BoE Meeting - June 11th, 2026

001to leave executive session and um enter the public meeting. >> Motion. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I >> Okay. Can we please stand for the pledge of the United States of America to the republic which stands nation Justice. >> Okay, we have a really exciting night tonight and it is my first time. Um, so yes, so please be patient with me. Thank you. Um, all right. So, we're going to start with the most exciting part of the night, some tenure um, recognitions. I'm going to pass that on to Dr. Ward. >> All right, this is a great crowd. I like the balloons. I like that you have the balloon. Um, so we're gonna start out with the uh wonderful assistant principal of the year in New York. The entire state, we have

002the assistant principal of the year in our school district, Colleen Lynch. Come on up, Colleen. anywhere you'd like to be. So, >> good evening. My name is Dr. Kitty Summers. I'm the assistant superintendent for curriculum instruction and staff development. It is my pleasure to read the recommendation for Miss Colleen Lynch for tenure in the Red Hook Central School District. Um, Dr. needed to be at the Boseis graduation. So he asked me to step in for him. So this is his highlights of Miss Lynch. She was recognized as a 2026 New York State Assistant Principal of the Year, an honor that reflects the tremendous respect she has earned from colleagues and our broader educational community. The recognition is welld deserved and speaks to the level of leadership she demonstrates on a daily basis. One of Colleen's

003greatest strength is her ability to identify areas of need and turn ideals into meaningful systems and programs that benefit students and staff alike. She has played a major leadership role in developing freshman focus, a new course designed to support 9th grade students in building executive functioning, organizational skills, social emotional learning skills as they transition into the high school. The creation of this course required extensive collaboration, thoughtful planning, and a deep understanding of student needs, all of which Miss Lynch brought to the process. She has also been instrumental in supporting teachers, particularly those in their early careers, and I have seen Colleen in action with the learning sessions that she holds with new teachers. It is very collaborative. It is very innovative and it really does speak to best practices at the high school level. There's

004a lot of feedback from teachers and they truly enjoy the sessions. She has taken on operational responsibilities that are critical to the success of our school. She serves as the 504 coordinator, oversees testing schedules, and chairs our MTSS process. Now, Dr. did go on and on which I will give >> to do that >> which I will give you a copy so that you can >> oh thank you have but we would like to strongly recommend Miss Colleen Lynch for tenure in the position as an administrator in the Red Hook Central School District. >> Thank you. >> Hold on. >> Wait are we are we going to vote? Wait, we got >> Hold on. Miss Lynch, can I get a motion to approve tenure for Miss Colin Lynch? >> Motion. >> Second. >> All those

005in favor? >> I. >> All right. Happens every time. >> We're excited and I'm new. So, >> congratulations. >> It happens every time. Congratulations. >> Thank you so much. >> Are they Are you going to speak about your tenure or are you good at something else? >> No, she's >> I'm going to do something else. ers from the high school that are very welld deserving and um I'm going to call them up. But of course, I am so thankful to be a part of the Red Hook community. Uh the four years have just flown by for me. Um we're busy over there and it's the work that we love to do. I have a great partnership with Dr. Rody. So I just thank the community, our um faculty, our staff, the board uh for the

006opportunity to be a part of Red Hook. So, thank you. So, again, Dr. Rody could not be here tonight, which he uh would have liked to have been, but it's pretty exciting. One of our students is being named the validictorian of the CTI program at Boseies. So, that's a very exciting um event. I'd like to start with speaking about James Cantor. I remember meeting James when we both attended the board of education meeting for our appointments at Red Hook. He was there with his young child and it was immediately evident that he was caring, patient, and a familyoriented oriented person. Even then, I knew he'd be a wonderful addition to our special education department. Over the years, that first impression has only been reinforced. Whenever I visit James's classroom, I am constantly impressed by the

007thoughtful effort that he puts into creating an inclusive learning environment for his students, especially our ENL learners. He regularly develops creative and varied approaches to bridge the language barriers, ensuring that every student has access to learning and the opportunity to succeed. James also understands the importance of strong partnerships with family. He frequently reaches out to parents and caregivers, widening the circle of support around his students and strengthening the connections between home and school. One of James's greatest greatest strengths is his commitment to seeing the potential in every student. When working with students who struggle behaviorally, he is patient, persistent, and looks for a solution. Rather than focusing solely on consequences, he works to understand the root cause of the behavior and help students to develop the skills they need to make positive changes. More recently,

008James has taken on the role of coordinator for the Seal of Civic Readiness. In conversations with him during the development of this program, it became clear that he's passionate about helping students discover multiple pathways to success. His dedication to creating meaningful opportunities for students coupled with his unwavering belief in their potential reflects the very best of our profession. James, your commitment to students, families, and our school community has made a lasting impact. Congratulations on earning tenure. This recognition is welld deserved, and we look forward to the many ways you will continue to make a difference in the years ahead. >> Okay. Can I get a motion? Motion. >> Second. >> All those in favor? I Okay, perfect. All right, so let's just have another round of applause for Jane. Next we have Ben Bardinette just

009over there doesn't have his balloon. Okay. Okay. Uh Mr. Bardinette has been an outstanding addition to our music department. He is deeply committed to helping young musicians recognize and achieve their full potential. He holds his students to exceptionally high standards, fostering a level of professionalism that is truly remarkable. His students enjoy working with him because they recognize how dedicated he is to their growth and success. Students respond to his enthusiasm and commitment by matching his energy and effort, resulting in performances that are nothing short of impressive. One of the most telling examples of his impact occurred during one of my classroom visits when he was out of the building. He was serving as a guest conductor for the Putnham County AllCount Festival. I was amazed to see students independently assume leadership roles, remain focused and

010continue practicing at a mature and purposeful level rather than treating the day as, you know, an opportunity to relax. They remained committed to their work and to the expectations that Mr. Bardinette had established. That level of student ownership and accountability speaks volumes about the culture he created. While Mr. Bardinette maintains a highly structured classroom with clear expectations and a strong focus on excellence, he balances that structure with a wonderful sense of humor and a genuine care for his students. He takes the time to build meaningful relationships, creating an environment where students feel welcomed, respected, and valued. The band room has become more than just a place to rehearse. For many students, it is a space where they feel comfortable, connected, and supported. It is not uncommon to see students choosing to spend their lunch periods

011there, a testament to the positive culture he has cultivated. Mr. Bardinette balances high standards with warmth and light-heartedness, allowing students to thrive both as musicians and individuals. Watching his professional growth over the years has been inspiring, and it has been exciting to see him step into the leadership role of department chair. His vision, passion, and commitment to excellence have already had a tremendous impact on our music program, and I look forward to seeing how he continues to shape and strengthen it in the years ahead. Thank you, Mr. Bardinette, for the countless hours you invest in our students, for the high standards you set, and for the caring and supportive environment you create. Your ability to inspire students to achieve more than they thought possible leaves a lasting impact that extends far beyond the band room.

012Red Hook High School is fortunate to have you and tonight we are proud to celebrate your well-deserved tenure. Our students are better musicians because of your teaching and better people because of your example. Congratulations. Yeah. Can I get a motion to approve tenure for Mr. Binette? >> Motion. >> Second. All those in favor? >> I think it's better. And once again for Mr. Bardinette. >> Good evening everyone. I'm Dr. Brian Boyd. I serve as the elementary school principal here at Mil Road and I'm joined >> Hello everybody. Hey, I'm Kristen Strothman, the assistant principal at the elementary school. >> We are very fortunate and have the pleasure of recommending our music teacher in the preK2 world, Miss Ally Bud. Tonight, it is our pleasure to recommend Miss Ali Bud, music teacher at Milro Elementary School

013for tenure. During her time at Mill Road, Miss Bud has demon demonstrated herself to be a hard-working, enthusiastic, and collaborative educator who is deeply committed to her students and our school community. She approaches her work with positivity and energy. She consistently seeks to make music an engaging and meaningful experience for all her learners. At any point during the school day, if you walk by Miss Bud's music classroom, you will see her highly engaged with little people with a big smile on her face. In the time that we've been working with her over the last couple of years, some of the biggest areas of growth that we've seen is how she even manages that group. It is amazing how much she can complete in a 35inute music lesson with four-year-olds that come in unruly, a bit

014feral, and need systematic approach uh to music and learn teaching and learning in general. Miss Bud has also led our second grade chorus for the last few years. If you've had the opportunity to see them at the performing arts center, it is nothing short of amazing. She takes our second graders for an extra music period each week and by the time they rise up to our risers in the performing arts center, they look like they've been doing it for years. Um, we couldn't be any happier with where our music program is and I think we're in a great spot for our future. So, she comes with the highest recommendation for tenure tonight. Can I get a motion to approve tenure for Miss Bud? >> Motion. >> Second. >> All those in favor? All right. Hi

015everybody. Uh my name is Stacy Smith. I'm the middle school principal and tonight we are going to start our tenure recognition with Michelle Keane. Would you mind coming on? Okay. I have the pleasure tonight with presenting Michelle Keane to the board of education for a tenure and I do so with full confidence in her professionalism, her instructional skill, and her dedication to students. Miss Keen returned to Lynden Avenue Middle School in 2023 as her seventh and eighth grade science teacher. And I do mean returned because Michelle joined us first as a leave replacement back in 16 and 17. Michelle brings with her a wealth of classroom experience from her Arlington and Pikipsy school districts as well as a unique professional background as a former researcher in the pharmaceutical field. That blend of real world scientific

016expertise and experiences gives her the unique perspective to share with students in addition to her understanding of what it means to think, question, and investigate as a scientist. Miss Keane's classroom is a great place to be. She is deeply student- centered in every choice that she makes from the atmosphere she creates, the topics she selects, and the approach to her instruction. Her teaching balances individual support with high expectations and high engagement. Her contributions to our school culture extend beyond her classroom. Michelle is our eighth grade team leader and a valued member of our MTSS team where she's been instrumental in demonstrating improved structures and practices at Lambs. She serves as a key voice for her grade level team as well as collaborating across grade levels to ensure our practices are consistent at Lambs. As adviser

017to student council, she mentors student leaders and is at the center of planning all of our events and traditions that make Lambs what it is. And that's goes for adults and kids. She also advises our school store, which is a student favorite. And the school store does help supplement some of our best activities that students look forward to the most. Michelle's record at Lamb speaks for itself. her strong instruction, her meaningful leadership, and her measurable impact on our students and our school community. I therefore very happy to recommend Michelle Keane for tenure at Red Hook Central School District. Congratulations. >> Okay. Can I get a motion for tenure for Miss Keane? Motion. >> Second. >> All those in favor? I All right. Next, we want to recognize John Leella. Would you mind coming up, John?

