001Board of Education meeting this February 10th, 2026 to order at 6:34 p.m. >> Please silence or turn off all electronic devices. Mrs. Freeland, could you please? >> I would love to. >> Bian here. >> Mart >> here. >> Freedelland here. Grimpy >> here. >> Johnson >> here. Fer >> here. >> Bronstead >> here. >> We have a >> Thank you. like to entertain a motion and a second to go into close session for the matters of personnel at 6:34 p.m. >> Second. >> All right, that was Ron and Fister. Sorry. I was ready. >> Was it Ron and Fister? >> I can get the >> I don't think Okay. >> Oh, fine. That's okay then. Great. I will take it. >> Is negotiations too. Sorry. >> Yeah. All right. Um, Freeland, yes. Kamardo, >> yes.
002>> Grippy, >> yes. >> Mister, >> yes. >> Ronstead, >> yes. >> Johnson, >> yes. >> Keiny, >> yes. >> Motion carries. >> We're in motion. 6:35. >> All right. All right. Let me entertain a motion and a second to resume an open session at 7:09 p.m. >> Second. >> Moved by Johnson, second by Fister. >> Johnson, >> yes. >> Fisher, >> yes. >> Griffy, >> yes. >> Murdo, >> yes. >> Ronstead, >> yes. >> And Freeland, yes. >> All right, we're back in open session at 7:09. Can you all please join me in the pledge of allegiance? Algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Okay, next up is the consent agenda.
003Looking over the consent agenda, are there any items that a member would like to remove and further discuss or is there a question or clarification? >> I would like to remove uh report D C4. >> D C4. >> Yes, the job share. Let me entertain a motion and a second to approve the consent agenda excluding DC4 which includes board of education regular meeting and close session meeting minutes from January 13, 2026. Uh an edited personnel report, actual payroll bills and checks, Chromebook refresh refresh program and press packet 120. Move by Grippy. >> Second by Freedelland. >> Grippy. >> Yes. >> Johnson. >> Yes. >> Ronson. >> Yes. >> Freed. Yes. Mart. >> Yes. >> And Fiser. >> Yes. >> Motion carries. >> Okay. Let me get a motion in a second to discuss uh personnel
004report. Ded C4. >> Moved. >> Second. >> Fister. and key. Any comments or questions? >> Hearing none. Let me entertain a motion and second to approve personnel report DC-4. >> Second. >> Mr. and roll. >> Johnson. >> No. >> Griffy. Yes, >> Ron. >> Yes, >> Cleveland. Yes, >> yes, >> Fiser. >> Yes, >> Kardo. >> Yes. >> Motion. >> Thank you. Next up is board communications and first up is district recognition. Mr. Timons, you have the floor, sir. >> We're actually going to start with Mrs. Hi everyone. Thank you for being here tonight with us at Indian Grove. We're very excited to host you. Um and we're also very excited for all of our student visitors that are here with us and a couple of our staff members. So, as part of tonight's showcase,
005we would like to um display all of the ways that we incorporate literacy outside of the classroom in after school events that um staff members and students are always eager to participate in. We'll be talking a lot about how we've developed our literacy um programs this year. And so, with that, we really want to showcase um the different clubs that also speak to literacy and why students are excited to be learning about it. So, with that said, um we have three different club representatives that are here with us. Um and we are going to be speaking specifically to members from Stories and Snacks, Battle of the Books, and the Spelling Bee. So, we are going to start off with our second grade representatives from Stories and Stacks with sponsor Mrs. Brower. So, Mrs. Brower and
006students Grace and Shayla, if you'd like to come up, that would be wonderful. So, my name is Callie Brower. I'm the speech language pathologist at Indian Grove, and we would like to take a minute to share about stories and snacks, which is a club offered to second grade students. During each um session, the students listen to a story and then they make a craft that connects to that story. Um, reading and cooking are both languagerich activities that support naturally support vocabulary, sequencing, retelling, answering questions. Um, so it also aligns really well with uh the student improvement teams um goals of comprehension through discourse and also executive functioning skills. Um, some of the stories that we've read are um the smart cookie and then we decorated cookies. Dragons love tacos and then made walking tacos. Sneezy
007the snowman and then made a banana snowman. Um, and then tonight um we're giving you a little taste too of what we did a few weeks ago um after reading a book called Pop by Karen Kilpatrick. Um it's about a little colonel that um dreamed of the day that he would pop. And then after he read the book, the students predicted um and taste tested different popcorn flavors and then they discussed their preferences and debated which flavor would win. Um so I will turn it over to the second grade graders to share. >> Hi, my name is and I am in second grade. I love toys and snacks club because I get to hang out with my friends and I like to make the food. I join the club because I love listening to stories
008and being with my friends. There is always a new book and a new snack each week that is a surprise. We never get clue clues. >> Hi, my name is Shay and I'm also in second grade. Last week we read a the book about pop about popcorn kernels named Otto who dreams of popping and turning into popcorn. One day after we read the book, we did a draft of the types of popcorn we love and the most I love. The Cheeto flavor is the best. We make we also caramel butter and kettle flavored popcorn. >> Thank you Story. So enjoy your popcorn and you can try out what your favorite is. Next up that we would like to represent is Battle of the Books. So I will have our teachers, Mrs. Swed and Mrs. Alexos
009come up along with Sophia, Hannah, and Hannah. >> Hello. Good evening. Um my name is Stacy Alakos and I'm the intervention teacher here at main growth. Um this was our first year at least in recent history that our school uh participated in the battle of the books. Teams of up to four students uh each were assigned a list of 12 books uh to read and then compete. They met and practiced. We had some mock develop books. They uh studied and created little study guides and then they competed in the final battle. book related comprehension questions which is pretty exciting. >> Hi, I'm Karen Spun. I'm the ACE teacher here at Indian Grove. And one thing to note is that the battle of the books really encouraged a lot of different skills, the promotion of skills
010in students participating in these reading clubs or reading competitions. It improves cognitive function. It boosts empathy, creative skills, and collaboration. It exposes students to new genres that they might not otherwise have explored and it also gives students a great sense of accomplishment once they've read the books that they were assigned to read. We're lucky to have three members of our inaugural winning team here today. And Sophia Dragunov is going to begin by telling you how she became interested in joining Battle of the Books and how she was choosing her teammates. Hi, my name is Sophia Dragon and the reason I wanted to do Battle of the Books was because I like to read a lot and it sounded fun to be reading and answering questions with my friends. The Bananas was our team. How we
011formed our team was when I asked Hannah W and Hannah B to be on a team together and then we asked Arya. It was really fun and I'm really grateful that Miss Swed and Miss Alexo started it. One of my favorite parts of the battle was when we were told we got first. It was so fortuitous that we won and I'm really glad our hard work paid off. I want to thank everyone on my team. Next, Hannah is going to talk about >> Hello, my name is Hannah Ericson and our group of four had to read 12 books in a 3month time span. But that was not very hard for us considering we are fifth graders. We all studied very hard for this and prepared with a lot of time and thought, especially Hannah, because
012she was fidious on making sure we read all the books in time. Even though some of us were doubtful that we wouldn't get first place, we pushed through and came out on top. We were all baffled that we won, but elated at the same time. When we were grappling with the right answer during the competition, we unpacked all of the knowledge we knew about the book and tried to come up with the right answer. The books I read were A Boy Called that, Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, and Elvin H. These books were easy easy and engaging on a level that made me stop and really pay attention so I could prepare for the battle. Also, these books were not much of a challenge for me because I love to read. But I still did read
013slowly and steadily so I could have a better understanding of them. The most important part of why we won is because we read um carefully outside of school hours. Also from my experiences with reading I better understand the book I am reading if it's intriguing and fun. These books were we read certainly were and that helped us to study and understand them more. I'm so glad to have had this experience and this opportunity I could never afford. Now having the honor to be here speaking in front of all of you is just wonderful. Now I will hand it over to Hannah W to explain her experience during the battle. Hi, I'm Hannah Mitka. I really enjoyed being in Battle of the Books. It encouraged me to read more books after school. During the battle, my
014teammates and I made sure to double check our answers and ask the rest of the group if they thought it's correct. Sometimes if one of us forgot the answer to one of the questions, we would help them by talking about the book. After each question, we would compare our answers with other people's answers, and that would sometimes make us feel more confident about our answer. When M. and Miss Sweat were announcing the winners, we doubted that we would win. But after they said the third place group and it wasn't us, we knew we had a chance. The second place group wasn't our group. And when we heard that, we were so surprised. We got 16 questions correct out of 20. Being in Battle of the Books was awesome, fun, and encouraged us to read more.
