Board of Education Meeting - 6/17/24

001call the Lancaster Central School District Board of Education meeting to order in the unlikely event of an emergency if we do have to evacuate the room please note the locations of the exits at this time I ask that you silence your cell phones and rise for the Pledge of Allegiance please remain standing for a moment of reflection FL of the United States of America and to the for One Nation God IND for all [Music] move on to 4.0 presentation we do have a student art show tonight uh miss an Perry Smith H hello hi um well to start with I'm so glad that there's such a great turnout this is amazing I know these young artists are going to be so excited to Showcase their work um and be able to give you a great

002glimpse of our fantastic art program um K12 um so this is the obviously the districtwide art show um we do it every year um and we obviously always want to give extra special thanks to our incredible Board of Education Dr b um all the administrative teams that are you know at district office and I High School the elementary buildings um the Middle School it none of this is obviously possible without the incredible support that they have given us um making this gallery for us um to really showcase all the incredible uh work that the students have done and as always it is a um a show of Excellence um it is always incredibly difficult to pick these students because we are only picking one student um for each grade level uh so I'm sure you

003can imagine how difficult it is but it really speaks to the fact that we have such an incredible curriculum um our our curriculum is second t n our teachers are second t n um our teachers are second t n in general um we have such an incredible program and obviously we're so appreciative of all of your support today um so without further Ado I will get started on the wonderful artwork and the artists um to kind of showcase what we have here and I know I was going to say that our roate president he is going to present the awards so as you um hear your name and see your artwork which will be obviously be projected up there please come up and accept your award um and as I said it is really prestigious

004so I hope that all of you understand the incredible importance of this program and what we're doing tonight um so celebration like I said of our wonderful young artists our first one is our kindergartner um from Hillview Elementary um Miss hner her student Elanor lanic um and this is winter landscape Fox all right I like that we got the whole excellent support I love this congratulations okay so our last wonderful artist um is Haley Carlson first grade um panha plants and that is from Court Street Elementary um Mr coelli is the art teacher there and um he's one of our wonderful new art teachers and as you can see um again beautiful artwork it's like I um and we have Annabella budwine second grade rapael Lopez mural collage um hillu Elementary again and Mrs rousa

005I love it even the art history t-shirt now that's a good winner right there excellent okay all right um and Owen Parker our third grade um Award winner Autumn sidewalk um from shy Elementary with Mrs [Applause] R um okay and we have Sophia Baraka fourth grade Forest friends from William Street School Mrs S um and from fifth grade we have Amelia prer um Lily is the name of this piece from William Street school and that's from Mrs Chambers um and for sixth grade we have Addison Waters um it's an Untitled piece but obviously you can see the wonderful job on the perspective um from William Street School Mr caki is the teacher um and from 7th grade we have Angela Zang and this is Donuts um Lancaster Middle School from Mrs gry's class um and

006Jasper SII um from 8th grade and selfportrait Lancaster Middle School from Mrs Barry [Music] and Ninth Grade we have Bianca Jang um and we have Terence Reyes from the 10th grade on titled work and Lancaster High School with Mr Miller and um for 11th grade we have Anna kerski um and the edge of night Lancaster High School and Mrs and for the 12th grader we have Elizabeth mans and this is year inside and out Lancaster High School on and she is my student and um just as a little side notes um she this was part of her ap3d um uh submission um this is the first year we've been able to do ap3d and so she was one of the two people that we had and this was part of it and so we're super

007excited about them doing that as well and I think um and I just wanted to um of course invite everybody on next door this show is obviously up in the gallery right next door it is also up in the boardroom um so so every time that they head work meetings is something that they get to enjoy and kind of remind um everybody about what's um happening in our program just like a little reminder that way but um obviously it's wonderful display and air failer for everybody to go over next door um photographic opportunities but also we have um the bottom um frame that's there is in the gallery and I just wanted to point out there's chalk next to it so we would really encourage all of our artists um to go up there and

008make sure that they autograph and um maybe Trace their hand to kind of like have a little remembrance um of a little signing ceremony perhaps for the evening and the wonderful job that everyone did and I think I just L parents come in so Terrence do you want to come down and get your award I know that it's parents is um our 10th grader so um and I just wanted to again reiterate thank you so much um we are just so grateful for all of your support again and um we hope we are doing Justice to the gallery um with all the work that the students have put into it and all the hard work the art department has done K12 always so um thank you thank you for all of your support we really

009appreciate it thank you miss m car Smith uh one of my favorite things of the year we we've done this every year since uh I can remember and uh anything that uh has the kids come up and show us their their work is probably the the Highlight uh of our day so with that being said uh I know that especially the young kids probably need to go home and either you know get some ice cream maybe um you know I definitely give you permission to uh gracefully leave if you'd prefer um but of course you're welcome to all right again that you know whenever we have the kids present that it's it's just amazing and I think that's what we're all here for let's move on to 5.0 we do have three emails on record

010or yeah three uh two emails and a letter 6.0 approval of minutes 6.1 can I have a motion to approve the regular session from June 3rd 2024 any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 7.0 items from staff organizations do you have anyone from the Lancaster administrative and supervisory Association anyone from the Lancaster Central Teachers [Music] Association good evening um first we would like to wish all the fathers on the uh board a happy belated Father's Day we hope you enjoyed your day yesterday the beautiful weather second we would like to thank somewhere in the audience John Abraham for his years of service to the L notably the last five as president and while I may hold the new title of President this is a position you cannot do alone you

011need good strong people around you so I'd like to take a few minutes and introduce the five other lcta officers for the 2024 to 2026 school years Mike Shaw Mike Shaw is our secondary vice president he's a 20-year veteran within the math department at the high school he has served the lcta as well as the district in many roles and in many capacities he's been a past officer treasurer for 10 years recording secretary for one and has served alongside four presidents he volunteers on multiple committees such as a and negotiations just to name a couple he has been the math department chair for 16 years and is a past recipient of the net leadership award we are lucky to have his expertise as secondary VP icole [Applause] am Nicole is back as our elementary VP

012after serving in this role for several years she has also been a rep an exact board member for many years she's been a teacher in the district for 25 years teaching both Sixth and fourth grade she also volunteers her time to be on lcta and District committees such as APR class-size task force and District transfer rep her knowledge of process and procedures makes us very fortunate to have her back in this position call Eckler Kelly Eckler has held the position of corresponding secretary for the past 7 years and was a building W before that she has been a special education teacher at the high school for the past 13 years as well as in other districts for a total of 28 years she is also the newly appointed High School special ed department chair Kelly

013has held many niip positions as well as has shadowed the negotiations team been a transfer rep and has also received the net leadership award Kelly is an invaluable member of the lcta for her tireless efforts to support as many district as well as Community programs with lcta [Music] donations Chris Pard Chris Collard has been our treasurer for the past 5 years and a math teacher at the high school for 10 I'm sorry 16 sorry 16 he has also served the Union in many capacities including serving as a building rep and he works closely with Kelly his role is vital in helping the LCT to fund many scholarships programs and events for our Lancaster students as well as managing the finances of a near 500 member Union Wendy Chapman Wendy Chapman is our new recording secretary

014she comes to us with much union experience already she's a building repa John sholley she's on the district health insurance committee she's one of two District neers reps and a building transfer rep she has taught third grade within the district for 19 years we know she will keep us organized and the members informed as for myself I am Beth Farrar I have been an educator for the past 33 years 30 of those in Lancaster I have taught third and fourth grade at Hillview Elementary fifth grade at William Street School reading intervention services at William Street and a reading intervention specialist at KOMO Park I also teach college graduate and undergraduate education courses at kishis for the past 15 years as well as Buffalo State University for the past four I've served served as an lcta

