001Oh, uh, Mia, you are muted. I'm asking Cindy through the wall. Oh, sorry, okay. Okay, I'm sorry, I was. slip into one of the staff, so I didn't hit a question earlier. If you could just let me know. Yeah, I'm sorry, so this is for Policy 1700, the disabilities issue and Issues Advisory Board. Um… Board Member Brown and I are continuing to have discussions with, um, with the Disabilities Issues Advisory Board members on this policy, and so we would like to hold it here, um. in the… in the discussion phase. So the question is, do we need to take a vote, or would we just move on to the next policy at this point? Got it, okay. So you… because it already had to go to the next stage, you will take the vote, but
002it has to fail. So, um, yeah, and then you will make the second, you make the amendment to keep it. Ah, okay. Um, at the committee level. Okay, got it. Does that make sense, um, to everyone, then? Uh, perfect. So, the question is, shall the committee recommend Policy 1700, disability issues advisory Board, to this policy's sponsor for revision approval? Any discussion? Uh, Ms. Johnson, will you please take the role? Um, Miss Oliva? No? Ms. Brown? Mr. Briggs? So there are zero in the affirmative. Thank you. Um, this motion failed… or this, um, this motion fails. Um, is there a motion to retain Policy 1700. in the, um… proposed policy presentation slash discussion category. Let's see… I think I can make that motion, um… I move to retain policy 1700, Disability Issues Advisory Board, in the.
003policy recommendation slash discussion category until the next meeting. Ms. Johnson, will you please take the roll? Ms. Oliva? Ms. Brown? Yes? Mr. Briggs? There are 3 in the affirmative. Perfect. Thank you, everyone. We'll move on to Policy 5115, Student Appeals of Disciplinary Action. Um, the chair recognizes Mrs. Welsh to provide an update on Policy 11… five, excuse me, Policy 5115, Student Appeals of Disciplinary Action. Amiya, would you mind posting that so we can go through it? Do you think it could be maybe just a tad… the print could be a… yeah, thanks, that would be good. Okay, thank you. Um, so this is a policy that we have had, um, it was called originally Student Appeals of Disciplinary Action. And, um, so there's another policy that you have that talks about appeals that 405. And
0046202 appeals. Of which will be coming up in the next week, in the next session, and I'm thinking I might actually break those two out to two separate policies so that we actually have. I looked at other counties, and they actually have, like, have a policy for 7305, which is student discipline, which is what this one's addressing, and then they have a policy for 6202, which is personnel. decisions, and then, um… 4 to 5, which are any, uh, disagreements or disputes of a decision that the superintendent has made, and all these come to the Board of Education. So, this one is specific to 7305. And, um, so it's… first of all, it was put into… improved… made it into more of our… of the. The format that we have right now, but it talks about
005the fact that. Um, the board believes that to maintain a safe learning environment of order. Um, and discipline, um, that order and discipline are necessary for effective learning, and the board encourages fostering teaching and acknowledging a positive behavior and discretion for schools to impose discipline. And then this, the purpose of this is really just to lay out the rules of procedure for the Board of Education. Um, and, um, for when it is a 7305 appeal. So, there is an administrative procedure that actually talks about what has to happen at the school level before it actually gets to, um. And then the… with the appeal office, who also then gets appealed there, and goes through a couple different steps, and that's in that administrative procedure, but this is very specific to what the steps are in
006terms of rules and procedures for the Board of Education. When there's a 7305 appeal. So, if you go through this, you'll see, first of all, extensive amount of definitions. Um, in terms of, um… The standard, basically, it talks about the appellant, who is the, uh, would be the parent who is appealing. Or if it was an 18-year-old student appealing the disciplinary action, and then, um, the standard of review is, uh, whether the decision was arbitrary or unreasonable. Um, and, uh, they determine that by if it's contrary to sound educational policy. Or, um… a reasoning mind could not have reasonably reached the conclusion the superintendent or designee reached, and if you've read any board… state board opinions, they always have a section in that talks about what the standard is, and they talk about. These particular
007standards. Um, and then there's, um, definitions for day, and day is really important because there's timelines for everything in terms of once the decision's made by the appeals office, then how much time. The parent has to appeal to the local board, as well as once the decision has been made by the local board, how much time does the parent have to appeal to the state board? So, um, this just lays out in detail what the, um. what the… the days and how they're determined. And then the evidentiary hearing is where you get to, um, um, you know, present evidence and testimony, and both the school system as well as the parent can bring in witnesses, and they, uh, can present testimony. And then, um, as far as the two areas that they're looking at, they're
008looking at either what's going to be appeal is either an expulsion. Or an extended suspension. Any disciplinary action up to 10, including 10 days is something that Principal absolute has the right to do, and therefore. It's not appealable, but the day… but the ones up until that point… so just so we're clear about the definition for expulsion. Um, so, for expulsion, it's the superintendent or designee has determined and. outline the facts that support the finding that the students return to school prior to the completion of the expulsion period would pose an imminent threat of serious harm. to other students or staff. And that the expulsion period is limited to the shortest period, uh, practicable. And then, also, that PGCPS provides the remove student with comparable educational services and appropriate behavioral support services to. promote a
009successful return to the student's regular academic program. So even when a student is expelled, they absolutely are still supposed to be receiving, um, educational, um, an educational program. And then extended suspensions then starts from any time from 11 days through 44 days, school days, which a student would be suspended. And again, it's when the superintendent or designee has determined, um, and outlined the facts that support the finding that the students return to school prior to completion of the suspension period will pose an imminent threat of serious harm. To other students and staff, and that the student has engaged in chronic and extreme disruption to the educational process that has created a substantial barrier to learning. For other students across… the school day, and other available and appropriate behavioral and disciplinary interventions have been exhausted. So
