001The date is March 17th, 2026 and the time is 6:30 and I would like to call the Frederick County School Board meeting to order. We have an agenda before us. Do I have a motion to approve to approve the agenda? Madam Chair, I move that we approve the agenda as published. Second. The motion has been made and properly seconded. Any discussion? All those in favor, signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? Motion passes. Mr. Vice Chair. Madam Chair, I move that the County School Board of Frederick County, Virginia enter a closed session meeting for the following: to review and discuss administrative appointments, dismissals, resignations, support staff hires, and volunteers pursuant to Virginia Code 2.2-3711 A .1 and two, to review and discuss individual student matters that will involve specific students and particular information contained in
002their scholastic records, including requests for release from compulsory attendance pursuant to Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711 A .2. All right, we have a motion to go into closed session. Do we have a second? Second. The motion has been made and properly seconded. Any discussion? All those in favor, signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? Motion passes. We are now in closed session and we will reconvene around 7:00 p.m. >> [music] >> Mhm. Uh I move that we return from closed session. Second. We have a motion to return from closed session and it has been properly seconded. Any discussion? >> [clears throat] >> All those in favor, signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? Motion passes. What are we doing next? I move that to the best of each board member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully
003exempted from open meeting requirements under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act were discussed in the closed session and only such public business matters as were identified in the motion by which the closed session was convened were heard, discussed, or considered by the school board. Second. We have a motion and it has been properly seconded. Any discussion? Madam Clerk. Mrs. Sturdevant? I. Mrs. Klein? I. Mr. Moran? I. Mr. North? I. Mrs. Caruso? I. Mr. Bell? I. Mr. Prosek? I. Madam Chair, I move that the board recess its meeting. Second. We have a motion to recess. Any discussion? All those in favor, signify by saying I. Any opposed? Motion passes. Um we will reconvene at 7:00 p.m. Am I supposed to say I put them in the board? Madam Chair, I move that the board reconvene its
004meeting. Second. We have a motion to reconvene and it's been properly seconded. All those in favor, signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? Motion passes. Miss Chair, we have two motions coming out of closed session. I move the board approve the personnel actions as recommended by the superintendent. Second. We have a motion and it's been properly seconded. Any discussion? All those in favor, signify by saying I. Any opposed? Motion passes. >> [snorts] >> Madam Chair, I move the board approve the release of student A from compulsory attendance. Second. We have a motion that's been made and properly seconded. Any discussion? All those in favor, signify by saying I. Any opposed? Motion passes. All right, and please join me for a moment of silence. Thank you. I now ask everyone who is able to stand for
005the pledge of allegiance. Tonight we are being led by William Potter, a student from Millbrook High School. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Next is the consent agenda. Do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? Madam Chair, I move to approve the consent the consent agenda as presented. Second. The motion has been made and properly seconded. Any discussion? All those in favor, signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? Motion passes. We do have one proclamation that we have approved tonight that we would like to read out loud, please, Mr. Bell. Whereas public school volunteers contribute unselfishly to the success of Frederick County Public Schools students, teachers, and support
006staff, and whereas school volunteers support students and teachers inside and beyond the classroom in many ways, regardless of the hour and without monetary gain, and whereas school volunteers act dependently, creatively, and collaboratively to accomplish whatever tasks they are assigned, and whereas school volunteers stretch school district resources to ensure that all Frederick County students receive an excellent education, and whereas school volunteers exhibit care, model the best in citizenship, and create a climate that fosters learning and a love of education, and whereas thousands of volunteers are spending countless hours serving Frederick County Public Schools as chaperones, mentors, after-school tutors, club leaders, booster club members, PTA and PTO members, guest speakers, classroom helpers, and in countless other ways. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that the Frederick County School Board hereby declares the week of April 20th through the
00724th, 2026 as Public School Volunteer Week and urges all citizens to become aware of the volunteer opportunities available with the Frederick County Public Schools and to recognize the dedication and hard work of local volunteers serving students and staff in our schools. Dated this 17th day of March, 2026. All right, thank you, Mr. Bell. Next we get to enjoy a choir performance from James Wood Middle School Choir. We've reserved seats in the front row if everyone here would wouldn't mind joining me to enjoy this performance. Um this is just a very small portion of my sixth grade choir at James Wood Middle School. My name is Sarah Solomon. I am the director there and we are singing two short songs for you. One is Caballito and the other is One Bottle Pop. >> [singing] [singing] >>
