Berkeley County School District - Board Meeting - May 10, 2016

001good evening ladies and gentlemen welcome to the Berkeley County Board of Education meeting this Tuesday May the 10th 2016 I call this meeting to order and I declare a quum is present and the media has been notified do do we have a motion to approve the AG agenda second we have a motion to approve the agenda it has been seconded is there any discussion and all those in favor of this motion please respond by saying I I I oppose same sign I and that motion carries 71 at this time would everyone please stand for the opening prayer and The Pledge Our Father who are in heaven be th name th kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses

002as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not to temptation but Deliver Us from Evil for th is the kingdom and Glory forever and amen I PL algi to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liy and justice for all thank you then moving to agenda item number four the Legacy Builders facial recognition the school level volunteers of the year year Miss Amy Mur good evening Mr chair superintendent Blackburn ladies and gentlemen of the board and all of you who have joined us tonight tonight we'd like to show our sincere appreciation and gratitude to the individuals groups and businesses that give their time and resources to help our students faculty and staff we have a number of

003volunteers and businesses that selflessly and consistently give because they know the power of giving of volunteering of lending a hand and paying it forward these volunteers and groups understand excuse me that our future lies with the students who attend the schools in our district each and every day and they are willing to work with our administrators faculty and staff to ensure that the future is bright Mr Willis Sanders former Berkeley County School District Chief Human Resources officer created the artwork that you all will reive tonight excuse me I have been suffering from a cold and it's very difficult right now so please excuse me um so Mr Sanders artwork each piece has a letter with it a heartfelt message a portion of that letter reads the Berkeley Electric Co-op is a partner of Berkeley County

004School District and we want to congratulate you for being selected honored and appreciated as a school level volunteer of the Year enclosed is a personally signed copy of the Morris Island light it is a small token of appreciation for the big difference you make in the lives of our students at the base of the light is a heart to symbolize your love for your for involvement like the Pelicans we are flying in the same direction as a team to provide a bright and Shining future for our students our most precious resource and the many dots in the heart sincerely Willis Sanders volunteer and Berkeley Electric Co-op board member we can never repay you for your outstanding positive impact you make every day on our students teachers and administrators but please accept the gifts we have

005for you tonight as a sign of our immense appreciation for you and all you do at this time would superintendent Blackburn and Mr Hayes come down and take your place in front of the [Music] stage okay so a few directions before we get started when I call your name please come forward uh receive your PIN from superintendent Blackburn and Mr Hayes then then make your way around to the stage where Jess please wave Jess and Mr Sanders Mr Sanders are standing to give you your certificate after that please make your way to the back of the room where Jordan please wave Jordan is standing to take your photo after that please make your way back to your seat okay so now our 2016 school level Volunteers Of The Year Berkeley alternative school Georgetta sea Rivers

006Berkeley Elementary Elaine Peterson Berkeley High Carolyn West Berkeley intermediate Jennifer Ren Berkeley Middle College Joel Rogers Berkeley Middle Glenn Holland Boulder Bluff Elementary Rebecca Tolbert Kane Hoy Elementary Middle new cor steel Berkeley Kane Bay Elementary Jenna Matson Kane B High the black thimble Society of costume creators Kane Bay middle Rebeca Ramos College Park Elementary Kathy Langan College Park Middle Teresa carer Ramsay cross Elementary Annie span Cross High Mandy Ravenel Daniel Island School Kelly Murray Devon Forest Elementary Donna Owen Fishburn Educational Center Cynthia Meadows Goose Creek High Mary Deo Goose Creek Primary Annette congri H boner Elementary Tanya kales Hanahan Elementary Joselyn Bermudez hannahan High Mark Murray hannahan middle Casey tangman how Hall Ames Tracy chromer JK gordine Elementary Ruth Jenkins Macedonia middle Amanda Windam marrington Elementary Desiree Fetti marrington middle Nicole gonus next in elementary

007Sarah Fister sangar Elementary Mandy Pompei sangary intermediate Michelle Chapman sangry middle Cheryl Gonzalez sville intermediate HB bordon sedgfield midddle Mesa humph St Steven Elementary Rosco reading program St Steven middle mardine gordine Stratford High James thur Timberland High Sharon gadston westv Elementary Monday folder Brigade Westview Middle Rosalyn mood West View Primary Michelle Singletary excuse me Michael Singletary westv primary Michael single ter and finally last but not least Whitesville Elementary Rebecca Deo we're going to give him a few minutes s and at this time could we give all of our school level Volunteers Of The Year a round of [Music] [Applause] applause [Applause] and that concludes our special recognitions for this evening thank you thank you m m well as an old educator I can say that without volunteers our schools would struggle on a daily basis

008because there just so many things that need to be done that there is not enough time in a teacher or an administrator's count or their that time time of day to do all of the chores and you know I can express my thanks to you all with the time that you spend helping with the schools anybody else have a comment then moving on to the executive session where we will be taking legal advice about Title Nine do I have a motion so move Mr chair second I will have a motion to go into executive session to receive legal advice in reference to Title 9 do we have a discussion Mr chair um I have some questions that don't fall within the categories listed in the statute um which allow for secret meetings or meetings to

009be closed and so I'd ask that so that this board complies with the Foya law that my question um be publicly addressed to the lawyer who's Mr Regal who's present in the back of the room I have procedural questions about the case and I think for all the folks that are here whether you're here in favor of transgender usage of bathrooms or opposed to it I think we can all agree that this that some of the questions that we should ask should be out in the public and that we shouldn't have a secret meeting on this issue that this meeting should be that this issue should be discussed publicly to the extent we're allowed under the law we are allowed under the law and to the extent that we do not that my questions um

010are asked in executive session they'd be in violation of the Foya law superintendent blackb sent an email that board update for the reason for John Regal being here and I'll quote that email it says John quote John Regal will be here to provide information and answer questions regarding Title 9 and the recent fourth circuit ruling regarding access to restrooms by transgender students my questions are about a publicly available Court decision they're not privileged the public clearly has an interest in our questions which is why they're here today why so many people are here and so um I think those questions need to be addressed publicly there's a prior reported decision by the South Carolina Supreme Court that was brought against the school district this school district by the Post and Courier um Post and Courier

011vers Berkeley County school district and the court agreed with the Post and Courier and said that um they agreed with the Evening Post argument that attorneys were only hired as a means to insulate the board from Foya compliance and I fear that we're going to fall into that same trap tonight and so I'd ask um that my questions be addressed publicly not in secret so that the public can at least get some knowledge about the four circuit opinion and its holding and the procedural status of that case I think everybody here is entitled to hear those questions whether you're in favor of or against what we're talking talking about tonight so that's my discussion and I'd ask that John reg will come forward to answer a couple of my procedural questions Mr chair I would

012call for a vote um unless there's other discussion I agree with Mr mcquillin that I do not feel like that this is an appropriate um discussion to be had behind closed doors this isn't clear enough to be executive session um if there are questions about a specific student or a specific administrator that's appropriate for behind closed doors but questions about the four Circuit Court of Appeals um how they ruled and what that means um in our lawyer opinion is not privileged information um that's not something that should be kept from the public the public wants us to do business in front of them because they want to understand what we believe and what questions we're asking and we should not avoid the public by going behind closed doors okay to amend the agenda which is

013what you're asking us to do the item that you are referring to must be an action item Mr chair yes um I believe that there are some some issues um regarding students that probably need to be discussed in executive session can we discuss those and then come back and and um Mr mcquillin said that he has questions um that can be that need to be discussed in in Open Session can we not do that have the very specific questions answered that are under um executive session law and then come back and answer the questions that are are allowed in open session or should be discussed in Open Session can we not do that all right again uh you know we we are in a position where we could be in violation of the state's rules

014as far as amending a an agenda without proper time to inform the public of that change Mr chairman the agenda says legal advice regarding Title 9 it's on the agenda I'm not asking that the agenda be amended in fact I made the motion to approve the agenda what I'm asking is exactly what Miss Lee suggested which is whether I ask my questions prior to Executive session or after I cannot ask my questions in a secret meeting under the state foia law and so whether it's action as required from executive session or whether we do it before executive session I'm simply want to ask questions that I am not allowed to ask in a secret meeting under the foia statute related to agenda item five legal advice regarding Title 9 M chairman M Mr chair I'd

