001good evening everyone it is Thursday March 20th 2025 I would like to welcome everyone to the Colonial School District Business board meeting if you could please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance I PL andice the board met an executive session prior to this meeting to discuss Personnel cesp negotiations and a special education agreement the meeting lasted approximately 2 hours and now I will turn the meeting over to Dr Christian for all of our great student recognitions this evening outstanding thank you Mr patruno it is my honor to welcome Dr Jason ban to the podium to recognize our National Merit Scholarship program finalist Dr ban welcome this evening thank you thank you uh good evening um thanks for having here me here uh Dr Christian and the school board to recognize seven of our outstanding ing
002High School seniors of louth White Marsh High School um these seven individuals have joined Elite group of students from Across the Nation whove been named finalists in The National Merit Scholarship program these students faces should look familiar to the crowd and to the public and to the board um since they were here as semi-finalists um recognized in the fall to become semi-finalists they all had to be among the top scorers on the PSATs the qualifying test once they became sem finalists they had to submit the det detailed scholarship application to share information about their academic record participation in the school community activities leadership activities employment and awards and honors received as finalists theyve become eligible to receive a National Merit Scholarship it's not too often that we see all of our sem finalists Advance the
003finalist round so we are exceptionally proud to have this group and their work as Scholars and leaders at FL White Marsh High School this the largeest group of finalists we've had in some time looking back at least over a decade so it's quite impressive by this group of students that are here in front of us so you can join me congratulating our seniors come on up [Applause] seniors Senor miles k Ral [Music] [Applause] Kean Drew [Applause] pel Akil [Applause] Roy Andrew sparka and we have Noah Smith no M just in time um we do have um one more winner she unfortunately had a prior commitment Cassel fali we congratulate her as well and again congratulations to our seven finalists thank you [Applause] and now we'll move on to our approval of minutes this is a
004motion to approve the meeting minutes as presented in items 4B through 4G may I have a second please Gail any questions or comments all in favor thank you this is a motion to approve Financial reports as presented in items 5 b through 5m for February 2025 may have a second please brick any questions or comments all in favor thank you uh this is a motion to approve the February 2025 Treasures report may I have a second please Sharon any questions or comments all in favor thank you and now I'd like to see if there's any public comments this evening on anything that is on this evening's agenda um you can come up to the microphone and please just state your name and place of residence fa um our son actually is receiving recognition rate and
005I just wanted to thank um the music department as as a parent I've watched um the music music program unfold as our son Aces matriculated through the district starting in the early Elementary years with basic beats and rhythms fun songs those heartwarming concerts that we all love um and in third grade the introduction of the recorder then on to CES where the opportunity to play a real instrument and learn how to read music unfolded although a bit squeaky um then Middle School where Ace was challenged and supported through opportunities and instruction that were Superior to anything that he had experienced um and then finally PW starting from the very beginning Ace found a home with music first with band then with Orchestra and chorus classes lessons after school and so many other times this staff
006believed that he could and he did so a huge thank you to the Colonial music department for every step along the way um on another note um Monday March 24th is our annual Jazz Cafe I invited you all last year I'm inviting you again um it's six high school jazz bands com perform it is our most relaxed and enjoyable event um there's food from tadori coffee from Wawa and lots of treats so we invite you to attend thank you thank you thank you is there any other public comment this evening on any items on our agenda all right seeing none I will turn it over to Dr Christian and our staff report of celebrating music in our schools absolutely we are uh have several students to recognize this evening and I would like to invite
007uh Miss Christy LS from White Marsh Elementary who's going to come up and uh lead us through this portion of the meeting good evening my name is Christy langis and I am the Elementary music curriculum liaison and have been teaching music at White Marsh Elementary for 20 years March is is music in our schools month this is a time that we can highlight the successes of our music department and reflect on the importance of Music in our schools and in our daily lives on behalf of the music department I would like to extend a huge thank you to the Colonial School Board the administration and the community for your ongoing support we couldn't do it without you I am thrilled to be here tonight to introduce in honor the extraordinary accomplishments of two Colonial musicians
008these musicians were selected to per form in districts Regional and state ensembles both musicians combined experienced over 20 pieces of repertoire and had the opportunity to work with six different guest conductors first we have Katie abai Katie come join [Applause] me this year Katie attended pmea districts for band and Orchestra on the string base and as a soprano in the choir thank you Katie for your hard work and dedication to the Colonial School District music department your leadership is [Applause] commended did you leave next up we have Ace Cy who made Regional ensembles for band and Orchestra on the bassoon come on up B thank you Dr M and as a tenor in the choir Regional ensembles are the next level above districts at Regional Orchestra Ace was also able to audition for States and
