001CMCSS School Board Study Session, May 15th May 5th, coming to order. Item number one on the agenda, surplus property safety and health first read. Board according to administrative policy INV A002, all surplus property shall be presented to the Board of Education to declare it surplus and authorize disposal if deemed appropriate. Tonight's request was made by our safety and health director about an ice maker from a nursing clinic that was deemed unfixable and replaced. He is asking for it to be declared declared as surplus to be properly disposed. Item number two, 2026-2027 Student Code of Conduct updates first read. >> [snorts] >> Good evening, board. Uh Vice Chairman Bryant, Chairman Lanier, Dr. Lena Vetter, tonight I want to take just a couple brief moments to share with you some proposed changes for the 26-27 Student Code
002of Conduct. Uh within your packet you should have received a one-page uh outlining of the Student Code of Conduct, the PowerPoint presentation, as well as a revised version of the Student Code of Conduct. Looking forward to the 26-27 Student Code of Conduct, one area that I'd like to draw your attention to again this year is the process through which we go through uh to make sure that we are tapping into all of our stakeholders to present uh to gather as much information as we possibly can uh for proposed changes for the Student Code of Conduct. As you could see by the screen in front of you, uh November 14th we started with our department chairs sharing out and asking for any updated changes that needed to take place for the coming year. Uh December 4th
003we sent out a survey to to and assistant principals. Also January 5th through February 15th, we sent out a community-wide to all stakeholders a survey for uh uh to receive feedback for the uh coming year for the student code of conduct. The 26th, we had the student uh high school student advisory meeting. On March 20th uh 26th, 26 elementary teacher committee uh communication group. April 13th, level directors. April 22nd through the 27th, we then gave those proposed changes back out to our principals and assistant principals for review. On the 23rd of April, we met with middle and high school uh teacher communication group. April 27th, uh proposed uh went over the proposal with the senior leadership team, which brings us here together tonight. Looking at proposed category one changes, uh there are just a couple
004of recommendations uh within the category one tardiness, uh the recommendation is there in red, which we would look to revise the portion that says a parent is contacted, email, text, or phone call after the second offense, a discipline referral is submitted upon the third and and any subsequent offenses. For the purpose of disciplinary consequences, tardiness resets at the beginning of each semester. And that is an update just advising families uh as a reminder that it is updated each semester. Proposed category two changes uh under cell phones and electronic devices, nothing is changing within that that was proposed last year or that went into effect last year. However, with advancing technology, we are having to take a look at uh other electronic devices in the way of wearable uh eyewear that does access internet, that does
005uh film and record. Uh so, you'll see that there's quite of an extensive update here uh that is in addition to what we've had in the past or that we implemented last year. The explanation expands to read, "Use of cell phones and other personal electronic devices during the instructional day is prohibited. Students will be expected to turn their phones and any other personal electronic devices off or put them on silent and out of sight for the entire instructional day. Students are prohibited from the use of their phones or personal electronic devices during the instructional day." This is the new portion here. "To protect student staff privacy, maintain instructional integrity, and assessment security, and to ensure compliance with FERPA and applicable Tennessee law, students are prohibited from unauthorized audio or video recording and pho- photography during
006the instructional day. Electronic devices include but are not include but are not limited to all existing and emerging technology devices that can take photographs, record, or play audio or video, input text, upload and download media, connect or to or receive information from the internet, and transmit or receive messages, telephone calls, or images. Examples include but are not limited to to smart devices, watches, tablets, glasses, headphones, earbuds, gaming systems, audio and visual video recording devices. The new part, the expanded part, "Any eyewear or wearable device containing electronic components capable of audio or video recording, live streaming, wireless communication, internet connectivity, artificial intelligence assistants, or display of digital content, whether or not the device contains prescription lenses, are prohibited during the instructional day. And use of the devices or any na- or on any national, state, or