008One bottle pop, two bottle pop, three bottle pop, four. >> [singing] [applause] >> All right. Up next are our staff and student recognitions. Dr. Hummer. All right, Madam Chair. Thank you so much. Can we give them another round of applause? They did an amazing job. >> [applause] >> Thank you all very much for allowing us to do that that quarterly presentation of our amazing students. So, good evening and welcome to our Awards of Excellence program. Before we proceed, I would like to ask that everyone stay here through the entire program out of respect for each individual who is being recognized. Once we have completed all of the presentations, you will have an opportunity to leave and enjoy the rest of your evening. In addition, when you come forward for your certificate, please take a moment
009to pause for a picture with Madam Chair and myself. And if you are part of a group, please move over to the right and we will take a group photo as well. So, with that, I'm going to ask Madam Caruso and myself to come on down. Thank you. DECA is a student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. James Wood High School students Lincoln Hahn and Shawn Hodel participated in the DECA State Leadership Conference where they placed first in the category of business growth planning. By placing first, they will have the opportunity to compete at the DECA International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in April. Congratulations. >> [applause] [applause] >> Earlier this month, James Wood High School student Kate Conyer participated in the VHSL Class 4 State Indoor
010Track and Field Championships at Liberty University. Kate placed second in the VHSL Class 4 State Track Championship in the 3200 meter event. Congratulations. >> [applause] >> In February, students from James Wood, Millbrook, and Sherando High Schools participated in the VHSL Class 4 State Wrestling Championships in Virginia Beach. The results are as follows. Representing Millbrook High School, William Potter, 190 lb weight class state champion. >> [applause] [applause] [snorts] [applause] >> Representing Sherando High School, Caden Frock, 106 lb weight class second place. >> [applause] [applause] >> And also representing Sherando High School, Lucas Bauer, 144 lb weight class second place. >> [applause] [applause] >> The Apple Award is given to a teacher who has achieved something which significantly contributes to their school and community, uses creative or innovative instructional techniques, or goes above and beyond for the
011student. The following three teachers from Gainesboro Elementary School were nominated for this award. In a heartfelt nomination, a deployed parent shared how these staff members went well above and beyond to support her children during her time away. And first up, we're going to recognize Ms. Debra McAuley Tokach. >> [applause] [applause] >> And this is what the parent said. Her calm and steady presence was such a gift to both my girls. The sisters lunch she scheduled so my daughters could stay connected to each other was something truly special. Even inviting another set of sisters to bring out that bond was so incredibly thoughtful. Ms. Tokach was has such a beautiful way of making the girls feel seen and I am so grateful she was there. Congratulations. >> [applause] >> And next, the parent recognizes Lauren Lockwood.
012>> [applause] >> I cannot thank her enough for such a thoughtful and creative solution, especially given how quickly everything unfolded. Ms. Lockwood found meaningful ways to keep my daughter engaged and and present and brought me so much joy with her updates. We are also incredibly luck- lucky that our other daughter is also familiar with Ms. Lockwood, becoming an extra source of comfort. Congratulations. >> [applause] >> And next, we'd like to recognize Bridget Bailey. >> [applause] >> Mrs. Bailey gave my daughter the space to navigate her emotions in her own way and served as a steady grounding presence throughout. My daughter needed someone who would trust her process and let her lead and Mrs. Bailey was exactly that person. I appreciate the level of care and trust in allowing her to feel a little uncomfortable knowing
013she can and will grow from it. Thank you. >> [applause] >> The FCPS Honorary Award is given to an individual who demonstrates leadership, excellent character, behavior, and a positive attitude, or makes contributions that have had a measurable impact to the school community. Tonight, we'd like to recognize Mr. Paul Havstevik, or Coach H we should call him, the boys varsity coach basketball coach from James Wood High School. >> [applause] >> And here is the submission from the Myers family. My son, um Sam, who has Down Syndrome, has been a part of the basketball program since his freshman year as a team manager. From day one, the players and staff have treated him not as an outsider, but as a valued member of the team. The culture surrounding this program is genuinely inclusive. Sam benefits from being