018It is my pleasure again to recommend um John Leella to the board of education for tenure and I do that with tremendous enthusiasm and confidence. Mr. Labella joined Lynen Avenue in 2022, bringing with him a strong foundation in physical education from his work at Monroe Woodbury School District and his collegiate coaching experience. When we interviewed John, Pam White and Bill Stuts, our former PE teachers, stood and high-fived as he left the room. That's how excited they were and how confident they felt that Lamb's physical education would be in good hands. And they were right. Since arriving at Lambs, John has brought a genuinely positive presence to our building and has strengthened our physical education curriculum to better meet the needs of students across all their learning profiles, physical capabilities, and even our adaptive students. John's

019commit John's commitment shows in everything he does, but especially his dedication to students. He strikes a careful balance between competitive sport and deeper purpose in physical education. the understanding that it's not simply about athletic skill, but giving every child a chance to feel a sense of belonging, confidence, and capability. Along with the understanding of the importance of lifelong care for themselves physically, John is a positive role model for all of our students. He has built a genuine rapport with students through his consistent demonstration of warmth, fairness, and high expectations. He brings that same energy to coaching, mentoring student athletes in leadership, discipline, respect, and sportsmanship. The trust he earns from students is one of the clearest indicators of the kind of educator he is. It is therefore my honor to recommend John Leella for tenure

020at Red Oak Central School District. >> Can I get a motion to approve tenure for Mr. Leella? >> Second. >> All those in favor? All right. Next for lambs is Elizabeth Louney. Right. Once again, I have the pleasure of recommending another one of our teachers at Lambs uh for tenure and that's Elizabeth Looney. I do that with great enthusiasm and a full confidence of the impact she has and will continue to have on our students in our community. Miss Louney is a Red Hook graduate who wanted to return to teach to teach at Red Hook, specifically at Lambs. And from her first day, she's poured her heart into all of our students. She brings to her classroom not only fluency in Spanish, but a true passion for language acquisition. She brings a deep commitment for

021literacy, social emotional learning, and executive functioning skills for our middle schoolers. that that what they need is what with what Miss middle schoolers need to thrive. Her instructional work is matched by her extraordinary record of community engagement. As director and originator of the annual Latin culture fair, Liz brings more than 50 community me community members to our building each year to share their customs, cultures, and and with our students, creating one of the most meaningful traditions at Lambs. And this past November, she organized and led Cooking for Change, a class project and fundraiser that raised money for a community kitchen in Mexico. And through her summer work with CIE, she has supported high school students on study abroad experiences throughout the world, extending her reach of teaching beyond our walls. At Lambs, Liv serves Liz

022serves on our building level team, the district equity committee, the professional development committee. She coordinates the sunshine club. She serves as our PTSA teacher liaison. She advises tutoring connections and at the international club and she coaches unified basketball. She gives her time generously, her talent and her energy and our students are better for it. Would therefore like to recommend Elizabeth Louney for tenure without reservation. >> Can I get a motion for Miss Lowey? Motion. >> Second. >> All those in favor? All right. Should All right, we have one teacher tonight who could not be here and that's Miss Denot, Christina Denota. Um, and I just want to say a few extra words about Christina tonight. Christina joined our team in 2022 as our school counselor. um bringing her experience from New Town High School in

023Connecticut. From her first day, she provided comprehensive academic, social, emotional, and behavioral support for students across grades 6 through 8. And the relationship she builds with students and families are the foundation of everything she does. Those are the relationships. Those relationships are the reason that many students feel known and supported while they're at Lambs during these most important formative years. Miss Denot is also our 504 case manager. She coordinates our annual reviews, monitoring implementation of accommodations, and closely working with students and families. Her work on MTSS has been instrumental, attending weekly grade level meetings where her insight on student needs and her ability to help develop targeted strategies has been invaluable. In the time um when middle school students mental health needs are at their highest, Menota is an essential partner for our student services

024team. She conducts risk assessments, provides crisis interventions, connects with families, and resources outside with skill and steadiness. She approaches each situation with calm, sound judgment, genuine care, and our families trust her implicitly. Beyond her counseling work, Miss Denota contributes to the broader life in our schools. She participates in scheduling committee, bringing her deep knowledge of NICE regulations and to the master schedule development and individualized student scheduling. She designs and delivers classroom lessons such as topics on high school transition and conflict resolution. She has consulted on the development of our advisory curriculum. She leads our eighth into 9th transition as well as our fifth into sixth transition. Those partnerships with her colleagues, parent presentations, delivering classroom lessons, graduation requirements, and selection courses are very meaningful to students and families while they make those important transitions. tenure

025represents our community's investment in excellence and our commitment to retaining educators who shape the future of our students and Miss Denot is worthy of that recognition. It is my pleasure tonight to therefore recommend Christina Denot at the Red Central School District for tenure. Thank you and thank you everybody. >> Can I get a motion? >> Motion. >> Second. >> All those in favor? All right. Good evening everyone. My name is Amanda Dallas and I'm the director of people personnel services here in Red Hook and I have the honor and pleasure of recognizing for exceptional teaching assistance today for tenure. I'm going to start and I've been practicing her last name so I don't butcher it but Miss Christine Sepe got it right. Okay. Um for tenure as a teaching assistant in Red Hook. Um, Miss

026Epis has been an exceptional member of our special education team and an invaluable support within our 1211 classroom program. When I asked staff, because I did, to kind of share their insights about Missy, the words I get are, "She's incredibly kind, supportive, dedicated to the success of all students. She builds strong and meaningful relationships with students by taking genuine interest in their lives, learning about their their strengths, and what is important to them. Whether working in ELA, math, or supporting students within the ICT setting, she constantly creates positive connections that help students feel valued, supported, and successful. Miss Epesey is deeply committed to supporting student growth and continuously seeks ways to improve her practice. She's participated in numerous professional development opportunities and frequently looks at strategies and ideas to better meet the needs of students

027she serves. Her willingness to learn and apply new approaches has had a great and positive impact on both students and colleagues. In addition, staff describe Miss Seepsy as an outstanding team player. She's always willing to step in wherever needed, support her colleagues, and do whatever is necessary to ensure that students are successful and the classroom operates smoothly. Her flexibility, professionalism, and collaborative spirit make her a highly respected member of our school community. Miss Epsy's compassion, dedication, and unwavering commitment to students make her highly deserving of tenure, and I wholeheartedly recommend Christine Sepe for tenure as a teaching assistant. Can I get a motion to approve tenure? >> Motion. >> Second. All those in favor? >> Yeah. Congratulations. So, I get to continue with some of our Milro Road teaching assistants. And I'm looking at you,

028Megan Webster. You're next. Uh, so I'm It is also my pleasure to recommend Megan Webster for tenure as a teaching assistant in Red Hook Central School District. Miss Webster has been a valued member of the Flex K2 program at Mill Road Elementary School. If you haven't been in that classroom, I highly suggest you come and visit. You may find Miss Webster running around or chasing or on a scooter or climbing playground equipment. Whatever we need to do, we get the job done. She builds strong, trusting relationships with students through her caring, patient, and supportive approach. She takes time to understand each student's unique strength and needs and con consistently encourages independence, social skill development, and self-confidence. her. The team that works with you, Megan, describe you as a dedicated team member who is so collaborative

029with teachers, related service providers and families, and is dedicated to helping all students succeed. They describe you as flexible, dependable, and always willing to step in wherever is needed, even if that means in some crazy weird position outside recess. She contin You continually seek opportunities to strengthen your skills and thoughtfully implement strategies and support student growth and engagement. Most importantly, Miss Webster brings kindness, compassion, and genuine dedication to her work every day. Her commitment to students and their success make her highly, highly deserving of tenure, and I wholeheartedly recommend Megan Webster for tenure as a teaching assistant. Can I get a motion to approve tenure for Miss Webster? >> Motion. >> Second. >> All those in favor? So, the next teaching assistant that I have the pleasure of recommending tenure for is Miss Jennifer Gandelle.

030Doesn't have her balloon on her, which is right back there. Miss Scandal is a teaching assistant also in our Red Hook Central School District uh flex program in grades three through five uh and our Milroad School. Uh staff describe Miss Gandalf as taking the time to truly getting to know all of her students, building trusting relationships, being caring and supportive in nature. While she is flexible and accommodating, she also holds students accountable to their own unique standards, consistently demonstrating the ideals of the Raider profile. Miss Gondell excels at fostering independence and social skill development, encouraging students to problem solve, communicate, and build confidence in their abilities. She knows her students well and has a strong understanding of the supports they need to be successful in the moment. She is committed to her own professional growth

031and has eagerly participated in professional development opportunities, thoughtfully implementing strategies learned through training. Miss Gandel also brings creativity and enthusiasm to her work, designing engaging activities tailored to student interest. I was told about an example that involved uh caterpillar craft that that moved using a straw, which was especially meaningful for a student who loved the very hungry caterpillar. if I need to definitely get info on that. Miss Gundle's dedication, compassion, creativity, and commitment to student success make her highly deserving of tenure. And again, I wholeheartedly recommend Jennifer Gondal for tenure as a teaching assistant. >> Can I get a motion to approve tenure for Miss Gundell? >> Motion. Second. All those in favor? I Finally, uh, my last teaching assistant that we're going to speak about today is Nicole Smaldon. She is Yep. Give her

032applause. >> Nicole is a teaching assistant in our Flex 812 program at Lynen Avenue Middle School. She consistently demonstrates a deep commitment to the students she serves and works tirelessly to support their academic, social, and emotional growth. Miss Smaldon has built excellent rapport with each student, creating positive and productive relationships that help students feel supported, understood, and successful. She's an integral part of the classroom team and the staff that work with Miss Maldon uh describe her as providing thoughtful academic support uh helping uh students with uh strengthen foundational skills and create uh great organizational skills. She plays a critical role in maintaining schedules, coordinating related services, creative art programming, and tracking all things flex. Her attention to detail and reliability is invaluable to both staff and students. She's a team player and a mentor to

033colleagues. She's quick to offer support and guidance. Most of all, Miss Smellone brings warmth, kindness, and generosity and heart to her work every day. She's known for creating a welcoming, engaging classroom environment, often going above and beyond to making learning fun and meaningful for students. It's uh with this unwavering commitment to student success that I wholeheartedly recommend Miss Smaldon for tenure as a teaching assistant. >> Can I get a motion to approve tenure for Miss Smallton? >> Motion. >> Second. >> All those in favor? I Okay, thank you. We'd like to take about 10 minutes to celebrate the newly tenured. Um, we have some light refreshments. Please help yourself. And we will reconvene at about 7:20. Thank you. So you can stay for those or you can leave whatever works for you. Um, so we're

034going to start with the adaptive design of Hudson Valley. And I know they have an exciting prop over there that I think a lot of our, uh, children are very interested in. So, um, if they're here tonight, they want to come up to the podium as well. >> Yes. We have uh Peter McHugh from Adaptive Design Hudson Valley. And we're welcoming up Sheena Lilis, our new OT as well. There's Sheena. Great. Uh uh Mrs. Stman, I will just take a couple of minutes to uh describe uh what's happened over the last year. We're very fortunate. Um, Miss Lilis uh coordinated and uh helped us partner up with the group. They build custom, durable, adaptive tools to create an inclusive and accessible world. Um, and as I mentioned, Miss Lilis uh initiated this partnership. Um, Mrs.

