001foreign good morning I call this meeting of the Pinellas County school board on March 21st 2023 to order this morning's invocation will be given by father Daniel Bott from Saint Ignatius of Antioch Roman Catholic Church the indication we follow by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Vice chair Laura Hein and the National Anthem sung by the Largo High School's chamber choir under the direction of Gabrielle Irizarry so please stand and remain standing until the colors have been retired thank you and father bot would you please share the invocation the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen almighty God and Father well thank you so much for the gift of this beautiful morning we thank you for our lives we thank you for the grace given to us to
002be here before you your children are here the boat members of this County of all the schools here for this beautiful and wonderful meeting we thank you for the sacrifices that I'm making for the sake of the future of this country and the future of our world for the wonderful things that are doing for our children the students all over we ask you Almighty and every living God to continue to bless them they know the importance of you in their lives that is why this morning the beginning this meeting with you I beg you Almighty and every living God this morning to come here to guide every single deliberations they shall do a God in this meeting father I beg you this morning to inspire them and to lead them in every single thing they
003are going to discuss here today I ask you Almighty and every living God at the end of the day May everything they are going to do here bring glory and honor to your name I may blessings and favors rest upon all your children who are here this and many more we ask in faith through Christ Our Lord amen the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen thank you of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all the daughters [Music] sunrise [Music] streaming [Music] the Stars [Music] thank you may be seated Mr sorry would you please introduce the second song good morning like they said this is the Largo High School chamber choir
004and I'm Gabriel Irizarry their director our next piece that we're going to be singing for you guys is El Vito by Emily Clark foreign [Music] give me [Music] us [Music] understand [Music] no no no no no no no no no no no [Music] Bita [Music] foreign [Music] that is though Largo High School's chamber acquire fantastic thank you all so much that was outstanding and thank you Mr Azari the beautiful performance and now I would like to introduce our public information officer Isabella mascarenas who will introduce our professional and Community organizations who are with us this morning there she is good morning Madam chair members of the board Mr Hendrick and staff it is my pleasure to introduce the following representatives of community and professional organizations from the Pinellas classroom Teachers Association Nancy velardi president from
005representing the League of Women Voters Gene Reynolds from the Pinellas arts for a complete education Coalition Maria cantones today we have a presentation from the student rights and responsibility committee please welcome Elise Tong from Largo high school and her principal Jennifer Staton welcome great good morning good morning I'm Elise tone from Largo high school and I am a senior as well as a student's rights and responsibilities member so I will begin my presentation so I am in the IB program at Largo high and there are actually a couple of reasons why I chose to do IB one of them is that my brother was actually in the IB program at St Pete high before Largo had an IB program and he did very well there and his teachers were incredibly supportive and very good at
006what they did and he actually went to Colombia and so that leads into my second reason for joining the IB Program which is just for the academic rigor that IB provides that other programs won't necessarily do and there's also this twist between the humanities and stem portions of learning and throughout the IB program we learned that all of these subjects are all interconnected and I feel like that is a very important aspect of our community today because one aspect of life that a lot of people emphasize are the stem areas because we believe that we need scientists technologists engineers mathematicians in order to build a community but we also need aspects from the humanities like all of the diplomats all of the politicians and so I feel like IB provides a very strong guidance to
007Branch all of these areas of well learning together and so a little bit more about me is that well a lot of people say that the IB Program doesn't give you a lot of time to do other things but that is something I disagree with because if you have strong time management skills you can honestly join a lot of different extracurricular activities so I'm actually involved in our school's academic team which we have had a pretty good track record this year we've gotten an impressive record of 20 to 1 wins so I'm proud of us for that and I'm also involved in Science Olympiad I've actually LED our team to first place in the region and so we've qualified for the state tournament which is also exciting and then I'm the vice president of the
008National Honor Society as well as president of future Business Leaders of America so there are so many different opportunities that Largo high as a whole has provided to all of its students and so I would like to also highlight a few Largo High 2023 points of Pride so in athletics for football we actually have the regional finals and we've won two games from the state championship and then for basketball we've reached the regional quarterfinals for boys soccer we reached Regional quarterfinals and then our growth tennis team is currently undefeated and we also began our girls lacrosse team this year and over 35 girls have taken a chance on a sport that they've never even played before in the sports area uh sorry the Arts areas our theater spring musical was nominated for four Broadway star
009of the future Awards and our color guard has placed first in the Braden River Regional competition over spring break beating the second place team by three full points and for academics we have our academic team finishing with an impressive record of 20 to 1. we have a new scholarship partnership with the feasal family bringing in over thirty thousand dollars in scholarships for only Largo High seniors which has just been an incredible opportunity for us all and then 32 percent of our Juniors and seniors are eligible for a National Honor Society which does a large amount of things such as nature cleanups for our parks around our community and as well as tutoring for students within our programs and blood drives with one drug one drive which should just help further our health care purposes and
010then 50 of our Juniors and seniors have a 3.0 GPA or higher and we are also considering uh actually not considering introducing a leader and learner Pathways for a next school year and we're especially excited to introduce a new sports and event marketing pathway which sounds really interesting and I'm sad I'm going to miss it and our history bow team has made it to Nationals and will be traveling to Washington DC to compete this summer and that is all that I have thank you very much for your time thank you for that very informative presentation and also thank you to principal Stanton for joining us this morning thank you very much you learned a lot Mr Hendrick are there any recommended amendments to our agenda this morning there are not thank you I may have
011a motion to adopt the agenda I have a motion by Mrs long and a second by Mrs cook all those in favor say aye aye any opposed the motion carries unanimously 7-0 that we will begin our special order of agenda may have a motion to approve item 4.1 Proclamation designating April 2023 as National autism acceptance month I have a motion to prevent Ms Meyer second by Miss Edmond and Mr Hendrick could you please introduce the item yes thank you madam chair we're excited to honor our students with autism today and I want to call up Amy fichter our EOC specialist and she has a couple guests with her as we make this presentation Miss Victor thank you good morning Awareness Month my name is Amy fichter and I'm an ese specialist and I have my