015I'm so glad Miss Oxos and Miss Sweat organized this club. Thank you. Well done, girls. It is clear your determination and perseverance paid off. All right. And to round out our representatives, we have our spelling be club. We would like you to come forward, Jonathan and Dash. Our sponsor is also Miss Swed along with Mrs. Try who couldn't be here tonight. So, I will turn it over to Miss Swed. Hello again. We had over 60 students participate in the second year of our spelling scripts national spelling be. The students spent once a week for six weeks to prepare for the be. We had practice be the day before the actual competition in front of the school to help get the students jitters out and also to create a buzz for the special day. Just one
016thing to note is participation in the spelling beads help to improve vocabulary acquisition which in turn leads to better reading comprehension and the ability to write more precisely. Home memorization skills which will serve students as they are called upon to remember a greater amount of and more complex material during their academic career. Foster confidence in in public speaking. And of course, participation helps students learn resilience, which is so important in today's world. It was such a joy to see the support given by the participants that day as they marched forward through each round. So, we have our two spelling be champions, Jonathan from last year and Dash from this year to say a few words. I'm Dash. Today I'm going to be telling you how I practice for and how I get ready for dispelling.
017So the first day I got the packet, started practicing. I also made flash cards. Each flash card had the origin, definition, and the part of speech. Those flash cards were made right before winter break. During winter break, I had family over and we went on a vacation. But 90% of my free time was practicing those flashards. I'd gone over every single page individually almost twice. Then my biggest challenge came when we got back from winter break. We only had about three weeks to study those words again. Also on I was shaking on about half those words. I also needed to know the definition for the stems for those words. So my mom and I looked through all those words in one sitting about three times. Sorry. But then I was ready and I was excited
018to do spongy. Then nerve problem. I hadn't remembered a lot of the definitions. So I had to squeeze them in with some practice from my dad who encouraged me to always practice. A lot of time I also had the fifth place winner, my sister Gi, to help me practice. So I managed to get through all the words and I was ready for my day. I went through the hard some of the hard words one last time. Dad Ruby to do. >> Good evening everyone. My name is Jonathan Kenner. Today I want to tell you why I joined the spelling be. At first spelling bees might seem scary. You stand in front of a lot of people and everyone is listening to you spell one word. But that's actually one of the reasons I like them.
019The spelling be challenges me to be brave and do my best even when I feel nervous. I also like spelling bees because I enjoy learning new words. Every word has a meaning and sometimes a cool history. That's why I like spelling be. They help me grow new words and challenge me to do my best. Thank you, boys. I have to tell you, it was one of the most exciting battles back in the forex seeing these two compete. We very much wanted to select both of them to move forward, but had to select one. So, we're very proud of you both. Um, with all of that said, we do have three other clubs up here that we wanted to recognize or event. So, newspaper club, there's actually a copy shared with you in front that you
020can take a look at. um along with crafting with books and literacy night. Um craft crafting with books has just begun and they're doing crafts along with reading the stories similar to the idea of stories and snacks. And then literacy night is coming up on the 26th and this will feature a pirate theme which will also be um led by Mrs. Alexos. So something to look forward to and we hope that you can all be there. Um, but students just one last time and teachers, thank you so much for coming tonight and for all of your hard work practicing literacy in and out of the classroom. Can we give them one more round of applause? >> Does anyone on the board have any questions for the staff, the students? >> I don't have a question,
021but thank you. So I was like that was wonderful to both experience and you're right that spelling be was intense. I was able to stay for the entire time but it was it was very fun. It was really >> anybody else. >> Okay. Great job. Thanks guys. Appreciate you coming in. Open agenda for board member. Anyone have anything? I know him fair was as chaotic as ever but also very good for all the kids stars for my and being there. That was quite an event put on and other school board members from the area. So I think representative 26. >> Um I was able to attend a couple of nights at Indian Grove recently. I spent techno night which I think we also had at UPL at maybe last week. Um so congrats to all
022the teachers and staff that put that on. I thought it was really well attended. Um, a lot of fun and packed in an hour. We could rotate through different stations that featured um kind of the technical things that we kids are using in school. There was ozobots. I got to play a very competitive game of cahoot which I got smoked at. Um, everyone stole all my gold. It was very fun and there was snacks and it was just great to see families just pop into the school for a night and go into all the rooms and experience it as a family. Um, and then la last week we had a Monae night which is you're familiar with like painting and usually there's wine involved. There was no wine here but uh the really unique thing
023was that this has been an event at Indian girl for a while but this year it was they utilized Mr. Feltman who was the art teacher to lead uh the painting. So the kids couldn't have been more excited. Um Mrs. Vanak was there helping, Mrs. Kaser was helping. Had Mr. Felton's back there. The gym was packed. Um and it was just a really cool opportunity for students um to see Mr. Felman painting in his element and following along. So it was fun. Yesterday uh was uh civic connections meeting at um the library, M Prospect Library and that hosted um a plethora of elected officials. There was the village board. Uh the we were represented with Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Banini, myself. Um District 57 was there, District 59 was there. Um 214 was there. The uh
024Mount Prospect Park District was there. the River Trails Park District was there and it was really just an opportunity for all of us to network and talk about what's going on in each of our areas of expertise, our our districts, uh if you will. Um our our board was nice enough to just hand me told me to take the mic and I was speaking. So I tackled that on behalf of us and uh it was nice to to brag once again about being able to remodel three out of our four schools without going for a referendum. I like to say that often when I'm in front of the village board. Uh, so I had an opportunity to say that again last night and it was a great opportunity, nice, nice event. Anybody else? >> Just
025last thing was the music sharing um for the fourth and the fifth graders um over adorable. Um, but you know, kids love to get up and sing and show off their skills. So, and lots of instruments as well. So, thank you to Mrs. Thompson and all those volunteers. Lot of stuff going on. Next up is RTA comments. Bobby, you taking this one? Yes, sir. >> All right. Good to have you. Good evening. On behalf of the RTA executive committee and the entire membership, I'd like to thank the board of education and the administration for the excellent ongoing working relationship that we continue to have. We are in the midst of negotiations and it is going phenomenally. We have just started compensation and board has provided us with a very generous opening offer. Um we are
026trying to get back to you as quick as we can but it is a uh is a complex package and we want to make sure that we do both sides justice with our current proposal. So thank you so much. Thank you. And next up is visitors comments. At this time, I'd like to recognize any members of the audience to approach the board with their comment or question by completing a visitor comment card. Please do note that the board and administration does not respond. And if you wish for a response, please provide your name and number or email for a member of the board or administration to get back to you. Speakers are encouraged to limit their time for others to participate. A threeminut time limit per speaker with an overall 60-minute maximum per board visitor
027comments per our current policy. And I do have one tonight. Uh Courtney Zimmerman on the mic. >> That's fine. >> Okay. Great. All right. Good evening. My name is Courtney Zimmerman. I'm here as a parent and an informal representative of multiple families on the Indian Grove bus route 4. I want to be very clear at the outset. This is not about one driver. It's not about accessing private personnel information. This is about process failures, lack of transparency, and the absence of a clear district-led escalation path when families raise safety or behavior behavioral concerns. Over the past several weeks, multiple families have raised concerns about the conduct and treatment of students by a substitute bus driver. These concerns have been shared with both the district and Grand Prairie directly. Despite repeated outreach, families have received little
028to no response. The only communication we eventually received focused on the removal of our long-term trusted driver, which while upsetting was not the issue that we had raised and does not un address the underlying concern. What has become clear is this. Families are being directed back to Grand Prairie to resolve issues, yet Grand Prairie is not responsive at best. At the same time, the district positions itself as unable to intervene because the con the transportation has been contracted. This is leaving families without a clear advocate or accountable path forward. And this is especially concerning that given Grand Prairie is a long uh and large standing transportation provider. We have a multi-year contract in place and families reasonably expect that these concerns should be acknowledged, documented, and addressed in a timely manner. So, right now, there's