015be in favor of asking those questions during agenda item s actions required after executive session I think that's the appropriate time especially if there are questions that's good for the public to hear well I don't disagree I just don't want to make this board be in violation of the new agenda law Mr chair I think this board will be in violation if we discuss things that should be discussed in public and private that that matters to these people a lot more than this agenda or 24 hours no they although this is a meeting of the board that the public gets to attend and we should follow appropriate process people are not here because they enjoy to see the board we never have these kind of people showing up to see the board we meet every

016two times a month they're here because they have something very important they want to hear about and they want to voice their opinions about I also was very concerned that executive session would come before people had the opportunity to be heard um and so if there are questions that don't comply with Foya that absolutely should not be behind closed doors um if there are questions about specific children or specific administrators or specific lawsuits that already exist that is appropriate for executive session so if that's what we're going to talk about I don't have an issue with the executive session but general question should not be behind closed doors M chairman I don't have a problem with the question being asked but if we are given legal advice I think we need to go ahead and

017have as session receive whatever legal advice we need to receive and then if he desire to add questions on the return We allow him to do that I can work with that I would like to note that legal advice does not mean that you are not subject to Foya and this board has found itself in an unfortunate position in the past by having legal counsel to avoid Foya so if the purpose of executive session is to discuss specific students specific lawsuits or specific administrators that is appropriate it if if it is not it is inappropriate well we have a motion on the flow don't we we have a motion it's been seconded it's been discussed so all of those in favor of going into executive session please respond by saying I I I oppose same

018sign I I I so we have a vote of 62 at this time we go into executive session and for those people who have come for the volunteer information and so forth the ceremony if you wish to leave at this time this would be a good time for to do [Music] that all do I have a motion to return to General Session so move Mr chair second I will have a motion to return to General Session from executive session is there any discussion and at this time we'll take a vote all of those in favor of returning to General Session please respond by saying I I oppose same sign exstension sir I abstain okay okay attorney Regal um consistent with our discussion I we um agreed to have some questions open to the public and

019what I really I want to make clear I'm not taking a position for or against any sort of policies or anything like that I just want the public to be informed about the the status of what the law actually is at this point and so um my question is relate to the procedural status of this fourth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that case has not been finally decided has it Mr Regal that is correct the the Judgment of the force the three judge for circuit panel that was issued on April 19th is currently stayed the jurisdiction remains in the for circuit so it is subject to revision by the for circuit and that case was sent back to the lower court correct yes that that that's what the Judgment provides for but again that the

020the What's called the Mandate is stayed pending the appeal to the the full force circuit so it hasn't been sent back and my my real question in the heart of the question is the lower court has not decided whether transgender students face discrimination in Virginia and that question is still left open to the lower court correct yes I think is in other words that case the case in Virginia is not a finally decided case correct there is not a final judgment in the case and and you would agree with Francisco Negron general counsel for the national school boards Association who says that the law is quote unsettled when it comes to what school officials are obligated to do to accommodate transgender students correct I think that is correct there's the the Department of Education regulation

021and its interpretation of its regulation says generally school districts should treat transgender students consistent with their gender identity um so you know not only is there the the the the fact that the jurisdiction remains with the four circuits so there's not a final judgment but there's that term generally in in even the department of education's interpretation that leaves a signific you significant amount of um ambiguity that that needs to be resolved and that that's really my concern is we're dealing with unsettled law um this issue never came before the board until tonight it was never voted on by the board tonight and so it just concerns me that we're diving into the sea of political controversy as it relates to unsettled bathroom usage um in my mind we ought to focus on increasing student performance

022and educating our children rather than diving into these political issues but it is what it is we're we're here where we are now and I appreciate your clar ification the audience as to what the actual status of the law is thank you Mr Reg I have a question is there any guidance in the current um for circuit about fluidity of transgender sexuality or any guidance that can be given to us um on how to work with transgender children not in the four circuit decision except it does the the there's three judges on the panel each one issued a different decision the main decision said explicitly that if a student is uncomfortable I think they referred to him as is modest about the possibility of sharing a bathroom with a transgender student that the school district

023should make arrangements for that student to protect that student's privacy that's really the only guidance they give on that issue generally are school districts approaching this with a written policy or individual student reviews individual student reviews and I think that's because in part you do have that language in the guidance from OCR that it says generally this is the case and because each student might want or need different accommodations and the general scope of the accommodations you're looking at are you know what dress code does a student have to comply with um there's you know restroom usage there's name what name is the student going to be referred to how is the student's uh sex going to be shown on school documents um what what sexed class does the student participate in so there are

024a variety of issues that need to be really addressed on an individual basis with each family and that's you why it's really typically be Case by case and also to add it it does need to the OCR guidance on it indicates that it really should be on request of the student or family so it's not an axiomatic I get to be treated in all respects consistent with uh gender identity and it does deal with transgender students not um I I think the term it would be gender fluid uh and the school district serves a gatekeeper function of making a determination based on evidence of whether a student meets the criteria to be transgender as opposed to gender fluid and those topics that you included bathroom usage um are have sports or overnight trips or have

025there been any guidance on participation in activities no and I think that's an area that guidance would be very helpful I mean I I think o my opinion on ocr's position which is the office for civil rights for the Department of Education which enforces Title 9 with respect to school districts would be that in all sort of respects they need to be treated consistently with their gender identity and that would be Sports and overnight trips there are other documents that deal with some of those issues for example uh there was a settlement by a school district in Illinois with the Department of Education that dealt with the locker room issue and Sports in which you know OC the agreement was will'll treat the student consistent with their gender identity in those areas uh another settlement

026in California with the school District that dealt with the issue of overnight trips um but again I think those are the kinds of things that need to be dealt with sensitively and on a case-by casee basis but we don't have much guidance on this this is you know a an issue that is seemingly exploded onto you know this the school world and though we don't have a lot of guidance on how to handle all those yet and and the the issues haven't come up in in those circumstances for us in most cases so okay Mr Regal so South car Falls within the jurisdiction of this fourth Court Circuit of appeals correct correct so from what I understand they have not made any decision so the statement that the district made said that transition students shall

027be allowed to use the restroom for gender which they have identified with that that that decision still has not been made that's why has been sent down to the lower courts correct I think that the the for circuit upheld said the department of education's interpretation of its regulation should be giving given controlling weight they had issued that decision now that decision is subject to revision it's it's not a final decision it could be revised further by the for circuit um but they did not uh so I'm sorry I lost my can you repeat the question so the statement that the district made that trans transgender student shall be allowed to use restrooms for gender which to identify was not the decision of the fourth circuit court that was not The Express decision they said the

028department of education's interpretation which says generally transgender students should be allowed to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity is to be given controlling weight so I think the question then really becomes if a student requested that accommodation of this district and it was denied and they brought suit or filed a complaint with the Department of Education would the district court in South Carolina give deference to the current decision of the for circuit uh and that that so that's the leg question and we talked about that in executive session but I think my answer to that question I think is legal advice it sounds like the Department of Education is struggling with its own definition of gender and it's throwing it back to the courts the courts to make that decision no the Department of

029Education isn't the the the the a school district in Virginia said we are not going to allow students to use the the group restroom for the gender for the sex with which they identify the student then sued the school district along also the ACLU and the Department of Justice sued the school district and and the district court the trial court said that the department of education's interpretation of its regulation was an overreach and was not not consistent with the law and throughout the case on that that part of the case there were some other claims the fourth circuit issued a decision overruling The District Court's decision saying the district court failed to Accord the department of education's interpretation of the regulation controlling weight and asked the district court to re-evaluate its decision giving controlling weight