012wonderful colleague here with me today good morning my name is Ali K I'm the lead behavior analyst for Ese and we're joined by Gabriel Thomas this morning who's one of our extended transition interns thank you Ali so April has been recognized as autism awareness month since the 1970s an important shift has been made to recognize April as autism acceptance month while awareness focuses on understanding that autistic people exist acceptance affirms that autistic people belong acceptance is an action this encourages us to change the way we think about autism and how we support individuals on the autism spectrum autism requires us to move away from conversations about preventing or curing autism and towards conversations about inclusion for years Educators psychologists Behavior analysts and others have deemed themselves as autism experts however the real experts are those
013with lived experiences as we enter autism acceptance month it is imperative that we listen to and learn from the voices of actual autistic individuals while recognizing the vast range of support needs and unique experiences of the students we serve Pinellas County Schools is committed to meeting the unique needs of all Learners the district serves approximately 1700 students identified on the autism spectrum the district Behavior Services team continues to promote practical functional assessment and skill based treatment to support a variety of Learners across School sites this initiative focuses on trauma-informed approaches to eliminate severe problem Behavior while equipping students with the skills they need to be successful in order to increase the number of students who receive these Services we have moved to a train the trainer model where Behavior Specialists and teachers at school sites
014receive training to implement and expand services to reach as many Learners as possible Pinellas is the first Public School District in Florida to implement this model in an attempt to amplify autistic voices several of our extended transition students were asked what they would like people to know about autism and what autism acceptance means to them some of them including Gabriel are present with us today these were some of their responses autistic people tend to do things normal people wouldn't do we tend to have more sensitivities and tend to make little stories in our heads and verbalize them out loud autistic people may struggle to compose answers to open-ended questions autism acceptance means that when made aware of our autism others would allow us to be included with the group and help us get the help
015that we need autism acceptance allows for creative freedom in all forms we would like to be afforded the same opportunities as others the ability to chase one's dreams even if it seems impossible we would like to prove to the world that we are more than the sum of Our Own Parts whether you are on the highest end of the spectrum or the lowest you are special Just the Way You Are thank you very much thank you Miss fichtner and Miss K Mrs long would you read the proclamation please autism acceptance month whereas autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States affecting more than 3 million people and whereas autism is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the human brain and can affect anyone and whereas the
016effort to address autism continues doctors therapists and Educators can help persons with autism overcome or adjust to its challenges and provide early accurate diagnosis and the result resulting appropriate education intervention and therapy that are vital to the Future growth and development and whereas this effort will bring awareness to our schools our community and around the country to honor to of the the of the honor to take part in the annual observance of autism acceptance month and World autism acceptance day in the hope that it will lead to a better understanding of the disorder now therefore the school board of Pinellas County does hereby recognize April 2023 as autism acceptance month in Pinellas County Schools during discussion by the board um I have a comment I just want to say thank you for all you do
017I was a special ed teacher and I have a son who's on the Spectrum Pinellas County Schools did an incredible job helping him he's working he does want to go back to school but we're not there yet we're still have to mature a lot but he's doing great and he's made friends he's been accepted you know there are no special autism communities they live amongst us and we need to be accepting and understanding and help these individuals because really they'll surprise you out of nowhere they're going to take off and so I just say God bless you and thank you for all you do for our students thank you thank you very much thank you so much we have a motion on the floor by Mrs Meyer and a second by Mrs Edmond to approve
018item 4.1 Proclamation designating April 2023 as National autism acceptance month all in favor say aye any opposed seeing down the motion to approve item 4.1 has passed 7-0 next may I please have a motion to approve item 4.2 Proclamation designating April 2023 as National Occupational Therapy months I'm movement for approval by Ms cook and a second by Miss Hein Mr Hendrick could you please introduce the item thank you madam chair I'd like to call Jody Becker our coordinator of Occupational Therapy to present this Proclamation for the month good morning Madam chair board members Mr Hendricks staff and community members I'm here this morning to acknowledge April as National Occupational Therapy month sponsored by the American Occupational Therapy Association occupational therapy is a science driven evidence-based profession that enables people of all ages to participate in
019daily living or to live better with injury illness or disability for our students with special needs occupational therapy entails everyday basic routines like getting dressed organizing a backpack holding a pencil writing and copying notes and throwing and catching a ball through a holistic approach to assessments and interventions our occupational therapy staff teach our students how to adapt to their individual circumstances and promote successful outcomes at school and Beyond being a student and being able to play our child's occupations OTS find creative ways to incorporate function into play for our younger students finding fun ways to help them find themselves not catering to what is inhibiting them but rather what is strengthening them our occupational therapy staff use a functional real-life approach to their therapy focusing on the tasks a child needs to perform to be
020successful as a student research shows that using real life situations creates better change on a neurological level we see more Improvement when we use a person's occupation in our therapy in addition to helping our students be successful our OT staff continually educate and train both staff and parents on the benefits of movement and appropriate sensory input and the impact they can have on brain function and learning we teach them how to incorporate this into their classrooms and their homes to be sure the students opportunities for growth and Improvement are that much greater Pinellas County Schools 61 occupational therapists and therapist assistants are a group of dynamic hard-working and dedicated therapists they demonstrate the core values of commitment to Children families and the community responsibility and connectedness and the work they do each and every day
021I am proud as their coordinator and does an occupational therapist myself to represent and recognize our occupational therapy staff for their dedication and hard work on behalf of Pinellas County Schools students and I want to thank you for taking the time to recognize them today thank you Miss Becker Mrs cook could you please read the proclamation I'd love to a proclamation for National Occupational Therapy month whereas the Pinellas County School Board of Pinellas County Florida encourages options for an active and healthy lifestyle and whereas the Pinellas County school board speaks for the best interest of the public in recommending occupational therapy by a licensed occupational therapist to improve fine motor visual motor and daily living skills to access curriculum and whereas do the national effort the Pinellas County school board and community members are encouraged