029no clear policy for how families escalate concerns, what response timelines should be, or how the district ensures accountability with its transportation vendor. What we're asking for tonight, we are respectfully asking the board to consider consider the following three actions. First, establish a district-managed escalation process for transportation concerns involving safety or student treatment. One that does not rely solely on the families contacting the vendor directly. Secondly, define response expectations, including acknowledgement timelines and follow-up communication to the families. And lastly, clarify the district's oversight role when concerns involve subdrivers or repeated complaints. Families understand that vendor vendors manage personnel, but the district is responsible for advocating for the students and their families. Without a defined process, trust erodess. And that's where we are right now. We appreciate the work of the board and the administration and we
030are hopeful that this moment leads to clearer policies and better communication moving forward. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you for your time. >> Do I have any other comments? comments. Hearing none, we'll move on to new business. Uh, this is for our Indian Grove School update. Just echo what Mrs. Ban shared earlier. Thank you for the opportunity to come and share. always like being able to uh you know peel back the curtain a little bit and give a peek into all the things that we have going on here that uh we are very very proud of. starting with the slide that you see every time we present. Um, you know, this really again highlights the alignment between everything that we're doing within the district. And I think my goal here with our presentation
031tonight is to talk a little bit about how we use the information that we have available to us, the information that we collect um, to turn that into these goals that align with Jod's goals and the district goals that turn into our building goals, classroom goals, and the goals that we set for our students. Um so these targets are things that I also share um in my presentations every year. These are the things that that um we set um on the onset of where we hope for our children to be um as we start our work. The goals themselves are set to be intentionally high. Um it's something ambitious, something that we want to strive for. Um they are also aligned with our strategic plan. Uh these are some of the same benchmarks that are
032set forth in the strategic plan itself. Uh and then I use this um table that I believe I also share every year to keep track of how we do. Um and this is giving me information over time. Uh a lot of the information on this comes from some of our more local data, our MAP and Ames web assessments in literacy and in math. Um, and this is just kind of a way to see are are the the students making growth? Are they how is their achievement looking? Are we servicing the students that are starting on the lower end of the spectrum? Are we servicing the students that are starting at the higher end of the spectrum? So, as we look through this each year, um, the thing that I'm most proud of is the the
033number of um, targets that we hit each year. We we are seeing incremental growth. We're seeing we started off in 2223 when I started keeping track of everything after we came out of uh everything and all of our assessments and instruction went back to normal. We were at 10 out of 22 targets. The next year we hit 12. This past year we were at 15. So we we are slowly working our way there, but that was the the way to go. Said the tortoise to the hair. Uh another thing to note that's not on here is just you know I think I mentioned this a lot when we're here. This is a high achieving building. We have 72% of our building last year um ended the year at or above the 50th percentile in reading.
03435% was above the 75th percentile. In math, about 79% of the building ended the year above the 50th percentile and 56% um at or above the 75th percentile. So um I think that's our growth has been a little bit slower because the achievement has been higher, but now we're starting to see the growth catching up, which I'm very very proud of. So some of the data that I didn't have at my presentation last year because it was earlier was the state data and this typically doesn't get shared with us until the end of October. I believe um Mrs. Seafford had shared a summary of this about all the schools back in November u which is our typical timeline because it comes to us so late there isn't much that we can do with it in
035the moment. It's not going to inform right away the way that some of our local assessment and local data does. So we typically use this as a way to either validate affirm triangulate the information that we have is is what we are seeing a trend across a lot of areas or is it something that it was a blip in one area and might not be showing up somewhere else. Um, so out of all the the state data that we get, there we go. Out of all the state data that we get, this one tends to be the the easiest to read just because it's on a 100 point scale for each of the sections. Um, the ELA and math data comes from the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, the IR. So, it's really just looking at
036grades three through five. Um, and we typically do see every year that proficiency is maxed out. Um I'll talk about growth in a minute here. The uh EL progress to proficiency comes from the access which is happening right now uh and measures how well our English learners are progressing towards English English proficiency each year. The science is the Illinois science assessment which is only taken in fifth grade and eighth grade. So it's really just representative of our fifth graders here in the building. And if you recall back to the presentation that I had uh given back in October about some of the changes to this the state assessments, the science one was the only one where the um the proficiency reaching proficiency became harder because the original goals were set during COVID and were way
037too low. Uh then chronic absenteeism, that's our score, not the amount of kids that are chronically absent. Uh and then the climate survey is just the student participation in the five essentials which uh the window is open now and will be coming up again. So the information that we're collecting now for access and for five essentials we won't see that until the summertime at the earliest. So all of this info is just for the 2425 school year. But in order for it to provide context for us, we want to look at how that compares to past years. So looking at the uh past three years of data um what I see is that this does validate a lot of the growth that I've seen on that we saw on the other chart. Um so from
038the 22 23 school year we saw a big jump in our math growth on the targets that we were hitting. Um and up here we can see that that correlates with the conversations that we had last year when we were talking about Eureka. my presentation in October, we had questions about, you know, was it the way that the test had changed or was it really because of the math curriculum that we're doing? I think that the growth here from the 44 to 67 shows us that it's probably more likely due to the awesome things that the teachers are doing in the classroom with the Eureka curriculum. So what we wanted to do is we wanted to dig into that last year. And my question to our school improvement team was what was it about that
039specific curriculum that helped students grow the way that it does? Uh and the answer that we landed on had to do with how it had students interacting with each other and how it had them interacting with the content which is how we came up with our goal last year of comprehension through discourse focus area that uh Mrs. Brower mentioned earlier tonight. So we define comprehension is the ability to acquire and actively use knowledge. And for the sake of this we define discourse as being speaking, learning and writing which is three of the four domains uh in the WEDA which is what access is measuring right now. Reading, speaking, listening and writing. The Eureka curriculum has a lot of speaking protocols that specifically asked for and allowed students to merge their thinking with the content that
040was being delivered. So, we made a buildingwide goal to do that to do more speaking, more listening, and to to live in that area for all areas, not just in math. Um, and that goal is continuing into this year with the work that we're doing. And we're beginning to layer in more of that writing piece, too. Very similar to what Mr. Hankle presented at the middle school. We share a lot of ideas. We share a lot of resources. So there's continu continuity between the things that we're doing and the things that are happening in the middle school which Mrs. Bonak is going to talk about more in a second. One thing that I do believe I highlighted in June um was some of the results that we were seeing. So we had at that time
041we did have some of the five essentials data available to us. Um and I had shared that two years ago the teachers rated the quality of student discussion as that lowest area in the ambitious instructions portion of the five essentials. Last year it was rated the highest. Now hitting on the growth piece from the uh state data, we also saw a pretty dramatic growth in our ELA growth uh from 2324 to 2425. Not quite as big as the math from from 23 to 24, but 11 points is nothing to scoff at. I think another big celebration that came out of this was the number of students that we were able to exit out of EL services last year. In the previous two years, we had exited 15 and 16 students respectively. Last year, we exited