030to the Department of education's interpretation okay okay I the board would like to make this statement it appears the implementation of Title 9 interpretation concerning trans transgender students and their use of the restroom based on the gender with which they identify is still unresolved by the courts School administrators will continue to manage requests made by on on or on behalf of transgender students in reference to the use of restroom facilities for the remainder of the 2015 16 school year in hopes of receiving a clearly defined direction from the courts prior to the start of the upcoming school year the district will continue to maintain and respect the privacy rights of all of its students thank you Mr than you thank you okay on moving on to agenda item number seven the election of board officers

031each year in May we elect a chairman a vice chairman and a secretary the term of their time their their office is for a one year One calendar year uh so at this time I would take a motion for a choice of a chairman I'm make a motion to nominate Jim hayes as our chairman second I would have a motion are there any other other nominations then at this time I guess we'll take a vote all of those in favor of Jim hayes as the chairman please respond by raising your right hand take both okay you okay do we have a uh nomination for a vice chairman chairman I make a motion that Kathy Schwab be our vice chair second do we have any other nominations then at this time all of those in favor

032of electing Mrs Kathy Schwab as the vice chair please respond by raising your right hand we go okay and we nomination for secretary Mr Mr Hayes what was the vote on that it was all votes 62 62 okay do I have a nomination for secretary Mr chair I nominate Shannon Lee or secretary second all we have a nomination of Shannon Lee do we have any other nominations then at this time all of those in favor of electing Miss sh Lee as our secretary for another year please respond by raising your right hand okay on a vote of okay that's behind us do I have a motion to approve the minutes of our head start training on April the 26th 2016 and our regular meeting of April the 26 2016 Mr chair I move that we

033approve the minutes for the head start training on April 26 and the regular meeting on that date second I have a motion to approve the head start training of April 26th and the regular meeting of April the 26 it's been seconded do we have any discussion or change in the minutes then all of those in favor of approving the minutes please respond by saying I I oppose same sign all [Music] right okay moving on to agenda item number 10 which is our citizens comments in order to conduct the meeting in an orderly and efficient manner we ask that you honor the following guidelines that stakeholder comments are welcomed and encouraged however the board will take and not take immediate action on public comments at this meeting any person wishing to address the board must register

034prior to the meeting comments must be regarding programs policies or procedures comments regarding complaints about employees other than District level Executives or references to students other than the child of the speaker will not be heard in public session groups addressing the same topic should select one speaker comments will be limited to three minutes what we're going to do is we will let you know at 2 minutes and 50 seconds Sor having trouble with the connection please try again in a moment black hole we have a uh set aside 30 minutes for comments now looking at the stack that we have we have more comments than we have time we we have kept these in the order in which they were submitted and we when we get to the 30 minutes we will stop there okay

035so the the board chair does reserve the right to aot additional time or halt public comments that do not adhere to these guidelines that we have just discussed okay our first Speaker coming to the podium is Tabitha Moore and she wants to talk about the transgender restaurant thank you super attendent and board for hearing my concerns um I would like to begin that stating unless otherwise stated the factual statistics that I'm going to present came directly from the US Department of Justice national sex offenders public website as you will see while the transgender issue concerns me it is the Predators who will take advantage of being allowed easy access to members of the opposite sex that extremely concerns me it is unfortunate that trans genders are set apart but gaining as access to restrooms is

036not going to make things better but instead the chances are much higher for things to get worse what about the victims of sexual abuse what about their rights an estimated .3% of the American population is transgender whereas just looking at Women's statistics an estimated 18% of women population in the United States have been raped during their lifetime who is standing up for them when it comes to privacy in the restroom or locker rooms research conducted by the Center for Disease Control estimates that approximately one in six boys and one in four girls are sexually abused before the age of 18 how do you explain to a youth that has been sexually abused that they have to go to the bathroom or locker room with the opposite sex and expose themselves around them a few few

037statistics from the Department of Justice regarding adolescence sexual abuse not all perpetrators are adults an estimated 23% of reported cases of child sexual abuse are perpetrated by individuals under the age of 18 28% of male raped victims were first raped when they were 10 years or younger in a 2012 maltreatment report a victims who were sexually abused 26% were in the age group of 12 to 14 years and 34% were were younger than 9 years approximately 1.8 million adolescents in the United States have been the victims of sexual abuse 35.8% of sexual assaults occur when the victim is between the ages of 12 and 17 82% of juvenile victims are female teens 16 to 19 years of age were three and a half times more likely than general population to be victims of a rape

038attempted rape or sexual assault how can you ignore these facts and cater to the three popul 3% of population and disregard all of the victims of sexual assault while I understand the need to feel comfortable in your surroundings I cannot sit by and do nothing when predators are giving even easy access to my children and me as a personal victim of rape in high school I cannot imagine being forced to go to school and change in a locker room with anyone who has the private parts of the opposite sex I understand that transgenders do not identify with their body but they still May exhibit the private parts that terrified me as a victim of rape with the school opening restrooms to transgenders you are not only creating a very difficult situation for victims of sexual

039abuse but you are creating easy access for predators to gain access to our children need to s as I understand it right now transgenders can use the restroom of their choice but people who are victims of sexual abuse who are uncomfortable with the situation will become targeted by having to use a specific restroom so once again I ask who is looking out for the best interest of sexual abuse victims and our children thank you and God bless thank you i' our second speaker will be Thomas B Aldridge again on the transgender decision good evening my name is Thomas B Aldrich I'm a local Minister and business owner and I have a daughter at Berkeley High School I haven't come here tonight to bash anyone transgender School Board uh members or anyone else because I've come

040to understand after reading the uh legal depositions and staying up late um studying Title 9 I've come to understand that the weight of this decision has been unfairly uh put on your shoulders I've come to understand the the it's easy for bureaucrats to try to implement something when they don't have to face a constituent I've come to understand that you all if I believe in my own mind if if this thing had have just went on by you would have been very happy about that but it didn't and to add insult to injury your elected official so no matter what you do a yes vote which I'm very much against a yes Vote or a no vote just pick your firing squad because it's either the federal government or your constituents and I would have

041anyone else coming up here you know if they have any hostility towards you as individuals or personally I'd ask them to wh that in lie of the fact that you didn't ask for this and I have compassion on your situation and I am praying for a resolve that will uh be beneficial to you personally and your position as a school board member however the heart of the matter is this and will always be the heart of the matter that when you serve the public especially the oversight of our children who are helpless and innocent and they need us they have no one we're it you're it as a parent I'm it there's nobody coming we're it that you have to decide is uh if you haven't already that a position on the school board and

042your motto on your website is to protect the children is to protect our children if your position is a career you will take the path of leash resistance if it's a call and I believe the oversight of our children should be a call school teacher administrator School Board member if it's a call you will sacrifice future and fortunes to make sure nothing happens to these children amen thank you for your time thank you our next speaker is Susan Dunn Susan Dunn start good evening good evening uh my name is Susan Dunn I'm the legal director for the ACLU of the state and the first thing I want to do is thank you for your service this is very hard work that you do you're called upon uh to make difficult decisions but decisions that require

043that you serve all of the precious children of this school district and some of those students whether you expected it or not are transgender and I think you have an obligation in fact I know you have an obligation to take the information about those students and make the decision that is right for those students based upon the information that you have which includes the expert information of the people who are treating these children a transgender child is not somebody who just wakes up someday and decides I want to be the other sex this is a serious process that involves pediatricians therapists and doctors not anything to be sneered at not anything to be seen as making that child dangerous in fact they get so much treatment they're probably less dangerous than children who have not

044been screened in any way you called even though if it's something you may not know anything about to figure out the best thing to do in this situation if you're concerned about pedophiles be concerned about pedophiles you know make sure that your schools are safe and the pedophiles do not get in those schools and that you have counseling for all of the children in your school so that any children who are aggressive sexually are screened that has nothing particular to do with transgendered children if you're concerned about safety in the school locker rooms and restrooms make sure you say that that happens you know have monitors be concerned about that but don't don't put it on the backs of these children who are trying to be like all children they're trying to survive and they're