015rep the lcta recording secretary and El VP I am proud and honored to work alongside these incredible individuals as the new president of the lcta and finally you may notice a strong presence of teachers in the audience tonight we are here tonight to support our colleagues we are here tonight to support public education we are here tonight to support the Lancaster Central School School District in a group of nearly 500 members it is impossible to see eye to eye on every issue but here are two things that we can and always will agree upon first the Lancaster Central Teachers Association will always stand by support and defend teachers who are doing their job including those teachers who are asked to and follow New York State curriculum second the Lang anter Central Teachers Association will always

016work in a way that supports the welfare of all members of our school Community our teachers will promote inclusion and diversity in all of our schools Additionally the Lancaster Central Teachers Association feels it is important to clarify a concern that was presented at the June 3rd board meeting a question was presented in a class on a notetaking guide it was not on a quiz it was not graded nor was it used for a grade students were not instructed to change their answers simply put it was information that was presented based on a guidance document in achieving New York State Standards the very same information that is presented in other local school districts as teachers of the Lancaster Central School District we will continue to carry out our professional responsibilities by implementing the New York state

017standards as directed by our district officials in order to educate our students while we can agree to disagree on personal opinions and choices the lcta will not allow any of its members to be falsely vilified on any social or other media platforms thank you [Music] um just a a quick reminder as this is um you know a meeting held in public that um we can't have any outbursts from the crowd uh I really do appreciate that I know there are some differing opinions on things but we can't have any Outburst okay I appreciate that anyone from the and Mrs Ferrar thank you so much anyone from the Lancaster Association of service Personnel anyone from the Lancaster Association of substitute teachers on to 8.0 board reports uh before we get into uh board reports um customarily

018at the last meeting of the year if there are any um members that are uh retiring um we like to give them a little send sendoff um and Mrs Cohen you're you're in the audience so we weren't able to properly give you a send off because you uh need to retire before uh the uh last meeting so um I want to again thank you for your years of service to Lancaster um and I say we got you something you know I'm sure Mrs this Janet um did all the the leg work to to get this for you so we appreciate Mrs Jan as well come on up I'd like to present his son [Applause] and then uh today is Mrs feser's last day as well um Mrs fetcher has served the district for six years

019uh I want to extend my sincere gratitude for all the the work that you've done for Lancaster kids [Applause] did you want to say a few words sure I want to thank everyone for coming for my last meeting uh last time best time and this is the biggest crowd we've had in six years and so I also just want to say thank you to all my fellow board members and the administrators here at Lancaster um are Second To None I really learned so much about the education system in New York state about all of the issues that teachers students parents are dealing with every single day and I know that everyone sitting at this table has had one unified Focus for for many many years but for the last six years that I've been involved

020and it's been on the kids we want to support our teachers we want to support the parents and the families and the communities but when it comes down to it every single decision we make is what is best for all of the kids in this district and I think that we've all really done that and I know that this board will continue to do that um and it's been hard at times there's been meetings where I've left in tears and where I've lost sleep and where people have come and yelled at us and said divisive things and frankly made up some things that haven't happened and for the sake of having a platform to speak and that's really hard because I know that everyone wants the best for their kids and they want the best

021for this District um but there's been a lot of really great times too I'm really proud of all the progress we've made all the Capital Improvements that we've made like the black box theater the turf field all of the things that have expanded our district in the last several years um I'm proud to support all of theem and the lap program and all of our English as a second language initiatives all of those are just amazing things that Lancaster has that not every District can can brag about and be proud about um you know this this past couple years the implementation of our culture climate inclusivity director Bonnie blatner has made such a difference in our schools and everything that she comes out with I think is amazing some of my favorite moments were learning

022about the wheelchair basketball game as part of one of those initiatives um and you know seeing what everyone's doing in the schools for all of those initiatives and seeing the teachers come together has been amazing um this meeting this annual art show is my favorite meeting of the year I love seeing the kids being proud of their artwork I love celebrating them K through 12 it's awesome um you know so I have a lot of really great great memories of being on this board and I'm happy that this community has elected me to serve for two two terms um and I I'm going to miss everybody here but I'm still going to be a part of the Lancaster Community and I will always be cheering on District so thank you so much thank you Mrs

023feser real quick Mr Sage I also have something to report go ahead Mr Taro tough act to follow overall all around so Jill I want to start off by saying thank you so much uh for your years of service we greatly appreciate it um I would just like to say uh a couple things so I had the pleasure of being invited by a student in Miss Lima's first grade class to and here's the actual here's the invitation to her first grade play there miss Li is here so thank you very much for the invites from your student um to her first grade play uh make worms great earthworms make America great there we go uh I learned so much about earthworms I am now an expert in earthworms it was an adorable play um you

024guys did great so thank you very much for the invite I was super happy that I was able to go so keep the invites coming and if I can come I will come again next year as well um lastly I also was able to go on field trip at William Street today to Old Fort Niagara very cool a lot of fun students had a blast they got to go through the fort they got to see how um you know we used to trade with Native Americans and the French and how everything kind of interworked uh on that Waterway um they saw a musket get fired off they saw a mortar get fired off overall just excellent and it's just one of the really cool things that we do at Lancaster that enriches the students ability

025to learn um so overall very cool I just wanted to uh to touch base on both of those things so thank you so [Music] much uh and I just wanted to to mention that my my son is graduate uating this year um and uh from the start of prek he was in the you know special education department has done such an amazing job um the the work that they did with my kid and all of our kids um is second to none so I wanted to you know I I sent an email to uh Mr Armstrong but I wanted to publicly recognize the special education department because you know it's been an amazing ride and uh I truly love this district and uh I thank every single teacher he even got a PO a letter

026from his sixth grade teacher today thanking him uh or or congratulating for for graduating um I just I I I love this district and I I I want to thank the teachers all of them special education department especially but but all the teachers I really appreciate it any other uh board members have anything to report all right on to uh 9.0 the superintendent's Administration report thank you Mr Sage um every year I sit here and I watch that art show and it's really uh special and absolutely fantastic uh my daughter is a in a master's program at in dorf Germany and she had every single one of those te teachers and they were all fantastic I think were crucial and critical to inspiring her to get into those programs and to do what she loves

027and to follow those things so similar to Mr sage i' like to thank all of them and also remember that I had four kids in the school district so most of my kids went through your classes um and so I'd like to thank all of you for everything you've done I didn't expect a uh an army of red shirts and teachers to show up today but this was perfect actually because I get to uh say that to you personally as I also tell you this after 33 years in education in the last 18 and a half in Lancaster that this evening's board meeting I'd like to announce my plan to retire on December 1st 2024 I can't imagine a better school district to have built a career been a dad and served as superintendent as

028I reflect on the school's remarkable accomplishments and progress over the years I feel a deep sense of Pride and gratitude in my 11 plus years as superintendent Lancaster schools have always stood strong prepared and ready for whatever came our way of all that we've accomplished I am most proud of the ways that we will all always remain focused on kids committed to our District's Mission and driven by doing what's best for the parents and children we proudly serve today Lancaster Central School District district is operating a peak academic performance and financial strength as well enhancing our ability to keep our promises to our students and reinforcing the value we deliver to the entire Lancaster Community I truly believe this is the golden age for our Lancaster schools and further greatness is also on the horizon

029I have never felt more confident in and more appreciative of an outstanding Board of Education and our District's bright future because of them I want to personally thank the board of education for all they've done for me this District and this Lancaster Community and most importantly all our children year after year the community comes out elects great people caring people who for free serve take hits and abuse but always put kids first when making difficult decisions it has been an honor and a privilege to serve them collectively finally to all the faculty Le and staff and administration and everyone in the Lancaster Community thanks for taking care of our kids thanks I don't I don't typically um read um but I I was having trouble um being able to to you know get this out