035Stman's going to talk about some of the individual things that they've built and we have a couple uh props as Dr. Warden mentioned uh to share with you. Um, but already these things that were brought to us in the spring have supported and helped students across grade levels prek through two. So, I'll just add that when Sheena came to talk to Brian and I about this and explained the process, you know, she explained that they will come to the school, they'll go to each of the classrooms, look at what the students may need, and then go back and design, custom design all of this equipment and do it all for free. And so, Brian and I kept asking questions and saying, "Well, what's the catch?" And there isn't a catch. So, we started with the

036audit. Sheena walked through the entire prek through two building. They went through each and every classroom and looked at very specific individual student needs and then a few months later they showed up with a truckload of adaptive equipment and three people to help deliver it to all of the classrooms. So this is just a very small amount of what they brought. This is a a weighted truck that some of our students who are looking for some heavy work input push around the hallways. We immediately had kids peeking out the door. They wanted to push it. They customd designed everything. So, there's another one that's a fire truck. Props to all the fire fire men and women in the back. Um, all of them were designed based on some creative cartoons, different colors. Um Sheena, I

037don't know if you want to explain a little bit about what you're holding. >> So this is a foot stool that um so this is a footrest to just help students get in more of an ergonomic position. It helps with grounding. It helps with attention for students. When their legs are dangling, they're moving. They're they're not able to stabilize their body as well. When they're stable, they're able to attend better. And teachers have um seen some positive results from it. So Peter and his team are doing this as a not for-profit for schools and organizations around our county and lots of schools in the area. It's pretty incredible. It's commendable and it's already making an impact. You see them in use in all of our prek through two classrooms and it's it's equipment that we

038will be able to use for years to come. So really, you know, huge gratitude and thank you so much for what you're doing. How you all doing? Peter McHugh, Adaptive Design, Hudson Valley. I'm here representing my partners Greg, Casey, Hannah, Finn, our interns, our volunteers. Briefly with this truck here, it's the boxes in it are weighted. They're ice cream gallons and quarts. And it's kind of a coordination thing. A kids carrying this weighted stuff putting She can Sheena can tell you more about it. It does have a flat tire here, I noticed. But uh we make fire trucks, postal trucks, uh you name it, a garbage truck. But the bigger things that we make, we make custom wheelchair trays. We make products for kids from nursery school to senior citizens. You've got to look at

039Instagram at adaptedhg.com. You will see a multitude of products we've made the past five, six years. We start I don't want to go too long. We started very small at Ramipo for children. We had no money. We were dumpster diving literally for cardboard. But things happened. Uh we're progressing like you would not believe. We have a donor for incredible cardboard. 4 foot 4 by 8ft sheets. Perfect stuff. From there we manufacture it to half inch, which is what most of this is. 3/4 inch. You could drive your car up. I know you think it's cardboard. You could change your oil on some of the devices we make. I guarantee you it's that strong. Um so this recognition right I don't know if anybody can hear me but we've received everybody wants recognition right personally your

040business the school everything recognition is important however I see it in two things recognition is great and for years at roundo in our shop people come in from all types fundraising people executives you guys are doing incredible stuff right blah blah blah they walk out the door, the recognition follows them out the door and it kind of ends. So I call this recognition with legs. Sheena, I think you knew somebody in soy schools. We're in many school districts. The arc abilities first. We have probably done 250 items for them. So it's recognition with legs. Otherwise, it doesn't work. So I we appreciate this. You've given us legs and this just creates more opportunities for us and we can help more individuals in the community. Look at Instagram. But one other thing and I'll shut up

041here besides think about them Nicks. Nicks Nicks nicks. At any rate, one last thing to see a different slice. This is for kids, right? Go to YouTube in search bar, tap in adapted design Hudson Valley, and you will see a totally different slice of the people that were affecting in this community. Totally different stuff. So, thank you all the rec for the recognition with legs. Okay. Um, we would like to we would like to pres Excuse me. Oh, hold on one second. We would love to present you with a certificate. Yep. We'd Yes. A certificate of our appreciation. Thank you. And just to indicate, you know, the approximate amount we're talking about, this is was an extensive donation. When we show these things, this was about, this is a very small glimpse of what they

042did, about $7,000 worth of adaptive materials that they donated to us. So, we thank them so much. Thank you, Peter. Okay. So, I would like the uh members of the fire volunteer fire departments of Red Hook, Tivoli, Rybeck, Milin, and Germantown, if you're all here, if you could step forward. Don't be shy. So, I would like to uh recognize the many firefighters who dropped everything to respond as volunteers during the recent fire. That your entire team serves as a volunteer force makes your commitment all more extraordinary. answering the call without hesitation, giving your time, energy, and expertise purely out of the dedication to others. Your bravery, skills, selflessness are truly incredible. On behalf of the entire school community, we thank you for making us feel safe, offering reassurance and protection during an incredibly difficult time.

043Please know that your efforts are deeply appreciated and did not go unnoticed. We are especially grateful for the sacrifices you make while balancing your own families, jobs, and responsibilities. Your willingness to step forward and serve in this way speaks volumes to your character and the strength of our community. And we want to thank you for being such examples to all of us, but mostly our students. And we really appreciate that day and everything that you did for us. Thank you. We do have some certificates. I don't know if anybody wants to say a few words. I'm sure anybody who's related to Pat Hildebrandt would probably want to speak. Yes, Mark. I just want to thank it doesn't Can we do this? Thank you so much. Appreciate you. Okay. If we could have the members of

044the Red Hook Police Department, you guys can come a little closer to the podium. I've always wanted to tell the police exactly what to do. Um so we would like to thank um all the members of the Red Hook Police Department for their immediate response in supporting the school district alongside uh the highly qualified school resource officers in our buildings. Our the leadership of the program that Lieutenant Hildebrandt uh has created in our school district is deeply appreciated. All the quick action and continued oversight of this event has all made us feel safe. In addition, we're incredibly grateful for the tireless efforts in the aftermath. We know that there's been hours of work, hours of support, and hours of guidance during this very difficult time. And we are very fortunate to have a school district

045and a community to have such committed and thoughtful partners in both the fire department and also the police department. So, thank you very much. We're gonna turn the mic off. Um guys, you know my guy the department obviously was a lot of very skilled investigators. I was lucky enough to get out of the job. Um obviously it's very complex case. I know um the outcome obviously always um keep the safety Right. I've come here over the years that they're obviously answering because it's a lot of and I appreciate your certificate. I just want to extend a couple more thank yous. Uh first to Village Pizza. I don't know if everybody knows this, but they obviously have been such a huge pillar in our community for a little really long time. And they once again demonstrated

046that the spirit of acting swiftly to provide food for our first responders free of charge without hesitation. So this act of kindness reflects what makes our community so special. It shows our children what humanity looks like. Neighbors taking care of one another in mo in moments that matter the most. So, I know they couldn't come tonight, but please go and get pizza there. Um, yep, we can cut for them. I would also like to extend our thanks to Bard College for providing space and assisting us with our senior awards ceremony. We really appreciate your partnership. We also like to thank the culinary institute of American Maris College Duchess Boseies for all reaching out and offering us support and space during this time. We're deeply grateful to St. Christopher and the father there for their compassion

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

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

049administrators, teachers, and staff who all jumped in, supported us, um welcomed each other in each other's buildings. We really appreciate that and again that collaboration and care really exemplifies the strength of our community. Uh we have a great district. It's absolutely amazing. Despite this challenge, we all came together and we persevered and we will continue to and we will emerge stronger. Uh we will continue to keep everybody informed regarding the end of the year activities, our ongoing cleaning events and obviously our next steps. So we thank you for all your support during this really difficult time. Okay, you're gonna hear from me again. Um, so this is this was a hard one, too. Um, I get to speak about two board members that many of us know and have known for a really long time

050and they've been staples up here. Um, we have Kate Corpus and Ruff Russ Craftton who are both leaving this year. Is Kate crying already? I haven't even said anything yet. I can't see anything. very important stage of my life. Many women can relate. >> Okay. So, I'm going to start with Russ then. Um, so Russ, uh, Russ has served on the board for six years, joining us during one of the most challenging times besides this, the pandemic um, and rising to the role of the president. Russ has been an incredible thought partner, consistently pushing my thinking and helping me grow as a leader and a person. He had a unique ability to challenge and support at the same time, always encouraging stronger outcomes while offering steady guidance. Russ was an exceptional moderator, able to navigate

051difficult conversations, resolve conflicts, and keep the focus where it belongs on our students. His expertise in finance brought invaluable perspectives to budgeting, negotiations, and complex decision-making. Russ is very bright and deeply caring and his unwavering commitment to students has made a lasting impact and we were really going to miss you Russ. >> Thank you. >> You have to get up and shake everybody's hand too or just pass. >> I'll just wave. >> We're tired. Our knees hurt. >> Would you like to be >> Yeah, I'll >> you'll say something later. >> Yeah, I'll say something. And I can't believe it's been 6 years. Um it's been wonderful. Um you know, when I was thinking about it earlier today, thinking, gee, this is my last board meeting after 6 years. Uh the only thing that came

052to mind was this was kind of like uh being a parent. You don't know what you're getting into until you're into it. And then you realize you have no idea what you're doing. Um there's a lot of bumps, a lot of ups and downs along the way, some complaining. um uh some great moments, but in the end, I can honestly say it's been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. So, thank you. I'm going to miss you guys, and I look forward to uh continuing to support the district for many years. >> Thank you. Great. And Kate as well is is leaving as well. Uh Kate has dedicated eight years of service to the board and played an important role in my journey from the very beginning. She was part of the hiring

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

054little push to move forward. Her honesty, kindness, and friendship have meant so much to me. Both Russ and Kate, you will leave you will leave a legacy and an enduring mark on our school district. You've helped to make a better place and a stronger community overall. You've made me a better leader, and I'm truly grateful for that. So, thank you very much. I think we're done with >> recognizing great things to come. >> I echo I echo boss tremendously. Uh this has literally been one of the greatest experiences of my life. One of the hardest experiences at times. Um having this lens is a privilege. It is something that I hope I uh manage with great respect. I think um it opened up so many wonderful relationships across the district. Um it was a tough

055decision not to run. Sometimes you have to know when to fold them, you know, and I think we're in good hands. I am incredibly proud of what we've done over the last eight years. Um, incredibly proud. This is an incredible place and there's always, you know, and growth that we're going to look forward to. But, um, thank you for trusting me all these years and I'm going to have a tremendous amount of FOMO. I know that. Uh, but I'm going to get over it. It's not mine. But I'm going to become and will always be a steadfast advocate and hopefully uh you know a continued good voice for the district. So thank you. >> Thank you. >> Okay, that brings us to our student BOE report and it's kind of a bittersweet meeting. This is

056Maddie Clement's last meeting before she heads off to Syracuse. So, we're gonna let Yeah, we're going to clap. Okay. >> Um, so we're going to let her do her last report. >> Okay. So, um, it's been a crazy past two weeks. Uh, but I think a lot of students have been making the best of it. And so, we're going to start with student council. Um, we're helping plan the end of year event that the school is going to host um, at the rec park park. We're very excited to help in any way that we can and we're sure that's going to be an amazing and extremely beneficial event for all the students, especially those who haven't been able to see their friends in a while. Um, we've also been planning a few dine to donates

057at various businesses for this summer. So, please stay tuned so you can help us out. Um, we hope that these will raise a good amount that we will then put forward to lowering the cost for attendance of the NYCA conference for students this fall. Um, we also had our pep rally a couple of weeks ago where we recognized spring sports and held our first club awards where we gave um plenty of awards to advisers, students, and clubs. Our club of the year this year was theater club. Um, now just from a senior's end, um, so these unprecedented, um, circumstances have been challenging for everyone. Um, but the senior class has been particularly devastated by all of this. Um, we are sad to be missing our final days at the high school being all together. Um,

058it has been hard, but we are making it work with remote learning and recently some in-person locations for class. Um we had our senior awards on June 1st which was a nice event and um a great to recognize different seniors um with awards and scholarships. Um we have some exciting events coming up such as prom this Saturday. Um the senior barbecue on Tuesday at the pool which is a bonus. Um the walkthrough on Tuesday as well. And then we also are getting the opportunity to get a final bell at the middle school gym. So that's going to be really special. Um and then we have graduation on Saturday the 20th. So fingers crossed the weather holds for that so we can have it outside. Um but I know some other events are in the works.