014a part of it and just as importantly, the players benefit from learning to work alongside and embrace someone with special needs. Coach H has personally ensured that Sam's experience has been meaningful. In the final game of the season, he coordinated a moment where Sam was able to step onto the court and score a basket. It did not count towards the official score. It did not change the outcome of the game, but it meant everything to Sam and to our family. That moment reflects what education-based athletics should represent: leadership, compassion, inclusion, and community. Coach H models these values daily. He puts in extra time, leads by example, and demonstrates to young men what character looks like in action. His influence extends beyond basketball. He is shaping responsible, empathetic adults. Congratulations. >> [applause] >> And next we
015have a special award. Please join us in welcoming Mr. Calvin Davis, the assistant director of transportation, and Ms. Beth Brown, supervisor of driver operations, and all the other FCPS transportation department staff who may be present to the front, please. >> [applause] >> Come on down. >> [clears throat] >> We are absolutely thrilled to announce that the transportation department has all 100% bus driver positions FULLY STAFFED. >> WOOHOO! >> [applause] >> THAT IS QUITE A FEAT, AND WE WANT TO recognize the entire transportation department for their tireless work in filling these open roles. Congratulations on a job well done. >> [applause] [applause] >> And with that, we have one more award tonight. I'm going to pass it over to Mr. Sturdivant to read that award. We'd also like to take this time to recognize Richard Moore,
016band director, fine arts department chair, and assistant coordinator of student activities. Mr. Moore began his career at FCPS in 1988 and has held many titles during this time. He does everything from chaperoning students on overnight trips to coordinating activities, ensuring everything runs smoothly in a safe and secure manner. He also provides opportunities allowing students to grow in the marching band program. He uses his wisdom and experience to coach and mentor our students. Mr. Moore is an example for all other staff to follow. His selflessness to duty and FCPS is an inspiration to us all, and on a personal note, I've known the man for almost 40 years. And uh I I've I've just awed by all that he does over there, so please join me in welcoming or congratulating Mr. Moore. >> [applause] >> Dr.
017Hammer, you are up next with administrative appointment announcement. >> thank you, Madam Chair. Please join me in congratulating Mrs. Lisa Reed as she's transitioning from accountant to a supervisor of purchasing in the finance department. Come on down, Mrs. Reed. >> [applause] >> Mrs. Reed has devoted much of her career to Frederick County Public Schools. Prior to joining the finance department in November of 2021, Mrs. Reed worked at Admiral Byrd Middle School as a bookkeeper, administrative assistant, and ISA instructional assistant at Bass-Hoover Elementary School as an instructional assistant. Her experience also includes serving as at Randolph-Macon Academy as a college placement coordinator and director of guidance administration. Mrs. Reed holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Fairmont State University. Please join me again in welcoming Mrs. Reed into her new role. >> [applause] >> Well,
018it's super hard to follow all of this back here, but I do want to take a moment to say thank you very much for this opportunity to continue to learn and grow with Frederick County Public Schools. I'm excited to work with the many knowledgeable, um dedicated individuals that serve our staff, our students, and our schools in all the projects and purchases, large and small. So, thank you for the opportunity. [applause] Yeah. That's it. All right, at this point, I would like to pause for those that would like to leave and enjoy the rest of your evening. Please feel free to stay if you wish to do so. All right. Next up is citizen comments. The Frederick County School Board is pleased to receive public comments at each monthly meeting from members of the public, which
019include residents of Frederick County, Virginia, including residents of Winchester City, Virginia. FCPS students, parents and legal guardians of FCPS students, FCPS employees, and businesses located within Frederick County, Virginia. Individuals speaking to the board will be allotted 3 minutes. Those individuals representing groups or organizations will be allotted 5 minutes with one representative per group. Upon recognition by the chair, a speaker should approach the lectern to speak to the school board. Members of the audience and speakers are expected to be courteous to others and model for students how to respectfully participate in public meetings by speaking and behaving in such a manner that adheres to the FCPS code of student conduct. Complaints regarding FCPS employees should first be submitted to the school principal or to the school board office. Complaints regarding individual students should be submitted to
020the school principal or the appropriate school official. The school board is committed to showing respect and courtesy to all citizens. Comments that are not protected under the First Amendment of the US Constitution will not be tolerated. This includes comments that are vulgar, obscene, threatening, and comments that are intended to incite violence or other breaches of the peace. Members of the audience are not permitted to interrupt the speaker or meeting by asking questions or making comments. Signs, posters, placards, banners, or other objects are permitted into the school board's meeting, but only if the individual possessing such items remain in the back of the room so as to not restrict the view of those attending the meeting in person. Violation of the guidelines will result in the chair ruling the speaker out of order. Continued violation may