030out um but but Dr Valley's dedication to the the Lancaster Central School juristic our students the the families it's it's really unparalleled his knowledge his understanding um that he's gained throughout the the entire time that he's been here as not only superintendent but assistant superintendent um he's going to be very difficult to replace on behalf of the board or students in the Lancaster Community we extend the most heartfelt thanks to you Dr Valley for the 11 plus years of superintendent and all the time um before that in this district and I I wanted to open it up to um the board members to um say a few words all right I'll go that's fine um so again just to Echo what Mr stage said it's it's tough to replace um it's going to be tough

031to replace someone like Dr valy um one thing I can unequivocally say is uh before I became a member of the Board of Education and I think like most people you don't know a lot about what it takes to run a school district some of the inner workings what the teachers deal with on a daily basis what the faculty and the administration deal with on a daily basis um a lot of things you think can just be changed right away uh decisions can be made mountains can be moved overnight um but what I can always say is that the decisions that were made and what I've learned from Dr valid is as long as you keep the main thing the main thing and the main thing for him has always been the students of this

032district and putting them first in every decision you can't really go wrong so it is a difficult job I've said it multiple times I wouldn't do his job for double the salary maybe maybe I would maybe double the salary I would it's pretty good um yeah but um I think when you look back at your tenure as superintendent you will be able to look back and say you did some good things you were an excellent leader and Leadership is a tough thing to replace um but the future of Lancaster is bright uh this district is excellent the staff of this district is excellent um and a lot of that is because of the people you've put in place to continue to Le the district so thank you um from me um and I know more

033that will be coming from the other board members as well so thank you going to talk away so we don't be sh the my thought um I just want to say thank you obviously I'm at the the opposite end of the spectrum as a lot of the uh the individuals on the board my son just started kindergarten my daughter is starting prek next year and I just want to say thank you a big reason we came to Lancaster is because of the school and I feel like the school is indicative of the person who runs it and you are who you surround yourself with and I feel like that's very um positive to who you have the teachers the administration a lot of what's going on here makes it a destination District especially coming from

034a small town like Atta New York it's a small you know small town small school I feel like here it's you have that small town feel everyone kind of knows everything there's some something for everyone and uh that's a big reason I chose this and I would say that you're a big reason for that as well so I appreciate everything you've done I know sometimes it can be a thankless job but you know uh there's a lot of people that really appreciate what you're doing and um thank you again for everything [Music] so this was intentional I'm pretty sure oh Dr b um you've heard it from everyone I think about um how many hard conversations and difficult conversations we've had and when we get confused or we're struggling with that decision he would always

035interject and say what's best for the kids and that's going to stay with me that's number one number two is who impacts the life of the kids and it's the teachers in front of us and how do we support them the best we can to create the best experiences for our students and our kids so they can go change the world that's number two number three he was a man of little words sometimes the wrong words and it was amazing uh every single time to to learn from his leadership I've never known a more humble modest softspoken leader that led through empowering others and many of us are here for that and I want to thank Dr valy for that um I'm excited for you I'm glad you can you can step away and and

036go and enjoy the fruits of your labor your legacy is going to be studied and learned for a long time and I don't think a lot of folks will truly understand what you've do you've done here to lay a foundation of inclusion to build the best District in Western New York we're all here CU we care about our kids every single person here today I trust and I believe that and I'm thankful that while we're one of the best districts in this area we can have hard conversations and agree to disagree that speaks values of the culture we built here of the culture that Dr Valley have helped to instill in all of us so thank you for that well I have to follow all these guys in um I just want to repeat what

037everyone said that you've done an amazing job and I know I said it earlier that it is all on the kids and the reason we've all said that is because every meeting that we've ever had every conversation that we've ever had every time that we want to talk about an issue it is always what is best for the kids and that is his leadership and that is your legacy and that is what you've instilled in all of us and I know that that will continue and you've done an amazing job and you've taken the heat for a lot of things and you're always the one that the bock stops with um and we all really appreciate you and I hope you you know what a legacy you've left thank you so [Music] much um so

038I've only been on the board for a few weeks so I don't have the the same type of um Rapport probably that everyone else does or the same type of experiences um but from being on parent boards for the greater part of the last decade um I just want to say thank you um month after month you you listen to these parents at these meetings and we ask you questions over and over trying to understand um just truly the complexities of the district and and what goes in to every every aspect of it and um always patient always kind no matter how many times we may ask the same question uh so I just want to say thank you and we truly really appreciate all the work that you've done also I have one thing

039to add I hope that in your retirement you get to know pop culture references and watch any movies just like a few all right thank you uh all um I just want to reiterate we still have them until December 1st um and after that it'll be be helping all right um so after the board of education was uh informed um of Dr Valley's plan to retire in uh February uh we wanted to you know really put a lot of uh thought into this a lot of consideration and we unanimously concluded that there really wasn't a need to perform an in-depth search um because L Lancaster's next superintendent was was already Among Us uh it was overwhelmingly clear that the most qualified candidate um a proven leader here in Lancaster and an integral part of the

040Lancaster administrative team the board of education is excited to announce and looks forward to supporting Dr Andrew kufel who possesses all the qualities and characteristics essential for a superintendent we believe that he will be a strong leader dedicated to our District's Mission and pursuit of Excellence the board has continuously been impressed with Dr Kel's record of collaboration communication and accountability his experience provides a solid foundation to lead our district into the future and I also like to open it up to to to board members um before I do I just want to let you know that um Mr Davenport is excused from this evening's uh meeting but he did want to u relay to me uh his support of the choice of Dr kufel to to lead us um um in um into the the

041future here uh Dr kufel would you uh like to say a few words well good evening every everyone and thank you Mr Sage um I will try to be brief uh but those of you who know me brev brevity is especially in situations like these is not always a strength of mine however rarely is one given the opportunity to formally acknowledge and thank those who have touched their life I want to thank the board of education for providing me and entrusting me with this opportunity I'm grateful beyond words I understand the gravity of the position and will continue to strive to work my hardest to maintain the standard of Excellence that is synonymous with Lancaster schools and is deserved by our students faculty staff and Community I want to congratulate and thank Dr Valley for

042his years of service to Lancaster Dr Valley is not about personal accolades so I can imagine how uncomfortable he is over there and frowns upon the spotlight so I too and of course will jump in on the the showering him with some compliments I've notic that a few things from my vantage point I've had a front row seat to the hard work dedication and Excellence Dr biley brought to the role of superintendent each and every day he cares deeply about the Lancaster Central School District the community instructional integrity and most importantly the students his goal was to work together to make Lancaster a destination District that is second to none Dr Valley mission accomplished in my life both professionally and personally I've been fortunate and blessed to have had a handful of remarkable mentors and

043influences I'm a better person for having worked with Dr valy and I'm even luckier to call him a friend thank you for everything look this way now so I want to thank my family my brother who's over there uh and sisters who have always been there for support laughter and friendship I'm as proud of them as they are of me even though we're miles away we've remained close and that sentence made a lot more sense before yesterday because my brother and my father uh surprised me with which was a great Father's Day present and gift and even better for today thank you for everything and always being there my mom who is no longer with us but I think about every day my dad my first and most important teachers thank you for being Role

044Models teachers and great parents the values they instilled in me at a young age have stayed with me all these years and still provide my Foundation they provided me with opportunities that impacted my life's trajectory I will never be able to fully repay them but hope that my wife and I can do the same for our children my wife and children I'm a better person because they are in my life my wife Tessa my best friend my biggest supporter and she helps me keep perspective when it's needed most this journey called life is fun exciting and at times challenging I'm so happy to share every moment with you and can't imagine any other way we've been blessed in so many ways but of course our kids stand out the most they're a reflection of our

