001[Music] he [Music] ow [Music] [Applause] [Music] welcome to Burrow's [Music] Elementary the world's Elementary I'm Miss Clark and I love teaching here John burough Elementary School welcomes students from all backgrounds and cultures we currently serve students from countries such as Guatemala Venezuela Ukraine Haiti Somalia Cambodia Puerto Rico just to name a few embracing the diversity of our students and their families is important to us because we're able to provide Rich learning opportunities and experiences for our students fostering understanding and appreciation of different cultures discussing traditions and celebrations helps students share their backgrounds and learn from each other it promotes inclusivity and builds a sense of community which creates meaningful connections and enhances [Music] learning our Burrow's mission is we will embrace all families as partners in our community developing the whole child in a safe
002engaging and inclusive learning environment our Burrows bees are be respectful be responsible be safe be caring and believe in yourself so we have many wonderful Community Partners here at Burrows uh that support our staff students and families from churches the hilltop Library tutoring programs and dance programs we want the whole family involved at Burrows we love having parents and caregivers in the building so you can get involved through volunteering coming to our school concerts Awards ceremonies um fall celebrations we love having the whole family involved at buroughs buroughs elementary school is named after a man named John Burrows John buroughs was an American writer and naturalist that was very influential in conserving natural resources in America at the turn of the century he is best known for his observations on birds flowers and Rural scenes
003there are 13 schools in the US that are named after John Burrows our school being one of them our school used to be called John Burrows Elementary but it was later shortened to Burrows Elementary John Burrows Elementary was completely renovated in 2009 we also have John Burrows Park which is an alternative recess space for our [Music] kiddos one of the things that I really enjoy about burough Elementary is that I get to volunteer as a parent uh I feel like I'm very welcome and involved in the kids' classrooms uh and just being able to walk these halls and seeing their projects up on the walls is a great [Music] feeling B is the best in the PE is the best burrow be is the best place to learn burrow offers many special programs for our
004students including our Physical Therapy occupational therapy and as well as physical therapy we also have special education programs as well as a special education program for our prek students and a full day prek program as [Music] well gym is really fun you can exercise and all the teachers are very great burs is pretty fun we get to get b-bugs sometimes if you're good and you can exchange them for prizes should be happy to be [Music] here thank you so much for watching our video about Burrows we hope to see you come to a Burrows family soon [Music] let e e hey [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] he [Music] oh [Music] greetings welcome to this week's highlights from across the district February is is here and Columbus City Schools is proud to honor and celebrate Black
005History Month this month honors the achievements resilience and contributions of African-Americans throughout history celebrating Black History Month is a powerful reminder of our progress and the work still ahead in creating a more inclusive future throughout the month students will engage in enriching activities performances and discussions highlighting black leaders innovators and change makers CCs is committed to better understanding the past and inspiring students to shape the future remember to check out our CCS social media Pages as our district celebrates Black History Month and honors its Rich history and Lasting Legacy celebrating a milestone moment the CCS winter graduation commencement ceremony was held on Friday January 31st at our Southland Center amongst the crowd of Proud family and friends we celebrated the academic triumphs of 22 graduates who have reached the significant Milestone their dedication perseverance and
006scholarly Pursuits have set the stage for a promising future congratulations to each graduate as you step into New Beginnings may your journey be paid with continuous success it's about that time CCs is ready to celebrate National School counseling week 2025 with you from February 3rd through the 7th sponsored by the American school counselor Association this week spotlights the great work of school counselors and their vital role in helping students Thrive academically socially and emotionally with this year's theme School counseling helping students Thrive CE CS celebrates the dedication of our school counselors to ccs and our students they are the true heroes and sheero guiding students as they discover their passions and build paths toward future success CCs is fortunate to have a team of skilled school counselors who create supportive environments for every student join
007us in celebrating their impact throughout this week on February 3rd leaders from Columbus City Schools the city of Columbus Columbus State Community College I know I can and the Columbus Foundation gathered at Fort Hayes arts and academic High School to kick off the next phase of the Columbus promise this $25 million campaign will extend free college access at Columbus State Community College to three additional cohorts of CCS graduates through 2027 impacting more than 2,250 students the Columbus promise has already doubled the number of CCS graduates who enroll at Columbus State Community College this program continues to remove barriers for students many of whom are first generation college students while enhancing academic Readiness career exposure and Workforce Development opportunities together we're shaping a future where education opens doors and transforms lives get ready for an exciting
008week of connection and positivity the office of whole child supports presents Columbus City School's 9th Annual relationship week February 10th through the 14th in conjunction with the Sandy Hook promise this year's inspiring theme promoting Healthy Communities Embraces kindness connection inclusion empathy and belonging in every classroom room school organization and Community students will participate in exciting activities throughout the school day to celebrate Essential Elements for fostering a caring environment let's make relationship week a memorable and heartwarming experience for our entire School Community save the date the 9th Annual CCS summer opportunity and engagement fair is on February 88th dive in and explore what Columbus offers this summer for kids and teens at the 2025 summer opportunities and engagement Fair on Saturday February 8th at East High School from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with over 50
009Community organizations and partners the summer engagement opportunity spare will Spotlight various summer programs camps internships volunteer hours and employment opportunities for students in grades prek through 12 register today and get the resources to help you plan your child's exciting and enriching summer these have been your highlights from around the district for February 4th thank you so much for joining [Music] us good evening Learning Community welcome to tonight's regular business meeting this evening uh November 4th 2025 February Lord have mercy forgive me February 2025 regular business meeting um please call the road vice president of dare present president Cole present M Eng Les present Dr Pierce present M Reyes here Mr Simmons pres M ver here you have a quorum all right to appoint a Treasurer protim I recognize vice president adir to offer a motion
010whereas Ohio Revised Code section 331 13.23 requires the board when the treasurer is absent from any meeting the board to choose one of their members to serve in the treasurer's place protemp and whereas Mr cook treasur is absent from this meeting now therefore it be resolved that the board appoint Christina Vera to serve as treasur protemp in the absence of the treasure for the duration of this meeting and this meeting only that is a motion is there a second second second it has been called forgive me I keep want to see him as vice president de yes president Cole yes Miss Engles yes Dr Pierce yes Miss Reyes yes Mr Simmons yes M Vera yes motion carries all right I'll give a quick review of our agenda this evening before we call for an adoption
011so today of course we've gone through that we through the uh call of of the role in order we've assigned to president protim uh today starting with public comment we'll have a number of our guest speakers uh speak to us this evening we'll then go into section five which is board matters and discuss uh one two three four five different pieces of legislation that range from a resolution uh for one of our former employees uh all the way to a second reading for policy 551 17.02 uh from there we'll convene the meeting with uh executive report opportunities from our uh executive de direct reports and go from uh sections 8.1 through 25.2 and we'll CL will conclude in an executive session point of order you missed that we do have a section for notice of
012a public hearing on re-employment of retired employees thank you is that important M I can't see no so thank you we'll we'll include that as a part of the agenda to be adopted as well motion with that included inclusion being all right there's a motion and second for the incl usion president Cole yes Miss Engles yes Dr Pierce yes M Reyes yes Mr Simmons yes Miss Vera yes vice president Adair yes motion carried all right thank you is there a motion uh and by the way if we all stand for the Pledge of Allegiance please pledge ALG to the flag the United States of America to the for it stands thank you all is there a motion now to adopt the agenda moved second we can call we we already we just I thought we
013adopted an inclusions of something was already there already actually okay you're good sir you're good okay all right all right we'll convene into public comment please first up we have Carl k kineski Mr keski krie Carrie krie keski forgive me my glasses are not working hi my name is Carrie kerki I'm a parent of two students in the district and I'm licensed independent social worker I'm here tonight to talk about the harm caused by anti-trans B bans as well as any other anti-trans policy the board takes under consideration first I recognize the difficult position our state legislature has put you in by passing Senate Bill 104 you didn't create the situation but now you must navigate it that said as our elected officials you do have the power to stand up in favor of our
014vulnerable students and I urge you to use that power these bans have real devastating consequences for real kids tonight I ask you to either keep the original policy of 55170 2 as it was written prior to January's amendments or resend the policy altogether every time an adult particularly with the power that each of you holds stands up loudly and boldly in support of our trans and non-binary students it sends the very clear message that each and every trans student in this District just like all of our students are deserving of having their Humanity acknowledged and respected on the other hand every time an adult goes along with any anti-trans law or policy such as those Banning trans students from using bathrooms that align with their gender forcing teachers to out trans students to their parents
015and not allowing trans kids existence to be acknowledged sends the clear message that trans kids don't belong that schools are no longer a place for safety learning and growth for them this is cruel and this is dangerous to be clear any policy that targets trans and non-binary students or attempts to erase their existence is anti-trans discriminatory and harmful these policy put policies put students lives at risk these students that sit in your classrooms play with your children on the playground eat with them in the cafeteria and ride the bus with them to the field trips it's been found that anti-trans policies like the one being discussed tonight cause up to a 72% increase in suicide amongst transgender and non-binary youth a 72% increase in suicide while nothing will Top the consequence of suicide as as
016a direct result of these policies I want to point out that enacting this policy goes against the guiding forces the district states that it uses when making decisions the portrait of a graduate strategic plan and goals and guardrails discuss inclusive ity creating a culture of belonging and empowering every student this policy does the exact opp Opposite of those things it discriminates it excludes and it places students directly In Harm's Way I'd like to read um a short quote from one transwoman regarding anti-trans policies this is going to kill kids it's wrong enough to kill me a transwoman with a heart and dreams things to say fears and Ambitions and things I want to do in this life but to kill a kid before they even have the chance to meet themselves how dare you what
017I ask of each of you is that when you go into your discussion and possible vote tonight please do so with your eyes wide open and your hearts wide open stand up to the bullies in our state house and ensure that trans kids receive the affirmation respect and dignity that all students deserve thank you thank you Miss kiniski uh our next uh public speaker will be Rashida Angus I believe she is present welcome Miss Angus thank you for coming you have three minutes thank you very much my name is Rashida Angus I have been a member of the Franklin County Columbus Community all of my life I have 13 children eight of them are in Columbus City Schools I would not be here today if you did not close the element portion of your online
018school as that was what I preferred for my children however this year they returned back to school and bullying has been a huge issue I feel that advocates in the school have let me down as a parent and I'm sure others and making sure that our children are safe rain was attacked at school and she reported The Bullying prior to the attack that following day so she reported it the day before and when she reported it to the administrator she was told that if she got into an altercation she would be expelled no one who is reporting being bullied should be threatened to be removed from school and that is what took place the following day she was in gym class and she was attacked as she thought that she would be she was suspended