007local assessment may be considered cheating, constituting an additional offense under cheating, plagiarism, and forgery, unapproved use of artificial intelligence." Another change in category two that was recommended by administration was to move profane language used in remarks to an adult from a category two offense to a category three offense. Further explanation was developed for category two offense skipping or leaving class without permission to read willfully refusing to attend and participate in the assigned classroom and or leaving classroom without permission, being out of the assigned area or location without approval, or remaining in approved location beyond a reasonable or designated amount of time without authorization from the person in charge. A new category two offense was brought to our attention, uh a need was brought to our attention uh to help with administrators being able to classify
008appropriately and to address behaviors. Inappropriate physical contact under category two, this is a minor offense with the same uh required uh parent guardian contact, range of consequences are the same for category two. Also, the explanation for this offense is engaging in non-aggressive, unwanted physical contact with another student that is momentary in nature, does not result in injury, and does not significantly disrupt the learning environment. Proposed category three changes. Under encouraging, promoting, and urging, and furthering fights, the addition of the word instigating and an update to the explanation initiating, provoking, encouraging, or contributing to a fight through words, actions, or conduct. This includes taunting, inflict inciting conflict, or recording, broadcasting, or posting fights in a manner that promotes or escalates the incidents. Again, this is to help our administrators be able to better monitor and better
009address students uh who do not want to just uh move away when a an incident takes place, but who by their presence alone helps to encourage and promote fighting. Under vandalism, under category three, change is proposed to add student parent guardian or responsible for restitution for damages. And under explanation, adding the words or guardians to make sure that it's consistent with the way that it reads in the upper portion. As the category two offense, inappropriate physical contact minor under category three, we wanted to add inappropriate physical contact. This would allow for addressing behavior that is slightly more aggressive than the category two. You'll read in the explanation engaging in intentional or repeated physical contact with another individual, student, faculty, or staff that is unwanted, disruptive, or violates personal boundaries, including any physical activity directed toward
010student, toward staff, but does not rise to the level of fighting or was left previously to violation of school rules. We just defined it better for our administrators to be able to address it with our students and with our families. Category four proposed changes, just a couple here. Category four offenses have two possible range of consequences. The first is the choice of a remainder to alternative school for either 30 or 90 days. This allows the administrator more discretion to ensure that consequences appropriately address the behavior. The second range of consequences is a 90-day remainder to alternative school. These are offenses like activating a fire alarm where the maximum consequence is the only option. So, that 90 days is the only option. So, the arrows here indicate that 30 or 90 days on some of the
011offenses and some of them will be 90 days only. The other addition to category four comes under confirm with level directors. We've put this with each of the category four offenses. We want to make sure that our admitted buildings are speaking with the level directors in what they're referring uh so that we can help maintain that consistency uh throughout the district. And finally, down there at the bottom, uh you'll see our standard OC-23 or our standard uh state code uh and we have put the state uh with the uh the state offense code and the verbage that goes along with this. This helps our administrators as they are um putting these and entering these into uh PowerSchool so that they align with the state codes. Uh under category four, weapons and dangerous instruments, only one
012quick change there, folks. We added uh 3D printed weapons as well uh with the advancement of technology, this is actually become a thing this year uh to make sure that we are addressing the development in bringing in of 3D printed weapons. Proposed bus and zero tolerance changes, uh out of school suspension will only apply to the major offense of fighting on the school bus. The other major bus offenses will be handled by suspension of bus privileges or removal of bus privileges for extended periods of time. Uh this was um kind of an oversight in the 25 uh 26 uh where uh each of the major offenses had received the same uh the same descriptor as the fighting, but now we just want to make sure that fighting is the one where the principal has the
