BOE Regular Meeting - June 10, 2025

001regular meeting of the board of education to order. The next board of education meeting is scheduled on Tuesday, June 24th at 7:30 p.m. in the board of education meeting room. Thank you all for being here this evening. We have a packed agenda, so I'll keep my remarks pretty short. Um, we're really excited to celebrate all of the students and families that are in here tonight. We're starting a few minutes late because we had a chance to celebrate our retirees. And so we're certainly so very grateful for all of the staff members uh who have served our district for so long. And what did you say, Alan? Five, they represented 500 years of service. Yeah, they have team represented over 500 years of collective experience. That's pretty amazing. And we feel very grateful as a town

002to have had their their talent and their expertise and their care our for our children. Um, some of you may be here tonight to talk about the calendar. Um, if you are here to talk about the calendar, please know that the board of education is likely to um, listen to what Dr. Adley has to say. He has a second proposal with a Friday. Um, but we're probably not going to vote until uh, our next meeting in June. So, um, I'd encourage you just to, you know, if you have something really brief to say that that's great, but we've heard from a lot of you um, about the PLC days. So, if you do us a favor, if you do want to speak tonight, keep your remarks pretty brief and understand, uh, we've heard from a

003lot of you. We care deeply. We're grateful for your engagement, and we're going to continue to talk. Um, okay. With that, I will move to public comment. Good evening. For those in person or online that would like to participate in public comment, please approach the podium and wait to be recognized or use the raised hand icon. Once once recognized, please state your name and address for the record and note that you will have up to three minutes to comment. Just there's a couple. Yeah. Hi. Uh, good evening, Crystal Hill, CDSP chair, 300 Brookside Road. Uh, I am speaking tonight regarding the proposed changes to the 2526 school calendar. School calendar. This has been a topic that has generated a lot of conversation among district parents and our PTOs and CDSP board have certainly also received

004a lot of feedback from parents. I believe many parents have also reached out to the admin and a board of ed directly. Um I'm just going to summarize what seems to be the overwhelmingly opinion of parents. Uh parents fully support that teachers need to have additional professional learning for the purpose of adapting to the new elementary literacy curriculum. They want teachers to feel supported with the tool and have the tools they need to be successful. And of course, they want their children's teachers to be ready to effectively teach them literacy skills. However, many parents are concerned with the loss of learning hours and a disruption to the daily schedule that 10 delayed arrival days would cause. Uh 10 10 delayed arrival days on Mondays specifically throughout the school year is a significant disruption and logistical

005challenge for many households. The calendar as proposed places a significant burden on families of our youngest learners. Uh many parents have suggested alternative solutions that would still support our teachers professional development needs while easing impact on families. Could the district consider a full day of professional learning? Parents can more easily plan for full days off, especially if they would align with holidays like Indigenous People Day or Veterans Day. Those are holidays that neighboring districts already observe and would be better aligned with uh more child care or camp options. Is there a way to offer supervised enrichment or supplemental activities for students on professional learning days? This would allow teachers to engage in training without disrupting schedules. And at the very least, could these late arrival days be moved to Fridays? Many parents have more flexibility

006at the end of the week, uh, making Fridays less logistically challenging. We appreciate your willingness to consider and discuss these alternatives and know that you are balancing many things such as financial implications and contractual obligations. Whatever decision is ultimately made, we just ask for clear and frequent communication with families about these changes. Many of us, all of us are overwhelmed with endofear responsibilities right now. Important updates will be missed. Please consider following up with additional communication over the summer and at at the start of the school year. So, families are well informed and can plan accordingly. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening, respected members of board of education, administrators and community members. Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak tonight. I'm very grateful to be here. My name is Alina Shazad. I'm a

007rising senior at Darian public schools and I'm here to kindly request that the board of education looks at another request to the calendar that regards to the holidays of Eidal Fther and Eidal Adhab to be recognized as official holidays in our school district calendar. I would like to take a moment first in this request to paint a picture briefly of how special these holidays are to the Darian residents who practice Islam like me and how it may resident resonate with listeners who deeply value celebrating Christmas or Yam Kapor. The feeling of an Eid morning is truly unmatchable. It's like a reward for the past 30 days of fasting for Ramadan. Although Ramadan is when my stomach is most empty, it's when my heart is most full. Eid is that day of celebration. That celebration of

008the spiritual growth we have fulfilled and the room filled with Eid Mubarak, wishes, smiles and hugs followed by feasts with family and heartfelt gratitude. It is our most sacral sacred and joyful day. The second Eid Eidal Adha is a day where we celebrate sacrifice and community and service which is another deeply important value. Another few deeply important values in our faith. Yet despite these occasions being so auspicious and close to the hearts of followers of a major religion in the world, Muslim students and and faculty in Darian do not get these days off. We are forced to choose between our religious obligations and staying on track at school. In my experience as an AP and honors student, I always choose to enjoy my holiday, but I return to work to school to face a daunting

009pile of missed work and exams. Ramadan itself is already a deeply challenging month. Fasting from sunrise to sunset while balancing academic responsibilities, extracurriculars, and late night prayers often leaves me physically drained, though spiritually fulfilled. I do my best to stay engaged in class while running on minimal energy and limited sleep. But it is not easy. Then to return from Eid from our one day of joy and rest only to be overwhelmed with school work feels especially discouraging. Meanwhile, our calendar grants over a week for Christmas. All we're asking for is two days, one for each Eid. Other districts across Connecticut have already made this change, including Norwok, Stamford, who recognized Eid as official holidays for their district calendars in 2023, I mean 2022, and Fairfield followed in 2023, as well as Trumbull, West Haven, Avon,

010and South Windsor have all also taken this step. And while it is true that these districts like Stanford and Norwok and Trumbull have larger and more visibly diverse Muslim populations, that doesn't mean that the needs of smaller communities like ours should go unseen. In fact, the relative lack of diversity in Darian is all the more reason to take this step. Recognizing Eid would not only support students and staff and families who are here now, but it would also send a powerful message that Darien values equity and inclusion and celebration. I'm sorry, I think I'm out of time, but thank you for considering me. I do thank my teachers for being very flexible for me and um allowing me to communicate with them during times like those, especially Mr. Mazone who has shown a lot of

011support to this specific um request of mine. Thank you and have a nice night. Thank you. Hello, my name is Sheila Quinn. I'm at 51 Camp Avenue and I'm here as a member of the RTM and the education committee and we had a special meeting last night where we unanimously uh decided or agreed on that the Monday morning option was not viable. It's not viable for the reasons that the first speaker spoke of and I want to reiterate that on behalf of this group of the RTM. I also want to say that I was very surprised that a lot of the teachers don't know anything about what's going on and it's kind of this surprise vote that's happening and we have to hurry up and decide and and I want want to really reiterate how

012important I think it is that we in incorporate the teachers in the decision-making process and I'd also like to say that uh Friday let's say Friday afternoons would work best but there's also the idea of a 4-hour that we could try to get the teachers to learn in a bigger chunk of time and make it a little more significant for them. Anyway, I want to thank you all for your work this year. I know it's been a big year and I know it's been a tough tough work to to get done, but thank you very much. Thank you. I'm Doug Aijen. I'm a Darian resident and I've written four public op-ed articles in which I raise questions about the suitability and educational value of books in the school library that sexualize children and unfairly stereotype

013some students. I have also been falsely accused by a locally elected official of being the author of an anonymous website following a failed artificial intelligence experiment. That's not a joke. Regardless, elected officials shouldn't threaten community members that exercise free speech, anonymous or not. Per my opeds, the articulated rationale for the books I highlight is that they're necessary for the mental health of underrepresented subgroups, despite the fact that they contain pictorial depictions of minors performing oral sex on one another, a child whose genitalia is exposed underneath a Batman t-shirt, urinating on another boy, and masturbation tutorials among siblings. And the list goes on. Literature has a responsibility to reflect society, but I reject the district's false equivalence between representation and sexualized stereotypes. This is degrading, disempowering, and infantilizing. Reenacting student sexual fantasies in a public school

014library is not a robust mental wellness strategy. We don't accept content involving urination or incest adjacent material in any other educational or therapeutic contexts. Lip service to mental health is not a moral shield to justify nihilism. The district's insistence this book that books like these are necessary to quote prevent suicide, anxiety, and depression end quote raises broader questions about social emotional learning as a whole. Castle, the biggest driver of nationally, states that the ultimate goal of is to redistribute power and transform society. Castle is unapologetically an activist organization far from politically neutral. Schools need to be discerning about their strategic allegiances. Do Darienne's leaders believe that redistribution of power is the purpose of a public school? Why are 12-year-olds and Darianne being asked to take surveys that attempt to quantify suicidal ideiation without real informed

015consent from parents? Who decided nothing in for nothing in cartoon form can be considered pornographic, no matter how vulgar. If I unveiled the aforementioned images right now, would those responsible stand by them or attempt to remove me from the room? What is the difference between a preventative mental health program exempt from HIPPA compliance and parental oversight and unsolicited psychological treatment? These are the questions I raise in my public opeds. A random parent like me should not be the one initiating this discussion. To the board, pretending this material doesn't exist will continue to undermine trust. Also, slandering and doxing community members to settle political grievances discredits your great service to the community. Please stop. two parents. We're all busy, but I implore you to pay attention and demand answers to the questions I posed. Lack of