022to join together to raise awareness of the importance of Occupational Therapy during the month of April 2023 and whereas this effort will bring awareness to the school's community and around the country of the roles of the occupational therapists in school now therefore the school board of Pinellas County does hereby recognize April 2023 as National occupational therapist therapy month in Pinellas County Schools signed the 21st day of March 2023. thank you very much is there any discussion by the board no we have a motion on the floor by Miss Cook and a second by Mrs Hein to approve item 4.2 Proclamation design designating April 2023 as National Occupational Therapy month all in favor say aye aye any post the motion approved 4.2 passes unanimously seven to zero thank you very much thank you for being here
023we are going to move to number five public comments on agenda items members of the public have three separate opportunities to address the board when we gather for a business meeting the first is public comment on agenda items the second is at public hearings most of which are policies and the last is after our meeting when speakers May address the general business of the district at each opportunity for public input board members are here to listen to you this is not a time for interaction but the board will take your comments into consideration before it votes on agenda items the board is committed to a standard of Civility and decorum in conducting our meetings this includes refraining from clapping or making audible noises during or after a speaker's comments with respect to their time we
024appreciate you assisting Us in maintaining a civil and constructive environment lastly please note that this meeting in all public comments will be broadcast live on the internet and video will be publicly archived members of the public may always communicate with the board through our email address board at pcsb.org or by calling the board office at 588-6300 thank you Mrs Hawk are there any speakers to agenda items yes Madam chair board members Mr Hendrick we have two speakers for agenda items the first is Mark clutho speaking to item 7.7 7.8 and 7.9 and then we have Joyce Russell speaking to item 8.4 more clutho Largo 7-7 yeah you have an architect involved with this Roofing paying them ninety six thousand dollars um repairing the metal uh existing uh metal flashing uh guitar repairing or replacing metal
025flashing guitar gutter straps and uh replacing the uh downspouts and recoating the flat roofs and then uh you're going to apply this tremco fluid applied roofing system now why is an architect have to be involved it's a million dollar job but in our house we had a new roof put on with trust tie downs the roofing company did the job didn't have an architect involved there this is ridiculous and uh 902 thousand dollars for uh construction Management Services at the locker rooms for Gibbs High School oh boy and then the uh approval of substantial completion of the building at 74th Street Elementary School you're saying that there isn't a financial impact it's just beginning it's a pre-engineered metal building all wrong like this article says went to phase out fossil fuels we must fundamentally change
026our buildings well guess what you have you're not doing it you're still making stupid buildings and then what do we have study climate change is worse than we thought well you keep doing the stupid same things you get the same result thank you Miss Joyce Russell good morning my name is Joyce Russell my address is 1032 Vista K Court Brandon Florida 33511 I was born and raised in Clearwater Florida and graduated valedictorian from Pinellas High School in Clearwater in 1967. I'm here to speak to the proposed renaming of Clearwater Intermediate School located at 1220 Palmetto Street Clearwater which was built in 1954 as a segregated high school for black students living in Northern Pinellas County this was the same year the U.S Supreme Court outlawed segregation in public schools I am speaking on behalf of
027some attendees and graduates of Pinellas high school as well as some teachers staff and Community supporters some of which are here today would you please stand and be recognized thank you on behalf of these citizens we have chosen the name of Pinellas High Innovation as the name to replace Clearwater intermediate the high in the name does not refer to a school but to the high achievement expected of each student this name preserves the original some of the original name of the school and honors the rich Legacy of Excellence that was achieved by the school until its closing in 1968. despite being underfunded being given used Furnishing and outdated books Pinellas High School flourished graduating some of this community's most outstanding citizens some notables include Justice Joseph Hatchett first black Justice to serve on the Florida
028state supreme court Harry Singletary first black to serve in the state cabinet as Secretary of Corrections Ronald Bligh star football player who attended Notre Dame and went on to play for the New York Giants and Donald Byrd only award nominee Master choreography thank you anymore Madam chair Madam chair we have no other speakers that we also have no items under unfinished business we're going to move on to number seven the consent agenda may have a motion to adopt the consent agenda if emotion Ms long a second by Miss cook all those in favor of the consent agenda say aye any opposed none passes seven to zero that we're going to go on to the non-consent may have a motion to approve item 8.1 request approval for the renewal Charter School agreement with Enterprise Charter High
029School for a five-year period effective July 1st 2023 through July 30th 2028. a motion for approval by Miss Heinz and a second by Miss Edmond Mr Hendrick could you please introduce the admin thank you madam chair calling up Amy Hayes our director of Charter and homeschool education who also presented this information at recent Workshop to share this information good morning and thank you very much Enterprise Charter High School is an educational Alternative High School serving students grades 9 through 12 who are at risk in their credits required for graduation Enterprise opened and has operated in Pinellas County since 2008. their current contract expires June 30th 2023. Enterprise submitted its renewal application for a five-year renewal term that renewal process and application reviews three main areas of the school's operations those include academic accountability organizational viability
030and compliance and the Financial Health and sustainability of the school based on a thorough review of this application a history of academic success strong governance and compliance and the positive financial position of the school we are recommending The Five-Year renewal for Enterprise High School thank you Miss Hayes is there any discussion from the board Miss Hein I just wanted to say thank you over the couple of years as I've heard from you and read the different research and documents that you provide it's very thorough and I was very impressed with this school in particular and and the work that they do for the population that they do it for so we do have some excellent Partners in education and and this is one of them so thank you Miss Hayes thank you see no other
031discussion we have a motion on the floor by Miss Hein in a second by Miss Edmond to approve item 8.1 the approval of the renewal of Charter School agreement with Enterprise Charter School for a five-year period effective July 1st 2023 through June 30th 2028. all in favor say aye aye any opposed none the motion to approve item 8.1 is a approved unanimously 7-0 thank you very much Miss Hayes may I have a motion to approve item 8.2 requesting the approval of the 2023-2024 instructional materials adoption for approval by Ms Hein second by Miss Cook Mr Hendrick can you please introduce the item thank you madam chair I'd like to call up Dr Dan Evans associate superintendent for teaching and learning and Megan fryer instructional materials coordinator as you know we had a public hearing on
032this and also presented at a board workshop for this approval item Dr Evans uh thank you Mr Hendrick board members and staff we're pleased to bring forward to you uh once again our English language arts grade three through five instruction materials for your approval as required by State Statute we've now completed the required public review period and our open public hearing online access was made available to the public from February 3rd through March 7th which was beyond the required 20-day review period the instructional materials were also posted on our our website for public review per state statute all school districts as you know must approve the adoption of the materials in each of our subject areas and in this case and in all cases District committees were formed to review the materials that were submitted