009is the first student to make pmea pmea State Orchestra and over 10 years and the only student in PW history to make it to all three regional ensembles at this time Ace will perform a short excerpt for you on the brand new District owned bassoon we would like to say a huge thank you to the board of administration for obtaining this instrument for our program Ace [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] a [Music] [Applause] thank you Ace let's give him another round of applause [Applause] next I'd like to turn the mic over to Bailey CIS who is our president of our national music Honor Society she will share some highlights across the district and in our department thank you Miss langus good evening everyone my name is Bailey casis and I am the President of trium chapter
0106779 also known as The National Music Honor Society as we celebrate music in our schools month I'm excited to share the amazing things happening in music across our district at PW our ensamples are gearing up for spring concerts starting with Orchestra on Wednesday April 2nd at 700 p.m. this year over 25 students represented Us in monco honors Orchestra monco honors band pmea District Orchestra and band with the choir sending two students to districts and one to Regions and one heading to States as Miss langus announced I'd like to Echo Miss Lang's congratul ulations and announc that e and Katy are also amazing cabinet members to The triam National Music Honor Society students in the fall also had the opportunity this year to experience the first ever dual enrollment music course through the University of Pittsburgh
011and in just a few weeks we'll host the junior high song festival with over 50 District students joining forces with CMS an incredible chance to make music together again as they did at our January Coral ploa pw's Jazz Cafe is right around the corner on Monday wrapping up a fantastic season over at CMS 35 Orchestra and band students performed in festivals like pme strings Fest sbao Orchestra and monco band and their musical theater program like PWS had a sold out season at the elementary level our schools will have put on 25 community service performances by Year's End the fourth grade choir made an impressive comeback as well with 145 members and the percussion Ensemble returned strong performing at the CES Eagles pep rally Tri was also thrilled to host our third annual instrument zoo on
012May 29th from 6:30 to 7:30 in pw's Gym North this event is open to all third fourth and fifth grade families we'll have live performances face painting and fun activities it's the perfect way to introduce our youngest students to the exciting world of Music lastly as a proud PW student member of the PW music program I'm especially excited to share that 50% of our graduating seniors will continue to keep music in their lives with performing studying or simply staying connected to the art that shaped us that includes me I'm thrilled to continue my musical Journey at imaculada University where I'll be majoring in politics law and policy with a music minor performing in the community Orchestra thank you all for allowing me to share this these accomplishments with you tonight and for your ongoing support
013of our music programs today we're proving that music isn't just part of our schools it's part of who we are I also want to take a moment to recognize and thank our incredible music teachers who make all of this possible our elementary team Mrs OA Mrs walls Mrs langis Mrs o Mrs Kaplan and Mr Wilson our middle school music crew miss vanit Mr O'Neal and Mrs darwitz and our PW team Mrs Kaufman Mr Cooper and our very own chapter adviser and director Mrs Maria OK Conor thank you all for your time and thank you for your [Applause] support thank you and thank you for the opportunity tonight to highlight our talented musicians and our dedicated music faculty who help these young musicians and all our students grow into musical people thank [Applause] you thank you
014and congratulations to all of our students over the past month uh We've really and throughout the year but I want to highlight the past month in particular the Arts are thriving and Colonial uh we had the the art show at the high school about three weeks ago we've had a multitud multitude of concerts some of them at the elementary level are getting so large we had to move the elementary concerts over to CDs uh because of the size of the audiences we're getting um we had the Middle School Musical two weeks ago The Descendants uh and we had Matilda uh this past weekend uh at the high school uh it is just amazing to see not only the performances but also the set design the creativity um the music everything it is just astounding and
015I want to thank first uh all our fantastic students in their performances and secondly certainly our staff uh our teachers and particularly our music department um you know we had a great meeting at the beginning of the year to kick things off and to re-emphasize music in our schools and the Arts in our schools and I think uh that is clearly been demonstrated this year so thank you all and [Applause] [Music] congratulations uh items 9A 9B and 9 C motion to approve the Personnel report and extracurricular contracts as outlined in 9B and 9C board action is requested for the recommended Personnel changes appointments for promotion employment or transfer subject to the presentation of valid credentials employment verific verication documentation and state mandated requirements may I have a second please uh Chris any questions or comments