019for 10 days I asked for an appeal on the ex the suspension and it was upheld no documentation was looked at no videos only the word of the administrator which at the time that the fight took out took place in the school I had a son who was in the office who heard administrators laughing because my daughter who was being bullied and attacked trying to get away from a altercation ran and because she ran to the office the administrators in the office were laughing at her this is unacceptable when our children cannot turn to the administrators in the office to secure their safety today I'm totally shaken up because 11:30 this morning I got a phone call from my daughter on another student's phone telling me that she is scared students are following her and
020they are getting surrounded around her this is the first day back from school from the 10day suspension other kids were bullying this other student telling her that she lost or whatever the fight and she wanted to re-engage when my child was just trying to get away the whole time and she ran and did what I instructed her to do she called me I instructed her to run to the office immediately when she got to the office on the phone the only thing that the administrator Mrs Sherry Williams was concerned with was that she was on the phone calling someone someone was her mother I didn't know what was going on with my child Mrs Williams snatched the phone from my daughter and hung it up I didn't get a phone call for over an hour
021I had to call the police and when I spoke with the administrator finally my cause and concern was belittle she made it seem as if I knew what was going on or that my child was okay but the last phone call that I had was hered picking up the phone and hanging it up on my child so I have no idea what was going on and then when I finally try to get some consensus she tells me that I shouldn't have called the police that I'm using resources for reasons that are Beyond me I was not allowed to see the footage of my daughter's fight but I was able to be provided the footage from Children online on the Columbus africentric Early College fight page CAE EC on Instagram I posted a compilation video where
022children fighting in the bathroom fighting on the bleachers fighting on the buses and it was extreme I thank you so so much thank you uh for speaking with us this evening Mrs Angus thank you um is there anyone Madame superintendent that is available on staff to speak with Mrs Angus yes there are members of the team that will be able to speak with you about your concerns thank you very much and thank you for your time thank you madam superintendent thank you again [Applause] our next speaker is Miss Isetta Thomas this Thomas where's car is she online okay Carl be sure to let us know once you've gotten m Thomas line [Music] ready right now if we can get sound we can't actually hear I don't have to tell you how dire these times are
023for individuals and Collective communities for public education as a whole but I do want to tell you how it felt to have a school board C chose celebrate our trans students at a time when folks were just beginning to use pronouns in Mass it wasn't common to affirm others in such a small but impactful way it wasn't popular either it still isn't but this board took a road Let's Travel by stood not just beside our students but with them and developing these protections within the current transgender and gender variant policy I know what this state says and I know what the federal government say so do you I am asking you to listen to the hearts and minds of some of our most vulnerable students I am imploring you to choose them again and again
024and again and again because it's all or nothing you either choose to protect and affirm or you choose to harm you have heard enough from me so I'll leave you with it Audrey Lord self-proclaimed black lesbian mother Warrior poet argued that using the tools of Oppression will not solve problems of Oppression she said for the Master's tools will never dismantle the Master's house they may allow us to temporarily beat him at his own gang but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change I am imploring you choose our students to affirm our trans students our nonbinary students our gender variant students and families do not cause harm thank you thank you Miss Thomas okay our next speaker will be Tracy catrell thank you for coming this evening M matrell hello and good evening
025to the board my name is is Tracy Katrell and I live at 734 Bryce Road Reynoldsburg Ohio I am a teacher in Columbus City Schools I'm going on nearly three decades as a teacher so um I'm here to speak about the trans B bill so to deprive someone of something or to excuse me to deprive someone or something of human qualities personality or dignity this is to dehumanize this is what the folks on the right side of our legislation uh of our legislators have done here in Ohio by creating a bathroom bill they have othered our trans community and the trans kids make up just in the whole country make up like 7% of the entire population I'm here to say that our trans students deserve better when this board creates the bathroom policy the
026trans students have the right to come to school and feel safe have any of you ever heard of The Institute of sexual research in Berlin more than likely the answer is no I had never heard of it until I saw a video on Instagram of a democratic Congressman in Missouri telling this story in the house Chambers in opposition to the trans B Bill The Institute was the world's first trans Clinic uh according to Scientific American and it would have been 120 uh it would have been 100 years old today or in 20121 here's a little history that brings us to the Nazi party The Institute of sexual reproduction was founded by a doctor named Magnus herfeld a gay Jewish doctor he had a medical practice but decided to leave it after a young Soldier came
027to him distraught because he was gay and that was considered illegal because the soldier couldn't take the heteronormative values placed on him by Society he decided to take his own life in journals he left to Dr herfeld to read he believed himself to be a curse and wrote the thought that you can contribute to a future when the Fatherland will think of us in just terms he felt a humanized hersfield was beyond thinkers at the time and created a safe place for Trans transgender and others in the LBGTQ Community to come by 1933 Adolf Hitler was the chancellor in Germany he enacted politics to rid Germans of lives Unworthy of living on May 6 1933 troops swarmed The Institute of sexual research and took 20,000 books to the street piled them high and set them
028fire this was one of the first and largest book burnings in Germany they came for the trans and LBGTQ people first so even though the Republicans are those on the right who created and passed this bill at our state house feel the need to believe the male masculinity makes some Superior just like the Nazis our school district must make our buildings safe for all of our students be like the Native Americans who responded their two spirit tribal members and Magnus hersfield who felt worked hard to protect the trans and lbgt community be on the right side of History create a policy that is not discriminatory or dehumanizing thank you bathroom bill that's safe for our children thank you so much okay our next speaker will be Dina SEO I hope I'm saying that right welcome
029this evening you have three minutes good evening president Cole vice president Adair Treasurer cook superintendent Dr Chapman and members of the board my name is Dina SEO I have two children in the district and my husband is a ccs gradu I have worked in environmental advocacy for the past 14 years and I am here in support of the safe Green Schools initiative to transition our district to clean energy and climate resilience the timing is ideal to invest in renewable energy and efficiency as CCS develops its facilities master plan this should this plan should reflect our community's evolving needs offering an opportunity to create healthy sustainable schools as the federal government reduces its focus on addressing climate change local institutions must step up as the state's largest school district CCS should take a leadership role Columbus
030City Schools contributes to climate change through fossil fuel-based energy sources for electricity heating cooling and transportation the city of Columbus has adopted a climate action plan you might be aware to reduce its emissions by 45% by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050 with 111 buildings serving 46,000 students and employing nearly 9,000 staff our district has a significant carbon footprint to meet the city's climate targets CCS must actively engage in the clean energy transition you have the support of the community over the past year I've connected with parents across the district sharing discussing shared values and goals for a sustainable future local voters recently backed sustainability by passing link us which promotes walkable development reduces emissions and Energy Efficiency planning for climate change also improves educational outcomes green energy is one of the fastest growing sectors
031by offering vacational training CCS can prepare students for in demand careers in solar energy electric vehicle technology and sustainable construction I acknowledge that our district is underresourced and we have many needs with competing priorities I will join you at the State House during this budget cycle to advocate for constitutionally mandated public school funding meanwhile transitioning to sustainable Power Saves money and there are numerous grants loans and tax incentives available to fund key infrastructure improvements upgraded HVAC systems mold prevention tools and similar investments will help CCS stay ahead of rising energy costs and regulations I've also learned of schools across the country that have been making this shift and seeing Financial returns already and I'd be happy to connect you for ideal sharing we know that extreme classroom temperatures hinder learning and poor air quality affect
032students especially those with asthma climate change will cause increased precipitation impacting our buildings and reducing access to Safe learning CCs is commitment to equity requires attention to disproportionate effects of environmental degradation on the basis of race poverty gender and geography we have a resp responsibility to ensure those most vulnerable to these impacts are taken care of and can Thrive thank you thank [Applause] you our next speaker Mr William Easton good evening Mr Easton good evening CCS board members Dr Chapman my sincere thanks go out to all of you both for your service on the board to make our Public Schools better for everyone but also for your timing considering ing the safe Green Schools resolution tonight my name is Will Easton I'm the proud parent of a student at wetstone High School in addition to
033volunteering here with the safe Green Schools project I'm also a very active volunteer with the wetstone High School parent teacher Association I address you today in strong support of the safe Green Schools resolution for three primary reasons the first is economic the math is very straightforward our district pays something on the order of $10 million a year for electricity solar energy systems these days have a payback period of about 5 to 10 years and experts in the industry are predicting big rate hikes this summer and for the foreseeable future so let's start reducing the district's energy expenditure immediately and protect CCS from these Rising costs at a time when budgetary resources are already stretched very thin the second of course is environmental our Energy Mix here in central Ohio is based on a mixture of
034on a majority fossil fuels so bending that Arc towards solar and swapping out old diesel buses for new electric ones will be a big step forward for Less air pollution the pollution that directly harms all of our communities uh both the carbon dioxide that's causing climate change as well as a combustion prod byproducts like soot and pm25 that cause asthma and lung cancer in our communities the third uh reason is marketing with the recent realignments and building closures our district could really use some good news for a change so I ask you all to Envision the good press that can be generated from solar panels going on a school and saved energy costs being switched over to instructional improvements or the b-roll footage of the new vocational program at Fort Hayes career center that's training
035kids CCS kids for jobs in the fast growing clean energy economy with background shots of electric buses Z mission buses at the Fleet Service Center charging up from free solar energy generated right there on site and finally finally an appeal to all of you please don't let yourselves be lied to okay the opponents of clean energy will shamelessly tell you Flatout falsehoods that solar panels leak toxic chemicals or are regularly damaged by hail storms or have high maintenance costs or only work when there's full sun those claims are deliberate lies and you should never believe in anyone who makes them to you this is a very well-proven technology that literally hundreds of other districts school districts around the country are are already embracing with great results so in closing I hope you'll seize the opportunity
036to join those o other forward looking districts and move our district CCS into the clean energy economy thanks again and I'll turn you over to a wonderful student from wetstone high school for your next public comment thank you Mr Easton our next speaker Miss Simone Edwards welcome thank you hello my name is Simone Edwards I'm a sophomore at wetstone high school and I have always been a nature lover it Sparks a feeling of awe and wonder for me but now nature is changing more than ever as I've gotten older I've become preoccupied by the realities of climate change not only do I experience nature in awe but also in grief I wonder what the future will look like but this is just about the future I'm feeling the effects of pollution right now I ride
037the bus most days my ride home is about a half an hour and I consistently get headaches it stinks of diesel and I worry about the impacts on my health and other students a study by the natural resources defense Council and University of California Berkeley found that the level of exhaust inside the vehicles reached 23 to 46 times the amount the Environmental Protection Agency said would risk would pose a significant risk of cancer that's horrifying how can we be put in this kind of danger thinking about issues related to climate change and how it will impact our future became a big source of fear and anxiety for me I felt powerless to the changes happening all around that is why I started grow the wetstone environmental club last year when I was a freshman I