013discretion uh to suspend a student as well as remove them from transportation or remove them for a period of time from their transportation privileges. Zero tolerance offenses, uh confirm with level directors, we have that now stated on each one and also that there is a the code is actually written out uh for uh easy access for administrators to be able to see. And that concludes proposed changes for the 2026-2027 student code of conduct. Are there any questions? I don't see any. Thank you. Item number three, June 26 budget amendments first read. Good evening, board. >> [snorts] >> Just kind of get over here. Um just go for our year-end um budget amendments we have. Starting in revenues, under state revenues, we increased that by just under 519,000 for the Tennessee paper and leave for our
014teachers, as well as $9,000 under other direct federal revenues for the junior solar split grant sprint grant, excuse me. Starting with our expenditures, a lot of these are just payroll and uh benefit projection increases. Um as you can see under regular instruction, um $2,734.98 for that, as well as $6,450 under supplies and materials for e-textbooks for the middle college. Once again, under alternative school increases for payroll and benefit projections. And then under special education, increase for payroll and benefits, as well as for the pre-K entitlement grant, just to get those matched up to what we have in e-plan, as well as an increase in supplies and materials for $16,082 to bring regards to the pre-K entitlement grant. >> [snorts] >> Moving on to uh vocational education, that's $73,000. It was moved to align with the
015innovative school models grant to match e-plan. That was moved over to 72 230 um for vocational educational support. >> [clears throat] >> Under health services once again, an increase for our payroll and benefit projections and the $2,791 that was moved over from 72 520 function human resources to cover just professional development costs for a coordinated school health and health services. >> [snorts] >> Moving on to other student support, um part of that those funds, the $1,000 went towards the junior solar sprint sprint sprint grant for contracted services and the remainder over at supplies and materials. And then just we had to make a correction to the December amendment amendment we had for the STEM supplies and for early learning supplies for elementary. And then $15,000 increase once again for that correction from the December amendment.
016Moving on to regular instruction support, um part of this was for the camp invention supplies and materials just to move to the new program code and to correct the object code. And then once again, a correct correction to our December amendment. Some of those funds for the um camp invention moved from contracted services over to supplies and materials. Uh $14,000 uh that was a just to provide additional safety equipment and camera upgrades for our schools as well as moving funds uh for tuition and fees for the pipeline program. And once again, the correction to that one amendment. And then under alternative school support, payroll and benefit projection increases. >> [snorts] >> Um special education support, uh the highlights are the increase in the sped travel costs not only just because of the increased number of
017people attending, but just the increase in cost itself. And then um decreased by $5,000 for a we moved those funds for PCG services. Under vocational education support once again, where I mentioned the 73,000, that's where it got moved from the innovative school model grant as well as the payroll and benefit projections. And then under technology, just moving 52,000 out of supplies and materials over to equipment just for to cover the increased prices for items like our ID HR badge printer and other hardware that we use through technology. >> [snorts] >> And then lastly, increase of 262,400 for just uninsured losses. Um Look at my notes real quick on that. That's just mainly invoices written off and other items that we have under there as far as claims go. And then the last page is just
018benefits projections increases for all three of those departments. And then under human resources, um the biggest share of that 161,000 is for the personal leave buyback and as well as payroll and benefit con- projections. And then a decrease of the 2,791 dollars where we moved that to the other function that I mentioned earlier. And [snorts] on maintenance of plant, an increase just basically due to cost of materials needed in there for lubricant, antifreeze, and tires of 9,445. >> [snorts] >> Another increase for benefits. And that is all for GP. >> [snorts] >> Overall, a decrease of 21,508. Moving on to nutrition, had an increase of 9,014 in revenues just for state matching funds that were awarded for FY26. And the only adjustment we have is just additional cost for vehicle maintenance, mainly for lubricants under
019con- uh supplies and materials. >> [snorts] >> Transportation. Only adjustment we have is just payroll and benefits reconciliation. The decrease of 310 in salaries and increase of 1,510 in benefits. Under the We had to make this one What you received yesterday did not include this. We didn't get the summer allocations from the state until yesterday and Kimmy worked hard to get us this information. The only adjustment was we moved $1,200 out of supplies and materials under regular instruction and moved that over to the other student support. That's just to cover the SROs for this summer. And then lastly, our amendments for our federal projects just reallocation of funds for consolidated admin, title one, title nine, title three and IDEA and then increase in revenues and expenditures for title two and title four. Y'all have any