04234. Then again, the overall index score on the bottom out of 100 points continues to mirror that that incremental growth that we're seeing from the other checkbox chart that I keep. So, all of that really tells me that we're on the right track. Um, we are making growth. We're we're um getting close to hitting the targets that I want to be able to hit. Um, so our focus areas aren't really changing that much for this year. They're going to evolve in different ways and we're going to layer things in, but the big areas that we're going to continue to put all of our our effort and our resources are getting kids to talk about things and increasing their comprehension through that discourse piece and then supporting executive functioning for all. Uh, the heart ready goal
043of executive functioning is something that we started towards the end of the year last year. Um but the feedback was that it was really helpful and we wanted it at the beginning of the year. So I'll talk a little bit about that a little a little later. The um comprehension through discourse and some of the actual planning a lot of that started when I was out on my paternity leave last year. Um so that was headed by Mrs. Vanakin and our coach Mary Flesus. So I will invite Mrs. Vanin up here to share more about that process. Thank you, Mr. Timonss. So, to speak a little bit more to comprehension through discourse, we really saw the growth that was experienced from the Eureka program and how teachers were using it being that it had embedded
044so many speaking and listening tools for us to be able to use. So with that said, we wanted to be able to revitalize our literacy units that we currently had in place and find ways to embed protocols within those so that we're really deepening the comprehension that was happening for students after reading by speaking and listening to their peers and being able to respond as such. So to start with this, we had to really figure out what the priority was. So determining what standard that we needed to focus on by the end of the unit. By knowing that and knowing what stu students needed to be able to do by the end allowed teachers to then work backwards to say how can we incorporate higher level questioning opportunities throughout their unit so that they could
045be more successful and engage in those deeper conversations throughout the process. So to do this, we really wanted to utilize our teacher collaboration and allow them to come together because they are their best resources. So in doing so, they participated in vertical articulation where grade levels collaborated with grade levels below them and above them to determine ways that they could share out what they had done with their units and how they had incorporated questioning throughout. In doing so, they started to recognize that common language was something that was so important because from one grade level to the next, if language is common, it takes a lot more off of the students to learn new procedures or new tools that they need to be using when they're doing things that are common from one grade to
046the next. So with that said, this can then lend itself to that transfer into writing where they're using a tool specifically referred to as or a procedure referred to as claim evidence reasoning or CER. This is something that now all grade levels have adopted and has been so powerful because they were able through their collaboration with each other, they were able to see tools that second grade was introducing and start to incorporate them at the beginning of the year in third grade. And the most exciting part was that students had started to recognize, wait a minute, we're doing this again. And it was really neat to see that they were able to make that connection so much quicker. Um, so really allowing students to access their prior knowledge and then develop the skills much more
047quickly and deepening those skills. So from the vertical articulation, another piece that came out of this was a common toolbox. Teachers are the experts and we want to utilize their skill sets and the tools they're using in their classroom as things in all different rooms. So if we can create a common place for teachers to pull from to incorporate discourse, what could be better than that? So I'd like to move on to show you a couple of examples. So on the right hand side here, this is a picture of um what our toolbox looks like. And so this was built by being separated into three parts. Environment, supports, and then elaborate and explain. Ultimately, we have to start with the environment. That doesn't just mean preparing the room with visuals, but it's also referencing the
048visuals when you're using them. These visuals might consist of something like sentence stems. So, I agree with you because, I disagree with you because, things like that. So, students are recognizing that while also incorporating meaningful pairings. So, they're setting up their rooms so that discourse can happen. They're seated next to each other. They know which direction to turn and talk. So all of those things take a lot of work put in place by the teachers. Then we move into the supports. This is where different tools start to come in to support them through their speaking. So in doing so, they can then move into that elaborate and explain which really starts to make that transfer over to writing. So it's very small, but it mentions claim, evidence, reasoning as one of those ways to deepen
049comprehension. to dive a little bit deeper into that. This is a continuum that was created based on a questioning um a questioning continuum created for teachers. We wanted to take this and turn it into something for students. And so how can students now use this as a way to grow their thinking? So in the middle column here is the apply section. And when we're applying, we're really deepening our comprehension, which is where we want to be, which is where a lot of our Eureka tools had existed in that apply range through the reasoning. But this is not linear. So, we're not always going to have to start with apply, but we might have to dip a little bit into literal questions to make sure they understand what was the problem, what is the solution. And
050as we see they start to grow their thinking, they can then reach into the evaluate, analyze, and create to be able to make connections to the real world outside of them. So this is just one resource to share with you as an example of some of the great work that's happening. And just a little sneak peek that we're also very excited about is how we're opening the door. And so just last week, teachers opened the doors to their classrooms and allowed each other to see different resources that they're using, how they've set their rooms up for discourse. And now that has created an even more meaningful way for them to feel confident and ready to open their doors for teachers to come and watch them teach and promote discourse. So this has been really exciting
051and we're we can't wait to see the more that comes from it. So the second part supporting executive functioning for any for uh all really comes from the work that we've been doing with NSSO uh and our NSSEO coach Kim Wymer. um she began to present to our staff towards the end of last year um about executive functioning. The we saw the value of it right away and we saw how it could be implemented because we were basically starting cart launch this year. We got a a brand new blank walls. Everybody had to kind of go through their stuff and figure out what we wanted to keep, what we needed to get rid of. We had an opportunity to set up our rooms specifically for this in mind. So, we started the year really focused
052on the executive uh functioning pieces. And while Melissa was working with the home room teachers and building some of the units, I got a chance to work with our specialists teachers and specialists um really supporting the the heart ready piece and the executive functioning piece to then support to everybody else as well. So, executive functioning, it's kind of everywhere right now um in terms of the things that that people are trying to build and the skills that we're trying to build up. Um it is compared to the control tower of your brain. It manages information. It integrates it into the things that you already know and it uses it to respond in ways that would be helpful for you. Um, this includes our abilities to uh keep ourselves organized, to plan ahead, to initiate and
053stay focused on tasks, to regulate our emotions, to be flexible, and basically everything else that we do. Um, we know that strong executive functioning skills set students up for success both now and in the future. Uh, but it's typically not fully formed until sometime in the 20s, either early or late, depending on gender. Typically, uh before your executive functioning skills mature, a child is really reliant on the adults in their lives to act as their brain manager. Um providing guidance, asking questions, helping them problem solve, and supervising their behavior. Our brain responds to experiences like a muscle. Uh and it only gets strengthened the more that you use it. So we want to give um students the opportunity to use these skills because the more that they do them, the more hardwired it becomes within
054their brains. So the focus this year um has been on the different ways that we can curate in our environment the idea of connection, predictability and consistency. Connection being relationships between adults and students, between students and students, that feeling of community, feeling of belonging and that home family connection. The predictability is being able to connect new experiences to things that you already know so you can kind of take a guess at what's happening which helps alleviate anxiety. Um things like routines, knowing um actions, consequences uh in your environment can help you better predict things that are happening next. And then the consistency is pretty similar to uh predictability. Um but we are we view that as the alignment between grade levels, between classrooms, uh between curriculum, the the the more familiarity they are with the