016transparency on one side and complacency on the other is how we got here. Thank you. Would anybody else in person like to participate? Anybody online, please use the raised hand icon? We have no raised hands at this time. Okay, that we'll move on to the superintendent report. Alan, uh thank you to uh the members of PTO and um to our staff uh for all of the stepping up ceremonies that have sort of kicked off um with graduations at the end of the week and start of next week. Thank you for all all of your assistance for making those special occasions. Uh we congratulate our young people who are before us this evening, probably with their parents and uh relatives and um uh siblings. Uh you represent the very best uh in our district and uh

017you're being recognized tonight for personifying the attributes of the district mission statement which is exhibiting a love of learning as critical thinkers, innovative creators uh who contribute to the world with integrity and actually beyond yourselves which basically means thinking of others and improving uh the world around you. So congratulations. We're going to uh recognize you momentarily after after my remarks and uh welcome to uh the families who are in attendance. Also, I just want to recognize one more time the retirees. I wish I could take you and just plunk me in where we just came from. um the remarks uh that were made by the retirees about the quality of education here in Derenne uh the meaningfulness of uh parental participation and just how uh much a teacher can uh change a life. So um

018congratulations to our 18 uh retirees um as they move forward and we wish them um success, happiness and u health in in the years ahead. uh summer school uh DSS and extended summer schools will commence Monday the uh 23rd June 23rd. It concludes July 25th and uh ESY will have two bridge weeks in July uh and early August. Uh at this point um we have one more meeting before the end of the year but this is the last one before graduation. So I just want to uh wish everyone here the last few days of school. I hope you have some quality time this summer. Actually deliberately make some memories, re rejuvenate, reconnect um and make some special summer memories with your friends and I extend my gratitude and appreciation for your collective efforts and support

019this year for all the children in Darian and the support uh of the staff. At this point we'd like to make uh one special recognition and that's for one of our board members who will be leaving us and uh that is Brena who's our student rep. Uh Brena is a senior and she has conscientiously and confidently uh represented the high school student body um along with Ryan. Ryan will be here next year. Um but Brena is uh leaving us and she's going off to University of Texas Austin. Um she's just a wonderful talented individual. Uh well-rounded um has taken advantage of everything we have to offer here in Derenne. Uh uh Brena, you will be uh sorely missed. Um we thank you for all of your contributions here at the table and perhaps most especially

020back uh in the school itself and the board we get for you. Oh. All right. Do you want to show us what it is? Come on. Everybody's time to see it. [Music] Show them. How are you going? Okay. And with that, Brena and Ryan, would you like to tell us what's going on, please? I guess [Laughter] he's got a lot to say. But yeah, first of all, I just thank for everything she's done here. Incredible. Provide so much to this board, to this community. So, thank very thankful for her. Our boys tennis team recently won a state championship being maintained 43 class. So, good job, especially Milwaukee, who won a week this week county. Our girls lacrosse team had their semi-finals match for states uh tonight. I think it started a few minutes ago. So

021hope the best for them and for all the rest of our students. They have their first round of finals this last Monday and last Friday. So hoping for them and this next finals tomorrow. Thank you. Ry anything to add? Um, so for those of you who don't know, when I first came to the board of ed, um, however many months ago, I was 15 minutes late. I, uh, went to town hall for whatever reason, and then had to wait for my ride to come out. And, um, you all waited. you all were here and um welcomed me with open arms and open minds and all that I had to do to succeed in this role was just to come and to be myself and sorry uh speak from the heart speak to what I know

022is right and what I know uh I feel and for that I'm forever grateful you all have instilled in me and in this community and all who are watching um the greatest message that could ever be broadcasted which is that um we are malleable and we um sorry we are malleable and there is room for change. Yes, we will change and all voices are welcome. Um we have we have great equality um Times are times are tough right now for many people and yet we still come together every other Tuesday and uh we all have a place. We all come to this table or this horseshoe and um we we we are the folks in we we speak to all who composer all different places um creates colors and it's just so inspiring to me.

023So I can't thank you all enough for your grace and your um kindness and your work. Um please never stop fighting for us students and thank you so much. Thank you. Well, that approval of the minutes hardly seems like a an appropriate follow-up, but that is where we are in the agenda. So, may I have a motion to approve the following the minutes of the regular meetings held on May 7th, 2025? That is Dennis, seconded by John. All those in favor? That is unanimous. Thank you, Joanna. Thank you for taking the minutes tonight. Feel free to give us a holler anytime if the second was John. Yeah. Yeah, that's fine. Holler anytime. Okay. Um board committee reports have anyone? No. Okay. Uh presentation, discussions, and possible action. We'll start with the superintendence awards. Why a

024lot of you are here tonight. Thank you. We will get right at it. Um we look forward to recognize our students tonight. Uh, it's an exciting night for me personally. Uh, so we have a leadoff batter of principal. Is it who? Pardon? Henley. It's Henley. Mr. Cooper. Where's Mr. Cooper? Mr. Cooper's up first. Good to go. All right. HD Scosafa is a compassionate and thoughtful fifth grade student who demonstrates kindness, integrity, and a genuine concern for others. Whether offering help to a classmate, including others in recess games, or in class discussions, Teddy is an upstander and speaks up for what he feels is right. Teddy takes responsibility for his actions, follows classroom charters and Henley expectations, and can always be counted on to make respectful and responsible choices. He's a dedicated and enthusiastic learner who

025shows a true love of learning in everything he does, especially reading. You will always find Teddy with a book in hand and is mind ready to take a journey. With a strong sense of integrity, Petty makes honest and thoughtful choices both in and out of the classroom. He approaches challenges with a positive attitude and and encourages others to do their best in the classroom, on the playground, or in the swimming pool. Teddy contributes positively to our community and inspires peers through both words and actions. It is my proud honor to be awarding Teddy this year's Superintendence Award. Go ahead. There's no way to So this is Daniel. Um, the superintendence award celebrates the hard work, dedication, and exceptional achievements of our young learners. But this award is not just about high grades and test scores.

026It recognizes a student who embodies our district's mission. Someone who demonstrates a love of learning, critical thinking, innovation, creativity, and a desire to contribute to the world with integrity and a purpose beyond themselves. The students selected for this award are chosen first by their peers and then by their teachers. This year, the recipient for homeschool is a young man who truly exemplifies these ideals, Daniel Garcia. Daniel's love of learning is evident in the classroom every day. He gets excited about learning new topics, asks insightful questions that make everyone think, and truly enjoys the journey of discovery. Daniel has a genuine curiosity about the world around us and he approaches every topic with an open mind and is eager to understand the why behind the what. Beyond his enthusiasm for knowledge, Daniel possesses a remarkable ability

027to think critically. He doesn't take things at face value. He analyzes, questions, and evaluates. He carefully examines things and forms his own well-reasoned conclusions in class discussions. His thoughtful contributions often f offer fresh perspectives and encourage his peers to consider ideas from different angles. Do you know you do all these things? Daniel is both innovative and creative. He doesn't just solve problems. He envisions new and imaginative solutions. Whether it's finding a unique approach to a science experiment or inventing a kid-friendly headset with a retractable cord, which he really did, Daniel consistently demonstrates an ability to think outside the box and bring fresh ideas to the table. His creativity isn't just about artistic expression. It's a mindset of possibility. But what truly makes Daniel so special is his desire to contribute to the world with integrity

028and a purpose beyond himself. He has a remarkable awareness and empathy for those around him. Daniel cares about doing what's right, about being kind to others, and about making our world a better place for all of us. He reminds us that our actions matter and that even young people can have a big impact. He approaches everything he does with honesty, respect, and a strong moral compass. Daniel, your intellectual curiosity, insightful ideas, creative spirit, and compassionate heart make you a truly exceptional young man. We're incredibly proud of all you've accomplished, and we're excited to witness the amazing things you will undoubtedly achieve in the future. Congratulations, Nigo Gonzalez is the best of what it means to be part of a school community. Someone who shows integrity, empathy, resilience, and leadership through his actions, not just his

029words. Nico joined Oxbridge School in 2023 after moving to the United States from Colombia. At that time, he spoke very little English and was stepping into an entirely new world. Navigating a new school and culture can be overwhelming for anyone. But Nico faced these challenges with courage, humility, and an open heart. His first friendships in Derenne begin with a simple question on the playground. Nico, you want to shoot some hoops? He didn't know what that meant at first. But with the help of his teacher, he quickly learned it meant basketball. And with that, he found not just a game, but a growing circle of friends. And Nico still loves to play basketball and soccer at recess and in his free time. Both to spend time with his friends and also to make new ones. But

030from the start, Nico showed a quiet strength even when things were hard. When the language was unfamiliar or when he felt unsure, he never let it stop him. He approached each day with positivity and willingness to try. He made friends not just because others reached out to him, but because he radiated kindness and invited connection. Over the past three years, Nico has embraced every part of the learning process. He worked closely with his teachers, teachers like Miss Rango, Miss Coin, Miss Rosing, Miss Hulcom, Miss Hoffer, and Miss Watson. And through their support along with his own determination, Nico's confidence grew and he now speaks and reads and writes English with ease. And perhaps even more impressively, he uses his voice to uplift others. His journey is more than just an acade academic growth. It's a