038gathered a group of people weekly who love to love nature and are committed to fighting climate change this year our main project was to transform our Courtyard into a prairie Garden to support local pollinators we also host workshops where where members lead on a topic they're passionate about for example mental health landscape painting and making art out of trash a couple weeks ago when I brought up the idea of CCS schools becoming carbon neutral to the club I watched their eyes light up in excitement everyone talked about schools being safer more efficient and a step towards a sustainable future they were heartened to hear that there was an organizing effort to make these changes and that adults were looking out for our well-being we decided that we wanted to be a part of this we
039started fantasizing about all the changes we want to see at our school we want to see a school with compost that could go to a garden rain catchment system solar panels LED light bulbs no single use Plastics electric buses and even basic things like recycling if CCS were to make these changes to be more carbon neutral it would show us that you're not only looking out for our Earth but you're also looking out for our future a grow member Nyla Voit Hofer said I am able to protest and try and make change but we need our older Generations help you seven board members have the power to make this decision that impacts all of us I strongly encourage you to vote in support of this reev resolution show us that you not only care for
040our education but also our future thank you thank [Applause] you thank you uh the next guest speaker is Bertha obani good evening good evening there is no way you could have known this but it's actually Betha the r is silent but very Bea yes thank you so good evening president Cole vice president Adair treasur cook superintendent Dr Chapman and members of the board for a moment you may have felt confused maybe even frustrated trying to grasp what it is that I was saying that feeling of being lost of struggling to belong is what many students who are new to this country experience every day in our classrooms but for them it's not just about understanding The Words it's also about feeling safe enough to even try now imagine carrying that confusion while also living with
041the fear that at any moment you or someone you love could be taken away imagine how hard hard it would be to focus on learning when the fear of deportation looms over your head this is the reality for many of our immigrant students and their families it's not just about language it's about survival about feeling safe enough to learn and to grow and to dream I am here as a CCS parent as an immigrant and responsible Global citizen asking that the board uphold the law POF versus doe which ensures all children regardless of status have the right to an education feel free have a right to an education upholding it protects immigrant and Refugee students future and preserves education as a fundamental right our schools are strongest when every student regardless of immigration status feels
042safe valued and supported immigrant Refugee and special status students bring diverse perspectives resilience and an ambition that enrich our classrooms and communities yet many face profound challenges studies show that children and immigrant families who fear deportation experience toxic stress leading to anxiety depression and decreased academic performance in the wake of ice raids School attendance drops as families retreat in fear language barriers leave students struggling to engage with some taking years to catch up academically and legal uncertainties create instability that makes it difficult to focus on learning makes it difficult to build relationships and plan for the future by adopting an official resolution of unwavering support we affirm that no child should suffer in silence no student should fear the schoolhouse door and no family should be a afraid to seek the education their child deserves
043a clear aggressive stance ensures that all students can learn without fear Thrive Without Limits and contribute fully to our shared future CCS please let us lead with courage let us lead with conviction because when we protect because when we protect and uplift the most vulnerable we strengthen our schools and our society as a whole Asante thank you thank you [Applause] our next speaker is Karen Shapiro welcome this evening good evening president Cole vice president Adair Treasurer cook superintendent Dr Chapman and members of the board my name is kieren Shapiro I live in Bexley and I have been an ESL teacher in Columbus City Schools for eight years I'm here to speak to you from a CRA classroom view level about the uncertainty and fears our ESL families are experiencing in our current environment before I
044begin I would like to thank Dr Chapman for the communication released last Tuesday your email addressed many of the concerns teachers have for and about our students in their education giving us reassurance that Columbus City Schools takes very seriously our duties to uphold the rights of students under the law plyer versus doe I would also like to thank board member vera for person Ally acknowledging each and every one of the email Communications sent to board members articulating our deep concerns and worries for our students a week ago over 175 CCs teachers and staff emailed a letter detailing concerns and requesting the adoption of a safe Zone resolution Dr Chapman released a communication shortly thereafter detailing District policies while many of our concerns voiced in the safe Zone resolution were addressed there are still few outstanding
045issues I am here today to request action on the resolution statement that the policies be communicated to staff students and families to my knowledge there have been no Communications directly informing students and families what school policy is in these troubling times what does that mean to the classroom teacher it means messages like these Miss I'm scared I don't want to leave your country I like it a lot and I want to fulfill my dream of being a teacher I'm so sorry I'm not at school today I didn't feel safe leaving the house I'm scared I'm afraid to leave the house because I don't want to be deported I don't want to leave here I haven't achieved what I set out to do to graduate I want to be able to help my mom she doesn't
046want me to go to school because she's afraid too I'm so afraid to leave the house I see people being captured on TV Miss what happens if they come to our school can they take all of us how will my mom and dad find me speaking for Columbus Global Academy the lack of information deeply affects our student families parents are nervous about the potential arrests on the walk to school or during the wait at the bus stop consequently they are keeping their children home out of fear for example our average daily attendance rate was 84% in December since January 23rd our daily attendance rate has dropped to 78% in real numbers we have increased from an average of 49 absences a day to 68 absences a day that's a significant jump it is within your
047power to do something to change that you can calm fears and give reassurance through communication ourl families need to know that Columbus City Schools will protect the civil rights of their children on school property they need to know we place critical importance on executing our D executing our duties under plyer versus doe this information needs to be presented in forms accessible to all it needs to be a letter or an email in their language it needs to be on the district website it needs to be in social media posts and for families with literacy barriers they need to see it and hear it in voice over videos communic I thank you I thank you so much Miss Shapiro you're out of time but I thank you and I know that the administration is taking action
048thank you so much thank you [Applause] good evening our next speaker is Miss Shannon tuzi good evening president Cole vice vice president Adair Treasurer cook superintendent Dr Chapman and members of the board my name is Shannon tuzi and I live in Columbus and I'm a history and government teacher in an in the ESL sheltered site at Columbus International High School I'm proud to say this is my 28th year serving and teaching students in the Columbus City School District I too would like to start by acknowledging the good work that has already been done for immigrant students specifically Dr Chapman's letter outlining the protocols for schools to follow if ice or other visitors come to school and thank you Miss vera for your personal acknowledgement and thoughtful response to last week's emails I am here tonight
049however to further to request further protections for students whose families risk detainment Andor deportation specifically I urge the board to adopt this proposed resolution which was emailed to the board by almost 200 Staff last Tuesday most of my concerns fall in two areas the first is the need to protect student privacy it's crucial that the district review its recordkeeping policies and practices we must make sure no immigration status or birth place data is collected this information is irrelevant to students education and potentially discriminatory in addition the district should delineate a process to protect students directory information not covered by furpa such as addresses phone numbers and enrollment dates all district personnel must be trained on how to respond to information requests of all types including over the phone finally we must ensure bus drivers and
050after school staff are trained in how to handle and Report situations such as ice at bus stops my second concern is the dire need for a rapid response team within the district and we have questions what are School staff to do in a situation where we cannot send a student home because Guardians Andor adults have been arrested and detained our district should have a rapid response team in place to protect and care for such a student until a guardian or other designated adult is contacted and all staff should be trained on this protocol how can we best meet students social emotional needs right now threats of legal action separation and or deportation of family cause severe barriers to learning and education that can and should be allayed through support systems including legal resources provided by
051the district finally how is Project Connect equipped to handle this new reality there is a potential uptick in students who are undocumented or in mixed status families reaching mckin vento status our district needs to hire immigrant Liaisons with expertise and immigrant populations who can serve as resources for families affected by detainment and deportation in conclusion those students who come to school are bravely taking huge risks in doing so it seems only right for us as adults to do the same and to be on the Leading Edge of this issue not just reacting to it we have an opportunity now to aggressively protect our most precious resources our students please pass this resolution thank you thank [Applause] you before we quickly move into board matters again I thank each and every one of you this evening
052for uh sharing your concerns and your insights uh I know that we in the administration take them under very very serious uh consideration thank you uh we'll move right into board matters uh the first will be celebrating a a resolution celebrating the life and service of Barbara W Reid and her 52 years of distinguished service to the Columbus City Schools I will read this one whereas the members of the Columbus Board of Education take great pride in recognizing indiv uals who have made a profound and lasting impact on the lives of our students faculty staff and greater community and whereas Barbara W Reed dedicated more than 52 years of service to Columbus City Schools holding roles that shaped and strengthened the district supporting students in their educational journey and ensuring the success of countless initiatives
053and whereas Barbara became her became her career as a began her career as a teacher teacher serving for more than 22 years before transitioning into various leadership roles culminating in her 32-year tenure as the leader of the district's fact line program where she set a high standard of Excellence and ensured that staff parents students and Community had access to the accurate and timely information whereas the fact line program was established in 1978 during the district's desegregation efforts under superintendent Dr Joseph Davis and under Barbara's leadership it became an invaluable resource responding to thousands of inquiries from across the globe and whereas Barber not only LED fact line with dedication but also played a vital role in preserving CCS history by organizing over 500 books of archival Records digit digitizing materials in collaboration with the Columbus
054Metropolitan Library and supporting creating the creation of a CCS History Museum ensuring that the district's Legacy is honored and preserved for generations to come and whereas her passing is a profound loss to all who knew her yet the legacy of Excellence service and Care will continue to inspire the district and the broader Community now therefore be it resolved that the Columbus City School Board of Education honors and celebrates the life and ser service of Barbara W Reed expressing its deepest gratitude for her remarkable contributions she was for she will forever remain a cherished and integral part of Columbus City Schools respectfully presented on this day February 4th 2025 um I wanted to acknowledge her son I believe that Mr Reid is here Michael Reid is he here say it again yeah give me a second
055all right I just wanted to before I second this I wanted to make sure you stood up is there a motion to accept this resolution second the motion thank you we can take the role Miss Engles yes Dr Pierce yes Miss Reyes yes Mr Simmons yes Miss Vera yes vice president Adair yes president Cole yes that motion carries uh thank you board colleagues thank you Mr Reed for your mother we submit our deepest condolences on her loss um your mother was very special to me and my family uh she watched my children grow up in the school district um every time I saw her she had nothing but you know a glimmer in her eyes you know sharing the things about her super grandchildren um so I she will definitely be missed and I wanted