010that's a pretty high standard when you think about it, to be able to expel or have an extended suspension, because you're really looking at whether or not the student is, you know, there's an imminent threat of harm. Which, of course, safety is a major priority for all the schools. And then the fact that the student, um. just the fact that, um, if they cannot, um. they're gonna be so disruptive to the school environment that it's really interfering with the education of other students. then that would be the other criteria. And also, there's the responsibility of the school system to always look to the, uh, providing the shortest number of days for suspension. And up until… and if you read through any of the policies or procedures that talk about school. SI teams, the SIT, the
011SIT teams, um, or the SST teams. There's big conversation about all the interventions that need to put in place when the student starts to exhibit behavioral. kinds of problems, uh, to… because oftentimes, the reason you might be seeing, um. very bad behavior, could be just related to, um… it could be things that are going on in the home we're not aware of, things the student's trying to deal with, can't seem to resolve, you know, things like that. So that's why interventions are very important. to support the student. Um, and then, if you continue through. Uh, either, um, definitions… Um, there's just some… just some, like, filed or filing, uh. a decision that may be illegal. It also lays out this as in terms of decision-making for the board, is a decision may be illegal if
012at one or more… if it has one or more of the following, it's constitutional, exceeds the statutory authority or jurisdiction of the superintendent or designee. Misconstrues the law results from unlawful procedure, is an abuse of discretion, powers, or is affected by. other errors of law. And I do know that when the State Board reviews decisions of the local board, they are absolutely looking at these types of things to see, you know, to see both at the school level, when I was going through that process, and the appeals process with the superintendent, and then when it goes to the. to the school board that the board review that, did we follow all the rules? Um, and then their oral argument is that the parent and the school system that, um. may have an opportunity, can have
013an opportunity to, um, actually do a spoken presentation in front of the board. So, and the state board actually allows that, too. So that… so that is a possibility. It defines the parent and guardian, which is actually a definition that we've used in. and many of our other, um, missed policies, and then it talks about parties and, uh, party and parties. And then, presiding officer. Um, and so, um… There can be anyone, it really means the board's chairperson and a chairperson's absence, or the vice chairperson, or in the absence of benefits, a member designated by the chair person, or in the absence of such designation, a member designated by the board. Um, and so they can be the presiding officer, and then we talk about the quorum, and that is having a majority of board…
014voting board members when they're making a final decision. And then, of course, when you're referring to the state board, it's the Maryland state. Board of Education, so… When you get down to, if you scroll down further, um, yeah, then you get to what the standards are. And first, I have a section on applicability, so where does this apply? And this policy governs proceedings that arise from the, um, Maryland Code Section 7305D5, and then COMAR. on appeals from a determination by the superintendent designee related to extended suspensions and expulsion. And then, um, the board reserves the right to request that the parents submit additional documentation of information, and. The board also reserves the right to hear oral argument after the hearing has been held. Um, withdrawal of appeal, the, um, the appellant, who would be the
015parent in this instance, may withdraw their appeal at any point during the procedures. Um, if both parties consent. Um, and if there's no mutual consent between the parties, provided then the appellant doesn't, uh, does not have, uh. Another proceeding currently pending before the board. They may withdraw their appeal at any time prior to 5 days before the commencement of the scheduled hearing or argument. Um, and then, uh, any time before the board issues a final order. They may also request that the presiding officer permit the withdrawal of the appeal. Um, you know, if that's… if that's what they want. As far as a designation of a hearing officer. Um, the school board… the school board, um. Um, can designate a hearing officer who actually conducts the actual hearing, um. The evidentiary hearing part of it,
016and gathers, you know, all the facts, and then, um, basically. Um, and there's these… I have a list of all the requirements that are in the law for who can be a hearing officer, so they have to meet many of these different requirements to be a hearing officer. And most school systems might have a list of hearing officers that they've vetted to make sure they've met all the requirements, and then they rotate using different hearing officers for different. Uh, for different appeals. Um… And then, um, the hearing officer basically, um, will present… review everything. And, um, we'll present, then, a record of proceedings and exhibits to the board, and then make available to the parties upon written… and the parties, and the hearing examiner's findings of fact, conclusion of law, and recommendations. Um, to the
017board and the parties, but then it's still, ultimately, the board's decision, after they have reviewed all the recommendations from the hearing officer. Um, and, you know, have had an opportunity to discuss it, whatever, then ultimately, it's still the board's decision to make, uh, to make a decision about, you know, does the… suspended, uh, suspension or the expulsion doesn't stand. Or are you going to do away with it and take it off the student's record, and the student won't be expelled or suspended? In essence, the hearing officer is really going through everything and providing all the information so that the board then can make an informed decision about what, um, you know, how to proceed. Um, this thing goes into a lot of information related to initiation of appeals. Um, in terms of, uh, timelines. Um,
018and then, um, what has to happen, um, and I'm not going to go through every single one, but it talks about the… that immediately, the superintendent designation immediately orally advise the parties of their right to file an appeal to the board within 10 days of the final decision of the letter being issued. So that's a letter that's issued by the Office of Appeals and Hearings, who is the designee for our superintendent. So then the parent… the parent does have that opportunity then to do that. Um, and then, uh, let's see, uh, being issued a request for an appeal. are acceptable as our appeal is filed in person or by U.S. Mail. Uh, and if a pillars are filed by U.S. Mail, the filing deadline shall be extended by 3 days. That's good, because. Mm-hmm. Sometimes