031story of perseverance, self-discovery, and the power of community. Nico has shown us all what it means to stay true to yourself while striving to become your best self. He's lived the Oxridge school code each day. He's kind and accepting. He's honest and responsible. He's safe and peaceful. And he's respectful to all. That belief coming from a young person who's already shown so much maturity and insight reminds us why this award exists. Nico's story has moved us. His attitude has inspired us and his heart has made our school a better place. Congratulations, Nico. Good evening everyone. Everyone, I am pleased to congratulate Owen Machalis for being selected as this year's superintendence award recipient from Royal School. Owen was chosen by his peers as well as our faculty and staff for consistently demonstrating the qualities of a

032critical thinker, an innovative creator, a true love of learning, and most importantly, empathy and kindness toward all. Owen is deeply respected by his classmates and teachers. He has been a Royal student since kindergarten and it has been a pleasure to watch him grow over the years. Owen takes our royal kids code seriously and every day he brings its tenants to life. Kind, accepting, honest, responsible, safe, peaceful, and respectful. In sharing his speech with our faculty and staff, Owen gave heartfelt examples of how he has served the community beyond himself. He has been an active member of the Royal Student Council for the past two years, participates in the person-toperson food drives, and supports fundraising efforts such as the Darian Depot Turkey Trot and Jump Rope for Heart. Owen believes his strength lies in making others

033feel included. Whether it's inviting someone to join him at recess or sitting with him at lunch, a quote that stands out to him is from the book Wonder. In a world where you can be anything, be kind. Owen certainly lives by this through both his words and his actions. Owen has shown a strong love of learning and a commitment to his schoolwork. He works hard and is determined to improve every day. He accepts help when needed and has grown into an avid reader during his time at Royal. His classroom teachers, Mrs. Rosen and Miss Tedesco, share that Owen works well with others, has tremendous patience, and consistently puts forth his best effort. Everyone enjoys being around him. Owen shows kindness and empathy to everyone at Royal. His smile alone can brighten anyone's day. During his

034speech, he personally thanked each and every one of his teachers at Royal, sharing something specific he learned from each of them. He was articulate, warm, and spoke from the heart. Owen's parents have nurtured his growth and been active partners in his learning throughout his time at Royal. They've been his biggest cheerleaders, skillfully balancing encouragement of Owen's independence with advocacy when needed. The care and compassion they've shown in collaboration with the Royal team are clearly refle reflected in the young person Owen is today. Thank you for sharing Owen with us. Thank you for the opportunity to recognize Owen tonight. He has worked hard during his journey at Royal School and his determination, perseverance, integrity, and empathy have truly paid off. We are proud to have Owen join the distinguished group of past superintendent award recipients, and

035we know he will continue to do great things in middle school and beyond. Congratulations, Owen. Yeah. All right, good evening. Uh, it is my pleasure to speak about a truly remarkable individual, Lawrence Zang, Tokenique's recipient of the Superintendent Award. Lawrence might be a quiet, even shy student at first, but for those who know him, a sharp mind and truly kind heart quickly become evident. Lawrence, though quiet, possesses a remarkably sharp mind. Sorry, you read that part. Beyond the academics, Lawrence contributes to the world with integrity and purpose. His quiet strength shines through his consistent kindness and profound respect. He thoughtfully ensures no one feels left out, often extending a quiet invitation at lunch or during games. In class, he patiently helps peers with challenging math concepts, demonstrating a selfless dedication to their success, and he

036responsibly volunteers as a campus safety monitor, contributing to our school community. What truly sets Lawrence apart is his remarkable generosity. Often stemming from his humble and considerate nature, he quietly helps others, never seeking to outshine anyone. This profound selflessness is further demonstrated by his regular donations to those in need in various charities making tangible differences in the world. It is an honor to celebrate Lawrence's achievements tonight. Congratulations, Lawrence, on this well-deserved superintendence award. We eagerly anticipate the incredible contributions you will continue to make in the years to come. Thank you. nominated by her peers and selected by her teachers. Kayla Dupal exemplifies good citizenship. Kayla joined Middle Sex Middle School at the beginning of seventh grade and leaped into our community as a fully invested participant. She's a natural and altruistic leader known for her

037ability to befriend and collaborate with anyone. Kayla meets, accepts, and welcomes people where and as they are. In her time at MMS, Kayla has had a large impact contributing to our community through our student council and the ambassadors program through which she's welcomed other incoming students to our school. As someone in my own first year at Middle Sex, I can attest to Kayla's beaming personality, her welcoming smile, and her abundant school pride. Kayla approaches her learning with curiosity and diligence, which is reflected in her classroom participation and her outstanding academic record. Kayla meets challenges with grace and advocates thoughtfully for what is right and what is good for herself, her peers, and her community. She exudes kindness. Kayla, it is a testament to your personality and character that in your abbreviated time at MMS, you

038have earned this recognition. But for those of us who have the honor of getting to know you, it's not at all a surprise. You are the epitome of what we hope to inspire in our district mission. A critical thinker and innovative creator who contributes and will continue to contribute to the world with integrity and purpose beyond yourselves. Congratulations, Ka Kle. We are so proud and so grateful for you. So we'll begin with Janius Prius. a compassionate, outgoing, intelligent, and mature young woman. She is a natural leader both in and out of the classroom and possesses a keen awareness of the needs of others rare among her peers. As president of the student body, she relies upon her incomparable poise and confidence to empower others, ensuring that every voice is heard and every opinion valued. Janius

039works tenaciously for what she wants to accomplish and fiercely defends what she believes in. Whether she's organizing fundraisers or leading her cross country team, her dedication is unwavering. Janius is an unstoppable force for good. When she walks into the room, fun follows and her blue wave spirit is unmatched. Her commitment to creating a school climate in which all students share a sense of belonging is her enduring legacy. Janaris is recognized for this award by her school community because of who she is now and who she is destined to become. She has the love, respect, and admiration of classmates and teachers alike, and we are so proud to count her among our graduates. Janius will be sorely missed at DHS, and Holy Cross will surely be a better place because she has chosen to pursue her

040studies there. Congratulations to you, Jirus. We can't wait to see what the future holds for you. Got it. Charlie was in my advisory. So he he got he got uh forced into the cell phone advisory group. I should have put that in the speech, but I didn't think of it. Charlie Sedllock is a standout in the DHS community. His easygoing nature, inviting smile, engaging energy, and compassionate spirit connect him to students and teachers alike. Charlie has excelled in every arena and has done so with humility and grace. Charlie's inquisitive nature was evident from the moment he joined our school community. He consistently pursued the most challenging courses, demonstrating a deep commitment to his education. His role as captain of the swim team and his presidency at Post 53 have provided him with platforms to inspire

041and lead, embracing each role with an eagerness to learn and a desire to contribute meaningfully. Whether he's coaching young swimmers at the Middle Sex Club or volunteering extra shifts at Stamford EMS, his actions are guided by a genuine desire to make a positive impact. He reaches out to peers, especially those who may feel undervalued and encourages them to find roles in which they can excel and find reward. His ability to see potential in others and nurture it speaks volumes about his character. Charlie possesses the courage to take intellectual risks and the confidence to be his authentic self. He is deeply motivated by the kindness he has experienced and he channels this into every interaction, striving to be a beacon of support for others. Charlie, you will be missed in the hallways and classrooms of DHS

042and in the broader community as well. UCLA has hit the jackpot. Congratulations. We are so proud of you and can't wait to see what lies ahead. I ask the recipients all the kids or among other people. Is everybody up here? Yeah. So to the board I say to you tonight in our strategic plan we are presenting how we're representing our mission and our mission. There is no greater representation for our mission and our vision than these German people before you and the class of two. Give them all if you don't mind. I at least want a photograph for prosperity. And if you want one for your family, I'm going to ask them just to turn around and we'll all get in one group photo. Amen. Okay. Thank you all. Families, if you all would like

043to leave, you're welcome. You're you're welcome also for the full board meeting, but um it may uh Yes, may be more fun to celebrate. Exactly, Dennis. Thank you and congratulations everyone. Oh, sure. I'll do that. Sure. Okay, the next uh agenda item we have is also very exciting. Tonight we are doing our aspiring leader academy certificate presentation. So Alan and March So, uh, welcome our staff members, teachers, uh, who are here this evening, uh, to receive, uh, this recognition and that this is the inaugural year. So, this is the inaugural class that we're talking about. Uh this is part of the strategic plan coincidentally as part of the strategic plan also uh that would extend these leadership opportunities uh to our staff members and every month uh throughout this year they have come religiously uh

044to participate actively and enthusiastically in a couple of hours work session around teaching and learning leadership uh and exploring uh potential options for themselves as they move through uh this their journey. journey. So on behalf of the district, congratulations on your successful completion of the inaugural Aspirin Leadership Academy. If I may just quote two men, two dear mentors of mine um regrettably have passed since, but uh they are Ricky and Becky Defor. Many of you would know them and they say that the most effective way to ensure student learning is to invest in the ongoing learning of adults uh who serve them. Your commitment to professional growth and your passion for making a difference in in education and in the lives of our students has been truly inspiring. We wish you continued success in your