033before you for adoption those committees included teachers community members instructional coaches School administrators and District staff as I mentioned the open public hearing was held last month and with your approval and with the process now complete we'd like to ask for your approval per our timeline and we thank you for your consideration before I exit or take any questions I want to once again recognize the great work by our elementary school team and Miss Megan fry and her staff we thank you for your consideration today thank you so very much is there any discussion from the board any questions seeing done we have a motion on the floor by Miss Hein in the second by Miss Cook to approve item 8.2 the approval of the 2023-2024 instructional materials adoption all in favor say aye aye
034any opposed none the motion to approve 8.2 as passed unanimously seven to zero thank you so much Mr Evans and also miss Frye thank you for being here we are going to may I have a motion on the floor to approve item 8.3 the setting of a public hearing and authorizing the advertisement of the public hearing to consider the amendment to policy 9210 parent organization this is the first reading we have a movement for approval by Miss Edmond and a second by Miss Cook Mr Hendrick can you please introduce the item yes thank you madam chair call up Lena Ison director of strategic planning and policy to share this policy change and also remind the board and the public we did bring this to a workshop as well good morning Madam chair board members Mr
035Hendricks staff and Community today we're presenting the first reading of policy 9210 parent organizations which we discussed during the February School Board Workshop the policy amendments were made in collaboration with the Pinellas County Council PTA and in alignment with the PCC PTA bylaws we're are proposing the following substantive amendments to the policy first specifying September 30th as the deadline for the ptas to establish themselves and provide their beginning annual materials to the principal updating the required number of signatures on checks from 2 to 3 which is in alignment with the pccpta bylaws clarifying that the principal and a non-signatory member of the PTA must review and sign the bank statements and treasurer's reports and last adding notification to the Pinellas County Council PTA of any school PTA or PTSA revocation we recommend setting the public
036hearing for May 9th and authorizing the advertisement of the public hearing for these amendments to policy 9210 parent organizations thank you Miss Eisen is there any discussion from the board this policy scene and we have a motion by Miss Edmond in a second by Miss Cook to approve item 8.3 the setting of the public hearing and authorizing the advertisement of the public hearing to consider the amendment to policy 9210 parent organizations all in favor say aye any opposed hearing down the motion to approve item 8.3 is passed unanimously 7-0 thank you very much Ms Eisen thank you our next item is 8.4 the request approval of the renaming of Clearwater intermediate Mr Hendrick all right thank you madam chair uh we had the opportunity to name a school just a few months ago and I
037said it's not every day we get to do that and this may be our last one for quite some time but we do have a process but this morning I'm going to turn it over to Deputy superintendent Stephanie Woodford to explain a little bit about the process and how we've gone out but before I do that I do want to thank the members that are here and I know some had to leave for a number of reasons and one is that you organized yourself you came together you decided on a name and you presented that to the board this morning and I thank Joyce Russell who I've gotten to know and meet at a couple of events lately and thank you for your ways of organizing and I do also want to give a special
038hello and thank you for coming to Mr James fiezel one of my high school teachers who's here in a Pinellas high school graduate we brought Largo High School's student rights responsibilities for you today because we knew your advocacy for the Packers for the last 50 years in addition to your love for Pinellas high school so Mrs Whitford I'm going to pass it to you to talk a little bit about the process and engagement with the community thank you madam chair uh we did follow policy 7250 but a little bit more than that was the opportunity to go out to a couple alumni functions uh and to describe the uh feeling and the pride of the community in that school is hard to put into words so I I do want to recognize the group that's
039here I feel like I've gotten to know some of them and some of the history we did advertise for an extended period of time we added an additional week to gather input and that was from December 20th until January 10th we received over 85 submissions we also received multiple emails from throughout the state and the country of former graduates and those have been added to the list or the emails provided to you I I think Miss Russell provided a great history of the school and why it means so much I did want to share though part of the reason for the renaming is that we're looking to reimagine the school and add High School back to the the current grade level so this year we added ninth grade we were able to keep intermediate because
040intermediate covers through ninth grade but once we add 10th grade next year we'll no longer be able to call it Clearwater intermediate so that's the reason for the name change coming forward now I I really don't have anything else to add other than to thank you and I do want to recognize principal green who is here today he has really involved the community Through sac and community events to to gather and put that way as well it's what for it is there any discussion before we begin the ballot process that may lead to emotion or a vote as long first I'm sorry I feel very strong about the renaming of Clearwater intermediate I taught there when it was Discovery when we changed it to intermediate I spent 25 years all right even now I'm still
041active this is a wonderful Community this is a community that gathers together uh the event that Miss Woodford was talking about her and I were sitting together when they started singing the school anthem I just burst into tears I couldn't hold it back I had goosebumps I've never witnessed anything like I don't even remember my high school song so to see the the love and and how much they care and how much they the community still wants to help the school is amazing and I think we need to take strong consideration into the request that's been approved I like the name I think it's wonderful I like the part about it being higher education but still showing the pride that has been there for so long and I thank all the community that worked so
042hard on this I know that the Greenwood area the CRA I hope I said that right received the Grant and they're working on uplifting Greenwood and making it a beautiful spot I've been to all the meetings I work with the committee and I'm just so excited about the possibilities this is something we need in North County Clearwater intermediate served its purpose but it's not not useful anymore well that's not a good choice of words it's just not producing the kind of student that we need and being this is going to be a high school it's going to help with vocational this is going to help everyone and I I know I'm Brian green you are an incredible administrator perfect choice for the school and as soon as my leg heals I'm coming out and joining
043you okay I promise but just a great place and and I I'm going to get emotional so I'm done yeah I'll be brief I um at the workshop we asked that the community let us know really what their thoughts were I appreciate the way they have organized I also appreciate the fact that you had one speaker that spoke for all of the people that stood um I really do but um I do think that once we ask we need to listen and I appreciate the way they have worked with us all all along and I think Pinellas High Innovation is an excellent Name I agree with you Mrs long but in addition to that I think we have a couple more people from the Pinellas County family that I would like to introduce and that