019the US mail is not always on time and stuff, so that's very good. Um, and if a notice of appeal is not filed within the time period set forth. then the board will, uh, shall dismiss the, um, appeal for untimeliness. And the same thing happens at the state board level. If the appeal doesn't get filed with the state board within their, uh, particular time. And then if you scroll down further. Um, it says that, um… Upon receipt of the timely notice of appeal, um, that the, um. It will be signed a case number, so this is probably, I'm thinking, the board office assigns it a case number. And then the board office will consult with the appellants, or the appellant's representatives. And the superintendents doesn't need to schedule the hearing. And once that hearing date
020is selected, the board shall refer the matter to a hearing. And I should say, so I put this all together. But this is your opportunity, because if you're saying, well, wait a minute, we don't do it that way, or we do this or that, unless it's something that's against the law, you absolutely can do it the way you want to do it. So, I'm just letting you know that this… I've reviewed a lot of things, and it's also in line with a lot of what we have in the 60202 and 4205. Um, uh, policy. And then the hearing's going to be conducted as soon as possible. Um, after, um, receipt of a time request of a hearing, then a request for a postponement may be filed with the board office. If there's a need, but
021all postponements must be submitted no later than 5 business days prior to the actual, um. scheduled hearing, um, unless there is a showing of good calls, and then, um, let's see, the board office must send the request to. other parties within two business days, and then the other party will have two business days to respond. So it's pretty tight, uh, timeline in there to… back and forth so that, um. you know, that we've… that should be followed. Um, let's see… and then, when an appeal is filed, the principal and the principal supervisors, which would be the instructional director. Um, and the Office of Appeals and Hearing would be notified, um, because usually when there's a hearing, uh, uh, generally speaking, the hearing examiner's going to want to hear from the principal. Um, possibly, if there's
022a teacher involved, you know, whoever, um, and then, um, to be able to really make a good decision. And then, um… The information below actually applies to both, um. hearings and oral arguments before the board, um… Um, and there are times when there's a particular circumstance that sometimes hearings and oral arguments may be held virtually. I do know the Office of Appeals, uh, and hearings, they run most of their hearings, uh, virtually. Uh, I'm not sure… and you all know more about it, because you do it all the time, so I'm not sure what they… you do it at the… at the school board level, but it's certainly an option. Um, and then, generally speaking, especially for students, most of these hearings, they must be private, unless the parent would request that it be a
023public hearing, and then it could be a public hearing. Um, and then there, um… the pre-hearing issues, both the appellant and the superintendent are really encouraged to stipulate. to the admissibility of documents right from the beginning, because that does, um, help. or cut the amount of time that's happening in hearings. And then the Superintendent shall provide the, um, account, which is the parent with the school system's witness list and a copy of the documents that the school system will present. Um, at the hearing, um, no less than 5 days before the hearing, and the account is encouraged by the superintendent with the appellant's witness list and copy of the documents. that the appellate will present at the hearing no less than 5 days before the hearing. So, I know this, this is pretty extensive, um,
024but many of these parents, when they are deciding to appeal. Many times, I'm thinking they probably do bring also attorneys, um. To argue their cases, and if they do have an attorney, unfortunately they don't, that's a different story, but if they do have an attorney, an attorney is very familiar with these timelines. And then, um, all parties may be… have bring counsel to the hearing, and the parents and students shall advise the board if they are represented by an attorney. Our other representative, um, promptly after retaining counsel. Um, let's see, our records of the lower meetings, disputes, and contravers shall be kept. by the superintendent so that if an appeal to the board is taken, the record shall be submitted. And then, um, and that would be the, um… Uh, Office of Appeals. They would
025be maintaining those records, and then the presiding officer shall, uh, prepare a call to be prepared, an official record. Uh, which shall include the pleadings, testimony, exhibits, and other memorandum or materials filed in the proceedings. And then, the last thing is that electronic record of that part of the proceedings, which involves presentation of evidence, shall be made at the expense of the board. Um, the record need not be transcribed, however, unless it's requested by the presiding officer or party to the controversy, the superintendent, the board, the state superintendent of schools, or the state board. So, um, it doesn't have to be transcribed, but if you're getting requests from any of these people, then guess what? It needs to be transcribed, so… And then, in the event that it is transcribed, it is the board's executive
026responsibility. to arrange for its production, for its delivery of appropriate parties. The cost of any type of written transcription of the proceedings, or part of any proceedings, shall be paid by the appellant or the board, or board. Depending on who requested to the transcript. So, if the school board requests, then of course they're going to pay for it. If the parents request it, they'll pay for it. Um, and then duties and authorities of the presiding officer. So. The presiding officer shall have charge of the hearing with authority to permit the examination of. Uh, witnesses, evidence, rules of miscibility, rules of request for continuance adorn or receive, sort of like the judge. And a regular court case where they are making these kinds of decisions. And the presiding officer calls an oath to be amissed to
027all witnesses testifying in the proceeding. Um… now, it says here the superintendent may administer the oath to witnesses. But, of course, that's a… that's, you know, not a requirement, that's, you know. something that may happen, but you don't have to do it. And then each oral argument before the board shall be. Hell, before not less than a quorum of the board. So, if you're going to… if you are going to allow, uh, oral arguments by the superintendent or the, uh. parent, then you must have a Court of the board present to do that. And then it goes into order of proceedings. And just the whole step of, um… Uh, let's say, what's gonna happen when the parties present their case? So, at the also of the hearing, the parties may make a brief opening statement.