021result in removal from the premises. The chair has the discretion concerning public participation at school board meetings. School board meetings are tape-recorded for the purpose of clarification and the development of the official minutes. Becky Rager. Um I'm actually going to be reading tonight for Chelsea Dykes out of Back Creek District. She couldn't make it. Uh we often frame safety as a balance between freedom and security, and that to live in a society requires giving up some personal liberties. But what about when the security measures continually strip away our freedom while gaining very little measurable safety in return? I think in fear and panic, no one is doing a thorough calculation of that balance, leading us to implement policies and technologies that are ineffective and costly. This brings me to your new clear bag policy, which
022is highly intrusive while offering very little potential benefit. We often assume a practice like this provides safety without ever verifying it, relying on little better than marketing material and repeated assumptions. Just because other schools have implemented similar policies does not mean that the practice is smart or effective. This is how we wind up implementing security theater. For example, most people don't question TSA's security practices, yet they fail 80 to 95% of the test despite billions of dollars in funding and advanced technology. Restrictive bag policies, metal detectors, and many other invasive practices follow that same path of false assurance. When I Googled how effective clear bag policies are, I got a lot of positive results praising these policies. Weird how these posts came from businesses who sell bags or sites that claim success without pointing to
023any solid evidence. Sites without a direct financial interest told a different story. A lack of evidence for increased safety and experts admitting that these policies are ineffective. The executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers called it an impractical response and said, "I think it is an attempt at trying to do something." Michael Dorn, who leads a nonprofit safety group, called the clear backpack policies a facade of safety that make adults feel safer, but kids see through. One study published in the Journal of School Violence even found the use of clear backpacks within a school is significantly related to an increase in school violence because they send a profound signal to students that they are untrustworthy and safe. So, at a time when we're fighting to fund our schools' band programs, we are
024wasting money and effort on implementing and maintaining ineffective and even counterproductive security policies that just look like something is being done all while infringing on the person's freedoms to attend your offense. I recommend rescinding this policy and evaluating other security policies that rely on unproven assertions or severely restrict our students and other people's right to privacy and autonomy. Thank you. Joel Foust. Good evening. Joel Foust from Gains Gainsboro District. Madam Chair members of the board. I do not actually have prepared statements tonight. Normally I like to write them out so I can speak clearly. Mostly speaking off the cuff here to chime in on the clear bag policy. Um I don't know whose idea it was. I don't know what prompted it. I get it. I I get the idea. But wow. You read through
025it and and it's it just feels like are we doing strip searches next? Like it just seems so overboard for for what? For what? You know, it's if I may uh intend my puns transparently very little actual purpose. Um I don't really know what it's supposed to accomplish other than frankly pissing off a lot of people when they come to the football game and suddenly have to stand in line to prove that they're you know, or they have to go back and put their purses back in the car or can grandma not bring her purse to watch Susie sing at the elementary school you know, chorus or something. It just it just seems way overbearing for I don't know what you know, what the point is cuz it's not actually going to accomplish much. So,
026just wanted to share that perspective. Thanks. All right. Dr. Hummer, you are up next with the Sue report. All right. Thank you, Madam Chair. First, I would like to thank all of our staff and students for their hard work and all the recipients that received awards this evening. I'm always so very deeply impressed and proud of our students and their many many accomplishments. And to be recognized as a state winner here in Frederick County is is a significantly high honor. I'm so so very proud of our students. I also want to thank our staff, our volunteers, and everyone else that makes this school division such an exceptional place to be here for our students. We are all here for kids and the staff we recognized is just the tip of the iceberg of all of
027the amazing individuals that are dedicated to our students and this community. Additionally, I want to give a huge congratulations. I don't think we truly understand how it how hard it is to get a department to be fully staffed. As large as they are, they are fully staffed. And and it was funny because we were looking at all the hires we've had over the last couple months. We're like they have to be fully staffed at this point. So, we definitely wanted to recognize them. I also want to thank Mrs. Campbell and her department cuz they also play a critical role in that as well and in the onboarding and getting all the right people in the right position. So, thank you too for for all of your hard work there. And also want to give a