044would be Ed Baldwin and Arlington then um thank you for being here and thank you for the years and years that all three of you have served Pinellas County it's a pleasure to see you but um I support the name of Pinellas High innovation thank you very much Miss Peters thank you um wow this is very inspiring and amazing I just have one question um probably for Mr kopersky are we able to put the name high in the name yes yes you are that's why I want to thank you bored seeing none we will now go through an individual ballot process Mr koprowski can you please review the directions and procedures for this process to the board and also for the public thank you madam chair so you have in front of you um a
045school naming ballot form we will follow the same process we did a couple of months ago when we named Mangrove Bay middle school and so uh I will ask you now if no more comments as you said I will ask you now to fill in the name and to put your name on the signature line as well so that we know who is voting I will then come around and collect those Mr Smith and I will confirm the count if we have four or more then I will let the chair know and ask for you to call for a motion and second and vote if we do not have four with the exact same name uh then we will determine the highest two including ties and then we'll let you know what those are and
046those will be your choices in the second round but at this time I will go around and collect them and we'll let you know thank you foreign chair is unanimous to name the school Pinellas High innovation [Applause] thank you we're gonna make it official may I have a motion to approve the name Pinellas eye Innovation as the name of Clearwater intermediate I have a motion by Miss long and a second by Miss cook all those in favor of naming the school Pinellas High Innovation say aye any opposed none it passes unanimously seven to zero thank you all moving to new business are there any items introduced by the superintendent Mr Hender thank you madam chair it's hard to follow that up Mr feasell Mr numb Mr Baldwin if you want to come back and work
047just let us know all right teaching certificates are still valid um I want to start this morning by thanking our board members who are able to go to Tallahassee last week as part of the Florida school boards Association advocacy and advocating on behalf of public schools in Tallahassee for our students our staff our families and our community as a reminder to the public our board has approved a legislative platform you can find it on our website we also have copies in our school board office that outline our priorities as a board and as a district we encourage the public to support those priorities you can find out that information on our website you can also find the Pinellas legislative delegation on our website as well as their contact to advocate for those priorities of the
048board and our district last night at midnight or I guess this morning we opened up our registration for Summer Bridge in our summer camps and a new process of registering all of those online and all in one place and as of 10 51 this morning we have several hundred that have already registered for Summer Bridge so we had some early risers but our summer bridge program which is now I believe in its 10th year will continue with uh in the month of June uh for four weeks at a variety of schools across our district to support summer learning and then our summer camps which have continued to expand and we have many many more this year as a result of some of those enrichment dollars coming from the state and federal government just a few
049I'll highlight 3D art our 3D printing art camp artificial intelligence Automotive Service technology our ignite Arts Camp Sports Medicine boot camp a visual arts camps funded by the referendum and literally dozens more so we encourage families to go online look for those camps they're all free funded by the school district the state and the referendum and registration has begun for all of those camps as well is our Summer Bridge many of the camps are in the month of July so you can go to Summer Bridge in June and the camps in July a few do run into June so please check those out on our website pcsb.org Summer Bridge or slash summer camps and you'll see those scrolling on the front page of the website today uh just before spring break we concluded our series
050of student leadership Summits with our high school student Leadership Summit at USF St Petersburg on Thursday March 9th it's a great opportunity to see our high school students and we also had our annual meeting with the student rights and responsibilities group at USF St Petersburg where the students from all of our high schools had an opportunity to quiz the school board members and get their opinions on all kinds of Topics in the school I want to thank our board for being there as well as the students from the student rights and responsibilities just before the break as well our arts for complete education who I know is represented here today hosted a breakfast honoring our principals in the annual arts for complete education breakfast we're thrilled to have that support from our Arts community and
051this year it was at the James Museum it's always very impactful especially our student performances our great teacher speaker this year to show that the sequential Arts education and its importance for all students we're so fortunate to have that advocacy here in Pinellas County we thank them for their continued support also just before the break students from John Hopkins and Bay Point middle schools were able to attend the St Petersburg Grand Prix and learn about stem education in the automotive industry I want to thank the City of St Petersburg for inviting our students mayor Ken Welch and thank them for the tours that what they learned while they were there and the great fun that our students had in that event just recently we held one of our many FAFSA events the free application for
052federal student aid as the state's FAFSA competition wraps up on March 31st it's the annual FAFSA Challenge and Pinellas County Schools as well as our partners at Brooklyn's Technical College St Petersburg College University South Florida and more continue to advocate for students and families to complete the FAFSA form so they may qualify for 150 billion dollars in college grants work study funds federal student loans as well as state-based Aid right now Pinellas County is in third place out of Florida's 10 largest districts and that challenge we have just a few weeks more to go we'll be having another event coming up soon I wanted to let our board know and the public know that that FAFSA form the state legislators currently considering that to be included as a graduation requirement there have been a couple
053States across the United States that have made that a part of graduation as it's a part of College and Career Readiness for you to move to that next level and so we continue to ask for families to do it voluntarily but it is a possibility that it could become part of the graduation requirements our schools and our students continue to be honored just recently Marie Hill a music and steam specialist at Jamerson Elementary was named a magnet schools of America Regional teacher of the year which is a great honor she actually spoke at the arts for complete education breakfast and did a tremendous job she's been a music teacher at Jamerson for over 20 years and James B sanderlin IB World School principal Carrie Cormier was named as the regional Regional principal of the Year
054these magnet honors go with a possibility of national recognition as well and so we congratulate that we recently completed the winter state championships in athletics and eight of our young ladies and 14 boys represented Pinellas County Schools in the State Wrestling Championships in Kissimmee earlier this month and we're proud to announce two state champions Kenya Moore from the 235 pound weight class from Boca ciega high school and Brian berbija who won the state championship in the 195 pound weight class at two-time state champion now from Countryside High School congratulations to all of those wrestlers for advancing to the state championships and just recently Junior Achievement honored some of our students and our schools in their Spirit of achievement awards and I want to give a special congratulations to Dunedin High School and our 3de business