028Again, they're making their opening statement, like you would see in a court case. Um, which an appeal is taken, and then the issues that they wish the board to decide, and then the superintendent designee and the student or parent, or their representative shall advise the presiding officer if there are any stipulations of fact, the stipulations as to the mission of any. documents, um, and such stipulations are strongly encouraged when appropriate. And then the superintendent designee shall proceed first. And the president… that presentation of evidence. And then followed by the appellate, and it is appellate that carries a burden of persuasion in these hearings. Um, each… after each party has been given the opportunity to make opening statements and to present documentary and testimonial evidence. Then the presiding officer shall then afford each party the opportunity
029to present closing statements. Again, just, like, reminder, just like a court case. Now, the section in terms of examination of witnesses and introduction of evidence. Um, so… so when you think about strict judicial rules of evidence, if you were in a civil or criminal case, they're very strict, but… and when it comes to a hearing like this, they're not… There are strict rules of evidence shall not be applicable to hearings conducted under this policy. Uh, in each case, the test of admissibility shall be whether the evidence is reasonably relevant to material issue and whether it has substantial primitive value with respect to such. a material issue. You know, for example, um, sometimes you see people that will provide lots of evidence, and it's the same… it's different types of evidence, but it's actually for the
030same reason to prove such and such. Well, that's repetitive, and that sometimes you're hearing officer will. object and say, no, you already provide this information, you're wasting our time providing more of the same. Um, and then, um… Let's see what else… hearing's conducted on this policy individually or by the council or rep may submit evidence, examine a party individually or by or through council may present evidence examined and cross-examine witnesses. and make objections and file motions. Again, it reminds you, like, a court case, and then, um… The presiding officer, so even though, um. You have your attorneys that will support you, um, that will represent you in these cases. The presiding officer can also stop and ask questions of the witness. And then… and this is very extensive. So, normally our policies don't go into
031this kind of detail, but this is your policy. And generally, you do not do administrative procedures for… this would be something you'd probably see in an administrative procedure because of the nature of it, though, that's why it is in such detail, so that you know exactly what are the steps, and this hopefully provides guidance on how. You would, um, complete these things. And then, um… You can also present… the parties can present written memoranda of the issues and facts of laws, and then, with the approval of the presiding officer, and on such schedule as the presiding officer may designate written memorandum may be submitted after a hearing. Um, and a lot of times in cases like this, the hearing officer will say, even for closing arguments, instead of providing closing arguments, we will end the
032hearing now, but you will be given 30… the first. You have to give them 30 days, basically, to then provide this information to the hearing officer, and then he will read everything and review it. Uh, and hearings, um… Uh, so it says, in hearings and oral arguments conducted by the board, the Board may retain. An attorney who is not employed by the Board's Council of legal office, if that office is representing the CEO… I'm sorry, that's a mistake here. That should be a superintendent and proceedings. to participate in any hearing or oral arguments as counsel for the board. And I had that highlighted because I didn't know, uh, exactly. Uh, does our board's counsel, are they the ones that represent this, the, um, the board in these cases, or do you actually, um. hire a
033special counsel to be able to. Uh, represent the board in these cases. I don't know. It represents the superintendent, I guess. Uh, let's see, the attorney who is not employed by the Board's Counsel Legal, is that office representing the CEO and proceedings. I guess it would be general counsel, really, more than anything. Um, that would represent the superintendent. Then, um, your standard review is arbitrary, unreasonable, or illegal, so anything. Any decision that has to be made has to be reasonable, it can't be arbitrary, and it has to be legal. Uh, and again, the opponent has the burden of persuasion. Um… Uh, let's see, um… And this numbering is off. Okay, the board… so in terms of deliberation decisions and orders, the board, in reviewing the hearing examiner's recommendations, this is after a decision's been made
034call. As a witness, any person who says may be relevant and material, any witness that is so-called. shall be caught in a session that is open to both the parties and their council. So you get the decision from the hearing officer, and you're reading this, and you say, we need a little bit more information, so you can have. I'd open… it says an open session. Is that correct? Did I read that correctly? Uh, no, open to both parties. You can have a specific session at which then you as the board would bring in these people, and you would, um, you know, question them and everything. Um, and of course, you would be sending out notice to the parties. And then, after deliberating on an appeal, an executive session, the board shall vote at the next
035open public business meeting immediately following the executive session. And identifying information of the student and parent guardian will not be revealed at the public business meeting. So generally, I think if I recall, you might have. Uh, a section at the very end of your open meeting where you'll say, we're going to vote. on items from the executive session. It's pretty general, but that's when you do your voting. Um, because it does have to be an open session. Um, and then, um… the board show. So finally, after the public business meeting, the board shall issue a final written order within 5 days indicating the Board's decision and reasons. And if the board does not accept a hearing examiner's recommendation, the board's written decision shall set forth the Board's findings of fact. Conclusions of law and the
036specific disposition of the case and the board's rationale. And, um, that is… that's really important, that piece, because you want that to be as substantial as possible, only because if the party does decide to appeal to the state board, that's going to be important information that the State Board's going to look at. And then the Board's written decision shall advise the parties, um, their right to appeal the board's decision to the State Board if taken, um, taken in writing within 30 days of the date of the written decision. So. the parents do have, or the school system, for that matter, they do have, uh, they have 30 days to appeal. Um, it wouldn't be the… it would really be the parents. They would have had 30 days to appeal, so now they have a little
