toward device orientation. That's just real and that's happening at our homes as well as our schools. So I'd just love to see us be a little bit more consistent also with, there's the wait until 8th pledge, right? But if we're introducing laptops, in 6th grade, then again, as many people have said, we're immediately putting devices in people's hands that we've said, maybe you shouldn't have a cell phone until 8th grade, but you can have a laptop. The issue of parents not being able to interact with the laptop controls has also been an issue, not in our house, but I know for many friends. I think the last thing I'd say is that a lot of the workshops and

135guidance that you have helpfully provided for families often are in a time-bound format. So they're on an evening. Or during the school day, sometime when if you are busy and you can't make it, there's no way to access that resource. And I think we need more conversations as a district and with families together, like we had at the library with the anxious generation book reading group to really talk through these things together. And I'd love, I say this to everybody at the school that I can talk to about this. I wish you would do more surveys and more times when you ask for family's feedback. The one night you do with the, I forgot what it's called, but you know, at the lamb's cafeteria where you have people sit at the tables, it's not enough.

136You need more feedback from people to find out how they're handling these things, especially tech. I think the final thing I'd say is just, I'm personally not a big fan of a lot of the limits people want to place on tech, especially in high school, because it's going to be so necessary for workforce and college readiness. And so I just, I don't envy you again for the decision making. You're, you're going to have to have, but I, I just urge you to really think carefully about what the identity of Red Hook is and what we really want our, our graduates to experience as they go through the school. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Anyone else? Sure. Okay. Thank you. Anyone else? Okay. Good evening. My name is Rex Bridges. And for those of you who

137are not familiar with it, I would like to introduce you to, to June as fidelity month. I have some reflections by its founder, who is a professor, Dr. Robert George, McCormick professor of jurisprudence and director of the James Madison program in American ideals and institutions at Princeton university. A mouthful to say the least. Quoting from Dr. George. It has been 250 years since our founding fathers declared that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator, with certain unalienable rights that among those are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. With this declaration, they began a profound experiment, an experiment in ordered liberty and Republican government. Well, how are we doing? Is the experiment succeeding? Unfortunately, polls have shown a precipitous decline in our fellow citizens, belief in the importance of such

138values as patriotism, religion, family, and community. The, the values that used to unite Americans, despite our many differences. The statement, no man is an island is a cliche, but it is true. As human beings, we all find fulfillment, not in selfish pursuits, but in the steadfast bonds we form with others. There are many things that we can and should do to restore the faith of our people and to begin to heal the dreadful decisions or excuse me, divisions in our country. Professor George continues. I'd like to invite invite you today to join one, and I think very important effort in the spring of 2023 by the authority vested in me by absolutely no one. I declared June to be fidelity month, a month dedicated to the importance of fidelity to God, to our spouses and

139families, and to our country and communities. Fidelity means faithfulness, especially when being faithful is challenging and unpopular. When we celebrate June is fidelity month, we recommit ourselves to the highest and best of values. Those things that are not merely means to other ends. Those things rather that are good in themselves. How can you celebrate fidelity month? We have many suggestions and resources at our website at fidelity month dot com. He continues. One of our many highlights is our blue and gold symbol with a myrtle wreath, a classic image, a classic image of fidelity. This can be used in all the ways the symbols are used these days. And so we invite you to join the many who display that symbol during June as a temporary profile or banner photo on your social media accounts. Unquote.

140I continue on. There are some other things that he has as well. Being able to get to the Facebook group that they have fidelity month, the Facebook group, sharing various things on, on, on following on social media. Yep. Okay. Thank you. I do the last sign off on this. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Rex. Okay. Anyone else? Okay. That brings us to administrative reports with Dr. Summers, Dr. Warden and Dr. Hayes. I think I have spoken a lot tonight. I'm going to turn it over to. Uh, Dr. Summers. Okay. And I will be make a quick overview of what our reports are. I think the, um, student board members always do a good job speaking about the athletic department and what happens at the high school with our student athletes. So I'll skip over that.