045trying to be the best people that they can be and their families are desperately supporting them doing that just because we haven't understood this process doesn't mean it hasn't been going on for years there's much evidence that the children who are transgender who do not get the proper support are really really really subjected to opportunities for substance abuse suicide and other kinds of self-destructive activities because they have not been treated with compassion and dignity that's your job I understand that you're looking at these legal decisions and trying to figure out you know what sense to make out it the real answer this is my lawyer hat speaking um is that what stands between a clear decision is a petition for an onbon review of the fourth circuit decision I looked up the figures the the

046percentage of onbon petitions that are granted is point is 0.3% that's how many are granted not the decision that's made but just the opportunity to be heard there's not much standing between the decision that's been issued and a final decision thank you thank you our next speaker Melissa Mo thank you very much um I appreciate the opportunity to address you tonight uh my name is my name is Melissa Moore I'm the executive director of We Are Family one of very few resources in the state that offer support for LGBT youth meaning lesbian gay bisexual and transgender youth being a teenager is difficult enough and it is that much harder for transgender youth who have also to wonder if they will be safe doing the things all of you take for granted when the issue of

047bathrooms comes up the word safety gets thrown around a lot let's be honest some people talk about safety as this transgender people are going to hurt someone there's absolutely no evidence of that happening and the reality is quite the opposite I'm going to read some names maybe they will ring a bell poppy Edwards Ty Underwood Brie GOC Leela alorn I could go on and on these are just a few of the transgender young people who lost their lives last year due to ignorance and violence transgender lives have been under attack in our schools regardless of the lies that people leave in this room today I have been working with students and families from Berkeley County since 2010 and I've had the opportunity to watch kids like Sarah Gary and Cole Dow who are going to

048address you tonight grow into the strong leaders that you see before you today I've supported a lot of these youth through the bullying that they endured from hostile parents School staff and peers I've stood alongside them as the very adults that were sworn to protect them turned their backs on them and as parents attacked them and outed them in the media these transgender students are Beyond Brave they're Heroes and they shouldn't have to fight as hard as they do do just to have a safe place to pee compliance with the fourth Circuit Court ruling is not asking anyone to compromize their safety young people are simply asking that schools make a safe place for them where they can use the bathroom in peace go to a dance participate in campus life and just be kids

049and by denying transgender students access to the things that match their gender identities you're telling them that their safety and comfort don't matter and I hear a lot of people talking about the safety of students which students you're not talking about transgender kids this is not just about fairness this is about the law not providing accommodations for transgender students including the use of gendered facilities means that a school and the state could be at risk of of losing Educational Funding the ruling of the US fourth Circuit Court of Appeals which includes South Carolina also protects the rights of students to keep confidential the students legal name and use the students's preferred name in all visible and audible instances like yearbook power teacher School IDs and roll calls use the students preferred gender pronouns allow students

050to participate in contests sports teams and events that match their gender identities allow students to dress in the manner that is consistent with their gender identities allow students to partici participate with a group that aligns with their gender identities in all gender segregated activities and Implement a grievance process when their gender identities are not respected my organization offers free technical assistance and training for school staff and volunteers and we would be happy to work with your District to help Implement these changes thank you thank you our next speaker Leanne Leland thank you um I have a few statistics I would like to throw out there without support 41% of transgender youth will attempt suicide and that's the low figure the high figure is 65% will'll attempt suicide with support that figure drops down to 5%

051on college campuses 10% of all women will be raped not by transgender people not by bathroom access but by fellow students 25% will undergo persistant unwanted sexual advances Google transgender sexual abuse and you will find thousands upon thousands of stories of abuse committed on the transgender Community not by them on them we are not the Predators we are not the problem our culture is the problem we tell little little Julie at school that little Johnny's pulling her hair oh that just means that he likes you when does that become unacceptable when does violence against women become unacceptable in our culture the truth is it doesn't this is not about being transgendered this is about your fear of men fear of men who will take advantage any advantage to abuse women that is the issue that

052needs to be addressed let trans people use the restroom we're not a threat I can promise you that but keep an eye on the men they are thank you our next speaker is Cade Dow Co Cole I'm sorry we're going we're going to smack your sixth grade teachers hands for this um well first off I want to thank you guys for letting me speak uh it really means a lot um I'm a senior right now at the Berkeley Middle College and uh my whole life um I've identified as transgender it's not the first thing I go by it's one of the very last actually it is a private matter that I keep only my medical records and the only reason I'm expressing this publicly right now is because my safety can become an issue if

053uh I'm not allowed to use the bathroom that um my gender is expressed by growing up I have had hardships of harassment by uh many people and the older I got and the more comfortable I got with being myself it slowly dissipated I was able to fit in I was able to one of the things was go to the bathroom and not have any problems I have uh never had someone come up to me and say it was a problem of me using the men's restroom now if I went into the women's restroom right now I don't know and I am worried if by a day-by-day basis that I have to be confined to that that I would face uh hardship in a lot of matter the facts that people have talked about suicide rate

054and um harassment scares me it scares me that transgender people are targeted by a daily basis and uh they're not just harmed they're killed um I just wish that people in the future students are able to be safe in all matters in forms and I just uh I don't know I just want to set an example because there are transgender students and they're as important as any other person thank you guys our next speaker is Sarah Gary hello uh before I start Mr Aldridge I would just like to say that I do go to school with your daughter Leia and uh she's great and she's really sweet and I don't think that she's worried about me using the same restroom as her and ma'am I'm very sorry about what happened to you I I honestly

055I I can't even express to you how tragic that is and I understand that you feel so much PID from that and I'm so sorry but if you're afraid of what I have in my pain P that's that's not anything that I I can change good evening my name is Sarah Gary I am 16 years old I'm the president of the sophomore class at Berkeley High School member of the National Beta Club and member of leadership and number 86 in my class and I am transgender I've been attending Berkeley County Schools for my entire academic career and I faced many obstacles from being forced to participate in on the male side of gender specific class activities and being prohibited from using the bathroom that matches my gender identity needless to say I have suffered greatly

056from these restrictions both mentally and socially however until just a few weeks ago this was the end of my story now my story has a very different ending a very happy ending where my school calls me and gives me the best news of my life that I was finally going to be able to use the female restroom principal seal always told my mother and I that the minute there was a change in state legislation he would let us know so that I would no longer have to fight this battle and a few weeks ago that moment finally came it breaks my heart however that there is so much ignorance and misunderstanding about what being transgender entails and what this new process means for your students Sons daughters cousins brothers sisters and other family members but

057I can tell you I have no other agenda when I walk into that rest that restroom other than to do my business on that filthy toilet and move on except that is a lie I will probably stop at the mirror and snap a few selfies with my friends to make up for all those I've been missing out on since the fourth grade and I'll probably wash my hands and carry on a conversation with a fellow classmate about what has been going on in their life lately the bathroom is more than just a piece more than just a place to pee for me the bathroom is a social destination for when you need some time away from the classroom for a moment for every girl the bathroom is a place where hair and makeup touch-ups are

058done and teeth are checked and tears are wiped the bathroom is where you go when you've been having a rough day and need to tell need a breather the bathroom is where you go go when you need to tell your friends about how that one guy totally looked at you in the hall just now the bathroom is where you and your friends socialize laugh and talk about everything that's going on in your lives too oh and you can pee there too the bathroom means so much more to me than any of you will ever understand I have waited for this right for longer than I can remember and I am so proud and honored to be a student at Berkeley High Berkeley High did not make this step forward for the sake of media attention

059they did not make any they did not want any recognition for their implementation they simply did because it was the right thing to do and they were advocating for their student it was not at all necessary to involve the school board in this process because it was not a voting [Music] decision no May it's not sum it up please um and required no Community input Berkeley High School and camb Bay High School implemented this ruling because it is the law and no matter what any Schoolboard official thinks it must be set into motion I hope that I have clarified what it means to be transgender to some of you and hope that you all have a better understanding of what this new legislation means for myself and so many others I would also like to

060say thank you so much to Steven Steel Charlie Harrison Kelly wolf Terry hover and Jerome Davis for making this leap and allowing me to become my whole true self and sincerely changing my life for the better this means the world to me thank you our next speaker princess [Music] Alis good evening though I come here from the neighboring District of Charleston County I'm here today as a representative of Southerners on new ground and a resident of the state I'm here today to speak to you all as the the body of people elected to uphold the serious responsibility of creating and maintaining a healthy educational environment for all students in this County so we see this lukewarm response that you guys have given as a blatant attack on transgender people but it's directed at all the