037bit more time. To get prepared and make a decision if they want to appeal the decision. And then, um, the board's written decision shall be issued within 45 days from the date of the appeal was received. So there's a timeline then for the board in terms of actually after they get, um, all the information from the hearing examiner, uh, developing their written decision. And, um, um, you know, issuing it within 45 days from the appeal. Um, let's see, uh, and then, in the event that, um. Uh, there can be a request for an extension of time. If due to extraordinary circumstances or unusual complexity. The board, uh, determines that it will be unable to hear an appeal and issue a decision within 45 days, the Board may petition the State Superintendent. So, if you can't
038meet the deadline to be able to do it, then that's something you would then… and I know this has happened before, where they would then contact the state superintendent and get, um, uh, permission to be able to. Um, you know, extend the timeline. Um, and then, as far as ex parte, uh, communication, just like it is when you think about… if you watch anything on TV with hearings and stuff, you cannot be talking to the judge. And that would be the same situation here. And then extensions or shortening of time for good calls, the board, upon its own motion, or at the request of either party, may at any time shorten. or extend their time provided under this policy for filing any documents, providing any notice except in those instances where the time is specified
039by state law. And then, um… Let's see what else. Uh, I think I took all that out. I think that is… I think that's it. Believe it or not. And then we get to implementation responsibilities. Um, so now this does say the superintendent is authorized to develop an administrative procedure to address this policy, and I… and now that I'm looking at this, I have to say that after I spent so much time with this. I'm not sure there's… I'm not sure what you'd put in the administrative procedure when you have all this information here. I will double check on that to be certain. And then, the other thing is, the board office should provide an annual report to the board, setting forth the most recent completed school year, the number of the appeals filed, the
040number of appeals filed by bargaining… that's incorrect. Oh, I know, that… That was not highlighted. I know why I was asking the question. So that is language we have in the other one, and I wanted to know whether or not, as a board, as a committee, that you would want to have that report by the board office in terms of the number of appeals filed as it relates to 7305. And if you do, then I will, uh. revise this to incorporate that information. And that's something you can tell me, and then I can get that taken care of. And that's it. That's it. Okay, thank you, Mrs. Walsh. What a, um… what a detailed, um… policy, um, I'd like to open it up for questions, open this up for questions, um, from my colleagues. Um,
041Mr. Briggs. Thank you so much. Um, Mrs. Welsh, I had… One, I guess, question… for an addition here, and this was for Standard 3, Section B, which is designation of hearing examiners. Um, one of the things that I really think would be. good to kind of maybe spell out is how we actually select the hearing examiner, so it states that we selected. But whether that's referencing another policy, or it's outlining the actual process for that. Um, I think that would be something that I would love to see in this policy. And then the other piece is, um, you mentioned in also that same section, I believe it was number 3 or so. that number 4, um, a hearing examiner's kind of responsibilities for providing evidence-based. Um, rationale. In the event that that doesn't happen, um,
042because we know that people are flawed and they make mistakes. Um, what is… it would be nice to have, like, a clear process for the board to understand how we would remove a hearing examiner. Um, if they continuously. are presenting information that isn't, you know. well vetted and thought out. Um, so that we can ensure the integrity of the appeals process. So, those are two things that I would add in. Um, to that. Okay, that's good. Can you… when you were… the first thing you said, section… 3 or 4 in the beginning under the standards. I don't want to miss it. Yeah, it was, um, section… So, uh, standards, and it's B. Which I believe is a designation of hearing exams. Yeah. B, okay? And you were saying you wanted to know, so it does
043say that the board shall interview and select individuals, and then it says the three criteria. So you're asking. For more specific information on how you would select that hearing officer. Well, I guess my thinking is, um, and thanks for asking the question, I was actually thinking we… since I've been on the board, we've never actually selected a hearing examiner. So I don't know that we necessarily know what their process is, and I think if we lay it out in this policy, then at least we'll have step-by-step process, or at least a high-level. Um, you know, beginning point. Or how we can address it yet. Okay. Okay, we can do that. Thank you, Mr. Briggs. Ms. Brown? Yes, thank you so much, Vice Chair Olivio. Olivo, excuse me. Um, this is to… Vice Chair Briggs point.
044is there even a reference point as far as how the board is supposed to… like, because you said, oh, the board is supposed to hire. The hearing examiner. is that gonna be referenced in the policy if there's a policy that's already done? Because obviously we don't want to reinvent the wheel, but if this is known information, I put this in quotes. is that going to be referenced in this policy as well? For how you… see, how you go about the process of actually hiring a hearing officer? Hmm. I can… I can… I can certainly add information about that. Uh-huh. Yes. Yeah, because you noted that the board is supposed to hire, so I didn't know if that was… something that was already established, and if it is established, if we can add that, you know,
045to the references or appendix, or how we do things. Okay. Thank you. Great. Thank you, Board Member Brown. Are there any additional questions or comments? Okay… Seeing… seeing none, um… let's see, the question is… Shall the committee recommend Policy 5115, Student Appeals of Disciplinary Action to the Policy Sponsor for revision approval? Any discussion? Ms. Johnson, will you please take the roll? Ms. Oliva? Ms. Brown? Aye? Bye. Mr. Briggs? There are 3 in the affirmative. Thank you so much. Um… Let's move on to policy, um, 3186. cost estimates for board resolution. For board resolutions, and this is a rescission. Um, the chair recognizes Mrs. Welch to provide an update on Policy 3186, Cost Estimates for Board Resolutions. So, actually, I, um, I'm ahead of myself, and I think what happened was the other policy. That we