056to make sure that you received this resolution on behalf of the Columbus City schools and the Board of Education thank you [Applause] okay uh to our second resolution in honor of celebrating national school counselors week thank you so much Dr Pierce thank you so much president Cole so we have a resolution from our Columbus City Schools and our Board of Education to recognize February 3rd through 7th 2025 as National School counseling week whereas National School counseling week observed Fe February 3rd through 7th of 2025 highlights the vital role school counselors play in supporting students success and career Readiness and whereas school counselors are dedicated professionals who help students explore their strengths interests and talents guiding them towards academic achievement and future career opportunities and whereas school counselors collaborate with parents Educators and Community Partners to
057identify resources that enhance students educational experiences and personal growth and whereas Columbus City Schools recognizes that school counselors are instrumental in closing opportunity gaps and advancing the district's whole child approach ensuring students academic social emotional and physical well-being now therefore be it resolved that the Columbus City Schools Board of Education proudly recognizes February 3r through 7th 2025 as National School counseling week in the Columbus City School District and be it further resolved that the board encourages students staff and the community to express appreciation for school counselors and their invaluable contribution to our Student Success respectfully presented on February 4th of 2025 by this board of education and superintendent Angela Chapman thank you Dr Angela motion and second it Dr Pierce yes Miss Reyes yes Mr Simmons yes Miss Vera yes vice president Adair yes president
058Cole yes Miss Engles yes motion carried thank you board uh accepting this will be Miss Renee Kelly school counselor at East Mo Academy EA and the ca senior faculty representative for her school [Applause] counselors congratulations again it's our honor to acknowledge you we'll move on to section 5.3 which is the 2025 School th school year 26 traditional and yearound calendar presentation Madam superintendent yes we have Dr Michelle kleene who will be presenting our school calendar recommendations thank you so much Dr Chapman board president Cole vice president Adair members of the Board of Education superintendent Chapman treasure cook who's not here and internal auditor o' Conor I'd like to present the first reading of the 2026 academic calendars for our traditional and yearround schools using our Board of Education policy 8210 the collective bargaining agreement Section
0591 15103 and the collaborative group of Staff a draft calendar was developed our labor unions were engaged consistent with their respective collective bargaining agreements for purposes of determining the minimum number of hours for a school year a district is required to have a minimum of 910 hours for grades kindergarten through 6th and 1,1 hours for grades 7 through 12 according to the state a school district can use up to the equivalent of two days for professional development of teachers and up to two days for parent teacher conferences and Reporting periods 15minute periods For Recess morning and afternoon for grades kindergarten through six lunch and breakfast periods as well as extracurricular activities are not allowed to be included in the calculation of minimum school hours the length of the school day is governed by the Columbus
060Education Association our cea collective bargaining agreement the length of the school day is 6 and 1 half hours for elementary school and K to8 buildings typically 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 the length of the school day is 7 hours for middle and high school students typically 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. currently our average high school hours if we average all the high schools because they're all a little different with their lunch periods is 1,51 hours for high schools so we are far exceeding the minimum State requirement for elementaries it's a,1 hours average for elementary schools at the current time here's a look at the proposed traditional calendar the first week back for staff would be devoted to Prof professional development and common planning time to develop plans and instructional strategies prior to the return of our
061Scholars research supports the use of collective planning to Foster collaborative expertise and providing this opportunity for teachers at the beginning of the year is a best practice effective professional development Fosters collaboration and shared responsibility across schools and districts positive ly impacting student achievement professional development also increases support for teachers in adopting new practices ensuring that instruction is effective and aligned with the needs of our individual students here's a look at the proposed yearr round calendar the number of instructional days 167 Remains the Same in both calendars as in previous years as the professional development days from September and March were moved to August a parent survey has been developed and is set to go out tomorrow morning in multiple languages to our parents guardians of Scholars in Columbus City Schools regarding gaining their feedback on
062this proposed calendar this information will be used along with any additional comments we receive in the next month in order to fine-tune this academic calendar in hopes of a second reading at the March Board of Education meeting at this time I'd be happy to answer any questions thank you Dr kleene thank you Dr kleene are there any questions at this point for Dr Klein on this calendar yes Dr Pierce um Dr Klein can you please explain how our families that may um practice holidays that are not highlighted on this calendar are able to celebrate and ack a knowledge those holidays thank you to Dr Pierce's question absolutely so we have board policy we can do um appropriate excusals for religious holidays and we do that all the time and also just just to highlight something
063on the survey and you're welcome to take a look at it I did bring copies for you tonight um on the survey we actually ask about some holidays and if they would prefer to take like you know the traditional Easter off or if they prefer something else or what day of the week is best for them to have um days off for their children so we're trying to get feedback from all of our parents and Guardians Dr clein is eat one of those holidays that we've listed on there as we know we have a strong um Community as well as student and and parent population that want to make sure we acknowledge that holiday yes ma'am thank you are there any additional questions comments thank you Dr Chapman we do accept this as a first
064first read uh and we do plan to revisit this this calendar again in the March timeline thank you thank you so much thank you thank you Dr Klein okay all right moving forward to uh the action items that everybody are here to to hear and US deliberate on uh that is 5.4 safe Green Schools climate resolution Sarah Engles board member Engles thank you president Cole I'm thrilled today to introduce this resolution um that has been the results of months of work and feedback with students parents teachers community members Community leaders board members and more this resolution was discussed in our board's Equitable and transparent Resource Management Committee in December 2024 as well first of all the resolution does not obligate or mandate the district to start or Implement any project or spend any Rees resources
065but what it does do is it creates a call to Begin work to seek out and identify available resources to provide for green and sustainable improvements for school buildings improvements that would save this District money in order for this to happen the resolution calls for this to take place in conjunction with the planning that's already happening with the facility's master plan only after funding resources are identified and guaranteed would a project commence under the resolution only projects that save the district money would be pursued there's money on the table right now and Columbus City school kids and this community deserves a piece of that pie school districts have been getting solar and using green energy since before the IRA because it is a money saer the IRA gives extra incentives but even if it went
066away today we could still pass and implement this resolution districts do power purchase agreements where a company owns and maintains the solar panel were draw on the school roofs it costs nothing to the district and then you'd buy the energy back from the company at a rate that is still less than what you'd otherwise pay in terms of funding availability there are a couple buckets that funding falls under first is the direct payment tax credits here the district would get up to 50% of the funding to complete a project if it meets certain criteria second there is grant funding that has already been obligated and is now being administered by Third parties an example of this is the envir environmental justice thriving Community Grant makers program this resolution would help organize the district to start
067studying grants such as these and begin the application process to get much needed funding into this District I also want to add that we have had the luxury of both local and National Partners who are willing and interested in working with us including nonprofits local government Partners sustainable Columbus and more who continuously monitor funding opport unities that fall beyond the buckets I mentioned and who are prepared to help work with our district and staff in identifying opportunities as stated in this resolution with identifying who could be a sustainability coordinator and whether that could be a partnership between us and local government entities for a comprehensive and collaborative approach within the region and it includes some benchmarking that will ensure that we get this done as you heard in public comment there's also an opportunity for
068our kids to get plugged into a growing and well-paying career field of sustainability and green energy and this is where we board members have the power to make a meaningful impact with what our kids deserve the opportunities that our kids deserve not only that this is necessary for the future health and well-being of our our children of our children who attend the Columbus City Schools as a child who suffered with asthma I'm thrill thrilled about the opportunity to bring this resolution forward to the board for consideration because I believe it will help address critical climate issues that are real and com real and coming whether we bury our head heads in the sand about it or not the truth is we will see more climate refugees coming to Columbus we will see more children feeling
069the effects of climate change and it's our job as board members to be good stewards of the taxpayer dollars this resolution would would be a demonstration that the district will do all it can to find all areas where it can to to bring much needed money into this District the resolution is a first step and a lowrisk one it's important that the district begins this work quickly because the funding won't always be there or may not always be there especially as school districts across the country are already taking their piece of the money their piece of the pie millions of dollars millions of dollars are in funding are at stake and Columbus should get their fair share Mr Rous and Treasurer cook who unfortunately can't be here tonight have helped us explore some of these
070Financial opportunities so I want to offer the opportunity Mr Rous do you have anything that you would like to add or share as far as funding that has been explored I I would be happy to I do believe that the treasur actually has joined or is in the process of trying to join right now but uh we have had some conversations um we're continuing to explore different funding vehicles and mechanisms we're having a we have a meeting actually with our Municipal adviser coming up in the next several weeks to see what other possibilities there are I know the treasur has been actively having conversations with a number of folks regarding potential grant opportunities we've had some conversations with folks nationally who worked with other school districts in availing themselves of some of the projects particularly
071those available under the uh inflation reduction act so those Explorations and conversations continue I think that he is committed to to having further conversations and exploring the vast majority of items that are out there if he is on I'll give him an opportunity to chime in but um that's that's what can you hear me oh my good okay is is treasure cook yes I think Dr R summarized everything we'll continue to work and and push these funding opportunities forward um depending on what the board's desires are with green energy and I do I do want to share um the Ohio School Board Association had a conference this uh fall that many of our fellow board members members had attended and many of those actually discussed green energy and there was one District in the state
072of Ohio a rural District that actually is making money off of the green energy um work that they are doing out there and was able to fund and sustain um a recreation center for their Community um by applying for and using some of these green funds so this is a real opportunity for our district and I'm excited to bring this forward this resolution forward to the board uh thank you uh board member Ang Les I'd also like the opportunity to allow the superintendent to weigh into I know some of her staff have been involved in discussions with this this resolution in work thank you president Cole um members of the board um our team has been working with um some of my direct reports has been working with etrm committee to support this resolution um
073certainly we are fully supportive of the goals as well as the intent of the resolution we certainly would like to have the opportunity to provide feedback on the implementation of the resolution so when you get two pages the second part of the resolution I know that my direct reports have provided feedback and we just want to make sure that all that feedback was committed um or implemented as a part of the resolution for member Eng Les can you and thank you for that weigh in can you speak a bit to those benchmarks I like the fact that they were extended to year 2026 yes so so we actually our Advocates have been reaching out to the district for quite some time now and we have had a number of meetings um including uh with the