141Um, from, so I'll just highlight, uh, in technology, the high school was able to pivot to virtual learning with minimal issues. Uh, that team prepared documentation for staff and supported them with different types of professional development along the way. Um, Linden Avenue middle school. They certainly have a lot going on there. Also, they did a sixth grade trip to medieval times. That was very culturally, um, supportive of the medieval history and culture. Um, eighth grade moving up ceremony. There'll be more information coming out about that. They certainly are focused on school safety there. They have met all the requirements for lockdowns and different drills. And I'm moving on to the mill road. Board report. I know there's a lot going on in all these schools. Um, so with curriculum instruction, they, the second graders had

142a great experience participating in an interactive toolbox build hosted by the Northeast construction trades workforce coalition. And, uh, I think that's a great example of, uh, the, uh, the second graders and the workforce coalition. And we certainly saw those wonderful second graders carrying their toolbox out to the buses. I'm very proud moments. Certainly a lot of hands-on skills. With that associated with that project. Um, they continue to take enriching field trips. I know the fourth graders did the historic tour, uh, historic red hook. Um, and there was professional development provided. Um, during the superintendent's conference day, uh, also the fifth grade took a visit to the Liberty science museum. Um, so there was the annual end of year events, a lot going on here. Okay. And in each building, the annual gallery art walk, there

143was a ton of people here for that, and artwork throughout the building. It was highly organized and it really did. Display a diverse array of student work through different art mediums. mediums they did the buddy wellness day that's where and they've done this a number of times this year the buddy days where the older kids work with the younger kids and it really builds strong relationships spring concerts and celebrations continue certainly a lot of artistic growth and talent in our school district and i think they're looking forward to having monkey bars set up in the outdoor and an outdoor class year classroom for next year and i'm gonna that's a summary of that and at the high school certainly there's a lot going on at the high school and that's been mentioned by our superintendent

144thank you dr warden our concert band marched at the village memorial day parade they did an amazing job senior words night took place at bard and that was wonderful congratulations to all honorees um and i'm going quickly through this but we have had a lot of training in the teen mental health first aid um we had our school counselors who now are certified trainers um and i think i'm going to end it there so thank you thank you okay so i'll just take a brief moment just to thank our operations department especially with the events from the last two weeks our food service department was wonderful they pivoted right away and were able to offer meals and lunches on a to-go basis for our high school students our transportation department continues to be flexible we

145had the day of the emergency we had mechanics and sub bus drivers and regular bus drivers jump in as soon as we called when we realized it was an emergency and we needed to dismiss to come transport our students and they continued to be flexible with a lot of changes in routes and times in different locations to get students to where they need to be for their upcoming events for the region's exams so i wanted to thank everybody that pitched in for that we continue to partner with advanced disaster recovery they are the company that's in the high school cleaning they shut up within hours of the fire and they have not left in the last two weeks we are in constant communication and they are very responsive to whatever reports we get back in

146different areas of the high school building that need to be cleaned Um, so they really have been wonderful. We, um, as you know, had planned work this summer in those bathrooms, um, for renovations that work will continue and is on schedule. Um, so we will be able to, uh, do the work that was planned. And in the midst of all this, it got lost a little bit, but we are making progress with the fields. So if you've driven by the, um, high school at all, you'll see that field one, which is the field inside the track is completely dug up. They started to dig up the track. So we are on schedule with that, which is exciting. Yeah. I'd just like to, um, address, um, I appreciate all the parents comments that tonight I, I,

147we are parents too, and educators as well. And we really appreciate your willingness to have these conversations. Obviously some of the things that you said, I think is as an admin team, we would be right away, uh, thinking about, we need to work on that. I also just want to point something out that I I'm sure many of you know, is that because we're a public school, we're not going to be able to do that. We're not going to be able to do that. We're not going to be able to do that. We're not going to be able to do that. We're not going to public school. We also follow the learning standards from the state. So I would also encourage this group to advocate at that level because in kindergarten through 12th grade, we