045professional endeavors and your leadership journeys wherever it may take you. The future of the district and education is brighter for leaders like you. And it's with that I would invite the board chair if you just come and help me with some presentations. First up is Laura. Laura Brown. Laura is uh a special education teacher over at Tokenique School. So, I have to say you're you're recognizing people who are from kindergarten right through people who are teaching BC calculus, which happens to be the next guy. But anyway, um we had about 30 30 people participating. Uh some people could not be here tonight, but we're we're obviously recognizing those who before. So, if I can ask that BC teacher to come up. Matthew Norma Chah is a word language teacher at the high school. Both language

046I may say. Uh Dennis was already uh participated tonight at the uh retirement uh be sure many we had uh but Dennis Dennis comment is social studies at the high school. So this is a familiar face to the board. Hopefully a familiar face to the board Mary Beth Janathasio who's over at Oxbridgeidge and she is the new uh assistant principal down in Henley. see how quickly you can use that uh leadership. Uh Claudia invite Claudia. Claudia Gray is our business teacher at the high school. I'm thinking that this person has been very proud tonight. Mira also a social language teacher at the high school. and she also oversee our ABC home for our students. Solange Manco is a world language teacher. Uh Christy Martin uh over at Royal is one of our elementary teachers. Everything

047you need to know about physics down record at the high school. We have the science department well covered at the high school. Invite Aaron Red. Uh over at the Oxbridgeidge we have Jennifer Talis. I tortured this guy coming up. Andrew um Andrew volunteered the last uh at the last session to do an interview with everybody around him watching uh the cabinet interview him. So just for that alone he should give something. Andrew Tur Gel English teacher administrator. So before you just sort of set sail, let me just give you one other quote uh from a famous American author Simon Synynic. He says, "Leadership is not not about being in charge. It's about taking care of those in your church." I wish you well on your journey. Thank you. Oh, wait a minute. We've got lots

048to talk about. Have a good night. Thank you. Thank you all for your work. Congratulations. Okay. The Darien High School senior internship update. Good evening everyone. Uh it is my pleasure to update the board of ed on the senior internship which began at DHS in the spring of 2010 if you can believe that and has grown into an important milestone in the lives of our seniors. Um, the requirements of participation in the internship prompt our seniors to be reflective about the learning opportunity outside the classroom as part of their culminating experience and preparation for the steps beyond DHS. We look forward to hearing about their adventures on Thursday afternoon at the internship symposium and we will um have the joy of hearing from all 330 students who were involved. We especially want to thank um

049hopefully people will take a look at this online because the print is very tiny because there are so many wonderful organizations and businesses in our community that support our students in the exploration. Um we have the joy of having three wonderful seniors here tonight. our own Brena and Charlie and Janerys who will give us a few words um about their own experiences to bring the internship to life for you. Brena, you want to start, honey? Um so I'm doing conservation biology and wildlife uh biology over at Earth Place in Westport. Um my job mainly just consists of um out going out in the fields and uh forests and tracking different organisms, tracking different organisms, uh removing all the invasives. Um we actually work with a lot of uh corporations that come in for volunteer day.

050So two weeks ago we had birds bees come and um I also have found this to be a really interdisiplinary um experience which has been so valuable to see. um a place holds has a lot of um distributes a lot of PEL grants to lots of different schools in um Connecticut urban areas and they come down to see us and um I take them through uh talk to them about all the animals and the importance of preserving our climate, preserving our planet in um English and Spanish. and um just using the Spanish that I've learned here um I've been able to communicate with them fully and that has just been so meaningful. Um I a lot of students probably view this as sort of like a pre-professional experience. Um I think that that would definitely

051apply to me. I'm going to school for climate science studying how climate change impacts our planet our Arctic and I found this to be such a meaningful first step and a program that um I hope has the longevity and uh continuous impact that we've seen. Thank you. Thank you Brandon. Hi everyone. Um, so I'm Janice and I've had the opportunity to complete my senior internship at Bear Burger, a local restaurant in town. And during my time there, I've learned so much about the food industry, customer service, and the fast-paced environment of how restaurants work. Um, I also get to see firsthand what it takes to run a business. Um, from the kitchen to the front of the house into how payroll works, which is really interesting. Um, this internship um, gave me real world experience

052and helped me develop professional skills um, that I'll carry with me into college and beyond. Um, and one thing that I thought was really funny is that the manager who um, you know, I had to do it with, she was like, "So, do you want to go into the restaurant industry?" And I was like, "Maybe." And she says, "Good luck." So, it was it's been definitely um, a really fun experience. And yeah, thank you, Janice. Uh so for my senior internship experience, I've been working with a neurointerventional radiologist at Stanford Hospital along with three of my other senior peers. Um we've had the great privilege to go along with a bunch of different other physicians in the Stanford Health uh realm um such as a sleep doctor, a gastrointestinal doctor or some surgeons. Um, and

053just as a testament to how amazing this experience is, I was actually able to stand alongside a physician in the operating room, which is something that I definitely did not expect that I would be able to do at 17 years old. So, um, whether that's concerning to you or not, it was still Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Um it was still an amazing experience and I know um speaking for myself and one of my other peers who spent some time with the hematologist oncologist we've really uh kind of traversed our way through the medical field and and learned a lot more and and possibly found a career option going forward. So um it's been a wonderful experience and I know some of my other peers who are working with another surgeon at uh Stanford Hospital have just

054had the most amazing experience ever and it's just truly a great way for us to find out what we want to do or what we don't want to do going forward. Um, so I'm very thankful for this experience and yes, thank you very much. Um, thank you all for being here to present on that. We really appreciate your time. All right, Ellen, you're up again. Update on the NIASK accreditation. It's NIA, right? I think it's your show. I think so. Um, so back in November after the visit that we had in October, I updated the board on the visit itself. Um and just a reminder that NEAS is our accrediting body and this new accreditation process that we went through takes place in two stages. The collaborative conference took place in October of 22 followed

055by the dennial visit um which took place um at as I said in October. Our dennial visit in the fall focused on growth in four significant areas identified by the collaborative conference that took place two years prior. These focused on the well-being of our students, our curriculum, the time needed for indepth collaboration, planning, and curriculum revision, and our assessment, design, and practices. Following our visit, it was clear from the shared experience of the visiting team and our faculty together that our accreditation would be extended and this was confirmed formally through a letter linked at the end of the presentation. The commission on public schools voted to award our school continued accreditation at its March meeting. The commission shared a list of commendations that you see here for our approach to student well-being. the opportunities for

056leadership and mentoring provided to our students, some examples of which we just heard. The strong connections felt by our students with the adults in their lives. The commitment to curriculum revision, the extensive club offerings that make our school feel smaller, the commitment to a positive climate that supports learning, the extensive sharing of expertise among our teachers. The dedication of our faculty to our students and their learning. The commitment to rigor and high expectations for all. the building thinking classrooms initiative which has spread across disciplines. A lively and inviting library learning commons and access to programs and resources to stimulate thinking and learning. The visiting team shared many examples of growth in the priority areas, some of which are highlighted here and many more that you can explore by reading the full report which is also

057linked at the end of the presentation. In the next step of the process, we will be evaluating the next steps suggested by the visiting team and selecting those most important to us for exploration and implementation. There are a few significant areas noted here and others again are embedded in the report and we'll have the opportunity to look at them together and uh choose those that we wish to focus on in the years ahead. Some of these I think are important that they uh noted for us. Balancing academics and athletics. Um completing the curriculum writing which we have begun and um have made tremendous progress on expanding opportunities for collaboration and providing time to develop our assessments and further bring our vision of the graduate to life. The visiting team over the three days that they

058visited in October visited over 100 classrooms which was really quite impressive. Um they split up and and covered the campus over those days. Um they did not rely on what we reported to them but sought to find evidence for themselves. This section of the report um is really a testament to the beautiful work of our teachers and students. um specific examples were cited throughout these pages and across disciplines. It really was a joy for me to share this part of the report with the faculty because um specific examples class by class were included in the report of these um beautiful strengths that were noted. The conclusion of the report celebrates the understanding of effective learning we share as a school community. Our shared shared dedication to our students, our belief in a growth model for

059our educators uh who are lifelong learners and committed to sharing their expertise with one another. And finally, our capacity to grow through the implementation of collaboration time and all the resources that we have at our disposal to strengthen our school. The next report, there's always another um report to NASC um will be in the spring of 2026 and will begin the next cycle of growth for Darian High School. It will be the first step towards the next dennial visit to take place in 2036. I have now completed my fourth knee denial visit at Darian High School. So I dare say I will not be at the helm for the 2036 version, but um there is much to be proud of in this report. Much to be proud of and thank all of you for your

060support in making Darian High School a special place. Thank you. Thank you. I just want to thank you and the the members of your staff and uh the committee that guided the work because that that's uh that's ongoing work. Uh it requires a lot of preparation, hosting, followup. Um your work's not done yet, but congratulations on your recognition and um deep appreciation to the members of the team uh for all of their work. Thank you. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Um any board questions? This is just a report. Oh, summer reading at the beach. Indeed. Thank you. Um, okay. With that, we'll move on to further discussion on DHS personal mobile devices. Again, the board asked for a little bit more information about the findings of the committee. So, this is this is um that