061folks who are it's directed at all the folks who are in the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender Community as well as people who are on the variable spectrum of a gender expression and in this state we've seen how transphobia continues to impact transgender people especially trans youth this decision mirrors the discriminatory bills that have been popping up all across the South and that dictates how trans people are being banned from public spaces and public accommodations the recent ruling from the fourth um fourth district circuit court is a clear signal from the federal government in addition to yesterday's legal action by the Department of Justice that we are at a historic Crossroads this is not just a question of where people can pee school districts and public institutions across the South and across the country must

062decide if they are willing to actively inforce enforce both the discrimination against transgender students and people and enforce a climate of hate and violence because that is what is at stake here school districts across our state and across the country are incurring the financial and legal implications of not complying with the Court's the Court's decision and being lobbied and con cajoled by conservative legal entities that would have us believe that just because something is legal that it is also just or right which has clearly not been historically the case time and time again we have seen that I'm here today to implore you that despite the financial and legal consequences of your actions today or your inaction that there are far deeper and longer lasting consequences including ostracizing and isolating Young People based on their

063gender identity or pres presentation and sanctioning bullying do you want to be known as the school board that has a lack of regard for Trans students what's next requiring gender checkpoints for all students and teachers before they're allowed to use any restroom will you be known for a legacy that creates such a drastic breach of privacy I do not need to remind you that this is not the first time that the local school boards have been called into the political circus that is the state government versus the federal government I do not need to remind you that there have been other historic Crossroads that have called for us as leaders and you all as elected officials to decide whether or not we are willing to violate the rights of some of our students in the

064name of the safety of others I ask that you remember your duty to provide an environment for every student of South Carolina that is dignified and respectful that allows them access to the most basic right of Education thank you our next speaker is car Hardy good evening uh chairman Hayes members of the board superintendent Blackburn um I'm here because I'm concerned about several things um one there was a statement put on the school district website that basically said you'd made a decision uh that didn't change policy except that I don't think there was ever a policy while I was on the board uh that students of an opposite sex could use a different bathroom so I know it's probably not specifically in the policy manual but I think that's probably been the case for the

065last 20 or 30 decades in South Carolina um so I'm concerned about how many of the board members were actually participated in this decision that was put up on the on the uh your Facebook page or your District website um cuz I don't I don't think the board members decided that and I know you're in a very very difficult position and I don't really relish what you're going to have to do what the decisions you're going to have to make it's going to be very difficult uh regarding the individual students um it it's a it's a tragedy that these students feel the way they do um God made them aert way and they don't feel that way and I think that's just uh I can't imagine how they would live with that and and deal

066with that on daily basis that being said uh I've heard I've heard people speak that we need to keep pedophiles out of the school I would agree with that but unfortunately there are children who are pedophiles that's just a fact and and I and that's that's a harsh thing to say but it's true the other thing I heard people speaking here that really Disturbed me is we have cell phones taking selfies in the bathrooms I think that's an issue the board has to deal with I think that's uh that's a very dangerous thing uh cell phones and the technology we have today have put a lot of people a lot of people in danger people are being black mailed from some pictures being taken by some people in bathrooms without their knowledge it's it's it's

067it's a it's a very uh dangerous and pervasive thing that that needs to be dealt with the other thing that I I I I I hope you think about this you are talking about laws and regulations and there's a vast difference between there's a vast difference between regulation and law so when so when the Department of Education creates a regulation that may or may not be fit within the law and as far as I know in Title 9 there is nothing in that title n that says you have to let a child of one sex use the bathroom of of the other so with that I would think that you need to stop and think about that cuz regulations do not Trump law all right and for our last speaker of this evening Mr Steven

068Fowler vaugh thank you board for allowing me to speak um first of all I come up here very humbled uh because I'm a man of God and um I'm a father and I'm a citizen and uh to speak before you I I really uh respect that highly and before all the people here um I've heard a lot of different things said my biggest concern is is not transgenders uh it's not the LGBT community I have many people I know in that Community my biggest concern is what does the bathroom how does that change uh anybody's identity I mean how does that give any Worth to anybody to use a restroom last time I checked the one goes in there I guess we heard some selfies and stuff but typically in the men's side we go

069in there to use the restroom and leave wash your hands and leave uh for those that wash their hands and um so if that's the case uh what what what real dign dignity really is going to come from that um I was taught uh as a young man that if you have a penis you use the restroom that you have that for if you have a vagina you use that restroom um I don't know why it's an issue it shouldn't be and it definitely shouldn't be on your heads to make some kind of decision like this I don't think however you are placed in this position and uh it is my hope that you guys will consider all things said um I do agree that the telephones will cause people to take pictures my daughter

070a few years ago was in Walmart we were in Walmart thinking everything was safe and a young man came up behind her and took pictures underneath her dress and he actually uh was starting to post that had his Facebook out and was trying to post it thankfully I was able to get to him fast enough put him in a good choke hoold and before cuz that's what dads do and I waited on the security guard to come and the security guard came and got him and took him away uh what I hear in the room today is is a lot of talk and anger and things like that in no way shape or form am I angry uh I have a lot of friends who are LGBT I don't even like calling them that that

071sounds like a disgrace to me they're people and um but I but I do believe that uh um in this situation uh I think you should strongly consider the fact that you are elected officials by God first uh and then you're also uh in a situation where what happens here is going to be a set of precedents for other places and so I believe it's Destiny and I believe it's a reason that you guys are selected and elected for this time in this season and it's my prayer and my hope that you will do the right thing the other thing is to address some other things that was said um my son a few years back actually uh molested my daughter he was 14 she was 10 uh it happened uh for a six-month period

072so yes kids do molest and yes if they're given the opportunity they will and so I just want you guys to know that's my opinions tonight I really appreciate it God bless you and thank you thank you okay we've come to the time element here of 30 minutes Mr I I move that I know there's a lot of people out here that want to talk about the trans transgender topic and we've heard a lot from that in our board comments we also say that we asked for them to elect one speaker to speak we've heard from a number of folks that are for and against it I happen to know there are some people in the audience that want to talk about other topics to address the board other than transgender and if you can

073go through the qard list there and find a couple of those that are toing that want to talk on a different topic if you would allow them to speak since they have not had the opportunity tonight do we have I agree I know there's some serious budget concerns and I know people are concerned about um budgeting as well so I would I would like to hear that if there's some other input on other business if the card got turned then time I know of at least one I think he pulled out [Music] one other times let me see the one okay honor yes sir Mr William [Music] Brunson Mr Bron wants to talk about the boner Elementary arts program thank you Bor and everyone here for allowing me to come and speak um a little

074bit nervous now to come up here and talk but I do want I do want you to feel my my heartfelt um I know this is a a tough topic but what I want to talk about is the arts program at Bonner Elementary School I first of all I want to thank youall for allowing that to be a part um of our district and and allowing that to um continue on um you know we have a school full of talented students and um again we just we thank you for the support and continued support but uh what we would like for it we would like for it to continue at that school um the logistics if for students that are not able to be a part of that you know we have students is in

075in um buo and shville and Honey Hill and other parts they may have to travel to Goose Creek and it's it's a real hardship on parents um and I for one have been a parent that had to our child was elected to be a part of the the arts program and we had to I live in Jamestown so we had to take her to um Goose Creek and it it really put a hardship on it fortunately my wife she was able to work things out but for some folks that could be up to almost um three and 1 half hours in a vehicle just just in travel alone but um you know we just um it's just a Time the the time that it takes to have have kids and that may not have the

076opportunities that other kids may have because you may have a parents that may not be able to allow um or may not have the the means you know the the gas you know whatever it takes to get other children from this this this part of the district to to the other part of District the offer these same Arts programs but um the beauty of the uh the Arts at at boner is the entire school you know has the opportunity to participate so you don't have to just single out you know a few a hand a few to send them to another school but um that's really in a nutshell what I would really want to thank you all for and I would appreciate yall considering that for for future um children coming through this system