148have computer science standards. We have digital fluency standards that start in kindergarten. So we're talking about teaching about cybersecurity all through the entire, um, band, as well as addressing network system design, computational thinking, and a lot of this stuff could take place in our steam labs with hands-on learning, but a lot of them are directly related to using a computer. So it takes a big force of people to change the state education department and what they expect us to teach. And it's happened. So I appreciate everybody's advocacy. Um, and we really want to be thoughtful about this. We obviously learn alongside you about the effects and certainly, we would never want to put our students in, in any way to jeopardize that. So we appreciate that. We do have a lot of plans to talk

149as a group. It does take a while to develop a really good policy that has the correct influence to then bring to the board of education for their approval. Um, but I just wanted to just, if you, if you're not aware, I do think that some of this advocacy does need to go to that level to start to say to them, they need to relook at this and not expect us to do it. Um, and I think that's a really good point. Um, and I think that's a really good point. Um, and I think that's a really good point. Um, and I think that's a really good point. We do expect the school district to meet these standards. If we do not feel students should be using these during the school day. So I just

150wanted to make sure that we pointed that, that out. And I, and I appreciate people's understanding about more surveys, more input, um, as we go forward, because I think as a community, we really do need to say, is this what we want for each of our students? And also then really need to say, what does society expect our students to know when they graduate? So we have an expectation that we're going to be able to do that. And I think also for our students, when they graduate, that we're also preparing them for jobs of the future. So it is not an easy answer. And I do appreciate all the parents coming out tonight to know that we have people that are going to, we're going to bounce ideas off. We're going to have this great

151discussion and then end in a place that works for our district. But we also appreciate the advocacy beyond our district so that we can move away maybe from some of these standards and go back and focus on other things that matter in our classrooms. So thank you. Appreciate all of you. Yeah, we don't have a BOE comment section. Oh, is it later? Yes, it's coming. Okay. So that brings us to, um, item K. Can I get a motion to approve the independent auditor? And I just, do I have to read that whole thing? No. No. Okay. Perfect. It says read. So it was like, okay, that's okay. Can I get a motion then? Motion. Second. All those in favor? Aye. Great. All right. That brings us to the business consent agenda. Can I get a

152motion to approve items one through 27? Motion. Second. All those in favor? Aye. Okay. And policy review. Can I get a motion on the second read of the wellness policy 5661? I have second on here. Okay. Is it first read? Yeah. First read. Okay. First read. Second. Can I get a motion? Motion. Second. Okay. All those in favor? Okay. And then that brings us to board of ed review. Um, is there any new business that anybody would like to discuss? Any comments? Um, yeah, I'd like to, uh, remind everybody, uh, that June is also pride month, um, to celebrate our LGBTQ students. Um, people, you know, everybody's, uh, you know, everyone's, um, you know, everybody's, you know, everybody's, you know, everybody's, you know, everybody's, uh, everybody's, you know, everybody's, you know, everybody's, you know, everybody's,

153you know, I've been on the board six years, and I'm a little surprised at some comments that I heard that probably slipped over some people's heads. Fidelity Month, and I refer to the Washington Times, for those wary of Pride Month, take heart. In swaths of the country, June's undergoing a refresh. In Arkansas and Utah, it's Fidelity Month, and it's an attempt to shift things away from pride. And so when I look back at our visitor recognition comments, all speakers must conduct themselves in a simple manner, which I think everybody did tonight. But they're also supposed to stay away from other forms of prejudice. Because that one... That will not be tolerated. And after six years on the board, I think this is the first time that I have seen someone have the nerve to come

154to speak and, from my perspective, speak with prejudice against some of our students. And I find that disheartening. So in case that just slipped over some people's head, I just wanted to make sure everybody knew what Fidelity Month was. Thank you, Russ. Thank you, Russ. I appreciate the clarification. I'd like to echo that and just take the moment to wish everyone in our community a happy Pride Month. I want to extend a special gratitude and thanks to our educators in this district for going out of their way to make our community inclusive and making sure that our public schools are for everyone. A place where everyone can go. Thank you. Thank you. And show up, be themselves, and find a place of home and belonging. So thank you all for your role in that. Thank