046had, which was for a revision, had to do with, um, proclamations. And what we had thought about was putting proclamations and resolutions together in the same policy. Um, because we do have one in the 9000s that talk about proclamations. Unfortunately, I think what happened when we added the other… all these additional policies, that one got taken out. Oh. And this one… this one remained as a rescission, and I didn't… I missed it completely, because I wasn't thinking about the till I was merely trying to get a… update the… what we were going to do, the policies, because of, you know, Dr. Moss had requested a couple additional ones. And so, I think what we need to do is we need to go back and actually. grab the policy that has to do with the resolutions,
047and if you don't mind, we can work on that one. And then… and incorporate this one into that one, and then… Once that's happened, then we can rescind this one. So, I think that would probably be the smartest thing to do. Okay, um, that does make sense. Um… I would, um… so, based on what happened earlier, my guess is that we do need to take a vote on this, but that we would vote no. on this, um, in order to… Be able to bring it up again in the future. Um, is there any… any questions or discussions about that? Mm-hmm. Okay. The question is, shall the committee recommend Policy 3186, cost estimates for Board Resolutions to the policy sponsor for revision approval? Any discussion? I've asked that, like, 3 times, sorry. Um, Ms. Johnson, please
048take the roll call vote. Ms. Oliva? Ms. Brown? No. Mr. Briggs? There are zero in the affirmative. Okay, thank you. Um, so we will be able to bring this policy back up later, as Mrs. Welsh, um, recommended. We, um… I would like to ask if it's possible to rearrange the agenda. Um, and this might need a motion to move, um, 8.0 policies for second consideration, to be the last item on the agenda. Um, in order to give Dr. Moss the opportunity, um. to join us, um, for… for that particular agenda item. Um, is there… is there a move? from, um… I'd like… well, I'll… I'll put forward the motion to move item 8.0 below. Item 9.0? behind… below the items… items under 9.0. Is there any discussion? Okay. Ms. Johnson, can you please take the
049role. on that motion to move to swap, um, 8.0 and 9.0? Ms. Oliva? Bye. Ms. Brown? Mr. Briggs? There are 3 in the affirmative. Thank you so much. Um, so let's… open up, um… 9.0, policies for third consideration, um, to advance to the full board for enactment. We have policy… 5122, requirements for participation in Interscholastic Activities. and policy 0105, Parent, Family, and Community Involvement. The policies under agenda Items 9.1 and 9.2. were submitted for public comment. There are no public comments on, um… 51221 public comment was received for Policy 0105. Hmm. Parent, family, and community involvement. Um, the chair recognizes Mrs. Welsh to share the comments received on Policy 0105. Mir, can you… can you post those? Can you put them up so we can talk about them? Okay. I think if you scroll… okay.
050Okay, that's good. So the first one, 0105, which has to do with family and parent and community involvement. Um, as a parent, this lady has said, as a parent of Prince George's count… oh, wait a minute. As a parent of Prince George's County Public Schools, uh, they do appreciate our continued commitment. Uh, to strengthening that policy. Um, the language of the policy clearly recognizes the student's success. However, I urge the policy and governance committee to strengthen this policy by ensuring. Accountability, consistency, and transparency in its implementation. While the policy outlines strong expectations, many families continue to experience inconsistent communication, limited opportunities for meaningful input. And uneven engagement practices for schools, uh, school to school without clear. enforceable measures and defined outcomes. The policy risk being, um… aspiration rather than actionable. So this, this particular parent
051is requesting that we put some language into that policy so that it would address accountability. In terms of the things that we have talked about. I know there's many sections in that policy, um… That are requirements of the school system. And then, that's cut off, I think. I urge… I urge the Policy and Governance Committee. So I looked at that earlier, and I… couldn't see the rest of it. Oh, here we go, yeah. Um… Okay. And then, okay, good. I see it. Okay, and I also asked the committee to clarify how feedback is used. and decision-making at both the school and district levels. Uh, families need to know that their voices. Um, to measurable… lead to measurable changes, not just opportunities to speak. Additionally, equity must be reflected in practice by ensuring multilingual families, working
052parents. Uh, caregivers and families and students with disabilities are actively supported and not. Intentionally excluded. Finally, I encourage the committee to make the required annual report of this policy publicly accessible. And parenting with opportunities for families to review and discuss. Can you scroll for just a tad? Mia, so we can… oh, yes, thank you. Um… To review and discuss the findings, transparency builds trust and trust in essential authentic engagement. Um… So I… the only thing I would caution is that. There's many ways to do the things that are in the current policy, and. there… and schools, and I… I mean, it is a system of schools, however, schools… They have different communities and, you know, they're run sometimes… and I want to say differently, but there's just different ways of how they… They operate, um,
053not say that they should not be in compliance with what's in this policy. But I don't know that you would want to be too restrictive, only because. some schools are, you know, quite imaginative in terms of the things that they might do. Um, and… and others may be doing it a little bit differently, so I don't know, it's just a thought. Thanks, Robin. Um, I do think this is an important comment, and I also, um… agree that, um… because this is a system-wide policy. We… we do run the risk of being too prescriptive. with it, um… I wanted to open this up to, um, Board Member. comments or feedback as well, especially regarding if you'd like to make any updates to the policy based on. Um, this public comment. Oh, I'm sorry, I just lost…
054Um… okay. Um… great. Go ahead, Mrs. Walsh. The only thing that I would, um… think about is… here's where she said, or he said, about the accountability. Um, that… and I would agree with that, that, um, there's… And I would… I'd have to really think hard about how. That could even be dumb, but… and I don't think we do have any language at all in the policy that really talks about accountability. But yet I know we have language in the policy that talks about, like, what teachers are supposed to do, and what principals are supposed, you know, that type of thing. So, uh, and I'm just trying to think about. like, what length… like, what we need to do, but maybe that's something to at least look at in terms of the accountability piece. to
055ensure that schools are doing. Um, they can do it in their own way, but they need to do it… they need to be doing it. There needs to be some level of accountability. That would be the only… that would be a recommendation I would have. Okay, thank you. Mr. Brights? Yeah, thank you so much. I think, um, my… I guess my thinking on this is that it's sort of difficult to enforce accountability across schools. One, I think to the point that. Mrs. Walsh was making that various schools have different approaches to things. Mm-hmm. But then I think, too, to the point that the, um, the commenter was making, which is that, you know, we don't want this to be aspirational, it doesn't have teeth. But it's… it might be disingenuous to suggest that having this