074staff uh that work with Dr Chapman um all of the information and feedback that I've had to date has been integrated into the resolution um and that's part of the fiscal year language that was changed in the resolution um that was a request that I had received from board member atair so um we are very interested and working with the administration um but obviously as the money is out there and allocated this is a time is of the essence issue and so if we are going to go after some of this money um some of the grant applications are due as early as April and so getting together a grant um is something that we need to get moving and we have Partners who are excited to help us we also have Partners who are
075willing to fund a grant writer for us to get this done we just need the input and participation with the administration so um that's what this resolution is intended to do is to um make the statement that is the intent of this board that we would like um for that collaboration so that we can get some of these applications out there and start securing some of this big dollar money for our district CH in just a moment go ahead go ahead I can go ahead um just to chime in a little bit on the committee side of the work um and something that Sarah did mention um this resolution again is about starting really where this work needs to live is within our integrated facility plan um because it needs to become part of an
076embedded uh kind of thought process and mindset on how we approach future building as well as uh working through our our new permanent Improvement money and so we want to do this smart and we want to do this in a way that we are seeing a return on our investment um we don't want to spend funds if it's not going to save funds if it's not going to impact student outcomes that is not what we are trying to do here but we do need to get started um I do want to highlight that we actually have an incredible in-house team that has been working on this stuff for years actually and um we you know have been doing things um I don't think it's been getting the notoriety or credit uh that it deserves um
077and so this is another way to bring it all full circle and within an integrated plan so everyone understands what we've been doing so all of the things the student students spoke about some of those things are actually happening at various schools and sites and so um we're going to etrm next month is actually sustainable Columbus is going to be coming to talk more about that strategy because we are a big Regional player um in the city of Columbus and in order for the region to meet its goals we have to help um and so I just want to highlight those things as uh to kind of Dr Chapman's Point uh the board isn't really asking and this resolution doesn't really other than um some small benchmarking pieces about when a few things need to
078be done and most of it's tied to um you know applying for the grant um it's really about the plan that the administration is building right now and integrating that um and so uh just um you know I think that that's incredibly important because in order to be sustainable it must be integrated thank you uh thank you uh vice president I have a quick question too and it's Rel relative to the pause of expenditure towards permanent Improvement dollars and I wanted to kind of direct this to the treasurer's office to just give Clarity uh the statement under uh the third Benchmark CES and that's the third Roman numeral Benchmark from the date of the passing of this resolution and all future dates before any expenditures from the permanent Improvement fund occurs there shall be an
079evaluation of potential green infrastructure in Investments sustainable carbon- free Technologies vulnerabilities to extreme weather events and exposure to heat particular air pollution so on and so forth uh but it's asking for there to be a pause of permanent Improvement money being spent and I want to know what the impact of this is particularly on current things that we have scheduled for even for this summer as far out as this summer for repairs how does this impact our ability to pay our vendors for work that our schools need to have happen now thank you for the question uh president Cole you know looking at the plain language where it says before any expenditure occurs it would it would the way that we would read that or the way I read it is that we would spend
080no permanent Improvement money until such time as we have the evaluation yes regardless of whatever that permanent Improvement money may be for so whether it's if we're buying and I'm sure my my colleagues over in in in facilities will correct me I'm going to probably say this incorrectly but for instance a Zamboni looks like a Zamboni that used to clean the floors in some of the buildings I don't know is that what it is that a zambon close enough close enough I'll get I'll get i'll get partial credit on that uh it looks and acts like a zambon we wouldn't be able to we would typically use permanent Improvement funds to purchase an item like that we couldn't do so until we get the evaluation is so we will pause certainly the board adopts resolution
081will pause any future projects we inform the accounts payable um to certainly take action until we get the evaluation in but um and I will i' certainly defer to my colleagues in in the in the operation side but um I don't it could have some impact on on ongoing projects currently dependent upon you know things are already kind of in the process or moving if we've not done the evaluation we couldn't expend the funds so I don't know what that could have a it could have an impact on on summer projects and such I don't know I don't believe that's the intent but okay please clarify thank you um that's not quite I think the intent of what this is getting at so um the intention is again kind of what I said about things
082being integraded our first of all our permanent Improvement funding Pro is new newer because we have now a dedicated um you know bucket of money thank you taxpayers um and so as we will uh actually in the next few months we're going to start to hear more about a capital budget um the the goal is to have it integrated in that process and so whatever the process will be that the facility team will use we want an evaluation um of potential projects so for example right now we know that uh we're doing roofs we do roofs every summer because we do so it when we are going out and doing those projects uh there should be an evaluation whether or not uh perhaps solar could be put on at the same time right so we
083are doing things in a much more integrated way the team needs to help us figure out what that evaluation process is and the board wants to know that it occurred before we vote on the uh expenditure of the money it's part of the package it's part of the um the Pi Projects coming forward um so it isn't meant pause actually is not there's no word pause in this whole this a paraphrase all I thing well don't paraphrase because there's no word pause here um so it's not about pausing funding it's about integrating a a process where are pulling in sustainable um uh mindset to our to the way we're designing president Cole um um board members when I read that paragraph that was the same interpretation that I had because it says from the date
084of the passing of this resolution and all future dates before any expenditure from the pi fund occurs there shall be an evaluation of potential green infrastructure Investments my team provided feedback that we wanted to adjust that language because that would mean a significant change in our processes immediately and we don't have the capacity or the resources to make that change tonight for implementation tomorrow when I hear you talk about this should be in included in our planning processes for the future as we're developing our integrated master plan that makes perfect sense because these are all processes that we would have to create we don't even have the evaluation process right now we need to create the process to then to do the evaluation and so I just would offer that we have um feedback that
085we would like to add particularly on the implementation side certainly the goals and the intent we are certainly in agreement with we can continue to work on but where the logistics lie in terms of the implementation the day-to-day implementation um there may be some we're raising that there are some challenges and just in the interpretation there was confusion um here with just that paragraph and there are some other items that we would certainly like to have the opportunity at least to review and discuss um and provide you with that feedback um and continuation thank you for that hold on just a moment we have another question from board member Simmons um thank you um as we move forward into a space where we're increasingly having to think about the district's resources both Staffing facility Financial
086um as we move forward long term I wanted to um be mindful that as we roll out new initiatives we're also being um mindful not to overstretch the administration and Dr Chapman you touched a little bit on um capacity but I was wondering in order to conduct these evaluations is that something that you'd have to go hire a third party um firm to do is that something that you first saw um would be conducted in house and then also my second question was was the intention of the legislation to pause those payments before for or because I I still just don't have Clarity around what exactly it would mean to excuse me around what exactly it would mean from the from the date of passing this resolution and all future dates before any expenditures so
087your first question just as Dr Chapman in order to do those evaluations is that something that you first saw would happen in house or is that something that we'd have to additional staff or a third party thank you for member Simmons so that would have to be um explored further but under um benchmarking um the second statement it says by FY 2026 we would Implement a green energy evaluation process and that's August right of this year 2026 so we would have to create an evaluation process so that the the timing and the cascading of it um is a little bit off if we're talking about imple evaluating legislation effective immediately but we're not creating the evaluation process until 2026 just some additional feedback that we'd like to be clear about the expectations so that we
088can honor and fulfill all of the board's requests that is our hope that is our goal and that is our Our intention we certainly want to move this work forward we want to make sure that we're doing that with all the clarity um that we need to make sure that you know those dates and timelines matter would would you say you when considering our additional priorities the goals and guard rails the ongoing facility realignment work would you say that your team does have the capacity if this resolution was adopted to begin formulating that evaluation process immediately well no I'm not saying that that was not calendared for this year certainly we have our priorities set for right now um this would be a long-term process we would need time to implement and certainly we would
089certainly be calling on for additional support to help extend um our capacity to support this work in um the um resolution it also includes um adding additional capacity to our team so that would be another funding request I don't know if the um the grants that we're seeking would also provide funding for staff as well but that would certainly be another funding request so there's some of this work would would be done internally prior to um additional Staffing capacity being added I imagine but certainly we could certainly work through those details president Co one last yes sir thank you um I I did want a point of clarification for the coordinator position is that an additional um was that envisioned as that' be a new position created or was that an additional responsibility that would
090be unloaded onto someone else's um current set of responsibilities and the reason I ask is when I think about another one of our competing priorities our LED program locally economic disadvantaged Enterprise um we know it can take some time to hire someone to do that type of work and find someone with the right skills and background um and and expertise and so I don't imagine perhaps you'd have time to to do that um so just a point of clarification is that coordinator position a new position or is it um an additional set of responsibilities that would be placed onto someone's current role when I read this I read it as a new position um and that there would be additional funding that would be allocated it's like I didn't even have a meeting with your
091team yest so we have a sustainability coordinator in let's keep hold on just a point of order there's a question on the floor thank you so much president Cole so while this is a very fruitful conversation I think where um there might be a difference of understanding is that resolutions are are kind of driving decisions and policy um and this resolution includes resolution l language as well as policy language so I wonder if we could send this resolution over to our policy and governance committee they could separate the two or if we as a board right now can say that there are elements of the document that we have in front of us that are consistent with the language and the tradition that we use when we pass resolutions and move forward with that language
092but then send the other language which is very consistent with our tradition of making policy over to the policy and governance committee to do that so in the and with respect to a the work that has been done on behalf of our two board colleagues number one number two in respect to adherence to time to ensure that we get this up for application process what I'd like to do is deliberate on that now um I like to offer a amendment to strike particularly the language that speaks to the permanent Improvement uh dollars not being expended until just yes sir prior to prior to any amendments needs to be moved in second and so it's correct it's actually on the table correct I move to introduce the resolution I second there's a motion in second now