028big shout-out to our FFA students. They did something prior to COVID every year where they did a little reception for us in the school board and provide refreshments and talk about all the great things they have going on in their lives and all the programs are doing. And we just started up again this year prior to the board meeting. So, thank you all the board members for attending and we we want to thank our students and all of our FFA teachers as well. It's a really big deal here in Frederick County and appreciate [snorts] you guys go always going above and beyond. I also want to thank our school board for recognizing our volunteers. We have a lot of volunteers that come in and out of our schools that help support all of the daily
029things that happen in our buildings from working at concession stands to helping at games to working in hallway duty and stepping in during cafeteria duty. I was at some elementary schools today and there were some parents in there helping and we greatly appreciate all that they do because the adage that it takes a village to raise our students is alive and well. And we thank all of our parents and and I don't I want to stop saying the word COVID. I know that's a big taboo word. But when COVID hit, there was a lot of not as many people coming into our schools with social distancing. So, we want to get back to that. Now, I want to also make sure we reiterate that we have a very very rigorous process to make sure that
030we have the right individuals in our schools. So, we do have a process that we look into. But we are very very thankful for our volunteers and all that they do in our schools. Lastly, again, I want to thank everyone for their efforts to include the Board of Supervisors, our school board in the state in getting us closer to meet our financial needs. We are encouraged that we will continue to see progress in these areas at providing our students with the educational programming they deserve because they are the foundation and the future of this great community. I ask [snorts] that everyone please pay attention not only to this year, but two years to come as we are making significant progress in the strategizing and long-term planning in receiving exactly what our students need, the right
031resources, staffing, and other needs to support our students so that they are able to be successful in meeting their goals. As a reminder, we have a couple meetings coming up. March 25th is when the Board of Supervisors will be having their public hearing on the budget. So, please pay attention to that. On April 8th, the Board of Supervisors will be approving the budget. And then April 14th, we will have a budget work session here with our school board. And then on April 21st, we are tentatively going to be asking our school board to adopt the budget. Of course, if you have any questions, please reach out and this is a critical time to make sure that we get our school division and our students exactly what they need. So, with that, Madam Chair, that is
032all I have. Thank you. All right. And up next is the student representative review. Good evening, Dr. Hummer and members of the board. My name is Gavin Flynn and I'm honored to be serving as one of your student representatives alongside Isabella College men. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today about the important initiatives we've been working on. Recently, Isabella and I have been refining and finalizing our plan for the topics we aim aim to research and advocate for. As part of our preparations and our commitments to better our understanding of the needs of students, both Isabella and I participated in our first student advisory meeting on February 25th. This program serves as an excellent platform for students to get insights and updates into the school board while engaging important and important discussions
033about various issues we observe and experience in our schools. During the student advisory meeting, many new topics were raised, particularly those concerning middle school and elementary school students. Our discussions centered around several essential areas that we would be likely to further examine. One of the key points we explored was that the need to offer elementary level sports programs that would foster teamwork, physical fitness, and a sense of community from a young age. We recognize that building these skills early on can have a lasting impact on students' lives. Addis Additionally, we discussed the impact of establishing study halls for both elementary and middle school level students. These periods could provide time for those who need extra help. Another issue we identified was the outdated physical education equipment being used in our schools. For example, a standard
034size football can be difficult for younger elementary students to handle, but many students reported that this is all they had access to. It's essential that our physical education resources are appropriate for all ages to encourage participation and engagement in activity. Moreover, we recognize the importance of expanding our language opportunities in our curriculum. As our society continues to evolve and become more globalized, giving students the chance to learn additional language has become more crucial than ever. On top of that, we discussed the growing demand for a wider array of elective and gifted opportunities. By allowing students to open explore their interests and talents more freely, we can inspire creativity and a passion for learning that extends beyond the traditional curriculum. Lastly, a significant concern we heard from students was the need for after school transportation options.