077because it's really it's it's really a good system and the way they learn and just the the the source of learn how they how they bring things together and learn it's it's really for the for the boner they're fortunate to to be able to have that but um I just want to thank you appreciate youall letting me speak thank you sir okay then moving on to agenda item number 11 administrative Services an item for information our safety and security update evening chairman hay superintendent blackmare members of the board at this time I'd like to ask for Mr Tim Knight to come to the podium to provide the Safety and Security update let stand back for a minute [Music] thank you Mr Jackson good evening chairman Hayes superintendent Blackburn and members of the board tonight I

078would like to bring to your attention our spring safety update for the 2015 2016 school year if you recall during the November safety and security update presentation that was given I discussed a few upcoming training sessions that we would be hosting for our administrators and teachers this past February we partnered with the FBI under the Operation Safe schools initiative members from the FBI's Pittsburgh Division office as well as members of the West Virginia State Police presented a gunfire demonstration during the district's instructional fair over 500 teachers 50 administrators and 40 local law enforcement members received this important training Low Country news channels 2 4 and five were present and all Ran news stories highlighting this important training this was the district's highest rated training session this year as rated by the attendees plans are in

079the works to continue this training next year targeting all of our administrators and teachers in every school with our local law enforcement Partners teaching the courses the following video is the story that aired from live five news County teachers and administrators are being taught how to recognize the sounds of D and decide if they should down or make a run for if an active shooter is at their school police reporter Jacobs was invited to watch and hear easy second there you go you got it you got it the training that incl save lives the police officer is firing blanks from a 45 caliber handgun inside K Bay Elementary School as part of an exercise designed to help teachers recognize the sound of gunshots we can't tell you what to do we can tell you what

080not to do and that is to freeze and fear Caesar is the creator of the Operation Safe School initiative he says the goal is to help teachers and administrators improve their ability to react during an active shooter incident I wanted to hear gunshots I want them to understand distances and allow them to make decisions see his team had a show and tell for the teachers showing them the guns that would be used a 9mm pistol a 25 caliber handgun an assault rifle and a 12 gauge shotgun you can text the letter you can press this the teachers have been taken to a computer room where they will hear gun shots from different distances misconception when somebody Sho the guns are fired one by one then our camera shows the shooter in the hallway just 20

081y from the computer room I took cell phone video of the shot from the 12 shotgun the vibration made my phone Shake teachers who attended the training very impressed and seeing the actual um guns and hearing the different sounds what's the biggest thing you got out of this to get out if we can get out it's aice they will never have to use in Berkeley County har ja live by news the Operation Safe School ini itive was begun in West Virginia Berk County School administrators attended a similar class this morning in Goose cre our administrators also received Hands-On training from H2 training Solutions focusing on injury prevention and self-defense our third and final session for this school year will be held in June due to high demand from the attendees we have plans to continue

082this training next year as you know the district conducts at least two large-scale crisis simulations every year these exercises give us the opportunity to activate our emergency procedures we have in place so we can critique and evaluate those procedures to make sure they are effective and efficient in real life emergency situations we conducted a large scale active shooter drill at Hanahan High School in November and conducted a large scale Intruder drill at Whitesville Elementary in March here's a short video our Communications Department produced detailing the Intruder exercise office have today we conducted our spring semester full scale crisis simulation drill at lightville elementary school these drills are very important to us because it gives us the opportunity to Implement review and improve our emergency procedures we appreciate the Partnerships that we have with our law

083enforcement and first respond agenes well the sheriff's office has a long history to work with the school district you know the Safety and Security of our children in schools the utmost important this drill today just part of the testing and the district on how we respond to this is a [Applause] drill how there [Music] as you are aware in the summer of 2014 we started a training curriculum for all of our school resource officers with the intention of bringing them together for a few days of intense training and instruction this year our third annual SRO summer training will be held at Berkeley high school during the week of July 18th we will have presentations from the district special services division the Kennedy Center the Department of Juvenile Justice and the ninth circuit solicitors office our

084school resource officers will also have Hands-On training in the areas of deescalation techniques and a full day and and a full day of intense active shooter training these summer training sessions are crucial for bringing all of our school resource officers together since we have sros from six different law enforcement agencies every agency has their own set of procedures and guidelines so it's very important that we as a district bring these officers and deputies together to get everyone on the same page with not only how we handle day-to-day circumstances and issues but also what our expectations are for protecting our schools as noted earlier we have plans next year to continue the FBI training for our teachers and administrators and the injury prevention self-defense training for our administrators these are just a few examples of how

085the district is working hard to give our administrators and teachers who work very hard different tools they can use to be successful in dealing with different types of emergency situations all while remaining safe looking ahead to the 2016 2017 school year I promise you we will be staying busy with Safety and Security we are currently putting the finishing touches on a new robust districtwide emergency reunification plan we have been working in conjunction with our local law enforcement partners and the County's emergency preparedness office to make this plan a reality we also implemented this year the response to crisis cards which is a condensed version of our emergency planning and management guide copies were provided for all of our teachers to have in their classrooms where they will remain these handheld cards contain our emergency procedures

086and important phone numbers and finally a new safety implementation that I'm very excited about for next school year is our Safety and Security monthly training videos these videos will be utilized in all of our schools during monthly staff meetings and will highlight various safety procedures we are in the process of completing the first five videos with plans to have videos produced that cover all emergency procedures and common safety hazards here's an example of one of our videos is that too loud a little loud it's too loud to play this is the last one promise I apologize yeah that's [Music] better it's please take the next few minutes to discuss and review the emergency protocols highlighted in this video which are located in the emergency planning management di questions I'm I'm curious about the hardening of

087all of our schools I know we spent a lot of time and effort and money on that are we fully complete with all the entrance ways um that divert folks through front offices is that a complete we're completed with our secondary entrances I know Berkeley I believe is the last school that we have on our list for the access control to be finished we're Clos yes ma'am very close thank you done Mr M thank you thank you thank you thank you Mr Jackson moving on to agenda item number 12 Financial Services an item for Action an RFQ 462 for the school year 1516 an indefinite delivery contract for General Contracting Services thank you Mr chair members of the board and M Blackburn you have before you um RFQ 462 for indefinite delivery contracts for General

088Contracting Services we found um a need to have in place uh several contractors to do small um small uh construction prog uh projects amounting to to less than 150,000 and not to exceed uh 750,000 over a 2-year period we ask for you to award this contract to three different vendors within this area infinger Construction ipw Construction and treat and Woodman um all here in the general uh Low Country ask for your approval of that bid I have a motion Mr chair I make a motion to approve RFQ 15-16 for indefinite delivery contract for General Contracting Services to infinger Construction Group LLC ipw Construction Group LLC and treat and Woodman LLC for a contract term of two years or until this contract reaches a maximum of 750,000 whichever is fir first as presented by Mr Thompson

089in finance agenda item 12 second all right sorry we have a motion to approve the RFQ 462 for the indefinite delivery contract General Contracting Services to infate Construction Group ipw Construction Group and treat wood for a contract term of two years or until this contract reaches a maximum value of 750 ,000 whichever is first as presented by Mr Thomas in the finance agenda item 12 it's been seconded do we have any discussion just just so I understand that this so these three contractors we can pick from without doing any sort of RFP process or anything like that until the totality of all of their work is the equivalent of $750,000 and that's what this document does allows us access to them without having to come back on different projects M okay is is there a

090mechanism in place to prevent on the day before the second year for just coming up with random projects to spend the rest of the money if there's money left at the end of that period we would have a um a not to exceed uh requisition purchase order that would be in the books and um budgeted line items that would plue us into um making sure that we stay within those guidelines so let's say say let's say at the end of one year in 364 days you find out there's $500,000 left in the budget and somebody comes up with some pet project to spend that $500,000 is there some mechanism to keep that from happening yes okay yes well I guess what's the harm or the inconvenience in each time we have a a project doing