056in a policy means that we are. enforcing it in some way across schools. Um, in an even-handed way, and so I'm wondering if there's time to think more about. how we would do that, how we would implement this. I think maybe if we have some more time to think through, because that might be just a cultural shift. At the, uh, the system level, um, and what that means, and this could be something that's included in. Mm-hmm. principled evaluations, right, meeting certain requirements, um, and that may be a workaround to what they're getting at in the policy, so I'm wondering if it… if, in itself, if we're staying true to what the comment was, which is not being aspirational, and actually having those account… He's just thinking about where is the best place to do this,
057and it may be this policy, but it might not be. Mm-hmm. Um, and that's my thinking. Mm-hmm. Thank you, Mr. Brinks. Mrs. Brown, Board Member Brown? Yeah, so when I was looking at the comment, I… I feel like we're really close as far as the line between. administrative procedures in board policies, especially when it comes to accountability. Mm-hmm. Um, when it comes to the schools, yes, we provide oversight, but I feel like when it comes to that accountability piece. Um, we would have to look to make sure that it doesn't contradict. administrative procedures when it talks about accountability for our schools, our teachers. Mm-hmm. Um, and things like that. I didn't know if there was anything additional. Well, actually, based on what you said and what, uh, Board Member Briggs said, I'm thinking to myself,
058well, actually, what you could do. Thank you. is, um, in the implementation section, talk about the fact that the superintendent will develop an administrative procedure to implement this policy, which will also include an accountability piece. And then, then it would be the people responsible for putting that administrative procedure together that they could. They could bring it down to that school level to really have a conversation and make a decision on maybe what would be the best way to go. To do it. I'm just thinking that might be the better way to go. I don't know, just a thought. I am wondering if it might be possible for us to pause this discussion and move back to 8.0. Um, now that Dr. Moss is here, so that we can take a vote on that one, and
059then move back forward to this, um, to finish this discussion. Would that be okay with folks? Okay, terrific. Um, so we are now moving to item 8.0 on the agenda, policies for second consideration, public. um, public comment. Um, the question is, shall the committee release the policy under Agenda item 8.1 for public comment? Is there any discussion? Yes, Mrs. Walsh? Okay. I did want to point out that I did add a few things to the policy, uh, based on recommendation from OGC, as well as trying to make… also include clarity, so we want to just look at that very quickly. We could. if Mia could put it up. It's not many changes, but it's really more about clarity than anything. So if you scroll down, um… me out to the second page. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And
060I highlighted it so we could know for sure. So these are, um… we talk about the principle in buildings, but you know, we have a lot of buildings that have business, you know, like Sasser, and uh… where we have all our operational stuff and everything. And we never… and we talk about principal slash designee, but it doesn't really talk about who's in response… who's responsible for. for the, um, those buildings, and they do have designated building administrators, so I wanted to provide a definition for that, and I do see. And I used what we've used in other policies for designated building administrator. I need to change the CO to Superintendent, but that was one. And then, um, to provide more. Mrs. Walsh, if I could… I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry to interrupt. Um, we
061only have Felton for about 30 more seconds, and so I would like to move, um. Oh, then, well, we can go back and do it. There's nothing significant. To the… to the vote, so that we can… and this will go out for public comment, and so we do have a lot of time still, um, based on public comments, which I anticipate will be. Um, robust, um, to take another look at this. Um, the question is, shall the committee release the policy under Agenda item 8.1 for public discussion? Any discussion? Okay, thank you. Ms. Johnson, can you please take the roll call? Doctor Moss. Ah. Miss Oliva? Ms. Brown? Aye. Given my professional role with the federal government, I'm going to respectfully abstain from participating in the discussion and. Thank you. Mr. Briggs? There are 3
062in the affirmative. Hi. Thank you so much, Mia Johnson… thank you so much, Ms. Johnson. Um… There are 3 in the affirmative, the policy under agenda item 8.1 will be released for public comment. Um, thank you so much, Dr. Moss, um, for being here. I know you're in the middle of a. Um, of speaking at a conference, um, so really appreciate it. Okay, thank you, everyone. With that, we can go back to, um… Uh, our policies 9.0, um, we were specifically discussing the parent, family, and community involvement policy. And I think based on what Mrs. Welsh was, um, was, was discussing, um, the question is. Or a question for consideration would be if the board would like to add, um. the requirement that the superintendent create an administrative policy here that would. um, outline accountability
063measures. Um, for this policy. Um… So I would open… open that idea up to discussion from the board. Board Member Brown, please. Yes, thank you so much. So, my question is, did they give specifics? Because it seemed a little vague as far as accountability. Hmm. Um, and so… I'm not exactly sure what the ask is. are with the primary ask is… Um… it just seemed really broad, so if there was something that they wanted to. zero in on, I would feel more comfortable. understanding and voting for it, I don't know, maybe we can ask for additional… information, uh, before moving it forward, but to me, the… the statement seemed just a bit vague, and I wasn't really fully understanding what to ask as far as. Mm-hmm. So what they say is the, um, she urges
064the committee to strengthen this pause by. And you're right, and it says, ensuring accountability, consistency, and transparency in its implementation. Um, uh, then this says, while the policy outlines strong communication expectations, many families continue to experience. So she's talking about, I guess, her own personal experiences, inconsistent communication, limited opportunities for meaningful input, and uneven engagement practices from school to school. Uh, without clear enforcement measures, the defined outcomes, uh, this policy. risk being aspirational rather than actionable. So nothing specific, it's really more general in terms of accountability. Mr. Briggs, Board Member Briggs. Thank you so much. Um, I think, Mrs. Welsh, I'm just gonna go off of having talked to many community members about this, and I think the sentiment is that. when they go to schools, I think especially post-pandemic, what we… what I've heard