035We believe it is vital to ensure that students have equitable access to extracurricular activities, which play an integral role in their academic and personal development. Moving forward, our goal is to engage with as many students as possible to gather their unique perspectives, thoughts, and insights. By amplifying student voice on these issues, we can better understand how to create a more inclusive and supportive educational environment for everyone. We are fully committed to ensuring that these ideas are thoroughly evaluated for their feasibility and relevance so that every student in Frederick County feels heard. Following the student advisory meeting, Isabella and I are taking the initiative to attend numerous principal advisory committee meetings, school study halls, and association media meetings to increase our outreach and connect with our peers. I will now hand it over to Isabella to
036go more over the discussions we've had. >> [laughter] >> Thank you, Gavin. Good evening, members of the board and Dr. Hummer if if you could see me. >> [laughter] >> My name is Isabella College men and I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude for the opportunity to serve as student representative and for the chance to meet with the student advisory group this past month. It has been an incredible experience expanding our outreach not only to high school students but also to middle and elementary school students throughout the district. As Gavin mentioned, we met with several student advisory groups and spoke with many students individually to better understand their perspectives. >> [snorts] >> Through these conversations, we have been able to assess areas where students feel improvements or additional support may be needed. One
037topic that came up frequently was the grading scale and we have noted this and other concerns as we continue to gather feedback from students. Not only have we made it a priority to listen to students but we are also beginning to think about ways we can help address these challenges. Our goal is to work collaboratively with teachers and administrators to help find solutions that support both students and educators. In addition, during this past past month, Gavin and I attended a meeting to help establish the first student representative social media platform. Through this platform, we hope to strengthen the connection between students and the school board. We plan to share updates from school board meetings in a format such as what this means for students, conduct conduct short interviews with board members and the superintendent so
038students can become more familiar with the people behind the policies in our schools and post updates about school closures, spirit weeks and other events that highlight the great opportunities within our district. While we have made meaningful progress this month, it is important to remember that we are still in the process of developing a larger plan for 2026. As we continue this work, we look forward to receiving guidance and feedback from the school board on how we can best serve and represent the student body. We are grateful for the opportunity to represent our peers and we remain committed to ensuring that student voices are not only heard but meaningfully included in the conversations that shape our schools. Thank you. All right. Last but not least, we have the school health advisory committee report. There we go.
039I did it. Uh good evening members of the board. Good evening Dr. Hammer. My name is Jeff Landy. I'm the I'm just change that up. I'm the chair of the school health advisory committee and I'll be representing them tonight. We've had a pretty good year. It's been a busy year for health in general. Um so they took some of our thunder but that's okay. We've got some good things to talk about tonight and I was especially glad to hear some of the things that Mr. Flynn was talking about. They do dovetail nicely with what we were thinking. So we've got kind of three pillars that we follow at the school health advisory committee. You know, information gathering, sending out surveys, things like that. Mental health but this year we decided to focus on move more.
040You know, increasing physical activity, increasing physical health in that way. So So one of the things that we we we'd brainstormed a a million different ideas and some of the things that we focused on that that have already started happening in various parts of the school district are getting some school run clubs going. So Middletown already has one going. The big the big kind of hurdle there is finding you know, a staff sponsor and finding somebody who wants to to run that to so to speak. And that can be any sort of thing. I know the one at Middletown, they do a very casual like it's just running. They don't go for any races. They're not dropping kids and and leaving them crying on the track but there's certainly [clears throat] room for a kind
041of different levels of that as as hopefully they start to build up more. I think the first focus we would want is to increase the school participation so get more schools on board for that. Another fun idea that I think actually dovetails pretty well with what Mr. Flynn was talking about is that we would love to try to get some interscholastic competition. There have been examples of some of our board members talked about either when they were growing up or kids in other school districts having like an elementary school track meet. You get all the all the kids together from each of the elementary schools and you set up some sort of track and field event and it doesn't have to be the 100, the 200, the 400. You could do you know, balloon toss