045qualities and our behaviors I'm far from perfect but each day I strive to be the best person that I can be for them I'm so proud of the people you are becoming the hard work they put into all that they do and the enthusiasm they have for Life continue to do your best have fun be leaders and most importantly be kind and let's try to get the bettered of normal heart tonight please for those of you who don't know me here or don't know me that well I want you know like like Mr Sage I love Lancaster in fact my wife and I chose to live in Lancaster when we moved back from Virginia about 13 years ago why the people people in this room the school district the community I grew up in Lancaster

046and graduated from Lancaster High School in so many ways I am the person I am because my education from Lancaster schools my teachers my coaches my mentors the staff too numerous to mention helped make my educational Journey an unbelievable experience in fact they are the main reason that I went into education so that I too could make a difference in the lives of students to give back to pay it forward I want to thank the wonderful teachers the staff the administrators I've had the pleasure of working with over the past 13 years one of the standards we always live by is Teamwork Makes the Dream workor I look forward to continuing to work together as a team as we continue our journey towards action Excellence once again I'm excited Beyond Bela for this opportunity to

047serve as superintendent of schools for Lancaster thank you board thank you everybody for being here and then uh again M Mr Davenport um is excused from this evening but um Dr H he he did want to um send a message your way um and he says uh you know Lancaster is always hired the best and we just hired the best and I want to open it up to uh to the rest of the board members to make comments if you [Music] wish I'll start before Glenn goes steals the spotlight I'm I'm really excited about this announcement it's been so hard to keep it a secret and I love that so many of our teachers were here today to hear that this and to see all of your faces and to see people smiling and and

048getting teary eyed when they announce it and you know that it's the right thing and there everyone's smiling cuz you're going to be at the home this is exciting and I can't think of a better person to do this um you are Lancaster and I'm so excited for you to be in this position thanks Andy [Music] oh man I am so glad to see your brother and your father here and your kids and and wife Tessa um before he was Dr kufel he was Andy um and kind he was I got to experience Andy on a football field as a leader as a quarterback I got to experience I don't know what that is they don't want me to tell the story there it is I got to experience Andy on the basketball field as

049well in front of his father there was this one game Andy was one of the best basketball players um I've ever played with and against um and again his leadership and to watch him all always be vulnerable and learn from his experiences uh was incredible I remember him just 7 eight years ago I was having conversations around what was happening and the challenges the district was facing uh he was just so vulnerable to lean in uh and that's what leaders do they lean in with empathy vulnerability they listen they learn they continue to evolve Andy I want to thank you for that uh you've been a great model uh for me and others um I have full trust that the Legacy that Dr valy is leaving uh will not just be continued um it will

050be greater so thank you all right um when I joined the school board five years ago I was told that aside from ensuring the policies get followed your number one job and your most important job as a school board member should it happen is to choose a superintendent for the school and I said to myself when I heard that oh I don't have to worry about it Dr vales can be here forever oops um in February when he announced this the same words came back to me one of the most important things you're going to do as as a school board member has choose the superintendent of the school because the superintendent of the school is not just an educator they're part educator they're part politician they're part CEO of a large corporation there are

051a lot of different things mixed up into one hat and when we had to make the decision the choice was clear I can think of nobody better to lead this school district into the future than Dr k over the past 5 years of knowing him he has shown himself to be diligent thoughtful putting kids first in every decision he makes and I'm looking forward to the great things that you're going to do for this District all right Dr kuel obviously on the uh the low end of the spectrum we've been working together man pretty close to a year now and a big quality that I I kind of always lived My Life by is trying to be a better person than you were the day before and that's something that I noticed on you immediately

052you're very well spoken you're you're thoughtful you're kind and you're always trying to be a better person and I think with anything in life you can get complacent you can have the idea that hey it's it's good enough what can we really do to get better I think having the mentality that it can never be good enough and that there's always a way to improve is amazing and just the fact that you Rec that hey we're not perfect I don't think anyone's perfect but recognizing that and trying to be a better person than you were yesterday is I know for me as a parent someone that I would love to have in that position that's why for me when this conversation came up you know that was UN overed for me so look forward to

053serving you throughout the years and um you know maybe for me I'll look back on it and uh as as much as and great as my relationship with Dr Val is I may be looking back on relationship with you as well and throughout the years so I appreciate it and uh thank you okay so again just a few weeks um but I the sentiments that I have are very similar with uh with Dr Val every month you listen to our questions you answer them you always have the most wonderful updates about the district and you truly gave us um an amazing aspect of what was really happening within the students lives and within the schools um and that information was invaluable to all the parents that that were there and then we were able to

054share uh from there on out uh so I thank you for the current role that you've had and um as soon as I heard of what you know what was happening your your name was the first one that came to my mind of the most obvious choice so very excited for the future and on to come all right again the the Board of Education extends our deepest appreciation and gratitude to Dr Valley and welcomes and congratulates Dr kufel as the next superintendent of Lancaster Central School District all right 10.0 old business uh does anyone have any old business to discuss 11.0 new business 11.1 Personnel items 11.1.1 can I have a motion to appoint director of instructional technology and accountability any questions or comments all those in favor anyone against motion carries 11.1.2 can I

055have a motion if I could I think I saw shery rangle over there so I'll say couple quick words and I'll be more brief but I think equally uh effusive in pra um Cheryl Rand stand up if you want real quick next director of instructional technology and accountability Cheryl has balanced the district since 2018 in multiple roles when I say multiple roles if you can think of it especially going through a pandemic Sheryl Cheryl was it um and she excelled in all those roles some things I heard from people who worked closely with her Cheryl is a LIF saer one of the best people I've ever worked with hard worker dedicated willing to help with Whatever Whenever to help her colleagues and students and always ends the conversation with what else do you need I'm

056excited for her to join the administrative team in her new role I know she'll be fantastic and I know that she'll continue to Excel and with that focus on students and helping the teachers the administrators and the district congratulations Mrs Rand thank you Dr k all right 11.1.2 uh can I have a motion on the superintendent Employment contract second any questions or comments all those in favor anyone against motion carries 111.3 can I have a motion to appoint superintendent of schools and approve Employment contract second any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 11.1.2 Personnel changes can I have a motion on the Personnel changes any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 11.2 education items 11.2.1 can I have a motion on the committee on special

057education second any comments or question questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 11.2.2 can I have a motion on the committee on preschool special education any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 11.2.3 can I have a motion to appoint parent member of to the csse and the cpse second any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 11.2.5 this is for information only textbook first reading National Geographic learning lift 12.0 business and financial items 12.1 can I have a motion on the financial items any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.2 can I have a motion with uh for the contract uh with Buffalo City School District any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.3

058can have a motion to declare Surplus books second any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.4 can I have a motion to declare Surplus textbooks second any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.5 can I motion can I have a motion for the payment from the employee benefits acre liability Reserve any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.6 can I have a motion on the contract with Omni and TSA CG compliance Services Inc any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.7 can I have a motion on the contract with Aspire of Western New York sorry any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries can I have a motion uh for 12.8

059on the contract with OG instruction second any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.9 can I have a motion on the contract with P People Inc DVA def access services any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.10 can I have a motion on the construction change orders Sor any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.11 can I have a motion on the 2024 2025 meal prices second any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.12 can I have a motion on the contract extension with Summer Transportation any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.13 can I have a motion on the contract with Western New York dyslexia Specialists LLC any comments

060or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.14 can I have a motion on the AIA contract with CM Associates Inc second any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.15 can I have a um a motion on the bond resolution for 127 m700 th000 Capital project second any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.16 can I have a motion on the bond resolution for 34 million 300,000 Capital project any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.7 can I have a motion to accept the internal audit report and corrective action plan Mr tallo um does the audit committee have a recommendation it does Mr Sage so today we met the audit committee um met with our external Auditors as