091an RFP as opposed to sending it to one of these three companies um it just gives us um again quicker access to get the project done faster than having to come to you know a boy meeting you know every twice a month kind of thing and just gives us quicker access to have you know to to get them to um do the project abely and you would see those on a um you know Capital Improvement um presentation and those sorts of things so do you have do we know what projects do we have any specific projects in mind or you said small minor projects and that sort of thing I'm not sure that they really know Jean still here um any sort of specific projects that you have in mind Jean or what now okay

092well I couldn't hear him what boiler replacement boiler oh white board okay boiler I couldn't hear me any other questions all right then at this time we'll take a vote on motion all of those in favor of approving the motion for RFQ 462 please respond by saying I I I oppose same sign I so that motion carries with a 71 thank you Mr Thomas moving on to agenda item 13 Human Resources Dr line item for Action the second reading of the policy rules and Exhibits for revision the IH faaa honors diploma IH FAA honors diploma rule the J jaac E3 student owned technology acceptable use guidelines and the jcd student Behavior code rule yes good evening chairman Hayes superintendent Blackburn and members of the board the policy exhibit and rules listed under agenda item 13

093are being brought to you for second and final reading this evening I would also like to note um during this time that there's a change that has always been in the policies that you've received and even though it says diploma on the agenda that's the old name of the policy and now it'll have certificate instead of diploma for that so just calling that to your attention even though the way it's listed on the diploma that change is made in the policy itself I also would like to call to your attention just a couple of minor changes that were made since the last time I brought this to you for first reading if you look at page two of the student Behavior code SH C d-r and it's a very minor change but I still wanted

094to call it to your attention it's page two level of offenses disorderly conduct level one and as item 10 under the bulleted items under acts of disorderly conduct may include but are not limited to it read unauthorized use of electronic devices and it had excluding cell phones I just want to note there now that that is marked through so that part will no longer be their wordss indicated excluding cell phones so it will read unauthorized use of el El ronic devices now and also on page six middle and high school students page six middle and high school students it reads student use expectations and responsibilities and I'm referring you to item six and seven the phrase for the remainder of the year was added to both items so in six and seven the phrase for

095the remainder of the year was added to the very end of both of those items so I just wanted to call that to your attention as well so at this time it is the recommendation of the administration to approve the second and final reading of policies rules and Exhibits for revision as listed under item 13 of the May 10th 2016 board agenda do I have a motion Mr chair I move that we accept the recommendation of the administration to approve the second and final reading of policies rules and Exhibits for revision as listed under agenda item 13 second all right so we have a motion to accept the recommendation of the administration to approve the second and final reading of the policies rules and Exhibits for revision as listed under agenda item 13 is there

096any discussion and all those in favor of this recommendation and this uh motion please respond by saying I I I oppose same sign and that goes through 80 thank you thank you all right moving on to agenda item 14 instruction and accountability the item for information the read to succeed teacher endorsement and summer reading Camp Mr chair Miss Blackburn M members of the board ladies and gentlemen um we're going to go over teacher endorsement and summer reading camps associated with read to succeed Miss Cal cut is going to brief you on that good evening tonight I want to share with you some additional components of the read to succeed legislation I want you to take a look at this graphic that you see on the screen I think it's important that you understand that the

097implement ation of re to succeed from the state level is kind of a moving Target this office has turned over multiple times and they are trying to really grasp and understand and interpret the legislation and then trying to move that forward so we've had um as late as Thursday some changes that were made within that office in terms of the reading plans for the schools to be able to follow our district plan if you think about it um you know we go down one road and then we're having to back up and go down another road but we're trying our best to be sure that we're giving people clear consistent information about what we have in the Forefront and what their next step should be just as a reminder this is a very comprehensive law

098it includes multiple things last time I came to you guys and presented the reading plan the district reading plan and shared with you the highlights the goals and the action steps as well as the belief statements there are other parts of that plan as well but I want you to know that really feel like that we're in a good place as a district we've been fortunate that many of the things that we've embraced as a district and moved forward with are things that we were really proactive on and that these things are now as a requirement with reach to succeed back in the day um you guys with Dr Turner We implemented a comprehensive of literacy model and this literacy model ensured that teachers teachers when they're teaching have a balanced approach it's not just

099reading it's not just writing it's not just word study it's an approach that allows students um to engage in all parts of English language arts I think that's a strong Foundation that we have we also have in our district um something that we recognize for in terms of powerful practice from Advanced Ed and that's our common curriculum and common assessments and plc's we're not where we want to be of course we have room for improvement but we have a good foundation in place and we recognize that in our student achievement our reading scores continue to move forward but we have work to do in writing and we know that that's that's something that we really want to focus on and that's included as a goal within the reading plan tonight I want to share a

100little more information about the South Carolina literacy competencies and endorsements this is what we call an unfunded mandate this is being imposed upon our teachers to gain an endorsement that will allow them to teach in South Carolina there are actually a couple of ways that teachers can go about earning this endorsement one of those ways is through graduate hours the other way is through attaining professional development hours and you often hear us refer to those as gaining renewal points for their certification we want to think about this in terms of elementary teachers and secondary teachers there are four modules that an elementary teacher must obtain in order to get their endorsement and remember they can get that through graduate hours or PD hours the first one is content area reading and writing this same module

101is required for secondary level teachers additionally Elementary level teachers have to have the module foundation and reading instructional practices and assessment of reading me go back to the slide just for a minute to point out what's in blue we have many Educators out there that have a K12 certification our libraries our um music teachers band teachers and things like that depending upon which school they teach at will determine which content reading and writing course they take if I'm a library and at a secondary school I'm going to take the secondary content area reading and writing if I teach at the elementary school then I will take the hours that are designed to match that module for reading and writing so when did teachers need to have this endorsement by as an elementary teachers they have

10210 years to obtain this endorsement secondary teachers have five years to obtain this endorsement I think this chart is going to help you if you think about every teacher has a time when their clock starts their clock starts when their license renews so the example I'm given is my license my license renews in 2016 I have five years because I have Elementary certification to earn the first two modules by the year 2021 I have until the year 2026 to complete all four of those modules required for an elementary certification so I have 10 years from when my clock starts secondary teachers remember they have one module to complete that's the content area reading and writing they have five years in which to obtain this endorsement so we have to think about when does their clock

103start when does their certificate renew if it renews in 2016 they'll have 5 years years from that date till 2021 to obtain either The Graduate credit hours or the PD hours in the content area reading and writing module the five years also goes across to the K12 Educators for example art music librarian so they have five years from when their clock begins so we want to talk about some of the options that are being provided in South Carolina Ina you'll see the web link there the web link links you to a list of colleges and universities and other vendors that are um making available this coursework has to be approved by the South Carolina Department of Education the read to succeed office and what they do is they update this list on a regular basis

104locally these are some of the graduate hour options that have already been approved through the State Department The Citadel you see all four of those modules listed College of Charleston you see two of the modules listed and Charleston Southern you see three of the module listed it doesn't mean that they're not going to eventually have all modules available but at this time those are the ones that are approved by the re to succeed office so when we think about what does this mean for our teachers if they choose to go The Graduate hour route the estimated cost will vary it depends upon their status they may already be in a graduate um a graduate level um where they're working on their masters and so the cost may be one price there's some districts that have

105negotiated for other prices for their um teachers as well there's some teachers that have student teachers that are allowed to have one course and no charge and so they may take advantage of that so the cost varies depending upon the college or the University so we asked around what are some other districts doing around us um Dorchester to they partnered with Charleston Southern University and in 201516 this year they paid partial teacher cost for The Graduate hours in 201617 Dorchester 2 is discontinuing the funding for this they no longer have the funds available in Charleston County this year for College of Charleston they paid the teacher cost in 16 and 17 they are going to continue um their partnership with College of Charleston but they're also working on creating some in-house options we've talked about

106The Graduate hours now we're going to kind of change gears and talk about some professional development hours that are being offered by the State Department of Education you'll see on the left hand side those are the available modules on the right hand side would be the cost for the teachers Any teacher can participate in this online opportunity through e-learning to participate in this PD hour for each module for $85 if they're a member of a cohort of 30 or more students they can be participate for $80 so let's think back to the elementary teacher they would have to take four of these modules to complete the endorsement if I'm a secondary level teacher I would only need to take one of these so in Berkeley County what we've begun to do is we've tried to