042for distance instead of a shot put but getting some good competition going early, teaching kids that you know, competitive athletics can be fun. That physical fitness doesn't have to be you know, working in a gold's gym for 6 hours a week. Like it can be fun and it's just moving your body. Oh, I I didn't mention. We want to get together and we haven't had a chance yet with the athletic advisory committee because I would I suspect that they would have some good input and also probably some resources for us. So that would be kind of group efforts, bigger things for entire schools to be involved in on things that you could do not on a prescribed time but just just as an ongoing thing. Some school districts have done step tracking and this could
043be for staff too. I know that our our um facilitator Pam said that at one point there was kind of an exercise log that you could do and this was years ago and maybe there were even some rewards at the end of it if you logged a certain number of exercises days over the course of a semester or a month or something like that. Because it is important I think for faculty and staff to also focus on physical health here and there. Um They're your people too. Um So that could be something that's a little less structured and a little more you know, pass out a form and kids fill it out or teachers fill it out, drop it in a box. Pull a name out of a hat and maybe you get a little
044prize. There is a program it's primarily in the UK but obviously translate pretty easily to American. The Daily Mile and that is just kind of a pledge for each of these schools that participate in the UK. They spend 15 minutes a day outside walking, running, something, engaging in movement as a as a group with the focus of you know, moving more every day, progressing some sort of physical activity. The downside of that is obviously that requires more scheduling in an already packed school day. So we have a real small ask. I don't even know if it's an ask at all but the next step for all of this is to start reaching out to um not not school like not district wide surveys cuz nobody likes those but to reach out to individual staff and
045faculty as we kind of get word of mouth that hey, you were interested. Do you have any friends at other schools that are interested? To start getting these faculty and staff volunteers that we need to kind of sponsor program at each of these schools. Um You know, they don't they don't necessarily have to be the one coaching the kids if if that's what's going on in the program but they do we do need that kind of leadership there. So that is that is our ask. So thank you for listening to my brief presentation. Like I said, we had a pretty good year. We did add one member to our board this year. If you have any friends who want to join a committee we could use some more. Um yeah. That's all I've got. Thank
046you. So can we reach out to staff and faculty? Is that okay? We can bug them. We're good. I wasn't sure how formal that needed to be. Yeah, so Madam Chair, if I may. So you all can ask [clears throat] questions and interact because this is this is your advisory. Madam Chair, I can answer this question. We're more than happy to follow up with you so we can talk about it to do it correctly as you mentioned sending things out to the whole staff and faculty. We get that very quickly cuz we don't want those to go out every week but we can definitely get Okay. Okay. Sounds good. All right. Thank you guys. I think that's what we meant. >> [laughter] >> Yeah. All right. Next is new business. First up is the building
047and grounds committee report with Mr. Prosek. Thank you. Meeting of the building and grounds committee of the Frederick County Public School Board was held on March 2nd, 2026. The meeting was called to order promptly at 5:00 p.m. and a copy of the minutes has been provided to each board member. During [snorts] the meet during the meeting, Mr. Cayton shared CAP update. Mr. Shepherd discussed the CIP project and redistricting [snorts] update. Mr. Holland interview reviewed the transportation update. Mr. Thurgood shared a safety and security update. Mr. Thompson discussed the contract award for the HVAC RTUs for Dial J. Howard and the contract award for casework and millwork for Middletown Elementary School. The meeting was adjourned at 5:33 p.m. Additional details regarding the committee meeting are included in the minutes provided to board members. Do board members
048have any questions about what was covered at the building and grounds committee held on March 2nd? I have a couple of motions here. I move the board approve the contract award to Hobbs and Associates for HVAC RTUs for Dial J. Howard in the amount of $245,690. Second. >> [snorts] >> Motion has been made and properly seconded. Is there any discussion? All those in favor, signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? Motion passes. I move the board approve the contract award to the diversified education system incorporated for Middletown Elementary School millwork and casework in the amount of $280,110. Second. The motion has been made and properly seconded. Is there any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. Any opposed? Motion passes. I move the board approve the minutes from the from the building and
049grounds committee held on March 2nd, 2026. Second. The motion has been made and properly seconded. Is there any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. Any opposed? Motion passes. All right, next up is the finance committee report with Mrs. Klein. Thank you, Madam Chair. A meeting of the finance committee of the Frederick County School Board was held on March 5th. The meeting was called to order at 4:32 p.m. and a copy of the minutes has been provided to each board member. During the meeting, Mrs. Anderson reviewed the operating fund which included the fiscal year 2027 state revenue estimates and baseline expense adjustments and other FCPS funds to include the school nutrition fund, the school textbook fund, and the debt service fund. Mrs. Seibert discussed the capital projects fund, the private purpose fund, the