061well as our claims Auditors um and and I would like to propose to the board to recommend the U the audit report as well as the corrective action plan any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 13.0 is a public hearing any person who notified the district per policy 1514 may speak at this time speakers must first be recognized by the president and then identify themselves by stating their name and address the time limit to speak will be limited to 5 minutes per person all right welcome all to have come to observe this meeting this evening this is a time set aside for public hearing a time where we invite members of the community to share ideas and concerns with us we welcome this opportunity to hear from you again each

062person is given up to five minutes in which to address the board this is a meeting held in public rather than a public meeting which means we won't be engaging in any dialogue with members of the community this evening but rest assured we are listening carefully and take seriously what you have to say I would like to ask you to demonstrate respect for us and one another by speaking to the issues giving us ideas is and sharing your opinions but not engaging in any personal attack additionally please know as a public school district we are bound by various laws regulations and policies regarding the privacy of students and staff including the family education educational rights and Privacy Act moreover board policy prohibits public comments on any topic directly or indirectly related to employee Personnel information

063or or any topic that may potentially disclose information about a particular student accordingly please do not comment on the performance or conduct of individual staff members and or specific student confidential related matters this policy will be strictly enforced and anyone violating the policy will be barred from addressing the board in the future thank you for your cooperation all right we have 10 folks signed up to speak this evening um and I apologize if I say your name incorrectly uh first we have Nicole um malitz um it's meski sorry no it's okay you're not the only one the first and you won't be the last um good evening my name is Nicole meleski I am here in support of Adrien gumo tonight and for her I'm sorry would you just mind stating your address for the

064record um I don't wish to because you guys record it and it goes on YouTube is that okay unfortun it is the policy that you have to State it just because this is a a public meeting 306 Forest Drive thank you so much you're welcome um I'm here in support of Adrian gumo tonight for her concerns that she addressed the last board meeting to no avail I am not a resident of Lancaster but a neighboring resident in the town of West senica and this hits too close to home for me to stay quiet this isn't just about Lancaster because your actions can have an impact on other schools as well I'm confident that I speak for the majority and because of that this is the exact reason these ideologies shouldn't be imposed on everyone it

065has no place in the schools If the parents have concern for the children and need help with topics like lgbtq they have student counselors and psychologists for that reason as a mom of a Teenage daughter preparing to enter the high school next year I a gast to learn this district is implementing an lgbtq curriculum for all students I couldn't help but immediately call the school counselor at our high school to inquire if West Sona is going to do the same the answer I received was no and I would like to keep it that way we are all well aware that superintendents in this area communicate with each other to compare notes and keep a Level Playing Field if one is doing something it seems that all eventually join hands and follow along because this isn't

066a standard nor is it mandatory by New York State it's unclear to me why Lancaster has decided to implement this but as a resident of the next town over I urge you to rethink it not only is this for the sake of all students who attend here but also those in the surrounding towns who might adopt this curriculum because you have a solution would be to provide resources for those who need it and want it and leave it out of the classrooms another thing I'm not sure why no one is talking about this but why are we even classifying children to Ed to any group let alone this one in the first place and didn't we stop leaving children a while ago because it's harmful I've always been taught that stereotyping is wrong it's frowned

067upon when it comes to race so why is this okay are we unable to celebrate each child as an individual for exactly who they are their sexual and gender orientation shouldn't Define them they are much more than that this agenda that is sweeping our nation this agenda that is sweeping our nation has been taken too far and at what point do you ask yourselves what is it that is actually trying to be accomplished here lastly schools have an obligation and a responsibility to inform parents and what is being taught in the school remember you work for us and we pay your salary so why were parents never informed of this and why did Adrien have to learn about this from her daughter after the fact is there a reason this agenda is being hidden from

068parents school isn't meant to teach ideologies or make children conform to them schools also shouldn't teach on anything but the basics and we will not stay quiet until this matter is taken into consideration and given a solution that benefits all students thank you all right second we have Dr Michelle kavana good evening Dr Michelle kavanau Greenwood Court easa let me extend my invit and congratulations to you Dr Bali and Dr Kul you have my sympathy Board of Education members an issue involving health education in the classroom was brought to your attention in a very public way without the benefit of it being prevented or addressed closest to the classroom I had the pleasure of serving here as a former director of curriculum and it's so good to be back I'm currently retired as a superintendent

069of schools and have served 44 years in education allow me for a moment to address New York State State Health standards best practices and board policy 8331 on instruction of controversial issues about the time time that I served here net was beginning to develop a guidance document and learning standards in health key points in the document are relevant here first Health standards are learner centered meaning that they allow Learners to explore discover question and personalize their own learning so I wonder was the teacher's instruction to the student learner centered I don't know the answer maybe you do second and most important Health standards are based on functional knowledge that is the most essential research-based health facts for students to know now I'm old but I read through the State website a couple of times and

070in examining functional knowledge in the documents none zero refers to defining gender or gender identity was it necessary for the teacher to include questions of this nature in her teaching as if the answers represented research based facts was the material presented impartial ironically one of the most critical health education skills in the document is communication a skill that should be modeled by all Educators for students this includes listening with empathy and seeking to resolve conflict while working towards collaboration did the adults involved model this skill did they listen thoughtfully to the student and the parent was the conflict managed at the building and the district levels and was there an attempt to collaborate between the classroom and the home finally heal standard 3 is significant to understand how the can provide for the economic physical

071and emotional needs of this its members was this modeled by the adults in considering the mom's concern is the importance of family and family beliefs respected to be clear nothing nothing at all that I could see in health standards or state guidance supports instruction on gender identity let alone the manner of in instruction that may have occurred now it's possible that lcsg developed a local curriculum and I not sure it did if so it would be aligned with n said learning standards and publicly approved by the board so you would know best practice dictates that parents should be informed of curriculum changes especially if they're controversial a single teacher does not make these curriculum decisions alone is gender identity a part of the local curriculum here did the teacher along with the building administrator alert

072parents of this controversial Topic in advance did they review the material for impartiality and Alignment to standards now according to board policy 8331 on controversial issues if controversial issues are Tau they must be presented in an impartial Manner and when a parent or Community member protests a potentially bias presentation in the classroom as did the mom in this case the superintendent must provide an impartial hearing so that both parties May fairly Express their views did that occur or will that occur sadly it seems that there might have been a misalignment of of classroom instu instruction with nice said documents an absence of productive communication that could have resolve this issue impartial consideration maybe a disregard for board policy and maybe omissions of best practice I don't know but those would be questions I would ask

073about in the end what concerns me is that there was a mom who was concerned about her child she may not have been attended to she may have been stigmatized and a young girl missed out un feeling safe and valued at her school [Applause] third we've got uh Mr Dennis Hass Hass I apologize if I said your name incorrectly it's quite all right it's HK HK I'm not sure who has the time but if you could just hold up I wasn't aware that we had this incredible Arts presentation and I just wanted to say man these kids if I I couldn't do the kindergarten art the way they did it um and when I saw all the red shirts I knew they weren't from Independent Health uh so they are teachers but thank you for

074all of your efforts in raising some incredible kids and teaching them incredibly I think you can start now the timer thank you uh and also I just want to thank uh you as a board um Mr Mr HK could you provide your address oh I'm sorry uh yes um I'm I live on good Rich Road in Clarence and um as uh as a point I don't have children currently in this the Lancaster School District or grandchildren um but I have many friends who who do who do um I want to thank you very much uh for what you have to listen to and um try to digest in a very difficult situation and I appreciate that um I've heard a lot about um State mandates and the districts that are are really um having to