055program through Junior Achievement there they just recently won the national case study contest in for Home Depot the Home Depot challenge with 230 schools Nationwide Dunedin High School was a national champion I congratulate the students who participated and won that and it is of course Awards season and so the board and many of the District staff will be out honoring a number of students and volunteers and teachers over the next month the Car Wise Awards yes I can Awards Maria Edmonds our outstanding volunteer breakfast The Pride Awards and the Earl Davis Awards all coming up in the next month we look forward to celebrating our students in community with those and last but not least as I've done each meeting I want to honor one of our employees for emphasizing and exhibiting our core values
056and this month it's Jenna Hill a teacher from Bay Vista Elementary School she's been employed with Pinellas County schools for 20 years and she's an exceptional education teacher and her colleagues sent about her by in recognizing her and his core value Jana is one of the most caring and loving ese teachers I've known and observed she builds strong relationships with co-workers students and their families and her positive energy and spirit of humor I observe on a daily basis she makes each and every child feel special capable and successful she has a great memory of her stories with her students and she uses this information to share her positive relationships with students each child leaves their time with her knowing that they are special and truly loved Jana is a true inspiration to me and I'm
057proud to know and work with this amazing woman so congratulations to Jan and all of our employees for what they do for our students each and every day thank you Mr Hendrick if you have any you know any items introduced by the school board attorney no report today thank you that's good thank you any items introduced by the school board support members Peters thank you um I just wanted to mention that several of us were in Tallahassee for legislative um and it was for the Florida school board thank you the Florida School Board Association uh hosted several workshops and um we were able to meet and discuss and talk to other people from other school districts throughout the state and this is It's really neat to hear other ideas and be able to have those
058conversations aside from being able to go up and and speak to our legislators and actually experience all of that which was great but my biggest takeaway from the experience was what I what I knew to be true but it was even more reinforced after talking to many people from other districts throughout our state we really have the most amazing school board and districts we have differences of ideas opinions different types of backgrounds but we as a board and as a district operate with the utmost respect and Civility and kindness to each other and for a district of this size I just find it to be really amazing and humbling and just extraordinary that that many people can work together in in this district and see this level of just really respect for each other and
059even though we have different we might vote different ways and some conversations might get a little intense but once that vote is is complete everybody takes a deep breath starts over and and the level of respect and Congeniality just continues and I am just honored to be serving this district and with the people that hold these values through so I just really wanted to point that out and I think it is reflected in all the meetings anybody who wants to see that for themselves it really is is quite a blessing so um and the the biggest benefit of that is that the children of this District benefit from that so I just want to thank everybody within our district my fellow board members and I just value all of you very much truly thank you
060Miss Cook very well said and I Echo your your sentiments and and opinions um in the process of talking with some of our legislators it was mentioned that we didn't have the opportunity to get together as a whole and have that conversation that we have always had in the past and so we asked what would be a good time for us to do it they'll be starting committee meetings on early next year they're they're back on the early session so the end of September or definitely in October they'll be starting with their committee meetings and such so a couple of the board a couple of the legislators when we were talking said the best time for us to do that would be the week after Labor Day so I would like us to think about
061starting that process now oftentimes we're doing it late summer when we start looking at it and their calendars get full so if we could um have some conversation during leadership discussion and see if we can get a committee started and get a date on the calendar and start working toward that I think it'll be important for us to have that conversation with them for them to mention that they missed it you know resonated with me because we were talking about how we missed having the opportunity to get together so I'd like to encourage us just to start much more quickly and do it earlier in the year Miss Edmond thank you I also had the opportunity to attend the day in the legislature and I would like to know if the board would like to
062send a letter of thanks to our delegation for their support of our platform if I could also add and taking the time out of their busy schedule it was it was hectic up there this time and taking the time out of the schedule to meet with us we met with more of our legislators than many of the other districts were able to and that's because they opened the doors and made it happen absolutely sorry we kind of piggyback yeah we're going back but um this is actually I've gone for two years and this is the time where I think we've met with almost all of them collectively so that's phenomenal absolutely Miss Stein I think too when we look at that week after September you know I think in the past we've sort of had
063our platform fully baked and presenting it to them and so this could be maybe even more workshoppy where we have our ideas we have topics that we know are important to discuss but we can also receive feedback from them and their experience of what they think is possible and the best way that we can support them in moving these things forward so maybe having it early also helps it be more of a team effort all right seeing that uh thank you very much Mrs Woodford would you please review any board requests thank you madam chair the only note I made was just on the discussion just now about moving possibly a workshop up to September a committee discussion so that we're more timely instead of after the fact obviously and also I think it might
064be more of a request for Mrs Houck but we want to make sure we're sending letters of thanks to the members who met with us and while we were in Tallahassee yeah thank you very much um with is there any further business for the meeting any any additional any additions seeing then before we perform our board meeting evaluation we will adjourn the meeting and move to public participation the meeting is now officially adjourned we will now move to public comment on General business of the district please note that the views and comments of the public speakers are their own and not endorsed nor sponsored by the school board or District we cannot ensure the accuracy of statements made but will review concerns that are raised and take appropriate action which may include clarifications or the
065referral of speakers to the proper staff member for assistance the board is committed to a standard of Civility and decorum in conducting our meetings this includes refraining from clapping or making audible noises during or after a speaker's comments We Appreciate You assisting Us in maintaining a civil and constructive environment additionally please note that although board members or superintendent Hendrick may leave the Deus briefly there are speakers in our back room and we will continue to be able to hear your comments throughout thank you Mr Tower could you please introduce our speakers yes Madam chair board members and Mr Hendrick the first two speakers are Michelle French and Nancy velardi truly didn't anticipate being the first one good morning I am here today to speak on expanding The Substitute training for an August for an hour