059Um and trying to get the whole school together one last time. I think that'll be great. Uh juniors are sad also to be missing our last days of junior year, but we're very grateful that we have a year left. Um it's kind of anxious and nervous for some people as we're all starting our college apps and thinking about where we're going to go um in two years, which is crazy to think about. Um but overall, I think that we're all making the best of it besides being nervous. And then just um general students um are just preparing for regents and final projects and exams while doing remote learning. So, everybody's making the best of it and getting through these last couple weeks of the year. Um, our sports teams finished off very strong. Um, and

060we congratulate and thank all of our athletes and we're all excited for our fall sports to start this summer. And then, as we said, this is my last board meeting here. Um, so I just want to say thank you to all of you for letting us come and share uh the ongoings of student life at Red Hook. um this has been a great experience for me um where I will carry these skills that I have gained with me to college and onward. Thank you so much for all that you do and I will will probably see some of you at graduation. But thank you and thank you again especially to Dr. Warden for giving me this opportunity and I'm just so grateful to have been a part of these meetings this year. So thank you

061everybody. So, we would like to take a minute Oh, is that on? Okay. To thank Maddie. Um, she's been an outstanding example of engagement, leadership, and service throughout the year. She's juggled academics and athletics while faithfully attending board of education meetings. She served as an important bridge between our students and the board of education. She actively encouraged student voice, ensuring that the perspectives, concerns, and ideas of her peers are considered. She brought student life to our table um while taking the time to celebrate the many accomplishments of her classmates both both in school and on the athletic fields. Through her regular updates, she's helped keep the board members informed, connected, and engaged with upcoming events and the daily experiences of student body. Her dedication and commitment to representing her peers has made a meaningful impact

062on our district and we're grateful for what she has brought to this role. We will miss her in future meetings, but we wish her the best of luck. Thank you. Okay, this is a tricky one. So, we have a couple things we're going to do really quickly. Um, can I just get a motion to amend the agenda and move personnel subject line M to now? >> Motion. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I. >> Great. Okay. Can I now also get a motion to add Mr. Quinton Johnson to the personnel agenda and appoint him to the position of director of physical education, health, and athletics. >> Motion. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> Okay, one more. Okay, there's one more. Um, I also now need a motion to approve the amended

063personnel agenda items numbers 1 through 26. motion. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I >> You did that flawlessly. >> That's great. A lot. >> Hopefully we did it right. >> So, I just want to say how exciting this night is for all of us to welcome Quinton Johnson back to Red Hook. Come on up, Quinton. So, there are a number of us that had the pleasure of working with Quinton um when he worked for six years here in the primary building. We were sad to see him go as he continued on his journey, but he left us for 10 years and we're thrilled to have him back. When I checked his references, they were all very similar and said he is a consmate leader who leads from the heart. He always puts

064kids first and that came through in his interview process but also in our personal experiences with him and uh somebody caught wind of him here for his vinyl interview because that night my phone kept blowing up. Is Quinton back? Is Quinton back? So we are thrilled to have him back. He has huge shoes to fill with Tom Casada who's been his own legend here as well and a consumate friend and support and really really great. So, Quinton and Paulina and Jeremina and Elijah back there, welcome back to the Red Hook family. We're thrilled to have you here. I want to say I'll use my teacher voice, but I guess I got to use my administrator voice now. Um, okay. So, I just wrote a couple things down. Uh, thank you. Thank you to Dr. Bordon,

065Dr. Summers, Dr. Hayes, uh the board of ed. Thank you all the administrators who are here tonight. Um I want to say a special thanks to Tom Casada who's been a a great mentor and a friend to me. And we had this conversation, I don't know how many years ago, but um he would say, "Oh, you should think about doing the administrator thing." And I'm like, "Nah." And then uh he would see me and say, "You start taking any classes?" "Nah." Um and I don't remember what year it was, but you know, you'll probably remember saying it. I was like, "I'm really into the kids and coaching." and you know he kind of said you're going to want to do something different at some point and he was right. So thank you very much um

066for that. Uh all my former colleagues uh some you know a lot who were here tonight. So I'm grateful uh to reconnect with them uh in this next chapter uh in my life. Uh my wife and kids who uh Dr. Hayes mentioned um who've been really supportive. My wife has been incredibly supportive of all my crazy ideas. Um, so when I was a head football coach, I used to say there's a special place in heaven for coaches wives. Uh, my new saying will be there's an even more special place in heaven for athletic director's wives. So, um, anybody who got tenure, I want to just congratulate them. Uh, 15 years ago, I sat in the parking lot out there, um, the very same one. Uh, and I was just, you know, hoping not to mess

067up an interview, um, for a teaching position. And so I remember pulling up and uh seeing the Mill Road Primary sign and going, "Oh, wait. This is just K2. I'm not sure this is going to work." Uh but nonetheless, you know, I was hired and and and I'm really grateful. Um I learned so much about how to be a professional, work hard, uh and just try and be the best part of the students day. Uh tonight when I sat in the same parking lot, a lot of the same feelings did return. Uh not to worry about the kindergarteners, but um the excited nervousness um that I had back then. So now I'll stand here humbly. Um I'm excited to return. I'm eager to learn and grow and I'm gracious for the all the blessings that

068have that have come my way. So I plan to work hard. I plan to listen, support everyone I can. Uh my goal has always been and it will always continue to be to try and make a difference and do what's best for kids. So, thank you very much. So, good evening. We are welcoming some other members to the Red Hook faculty tonight. So, I have a few things to say. Um, Heather Mold Peter, is she here? Yes. Stand up. Okay. So, Heather will join us as a special education teacher. We're pleased to welcome her. She's an experienced and dedicated special ed educator with nearly a decade of service at Questar 3 Boseis. She graduated from the University of Albany with masters in special education and literacy as well as a bachelor's in English with a

069minor in deaf studies from Sunni Newalts. Her background also includes roles as both an elementary special education teacher and a reading resource teacher. She enjoys working with youth in the community and travel. So we welcome her. She will be at Lambs Middle School. So welcome Heather. Cara Dumbar has been with us for three years. She has been a teaching assistant and a part-time special educator. She will now join us as a full-time special education teacher this fall. She holds a bachelor's in social work from the Gordon College as well as a master's in special education from Empire State College. She enjoys reading, fitness, and coaching. So, welcome, Cara. We're happy to have you. Allison Web. Allison comes to us as a seasoned special education teacher with over 15 years of classroom experience. She holds a

070bachelor's in elementary ed and special education as well as a master's in reading. She is also Orton Gillingham Associate level certified. Outside of work, she holds a second degree black belt in martial arts. So, welcome Allison. We're happy to have you. She will she will also be assigned to um Lynen Avenue Middle School. So, welcome Katie Hanky, elementary teacher. Katie, welcome. Katie has worked with us this year as a full-time elementary school teacher as a contract sub. We are so happy to welcome her in the fall as a full-time probationary teacher. She holds degrees from Sunni Brockport and Sunni Jio and is certified in childhood education, special education and literacy. Um she also enjoys running, volunteering and coaching and she will work with us in the elementary school. Welcome Katie Crystal Smith. She will be

071our new library media specialist. She um has worked with us at Mil Road in the 35 library while pursuing her certification. She holds a degree in early childhood education from Salem State University as well as a master's in library information science from the University of Albany. She enjoys reading, travel, and karaoke. So we welcome her. My last person is Molly. Is Molly here? Molly Castillo. It will be our school counselor. She'll be a halftime school counselor at Mil Road. Um she comes to us with um experience. She currently holds a bachelor in sociology from Sunni Onana as well as a master's in school counseling from Sunni Buffalo. She enjoys reading, exercising, and looming outside of work. So, very unique but wonderful um faculty members that we are very very pleased to welcome to the Redwood

072Central School District. So, congratulations. We have uh one other wonderful person that I can see right in the corner. Hi, how are you? Mr. Kilfoil is we are so incredibly lucky that he'll be joining our high school team. He has years of service in the police department. Um, he's served not only in I there's a bunch of different ones, so I just want to make sure I get them all right. Town County of Pikipsy Police Department for 16 years, as well as the town of Olter police, town of Sogerties Police, and also way back then was at the town of Olter to start with. He also has a degree with criminal justice. and we are very lucky to have a retired police officer coming again into our school and to assist us as a aid

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

074with our leadership group about next steps in New York inspires. Um so we worked to have a foundational understanding of New York inspires. We've talked about that at the board table numerous times of all the changes that are coming from the state education department. We talked about building common elements connected to the New York State portrait of a graduate. We develop our connections between our Raider profile and the New York State Portrait of the Graduate. We also talked about steps that we're going to need to take in phases over the next couple years to ensure that we are in line with the goals of New York inspires. And then we reviewed a framework and we also talked uh a little bit about um looking at project-based learning and adopting a clear model for the school

075district. So, we've discussed this before that the state has put out new outcomes under the blue ribbon commission and as you know they had feedback and research for many years and then they identified four priority areas and 12 recommendations and then they created a draft profile. They also then adopted a portrait of a graduate. Um I think that there might be copies. Yes. >> Yep. There's copies at your table of what New York State portrait of the graduate looks like. And then we also provided you with our Raider profile which you're all familiar with. The state is also looking at redefining credits and learning experiences. So you often hear that the uh regent exam will be one option to show proficiency and there will be other options for our students to show that they will

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

077to be an effective communicator throughout each grade band and eventually what does our graduate look like? That's being developed and that will be one of our phases later on. But this will be the language that we're really as a group we met and we all talked about what this means, what this looks like, how does that look in our classrooms, how will we assess that, how will we determine proficiency in these areas? Because as a um school system, we're much more used to we're really used to saying you have a grade in science of 80, you have a grade in English of hopefully a 100. Um, but we're really looking at the skills of the future to say what does it look like to be a global citizen and therefore what does it look like

078in our classrooms to provide those experiences so that students can be measured in these areas but also be proficient in these areas. One of the advantages that we've had is over the past I believe it's about our fifth year >> fourth >> uh maybe fourth or fifth >> uh year of having the Raider profile in the school district where you can see a lot of the um attributes that we had in the profile are very similar to the attributes that they have in the profile um in New York State that was just put out. So, as a team that day, we really talked about how is it aligned, how is it different, where can we see those connections of language being very similar. Um, where do we see some areas that we need to improve