061additional information and following that we'll discuss um if and how to fund the yonder bags in the subsequent agenda item. So, this is truly just an update. Well, Ellen and I are back. It's only been two weeks. So, here we are. Here we go. And we are here to provide you with additional information and update on the DHS cell phone practices as we started described two weeks ago. So, I want to zoom out a little bit for a moment and on this slide to kind of communicate to you. The research leaves no doubt um cell phones and social media are having a negative impact on students. There's four different research reports I reference here to help paint a fuller understanding of the nature of the problem. So we things talk about things such as reset

062time. Uh it can take up to 20 minutes for students to regain focus every time they're distracted by a cell phone and that doesn't have to be their cell phone. Could be a different cell phone in the classroom. Big topic has been anxiety. US surgeon general has observed that use of in excess of three hours a day of social media is associated with the doubling of anxiety and depression among our youth. Academic impact should be talked about. Phone distractions are correlated to decreases in math results of up to 15 points on certain types of tests. And lastly, uh students acknowledge phones are a problem for other students. I think about how they frame that, but 68% of students report that electronic devices are distraction. A report from UNESCO recommends smartphones be banned from classrooms to

063avoid distracting students and disrupting learning. And one in seven countries have banned phones in schools. And I'm just talking about North Korea. This includes France, Italy, Netherlands, and Finland, for example. Cell phone regulation is increasing in the US, too. According to the the National Center for Education Statistics, 75% of US public schools have put in place some form of cell phone restrictions during school hours. Our neighbors to the West, New York, have just passed a law that's certainly going to impact what cell phones look like next year. Uh, and Connecticut is on the verge, I would say, which is good news because our proposed protocol is in line with what's being proposed in the state legislature. So, this is the proposed protocol in summary as shared two weeks ago. And we are attempting trying with

064our protocol we believe we'll be successful with this addressing four areas focus academics mental health and social skills. This chart two weeks ago uh outlines the range of work that happens that happened throughout the school year and again we involved staff administrators students and parents. Conversations uh and research were happening throughout that especially around logistics which included evaluating uh other product options including lockers and pouches visiting Wilton's high school's program considering entrance and exit plans and developing and uh working on initial pilot of pouches. The pilot and feedback from our high school students very much shaped the decisions that we're talking about this evening. And again, this slide was seen two weeks ago as well. The table outlines some of that subcommittee work. Uh the committees are in support of the plan we're discussing this

065evening because we believe it's in the best interest of our students. Ellen's going to take a few moments to talk a little bit more about some of the pilot points as far as what the students communicate that participate in the pilot particularly regarding concerns and also policies. Thank you. Um so following the pilot um with one of the pouches that we tried out um we spent some time talking to the students who used the pouches. We had some focus groups with students who were not involved in the pilot. Um we had a little ice cream party for those who went with the pilot for a couple of weeks voluntarily. Um and the student concerns and anxieties are some of the things that came up in our conversation two weeks ago um from the board and

066these are um genuine concerns and I think real anxieties related to separation from a device um that they have become very accustomed to having um all the time. And so, um, I just want to recognize these things and understand that these are real and things that we have to help support our students with, um, should we go forward. Um, they're understandable and I think quite authentic and meaningful to our students. And so, um, some of those concerns, having access to the schedule, we talked a little bit about communicating with family, not just about schedule changes, but for reassurance. we we as parents have come to rely on this communication tool. And so um I think sometimes students are checking in with their families um and and can be reinforced during the day. Um getting to

067the bus on time after school, communicating in an emergency. Um listening to music came up and one that I hadn't thought of um was knowing what time it was. So we one of the comments was we're going to have to make sure we have more clocks around the building so that people um will be aware. But these are important to us. Um they're important to us because these are real feelings that our students are having and I think it's something that we will have to make sure we're addressing. Um I think also of note from the students who participated in the pilot um even though they might not say if they were here that they think um that their phone should be taken from them um they did share quite a few positive experiences. Um

068being less distract distracted um finding that they were able to get more work done. um positives within the school community. Um screen time going down, not playing games at lunch, but socializing with friends. Um had to find other things to do like reading. Um these are positive things. Um and so we hope that um at the end of the discussion we can support um the plan because we have come over this time to believe when weighing things out um that those things are important for our students and that um this will contribute to their well-being ultimately. So I'll turn back to Tim. So after completing the pilot and with a thorough review of our different options, we have decided the Yonder program is an essential component to the successful implementation of the new cell phone

069protocol. Yonder helps schools create phone-f free campuses. This is what they do. Yonder is the industry leader and provides more than just the pouches. Uh there's a full onboarding process with a dedicated liaison that's included as part of the investment. Yonder's work with our district will include additional planning, expectations, training, and calibration and ongoing followup after the launch. Yonder has partnered with schools and educators for over a decade and spans 35 countries in all 50 states currently. And I'm aware of these 10 districts in Connecticut already using Yonder in at least one of their schools. I do want to highlight that again that we spent half the day at Wilton High School from arrival through lunch seeing the process and speaking not just with the staff with students and parents. It was time well spent

070highly informative as a factor of this decision. Most people know the name Yonder, but you probably don't know much about their system. It actually really is a simple design. Students store their phone into their pouch before they enter the school uh and put their phone in either airplane mode or turn it off. There's a locking pin. They just squeeze the pin on the bag and they show the pouch to a staff member as they enter and then they can put their pouch in their backpack. At the end of the day, a quick tap on an unlock station, any unlock station, uh will release the pin. Students in Wilton told us at the end of the day, uh the unlock is extremely quick. In their own words, not that big of a deal, and there is

071never a waiting line. Our proposal includes 20 unlock stations, though the vendor stated one station per 120 students is sufficient. We anticipate, you know, a few days of patience at dismissal in the beginning, but Wilton students and staff clearly state that bus departure was not impacted. Students have the same pouch all year. It's assigned to them and they'll turn it in at the end of the year. The same pouch will be returned to them in the fall. Yonder reports a three to four year lifespan under normal backpack conditions. I can't speak for your child, but I know mine. We have an inventory of spare bags. Um the FAQ outlines a protocol for lost damage pouches, but in short, students are expected to have a pouch every day. Uh no pouch means if they have a

072cell phone, they'll be storing that cell phone per in the office area and have been there uh until they purchase a replacement pouch. There will be a limited number of non-locking pouches that are secured with Velcro. Uh those will be for students that have a documented medical need to access their cell phone. The pouch is an important component to setting expectations. Sure, few students might put fake phones in or bypass the lock. Uh some students might actually also prefer to leave their phone at home or in their car. Uh the goal here is to eliminate the visibility of a phone during the day. If a phone is heard or seen, it is confiscated. And I'll be honest with you, the pouch doesn't solve all world's problems. Um, we're just working to shift student behavior with

073this approach. Yeah, students may still access some resources on their laptops that they would have accessed instead in their phones, but they won't be walking around the halls with their laptops open going between classes. And as far as the classroom goes, off task use of laptop laptops is far easier to manage and redirect as needed. So, I'm hoping that this helped paint a little bit more of what we're looking at here, but you may still have some questions. There's now 34 items identified on that frequently asked question document, but if there's something you'd like additional clarification on, I have to do that now. We also have the same information posted on the district and the high school website. Thank you all very much for the additional information. Was very helpful. Are there board questions? Thank

074you. Um I wanted to ask um questions regarding the costs and the budget implications to start with. Um first um Tim does the current cost estimate does that include the extra 10% that's like recommended um for those extra bags and the things that you mentioned. Sure. Yeah. So the uh current what we have includes an overage of uh I think roughly 165 extra bags. Uh that way we have someone on hand to replace immediately and or I mean as you look at the consequences I don't think any seniors have a problem with this but uh they also earn the right to a bag if if uh if necessary. Thank you. And then question about kind of the ongoing um implications for the budget. So first that the lifespan is three to four years but students

075spend four years at DHS. So curious what the kind of replacement cycle might be. And then um also um just thinking about um about um students that um I'm sorry I'm losing my train of thought here. Um but just the fact that um I guess the replacement cycle I would anticipate one grade level a year. So you know the Yonder company will actually help us with this. They've done this with many, many schools as far as how it goes, but I would expect each freshman class would have a fresh bag. And so your your freshman would your current freshman for example, if they had a bag, would have the same bag next year as sophomores. So basically the bag would move forward with it. Okay. Thank you. So essentially like of course adjusting for price

076costs and everything, but taking a third of what we're looking at this year for like every year going forward, I would say. Thank you, John. I'm going to follow up with the question I had last week, I think, or last meeting in terms of the evolution of this. I think when we first started talking about this issue, we didn't want to manage bags and now and we've implemented at the middle school without bags, but now we're talking about bags. So, just help me understand why we need bags for older children um that are going to be embarking to uh an independence shortly thereafter. and um you know the comparison why no bags works in middle sex and and also the decision transition from we don't want to manage bags to now we're managing bags not