075hold on to those mandates and one that I got out of um um out of Frontier Central Schools that I'm sure I think you have to um apply to as well is um a grandparent came to the uh meeting and asked their kid was just coming into school what uh what's the bathroom policy I mean something simple I you never think about what's the bathroom policy but I in reading the um the law behind it says by law a school must accept the students assertion of his her their own gender identity now my 13-year-old granddaughter can't consume alcohol she can't vote she can't buy a gun she can't drive she can't gamble she can't enlist in the military but yet this policy says that she can determine her gender and by law we have to

076accept it now I just don't understand from a common sense standpoint and in your position how how that's even feasible to to think about and and then it says if a student does not wish to engage their par parent or Guardian um the social worker or counselor May will not share that information with the parent your kids who you love deeply more than any of us love your children you may not know of their transition or their their concern because of this state mandate I don't I don't quite understand that and then what is it do I need to have a certification or something that tells me my agender is different and and so on here's what the law says confirmation of a student's asserted gender identity is usually as simple as a statement from

077the student there's not even a written document the student says uh I I want to be a cat or I am a cat and do we have to accept that and and and follow through with that and where I'm going with this whole bathroom policy finally it's says under the law all individuals including students have the right to use the facilities consistent with their self-identified gender a student is able to access the bathroom of the gender that they consistently identify with I don't understand the common sense and as a grandparent I have a real concern for my granddaughter coming into school and their fear of going to the bathroom because maybe a boy is in there there are boys in her bathroom and I just ask that you is there is there any any policy

078from New York state that would come down that you as individuals would say no I'm not Crossing this line I can't do this for the sake of my children my grandchilden and finally um just one other uh subject there was all kinds of talk uh last year about these these evil people that want to ban books and so on well I took as an old man I I took the and looked at some of the material and from a common sense standpoint if I can't read to you from that book or I can't show you pictures on the screen of some of the pictures that are there how in the world can we say yes to our children having these books and this material in the libraries and say to a fifth grader yes you

079can do that I can't do it on radio I can't do it on TV I can't do it in the Press but yet we're saying to our F you got it so uh that's I I I I think it's time that we serious look at and say perhaps no to the New York some New York if it means if it means that we lose our position on the board they say they threaten funding whatever please for the sake of our children my grandchildren so on let's consider this and let's stop this nonsense thank you [Applause] all right um number four we've got um Bonita Brown um and then just a reminder for the audience even if you um agree with somebody um if you're going to say anything other than clapping um just wait until

080you know just clap at the end um um you can clap but don't say I appreciate that um my name is Bia Brown 118 4th Avenue it just be cing my time but how often do we have parents and a bunch of teachers in the same room just take a minute if the parents can just clap to our teachers for PR with our kids [Applause] parents for trying really hard to get all your work done and by the way if any kids my kids are asking what they did all day and all year nothing so whatever you're doing nothing is working is four of my six kids graduated college and my 11-year-old going on in Middle School didn't do anything apparently but I grate you did um with that said uh I also like to

081just say that we do appreciate the teachers we love what you guys do I don't stand them out so that will never change but none of this is about an individual teacher and I apologize if the union was given the wrong information on that because we do appreciate you um and I husand with a speciic teacher that was never the issue um with that said my question was we talked about um being up being more understanding about diversity and I get that but what groups does that apply to bottom line is that our district says that we want to provide a safe learning environment that our kids feel safe and protected I've been in this District I'm from Pennsylvania I didn't go to school here but my kids all did I have watched things change

082over the decades um we have had in the past an example we had students who went and parents that went to just simple couple parking basis for veterans we were told that there might be a more deserving group than that when a student a youth and our youth are amazing so no I don't agree he was chased around In This Very Room by an adult for disagreeing that's not safe we have bullying in our school apparently we have bullying to the parents because it's written on Cur people's names that we're hiding in this parents which will wear as badge of honor but when we have the administration ation writing that putting that in the system about parents that's not a safe environment for anyone The Bullying when a child is bullied and he goes to

083the teacher or he and I think it's the teachers or he goes to the parents and the parents call the school or and we're told no there's a process and the child goes down it's told fill out a form and if we feel it's serious enough we'll look into it my child was bullied in B school and he did all the proper things I tried to do the proper things to no avail until it finally came to a head then the school was willing to listen that's not a safe environment we have issues with drugs and vaping in the bathrooms now again this is where as a parent I get frustrated because I love our teachers I love our parents I Love Our Youth I can't say nothing about our youth but when we're told

084can a teacher just Pok their head in the bathroom so I'm going back to when I was in high school well we were L I didn't smoke we didn't smoke place but you could go in and get get out of the bathroom and we're being told no it's not in their contract I'm not saying the teacher saying this but that's what's coming back to us that does not provide a safe environment for our children and our youth all I asking is who does this apply to I have many students that are part of the LGBT community I have adult students my adult students I will talk to and they even agree that they don't like what's going on and that they're being used as ponds and they don't understand why this would be addressed in

085these young ages because they took a while to figure things out and they're still figuring things out all we're asking is for a safe environment for our kids to go and feel comfortable to go to a teacher tell a teacher they're having an issue go to a counselor go to the principal by the way we've had some great conversations with principles over the years so I'm not knocking anyone but overall we don't have a safe environment for all of our kids is if we're only looking to protect one group and that's not fair to that one group because that puts them out there everyone else and that's not fair to them and that doesn't give them a safe environment like the the one woman said we should be proud of our kids and their accomplishments

086and what they're excelling at and who they are not not that they what they identify as or we shouldn't label labels don't help the situation we need to Love Our Youth be proud of our youth be grateful for everything that we have in this District but it's everybody and you can't be inclusive and acknowledge diversity if you're only willing to look at one group of people it's not fair to all the other kids and all I ask is that going forward we need a safe environment for our children and we need to know when we come to board meetings and thank you you're all looking at me that doesn't usually happen and I appreciate that because this is Ser serious to us and had it been listened to last week there would have been no

087misunderstanding with the union and the parents and if people had gone we people would have responded back it wouldn't have gone to this extent but I hope going forward you realize that our youth are what's most important we talk about that you say it all the time but is it happening on a day-to-day basis and again I appreciate the teachers I really do I can imagine but you had to De with my kids so I don't know how you did it but I appreciate it and I I love that my kids feel a safe place with certain teachers and I do love that but they should feel safe place with everybody and I want people look at link oh you go to Linker and not go oh I know about Linker and it's been like

088that for several years that's not who we are we need people to realize what we're about who we are and look at our youth and say they're amazing from our students who maybe not are the most athletic or the most artistic or most academic but they've got something to get they all do and they all need to recognize and we all need to feel safe and loved and encouraged thank you all right fifth we have uh Cody van reman if I said that correctly my name is Cody van reman I live on Lind L Elma New York Marilla Helma online my name is Cody and I am the husband of one wife and the father of four beautiful and amazing children whose ages are 15 10 7 in 3 months I drive a school bus

089and I enjoy it very much I am also a marine who served an active duty from 2003 that's not why I'm saying this but thank you um I love my country and I have the honor of saying that I am a veteran of foreign war I do not say this to boast but rather I give context and insight into the nature of my character I'm a fighter I'll put it all in the line for what I believe in especially when it's good and true before all these things I am a God-fearing man I'm a work of God and a regenerate child of his what I'm here to speak about is about the role of teachers and what their role is not the role of a public teacher is to teach and cultivate Minds this is

090not an easy job it's not for everybody this requires many skills and virtues in order to do well but the one thing that is expected above all is the Integrity to do their job to the best of their ability while keeping safety Paramount it is my understanding that both of these things are in violation here in Lancaster not only by the teacher who wanted to misuse her post to push ideological ideologically unsound social political and religious propaganda I don't use that word propaganda lightly the definition in a hard copy Webster mirium not the one you pull up on the Internet that's been changed recently is the spreading of ideas information or Rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution a cause or a person the role and rendered virtue of the parents of