079upon? So, we we did that crosswalk that day and really had a good better understanding of where we need to go in the future. So, I'm going to turn it over to Kitty, but that was phase one of looking over uh the portrait of the graduate. Okay. >> Thank you, Dr. Thank you. So our goal that day was really to have some common understanding of what New York State is expecting over the next several years. So we had a lot of good conversation. We had teacher leaders as Dr. Warden said. So we overviewed what the expectation is from the state. So from fall 2025 to summer 2027, there are certain elements of installation that school districts need to be aware of and to really work on as a team. Um so there's the release of

080the port of the graduate. We are waiting for the rubrics and um we'll move on to um looking at what the learning standards are, how to prioritize them and then require they do now require instruction and financial literacy and climate education. We are in good standing with that. We have offered financial literacy over the last couple of years which was a need that the students said they needed um almost eight years ago. So we are in good sta standing with that. I did a crosswalk with the teacher um and certainly Dr. Roddy has been on top of this at the high school. So um we'll continue to make sure that we are aligned with the expectations for that course. Um and then they're also releasing information on climate education which we do feel through our

081science courses, through our garden program, through the different things we do throughout the prek12 um instructional environment, we are in a good place for that also. So they will need to continue to release information to school districts and um I did go to a number of workshops that really gave some in-depth information about workg groups, advisory panels and continuing the communication. So transformation number two is to redefine the credits really organize the diploma requirements over with the components of the portrait of a graduate add the new requirements that the state has for CTE personal financial literacy and climate change and really expand ways for students to show evidence of proficiency. This was a wide example of what that evidence could look like. It could be approved workbased programs, capstone learning projects, which as an IB

082school, some of our students already do that. So that could be something we could um make more widespread across our district. Uh early college, high school, PETAC, earning New York State credentials. And currently right now we do have the seal of biiteracy and the seal of civic readiness. Um high school courses, New York State approved CTE programs, participation in the arts, and passing approved um assessments such as um project based learning. So there's many ways to show that. So these are two new instructional requirements. initial implementation from fall 2027 to summer 2029. Again, moving to one diploma, looking at suns setting some of the diploma requirements, redefining seals, redefining credits, and expand ways for students to earn credit. And students entering grade 9 in 2027 and beyond will be required to earn one CTE credit,

083which could include financial literacy. So there is a support network um which we will look to have and we are also across districts looking to work together so that we can have a common understanding. Uh professional learning opportunities will certainly be out there for our administrators and our faculty and um through boseis we could start regional learning networks which would be important for common understandings across multiple school districts. So transformation number three, sunset diploma assessment requirements. So students will no longer need to pass the regents or a plus one pathway assessment to graduate. Uh state assessments will continue to be administered per federal ESSA requirements and those requirements include regions in the area of English, math, and science transformation trans. No, no, those those three tests will be required for all students. Um I so

084more information on that to come. But because we uh state takes money from the federal government, those are the ESSA requirements. So um move to one diploma, districts must confer diplomas to students who satisfies the state requirements. we can add additional seals or endorsements and um so that would be one diploma for all students. Okay, full implementation scaling up that's fall 2029. This is on a cohort model. So students get into a co cohort by attend whatever year they attend the first time they attend 9th grade. So new system will begin will be phased in and beginning with students who enter 9th grade in 2029 and graduate in 2020 2020 2030. So that would be cohort 2029. Before that students will be required to meet the standards of the current requirements. Um the state is

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

086we need to continue to be ahead of the game by looking at different ways to assess students by looking at professional development that will support what the expectation is from the state and um and really think about the new vision of what school is for students. performance-based learning and assessments are there's two this is the gold standard that was shield that was shared with us the seven essential project design elements and then the seven projectbased teaching practices so that was shared with our teachers uh next steps for our team is to and I did work with the curriculum council and I'll be working with the principles about how to make sure that all teachers are kept a breast of what is necessary and also to support the professional development needs that will be necessary to

087make sure that we work forward on this and are future focused and ahead of what the state expects. So, >> thank you. >> Yeah, I see this as transformational to our system. I think we've been doing the same thing in New York educational system for quite a long time. Um, so I see this as a beginning to really change what the outcomes and what classrooms look like and what the end result looks like for our students. And as you know, we've done a lot of this work to get ready for it. Um, so I feel like as a district, we're in a really good place to continue to provide that innovation and what's happening in classrooms. A lot of these gold standards that you see up here is already occurring and a lot of our

088principles have already created spaces and uh the atmosphere and the risk that teachers can do to to put a lot of this in place. So, anybody have any questions? I'm sure you have a lot of questions. Um but we'll keep you aware as we go through this. Again, we have a strategic planning group that is going to be completely focused on this throughout the course of the year. Then, like Kitty said, they go back and speak to their department. They go back and speak to their grade level teachers. They and the principles follow up with this. And as an entire district, we meet as an administrative team and this is our focus. This is what we're talking about every time. Like what else can we do for students? What else can we provide to our

089teachers to ensure that we're ready for these changes in the future? Any questions? Okay. >> Okay. Thank you. >> I I have a quick question. Um just wondering um so I I know Red Hook is is doing a lot of these things and innovating and uh we'll look to leverage a lot of what we're doing to meet the parameters of this. Are there any other like schools locally or across New York State that we're also look like looking to partner with or um looking as a a model to um just wondering like what that landscape is like? >> Yeah, I think well I I know Kitty can speak to this a little bit too after me, but um yes, we go to conferences with people throughout the state, but also we go to national conferences

090which sometimes I think is really important as well to see what other states are doing. I know there was one school in in particular that was really focused on pathways and what what would it look like for students that picked say for instance law in in a high school and everything was centered around them filling that um and their English class was based on that their science class was based on that. Um Katie, do you want to talk about the school that you recently? Well, I think that the administrative team also went up to the council of school superintendent and spent some time with the former superintendent of Kasaki Athens and he's going to lead a cohort of people through Questar three Boseies which we are joining so that and it's going to be focused

091on the portrait of a graduate. Um certainly I took I went to a conference at Duchess Boseies that focused on the pilot schools that the student that the state has supported and we will apply for that if that comes up again. We did apply last time we were not accepted but there is some panels of um groups of administrators and teachers from different schools that talked about the steps they have taken. This is really early in the process of this, but there are some school districts that are um working hard of changing what school looks like through project-based learning, through different methods of assessment. And really um I feel we're a bit ahead of the game because we've been working at this for a while, but there are some schools that are very traditional that

092to this this plan here is almost um so innovative that they're still wrapping their heads around it. So it depends where the school districts are, but there was a number of school districts out there that did present and I can get the names of them. I have that in my office. But certainly um the educators of New York State I think understand this is a shift and that people need to be working hard at it. And if you go on the the state education website uh for example so high school so district is a planned pilot school. So there were select districts around the state. So they have their project-based learning assessments available for us to look at. Um, and then what I think will happen after that as a county, we'll work together to

093say what does it look like to assess students in earth science. We have a lot of school districts in the county that are really small and may have one earth science teacher. So coming together as a county to say what will that look like beyond a region's exam? What real world experience will student have? One of the biggest obstacles I see in this and I really hope the state addresses is that there's this concept of seat time. So students need to sit in front of a science teacher for a particular amount of time throughout the school year in order to receive credit. A lot of this stuff is just not about sitting in a science room. It's like can a student learn and also be in front of an English teacher but learning science but

094learning math and seeing how it all relates together and not like an isolated class. So that's where I see hopefully in the future this going. But there are a lot of mandates that the state puts down requiring seat time and a certain amount of hours for things. So that certain amount of hours to sit in front of a certified teacher in one particular area. So a lot of those things are going to need to change uh for us to provide some of those really authentic experiences for kids to go out in the community. I mean you learn when you're in the community. You learn all the time. So really going back and looking like what does an internship look like? What does a capstone project look like? I mean, we have fifth graders that are

095trying to fund raise to save the world. Like, they could they could look to keep that going throughout their entire school year and build upon it appropriately and then at the end have a capstone where they're really saying like here's what I did to meet that portrait of the graduate in all these areas and here's the project that I could also present to you to say I am proficient as a graduate of Red Hook but also a New York State student. >> Yeah. And one thing that I took away from the strategic planning um time together was that we did group students the teachers as K12 prek12. >> So the discussions that happened were not building specific or grade level specific. they were the prek12 discussion as what does a pathway look like when a

096student enters our school system and the journey they take through each of the grade levels and that discussion I think caused a lot of awareness of great things that we're doing and things that we can build upon but also an I think almost an awakening that what happens at the kindergarten level mimics in some way the innovation that happens at a IP class, the critical thinking skills and just the um collaboration, small group work, large group work, and literally the innovation. And so that was a I think a great experience for our teacher leaders to understand that they're not just stuck in one content area, but that this is a opportunity to grow the wonderful things we're doing, but make sure that we can forward plan it and then backward backward chain plan it so

097that the foundational skills are forever developmentally appropriate for our students and can be built upon from preK. K all the way up through grade 12. So I found that to be a wonderful takeaway and I've heard a lot of conversation about that with the our teacher leaders that joined us for that strategic planning day. >> Kind of more simple question. Um the so we have our our raider profile and then the language is pretty similar. Um, will districts be asked to kind of adopt exactly this language? Um, just curious because that would be >> So, yes, that has been a very hot topic. Um, so we've gone back and forth about that. I don't think we've really landed at this point. My we've had the discussion that the New York State port of the GRA

098graduate that language that under each of those categories will what is appear what will appear on a transcript. So we have to get really used to that language and and what goes into that. Um but we also have already branded our district in such a way that people recognize that and know that. So we're really looking to see how they connect and what that visual would look like. So yes, that is right where we're at of figuring out not abandoning our identity. And also the state will say don't don't abandon what you've already done. Yeah. Don't abandon what you've already done. But also we have to from, you know, make sure that we're all familiar with this language so that if students are going to be assessed on this, we all have to be really

099clear that I mean language matters. Um what we use to our students from the beginning matches this. So they're not seeing it for the first time when they get their transcript and stuff. So >> yeah, that's exactly where we're what we're thinking. >> And we did a gallery walk with the state portrait of a graduate and how it um kind of relates to ours. But what does that mean? What does that language mean? So teachers had the opportunity to for each of those attributes to write down what does it mean? What do you wonder about? So it was really kind of an awakening and understanding of the state um portrait and then the next year we'll be working on how does that work together with ours without abandoning our identity. So there's work to be

100done but I think there's excitement about the work. So we're really looking forward to it. Thanks. And I like the Raider profile. I can't leave that, right? My elementary people back there. Okay. Um, with that said, that brings us to our first recognition of visitors. Um, we just ask that you please come to the podium, state your name. Um, and gentle reminder to please refrain from using the names of students or staff members in your comment and just adhere to our 3minut um, per speaker. We'll just kind of give you a wave when you get close to your three minutes. Okay. Thank you. >> Hello. Okay, go ahead. Um, hi. My name is Carol Brown and I'm a mom of a third grader and a fifth grader at Milroad School. I'm also a high school

101math teacher and I want to start by just thanking everybody up here who's been working on helping us move forward after the fire. I think you've all done an excellent job. So, thank you so much for that work. Uh, I'm here today, as you probably know, on behalf of a group of parents who first came together around the district's Red Hook Reads initiative based on the anxious generation. And uh we have now about 70 members, all parents in the district who are united in our desire to work for thoughtful uses of digital technology and screens in our schools. Uh we feel very lucky that our district takes these issues seriously and we are grateful for the many open conversations we've had with board members, school leaders, and administrators. The district has seen many positive changes