077you want to jump on that you want me to share first you know I I it would be hard for me to say that I want to manage bags John you probably um would imagine that and and in many of our conversations ations. We've um highlighted the fact that um our as parents we purchase phones for our children. We provide the service for our children and we allow them to leave our homes with those phones and go to school. And so um there is truth to that. and and now at the doors of the school we are trying to manage this what some would call addiction what some would call at least strong desire to be on phones um and so in the course of the work that we've done in the on on the

078council I have become personally and the council I think also more convinced over time that this is a problem not really in the actual classroom where teachers are really managing the direct instruction in the classroom. But in the social settings, in the hallway, in the library, if one were to watch the um high school library, students are interacting, buzzing, happy. Um but almost all have a phone at the end of their hand. Um and so in every interaction they're having, that phone is present. Um, and in my own growth during this process, I have seen that I think we could do better for them if we were controlling that and helping them and doing the very best we can to interrupt that. Because in a classroom today, contrary to the time when I was teaching

079in the classroom, students come into the room, sit down, and they're waiting for instruction, and they're on their phones. They're not talking to one another. Um, and it it's a very noticeable thing as a classroom teacher. Um, in before the phones entered our lives, students came into the room and they were a buzz. A teacher had to spend some time getting people to focus back on on on what was going to happen in class. So, I have become convinced um that we need to interrupt it and that if we're going to do the very best for our students, we see a problem and that we have a responsibility as educators and and people who love these students um to do our best to help them with that. Um it may not be perfect and the

080bag may not be perfect. Um, but I think the bag, you know, I've been convinced in my conversations with the Wilton principal, who I respect very much, who says to me many times over the year, you will see such a difference. You You won't believe the difference you will see. Um, and the students there told us they wouldn't have made the transition, at least as well, without that bag to interrupt it. I think we've tried and all we're asking for is to give it a try. I think that the uh people who have been on the uh committee and Kate and so on are here this evening. The kids have told us right that they can't self-regulate. They they in surveys and in person they they just can't self-regulate. Um and this is a tool

081to actually help them do that a little bit. There's no lockers at at the high school 9 through 12 age group. Uh we've also tried to sort of like recognize the transition of older kids. We didn't get they're not giving the the seniors the bag. Uh but they can use their device in the study halls in the cafeteria. So, we'll see how that goes. I think we're the only district that I'm aware of that has given high schools some the high school seniors some uh trust some space uh as we transition. And even like that wasn't not everybody on the committee like if you if you voted everybody in the committee took a vote you may have somebody who was said we we need to go the whole you know 9 through 12. Uh so

082we came to resolution and understanding consensus together. So I think what the committee and the household tried to sort of thread the needle and respect at least the core value of what you're talking about there. Brena I think just kind of like examine like what was going on here. kind of think that the reason well first of all I think the reason for the bag specifically is just because we it appears as though the legislation that's emerging is pushing us down this route to regulate bones either way and as like a subset of the government in the state that answers to that domain we we have to we we can't fight back for much longer in of an extreme way. So I think it's either it well it's not either or there's obviously there's always

083going to be more solutions than other solutions. But I just think for this specifically it seems as though like if not for the pouches specifically then it would just be like some sort of a buckled situation with all the phones which is like obviously a logistical nightmare and um irre fun at that point. So this seems like the most secure option um and the most like common option and the most like qualitatively quantitatively examined health um students not only in Wilton but in other districts like where it's like widely but then also like I I think to Mr. point. I mean it are we we have a duty to answer to the state and what they believe is best but also we are I feel like complicating um the the true results they they become

084more like obscured the true results of the boneless spaces become more obscured because we're injecting like our own sense of nostalgia for those times where um we didn't have bones and we all experienced that. We all experienced getting education. We all experienced like that camaraderie um and the memories that we grew up with um in in those different times. So part of me is wondering like are we just trying to because we know what's best for the kids. Are we just trying to bring that back to the kids and how might that be twist or not twisted? How might that be morphing a little bit? what the actual like tangible benefits of it are because at the end of the day we can create this bubble like this space within a school where it's a

085great environment but it's just um is it just a look back into the mass of a culture that frankly once was not existent anymore um kids are going to have bones wherever they go I shar earlier she thinks that we might revert back to where it goes back and that might be true. I think some sort of but um at the I think for the most part I think for the most part um as cryptic as this may sound I think that's a culture that once was and we should analy the culture that is which is the culture of cell phones and and increasingly integrated not only technology but like I I know I can't say with confidence that we can ever really bring that food culture to the kids of nos. So that's something

086to think about. I think that's what Mr. I want to speak for your head because what he's trying to say is like no I mean I'm just we were first told we weren't using bags. We didn't want to manage bags. I I support the idea of taking phones away. Um but I wanted to understand why we're moving to bags now. Thank you. I I think um just to that end, if you could just clarify, Tim, um do you happen to know what is in the legislation that's being tossed around in Connecticut and what was in New York? I'm curious. I I doubt it specifies the use of bags, but I was just curious if you know exactly what's in there. I don't have the current wording off the top of my head. I have actually

087opened it up and read it. Um I'm trying to remember the bill number HP7000 dumplin but um uh the my impression from the legislation is that the use of bags is not going to be required in every school district. Uh but it's certainly being referenced as a solution tool. Um and this is also the recommendation of uh other outside experts looking at bags such as Jonathan's book generation. This is tier four level support. We're ahead of the guidelines that the state department have issued at this particular point. They issued policy guidance last it would be helpful to know I see that we have 10 districts that are using yonder bags. What are the other districts who've made changes doing? Are they are they simply at the high school level? What are they doing? Do we

088know? Uh the current high schools are using the bags. So sorry I see 10 here that are using the yonder bags. Correct. But I assume some others have uh policies. Sure. So there are some that are have policies that are no supplements that don't use bags. Um they have lockers for example for their students. So they can store lockers. That's an issue we have at the high school here. Um there are definitely a number of districts that are also now looking at bags. So um you know I can't speak for the community in all the other districts but districts are looking at it or they have other options in place. Thank you, Joanna. Um, this wouldn't preclude me from voting on this tonight, but I would like to see a more detailed inventory or invoice

089of exactly what we're buying, what each item costs, how much replacement costs for each thing, and maybe, for instance, if it does fail at the senior level, how much it would cost to then buy packs for the entire senior level. Um, you know, or so that's my first comment. Um my other question is it says in the materials that if um a teacher wants to have kids pull out their phones for educational purposes that's allowed. Will every teacher have an unlocking device? Like how does that work practically? No, not every teacher will have an unlock device. Um in short there may be some teachers that consistently have one. So for example, I think like the art teacher will most likely have one. So for the photography, if their students have a cell phone, they want

090to do that purchase. Also, there would be instead for a few teachers that anticipate an occasional need, there will be a request process whether that goes to their evaluator in the most likely scenario. So they say, "Hey, I need an unlock, but there won't be a unlocked device in every classroom." Okay, Dennis. Um, un excuse me, unlocking. Is there will there be unlocked devices outside of school? Yeah, in fact, um there would be and in the scenario that a student has forgotten to unlock their bag, there's going to be one that's mounted with in view of a security camera available 247. Okay. Because I could see siblings also locking a siblings phone over a weekend or something. 100%. Yeah, this was something actually that on our Yeah. on our visit to Wilton, uh, they said,

091"This is something you need to be over." So, yeah, there is one that has always been and I could also see parents locking a phone. I knowing Well, it's a good idea. C can we talk about just just um Mrs. W's question answer that because we have the 32,000 I think with the unit price. I mean, I think we have the general information. We know what they cost. It's $30 back right now. And how much does it unlock it cost? The the actual uh unlocks right now the in the quote that the vendor gave me uh in doesn't list any cost for the unlocking devices with the ones you currently have because it's a full package. Um going forward I believe but don't hold me this number because I think it's an old number but

092I think each additional uh unit was like $40 for an unlock base but that's not documented in the quote that I received. Is there anything else in the quote? Sure. So, they include um beyond just the pouches, uh there's storage bins, uh like a distribution hamper system they describe, which I haven't seen exactly what that looks like, but I report to see what that looks like. Uh also includes a whole onboarding process and protocol and working with their people to to make sure everything comes together. Okay. How much time were they spending with you? So the first meeting happens I think with uh within two weeks of the official purchase order request. So once approved if the funds get approved the uh we'll initially we'll get a purchase request within two weeks we'll have the

093bags and that first meeting will happen uh before the end of June I would say probably two before the end of June. Um and then after that they'll work on a schedule with Ellen and the rest of her administrative team uh throughout the summer as needed for whatever is needed. And I know there is additional support they also offer after the school year begins. So there's check-ins. Um how many exactly off the top of my head? I I don't specifically know, but I would say I would anticipate it's not just one check-in, it's going to be probably three or four, especially in the first couple of months. Thank you, Katie. Um just today we we learned quite a bit more about um the plans for this and so I I appreciate the information that came

094to light today. Um, and I know that, um, there were comments made about implementation kind of, um, happening over the summer and in con, um, conjunction with Yonder. Um, but I did just want to ask um if there had been a thought or if you you know when you do have um a thought on when you might come back to the board about an update on both how the implementation is going, what the plan is and then also the enforcement piece because um you know kind of to the point we've talked about before that's always been a bit of a piece you know is do we want to take on something that we have to enforce? What have we or have we not? And while this will solve some of those problems, there there still