091students is trust this too was violated because the institution of the nuclear family nuclear family inaugurated by God in Genesis 1:24 actually 224 therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh I believe that although a teacher may not be malicious in what they say and do they can still when not careful injure the cause and the right of the family to shape and to teach their family according to their convictions this violation of a teacher's post and role is no small thing but it is egregious violation of trust as well as a huge overreach of responsibility and duty to teach false science of transgender mutilation of either Identity or sex or at the sexual level is morally wrong and to undermine

092the nuclear family which is the basic building block of society is to ensure the utter ruin of that Society Genesis 1:27 States this so God created man in his own image in the the image of God he created him male and female he created him he created them the Bible is the most authenticated work of of antiquity as more reliable than anything else that you teach in this school yet it is not taught it is the word of God and it is Authority God makes no mistakes for you form me in my inward parts and immediate Ed me together in my mother's womb that comes from Psalms [Music] 139 and just as I mentioned my military service I do love this country and I have given much for it and its Constitution whose fabric was

093weaved with Biblical principles they are one and cannot be separated let me read the beginning as well as a part of the Constitution that was usurped we the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union establish justice ensure domestic tranquility provide for the common defense promote the general welfare and security and blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America that is the beginning now if we jump to the First Amendment freedom of religion speech press and rights of assembly and petition it states this Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press or of the right of the people peaceably to

094assemble and to petition the government for redress of grievance and although you are not Congress these things have been violated in this school to stand stand behind such actions is shameful I hope you feel that and I say that with respect I do not look down on any of you except physically because I'm standing in your sitting but we are men created equally standing on level ground at the foot of the cross equality respect safety these things are things that everybody values except when it's convenient all right uh we're on to number six now uh keeping track uh number six is Ann Martino it's an Martino I live on jese Street in Lancaster I've been a resident for 24 years now I am here to address bullying that is going on in the high school

095there is a zero tolerance policy for bullying for the students but I am here to address a few incidence of bullying of students by teachers AIDS and a teacher I will not mention any names but this issue needs to be dealt with I have two great granddaughters in a high school and one in Hillview they are all victims of domestic violence in their home and had to leave their home to come with me I believe they have enough traumas in their life they do not need to come to school and be bullied by teachers AIDS and or teachers the first incident that I was made aware of was that a teacher had told the students that they could use their phones to work on a project if their laptop had died which by great granddaughter's

096computer had died the teacher's aid came up to her and started yelling at her that she could not use her phone that is against school policy she said the student told her that the teacher said they could use their phone if their laptop was dead instead of going to the teacher and asking um if they had said this she continued to yell at the student then another teacher's aid came and joined in on the yelling at the student thank goodness for the students counselor that I called to have the student come for the weekly session down in her office and the student was able to leave the situation she was so upset that she ended up missing the bus and staying after school she then called me in tears to come pick her up the

097second incident was during a class of my other great-granddaughter in high school a fellow student a female had asked to go to the laboratory in front of the whole class the teacher said why do you need to adjust your tampon that is totally inappropriate and totally embarrassing for that student this student was found in the laboratory crying after the incident another incident was my great-granddaughter was in the hospital for 3 Days cep that's the Psychiatric Center where they are not allowed conso computers or anything and the teacher berated her when she came back to school for not doing her schoolwork when my great-granddaughter tried to explain this to her she not I just want to caution you just just a bit here that you don't identify any confidential student information I'm sorry I just want

098to caution you don't want to um State any confidential student information um if there's zero tolerance for students bullying there should be the same for teachers and teachers AG society today society today is brutal enough we do not need this in our schools also I understand that kids can be cruel but where do they learn it from the adults in their lives we all need to respect one another I hope that the situ ation will be corrected ASAP school is supposed to be a safe place not a place to be bullied ber raided and put down we need to boost the self-esteem of our children not belittle them I pray that things will change for the better thank you for allowing me to speak next we have Mark [Music] Hamilton good evening members of the

099board residents of Lancaster citizens of New York State Mr Hamilton if you wouldn't mind my name is Mark Hamilton I live in Lancaster middle Berry Lane I am here as a concerned parent for all my neighbors in Lancaster I will preference my my concern with this Foundation I believe Jesus Christ is Lord and has risen from the day he has Authority in Heaven and Earth and is Lord of all and because he is Lord of all he has risen from the dead he said to love my neighbor as myself and love does no harm to a neighbor I am a resident of the Lancaster Community which means I support the school district through school taxes and I have neighbors with children in the school district at one time I had three daughters in the Lancaster

100School one has graduated in 2020 the other two now receive private education and the reason they received private education and do not attend Lancaster Public Schools is because the harmful inconsistent unsustainable agenda that is being normalized and weaved into the school activities and curriculum many people think or even may say I don't care what people do let people do what they want as long as it doesn't affect my child but it does affect her child and I would challenge those to consider that it affects everyone's child I would further submit that it is a Relentless indoctrination in gender ideology and is harmful for example for good reason we don't allow fifth graders to be 11 gr 11th graders simply because they want to feel like it or believe they are 11th graders we also don't

101encourage or suggest people participate in a day to recognize Prejudice lying stealing Pride cannot be an exception pride has always been a bad idea when we celebrate and say pride is now a good thing we should anticipate the next thing to be celebrated in the string of letters and symbols that open up unlimited possibilities diversity Equity inclusion it appears that it is a diversion inequity and exclusion [Applause] there's no neutrality here and to be clear there is religion being pushed here there is a religion being pushed here through days of silence and recognition and laws that demand Thou shalt say and not say speak and not speak tonight I will speak up for my children and your children alike because you are my neighbors bullying is bullying whether it comes from the students faculty the

102school board or even parents just as being shoved into a locker is bullying being made to look like the unloving intolerant student is also buling we don't have to bow down to the neede to this religion and it's so-called love we can stand for true love we can stand for true love that is clearly fixed defined and informed by the truth found in the person and work of Jesus Christ love does no wrong to a neighbor it does not insist on its own way it does it is not irritable resentful it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth if we love these children we must act like it and care for them by speaking objective unchanging truth kids need us as parents as a reality check and it starts tonight by speaking

103out against the harmful inconsistent and unsustainable worldview that's growing and changing and contradicting acronym of the lgbtqi a2s plus agenda if you entertain this agenda to be consistent you will very soon have to entertain the next agenda that blurs the lines of reality that harms the students you're committed to protect that opens the door to anyone who wants to express certain subjective feelings and to assist their own way their own day their own month and it won't it won't stop after this and if this is the reasoning board this will give license and Liberty to some with while silencing and shackling others who oppose object and question to the contrary I stand with my neighbors I stand against any indoctrination that promotes partiality to some neighbors while threatening other neighbors this has to be a

104neighborhood of effort and somebody has to stand up and say no not on my watch [Applause] all right number eight number eight is Raymond Matthews good evening my name is Raymond Masters I live on Palmer Road in Wilson New York I'm speaking today regarding the curriculum that Lancaster School District is teaching our children as you well know lanc Master School District went viral because a young student was told by a teacher that she was incorrect to state that gender is what you are when you're born male or female the student's mother was right to describe the teacher's Behavior as wrong and aboring I'm speaking today to remind you of your duty as Educators I'm also here to remind parents of your duty to your children your duty is to teach truth not some abstract concept

105of Truth not a truth not your truth but fixed objective truth the truth your job is to teach 1 plus 1 equals 2 this is true America is comprised of 50 States this is also true there are 24 hours in a day there are 206 bones in the human body true the list goes on and on the only way the next generation will flourish is if we teach them truth well your teacher taught the young student regarding gender is a lie I commend this young student for her answer she showed that she's wiser than her teacher and she might be wiser than many sitting in this room but how can we determine what is correct where does where does truth come from the answer to this question is something that a school system has lost