016all in favor thank you and now I'll turn it back to you Dr CH thank you before we move on to our student uh uh student reports for our student upd uh student Representatives uh Service Learning is important in colonial School District we have many Service Groups uh and that is modeled by the colonial School dist Ed Foundation where we have a group of adults that work together and dedicate their time to support our students I would like to welcome Anette Schwarz to the podium uh for a presentation from uh from Subaru Kennedy to the Ed Foundation [Music] good evening Dr Christian Dr Gus school board members Administration and Colonial community members my name is Anette Schwartz and I am the President of the colonial School District Education Foundation also known as csdf I have
017here with me tonight A group of of very dedicated Foundation board members who work year round to help community members teachers and staff and the children of this District by raising money to support initiatives that encourage students success one of the many ways we do that is through partnering with businesses in our community who graciously and generously donate money to our schools to the Colonial School District Education Foundation tonight we are here to publicly honor Anthony Baron John Kennedy Subaru and Subaru of America Anthony who could not be here tonight but send his Representatives Anthony has chosen our foundation to be the hometown charity for John Kennedy Subaru's share of the love Campaign which is held from November to the first of each year customers who purchase or lease Vehicles during that time period are
018invited to choose a charity to receive a donation of $250 Anthony has selected the colonial School District Education Foundation to be the dealership's Hometown charity since 2017 when this initiative began through the share of the love campaign John Kennedy Subaru has donated over $142,000 to col Colonial schools through the colonial School District Education Foundation from 2017 through 20123 tonight they are donating an additional $35,000 from the 2024 campaign to bring that total to more than $177,000 the money that is donated by John Kennedy Subaru has provided funds for our food thought weekly lunch program and for weekend and summer meals for families dealing with food insecurity since January of 2023 the foundation has funded 16, 948 lunches totaling $ 42,2 110 weekend meals totaling $116,000 and a summer meal program totaling $6,000 in addition John
019Kennedy Subaru provided the funds for the Outdoor Classroom at our Colonial Middle School thank you for acknowledging everything that Anthony Fon John Kennedy Subaru and sub Subaru of America have done to support the students and staff of the colonial School District through the colonial School dri through the colonial School District Education Foundation thank you so much and we would like to present you and Anthony we would like to present you with this plaque to hang with all the other plaqu that we have donated and thank you for everything you do for the colonial School District thank [Applause] thank you to the Colonial School District Ed foundation and John Kennedy Subaru food in security certainly uh one of the many challenges uh our our community and surrounding communities are faced with students need to have a
020full stomach so that they can learn and they can be successful in the classroom so uh between the work of the Ed Foundation La McCoy from our food service John Kennedy uh you heard about all the thousands of meals they've been able to provide uh students in need and we appreciate that thank you again and now I will turn the meeting over to our student Representatives just give us a little highlight of what's been going on in our school all right first up we have plumouth White Marsh High School the PW Colonial players sold out all four showings in Matilda this past Thursday Friday and Saturday shocking audiences with what some are calling the best set in years spring sports are now in full swing at PW be on the lookout for fundraising opportunities as
021the school's baseball softball track and field lacrosse tennis and blackag football teams begin their Seasons moving on to Colonial Middle School the CMS Orchestra attended the PM Music in our school concert at the Capitol building in Harrisburg on March 19th students performed took a tour and were able to meet a variety of Representatives congratulations to the cast and group descendants which featured 107 107th and eighth graders and sold out four shows we are excited for the upcoming sixth grade performance of The Adams Family in me CMS Odyssey of the Mind earned third place at the regional Odyssey of the Mind competition on March 1st a combined team of CMS and PW students won first place in their division and qualified for the state competition spring Sports officially begin on March 17th and we are looking
022forward to another excellent season next up we have Colonial Elementary C's health and physical education teachers held their human growth and development parent preview night for many fifth grade parents on Wednesday February 26th students are preparing for their upcoming spring concerts on April 3rd and 9 lastly CDF celebrated read Across America the week of March 3rd the theme of the week was celebrating a nation of diverse readers each day was a different activity to promote the love of reading contw and Elementary celebrated read Across America under the theme of movement and music thank you to Mrs patski for leading the Raa committee committee around the book Jam 2 by J Brownwood CE collected 1,000 of clean plastic in partnership with the kuani club that will be turned into a bench this bench will be donated
023to the bo Pagen Farm in Fort Washington many thanks to Mrs Baker and Mrs Cosgrave who led these young volunteers to engage in community service on March 19th CE will host the assembly definitely magic that features de magician Sam S Sandler and his assistant Leslie students will get to witness spectacular Illusions learn about famous de people and their amazing accomplishments thank you to Mrs Campbell for seeking out this experience for our students next we have pouth Elementary on February 27 Plymouth kicked off their one book one Plymouth event families were invited to school that evening for the unveiling of our book the kids in Mrs E's class Rohan Murphy has a plan one book was distributed to every p Elementary family and students have been very excited to share on February 21st the PTO hosted