095will be an enforcement component, right? I I read through the FAQ on the infractions and those kind of things. So, um just would like to make sure that that kind of gets added. Um assuming that this goes forward that that that comes back to the board as well. I think we just got that that that focus group focus groups feedback loop should should continue the same way as it it continued at the middle school which for two seconds I'm tremendously proud of the kids and this and the community the way they've responded to the middle school. Okay, Greg. Yeah, I just I I read through the whole thing. I thought it's great. I think it's very well thought out in particular the Q&A section at the back. I thought it was very comprehensive. So, thanks

096for all your effort on that. I think that this is a great way to get ahead of the curve to some extent with respect to where things are heading. We've got David Genevies is opening restaurants in Darian that are not going to allow cell phones for adults. We think adults can't control themselves. Clearly, kids in high school cannot control themselves. So, I think it's all for the better. Um, so thank you for all the effort on this. All right. Thank you. Sure. I've been told by a lot of parents that their kids already miss the bus. It's really tight. So, if we could figure out a way to give them an extra couple minutes cushion at the start of the year while everyone figures this out, I think it would be much appreciated. Okay, thank

097you. Okay, with that, we'll move on to um discussion and possible action on year end spending and fiscal year 26 budget modification. And that of course is a little bit of a it's related to the previous item in so far as we'll be talking specifically about the bags and how to if and how to fund them. Yes. Yes. And the next I'm sorry to interrupt, but the next item too because there's an update on um the cost fiscal 25 and 26 I guess what I'm trying to say like Yeah. So there's different ways to fund it whether we do it in 25 or 26. Yeah. Sorry. Okay. Rich Rich is going to explain that. Sure. Um so you have three options in terms of cell phone bags. Uh you can choose to purchase them out

098of uh surplus from this year. And so, uh, the April forecast was a positive balance of 575. Uh, the board did approve the purchase of 11 Donics, so we're about 520. Um, when we do the May forecast, it'll probably be about 6 or $7,000 better, but pretty much straight in line. Um, so you could draw down on that 520 for that 30 approximately $33,000. Um, the other option is you can uh make a modification to the fiscal year 26 budget. Um, we did highlight some areas of um some positive areas. So, um there was an adjustment to buy a couple of the K3 literacy uh books early. That was about $40,000. Um mentioned in a recent curriculum meeting, uh the stamp testing will not be used at the middle school. So, that's about 7,000. We

099do have 50 ELP tuition deposits for next year, which is better than expectation. And so, there's a positive bal expected positive balance there. Um so, within that budget, we're looking at as of right now about positive $51,000 to the budget. However, obviously we don't know whether or not our turnover will meet expectations. Um, currently we're about 367 against 634,000. Um, the budget did assume a math teacher and a middle and a Spanish teacher would move um to five sections. Currently, that math section will move to five. There has not been a Spanish um resignation, so that at this point will not move forward. And then obviously uh the board still lists elementary class sections um over the summer. And so depending on how that shakes out, that could either be positive or negative. Um, and

100then obviously the third choice is to not purchase the bag. So you really have a choice of if you want the bags to buy them out of the surplus this year or you can amend the budget for next year. Okay, great. Go ahead, John. Just in Allen's boardin that we got, I guess Monday, there was some discussion about shifts and ECR for fiscal year 26 as well. Sure. But you haven't included those in the memo. So, um, as of Friday, uh, I think it was Friday last week, um, the state legislature has approved the 40 million that was originally earmarked only for fiscal year 27. Um, they are putting it in fiscal year 26 as well. And so the 40 million that was granted this year there, the budget that's still be signed by the

101governor includes it in 26 and 27. Um, so if we we budgeted into 65% reimbursement, um, the budget with 40 million this year is about 72.8%. 8% um in terms of reimbursement. So that's an extra quarter of a million dollars if everybody's expenses were identical to this year. Probably everybody's expenses will be higher than than this year. So you probably won't get 72.8. Um but you're probably looking at something between 70 and 73. Um and obviously that depends on when we file um with the state in December and March. But I would imagine that our excess cost reimbursement uh will be somewhere between 160 and you know 260,000 better than anticipated and that was not included in the memo because this is late development. So we and it hasn't passed it hasn't technically been signed

102yet by the governor. So it's not 100% official but um all signs point to the 40 million being added in fiscal 26. So that's another lot of money coming in for fiscal year. about 100ly. Yeah. Okay. Yes. Important to know. Any other comments? Go ahead, Joanna. Since um it seems like there's a bunch of different options here, how are we going to do this? So, I think ultimately what the board has to decide is if they want to purchase it and if they want to do it out of the surplus or out of next year's funds. We can either do it as a series of motions um and those motions can succeed or fail um or we can have a sort of discussion now about where people want to do it um and um sort

103of ceue up how we want to vote. Um I would personally I would love to hear if there are implication I to me this is a fiscal year 26 initiative. It makes sense to purchase in fiscal year 26 and there is capacity. Um, so I'd just be curious as to whether or not there's implication to waiting. That's for you guys. Madam Chair, just just sorry. Waiting for which part? To purchase in fiscal year 26. So there would be no issue if you chose to purchase in 26 with 26 funds. Um, the board would just have to amend uh the budget. Um, which is something that the board's done in the past. Um, so it's almost like doing a transfer before the budget actually opens, right? Um, and then, you know, we'd issue the purchase order,

104the items just really shouldn't be received until July 1st. Um, which is pretty much the timing you're looking at anyway. Um, and so then when you were to see the budget in um, next year when we kind of like open it up, you'll just see that shift in the line item. So you'll see an increase in the high school's teaching supplies to account for the purchase of the bags, then a decrease and we would recommend textbooks at RC19. Okay. So, that seems to make sense. Any other comments? Yes, Dave. So, I know there's not a motion, but sort of a seconding the sense of the motion you just put out since the meeting like I'm fine for the B. I'm fine to do them in 26. Just Okay. Okay. Same. Okay. Robin. Um, and by

105the way, I support everything that's in the memo and thank you for the additional information we received about this. The question I have um is if we did purchase these with a budget modification for a fiscal 26, would that um would that have an impact on whether the Yonder team would be able to help do the onboarding and training over the summer with the staff? No. So, I mean, we could um we can still issue a purchase order actually now for the items from fiscal year 26. You just can't take possession of them until July 1st. Thank you. Okay. So, based on that, may I have a mo I we have a motion already written to modify the fiscal year 26 budget. So, may I have a motion to modify the fiscical year 26 operating

106budget to purchase cell phone lock bags in the amount of $32,86 by increasing RC1 general teaching supplies by $32,86 and reducing textbooks from RC19 by $32,86. That's John. Seconded by Katie. All those in favor? That's unanimous. Thank you. Oh, I'm sorry. All those opposed. Um, were you Sorry. What were you? I'm slow. You're a yay. Okay, that's what I thought. Okay. And but Dennis is an A. So Joanna, it is Gramling Brown, Bubblin, McCammon, um, Nelson, and Cini four. And then um, what's your name? Um, Maria against Thank you. it says came out. Yeah. Okay. All right. Thank you all. Um any other discussion on this item? Nope. Perfect. Madam chair. Yes. May I invite Julie to the table? Is that okay? Certainly. Just for just Julie, just want to turn just for this discussion

107for the Barbara Harrington fund awards. Okay. Uh Julie's actually assistant with the strategic plan. Oh, okay. Great. Going back to the discussion, we have no there's no uh appetite to purchase the the 17x. Okay. Um in my opinion, we purchased the broken ones, but if there are folks who disagree, I'm happy to hear. I think we purchased broken ones, but inevitably we the goal was to purchase 30. We purchased 11 that were already broken. I'm sure that in the next year we will get more broken. Get more broken. That's terrible. But with more will break. So I am in favor of taking our surplus and purchasing more. So I would like to make the motion to purchase the 17 that were requested to purchase. Okay. Is there a second? There is no second. Fair enough.