102in technology this school year, including the bell-to-bell cell phone ban. Uh the removal of laptops from the middle school lunch period, the delay of issuing laptops for students to take home until the second half of sixth grade, the installation of JF web filtering software on every schoolisssued device. All of these steps were significant and greatly appreciated. So too is the district's decision to form a technology task force starting in the fall. The movement toward more thoughtful tech use in schools is bipartisan, and it's gaining momentum in school districts and states, red, blue, and purple, nationwide. Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services released a surgeon general's warning on screen use, urging families, schools, and other institutions not to wait for more information, but to act now. This research-based document calls on schools to

103invest in physical textbooks, to assign work in books or on paper whenever possible, and to limit screen use to enable distraction-free learning. After speaking with many students and parents, our group is making an urgent requests request that the one-toone laptop program, at least in its current form, be delayed until 9th grade. We are asking Dr. Smith with support from the district and the board to please take swift action and seriously consider switching by this fall to a model where laptops in the middle school stay on carts to be brought out by teachers and checked out by students for specific tasks that truly benefit from being done on a computer while other assignments are completed on paper and in books whenever possible. When I'm done, you'll hear from more parents to help explain how we came

104to this conclusion. We appreciate that the 1-1 laptop program was undertaken in a spirit of equity and provides an essential resource for families in need of devices for their students home use. We hope this can continue. Like many districts, Red Hook is now several years into an initiative that greatly increased the role of digital technology in our students academic lives. As with any new initiative, it's important to stop and take stock of costs and benefits and to adjust course if needed. Thank you. >> Thank you. Hi, my name is Nora Paintton. I'm the mom of two Lambs students. Thank you so much for listening tonight. I'd like to share a brief and non-comprehensive list of some of the games that are available to Lamb students on their laptops at school. Grand Theft Auto 5, Horror

105Nun, Granny versus Baby, Five Nights at Epstein's, Undead Corridor. That's a zombie firstperson shooter game that my son has played in class. These are not materials that middle schoolers should have access to in the classroom at school. These are obviously some of the more shocking titles. There are also more run-of-the-mill but extremely mind-numbing games that Lamb's kids access daily. We've learned through our research and through conversations with the school district that it is essentially impossible to block all content like this. There are infinite unblocked Google classroom sites that continually sprout up and our children are unfortunately very skilled at employing various workarounds. What is the district's policy on gaming in the classroom during the school day? We have not gotten a clear answer on this, nor is it stated in any districts handbooks. Our family

106has personally experienced our children using computer games during the school day to fill free time. They've been exposed to inappropriate YouTube videos. They've reported spending hours in a single day on gaming websites. At after school, it's common for kids to bring their laptops to town and play whatever games they want on open Wi-Fi networks. All of these issues have occurred consistently and frequently throughout the school year, even though we have often communicated our concerns to school leadership. Aside from the gaming issue, the latest research and data on technology as an educational tool are overwhelming, and over reliance on screens inhibits optimal learning pathways for young brains. Humans learn from other humans face-toface using tools like paper, pencil, books, and project-based learning. We know that change is possible as we've seen school districts nationwide reverse course,

107restrict one-to-one device access, and report beneficial outcomes in learning and in social development. The district has not provided any specific or convincing evidence that onetoone enabled devices enhance learning in all academic subjects to the extent that the risks associated with unfettered screen use should be tolerated. The solution is simple. Take laptops away in middle school full stop. Have them accessible only for specific tasks and then put them away on technology carts. If your position is the district does not have or need to have a policy on gaming in the classroom and that it's not possible to ensure that children don't have access to inappropriate content at school, then taking away laptops is really the only logical solution at this time. My kids have one in two years left at Lambs. I urge you to consider

108change that can be implemented in time for the 2026 school year. My family cannot afford to wait for a task force to do a year-long study. We need leadership and action on this urgent issue now. Please eliminate onetoone device use at lambs in time for next school year. Thank you so much for your time. Hi everyone, my name is Liz Monel. I am mom to an awesome first grader if I may say who has had two absolutely idllic ideal years here at Milroad. Uh my partner and I are so grateful to Dr. Boyd and Mrs. Strothman and really all the staff that we've interacted with over the last two years. We have seen them truly enact the excellence that attracted us to the district in the first place. And uh for this we cannot be

109more grateful. With this as our baseline, we have been dismayed to learn that children as young as 10 and 11 years old have access to laptops and exposure to digital media that frankly cuts childhood short that have been um proven to have ne negative mental health impacts and that even diminish the educational processes um that they progress that they can make by reducing their attention spans. I acknowledge the educational benefits that these devices can have, but to me and my family, the benefits quite simply outweigh the risk. Um, do not outweigh the risks. My partner is a professor at Bard College, and in recent years, he has seen his students arrive at college unable to read whole books, unable to make it through um a full duration of class with their devices at their fingertips.

110This generation of college students were frankly subject to a cruel experiment. What happens when you give developing minds over to nearly unf unfiltered uh an unfiltered world and don't provide enough protections against big tech's powerful interests and addicting their mind to their products. We are here today to say that the experiment must cease. device usage should be aggressively peeled back and ask for the end to one-on-one devices in the middle school. I want to close by thanking the administrators and teachers who have opened themselves to dialogue with us and technology use in the classrooms. Your ability to respond to the latest research and parent input and pivot would be a true embodiment of the gold standard that Red Hook is known for. Thank you very much. Hello. Uh, my name is Stephanie Valley. I'm the

111parent of three children associated with Red Hook Schools, two recent graduates, and our 5-year-old that is finishing a really wonderful year in preK. I'm here also on behalf of Red Hook's parents u for Thoughtful Tech. As a current Milro parent, um, and also the incoming PTA president, I am deeply grateful for the openness and partnership of Dr. Boyd and Mrs. Strothman have had on this issue. Last month, we hosted an inaugural and successful parent advisory committee meeting at the elementary school that over 30 parents attended um at 800 PM in the evening to have a collaborative dialogue with school leadership around tech. I'm hopeful about the openness expressed by Dr. Warden about the future collaboration with parents and the issue via the tech task force. The use of technology by students is complex and evolving

112with an unbreakable tether between home and school. With our older daughters about 10 years ago, the promise of technology offered an allure that was hard to turn away from and there was a sense of ensuring that your child didn't get left behind. But when we know better, we do better. And nationally, we've seen the promise of educational and childhood technology evaporate into flat and declining declining test scores, limited attention spans, a loss of critical thinking and executive function, and a youth mental health crisis. We will make different choices with our 5-year-old. I'd also note that most of this technology is being created by folks that did little more than learn typing and how to avoid getting dysentery on the Oregon Trail in computer lab during their early years and they were not left behind. I

113would echo the call that there is an end to the one device policy in the middle school um and again express my appreciation for the really thoughtful and limited use of technology in the elementary school. I deeply believe in public education in Red Hook schools and know the district can lead on this like on so many issues. And finally, just a note, I just want to honor that being a teacher and all the amazing teachers we saw here tonight is the hardest job. And when you are in a classroom where a teacher is directly instructing a child, it is pure magic to watch them learn. This conversation is not about what teachers are doing or what they're not doing. It's about how we as a community come together to determine our shared values and empower

114our school leaders to make parent informed choices about what drives outcomes. We all want our children thriving. Thank you. >> Thank you. Hello, my name is Betsy McCall and I'm the proud parent along with my husband Matt Verilli of a Milroad second grader. These are excerpts from a letter to the board of ed from Amy Couta who is unable to attend tonight's meeting. The full letter has been emailed to the board and the district clerk. Dear members of the board of education, I am writing as a concerned parent of a rising sixth grader to respectfully urge the board to take immediate action regarding the use of onetoone devices such as iPads and MacBooks in all classrooms from prek through 8th grade. I'm particularly concerned about reports I hear from middle school students and their families

115regarding robust usage of devices for homework, excessive access to gaming while in win and other classrooms, and general accessibility to YouTube while on school property. Recent evidence has raised significant concerns about the widespread use of these devices and their impact on children's health, learning, and overall well-being. The US Surgeon General's warning clearly outlines the harms of excessive screen use, highlighting increased distraction, decreased attention spans, and negative effects on mental health. Nationwide student achievement has declined in reading and math as reported by the nation's report card in 2023. This decline corresponds with increased screen time and device dependence in classrooms. Organizations and leaders all over the country are hinting at a movement towards reduced screen usage in schools and greater policy restrictions, including Governor Hokll, the American Federation of Teachers, and the New York State United

116Teachers. Given these facts, I request the following immediate policy changes to be enacted prior to the 2026 2027 school year without waiting on state mandates, Bosey's guidance, or other outside authorities. The Red Hook School District has a great opportunity to present itself as a thought leader by implementing immediate and impactful changes. Eliminate oneto-one device access for all students in preK through 8th grade. Implement a strict gaming ban on all schoolisssued devices. Restrict all YouTube access for students in these grades on school devices. Make available device specific browser history for device usage on school property at the request of a parent. Ensuring a healthy, focused, and distraction-free learning environment should be our highest priority. Please act decisively and swiftly to protect our children's education and well-being by removing onetoone devices and restricting inschool gaming and YouTube

117usage for preK through 8th grade students. Now is the time to act, not in the coming years when state mandates may or may not trickle down. Thank you for your time and attention. >> Hello, my name is uh Ben Paer. I'm the parent of two children here in the district and I'll be reading tonight for two parents who wanted to uh voice their opinion but also remain anonymous. From a parent of two children in the district who have attended Lambs, I am concerned about the access my children have to unnecessary technology in their school day. I understand that this is a nationwide problem and not specific to RHCSD, but it is my hope that our school district be on the forefront of responding to the issue. It is widely understood that kids are distracted in

118the classroom when they have laptops open. These kids know how to get around the school barriers to access websites and games. They know how to hide what they are looking at from their teachers. They are watching YouTube and playing video games during class. I don't see that the school can mitigate this except by restricting access to the devices. I'm very concerned that the laptops are being intentionally used by staff to keep kids occupied during unstructured time. Like a toddler on an iPad at a restaurant, there is less noise and less bad behavior when kids zone out on their computers. The profound consequence is that students are losing the social and executive functioning skills that they need. After promoting the anxious generation book uh to the group of parents last year, it seems the district has

119an obligation to support our students in unplugging. Please be a leader in the push back to digital childhood. And I have one more very short one. from a medical professional and parent of a lamb student. A child of 11, 12, 13 years does not have the impulse control to justify unfettered access to an online universe. It is reckless and parents should not be expected to be the gatekeepers to a system that they do not have the training or access to police. Getting a one-on-one computer has been very detrimental for my particular child. He was an avid reader prior to getting this computer and the addictive quality of these programs has greatly affected his learning trajectory for the worse. His attention span has suffered. The dopamine rush has made other activities seem duller and he is