066to focus a little more on middle and high school experiences a substitute could anticipate I'm not an expert I sub for middle and high schools on occasion but I am a Public School advocate and I definitely want to see middle schools in particular get a better reputation um teens can definitely be emotional and moody in my experiences but mood swings can quickly be disruptive as the student is slamming chairs and books or having vocal outbursts but I don't know if that student is having a mood swing or has a 504 plan because I'm only left paperwork on students with allergies or asthma another instance can be I'm missing two students upon return from a fire drill I look at the seating chart to determine which students but the school photos are three years old and
067no one looks the same plus these are 27 students that I only just 20 minutes ago met for the first time so narrowing down my selection has become even more challenging now it's the planning period and I'm planning to regroup but instead I will have a class because there was no substitute for the day here are 20 students that have no lesson just a lot of energy because they've been dispersed throughout the day these are the gentler but true instances that definitely make for entertaining stories but perhaps substitutes have encountered these scenarios and felt a bit defeated and ill-prepared and it is much easier to not return and go through that again better preparation for middle and high school experiences will increase confidence in new substitutes it may not seem like much but keep in
068mind when you're a substitute in theory it is your first day on the job every day increased training leads to less turnover less turnover keeps the students in their own classrooms with their own lessons continuing their education for that day by expanding to substitute training for just an hour to focus on middle and high school this can provide the substitute with confidence of what to anticipate it's not to scare them but to better prepare them for the rewarding challenges that teens can give us and to be prepared to come back and do it all again the next day thank you good morning I understand that I'm preaching to the choir here but we must never forget why we exist and what we are responsible to do here in our schools it is our honor and
069privilege to be given the opportunity to teach our communities children and we take that very seriously we are not only responsible for educating our students but also to keep them safe imbue them with a strong sense of self and open their world to the many possibilities and choices for the successful and fulfilling future there are those who would restrict our ability to do just that by manipulating our instructional materials and removing that which may help to strengthen a child's pride in themselves and in their culture for political gain these individuals Proclaim that they are seeking to protect children though these act through these acts when in actuality they are causing serious and possibly permanent damage perhaps even fatal harm I may now be the president of pcta but I and all of my staff are
070Educators and that will always be true my passion was teaching and that has not changed when I was elected to this position for 18 of my 22 years here I was the sponsor at my school for the gay straight Alliance and I know without a doubt that lives were saved because troubled teens had access to that club the club was initiated at my school by a student who was deeply depressed and hurting herself because she had nowhere to turn she was only one of many who suffered silently with disguising their true selves racked with fear and uncertainty until they found solace in the company of others who shared their lives together we healed families brought self-esteem to those who desperately craved it and yes literally saved lives one student told me one morning that she
071had considered suicide the night before and had stopped because she didn't want to break my heart I will never forget that moment of realizing how close we came to losing that lovely young soul we all must never forget how important we are to the children in our classrooms how everything we do and say can brighten an otherwise dark life it is more than reading and writing and math it is life it is life thank you the next two speakers are Peggy Kern and Mark clutho good morning um I'm Peggy Kerman resident of Tarpon Springs I attended the meeting last month where the students presented an excellent case on why The Bluest Eyes should not be banned I expected this morning that the superintendent was going to give the status of the appeal on that ban
072today that was also discussed at the workshop I thought there was going to be some feedback given on the results of the workshop I also wrote emails saying that if you needed a written request to repeal the decision on the book ban I would be happy to provide it but I didn't get a response to that email I'm glad that the board has been very proactive in meeting with legislators on proposed legislations because I think that some of the proposals are going to make your job much harder the first proposal was to limit use of pronouns in the classrooms that legislation from what I read addresses only employees of the school not the students use I can't imagine how you could possibly enforce such a rule in the schools and I don't I would hope
073that the board is starting to discuss how this is going to be implemented it seems that it's almost a done deal in Congress in the legislator next is the comments of one of our local Florida legislators who stated that the um girls that the legislation would ban girls under age 12 from discussing the menstrual cycle I can't imagine how this could possibly be enforced in school especially in a gym program where girls have to be excused as a former federal employee I know that you can't prepare for all legislation before it's passed but you have a good idea on what is going to be passed and usually preparation start at that time I don't know whether the county is starting these preparations or whether the county waits for the state but I hope that the
074school boards especially since we have met with the legislators are discussing how these possible impossible legislations are going to be enforced the other thing is the school voucher program is going to be a windfall for the middle and upper class Neighbors in my neighborhood a family of five home schools a family with five children home schools and there could expect up to forty thousand dollars two other parents a Canadian and they have four children between them one of them is only going to be living here for a year they're also going to be eligible for the school voucher program we have another family their daughter is a junior in high school drives one of the four cars they own back and forth to schools if you're from a family that has only um no cars
075no Transportation you're not going to be eligible for this for the school voucher program and last but not least I would like to say that I found it despicable that the governor would announce that he wants to replace two score two school board members in Pinellas County as it's been said it's my belief that most boards try to operate as a team and do right for what is do thank you more clutho Largo oh it's a shame that we have to talk Linguistics at a school board meeting as I said last meeting you don't start with an and it's like this Betty Sue and Billy Bob went to the fair that's how you use the word and you don't start the sentence with the man and we have adverbs they're l-y here's the headline Bailey
076loses 12 percent of his seagrass in two years you know that your schools are contributing to this problem headlines start school high schools layered and let teens wake up how many times has there been this headline and then here's this column I pledge allegiance to my conscience here's this Young girl that got beat up by her teacher because she didn't pledge it is commonly attributed to Francis Bellamy a Baptist Minister and Christian socialist who claimed to have written it in 1892 in the 1920s it was amended to refer specifically to the flag of the United States of America in any case any recent immigrants got the wrong idea about which country they were reheating it wasn't until 1954 at the height of the Red Scare that President Dwight Eisenhower's succumbed to pressure from mccarthyites in