106truth comes from our creator the one true Living God the god revealed in scripture what you're doing when you teach your kids about the wonders of space and Discovery or the intricacies of the human body or the beauty and diversity of plants and animals when you teach them any subject whether intentionally or not you're teaching them about the wisdom of God for since the creation of the world his invisible attributes both his eternal power and his divine nature have been clearly seen by everyone being understood through that which has been made that's creation God is the one who made all things and God is the one who sustains all things God determined that up is up and that down is down God determined the porce of gravity God determined the number of the heavenly bodies

107in the universe God determined everything and truth comes from God without God all you're left with is relativism which leads to Anarchy and we're we're getting a little taste of that right now in the school system but members of the board and parents hear me now God did not only reveal himself through creation he also revealed himself through the scriptures and through his son Jesus Christ and he revealed that your duty not only as Educators but also as people made in His image as parents is to honor him as Lord in all things to all parents under the sound of my voice hear me you've been sold the myth of neutrality it's been taught to us that we can leave God at the door and create an education system that's neutral and inclusive but let

108me tell you the truth now neutrality is a myth you you either acknowledge the true God or you're left serving a god of your own creation under a different name many of you are probably thinking that I'm saying is wrong because we've all heard we must keep religion out of education and that's exactly my point have you not perceived that those in the public education system are very religious people they're serving their own God the lgbtq agenda and you're made to worship at their feet there's no neutrality and even if you get the board to allow you to opt out of this certain activity that you're bringing up you're not going to escape it you're sending your kids into a system New York State Department of Education that will warp their minds until your little

109boy or girl is unrecognizable from the child you once knew your duty as parents is to protect your children and teach them truth and unless there is a complete overhaul of the education system in America the public education system is not safe for them they will Faithfully worship their God and they will see to it that your child becomes their convert so what is my message to parents honestly get out unless they change get out consider other options for Education it's not worth losing your child's soul and to the board of education and the teachers of Lancaster School District and also to parents here listening to me my call to you is to Fall on Your Knees in Repentance turn from your wickedness and turn to Jesus Christ determined to honor him in your curriculum

110above all else no matter what New York State tells you you must teach teach children about their creator that that includes that he created humans male and female there are only two genders and there is only one God and he calls you aent and Faith because he has fixed the day in which he will judge the world in righteousness and on that day everyone here you will not only answer for your own soul but also for the multitude of little little Souls that were put under your care I I'll close with Psalm 2 which says take warning oh leaders of the Earth serve the Lord with fear and this is my plea to you I yield my time all right our penultimate uh speaker is Dennis Hond hello Dennis Hannon for Oak View Drive um

111I'm here uh to break the news to you that people can't choose their gender uh telling children that gender is whatever you want to identify as not not only is that totally incorrect but it's ignoring millions of years of nalian History it's indoctrination into a rical ideology that has no place in schools forcing children into these beliefs is not acceptance It's forced assimilation because you're trying to get them to adopt your opinion as their own a person does not need to believe something to be true in order to tolerate or even accept other people's views without prejudice as a matter of fact if children are taught to look at everyone through the same lens and your sexual preference or gender are a moot point so what is gender identity anyways it's the belief that one

112can be a different gender than the body they're born into so a biological boy must be treated as a girl because that's the gender they've chosen that sounds to me like it feeds into the very gender stereotypes this District wants to destroy gender dysphoria is defined as feeling distress when a person's biological sex doesn't match their chosen gender identity gender dysphoria is a mental illness according to the American Psychiatric association it's diagnosed with dsm5 like most mental illnesses so would you affirm someone suffering from anorexia with liposuction of course not because affirmation is not treatment and it ignores any underlying mental illness or comorbidity that may manifest on the surface is something else we know this to be true from the recently leaked World Professional Association of trans gender Health documents and the cast report

113it proves that affirming one's gender identity is not evidence back treatment what we really have here is a social contagion that defies logic science and biology I personally believe in Genesis 127 that God created man and God created woman but I wouldn't tell a child they must accept my belief as their own because it's not acceptance that's forced assimilation I want to make this very clear to everyone listening teaching gender identity gender non-conformity and sexual orientation has no place in schools we won't celebrate these teachings and we certainly won't bow down any radical progressives taking part in a color Revolution to Virtue signal no matter how much you cry hate or discrimination which brings me to my next Point discrimination it's an interesting word because it used to mean to differentiate and now it's almost

114always associated with bigotry which I want to remind everyone that age discrimination is why we have sexual consent laws gender discrimination was why biological men weren't allowed to change in female locker rooms or even strip the academic achievements and scholarships from women by removing discrimination altogether you have effectively stripped the protected classes so congratulations because now the ones that are marginalized are the ones that speak out against it even though they represent the silent majority and I have heard the word uh inclusion quite a bit in here which I think is very ironic because I'm willing to bet that not a single one of you can even Define what a woman is but don't worry because you can pat yourself on the back for including him for that sweet sweet federal state funding I yield

115my remaining time our last speaker for this evening is Beth siner seronera I apologize hello board I am Beth serara of Harris Hill in Lancaster we moved here in 2009 um ironically we thought it was great to be so close to the school um however 3 years ago due to the direction of different curriculums and things like that um we did decide to pull our children out of government schools and so now instead of being happy to um allow my children to walk or bike to school they have to travel quite a long ways to get private education but we feel that it's worth it so we do stand confident still um based in light of the topic of what we're discussing tonight that we did make the right choice so I urge you as

116a school board to project protect the children that are under your care to stop promoting the religious doctrines that are being pushed that have already been mentioned um it should not be forced upon children or anyone for that matter it is full of lies and lying to someone is hating them it is morally abominable and endangers children and one day each of you do have to stand before God to answer for your actions so as a Christian I must love my neighbor just as Mark has already stated the best way that I can do that is to tell the truth if I continue in lies that is hatred hating my neighbor has no place and sometimes doing the right thing is not always the easy thing you know if you think that you're going along

117with the culture and that makes you Brave that doesn't make you Brave doing what's right in spite of what the culture says is what's going to make you Brave so what we urge you to do is just reck the materials that are being pushed don't allow them to be puppy for children in the schools and since everyone has so wonderfully stated what they've already said and on the last one and I really don't need to repeat every little thing I'm going to leave you with a couple um readings of scripture to demonstrate the gravity of what we're dealing with um Matthew 5-6 says and whoever receives such a child in my name receives me but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble it is better for him that a

118heavy Millstone be hung around his neck and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea those are Jesus's own words and that's how serious he takes your protection of little ones lastly Isaiah 520 says woe to those who call call evil good and good evil who substitute Darkness for light and light for Darkness who substitute bitter for sweet and Sweet for better woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and understanding in their own sight woe to those who are Mighty Men in drinking wine and Valiant men in mixing strong drink who declare the wicked righteous for a bribe and remove the righteous standing of the ones who are righteous therefore as a tongue of fire consumed stubble and dry grass collapses into the flame so their root will become like

119rot and their Blossom blow away as dust for they have rejected the law of Yahweh of hosts and the word of the Holy One of Israel they have spurned I just urge you to do what is right and to stand for what is right even though it's not the easy thing to do and protect the children of this District thank you all right that concludes our public hearing uh 14.0 is an executive session that um is to discuss pending litigation uh that effectively ends the meeting for this evening um but before that I want to let you know that our next meeting is at the William Street School in the multi-purpose room on July 8th 2024 that is our annual organizational meeting um do I have a motion to go into executive session any comments

120or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries all right thank you everyone for coming out this evening