120easily distracted away from school activities by screens. I really wish that daily engagement with screens could have been delayed for a few years until he was more mature uh and able to incorporate screens in a way that was more meaningful to his education. Hi, my name is Aaron Martin. I'm the father of a prek student and a 2-year-old. And I'm reading uh an anonymous statement from a scientist and father of a current Lamb student. Computers are uniquely useful for certain things. In the sciences, I have often found them to be particularly helpful for visualization, movies, animations. However, in my experience and that of my son, computers have used have been used to assign all sorts of work for which the computer had no added value. For example, my son did innumerable simple math exercises on

121the computer. He dreaded this work, didn't gain appreciable skills from it and didn't develop any interest in math from it. There have been certain classes where essentially all of the work that my son did was assigned via and completed on the computer. This goes way beyond the scope in which computer is a useful addition. I did not look forward to my son entering the attention economy via the use of a cell phone. His mom and I carefully planned for when we would buy the phone and eventually settled on close to his 13th birthday. The generous gift from the school grant of a laptop was completely unexpected for us and didn't get didn't get as much thought. It began a few years before the cell phone. Unfortunately, this meant that many of the downsides and risks

122of the attention economy were already playing out in our house at a rate that I wasn't keeping up with. My son started using the computer in his room to do school work during the pandemic. At first, the very this was very natural and reasonable. Unfortunately, soon he was using it to do work and very soon he simply refused any parental guidance around whether the computer belonged in the room he slept in at night. I certainly view some of this as a lack of foresight on my part. That said, the last thing that any parent needs right now is another facet of our children's life to police. Even if these machines were not initially designed to plug into our dopamine systems, they have since been highly optimized for this. And it is shockingly difficult for our

123children to avoid this trap with them, let alone us as adults. It's clear to me that this insidious interaction with computers has directly influenced my son spending less time outdoors and less time in face-to-face interactions with peers, both of which have been shown to have long-term negative consequences for young men. I think both of these outcomes have been to his detriment, and I'm concerned that they will last into the longer term. Thanks. >> Hi. Uh, my name is Heather Girtton. Um, I'm the mom of a 5-year-old that attends Milroad School. And I'm going to read two short anonymous statements by Lamb's parents. The first one, we don't have major concerns with our child specifically as he is generally quite responsible. follows rules and has good self-restraint. As parents watching him try to learn, one concern

124we have is that he refers to the internet when when he has a question rather than to any written materials provided by the school. We also do not have a very good sense of the actual material or scope of what he is supposed to know. Our son says that he feels tempted to play video games on the computer and he can get off task because of that both at school and at home. He is also tempted when he feels that an assignment is pointless to refer to the internet and AI to get it done. We provide a lot of guidance around this, but it could so easily be a total non-issue if he didn't have this computer and was looking at a book and a piece of paper instead. This is from a mother of

125two Lamb students. My husband and I, reading about the many concerns with technology, had always been very conscientious of our children's time on screens. We read up on parental controls and used them on all of our devices. We felt that the kids did better without screens. They played better together. They were more imaginative. They gravitated towards play, art, and the outdoors. While we understood the positive attent intent of sending home a one-to-one device for our children in sixth grade, our daughter struggled to manage her time. She was suddenly in front of the screen for many more hours a day, and we were uncertain if she was doing school work or watching videos online. We had been accustomed to transparency through parental controls as well as limits. But this device offered us zero control. It felt

126like an invasion of our family culture and an override of our parenting. I reached out to the superintendent to see if we could at least have the option to add an evening downtime. And then I reached out to the technology director who said that downtime was not possible. Our last resort was router level controls. We just turned the internet off at bedtime. That was our solution. We feel that onetoone devices at home should be optional for families or reserved for later years. They are unnecessary at home and they interfere with home culture and parenting in so many ways. Thank you. Good evening everyone. Um my name is Gigi Gatewood. I am the mom of a 5-year-old in prek who is very sad that the school year is ending cuz she loves her teacher so much.

127Um, and I'm also a professor uh at Sienna University. I'm going to read three short um uh no um statements from Lamb's uh parents. Okay, so the first one is a fifth grader in the district. Uh, my fifth grade child already has had several ways to bypass computer safeguards, but his middle school friend taught him even more ways to get around the school's security to access content. Next, from a lamb's parent, my child played a game called Ragd Doll Playground throughout all of the win period, the what I need period. He says it is not He says he is not sure if his teacher knew or not and that sometimes his screen casts successfully onto our monitoring app, but sometimes it doesn't. And then lastly, from a father of an eighth grader at Lambs, our

128son has never had an easy time in school. He is fiercely intelligent, but when there is a screen around, as in the pandemic, school is nearly impossible for him. When he was issued a laptop in sixth grade, we immediately scheduled a meeting with the middle school IT team. He was the only one with a password for this computer. So, the only way we could prevent its misuse was by taking it away from him at home. The IT team told us there was no way to change his password. We mentioned having him leave the laptop at school, but were told that he wouldn't be able to do his homework. Well, it's been almost three years, and he hasn't done much of his homework. I do not think that I'm exaggerating by saying that that uh by

129teaching from a screen, the school has made his education almost impossible. He has barely scraped by with a lot of help from dedicated teachers and aids and at the end of 8th grade is failing all of his classes. He has essentially not had an education. I recommend asking yourself if you growing up had been asked to do your work on the family TV, how you would have done. He just cannot work on a computer. Issuing him one was a miscarriage of education. Okay. Thank you. Hi. Uh my name is Sarah Embodden. I have three kids in the district. Um third grader, eighth grader, and 10th grader. I wasn't going to speak tonight. I actually came because the you had such a wonderful full agenda and there were many things I wanted to watch including some

130of those wonderful tenure teachers um many of whom my kids have had and really loved in class but I am part of the Red Hook screens group and I'm one of the only parents there who's a has a high schooler so I've tried to weigh in occasionally and I did want to say a couple things as I was listening to everyone else's statements. I want to thank Carol especially for her wonderful leadership of that group. groups like that only happen because someone is dedicated enough to keep the emails going and keep talking to administrators. And I want to thank you all for also listening. Um, and I also want to say as a parent of a high schooler, thank you so much for everything you've done with the fire. And I think it's really relevant

131as we think about how quickly uh the high school was able to pivot to remote learning, right? This topic. Um, and it's been on my mind a lot because I also have an eighth grader and this this conversation about the lamb's laptops and I don't think that there's an easy solution and I don't envy anybody who's going to be in a decision-making um seat for these these topics. But I do think um what's important is that we think about some of the things you said Janet about what's the identity of Red Hook amongst all the guidance from the state right what do we believe is best for our students and also helps them meet the benchmarks and the learning goals that we have right the thing that I want to point out is that when

132this when the bell-to-bell cell ban happened I thought that's great something that happened almost right away My my high schooler reported that what happened was kids just pulled out their laptops at lunch and immediately were doing shooter games like somebody said and other games that left other kids out at the table. And that tells me I I'm sure that that I hope that that went away over time. I don't know because he spends every lunch with Mr. Barnett as somebody else said. But uh it tells me that we maybe haven't thought through and I don't mean just us. I mean, as a state, if the purpose of the bell-to-bell ban is to help students be more social with each other and to put away their devices, we need to do more guidance because then they've

133got the laptops and they just pull those out instead because unfortunately they have already made an arc toward device orientation. That's just real and that's happening at our homes as well as our schools. So, I'd just love to see us be a little bit more consistent also with um there's the wait until 8th pledge, right? But if we're introducing laptops in sixth grade, then again, as many people have said, we're immediately putting devices in people's hands that we've said maybe you shouldn't have a cell phone till 8th grade, but you can have a laptop. The issue of parents not being able to interact with the laptop controls has also been an issue, not in our house, but I know for many friends. Um, I think the last thing I'd say is that a lot of

134the workshops and guidance that you have helpfully provided for families often are um in a timebound format. So they're on an evening or during the school day sometime when if you are busy and you can't make it, there's no way to access that resource. And I think we need more conversations as a district and with families together like we had at the library with the uh anxious generation book reading group to really talk through these things together. And I'd love I say this to everybody at the school that I can talk to about this. I wish you would do more surveys and more times when you ask for families feedback. the one night you do with the I forgot what it's called, but you know at the lamb's cafeteria where you have people sit at

135the tables, it's not enough. You need more feedback from people to find out how they're handling these things, especially tech. Um, I think the final thing I'd say is just I'm personally not a big fan of a lot of the limits people want to place on tech, especially in high school, because it's going to be so necessary for workforce and college readiness. Um, and so I just I don't envy you again for the decision- making you're you're going to have to have, but I um I just urge you to really think carefully about what the identity of Red Hook is and what we really want our our graduates to experience as they go through the school. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. Anyone else? Sure. Thank you. Okay. Anything Thank you. Hey, thank you. Anyone

136else? Okay. >> Good evening. My name is Rex Bridges and for those of you who are not familiar with it, uh I would like to introduce you uh to June as fidelity month. I have some reflections by its founder who is a professor Dr. Robert George McCormack professor of juristprudence and director of the James Madison program in American ideals and institutions at Princeton University. A mouthful to say the least. Quoting from Dr. George, it has been 250 years since our founding fathers declared that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among those are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. With this declaration, they began a profound experiment, an experiment in order liberty and republican government. Well, how are we doing? Is the experiment succeeding?

137Unfortunately, polls have shown a precipitous decline in our fellow citizens belief in the importance of such values as patriotism, religion, family, and community. The values that used to unite Americans despite our many differences. The statement, "No man is an island," is a cliche, but it is true. As human beings, we all find fulfillment not in selfish pursuits, but in the steadfast bonds we form with others. There are many things that we can and should do to restore the faith of our people and to begin to heal the dreadful decisions or excuse me, divisions uh in our country. Professor George continues, "I'd like to invite in invite you today to join one and I think very important effort. In the spring of 2023, by the authority vested in me by absolutely no one, I declared June

138to be fidelity month, a month dedicated to the importance of fidelity to God, to our spouses and families, and to our country and communities. Fidelity means faithfulness, especially when being faithful is challenging and unpopular. When we celebrate June as Fidelity Month, we recommit ourselves to the highest and best of values. those things that are not merely means to other ends. Those things rather that are good in themselves. How can you celebrate Fidelity Month? We have many suggestions and resources at our website at fidelitymonth.com. He continues, "One of our many highlights is our blue and gold symbol with a myrtle wreath, a classic image of fidelity. This can be used in all the ways the symbols are used these days. And so we invite you to join the many who display that symbol during June as

139a temporary profile or banner photo on your social media accounts." I continue on. There are some other things that uh he has as well. Uh being able to uh get to the uh the Facebook uh group that they have, Fidelity Month, the Facebook group, uh sharing various things on and following on social media. >> Yep. Okay. Thank you. Uh, I do the last sign off on this. Oh, okay. Thank you. Thank you, Rex. Okay. Anyone else? Okay, that brings us to administrative reports with Dr. Summers, Dr. Warden, and Dr. Hayes. speech. >> I think I have spoken a lot tonight. So, I'm going to turn it over to uh Dr. Summers. Okay. And I will be make a quick overview of what our reports are. I think the um student board members always do a