093um I'd like to offer a amendment to strike the language about permanent Improvement and the non-ability to make any expenditures with those permanent Improvement dollars can you find that language president Cole yes um could we get that um Amendment change just typed out before we we vote on it or I'm confused about what we're going to find the language right now we'll identify the language then what we'll do is have that discussion is there something particularly that you want to revise or or no no no I just wasn't exactly sure what what part we would be striking we're about to find that out right now it's on page three so the item is on page three sir it is the it is the paragraph after a ran numeral small ran numeral three it's that paragraph
094starting with the from the date of okay I motion to amend this language to be stricken from the date of the passing of the resolution and all future dates before any expenditure for the permanent Improvement fund occurs there shall be an evaluation of potential green infrastructure etc etc I'd like to strike that language from this resolution is that the whole paragraph Yes sir that is a whole paragraph that stops excuse me at yes that's the whole paragraph Yes because that that other Clause includes that evaluation we have to take a vote second i' there's motion there's a motion in second can we call the rooll you take comment on yes is there any comment yes Dr so my comment would be if we are striking that portion I would move that we strike entirely page
095three and Page four because those are the pages and the language that actually speaks to the implementation of this resolution as Dr Chapman has said that lines up with our traditional language that we use when we as a body make policy while pages one and two align with traditional language we use when we make resolutions that was not is that is that a motion that is my we have to vot on that's my comment toward your motion I thank you um are you board member Vera board member Vera uh thank you president Cole um I I definitely um appreciate my colleagues for the hard work that has gone into this and um I definitely see uh Dr Pierce's point in regards to pages one and two um being you know uh the language around the
096resolution I do have concerns around Pages three and four um even outside of just the paragraph uh president Cole that you highlight it there seems to be additional language there shortly thereafter that focuses or highlights 30 days from the passage of this resolution um so I would encourage as if this is the um the will of the body to consider um at this point separating pages one and two from three and four so is there is there an additional comment yes for member Engles yeah I think there are plenty of resolutions that have um guidance and directives as well I would be happy to take pieces of it to the policy governance committee specifically the paragraph that um board board president Cole spoke about with putting uh before the board any evaluations that could certainly
097be written into a policy and I'd be happy to strike that part and um put that into a policy that would then be um brought back I do think that the benchmarking is just a reiteration of the whereas so if we believe in the whereas and we're saying we believe in the whereas then let's do the benchmarking and let's put our money where our mouth is um because that's that's exactly what that is um it's it's not setting forth any um particular thing it's just guiding the administration um in some of the work it's not necessarily appropriate for a policy if we want to take that second piece that from the date of passing and put that into a policy I'd be happy to uh take some of that up I do want to note
098however um this language had been shared uh with the administration uh as early as late November and we had been trying to work on um getting this to a point where we could put it before the board we put it before one of our committees and our committee members also had the opportunity to hear about it and um give feedback at that time um so a lot of it is true that a lot of work has gone into this um I think too some of this um has been explained um that when we do evaluations for solar um the companies um can actually just come out and do that evaluation for you so it's at no cost and then as um as I explained um in the previous part um the intent is to identify
099a sustainability coordinator it does not say the school district has to hire the sustainability coordinator it's to identify somebody we can work with and again sustainable Columbus and um and some other uh local Partners um have been interested in helping us identify who that person is and that's something that um some of the grant funding can assist with so if we are going to um strike any piece of this the one paragraph that President Cole uh suggested I would be fine with um as far as looking and putting that into a policy um but I do think that um the rest of it is appropriate for a resolution because it's identifying goals that we want to get to and um no specific pathway on how we have to get there it also um doesn't doesn't
100bind the district um to any expenditure or any um anything that doesn't make sense for the work that we're already doing Dr PE uh so again I call for the separation of the two pages one through two to point to 20 2050 uh 2020 2032 when you get to Pages three and four the benchmarking does in fact put our Administration into a position where they have to be ready to implement this by FY 2026 so again I think for True co- collaboration to happen that will lead to the type of change and implementation of True Green structures that we want to see there has to be more dialogue and collaboration between the team that will be implementing this I thank you for your for your feedback is there any additional feedback before we call for
101this this motion to be voted on this this and the motion the the amendment is to strike the language that we would be voting on because that was common on his language yes there was not a motion on your no his his motion is the only motion that's on the floor sorry could you repeat what your motion was to strike the language around from well sorry so the the motion the amendment on the table currently is to strike the on page three the paragraph after Roman numeral three starting with from the date of the passing through the their return on investment is that is the motion before yep that entire paragraph Yes sir yes that is a motion on the floor is this a point of clarification please is there a a parliamentary procedure way
102that we could maybe vote on striking the two pages first and then vote on striking the paragraph maybe if um board member Dr Pierce were to offer a motion to um amend the amendment on the floor I'm not sure if that be possible Cole would have to accept it so at this point we have to deal with his first and then yes so are we understanding that correctly or could Cole offer a friendly amendment to his Dan technically you can offer an amendment to an amendment you can you can't go any farther than an amendment to an amendment so if you offer that as an amendment I will offer an amendment to Cole's amendment to president Cole's amendment to strike Pages three and four in its entirety and to keep pages one and two for
103vote tonight is there a second on that Amendment second all right there's been a motion made that amends that and a second we can take the vote Dr Pierce on my the the question before the question before is to delete pages three and four period yes yes delete three and four Miss Reyes Mr Simmons yes Miss Vera yes vice president Adair no president Cole yes Miss Engles no that Amendment carries now this is the funny thing about parliamentary procedure now the amendment that is before you to vote on to incorporate into the resolution is now to delete pages three and four that's now the what the amendment reads you simply amended Mr Cole's amendment to delete pages three and four so now you're voting on the amendment to strike Pages three and four as amended
104as Mr Cole's amendment was amended everybody following yes sir okay so miss Eng Les no Dr Pierce yes M Reyes Mr Simmons yes Miss Vera yes vice president Adair no president Cole yes motion carries you are now to the resolution as amended Mr Simmons yes Miss Vera yes vice president Adair yes president Cole yes Miss Eng Les yes Dr Pierce yes Miss rayz that motion carries thank you all right moving on to our second reading of board policy number 551 17.02 transgender and gender variant okay board member Engles thank you president Cole so board policy 17.02 is here for our second read tonight our last board meeting we discussed it at our first reading um this is a result of what is colloquially known as the bathroom bill that had passed um the state legislature
105which requires certain language um if you have a policy that states um certain things in this District we have one of the most robust and protect Ive um transgender and gender variant policies in really the area and so um that is something that I'm really proud of and that this board is really proud of um and we have a state law that would require um what is harmful and um hurtful language um and so that's what we are deliberating today um last board meeting we discussed that there were a few options that we have fully evaluated um a couple those options are uh keep the policy the same and do not comply with the law which presents a great risk not only to this District but potentially to the families um that would see um
106see the news about what's going on um and to our um taxpayers um if we were um legally defending this um and so there were lots of considerations about whether we should do that um in addition whether we should um strength parts of the policy uh there were some concerns about that because the bathroom ban is not the only um harmful thing that is coming out of our state legislature that we will have to Grapple with and so we were realistic about that and thinking about the other things that would be coming down the pike and how we might handle those um and then um also striking um the entirety of the policy and uh kind of assessing where we want to go from here with the expect ation that all of our students are
107treated with dignity and respect all of our staff are treated with dignity and respect and all of our families and community members in this District are treated with dignity and respect our practices do not have to change because the policy did we are debating about the policy itself and so I'm really grateful to the folks who worked on that um on this policy with us and discussed it um a lot of very hard cons uh considerations um were had and grateful to um our Administration um for being there our legal team um Dr Chapman's team um our Union Partners who were present with us and the Kaleidoscope Youth Center who has been an incredible Ally in not only the creation of this policy um but in our deliberation about how to move forward and so
108with that I would like to invite um a member or as a one of our friends at Kaleidoscope Youth Center to come up and kind of explain a little bit more um probably more eloquently than I just did about um some of the considerations and any recommendations that the organization may have with for us thank you good evening president Cole vice president Adair superintendent Dr Chapman and members of our board my name is Amanda Erikson and I'm here to represent Kaleidoscope youth center tonight Kaleidoscope youth CER Center is Ohio's largest and longest standing nonprofit organization that is dedicated to serving lgbtq Youth and Young adults we value our Partnerships with school districts community centers providers families and especially youth and we're especially grateful for our long-standing partnership with Columbus City Schools as approximately 50% of
109the youth that we serve are current or former students of Columbus City Schools so I want to thank you for bringing kyc into the discussion around supporting our lgbtq students and for inviting us here tonight in July 2021 with input from the community the CCS Board of Education adopted policy 551 17.02 titled transgender and gender variant students per the policy the district is committed to ensuring that all of its students including transgender and gender variant students are provided a safe supportive and Equitable education environment that is free from discrimination and harass harassment based on a student's actual or perceived sex gender gender identity gender expression non-conformity to gender stereotypes this policy should be interpreted consistently to promote an inclusive and Equitable environment that respects transgender and gender variant students and maintains the privacy of all
110students Senate Bill 104 is a restrictive bill that mandates all kindergarten through university school bathrooms and spaces used for school sanctioned activities to be restricted by a person's sex assigned birth endangering the safety and dignity of trans students or anyone perceived as transgender this bill is blatant discrimination and will create unsafe environments for Trans and gender non-conforming individuals of all ages Additionally the bill irresponsibly fails to outline an enforcement plan inviting the potential for discrimination and harassment based on a students actual or perceived sex gender gender identity gender expression non-conformity to gender stereotypes vulnerable to vigil any restroom police the impact and potential for harm for Senate Bill 104 is far-reaching students already avoid eating or drinking so that they won't need to use the facilities during the school day some students are able to
111access single stall private restrooms like those in administrative or nurses offices which at times can be disruptive to participation in educational activities or connection with peers among other challenges some students do face barriers to access such as finding a trusted teacher to unlock the door for them without further questioning no teacher or staff member should stand in the way of any student requesting to use a restroom and in fact all adults should go out of their way to ensure that students have access to these spaces today in collaboration with our Community Partners we are requesting and recommend recommending that the Columbus City Schools Board of Education vote to either keep the current policy 55702 as written prior to January's amendments which would continue to affirm and establish safer spaces for Trans and gender variant students