055tools and the things that they're learning, the quicker it is for them to pick up and then to build on that. So to showcase some of the tools that we use for that, we have an executive functioning toolbox as well. something that um our student services team is able to has been able to um add to because they have been more of the experts in this area traditionally. Um and then through our work with uh Kim and NSSEO, we she's given us a ton of tools that we've been able to practice and apply uh in our classrooms. And I've actually started to take those tools that she's been teaching us and sharing them out with families in my newsletters in January and February because these are really great parenting techniques as well. That's all we
056got for tonight. >> Does anybody have any questions? >> Go ahead. >> For Professor Timons of my 300 level IG University courses. Um, when you were referencing the the math growth and you lost me after a little bit. So the giant leap from 22 23 to 23 24. >> Yeah. >> And you were relating that back to the implementation of Eureka and that of course. Yep. >> Huge. And that was from our our teachers and the implementation of Eureka I believe. Right. And what we did was great. The discourse and the connection and the quality discussion really helped elevate that. So we did the same thing from 24 to 25. very very moderate increase. Um now expect that maybe when you get to 92 to get to 93 pretty solid lot of runway to go
057at those 60s. What I missed was what you're doing and and analyzing you know this smaller gap of an increase with Eureka in year two and adjustments that you've planning to make or going to make you what your anticipation would be for that score in 25 26. >> Yeah. So the I said the the big jump from 44 to 67 that correlates with the implementation of the new curriculum from what we were using before which was go math to Eureka which was a more conceptual different way of thinking about it. So you know we would anticipate that and then you know I I kind of see because even thinking about the the growth from there is more slow it is more incremental the things that we are looking at are this the things that we've
058been implementing keeping along the lines of making sure that we're doing the the program to fidelity making sure that we are following along with everything uh and then looking for these opportunities to build off the the Eureka curriculum spirals. So as the the more that we are implementing it, the more the students become familiar with the different terminology as we go through. That was something that um we noticed early on the fourth and fifth grade teachers had to spend a lot of time doing a lot of background teaching for for the new units early because the program presumed that the kids had background knowledge and experiences that they did not have with our previous one. Um, so that is something that I do as the kids are more exposed to the curriculum, I would expect
059that to continue to grow. But yeah, those are things conversations that we're still having with our school improvement team on how to continue to bump that up and how to continue to to see that growth. We don't now that we're focusing on other subjects, we don't want to lose the the steam that we had going. >> Okay, thank you. That makes sense. >> Thank you. Um, I just wanted to share an anecdote that relates to Miss Knock and talking about discourse in literacy. So, I was here for a Monae night. We're out in the hallway. There's a picnic table there and um my third grader says, "Mom, today we got to leave the classroom, my group of four, and we got to go to the picnic table and we had a debate about which of
060our our cult different folktales from different countries was the best. We had to defend it. We had to explain it. I get where my other friends were coming from, but I maintain mine's the best. So, he was so excited that they basically got to have this argument, but in a polite way to stand behind the folk tale, and he was so passionate, told me the whole story about why it was the best. Um, so I just wanted to share that that is being seen and and coming home to us that like the discussions and the excitement over, you know, maybe his folktale uh was he was very passionate about this. So, thank you. >> Anybody else? It seems like the uh the discourse is quite a theme here. Is this kind of a a general
061direction that you're adapting towards use in other curricular? >> Yeah. Or weaving it into other areas where you're seeing the the solid results out of the map and the Yeah. Right. >> Yeah. Yeah, and I think it's something that we're we're all both Karen, Kyle, Amy, and I are all something that we're all focused on. We could see again the the impact that it was having on just from what the teachers can see and feel and experience of what they feel like they're getting from the the students right now. Um it was definitely something that I had a lens for as we're piloting new literacy um curricula right now. and the the thing the two that we've been working with did have speaking and listening protocols built into them. Um so it's been interesting and
062fun for me to go in and see how each of these compare. So, it is something that we definitely want to keep going with that and then continue to layer in to the math to science to social studies and make sure that we're hitting on all of those um important content areas as well so that the students have an opportunity to have a pretty robust experience. >> Anybody else? >> Right. I I have one maybe two. Um so I I've been I haven't been secretive about wanting to hear about collaboration and you touched on it tonight which I very much appreciate. But what I don't want to get lost in the shuffle is I'm assuming you are also collaborating with Prairie Trails and I'd like to know if so how are you? So Karen, uh
063Kyle, Amy and I meet very frequently to to talk about a lot of things that we're doing. Uh in terms of curriculum, well I know that the the literacy pilots that we're doing right now is also happening at the kindergarten level. So, there's going to be some some um connection there. One of the things that um we had talked about was the first grade wanting to go see what that looks like in kindergarten. First grade teachers wanting to go visit kindergarten classrooms to see what that might look like. Our fifth grade teachers because um the middle school is doing one of the ones that we're piloting. They've already implemented the middle school version of that. If that's the one that we end up going at, they talked about wanting to go see what that looks
064like in sixth grade and inviting the sixth grade teachers into the fifth grade so that they can see what that looks like as well. Um there we would like we would love to be able to do more um in terms of like the teachers talking, the teachers working. Um but yeah, that's something that that we we'd like to continue to build towards, but that's in terms of planning. Um you know, Melissa and Natalie meet very frequently. Uh we I meet with Amy and Karen very frequently. Great. I just want to make sure our chipmunks don't get lost. That's all. Thank you. Anybody else? Okay. Great job, both of you. Thank you so much. All right, next up is business services. Mr. Barry, you have the floor, sir. Thank you very much. So, the um the
065report is basically just talking about seasonal staff and bringing um summer help and potentially winter break help um into the uh operations and maintenance and the technology department. This is something that we have historically done um for as long as I've been working and schools have been working in the summer. Um it's kind of you know basically when students aren't in session that's our one time to really do deep cleaning um add things to the buildings um do high levels of cleaning for the tech department to run um to refresh everything when they're able to. really those extra hands at a relatively uh reduced rate and cost really help us. So you'll be seeing everybody's all right with it. You'll be seeing a few positions coming into the first few months. Only question I have
066if I may. uh your predecessor really made it sound like the scope of the work during the off season, if you will, is going to be narrowed down quite a bit because of the remodels that we've done. The floors don't need as much work that they've had in the past. Is that coming to fruition or I mean, yes, the the building, you know, the floors we won't be waxing and and um stripping and rewaxing like we have in the past need to. Some of the floors at the middle school still need that. Um last year uh you know basically one building was um you know not used at all. So we really focused on some of the other schools uh focused on painting at the middle school. But yes absolutely three of the schools don't
067need nearly as much work. Um but also you know things are starting to not unwind but you know starting to come due at prairie trails. It's been five years. So last year some of the custod staff did a lot of work outside um and on the playground and rounds. Um so you know there's always a focus. There's always always the constant juggling of people are still in the buildings in the summer. We constantly have summer programs at the middle school. We've got our own summer school. Um we had people rent the buildings last year. So there's always extra work to be done. um but not that that routine. >> So, do you anticipate any any cost savings because we either won't have as much work or do we not need as many people >> or
068maybe I mean you know potentially both. I don't know if we need all um four potential summer maintenance helpers. U you know in the past last year we only had three again because we had a building not being used most you know for most of the summer. Um, but the extra hands, it's also the opportunity that most of our uh full-time custodians take off their time in the summer. They take their fair, >> which is also when we um appreciate them taking off in the summer when we don't have students in the building. So, >> thank you. Appreciate it. I think you bring up a good point too that these new buildings with new systems are, you know, they may not have the any issues now, but they have a whole new maintenance cycle to