065a number of times is that families want to be back in schools, they want to be welcomed, they want to be meaningful partners. in any decisions that are happening at the school level. We know the board is not the only place where decisions are made, and we do more governance, and we know that the district level is not the only place where decisions are made. And that hyper-local piece, I think, is very important. We know that PTAs have a great deal of, you know, um, support, but not every school has a PTA, and those are things. I think the goal here is, like, mitigating that, right? You go across schools, some schools have PTAs and PTOs, some don't. Some schools have principals who are more engaging in staff that can help with that, and some
066don't. So I think if we can have some way to standardize, and maybe that is what you're saying, and what you're getting at, um, where you said we have something for the. superintendents enforce accountability within administrative procedure, then I would be on board with that. I just think that I hear the. the point, and I've heard this a number of times, which is that families want to know that it's not just saying, we're welcoming you in for the sake of welcoming you in, but you are a part of the decision-making process at your school, and how we could think through that. So if that sparks anything for you more around, like, where this could fit. Or how we could do that, then I think that maybe that's worth the discussion, but otherwise, I agree with
067what you were saying. I think that, um, and a superintendent administrative procedure could be a good start for that. I don't… I'm not… I don't have my hand up. Um, Board Member Brown. Yeah, so the… so, uh, Vice Chair Briggs brought up a really good point, of course. Now, you know, schools have their own autonomy on how they want things to be done. My concern, too, about pressuring the administration into this accountability is that some schools, and I'll give, you know, you gave the example of PTAs. If we said. Every school needs to make sure they have a PTA. Some schools just do not have the capacity. capacity. Some schools do not have the feasibility, and it's unrealistic for us to put an expectation. across the board. Um, and so that's why streamlining it even
068more. would be a lot more helpful, so what do they mean? Are they saying, okay. across all schools, parents should be able to go inside of the schools. Is that something that they want to implement? That needs to be said, because I know, yes. There are some schools that some parents can go and become volunteers. There are some schools that parents. cannot become volunteers. Um, that has not… And this is for transparency, what Vice Chair Briggs was saying. That has not been… there has not been standard language as far as why some schools. are not accepting volunteers, and why some schools are accepting volunteers. But to put it as a baseline as this is what everybody has to do moving forward, I think that might cause. Um, some discrepancies, and I think that some schools.
069may not… they don't… they just don't have the capacity to be able to do. things, to that matter, we have to also consider that as well. Thank you, Board Member Brown. I said, so I was just thinking, as you were talking. Go ahead, go ahead, Ms. Walsh. So, you know, I think it's 146 schools now are community schools in Prince George's County. And then you think about, um… and so probably of all the schools there, probably more involved with their communities. I'm just wondering if there's. And they do these assessments of, you know, for the school and the community, and that's a determination of how then they're going to spend their money and do what they're doing, but I'm assuming. That that assessment, it should not be done in isolation, that it would involve assessing
070also the community. you know, getting input from the community to determine that assessment. I'm wondering, and I can certainly look into this, to see. Like, what do the… and that's by law that they're required to do certain things, but it might be helpful… there might be something to learn from seeing what the community schools do. Um, you know, because parent engagement is a major part of the community schools. Um, I don't know, just the thought ran through my head as you were talking. Thank you. Um, Board Member Briggs? Yeah, can I just propose, I think maybe it sounds like we're all in agreement that we have more time with this policy to really think about what's the right next step. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Um, it may be, Mrs. Welsh, the, like. the next step is, like…
071you know, developing, curating all of the different possibilities of what could be. Um, and we can kind of discuss or have that shared beforehand so we can read through it and then discuss at the next policy meeting. Um, because Agra, I think we should make something that is, you know. Um, universal to some extent, if we can. I think that's a great suggestion, Board Member Briggs. And so, as I, um… call for this vote, I'm going to separate out the two policies, so we can take two votes instead of one. Um, so the question is… Shall the committee recommend Policy 5122 requirements for participation in Interscholastic Athletics. Um, to the full board for inaction… for enactment. Um, Ms. Johnson, will you please take the roll? Miss Oliva? Aye. Ms. Brown? Mr. Briggs? Aye. Well, there
072are 3 in the affirmative. Perfect. So then, I believe what we need to do is, um, take the vote on Policy 0105, if that vote fails, then we can take a second vote to, um, postpone. that policy to the next policy and governance committee meeting. Um, so the question is… Um… shall the committee recommend Policy 0105, Parent, Family, and Community Involvement? Um, to the full board for enactment. Um, Ms. Johnson, can you please call the roll call vote? Ms. Oliva? Ms. Brown? No? No. Mr. Briggs? Thank you, Ms. Johnson. The question is, shall… the committee postpone. Policy 0105, parent, family, and community involvement, um, to the next. Policy and Governance Committee meeting. is there any discussion? Ms. Johnson, please take the roll call vote. Ms. Oliva? Ms. Brown? Aye? Mr. Briggs? There are 4 in
073the affirmative. Aye. I think 3 in the affirmative. Yep, that's okay. We have our ghost vote here. Um, okay, great. So, policy number 5… I'm sorry, policy number 0105 will be postponed until the next policy and governance. committee meeting for further consideration. Um, we're moving on to item 10.0, adjournment. The chair informs the public that the next. virtual policy and governance committee meeting will be held on February 24th, 2026. Please continue to check the Prince George's County Board of Education website for meeting information and updates. Thank you all for watching, um, thank you everyone for this extended meeting and discussion, um, to our viewers, thank you for watching. To our commenters, thank you for providing comments. There being no for their business, the time is now 6.51. Um, the February 10th, 2026 Policy and Governance
074Committee meeting is adjourned. Thank you so