024the Plymouth Elementary annual family bingo night the event took place at C CMS and featured special guest Bingo callers it was a great time White Marsh Elementary had over 500 reservations at this year's pasta pza in coinciding with World Down syndrome day and continuing our tradition of rock your socks White Marsh Elementary will wear mismatched socks tomorrow to demonstrate our support for diversity and inclusion lastly we have Rich Park Elementary during the week of February 24th we completed our second no place for hate project by reading I love my hair along with other activities we connected this to the unity walk on February 24th like by Mrs o our first graders performed for their families on Thursday February 20th we appreciate CES for allowing us to use their Auditorium during the month of February rich
025Park celebrated Black History Month our goal was to introduce and celebrate African-Americans and their accomplishments and continue to teach our students acceptance kindness and respect we did this with morning meetings Student Activities fting class activities and a variety of Texs thank you so much uh Now we move on to new business this evening Sharon thank you this is a motion to approve the district's 2025 2028 comprehensive plan and the supporting state reports which include the induction plan the professional development plan the gifted education plan assurances as presented the plan and supporting reports were reviewed at the curriculum committee of the board meeting on March 10th 2025 we have a second please Gail any questions or comments just on behalf of the board I just want to thank all the participants the students the staff the
026teachers the district Personnel um our community members uh and board members of course who supported this Vision along with the mciu thank you Dr Gus and your team uh for leading this this charge all in favor great thank you Sharon summer programs this is a motion to approve the 2025 summer programs as outlined below Summer Academy will take place from July 8th through July 31st 2025 and extended school year esy from July 1st through July 31st 2025 may I have a second please Chris any questions or comments all in favor thank you Sharon this is a motion to approve the board policies outlined Below on a first read basis policy 221 dress and grooming this is this is a new policy title and language and is a psba recommendation policy is categorized as mandated and
027policy this is a motion to delete board policy 254 removal of students and illegal attendance as the language is now included in board policy 202 eligibility of nonresident students may have a second please Chris any questions or comments all in favor thank you uh Jeremy motion to approve mon roofing for the roof placement on jimm North Gym North locker rooms swimming pool locker rooms and classrooms across the hall from jym North at P Plymouth High School the amount of $1,282 the work will be performed in the summer and will be completed before the start of school in August 2025 the project is phase one of the six-year districtwide roof replacement schedule May the second please Gail any questions or comments all in favor thank you CH motion motion to approve jot and roofing for the
028roof replacement on the kindergarten weigh at White Marshall Elementary School in the amount of 347,000 $53 the work will be performed this summer and will be completed before the start of school in August 2025 this project is phase one of the sixe districtwide roof replacement schedule may have a second please Rick any questions or comments all in favor thank you motion to approve John roofing for the roof replacement on the kindergarten Wing at Bridge Park Elementary School in the amount of $437,500 reformed this summer will be completed before the start of school in August 2025 this project is phase one of the 6year districtwide roof replacement schedule may have a second please Sharon any questions or comments all in favor thank you uh re motion to approve the parameters resolution to refinance the series 2017
029General obligation bonds as presented given the low interest rates in the bond markets the refinancing of the remainder of the 2017a bonds would save the district money on the bond interest for the remainder of the outstanding bonds bonds will be refinanced with the general obligation bond series 2025 estimated savings net a bond issuance costs of $700,000 over the life of the bonds may have a second please Jeremy any questions or comments all in favor thank you correct motion to approve the continuation of the property tax rebate program at 7 5% of the PA programs base rebate for the 2526 school year may I have a second please Chris any questions or comments all in favor thank you rck motion to improve the implementation of the ACT 91 tax credit program within Colonial school district for
030the 2526 school year subject to the criteria and regulations outlined below act 91 allows school districts to enact a tax credit against an act of volunteers tax liability as a financial incentive to acknowledge the value and absence of any public cost for volunteer fire protection and nonprofit Emergency Medical Services provided by active volunteers and encourage individuals to volunteer or for former volunteers to consider rejoining as active Volunteers in a Volunteer Fire Company or nonprofit Emergency Medical Services Agency for restrictions regulations the program will include but not limited to active volunteer means firefighter fire police and EMS Personnel volunteers have been a member of the fire company or Mutual Aid Organization for at least one year the volunteers respond to at least 25% of the company's calls and training activities during the previous year Devon here