069them. So, I I guess my question there, you know, with regards to prairie trails, but also, you know, you go down Indian Grove is that, you know, are I'm sure this stuff's being worked on, but so it's a little bit of a rhetorical question, but is there a focus on that as well? Not, you know, just, hey, we don't have to wax the floors anymore, but, you know, putting in, you know, being diligent about what do these systems need like cleaning vents or whatever they need, whatever the the new systems that we have, what are those best practices? And I know that those evolve over the years, too, that the vendors or the various systems might come out and say, "Hey, we recommend this, you know, they change the maintenance cycle or requirements as time
070goes on." >> Absolutely. The preventative maintenance is is huge when it comes to especially the new systems along the old systems. Um and I think you know some of the maintenance staff particularly are kind of getting more involved and learning as time goes on of the inaturies of the new systems. So, you know, the custodial staff in the past has been used to going in checking the boiler, checking the pressure, and now, you know, each each new building we have these new systems, they learn a little bit more every summer. Um, our maintenance staff is able to learn a little bit more every summer um to really take care and prolong the life of the systems themselves. >> Absolutely. Thank you. that have problems or or maintaining these systems is you spend a lot of
071money on them and plan on on having run things for for quite a while. So, you know, keeping it's like a brand new car, right? I mean, you skip an oil change early on, you're going to pay for that later. So, just you know, making sure that that required maintenance is uh you know, even on newer systems is got to focus on. Anybody else? Okay. Thank you. Next up, committee updates. NSSO is our first one. Mr. Ronson, you are a representative. >> Okay. Well, first of all, shame on me. I did not do the write up. Um I I will still do a write up and can throw that in the consent agenda or something for for next uh month or something just so we memorialize that. And uh please all do hold me accountable
072to getting that done and anybody else that's representing NSSO. So that being said, we did have a meeting. Um we did have uh uh you know make progress on things. There's a rebate. They do their annual analysis of uh of expenditures versus uh you know collections from the tuition and fees. So there's a rebate coming back to us for um I don't know if you call it rebate or whatever you call it, but there's money coming back to us for for that. Um we uh continue to run really close capacity just within the facilities. So basically out of physical space at this point still maintaining and you know one of NSSO's directives is to take every student that the member district send so and the definitely prioritize that to to make sure but we are
073you know just kind of busting at the seams a little bit and getting you know it's not a problem yet but it's it it's it's getting there. Um we continue negotiations. So, you know, meeting with with the folks there on a on a pretty regular basis. Uh we also have a new director for Sloic uh that was announced that'll be taking over in July. Um and that is what um that's what I got. Anything Jody? >> I have my report coming up so I will save it. >> Nice. Fair enough. All right, next up is the president. Does anybody have questions for him? Sorry. Make sure you have enough. Okay, the next up is the president's report. I'll cover upcoming events, district news, and board meeting dates. Uh, we've got family literacy night here at
074Indian Grove on the February 26th at 6 p.m. There's also the Indian Grove PTC movie night on the 27th, the next night also at 6 p.m. Over at the middle school, we've got Chorus, Bucket, and Steel Drum Concert on uh the 25th at 7 p.m. Pack the Place is on the 27th at 6 p.m. There's a sixth grade concert on March 4th at 7 p.m. And then the seventh and eighth grade concert on the 9th also at 7 p.m. Uh some random dates for you. President's Day is going to be celebrated on the 16th. No school that day. We will have brewing with the board on the 17th. We'll be at Mount Prospect Horizon building. That's on Kensington just uh east of Wolf. Um on the 17th from 2:00 to 5:00. Kindergarten registration for next
075year opens up on the 17th of February at Prairie Trails from 4 to 8. Uh we also have the North Cook divisional dinner on March 3rd. Uh for those who have registered, if you want to uh have Patty register, you please let her know. Uh board dates. We also have the operations committee meeting on February 23rd, 4:30 p.m. at the admin center. And then finally, we will have our next board of education meeting back at the middle school on March uh 10th at 7 p.m. And that's everything for my report. Next up is uh the superintendent report. Dr. Meg, the URL. >> Okay. Thank you. So um bringing back our discussion from December, I've presented an analysis regarding potential installation of signage on district property aimed at restricting immigration enforcement activities. Um so so in
076consultation with our our legal council short version is that um short response was that the actions can be put putting signage in the parking lots and properties could be seen as political publicity. So you'll see in my recommendation it's not my intention to navigate into those waters. You know my focus and the focus of the administration is always on the operations of the district um the safety and security of students and staff. So um ultimately this decision is yours. So that's why you didn't a clear recommendation from me in my write up. So, this is a board decision and my role is to ensure that regardless of the signage, our staff, our students are safe and our staff is prepared for any changes that come about. So, you guys know we've been working on this
077topic districtwide for well over a year. And so, um we'll continue to operate with students and staff as our priorities. So, um, moving into some of the pros. Um, so just to kind of summarize, I'm going to hit most all of them. So, pros to have postage signage would include, um, trust and safety. So, identifying our schools as safe zones could potentially um, reduce student and family anxiety. Um, it does post some jurisdictional boundaries, basically saying that our property is our property and primary function is education, not federal enforcement. Um protocol consistency. It um reinforces our existing requirements that all law enforcement really just must check in at the main office. So um those are some of the pros building trust there. Um, I think with some of the cons, um, the cons kind of
078act against the pros, if you will, in that it does lack legal authority. There's limited legal authority. The signs can't legally stop an agent with a judicial warrant. So, um, if that is presented to us, we need to act on that. um and the signs can't legally prevent anyone from um in turn using the parking lots. So, with that said, there could also be a perceived false sense of security, meaning that um you know, are we creating a promise of protection that we legally can't guarantee? Um and does that then damage the trust with the community if an incident does occur? Um, does this warrant unintention disruption? Meaning, um, does that potential for signage inadvertently draw negative attention closer to our campus rather than keep it away? And then, you know, is there the potential
079for tension with the village um or other agencies that we traditionally partner with um that have chosen to take a different direction? Um, again, all potential cons and potential pros. Um I think one other piece that the attorney highlighted was that um the misinterpretation of the district being a safe zone in that um would someone think that the buildings or the property is more of a sanctuary where ICE cannot operate and therefore might flee onto district property. So again just to summarize um those are the big points pros and cons which it was asked of me again in December. So you know moving forward or looking at the timeline there would be some costs for procurement and legal fees. Next steps for us would include, you know, just double-checking our policy, putting those pieces together,
080and I would ask Ryan to really connect with our insurance providers just to see what legal coverage we would have if um any lawsuits were to come about. So, there's really no formal action on this topic. So, I would ask you all then to have a discussion and a straw poll. Then, do we move this forward? a formal recommendation or are we done with the discussion? >> Okay. So, the way that we're we're going to try to tackle this is uh we're going to invoke Robert's rules of order, which we try to have at all of our meetings anyway. Uh so, what we'll do is everyone will have one opportunity to speak to the matter. Uh we're not going to go we're not going to continue to chime in and as other people comment to
081try to persuade anybody. Everybody's going to go and we'll go down the table and everybody can have an opportunity to state their opinion and state their their feelings on this and then we'll move on to the next uh board member and then when we've all had a chance to speak as Jody mentioned we'll take a strong poll and see what happens with this for the future. So Robert, we'll start with you. Oh boy. Okay. Um yeah, I I first I very much appreciate your your write up and and some of the considerations here. You know, I do think that they're valid. U but I do also think that we can operate in an area that accomplishes both sending to some degree this is about sending a signal or or making a political statement to um