077Congress to insert the words under God into the pledge so you are pledging to the flag because of that great man McCarthy now aren't you something McCarthy what a joke yeah you are something all the while the climate crisis gets worse by the day thank you the next two speakers are Ali K and Heather vernillo good morning my name is Ali K I'm the lead behavior analyst for ese I'm speaking now as a citizen and advocate for students I'm using this opportunity to expand upon important information that must be included in the conversation around autism acceptance and advocacy according to the CDC approximately 1 in 44 children has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder studies show that while the prevalence of ASD does not differ across racial and ethnic groups white children and those of
078higher socioeconomic status are likely to receive a diagnosis earlier than children belonging to a minority group according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health Hispanic children are 65 percent less likely and black children 19 percent less likely than white children to be diagnosed with autism according to a study from the University of Pennsylvania black children were five times more likely to be misdiagnosed with a conduct disorder before being correctly diagnosed with autism while there is some research to support that racial and ethnic disparities related to autism are improving it's important to recognize that these disparities exist and the impact they have on our students ignoring these statistics can delay access to critical supports and resources and can result in disproportionate discipline additionally studies suggest that autistic people are two to three
079times more likely to identify as lgbtq plus research tells us that students with autism are more likely to be bullied than their neurotypical peers the same is true for LGBT lgbtq plus students according to a study conducted by the Trevor Project lgbtq plus youth who also had an Autism diagnosis were 50 percent more likely to attempt suicide than their non-autistic peers these statistics are necessary to include in conversations surrounding inclusion and support for all students especially in today's climate to prevent further marginalizing students who already face great adversities consider the impact of banning a book that represents a student who statistically experiences higher rates of bullying these conversations need to occur not only to create supportive and inclusive School communities but also to potentially save student lives as a member of the lgbtq plus Community
080I know how scary it can feel to be your authentic self especially right now while I can't speak to being lgbtq plus unautistic I would imagine these feelings may be Amplified for a student who may already feel isolated due to their disability we have a duty to ensure that all students feel included safe and celebrated for who they are we must consider the impacts of the intersectionality between disability race gender identity and sexual orientation on our students access to Services resources and overall well-being conversations around autism acceptance must be inclusive of all autistic students otherwise this action is performative inviting and encouraging autistic individuals specifically our students to speak about their experiences is an important step toward autism acceptance listening thank you good morning everyone my name is Heather vanillo I am a mid-level medical
081provider I am board certified in family medicine and I am board eligible in Psychiatry and I'm here today to talk to you about 504 and IEP Protections in Pinellas County my signature is on countless 504 and IEP plans as an advocate for the child and I'm here today to tell you that 504 and IEP protections are being violated every day in Pinellas County Schools Section 504 is part of a federal civil rights law and this law specifically prohibits discrimination against students with disabilities and it guarantees them a free fair and appropriate public education that is on par with their peers discrimination is defined in Section 504 as a failure of the district to provide students with disabilities the same opportunity to benefit from education programs services or activities as provided so they're non-disabled peers with
082the role that I serve in the community I have countless parents who approached me to speak on their behalf because they are afraid of retaliation by the school if they try to bring up the fact that their child is having their rights violated they fear that the minimal services that they're being provided will be taken away as a retaliation so I'm here today to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves I also speak as a parent of a child who has a disability and I have been navigating the system with her for the past 10 years I have patients that have sent multiple written requests for 504 eligibility meetings that have been ignored we are already in the fourth marking period And this is unacceptable I have another parent whose son was bullied because
083he had a 504 plan and they made him feel badly for needing accommodations these situations mentioned are not unique and that is why I'm here to tell you that we know that there are students who are being discriminated against students with learning disabilities emotional and physical disabilities are absolutely entitled to free and fair public education and I will continue to send the board written notification and to the state doe every time a parent notifies me that their child's disability protections are being violated or services that they qualified for are not being rendered especially when I know that you're getting Medicaid funding and as always thank you for your kindness and insight the next speaker is Nicole St Ledger good morning my name is Nicole St Ledger during a recent chat with my youngest a 12
084year old boy not necessarily the biggest fan of school I asked him what was important about school he answered with great teachers who are able to teach it's a pretty good answer and I know that we have great teachers here so it made me think about what was happening that would give him feel make him feel like he had to give that answer because our kids are smart they're cognizant of what's happening around them and as we've heard from amazing high schoolers at previous meetings they are very passionate about what's happening to them and their educational opportunities because what is happening in this state and in this county is damaging our children and our schools you our school board are supposed to be making sure our kids are receiving the best education in a safe
085environment your the first line of your mission statement to provide the best opportunities for all students to succeed by adopting policies to ensure continual Improvement of the highest student achievement safe learning environment and effective efficient operations yet every month we are here because something has happened a book being pulled because of an incomplete formal complaint a movie being reviewed sorry a movie being removed from a history study unit after all the parents were notified and signed consent forms these are materials that have been vetted by our experts the teachers and your curriculum people and they would not be being used if they had not been so how are being having books pulled from classes libraries and curriculum fulfilling your mission how is pulling age-appropriate movies that celebrate an American hero from Black History Month fulfilling
086your mission how are doing these things supporting our students and our teachers currently instead of following your mission and policies you are compromising the education received by these students and undercutting the teachers by allowing the vocal minority of censorship Advocates to restrict curriculum from all kids not just their own it is weakening the education that all of our students are receiving if the vocal minority of censorship Advocates really wanted to exert their parental control because I have spoken about that before they can homeschool their kids I've done that I looked at my public and private opportunities and kept my child home one year because that was the best choice and I did control what she learned and she learned a lot and it's really hard for me listening to these people say that they should
087be controlling what everyone is learning if they want to control their children's learning they do very much thank you madam chair we have no other speakers thank you all so much for attending today's meeting have a great rest of your day at this time the board will now perform its meeting evaluation