140good job speaking about the athletic department and what happens at the high school with our student athletes. So I'll skip over that. Um from so I'll just highlight uh in technology the high school was able to pivot to virtual learning with minimal issues. Uh that team prepared documentation for staff and supported them with different types of professional development along the way. Um Lynen Avenue Middle School. They certainly have a lot going on there. Also, they did a sixth grade trip to medieval times that was very culturally um supportive of the medieval history and culture. Um 8th grade moving up ceremony. There'll be more information coming out about that. They certainly are focused on school safety there. They have met all the requirements for lockdowns and different drills. And I'm moving on to the Mill Road

141board report. I know there's a lot going on in all these schools. Um, so with curriculum instruction, they the second graders had a great experience participating in an interactive toolbox build hosted by the Northeast Construction Trades Workforce Coalition. And we certainly saw those wonderful second graders carrying their toolbox out to the buses. Um, very proud moment. Certainly a lot of hands-on skills with that associated with that project. Um they continue to take enriching field trips. I know the fourth graders did the historic tour of historic Red Hook. Um and there was professional development provided by um Elman Dorf uh during the superintendent's conference day. Uh also the fifth grade took a visit to the Liberty Science Museum. Um, so there was the annual end of the year events. A lot going on here and in

142each building. The annual gallery art walk. There was a ton of people here for that and artwork throughout the building. It was highly organized and it really did a display a diverse array of student work through different art mediums. They did the buddy wellness day. That's where and they've done this a number of times this year. the buddy days where the um older kids work with the younger kids and really build strong relationships. Spring concerts and celebrations continue. Um certainly a lot of artistic growth and talent in our school district and I think they're looking forward to having uh monkey bars set up in the outdoor and an outdoor class year classroom for next year. And I'm going to that's a summary of that. And at the high school, certainly there's a lot going on

143at the high school and that's been mentioned by our superintendent. Thank you, Dr. Warden. Um, our concert band marched at the Village Memorial Day parade. They did an amazing job. Senior words night took place at some um at Bard and that was wonderful. Congratulations to all honores. Um, and I'm am going quickly through this, but we have had a lot of training in the teen mental health first aid. Um, we had our school counselors who now are certified trainers. Um, and I think I'm going to end it there. So, thank you. >> Thank you. So, I'll just take a a brief moment just to thank um our operations department, especially uh with the events from the last two weeks. Um our food service department was wonderful. They pivoted right away and were able to offer

144meals and lunches on a to-go basis. Um for our high school students, our transportation department continues to be flexible. We had the day of the emergency, we had mechanics and subbus drivers and regular bus drivers jump in um as soon as we called. when we realized it was an emergency and we needed to dismiss to come transport our students. Um, and they continue to be flexible with a lot of changes in routes and times in different locations to get students to where they need to be for their upcoming events for the regent's exams. So, I wanted to thank everybody that pitched in for that. We continue to partner with Advanced Disaster Recovery. They are the company that's in the high school cleaning. They shut up within hours of the fire and they have not left

145in the last two weeks. Uh we are in constant communication um and they are very responsive to whatever reports we get back in different areas of the high school building that need to be cleaned. Um so they really have been wonderful. We um as you know had planned work this summer in those bathrooms um for renovations. That work will continue and is on schedule. Um so we will be able to uh do the work that was planned. And in the midst of all this, it got lost a little bit, but we are making progress with the fields. So, if you've driven by the um high school at all, you'll see that field one, which is the field inside the track, is completely dug up. They started to dig up the track. So, we are on

146schedule with that, which is exciting. Yeah, I'd just like to um address um I appreciate all the parents comments that tonight I I we are parents too and educators as well and we really appreciate your willingness to have these conversations. Obviously, some of the things that you said I think is as an admin team, we would be right away uh thinking about we need to work on that. I also just want to point something out that I I'm I'm sure many of you know is that because we're a public school, we also uh follow the learning standards from the state. So, I would also encourage this group to advocate at that level because in kindergarten through 12th grade, we have computer science standards, we have digital fluency standards that start in kindergarten. So, we're talking

147about teaching about cyber security all through the entire um band as well as addressing network system design, computational thinking and and a lot of this stuff could take place in our steam labs with hands-on learning, but a lot of them are directly related to using a computer. So, uh, it takes a a big force of people to change the state education department and what they expect us to teach and it's happened. So, I appreciate everybody's advocacy. Um, and we really want to be thoughtful about this. We obviously learn alongside you about the effects and certainly we would never want to put our students in in any way to jeopardize that. So, we appreciate that. We do have a lot of plans to talk as a group. It does take a while to develop a really

148good policy that has the correct influence to then bring to the board of education for their approval. Um, but I just wanted to just if you if you're not aware, I do think that some of this advocacy does need to go to that level to start to say to them they need to relook at this and not expect the school district to meet these standards if we do not feel students should be using these during the school day. So, I just wanted to make sure that we pointed that that out and I and I appreciate people's understanding about more surveys, more input um as we go forward because I think as a community we really do need to say is this what we want for each of our students and also then really need to

149say what is society expect our students to know when they graduate. So, we have an expectation also for our students when they graduate that we're also preparing them for jobs of the future. So, it is not an easy answer. And I do appreciate all the the parents coming out tonight to know that we have people that are going to we're going to bounce ideas off. We're going to have this great discussion and then end in a place that works for our district, but we also appreciate the advocacy beyond our district so that we can move away maybe from some of these standards and go back and focus on other things that matter in our classrooms. So, thank you. Appreciate all you. Yeah, we don't have a BOE comment section. >> Oh, is it later? >>

150Yes, it's coming. >> Okay, so that brings us to um item K. Can I get a motion to approve the independent auditor? Can I just do I have to read that whole thing? >> No. Okay, perfect. It says read. So, it was like >> Okay, that's okay. Can I get a motion then? >> Motion. >> Second. All those in favor? >> I. >> Great. >> All right. That brings us to the business consent agenda. Can I get a motion to approve items 1 through 27? >> Motion. Second. >> All those in favor? Hi. Okay. And policy review. Can I get a motion on the second read of the wellness policy 5661? >> I have a second on here. Okay. It's the first read. >> Yeah. First read. Okay, first read then. Can I get a

151motion? >> Motion. >> Second. >> All those in favor. >> Okay. And then that brings us to board of ed review. Um, is there any new business that anybody would like to discuss? Any comments? >> Um, yeah. I'd like to uh remind everybody uh that June is also pride month um to celebrate our LGBT Q students um people, you know, everyone. Um I've been on the board six years and I'm a little surprised uh at some comments that I heard that probably slipped over some people's heads. Um, Fidelity Month, uh, and I refer to the Washington Times. Uh, for those wary of Pride Month, take heart. Um, in swasts of the country, June's undergoing a refresh. Um, in Arkansas and Utah, it's fidelity month, and it's an attempt to shift things away from uh, pride.

152Uh and so uh when I when I look back at our um visitor recognition comments, all speakers must conduct themselves in a civil manner, which I think everybody did tonight. Um but they're also uh supposed to stay away from other forms of prejudice because that will not be tolerated. And after six years on the board, I think this is the first time that I have seen someone have the nerve to come to speak and uh from my perspective um speak uh uh with prejudice against um some of our students and I find that disheartening. So in case that just slipped over some people's head, I just wanted to make sure everybody knew what Fidelity Month was. Thank you, Russ. >> Thank you, Russ. I appreciate the clarification. I'd like to echo that. Um, and just

153take the moment to wish everyone in our community a happy Pride Month. I want to extend an a special uh gratitude and thanks to our educators in this district for going out of their way to make our community inclusive and making sure that our public schools are for everyone. um a place where everyone can show up, be themselves, and find a a place of home and belonging. So, thank you all for for your role in that. >> Thank you. >> I also want to add uh sorry um on this topic, uh just last week, just last weekend, I attended a pride parade in the center of Red Hook. Um this was youth organized and youth read led. Um, and it was very heartwarming to see so many of our students show up and celebrate pride

154and celebrate being who they are. So, just wanted to point that out. There are a lot of awesome kids in our school district doing amazing things. Up a quick topic, there's been so much positive and I certainly don't want to end on a negative, but I have to bring um something to just remind the board. Um the communication from the school has been outstanding. I've gotten tremendous compliments on the handling of um the incident around the fire. Um we definitely have had a lot of news press coverage. Um I do want to state that the board has an obligation to honor the um approved periodicals that we use every year which I believe are the daily Freeman and the Pikipsy Journal. Um, we have partnered with a local paper um that everyone's familiar with, the

155Daily Catch. I think we've given them tremendous access. But I did receive two phone calls from parents who were very, very concerned and upset about what they are calling borderline harassment of students um to uh you know find a story. One was off campus um uh at poets walk literally following their students um asking questions identifying themselves as reporters and you know a asking very targeted uh questions. I asked the parents to come tonight. They were not comfortable. So I felt obligated to speak on their behalf. Again I think we've extended great partnership and the Daily Catch has done some excellent coverage but they've also done some irresponsible coverage. And I just need to make sure we all remember when you're in July and we're not here, you have a conversation about those periodicals. It's

156a responsibility to protect our students and that extends beyond, you know, the school and I just felt like I compelled to bring that forward. I think we've given them a lot of access to this time, but I also understand that um there have been unreasonable requests for information and access that we are not obligated to give. And we've been told or the requests have come in the form of we are obligated to taxpayers that read the Daily Catch. Let me be clear, the school is not obligated to the catchall readers of the Daily Catch. We are obligated to our community in our communication. So, I just want to make that very clear that we're all on the same page and I hope you carry that forward when the new board begins. So, I felt compelled,

157but I know that's not the most positive statement. So, I want to thank everybody for listening. Oh, but it's an important one. So, thank you. >> Okay. >> Yeah, we will be uh putting out communication to our families if they feel uncomfortable about being approached and um what ways they can discuss that with their children. Although it's not illegal, it can be um also seen as unethical. So my job is obviously first and foremost to protect students. So we just want to make them aware of what they could do and what they can say. And I agree it has been a tremendous amount of time spent answering questions when our focus needs to be communicating with our families about next steps. So I appreciate that. Okay. Anything else anybody would like to add? No. Okay.

158Um, that brings us to our second recognition of visitors. Again, please come up to the podium, state your name, keep to three minutes, and refrain from using students names um and staff names. Thank you. Hi, Carol Brown again. Um I just wanted to clarify uh our consensus view uh among these parents that I've been working with is not that we want computers out of the schools. We actually are really in favor of a lot of those state standards that involve digital literacy and learning to use computers. We a lot of us use computers in our daily work. We want our children to learn these skills. We're not arguing for computers to be out of the schools. We're arguing for in the middle school for them to be on carts so that teachers can bring them

159out when there are activities for which the computer adds something genuinely useful but that they not be out on the desk in win period so that kids can be gaming while the math teacher is giving extra help at the front of the room. So uh we are doing advocacy at the state level about things like um the fact that little children at Mil Road have to take their tests electronically. I don't think that's ideal. uh we're going to be talking about other state standards. We're meeting with state senators and so on. We are advocating at the state level, but we don't want computers out of the schools. That's not that's not at all our goal. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Can I get a motion to adjourn? Go ahead. Lot of That's That's the Okay.

160Thank you, Frank. Okay. Can I get a motion to adjourn? >> Oh, can I get a motion at this table and a second? All those in favor? Any opposed? >> We're kidding. We'll support it. We'll we'll >> All those in favor of adjourning. Thank you everyone. IA