082some point. It's funny that, you know, we're talking about engaging our attorneys and, you know, making sure that this is all legal when, you know, at this point it's pretty well documented that they're pushing the envelope, not necessarily playing within the law. And that's that's quite frustrating. You know, and I do I I I am I have been I support immigration enforcement when it comes to following a proper process, having a warrant, um being clearly identified as to what they're doing. But, you know, right now we have, you know, people from out of town that don't know our community driving around in unmarked vehicles with, you know, armed with lacking identification. And that is not I just period. We're a school. We don't want that near us. So, um I do think that um you
083know, I I would very much like to see us, you know, just walk a walk a fine line. You know, I do think it's important that, you know, in these kinds of instances, but as a community, we say that this is not, you know, even if it is permitted, we don't we don't want it we don't want it near our schools, especially. So, I I very much be in favor of a you know, of signage even I I completely understand that it is to some degree a u you know a visible difficult to enforce I I I think that it's important that communities um you know make a stand and and communicate um you know when whatever we can do in this regard. Thank you, Kim. >> First and foremost, Jody, thank you very much
084again for this summary, and I really appreciate looking at it from the pros and cons. I um while I understand um the desire to support the community in a tangible way or in a visible way, I have um I I have angst with veering or indicating in any way that we are participating in this from an opinion rather than from what our responsibility is. We are an educational institution. Our job is to educate the students, keep them safe and operate within that parameter. And so I would have more difficulty initiating a project that could number one be misleading, provide attention to the district in a variety of ways that I I don't think would I I think would be detrimental rather than beneficial. And if there were legal enforcement or actual impact that was able
085to be made with that type of signage, I would feel more comfortable with it. But if if it's actually not purposeful and if it is not enforcable, I find it hard to get behind it because of the fact that um number one, it's it's out of our purview of what we need to be doing and number two um again to be misleading, violate trusts the possibility of violating trust and possibly giving assurances that we are not in a position or in an authority to give. So, >> thank you D. >> Well, I agree with Robert. It is symbolic. Um, this is actually bigger than The moment we are in right now, what is going on in the world, we need to be aware of. When Lori Dan ran through whatever suburb that was and started
086shooting at children on the playground, the whole world changed and locked down their schools because they were aware of what's going on. We need to be aware of what's going on now. Also um we just we need to stand in solidarity with the people who are fearful. We need to stand for the rule of law. We have to make a statement and we have to be the role models for other organizations out there and other organizations, village boards, uh, county boards, there are a lot of places that are taking a stand and making a statement. They're passing resolutions. They're putting up signs. And I just want to say ICE is not law agency. I don't like it when people say we're going against the law. They are not law. Um I I'm for this. I
087think we should do this and send a message to the community and the people who are fearful for their lives. >> I'm done. >> Go ahead. Um, oh no, sorry, on such a serious topic, too. Um, so I like I have mixed emotions about this because a I want our community members and friends and everyone else to feel secure in coming to school. But I also see um the initiatives that can take place in school that are being much more effective in terms of offering um assistance um making sure that resources are available to our students. Um I think the the problem I have with posting signage is it's almost like a calling card for people um to engage in a way that I don't find supportive to our community members. Um but at the
088same time, Donna, I totally hear you. like I I mean I live surrounded by people who are already marginalized. >> Um and that's I mean and that's a challenge. Um because I I you know you don't want to see people afraid to send their children to school. My problem is is I'm not sure how the signage is going to help that. And I think that the message needs to come in the way of what we're what we're doing now currently trying to make sure that our students have support within the classroom that we're doing trainings and making sure that there are inclusion practices. Um, I mean, I I I will support um putting up signage, but I just am not 100% sure and certain on whether or not that's the best use of our resources
089in this current time of need. And I feel like there may just be better ways um to kind of utilize those assets and and not take away from the good work that we're doing with the students that and families that are definitely impacted by this. Like I mean having that evening at Uklid with the um the night of like like cultures where everybody came in. Um I mean I I personally feel like you could probably see that some like families were a little nervous like a couple of people you know that I that I've talked with that are friends. Um and at the same time they say that they feel there because of the staff and the administration. So, I I'm torn on this one. Um I get making a point. Um but I also
090see what we're doing internally to making to make sure that our students and our families are supported. Um I know I can't abstain or whatever because this isn't really a vote, but um again, I am okay with putting up the Um, I just know I I I I can't say that wholeheartedly behind it. >> Thank you, Louis. >> Um, seems like we all kind of feel the same way in general. Rehash everything. I think the procon outlines it very well. Uh, I think what my stance is very similar to means saying is is a sign the most pragmatic way to express you know support. Um I'm openminded to it. Uh I'm kind of curious now what would we say on the signs? >> Yes. And so I think that's where I'm saying I'm not a
091yes or no at this stage. I would be more definitive to say how I would feel based on what is being posted. So that's kind of where I'm at at this point. So I would say yes to to continue discussing, but depending on what we want to say is going on the sign, I feel more strongly one way or the other. >> Okay, I wrote something. So humor me because I my brain was all over the place and I didn't want to ramble so I won't. So I just want to acknowledge that I think this is an issue that we wish we didn't have to address tonight. And uh as I thought about what has happened over the past few months over the year um in the memo that we were presented I just kept
092coming back to the oath that we take as school board members. Um, and we take our oath. We committed to serving in accordance with the US Constitution, the Illinois Constitution, and the laws of Illinois, and to be advocates for our students and our community. And I think that oath matters in this conversation. And this isn't about ignoring the law or I don't think taking a political stance. It's actually about following the law and making sure our schools remain places where kids can come and learn without fear. And the law is clear. under the 14th amendment reinforced by plier and do supreme court case in the new Illinois safe schools for all children cannot bei denied access to public education based on immigration status. Illinois has been clear that schools should be places where students can
093learn without fear and as school board members we are trained to understand what fear and trauma do to children. Families in our community are scared right now. Students are carrying worries that no child should have to carry. The idea or even the fear of armed masked individuals working for the federal government taking neighbors or family members is deeply traumatic. And that fear doesn't stay outside the school doors. It walks into classrooms every day. I also think across the countries in places like California, Chicago, Minnesota, and Portland, one thing that has consistently helped families navigate fear and uncertainty is community coming together and showing up for one another. And during this time, clear communication, visible support, and shared values matter. I know this is complicated. The federal guidance that once limited enforcement near schools is no
094longer in place. And things are changing quickly as states and cities file new lawsuits to try to protect their schools and families. There is no perfect solution, but that is what makes our leadership important at this moment. At December's meeting, we asked to consider signage similar to what District 21 has implemented. And I want to acknowledge the administration for thoughtfully laying out the pros and cons. The concerns listed are real and they deserve consideration. But I also believe if we choose not to make a statement or take action, that is still a statement. Silence is not neutral. We need to be clear about the values that guide our decisions. And I believe this board should lead, not wait for others to do so. I understand that the village of Mount Prospect has chosen not to
095take action at this time and that is their choice to make. At the same time, other local governments and school districts have chosen to use their voice. The village of Wheeling passed an ordinance last November. District 21 has released statements and put up signage and District 57 is currently working on the wording of a potential resolution for review this month. We have the opportunity to define how we want our voice to be heard. Signage is one option to consider. It is not a legal shield and we should be honest about that. But it is a visible statement about what our property is for. Education, safety, and care for children. It establishes expectations and reinforces existing protocols. If federal agencies or agents attempt to use school property for immigration enforcement, they will be asked to leave.