031must be a member of a department within kaken burough clth Township for White Marsh Township and maximum credit payable is $500 may have a second please Sharon any questions or comments all in favor great thank you Chris sorry thank you um motion to approve the educational services is outlined below uh Linda mon Bell learning processes tuition for one student from March to May 2025 in the amount of $ 28724 and to MK Therapy Services LLC for physical occupational speech and language therapy and a Leah representative Lea uh school psychologist for early intervention and nursing Services may have the second please Jeremy any questions or comments all in favor thank you motion to approve a three-year contract for school years 2526 2627 and 2728 with Dr Angela Curry to provide Psychological Services and an hourly rate
032of $100 plus mileage reimbursement at the IRS rate for the 2025 2026 school year may have a second please re any questions or comments on in favor thank you and uh motion to approve a confidential settlement and release agreement due to student confidentiality this agreement was discussed in executive session we have a second please Gale any questions or comments all in favor thank you Sharon uh conference request this is is a motion to approve the conference request for Plymouth white Plymouth white March High School music teacher T Kaufman to attend the National Association of music education conference on April 25th 2025 this request was reviewed at the March 10th um curriculum committee of the board meeting may have a second please uh Chris any questions or comments all in favor thank you Sharon uh this
033is a motion to approve the PW high school computer science class to attend the Rowan University's computer science competition on May 2nd 2025 in Glassboro New Jersey it's an out of state student trip may I have a second please reck any questions or comments all in favor thank you is there a solicitor's report this evening solicitor report thank you we'll move on to committee reports uh Chris uh no report for crsl thank you Sharon anything additional for curriculum nothing additional just uh a reminder that the plans for the future ready um comprehensive plan has been posted on the district's website um so if you have any questions about that please let us know okay great um I believe there's no facilities uh report this evening but we can say that Colonial Elementary Schools Renovations look
034wonderful and um just thank you to everybody getting a lot of work done over there uh Finance re finance committee met on Monday March 3rd the committee discussed the bond refinance senior citizen property tax rebate act 91 programs voted on tonight we also discussed the 2425 budget year to date and another look at the 2526 budget the current projection based on the usage of the fund balance to offset projected deficit would necessitate a 3.18% tax increase below the Act tax great thank you C HR the committee of of the HR meeting met on Monday March 3rd um we reviewed and discussed the extra interview process as well as employee recognition thank you Chris anything for the Tex school no report from Tex school thank you Mark anything from the Intermediate Unit nothing to report thank
035you Sharon anything legislative this evening uh friendly reminder that uh advocacy days are coming up quite a bit uh in Harrisburg and so for our school board members Tuesday May 13th is our advocacy day and the mciu also hosting a legislative breakfast uh on April the 25th at the IU um and at our last legislative meeting this connects with one of our uh previous um committee meetings that we had the student voices for education program that the mciu has been uh doing a partnership with children first um was also discussed and so I know many of our several of our students participate so just wanted to um acknowledge that great thank you so much um are there any Community reports this evening I don't necessarily call it Community it is the wide but um I
036just want to reiterate um a plug for the Jaz Cafe for Monday at 600 p.m. um and P White Marsh in the cafeteria and if you have never been before if you don't play an instrument um but you like good music and to really have a fun time I really encourage you to come out um it's just it's it's cool like my six-year-old grandson comes has been coming ever since he was like this big and um the kids have fun this the schools that attend have fun our students have fun it's just very laidback very informal um a really fun time for really good music and it's a really cheap date for your family um the food will be catered by tadori and coffee by Wawa and so admission is free just bring a couple
037of dollars for um some of their fundraising things and for dinner and uh I promise you you will have a really great night and along with that on Saturday um PW indor guard is um having their their home competition and um the PW inard um will perform at 6:30 although the the um overall competition starts at 3:30 doors open at 3: but our kids will be performing at 6:30 so I really want to encourage people to attend that too which should be an awesome awesome time great thank you so much uh Gail anything additional from the foundation yes just the 5K race is coming up April 6 just a few weeks um to go so there's still um ability to register uh run walk so on our website you can just go to the foundation
038um page to register great thank you so much um and then attached to this evening's agenda um for your information are the activities accounts for CMS and PW the athletic accounts building reports curriculum report and Technology report and now is there any public comment this evening before anyone goes to the mic I have uh three comments that came in via email from District residents that I'll share now with the board the first is from Diana minkis of Plymouth Meeting I'm a parent of two children within Colonial School District attending Plymouth Elementary and Colonial Elementary Schools I am writing to express my strong support for the district's efforts to create an inclusive and affirming environment for all lgbtq plus students particularly our transgender students which has been up for debate recently every student deserves to feel