050consolidated services fund, the construction fund, the health insurance fund, and the special grants fund. Mrs. Anderson reviewed the in-rep operating and textbook fund and gave information on the state bonus. The meeting adjourned at 5:04 p.m. Additional details regarding information covered at the finance committee meeting are included in the minutes provided to board members. Are there any questions for from board members about the information shared at the finance committee meeting held on March 5th, 2026? All right, seeing none, we just have one motion, Madam Chair. I move the board approve the minutes from the from the finance committee meeting held on March 5th, 2026. I second it. The motion has been made and properly seconded. Is there any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. Any opposed? Motion passes. Next up is the personnel
051committee report with Mr. North. A meeting of the personnel committee of the Frederick County School Board was held on March 9th, 2026. The meeting was called to order at 5:02 p.m. and a copy of the minutes has been provided to each board member. During the meeting, Ms. Rinker gave a staffing update and Ms. Campbell shared the turnover trends. Ms. Rinker also gave a recruitment and retention update which included celebrations of recruitment efforts and continued plans. And Ms. Lisa Jaffy Wilfong, a teacher at Gainsboro Elementary School, discussed the grow your own spotlight program. Ms. Campbell gave a health insurance design update and a human capital management system update. The meeting adjourned at 5:39 p.m. Additional details regarding the information covered at the committee meetings are included in the minutes provided to the board members. Are there
052any questions from the board members about information shared at the personnel committee meeting held on March 9th? All right, Madam Chair, there's one motion out of uh the personnel committee and that is I move to uh the board to approve the minutes from the personnel committee meeting held on March 9th, 2026. Second. The motion has been made and properly seconded. Is there any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. Any opposed? Motion passes. And lastly, we have the instruction committee report with Mr. Baum. A meeting of the instruction committee of the Frederick County School Board was held on March 9, 2026. The meeting called to order at 6:03 p.m. and a copy of the minutes has been provided to each board member. During the meeting, Dr. Hammer reviewed the agenda. Mr. Bishop discussed
053the career and technical education aviation program grant proposal. Ms. Dodd and Ms. Swagger reviewed the curriculum development procedure and Ms. Kaufman shared the office of special instructional services OSIS task force update. The meeting adjourned at 6:49 p.m. Additional details regarding the information covered at the committee meeting are included in the in the minutes provided to board members. Are there any questions from board members about information shared at the instruction committee meeting held on March the 9th? We do have one motion coming out of that and that is to I move the board approve the minutes from the instruction committee meeting held on March 9, 2026. Second. The motion has been made and properly seconded. Is there any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. Any opposed? Motion passes. Do we have any board
054member comments tonight? I'll be real brief, I promise. Really. So, I want to thank um Ms. Rinker and Mr. Faust for coming forward to talk about the uh clear bag policy. I've been hearing uh quite a bit about that as well from my constituents and uh it's something that I want to further discuss with uh my fellow members and also with the superintendent. So, thank you very much for bringing that to light. I appreciate it. Um and congratulations to everybody who deserves a congratulations. Madam Chair, I just have a few comments. Kidding, I just wanted to see you squirm. Um I The only thing I did want to comment on I wanted to take this time and I know they're not in our school district, but they're in our community, uh the John Handley High
055School boys basketball team um they brought home the program's first VHSL state title and it was the 50th state championship in John Handley High School history. So, I just thought we should recognize that was a fantastic achievement. I'm done. Well, on that note, I'll say how about them girls from Clark County, too. Yeah. Absolutely. A lot of great local athletes and do you have anything to say? Did you want I'm sorry. No, >> [laughter] >> I just continue to be um proud of the work Gavin and Isabella are putting into your roles. Um I know I can't see you. Um >> [laughter] >> but you know, I thought it was a a pretty cool initiative coming on in January, but then to see you two take it and run with it. Um and see meaningful,
056purposeful uh work it is pretty awesome. And I don't know if you know, I'm sure you're reading off your paper and you're pretty focused on what you're saying, but literally most of this room smiles listening to you guys report out. So, um I really appreciate it and I hope you guys continue that throughout the year. That is all. I'll echo the rest of my board members' comments. We recognized a lot of state champions, Clark County, Handley, but I will say that my favorite part of these meetings is listening to the student rep reports and let me know what your social media is because I'm going to give it to my daughter so she knows what we're up here doing. Um Did Did anybody else have any comments? All right. Um we have one announcement for
057tonight. Our next school board meeting will be on April 21st. Madam Chair, I move to adjourn. Second. The motion to be to adjourn has been made and properly seconded. All those in favor signify by saying I. Any opposed? Motion passes. We adjourn.