107think about what are some ways that we can provide this support for our teachers that are being required to do this through me to succeed so we wanted to come up with an option that was no cost for our teachers what we've chosen to do is to model our offerings after what the state department is doing through e-learning so what we want to provide and what we've already begun providing are online courses if you look at the the top half of the table you'll see that these are free for teachers they began in January and they're ongoing they are 7we courses for teachers and they can participate through an online method so they're able to work during their planning period if they choose to do so or at home it's their option the way the

108course is designed designed is middle of the week they have an assignment that's due where they've had some readings and they post and respond to questions and then by the end of the week they have a second assignment that is due this course lasts for seven weeks the first week allows teachers to kind of gain um an understanding of how the system works so it walks them through how you post assignment how you um you know find the readings on the website things like that so we've begun this and we began in our rural schools first because we knew that they had the farthest to travel to PD if we offered it at the men school I mean the men rev area so what we've decided to do is start with those R schools first

109those were with the elementary teachers if you look at the bottom half of the table this is our plan for secondary teachers if you think about secondary teachers not every secondary teacher is a teacher of reading we have bi ology teachers we have US history teachers and so we felt that it was really important that the course that was developed for those teachers be meaningful for those teachers so all the content coordinators that um work in our office social studies coordinator Ela coordinator science coordinator Etc came together to help develop this course and so we want to roll it out in the same way that we've rolled out with Elementary so they would have the opportunity to be able to participate in the 7 we training remember that secondary teachers have one course work to

110take or one module that's a Content area reading and writing so just a reminder thinking back for our elementary teachers those are the four modules in which they need to participate they can do that through graduate hours or PD hours so we placed a check on the first one because we've already rolled out that course and when I say course it's really not of course it's PD hours that we've roll out what we need to do in order to support our teachers is to be able to provide them access to gain the other three modules that are required with a teacher endorsement those are listed at the top foundations in reading our plan is to have that in place by December 2016 our instructional practices module we plan to have that in place by May

1112017 and the assessment of reading by August 2017 now I'm going to shift gears you're thinking about read to succeed there are eight components now we're going to move forward to summer reading and I have some really good news to share with you guys last year we had an overwhelming positive response not just from our teachers from our students from our parents it was great to go in there during the summer and visit those sites and see the excitement enthusiasm for for learning in the middle of the summer we have a video that we would like to share with you but before we begin I wanted to talk to you about how we use the video what we did is when we sent out um applications for students to participate in the reading camp we

112included this QR code so they would have the access to kind of take a look at what happens during summer reading Camp so these are some captions from last year Trish are you able to click on the link okay okay just need to press the play button I think you're going to have to connect the screens back okay change had to change Berkeley County summer reading Camp provides a relaxed and collaborative atmosphere to help build confidence and a love of reading among our kids the camp is designed around a solar system theme to engage kids with a high interest science topic the daily learning experiences allow kids to acquire a variety of effective reading strategies that will help them on their path to reading success the camp provides a technology Rich environment every student will

113use an iPad to enhance learning as they research create and collaborate in fun and innovative ways movement strategies are used throughout the day to strengthen the brain while getting kids up and moving the Arts and character traits such as perseverance courage and teamwork are infused to help develop the the whole child the camp also includes in-house field trips such as the Star Lab to provide real world opportunities for students to apply their learning the parent showcase events give kids time to share all they've done with their parents this is an exciting and special time for all involved berley County third grade summer reading Camp is a wonderful opportunity for kids we hope you will accept this invitation and send your child on a funfilled journey of learning Discovery be sure to send your registration form

114back by April 29th to reserve a spot for your child thanks Trish one thing I wanted to let you know is that we had 100% parent participation in the open events that we had where we invited parents it was definitely a good place to be and thank you Stephanie for creating the video for us Trish can you bring the PowerPoint back up duplicate the screen oh it's already duplicated okay the feedback that we've received from parents um from the last year's Camp were were very positive and we think that it helped us to create a better camp for this year what we heard from parents is that the six week time period was too long that they really wanted to have it redu and that would allow for family time and for other things to

115happen so we've reduced the camp to four weeks based upon the the feedback that we receive from parents what this means for kids is there's going to be thank you an extended day longer than it was last year so what we plan to do is get feedback again this year and make sure that parents feel good about the four weeks and that students are also being as successful as they were last year with that extended time another thing that we heard is that um it was really important that students gain a real deep understanding about um the methods and the strategies that were being shared and we heard this from teachers so what we've done is we've really focused on four strategies throughout the camp and we're going very deep and these strategies will help

116students transfer their learning from Reading to other subjects for instance what comprehension strategy may be to summarize it's important that students summarize as they go along when they're reading to help them better understand it and that's something they can do in all subject areas another major component of summer reading Camp are Partnerships last year we had mentors we were unable to get a mentor for each student and so what what we did this year to strengthen the camp is we've turned that partnership into a reading buddy type of partnership so we will have folks that come in once a week that participate in Reading buddy time and during this time we're going to have a book fair for kids so they will be able to take books home every week and they'll have an opportunity

117to share with their reading buddies we're providing some very short snippet videos for the folks that are going to help us out during this time so then they can learn a little bit more about how they go about reading with the child if they haven't had that experience before how to ask them questions along the way when they're reading to help them better understand okay the camp is going to be held in June you'll see the weeks up there June 6th through the 30th Monday through Thursday what we want to do is to keep you informed and so as updates are given for re to succeed in these eight components we will continue to present information to you guys do you have any questions at this time very thankful we added a site at JK

118um there are a lot of folks who are challenged with transportation and I appreciate acknowledging that and providing something closest to those kids I appreciate it let me ask a question for you go yes sir each student is going to have to register in order to take part in that yes sir the state department gave us guidelines of which students could attend they had to fall within a certain achievement range and so we sent those out to parents we've mailed them out and then there are a few that we've gotten back in terms of maybe that the the address was not correct so we're calling those students on an individual basis M okay thank you thank you all moving on to agenda item 15 the superintendent's report all yours I'll be brief and I'll be

119positive there are only two things that I must share this evening because I've been a part of two spectacular events one was focused on some of our adults and fact our so-called rookie teachers who hit a home run their first time at bat and on Monday afternoon at uh West viiew we recognized 25 schools who gave us 26 nominees uh for their rookie teacher of the year and the winner for this year they were all winners you can't go wrong if you hit a home run uh but the winner this year's St Steven Elementary Dorian Paladino and it was quite an amazing event to recognize those first year teachers and uh I shared that uh if I looked back on my first year it was not pretty and so they uh you know did an

120amazing job and very nice to have an opportunity to recognize them this morning Archie and I and Kevin uh I think that's the folks I remember seeing um were at an activity called accelerate greater Charleston and this is an opportunity to recognize in a very special way some of our Career Academy completers and the um accelerate grader Charleston scholarships started out in 2014 they awarded 12 in 2015 they awarded 15 this year based on contributions from indiv uals and from local businesses they were able to award 75 scholarships two years at Trident Technical for free to these Academy graduates uh who came from many schools across the four school districts in our region but notably were a number of young folks frommy of Berkeley in Berkeley County and this is a free ride for 2

121years and it's pretty amazing and uh the smiles were abundant not only on the kids' faces but on the parents' faces and this is a group of kids who will be able to do two years at Trident Technical without having any student loans to pay off at the end of those two years so quite an uh amazing opportunity to uh be a part of that event today so thanks to the Charleston Metro uh chamber for their sponsorship and the many businesses and individuals who contribute to make that happen and the effort of our students supported by their great teachers in our career acmis and that's all I have okay moving on then to agenda item 16 our executive session where we will hear six student attendance appeals we will hear four student exposion appeals and

122a discussion of pending employment matters do I have a motion to go into executive session so move second good I we have a motion and a second to go into executive session again to hear student attendance expulsion appeals and then also any pending employment matters do we have any discussion and all of those in favor for this motion please respond by saying I I I oppose same sign and we are in executive session