020questions? Chris. So, uninsured losses, who somebody didn't pay us? Hold on just a second. I'm getting back to that page. Um that mainly is potential liability claims have if we have any costs for OJI or anything like that. We've added money just in case we have to pay that before the end of the fiscal year as well as for like I said earlier, we had items that we have to write out that extend be write off that have extend beyond two years. Okay. Other questions? Think we're good? Thank you. Thank you. Item number four, county commissioners comments. And board members? Mr. Garland. Yeah, >> [clears throat] >> excuse me. Dr. Looney, I have a question concerning what was talked about when we talking about students. Uh the students a if a child is intimidated to
021the point where they can't take it no more, how is that handled in our code? So, there's a variety of ways. Um first it would be checked to see if it were something like bullying, which has its own separate uh process. Otherwise, we do have some categories within there. That's basically other conduct. So, if students are basically taunting, teasing, if it's something that is not specifically stated, we still have a variety of things that we can put as other conduct and still receive discipline. Well, we I asked the question because I had a couple of parents contact me and stated that their child got suspended because they defended themselves from a child that was bullying them. Uh maybe the teacher didn't see it, maybe it wasn't on tape. I don't know what it was, but
022I think that is something that we really need to be uh very conscious of. And the last thing, I want everybody to understand that I was down in Nashville in a rally today. This is not political. This is serious. Uh right now it's impossible for a person of color to actually claim that we are being discriminated against because of redistricting. And it don't make no sense. Uh yes, I know what you're going to say. I know that you don't want to hear this, but the bottom line, we need to hear it because it's happening. And I believe that it's going to happen in Tennessee. Right now it's happening in Nashville. That's why I was down there and not walking around looking at my polls. That was more important to me than whether or not I'm
023going to be reelected for the next four years. We as people, as Tennesseans, we have a responsibility to make sure that anyone that we send to any office, they're there for the people. And when I say the people, that includes all of the people. And we do have politicians that are not in office to support all of the people, just like we have school board members that are not here to support every student. They're here to support a party. But I assure you that uh that we will get through this as a nation, as a county, as a state, as a as a as people. But it's going to take all of us to make sure that we get this right. You got to be gotten You got to get right. And it I don't
024know why I'm saying this right now, but it touched me so much to see all of those people down in Nashville uh that's talking black, white, brown, all colors, nationalities. That's what Tennessee looks like. And that's what we need to be uh perpetuating here as board members when we're talking about our students. And I asked that question, Dr. Little, simply because I've had several parents that say that their students fell under that that that under those conditions, but yet and still their child was expelled. But the person that was doing the taunting, nothing happened to them. I just asked the question for that reason. Thank you. >> As always, send me any specifics, and you know, we'll dig into it. Yes, ma'am. Anybody else? All right, Dr. Little. Good evening, board members. I want to
025begin by thanking the county commissioners from the budget committee who met with us today to advance our school system budget to the full county commission next month. I never want to take for granted the collaborative relationship that we have established to ensure we're meeting the needs of the school system while remaining cognizant of budget constraints for the county. I greatly value the meaningful conversations and thinking outside the box collaborations that we have held to maximize resources while minimizing the funding. In honor of teacher appreciation week, I would like to take a moment to recognize all educators in CMCS that who invest in our students every day. Research has shown that teachers in the classroom matter more to student achievement than any other aspect of schooling. Education is often a profession that receives intense public scrutiny
026without nearly enough compensation or appreciation. I would encourage everyone to reach out to teachers this week to thank them for their dedication to students. Vice Chair Bryant, this concludes my report for tonight. That concludes our meeting.