039welcomed and respected in our schools creating a supportive atmosphere is not only a matter of basic human rights but it also directly contributes to improved academic performance mental health and overall wellbe overall wellbeing lgbtq plus students especially transgender students often face unique challenges and it is our responsibility to ensure they have the resources and support they need to thrive I commend the district for passing policy 256 gender expansive and transgender students back in in 2019 this policy demonstrates a commitment to recognizing and protecting the rights of transgender students and I believe it is a critical step in fostering a more inclusive School Community I appreciate the district's work to create a policy that focuses on the selfy safety and well-being of students Beyond policy I truly hope the district continues to be able excuse me
040the district is able to prioritize providing comprehensive training for staff on lgbtq plus issues and best practices for supporting these students creating safe spaces and supporting groups for LGBT btq plus students ensuring that all school materials in curricula are inclusive and affirming of diverse identities addressing and preventing bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity promoting a culture of acceptance and understanding throughout the district creating an inclusive environment that benefits all students not just those who identify as lgbtq Plus it Fosters empathy respect and a sense of belonging which are essential for healthy and for a healthy and thriving School Community I urge the school board and administration to continue to prioritize the needs of lgbtq student plus students and to remain steadfast and committing to a uh creating a safe and inclusive
041environment for all thank you for your time and consideration I truly appreciate the work you are all doing we have another uh email from from Emily Furia of kahaka dear members of the cologan school board I am the parent of two Elementary School age children in the colonial school district and a former PIAA athlete in Cross Country in track and field first I'd like to thank the board for supporting Equity inclusion and belonging in our schools in all all of its forms please continue to ensure that all students continue to have access to all the activities our wonderful school district has to offer including Athletics in a way that respects and aligns with their gender identity and finally uh from Brook star of Plymouth Meeting um I'm a member of this community and educator in
042a neighboring District I would like to encourage and restate the importance of teaching and modeling diversity equity and inclusion please know that you have the support of your community to continue the programs that have been built into the curriculum and daily teaching at all levels it is so important as humans to feel seen and included and it is our job as Educators and families to promote and uplift the diverse cultures that we have in our community it is imperative that we stand up for the rights of our families and Community to allow students to thrive with equal opportunities for success thank you thank you is there any additional public comment this evening please come to the microphone and just state your name and place of residence he's thank you morning aie Township I am a
043proud parent of three daughters in colonial school district and an alumni of white rch high school during my time PW I founded the gay trade Alliance um back in 2000 because I strongly believe in creating a safe and supportive environment for all students regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity what was true then in 2000 remains true now lgbtq plus youth faced higher rates of bullying depression and Suicidal Thoughts compared to their peers statistics show that students report being verbally harassed at school due to their sexual orientation and gender identity more than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts and youth are more than four times as likely to commit suicide compared to their heterosexual and S gender peers when I established the GSA of PW I faced the challenge of securing a faculty adviser which
044was essential and Ne necessity for the formation of the club and it was actually our longtime athletic director um who although he did not know me personally I was not an athlete as the adjustment of the microphone might show you he stepped forward to support my cause because his belief in inclusion and Equity played an instrumental role in launching the GSA after our first year we found support from another really wonderful teacher who became our faculty adviser and she continued to provide guidance and ensure the GSA remains long after I graduated I just wanted to come to say that I'm incredibly proud to see that our district continues to uphold these values of inclusion and Equity particularly in support of trans students participation on girls teams every student my daughter and their pear deserve the
045opportunity to compete grow and feel a sense of belonging participation in sports provides invaluable lessons and teamwork discipline and self-confidence these benefits should be accessible to all girls when I reflect on my own experience I'm reminded of the profound impact that supportive actions can have on a student's life and I urge the board to continue its commitment to inclusion ensuring that every student has an opportunity to participate compete and thrive in a safe and supportive School Community thank you [Applause] is there any other public comment this evening is there any additional board comment this evening all right seeing none then this meeting is adjourned thank you