112in spite of current state and federal laws or strike the entirety of the current policy 551 17.02 it's existence with amendments directly sanctions discrimination and erases the original intent which is to ensure that all of its students including transgender and gender variant students are provided a safe supportive and Equitable educational environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based on a student's actual or perceived sex gender gender identity gender expression non-conformity to gender stereotypes we appreciate and support the affirming te teachers and other Personnel who continue to care for students and to our students we appreciate and support the ways that you are brave and continue to keep yourselves safe we are sorry that you have to be brave in this way to the CCS Board of Education your vote today will highlight the leadership
113of Ohio's largest school district while affirming its commitment to support and protect all students kyc is committed to continuing to provide the district with guidance and best practice information to ensure that any outcome minimizes potential harm to students thank you for your invitation today and I'm open to any questions if you have them thank you ma'am thank you so much okay colleagues so as we're looking as so board member Eng Les are you offering a motion motion to totally do away with this policy or because I'd like to I'd like to offer a motion I'll let you offer the okay um I'd like to offer the motion that we keep 5 policy 17.02 as is it is currently in existence in our current policy I'd like to keep it the way it is I like
114a policy on the books to keep it the way that it is I don't want to offer to accept this second reading I want to make the offer that we keep the current language on our policy books as it is is there a second no no point of order if if you're going to keep it as is you technically don't need a any don't take any action it just will remain on the books unless your motion is an affirming an affirmation of the it is an affirmation policy can can I ask a question yes have we discussed in detail what the legal ramifications uh are for this how how can we be sued by other political entities by parents what what are the ramifications for us keeping our currently existed policy Mr Barnes good evening
115so the question what are the legal ramifications if the policy were to remain the same can you lift the microphone up so our community can hear you so the question is what are the legal ramifications if the policy were to remain the same the ramification is that the board will be in direct violation of the law the reason that the board is even considering this policy is first of all because we had a policy that protected our students and because the policy as it stands is not aligned with Ohio law it either has to be res sended or or or the the draft that's before for the board adopted I do not believe that the that the board can out of hand violate the law in in layman's term please share what that means there
116is like I'm two there there is legal exposure to the board for violating the law our ethics laws dictate that you don't violate the law our policies dictate that the board members are to carry out their responsibilities in a legal manner followup clarifying question um from an ethical standpoint does then the entire board as a group should we keep our policy are we then um exposed as a group or are we exposed as individual board members a group ethics violations are individual yes I'm just asking have the CL okay um and so if that is individual um and we are in violation of our ethics that we have all said we will uphold does there then um does does the exposure come with fines like what does it come with I I short answer is
117I don't know what that because the the statute doesn't provide for enforcement oh okay it doesn't now that may sound great at first Blood however it's Black History Month it is a v violation of law which means and and when I say that I don't know what the repercussions are is simply because it's not um specifically specifically stated in the statute so as I'm understanding this by us as uh president Cole has said if we keep the current policy that we have it seems that there's two levels of exposure one it is exposure for the entire board because the board is not following ethics but it is also individually exposure as well yes and and it's more than just an ethical violation I'm that's why I'm asking you these questions just like we're two explain
118the exposure to us and I don't know what the specific exposure is but there is I can say this that there's always legal exposure when you're in direct violation of the law are there any additional questions for member Vera so thank you U Mr Barnes and just as a point of clarification um if we did not have a policy would we be in the same situation in terms of you know um liability or I what what is the counter to having the policy we know that now what is the what's the tra you know what would that be with or without a policy the law stands the law says what it says policy has to be consistent with the law every policy that the board has the board is obligated for the policy policies to
119be consistent with law so another another clarifying question without the policy if I'm understanding this correctly there is less exposure for the board and the board is individuals because we do not have to have a policy am I understanding that correctly that is correct that is correct a re a recension of the policy does not expose the board to liability what will expose the board to liability is what actually happens in the schools that's condoned by the bo thank you Mr Simmon excuse me thank you Mr Barnes is there any additional question yes please I have a question to Dr Chapman Dr Chapman um as Mr Barnes has indicated uh additional exposure for the board and board members will happen based upon what is um what conduct what happens in our schools I think um
120board member Engle said it well um and I would agree with the fact that all of our students need to be treated as human beings um Point Blank period I'm not I'm not going to go into this whole identity Continuum our students our staff everyone needs to be treated with the dignity and respect of Being Human Beings the current administrative guidelines can you give us an idea about how that dignity and respect will continue to be um Extended to all of our students to all of our staff members if we were not to have a policy certainly um Dr Pierce thank you for that question um we certainly want to um make sure we are acknowledging that our Administration our team our staff our principles our um everyone who works with our students we see
121our students we respect them and we will continue to make sure that we are treating all students with the dignity that they deserve and making sure that we are providing them with the supports and resources that they need in Columbus City Schools and so um I think that the what um our legal council is providing us with and explaining that if we didn't have a policy certainly as Leaders as board members and superintendent we're still accountable for what happens in schools that's not gerain to this specific policy that's germine to everything that we do as a part of our district and and operating schools and the business that we that we have like that that's not specific to this policy but I think what um our legal council is explaining is that if we did
122not it again if we did not have this policy we would not be in direct violation with the law and so we can certainly we are certainly committed to making sure that all of our students feel seen heard and appreciated um in all of our schools in our classrooms in CCS can I ask my question a different way as I look at our students from wetstone and thank you all for being here I know there is a gender non-conforming restroom there's a couple there I think but I'm I'm aware of one I'm aware of one um when our students walk into that building will they be able to use that restroom as the gender non-conforming restroom or will it become a boy girl restroom there is an an option in the law in the law
123that allows us to provide students with a um a a separate a single use rest restroom and so that would be our opportunity to make sure that the students have um the the space and the Privacy that they need um within the school buildings so as I'm understanding one way that we could approach this in the buildings is that our non-gender conforming restrooms will the signs on them will change from non-gender to single use no we're not that we're not talking about mentation at this point this is we're not um we're not saying that a we're changing the rest rooms that's not what we're discussing we're saying that we are committed to making sure that we follow the law and making sure that we're prioritizing the needs of our students so if we have students
124that need access to a single use restroom they will have that access in our school buildings we will make sure of that so as as a board member I want Clarity and understanding of how you are going to ensure that our students that our staff have access to that restroom given my understanding of the law is that we now have to have gender specific restrooms how are you as the superintendent in all of our schools going to ensure that all of our students and staff are treated with dignity and respect and can go to the single use restroom yes Dr Pierce I'm sorry if I wasn't clear we already have gender specific restrooms in our buildings we also have single use restrooms in all of our buildings right now they are labeled as non-conforming art
125they're just going to they're going to stay the same they won't be labeled it's have single use restrooms in our buildings that um that are single use restrooms single use restrooms are they aren't labeled single use simply means that anyone can use it because it's a oneperson single use restroom so it's one person at a time and it's for use by any student or sta any staff or staff and staff or visitor or visitor so what I hear is saying is the way that you will maintain dignity and respect for all of our students and staff is to maintain to use the single use SL non-gender conforming bathrooms that exist in our school buildings without this policy without the policy our students will have our students staff Community parents will have access to a single
126uh use restroom which is compliant with the law and also our first priority is making sure that we're meeting the needs of our students and our staff thank you and there'll be a memo stated as such to the administration I think I think that's the spirit of what she was really trying to get to yes we we certainly once we the board makes a decision we certainly will make sure that we Cascade that message if there's a policy change a policy modification we'll make sure that we Cascade that message throughout the organization all right now that link which was that type of accommodation um was added uh in draft form to this policy specifically allows for single use whereas before the policy did not so if there aren't any additional questions what is the will
127of my colleagues at the table you have I don't have a question yes please go ahead I wasn't here at the last meeting I was sick but I listened online to the dialogue and for me I've always been between the two options that um Kaleidoscope outlined uh to either in in one one proposed by board member Cole leave the policy as is um it was something that we worked really hard on we worked hard on it with our community it affirms our kids it affirms our commitment it affirms our values or get rid of it altogether because it was something extra and really doesn't change the core value Val of what I just said I think what's hard for me in this situation I'm I have right now pulled up the letter from Birmingham Jail
128from Martin Luther King where he talks about how how C he asks the question how can you Advocate breaking some laws and obeying others and he asks us to consider whether a law is just or unjust and he says that an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in Eternal law and natural law any law that uplifts human personality is just any law that degrades human personality is unjust all segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality thank you wait I'm sorry no words I I sit here as a member M this board who has given so much to this community and our kids to fight and my soul is is questioning whether or not we have to figure out in this moment if we will fight
129in a way that allows us as you are suggesting president Cole to follow what Dr Martin Luther King says and un and not follow an unjust law and we have so many things to fight because of what's happening today in our society we have so many things and unfortunately this will not be the first time that this group and others because we know the pattern will face more obstacles and segregation and so that's my personal struggle and I'm an attorney by the way you know I've I've in my bar I've sworn to uphold the Constitution not just as a board member but in my legal profession but I can't help but think about where we are as a moment in time in history and as some of our speakers alluded to we know what's coming
130and we have to figure out how and when we are going to fight or what we're going to do I don't I think either option in this case allows our students to have the dignity and respect I think changing the language to what the law has said does make it an anti-trans ban bill anti- non-binary language that's something we completely disagree with so I think the the languages proposed in the first reading um goes against our values our core values of who we are I would like if we could to table this because I think that we need more understanding of our individual and board legal obligations and to consider how we approach this topic going forward in terms of how as a district and Community because this is a community this is going to
131be a community uh issue here how we go forward and determine how we handle this and potential other unjust laws as we see them coming from both our state house and our federal government I will second that motion to table member Co I would like to comment I would like to ask a question I would like to for member Engles has the floor thank you I would like to note um I second the motion to table um in support of our board revisiting this um at our next board meeting um which would still allow us to be Timely and compliant um I do think that what I I Echo everything that my colleague board member Adair has just said um these are difficult times and we have a lot of unjust laws that have been