096I also know that our teachers and staff have been fully prepared to address immigration situations and protect the safety, privacy, and well-being of our students should immigration officials come for to our schools. Beyond signage, I strongly believe we should be communicating our policies with district families and residents, including clearly communicating about what the law says and what it does not, sharing trusted immigration resources like District 21 has done prominently on its website, explaining our policies and procedures to families in plain language, including what policies we are creating for the new Illinois Safe Schools for All Act that went into effect in January 2026. And we also support a resolution being passed about our policies like district 207 passed in December 2025 which reaffirmed their policies and that they are following Illinois and US laws while
097centering student safety and well-being. This will not likely be the last time we revisit this issue. Things will change and we will need to adapt. But if we are anchored in our values, we stay anchored in our oath, the law, compassion for our families are going through, we will make better decisions as conditions evolve. I'm open to ideas about how we proceed. I see t signage as one tool, not the only one, and I support proceeding with next steps on the signage. But I also believe we must take a position communicated clearly and stand together in showing our students and families that their school sees them, protects their right to learn, and will not lead from a position of fear. During the future topic section of our meeting, I will ask that we consider additional
098future communications about our policies in a boarded resolution. Thank you. One of the things that you just said, Becky, that I really want to harp on is uh any signage that we may put out is not a shield in any way, shape, or form. Um, and and I my fear is that people who see it would think that is a shield. And if they were to be pursued by by ICE and run onto our property, they're still going to be pursued. It's not a safe zone. Uh so then that opens us up to liability issues and and and how do we then have to to deal with that? Um I'm also the the elephant in the room is I'm not the demographic ICE is after. I'm not bragging by any stretch of the imagination, but
099they're they're not coming after our demographic. So, I don't feel that I am in a position that I can tell other people what's going to make them feel better, what's going to make them feel safer. I would love to hear from our community that would be affected by this and and and what would make them feel better. I'm all ears. Uh I just don't think that a sign is going to achieve that. We're talking about an organization right now that is completely ignoring the Constitution of the United States. So a sign on our property is not going to all of a sudden deter them. Um I also feel that we have a lot of students unfortunately don't necessarily have the best winter boots, don't necessarily have the best winter clothes, may not have enough food
100in their belly when they come to school. And the last thing that I want to do is put more on their plate, so to speak, by making the students walk past the sign, you know, possibly twice a day coming to and from school. and and again making them just put something on for more for them to have to be concerned about and more to have to for them to have to deal with. Um you know the other thing is really the sign any signage wouldn't be devoted to our students. It would really be a message for the the parents and yet how many parents don't take their kids to school and that that's not a knock. My own example I I put my my daughters on the bus when they came to school. So unless
101I attended a school function, I wouldn't see the sign anyway. My kids are on the bus, they get off, they go right into the school. So I just I think we need to be careful what we who the sign is going to be helpful for, who this who a who would actually see the sign and what it would actually achieve. And according to our our legal council, you know, it has it's it's near impossible to enforce. um and and really doesn't have I don't feel has the meaning that we want it to have. I would be all for to your point back I would be all for other things that we could devote our attention to. Uh I just don't think a sign achieves that. That's my that's my status on that. So uh at
102this point we'll take a straw poll to see if this is something we want to pursue. Uh now go down this way. Yes. I'd like to know next steps. >> May I ask a question? >> Sure. >> the struggle is deterine if we are following through with the sign or other >> because that the future topic was the pros and cons of the sign. >> So that's all we're discussing right now. And if somebody wanted a resolution or something else that would that could easily be considerable, but that would have to be another future topic. The current future topic is strictly on the sign >> to keep discussing the sign or say yes, I want to sign, but not even knowing what's on there, where it's going, who's it? Okay. Just to keep talking about
103it. >> No, to go move forward with a sign. >> Yeah. She'd have to come back with an action item for the sign in the line. >> Correct. >> Okay. So be very clearly spelled out where it is, what it's saying, what they >> Yes. And >> and then we say, I like that right now. >> Yes. >> Okay. Yes. I'm for proceeding. Um much to Louis's point like I I am okay with proceeding um as long I just I want to know a few other items um within the proposal um so I can make a better decision >> ask >> well it be like yes yes to move forward yes but like in terms of yes wording insight. >> Again, I I'm all in favor of doing what we can to make our families
104uh know that we care. Uh I just don't think that a sign achieves that. So, I'm in no >> Yes. >> Um I am also in favor of um supporting our families and being clear about expectations. I'm just in favor of the sign. So I'm >> my guess. >> Okay. >> You need any direction from us moving forward? Okay. >> I appreciate everybody's candid responses. >> Okay. >> No. Okay. Got it. >> So the next thing in my report was just my um NSO operational committee update. We met last Thursday. It was our second meeting and so um I provided some general updates in terms of where they were with staffing. Um I gave you some a little bit more data on the January in service. And so some of the pieces that I liked
105there was um really the number of staff that district that participated in this January event. Um, and this is mostly our support staff, our assistants and um, you know, we had 119 staff members participate in a number of different sessions. But that that cost um, for what NSCO put together of $65,000 for that day is is just something that obviously we as a district our size like we could never provide. professional development for all of the different tiers of our staff. And so I thought this data was really um interesting and just kind of like again just shows you the power of the membership and what um that's just one piece of it. So wanted to give you that. And um and got another grant for $500,000. So that's great. And um no formal actions
106or or anything like that. So that's my report. >> What's a grant for? Um I don't remember they they get to choose um yeah how they want to use it but I yeah I wasn't sure if it was solely facilities or if that's what they're facilities or curriculum >> yeah I think their plan was to use it for windows and timber range >> but I I don't know if that's all of it or a portion of it or all of that. >> Anything else? >> No. >> Anybody have any questions for Dr. All right. Moving on, uh, we have communications to the board. We did not have any in the past month via email. We did have three foyer requests. Patty, Ron, Ryan responded to those. Those are important. Thank you for taking care of
107those. And then next up is future topics. Does anybody have any future topics for consideration at this time? >> I do. >> Yes, ma'am. >> I would like to see a resolution uh prepared regarding um immigration and ICE on our similar to what uh district 57 is doing 21207 all of the surrounding school districts. So if you want to use that as a model I that's that's it. So now you have to ask people >> I've done this before. >> Yes. >> Too many times. Exactly. Uh, I'll start off. Uh, I'm I would be in favor of a resolution. Anybody else want to jump in or you don't want me to call names? >> I I would say, you know, first of all, that was that was an inspiring, wellprepared discussion. You should have gone
108first. >> Yeah. >> Um, but I I I do think that that whatever that is, >> that that's where we need to go. That just to peace meal this like a resolution like I I don't think that's We're just doing yes or no >> on this one. >> Yes. >> Just yes or no on top. >> Sure. Yes. >> Okay. >> Anybody else? >> Yes. I think I mean I read 207s today. I was a good model. >> Yes. Okay. Do you have any questions on the topic? >> No, I mean >> I think that one could be pretty straightforward that we would put on the agenda drafted as a action item. >> Absolutely. Yeah. I would anticipate >> it doesn't seem like there's any discussion about that or pros and cons weighed differently. So,
109correct. Okay. I do have some other bullet points in my notes, but I think that from what I've seen like I think that we should have a page with 21 has a page that basically states facts and resources that they that it's just facts things the what are the law what are the resources um it also lists kind of their the policies and I know we have policies um I know staff are fully prepared and have been practicing and educated on all of these but I do think maybe after we pass the resolution or if it passes that it's an opportunity to communicate that along with these other resources. Um so it's clear. >> Okay. I'd like to entertain a motion a second to go into close session for the matters of personnel at 8:46.
110Hang on. Was that a new business item? >> No, I just wanted to clarify bring it up as a future topic if we need. Sorry. It wasn't. >> Well, what what I was asking is is that are you asking for a new business item to expand the scope of because we've voted now or we've taken a straw poll to move ahead with a resolution. Yours sounds a little bit more comprehensive like you know restating policies, putting something up on a website. Is that a >> I guess I'm not I would I guess I can raise it as new business if it >> it's a kind of a point of order. I don't know. But we don't have a resolution yet. >> No, no, but where we But so we have clearly directed to Dr. Megly
111to to work on a resolution for us. >> Correct. >> We have not given Dr. Megly direction to work on what Becky just said. >> Okay. I would like to propose uh making resources and in a letter to families about uh the resolution if if signs come to fruition like our position our district what the board has decided and put forward and our policies eventually. I don't know what the timeline is for that but I I would doubt is the future is that clear >> maybe we could get through the next hurdle. >> Yeah. you can bring it back >> um a little bit more clear. >> Okay. >> Does that work? Yes. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Are there any other future topics for consideration? >> Hearing none. Like to entertain a motion to
112second to go into close session for the matter of personnel at 8:47. >> Second. >> Moved by Van Key, second by Freeland. We will have no action taken upon the exit of close session. Oh, sorry. I'm so sorry. Uh, I'm sorry. I forgot my name. Um, so sorry. Anyways, uh, Pister, >> yes. >> Grimpy, >> yes. >> Johnson, >> yes. >> Keiny, >> yes. >> Ronstead, >> Yes. And Camardo, >> yes. We will go into close session for you.