155you. I also want to add. Sorry. No, no. On this topic. Just last week, just last weekend, I attended a Pride Parade in the Center of Red Hook. This was youth-organized and youth-led. And it was very heartwarming to see so many of our students show up and celebrate. And celebrate being who they are. So just wanted to point that out. There are a lot of awesome kids in our school district doing amazing things. A quick topic. There's been so much positive. And I certainly don't want to end on a negative. But I have to bring something to just remind the board. The communication from the school has been outstanding. I've gotten tremendous compliments on the handling of the incident around the fire. We definitely have. We've had a lot of news press coverage. I do

156want to state that the board has an obligation to honor the approved periodicals that we use every year, which I believe are the Daily Freeman and the Poughkeepsie Journal. We have partnered with a local paper that everyone's familiar with, the Daily Catch. I think we've given them tremendous access. But I did receive two phone calls from parents who were very, very concerned and upset about what they are calling borderline. They are calling borderline harassment of students to, you know, find a story. One was off campus at Poets Walk, literally following their students, asking questions, identifying themselves as reporters, and, you know, asking very targeted questions. I asked the parents to come tonight. They were not comfortable, so I felt obligated to speak on their behalf. Again, I think we've extended great partnership, and the Daily

157Catch has done some excellent coverage. But they've also done some irresponsible. They've done some irresponsible coverage, and I just need to make sure we all remember when you're in July and we're not here, you have a conversation about those periodicals. It's a responsibility to protect our students, and that extends beyond, you know, the school. And I just felt like I compelled to bring that forward. I think we've given them a lot of access to this time. But I also understand that there have been unreasonable requests for information and access that we are not obligated to give. And we've been told or the requests have come. And we've been told or the requests have come in the form of we are obligated to taxpayers that read the Daily Catch. Let me be clear. The school is

158not obligated to the catch-all readers of the Daily Catch. We are obligated to our community in our communication. So I just want to make that very clear that we're all on the same page, and I hope you carry that forward when the new board begins. So I felt compelled. But I know that's not the most positive statement, so I want to thank everybody for listening. I hope. But it's an important one. So thank you. Yeah, we would be putting out communication to our families if they feel uncomfortable about being approached and what ways they can discuss that with their children. Although it's not illegal, it can be also seen as unethical. So my job is obviously first and foremost to protect students. So we just want to make them aware of what they could do

159and what they can say. And I agree. It has been a tremendous message. We've had a time spent answering questions when our focus needs to be communicating with our families about next steps. So I appreciate that. Okay. Anything else anybody would like to add? Okay. That brings us to our second recognition of visitors. Again, please come up to the podium, state your name, keep to three minutes, and refrain from using students' names and staff names. Thank you. Thank you. Hi. Carol Brown again. I just wanted to clarify our consensus view among these parents that I've been working with is not that we want computers out of the schools. We actually are really in favor of a lot of those state standards that involve digital literacy and learning to use computers. We, a lot of us,

160use computers in our daily work. We want our children to learn these skills. We're not arguing for computers to be out of the schools. We're arguing for in the middle school for them to be on carts so that teachers can bring them out. When there are activities for which the computer adds something genuinely useful but that they not be out on the desk in win period so that kids can be gaming while the math teacher is giving extra help at the front of the room. So, we are doing advocacy at the state level about things like the fact that little children at Mill Road have to take their tests electronically. I don't think that's ideal. We're going to be talking about other state standards. We're meeting with state senators and so on. We are advocating

161at the state level, but we don't want computers out of the schools. not that's not at all our goal thank you thank you okay can i get a motion to adjourn okay thank you frank okay can i get a motion to adjourn oh can i get a motion at this table and a second all those in favor any opposed we'll support it all those in favor of adjourning thank you everyone