132passed and are coming down the pike for enforcement and that will be coming and so we as a district have to decide and we as a community have to decide where we lay that fight and is that fight in a policy when we can still continue the good acts in in our classrooms and protect our kids in our classrooms and use the training and tools that we have already or is this something that we I mean one lawsuit can be millions and millions and millions of dollars in a district where millions of dollars are whether or not you can feed children and keep the heat on and do the education programs that we need right and so this is a this is a real hard decision and I'm grateful um for your most simply because
133I do think it's worth our time to to really think about this um and think about how we want to move forward as a board um but obviously uh I am encouraged um to hear the support of my board colleagues um about these issues and um that there's a lot of care and a lot of concern for the families and the students in this District um that will be affected by the decisions that this board makes and so I'm I'm very grateful for that so my question was around point of order I need to understand is there a motion on the floor from president Cole and now we have taken a motion from board member Adare which has been seconded by board member Eng Les where are we in terms of the action that needs
134to be taken at this point board member board member Cole made a motion there was no second to his motion and unless I hear a second there was none so it dies for lack of second which then puts the motion to Table in order which has been moved and seconded so at this point in time you would have discussion on the you You' move to t you would have a vote on the motion to table so the floor open for discussion yes it is um could legal please share with us what the timeline is should we table this what what is the actual timeline that a decision needs to be made the law becomes effective February 25th so there is another board meeting before it becomes effective any additional questions or comments I yes when
135is the next board meeting the 17th 18th 17th 18th or 7 as a president Cole just as a point of um understanding and clarification what is it what will the process look like between now and the 18th for the level of Engagement we're talking about right because I want to be mindful of you know as my colleague has expressed this is something we we obviously very deeply care about but what are we actually saying we're committing to between now and the 18th how how are we going to go about gathering this feedback um we've brought in some experts you all have been meeting with experts we've all gotten different calls so I guess I just want to understand when we say we're tbling it to bring it back on the 18th what is supposed to
136happen between now and the 18th woman mingles I would like to make a suggestion um that we request from our legal council um a briefing on what liability exists for the board and what does it mean for individual board members um to have certain liability what does it mean if an ethic complaint is brought against you what are the possible penalties what are the possible penalties for the district for non-compliance having a further understanding of that I think will help inform the board and then um I I would encourage us to um have more discussion on you know where we want to stand and what fights we want to take up as a board um and that is hard when you are bound by uh the open meetings act which um can only allow three
137board members to discuss any given matter that is board matter that should be at the table so I would encourage us to even consider a special meeting in between now and then so that we can have more of a dialogue on this that would be a non- voting meeting but would allow us to have um more discussion and more understanding um so those those would be my recommendations can I ask a quick question for clarification uh president Cole you have already sent out emails indicating that we're going to have two additional special meetings uh board member Eng Les are are you saying that these meetings would be in addition to the two that we're already going to have so what we could do is take a portion of this up in one of those special
138meetings as a part of executive session if we have the legal realm to be able to deliberate on that otherwise I'm more than happy capable and confident of having this conversation in the very civil way in which we've had it upfront today in front of Joe and Jane public as you as you that's absolutely correct president Cole as you as you consider this you you also have to go beyond consideration of liability of the individual board members because this also um implicates liability of staff and schools that are carrying out your directives please clarify what do you mean by the liabil what is the liability for the staff and schools that are carrying out our policy should we keep it like I'm individual who who is it would be the same liability it wouldn't be
139an ethical violation but it certainly could turn into depending on what the state does it could either be a civil penalty or even a criminal penalty and that would be individual to the staff member who is in violation of the law so would then have to carry out our policy can we call the question or and it's not there there's no indemnification because they're carrying out your policy that's good yes ma'am I have a question so just as a point of clarification um that's if in fact we have the policy once again I I'm going to circle back to if we do not have this policy is it the same situation as it relates to our staff and our buildings and what they can and cannot enforce regardless of the policy so regardless what actually
140happens in the school buildings okay does it comport with the law so what's at the table are a couple of options one that was discussed is the idea of tling this is's a motion on the floor for that there's the other option there's the other option option two is to do away with the policy Al together designed an administrative guideline or memo directive that expresses to our education community building forb building that there are spaces available for our students to have their privacy identity dignified by using that facility there are two options here Mr rash I'd like to call a question on the tbling okay there's a question been called vote Mr Simmons so calling the question hold on calling the question means that we're going back to she's trying to push us to vote
141for the the uh the motion that's on the floor right now to table motion on the floor is to table yes M ver yes vice president Adair yes president Cole yes Miss Engles yes Dr Pierce yes with the caveat that I would like a timeline for how we plan to move forward have to vote by the next we I mean we just have to like we have to take action we have to the motion carries thank you all right um before we get to our executive uh director executive leadership reports I wanted to in a Spirit of the conversation that we just had which is actually around priorities about what it is that a community will and what we are willing ourselves to do I want to say again good evening Columbus City Schools learning
142community and our residents it is a humbling honor to serve you as your board president in this year 2025 our Columbus City School Board of Education our district is poised to increase and the momentum towards greatness for children I believe us to be a major Cornerstone of our state capital and the development of human capital our nation's 14th largest city is the development of human capital and also the institution that is helping children realize and seize the possibility of infinite possibilities this is where for me I believe that dreams hope and potential Forge outcomes beyond belief and sensibilities to the highest Realms of faith when we are unified We rise and overcome but when we are divided we confront the destructive failure of the fall through United work we push through a global pandemic with
143a determined focus on leveling learning Pathways while leveling up children for their academic Marathon that starts in prek and ends at college or career opportunities I've spent most my first month as board president speaking with my board colleagues Community leaders students staff and residents the takeaways of those conversations have reinform me about their willingness in support of CCC CCS incorporating students as much as adults in the reimagination of our district deepening Community relationships and demanding productive leadership from this board of education it is a year when we will step up out of the shadow of the past and embrace a future of creativity Mutual support growth and Leadership but to achieve this we must stay focused we must be disciplined in our approach and we must be clear in our priorities moving forward I ask
144all of us to remember the importance of what I'm going to use as an acronym to spell out exactly what our priorities are screening screening our work as both board and administration more than ever before the time is at hand to maintain a steadfast focus on screening on the following priorities and aims student outcomes communicating the facts of who we are and what we stand for what Community Values are that are shared amongst all of us I think tonight is an indicative conversation of that realigning our academics with our assets to maximize potential educating ourselves to be more effective engaging with truthful and strategic intent and negotiating In fairness for the needs of our children as our first priority in function we legislate appropriate and generate based on law balanced with Community aspirations moreover as
145a du as duly elected members of this board we are Community confidants who lead our school district with shared values goals guard rails and the Columbus City school mission that each student is highly educated prepared for leadership and service and Empower for success as citizens of a global community let's make this golden year the start of something extraordinary for Columbus City Schools our children and the adults responsible for our children thank you all right on to superintendent executive report is there one Madam superintendent good evening um president Cole vice president there I do not have an executive executive report for today but I certainly would like to share some good news and a few highlights um certainly um last week we had our winter graduation where we had um 22 students graduate some graduated early
146some needed extra time but certainly is in a milestone celebration for our students in CCS uh yesterday um I had the opportunity thank you president Cole for joining us at Fort Hayes at The Shot Tower for kicking off the second phase of Columbus Pro promise and this is a commitment to all of our high school students our high school seniors who graduate from CCS they have opportunity and access to attend and um continue their higher ed degree at Columbus State tuition free that's for the cohorts of 2025 2026 and 2027 um as a reminder to all of our families that tomorrow we do not have classes for students tomorrow is a districtwide PD day according to our districtwide calendar that's tomorrow Wednesday February 5th and then this Saturday certainly want to remind everyone that we
147are having the summer opportunity and engagement fair this is the opportunity for all parents to come out and certainly explore and learn more about the summer opportunities and experiences that um they can certainly take advantage of for their students um and in our community some of these are CCS events about our summer opportunities as well as many many many Community Partners across the city that will be offering summer experiences and opportunities so this is a great opportunity it's a One-Stop shop for families and we encourage them to join us on Saturday thank you thank you Dr Chapman all right uh Mr internal auditor do you have a report no report this evening thank you sir uh Dr is there a report on behalf of Ryan Cook I do not have a report thank you so
148much all right um we're going to go to voting on The consent agenda U excuse me we're going to go to 9.1 thank you 9.1 is the notice of public hearing on the Reemployment of retired employee Mali G Proto 9.2 is notice of public hearing on the re-employment of retired employees Harry L salano I'm going to I'm going to do it for board member call okay thank you vice president yes item um 9.1 is the public hearing on the Reemployment of retired employee mology Pronto pursu to high advise code section 33934 the Columbus Board of Education gives notice that Mal G Pronto school psychologist who retired from the Columbus schools effective December 2nd 2024 is seeking re-employment with the Columbus City Schools as a school psychologist effective April 7th 2025 the board will hold a
149public hearing on March 18th 2025 at 6 p.m. in the boardroom at 3700 Columbus Ohio 3700 South High Street col Ohio on the issue of Miss Pronto's employment item 9.2 notice a public hearing on the Reemployment of retired employee Perry L Sol Solano Solano sorry Solano pursuant to a high rice code section 33095 the Columbus Board of Education gives notice that periel Solano executive secretary 1 who retired from the Columbus City Schools effective January 31st 2025 is seeking employment with the Clum City Schools as an executive secretary car 1 effective April 7th 2025 the board will hold a hearing on March 18th 2025 at 6 p.m in the boardroom at 3700 South High Street Columbus Ohio on the issue of Miss LNO re-employment thank you madam vice president uh moving on to consent a to
150acceptance of the consent agenda we're going to consider our consent agenda our consent agenda consists of items 10.1 to 25.2 are there any items that have a member would like to see taken out of the agenda for discussion motion to approve consent second is there there's a second I the motion she got the second Mr Simmons yes Miss Vera yes vice president ofair yes president Cole yes Miss Engles yes Dr Pierce yes motion carries thank you all right Madame vice president motion item 27.1 motion for executive session it is recommended the Board of Education recess into executive session pursuant to a higher Vice code 121.2 tog3 to confer with an attorney for the public body concerning disputes involving the public body that are the subject of pending or imminent Court action and section 12 1.22
151G4 to prepare for conduct and review negotiations or bargaining sessions with public employees concerning their compensation or other terms and conditions of their employment that is a motion second motion and seconded vice president adir yes president Cole yes M Eng Les yes Dr Pierce yes Mr Simmons yes Miss Vera yes motion carries all right so we will go into executive session post executive session we will adjourn and uh not come back into the room so thank you all for attending this evening we look forward to seeing you at our next regular