108So motion. Thank you, Dennis. Oh, wait. So I have to do that now. Okay. So Dennis made a motion. Did you get his language? Uh motion me one second. Okay. to purchase 17. Yes. And then there was no second. No second. Okay. Um All right. Barbara Harrington Fund awards. M just just a word of appreciation. Thank you for on behalf of the committee. Thank you. Oh yes. So, good evening. I have the pleasure of announcing that the Darian Advocates for the Education of the Gifted have awarded just under $7,000, six grants to educators across um ELP through high school in um various projects this summer for professional learning and curriculum development. And we want to express our sincere gratitude to the D AEG particularly the executive board Bernosy McKela Attonito Carolyn Comfort Whitney Croos Kristen

109Harris and um Jessineia Leon Chen. So thank you very much to the DEEG for their generosity. Great. Thank you. This generally doesn't come through a gift because it doesn't we don't exchange money. Um, our involvement in it is really our curriculum staff uh meeting uh with with the the committee and just sort of reviewing some of the projects that the teachers are participating and just to see if they're keeping it in line with what we're doing. Yes. Because I think that's important. A couple of years ago, there were some um very generous grants that were well intended, but where the training was different, somewhat contradictory with what we were doing in house. So, that's why our curriculum staff are involved. Okay. Any questions about that? Thank you to the DAG, as you said, and all

110of the the members who made that happen. And we look forward, we hope the staff have a wonderful uh time learning more. Okay. spring update on district strategic plan and board goals. So you'll see um a a correlation between the board goals and the strategic plan. That's not a bad thing because that's shows at least there's some the redundancy is not that bad because there's some coherence between what we're trying to do. Um thank you to Julie just pinch hitting for for Amy here in terms of the strategic plan. uh I make a proposal madam chair if we go through um for instance the first goal we'll just hit a couple of highlights and then ask for questions after that if if there are any uh we've followed the same procedure which is really in

111this case uh the green it represents uh the update to the evidence um and the strategy particularly around the evidence uh we have utilized the same for a progress monitoring green red orange in the process and um with your understanding we'll proceed that way. I just want to mention that the communications committees what they had asked to put in here was put in here and you can see that um that this you'll see that if there's any changes to strategies and actions in the color that will be the communications committee that has been embedded uh the whole set of strategies and metrics and stuff in there if that makes sense to people. Okay. So I agree with your plan. Let's just hit the highlights. If there's any questions goal by goal, we can do that.

112Okay, perfect. So, beginning with goal area one, enhancing teaching and learning, successful implementation of our new educator evaluation plan. We are shifting from um table to Google classroom for um more efficient um monitoring. uh our playbased learning. We have successfully um implemented scenarios in ELP and kindergarten. As you know, we've adopted the inter readading pilot. Um thanks to the board's support of Ediplanet expansion, all staff has have access to edge planet, which is allowing for differentiated instructional plans based on district curricular. And um the update for what's completed in edge of planet is linked in 1B. Um we have collaborative teams, general education and special education teachers together engaged in curriculum development. There's a big focus at the middle and high school level on embedded performance tasks. Um one area that we still have some

113work to do is in 1C gathering um professional learning feedback from feedback. We want to develop new uh forms for that and new procedures. Um and we are working on our teaching and learning hub. So that's still in development. One of the strengths is more teacher voice in designing professional learning this year. Those are the highlights for goal one. Okay, any questions about goal one, Joanna? Um, it says that each school completed two instructional rounds. What What does that mean? Like the entire every single grade in every school has done it twice or just two different each grade? How how's what does that look like? So, they have teams in each school and they're usually um they they might not be teachers in every grade. It might be kindergarten like you know a few primary

114teachers, a few upper grade teachers or a few te from each team or grade um in secondary and they participate in the rounds. So over the course of you know a year probably everybody does participate but some might be within departments some might be whole school um but that's how that usually works. So, for instance, a high school or middle school, you're not going to get every teacher to be able to participate either be on a visiting visiting team or uh be the the classroom teacher. So, uh they were two experiences. They covered as many people as possible. Um that was the intent to uh get as many teachers each round is one. It's it's it's okay, I get it. Experience might have about 8 to 10. Yes. Thank you. staff members. Okay. Anyone else?

115Greg, just um and is for this one is Edgup Planet should that be part of this one some fashion or no? Yes, that the update to edge of planet is linked in here. The the curriculum that is uh completed at each stage and you'll see that there's been a significant amount of work done since the winter update. Yeah, maybe I just missed it. Yeah, it'll come up. Actually, it's in a couple. It's It's It's in a few places. It's in a few places, Greg. It's okay. One a And I know we talked about this at the last curriculum committee meeting, but I think like there's two components of the edgy planet that are important. One is the just getting all the curriculum stuff actually in place and then it's actually rolling it out to the

116students and having that connectivity between like what's actually on there and what's actually being communicated to the students. the students are aware and actually using it themselves. And we have included here a link to like the progress how much what percentage of the curriculum has of each of the curriculum has actually been updated. Great. Thank you. It is linked in 1B. Okay. Goal area two. So goal two f uh fostering a culture that promotes wellness, diversity, and inclusion. Um, at the high school level, peer leaders and staff participated in sources of strength training, the ongoing work of the MTSS committee. We are developing instructional strategies to be included in the handbook that will be rolled out in 2526. Um, Ellen and Tim talked about guidelines for DHS cell phones this evening. Um um school climate

117surveys were completed in April and April and May. And school-based teams are using the feedback to develop their school improvement plans. And those are the highlights for goal two. Joanna, what is sources of strength? Can you say that again? Sorry. What is sources of strength? Sources of Strength is a um program that is at the high school and perhaps you can speak to that. Um he was brought in under the opaces of of Alicia Dad as well and they worked I believe um ADL works with that also. Um but remember we did names day a couple of years ago um source strength and students participated. They could speak to it also. is really about um being able to understand about managing um feelings, emotions and and also um I think there were different assemblies that

118were conducted over two days I believe. Um I would ask Ryan and Brena I was not there so to speak to that also. Um but I think it was incredibly wellreceived. It's something that also that Middle Sex is going to be looking at as well. Thank you. Do you want to comment Brad? Anything you guys have questions about, I can probably answer. But Oh, go ahead. I mean, pertaining to names today, like I mean going off what Miss Klein was saying, I thought it was beneficial to sort of the community or at least my class, we were able to sort of grow our social emotional learning that I mean, we strive for in many different aspects in our middle school days. So, I think it was very beneficial. Anything more to say? We got that

119possibly could Okay, goal three, um, balance definition of success through the vision of the graduate. Um, as Ellen mentioned, the NEAS report reflects progress in vision of the graduate integration and the vision of the graduate competencies are aligned in the performance tasks at the secondary level. Seniors are finishing their capstone experiences and sharing reflections which also include VOG alignment. Those are the big highlights. Okay, questions on pole area 3. You'll notice over to the right hand side this is just just an example of some of the kids at Royal their version of the vision of the graduate. Okay. It's not an example or of a med of an elementary school. It's just an it's just an example of one. Thank you. Goal area four. Goal four, expanding the professional cap uh capacity of staff. This

120evening you saw the um uh members of our aspiring leader academy. So that's been a huge success. The interreading pilot teachers have planned and co-f facilitated professional learning for their colleagues this spring in all grades. There is continued education uh educator participation in board of ed curriculum committee meetings. Um uh there's a focus on teaching and learning at the administrative retreat that's being planned for this June leveraging high quality feedback. And those are our highlights for goal four. Okay, Joanna. Um this is also mentioned I think in goal one uh that you are looking to replace the TEPL like the state evaluation with a new platform. Is that something that will incur costs or what does that look like? So we are actually saving about $12,000 a year by moving from Temple to Google which

121is basically free. There might be some small cost. So it's through Google. Yeah. Thank you. Okay. uh goal area five. So communication and Dr. Adley talked about how um all of these strategies are reflected in the communication plan. You um I just want to mention there that these strategies the reason I put strategies under actions is because they were strategies under the communications plan but we've made them into actions in the year. That's what that means. Okay. Okay. Questions about this? And the only other highlight is the elementary progress reports which I know we discussed at curriculum committee is the is the elementary what progress reports that that will be um unveil unrolled this fall. Okay, great. Uh it's important I think that we go through goal area five um not more right now but

122just make sure everybody takes a close look at it um that it represents what we think came out of the communication subcommittee. Okay. Goal area six, school facilities and safety security modifications reflected in um the FY26 budget. HHR the renovation of existing spaces are beginning this month. Rich, I don't know if you have anything to add to that. Uh just that the middle school study will begin um shortly as part of the 26 budget. It's exciting. Any questions on this one? Okay. Well, area seven technology and you have the um update on the DHS cell phones. The district technology committee developed AI guidance that was shared with staff. Uh K5 library media curriculum was developed revised to include maker spaces. the integration of the video wall in programs such as Shark Tank concerts and um

123as a visual backdrop for theater 308. Tim has offered sessions in AI in all of the schools. Um and a highlight is Aspen. There's an improved parent app that was completed this spring. So those are the highlights for goal seven. I have been asked before and I'm sure I'm not the only board member sort of what's our AI strategy and I understand it's it's you know going to be a moving target and we're kind of at the beginning of it but is there is there something some sort of summary of this or anything else that's available to the public andor the board? Absolutely. Um yes we can share that with the board. Great. Thank you. So we have we have um we have a uh a work policy around it. we have a a website

124link page. I would say that uh the experience has been to expand use of it in terms of expertise of staff um and try to to to learn by doing a little bit this year. We'll come back to the the curriculum committee with how we might move forward. Uh it's not much grander than that at the moment in terms of we've accomplished some guidelines, ground rules, but also we're trying to have our our staff take reasonable risk with it like just try to enter and some of them are doing it more than others and um gain some experience. So having some of that feedback at that curriculum committee would be useful I think. Okay. Thank you. On that topic, are we using are you are we currently using AI to police the use of AI?

125Like I know you can use AI to check to see if like a paper was written with AI. Is that like actually I don't know. I actually don't know if they're using like like as um as in turnitin.com type thing, you know, like that that's kind of the software that uh teachers use at this particular point. So I'm sure someone's creative enough to do that. I'm guessing I'm guessing they are. Okay. Any other questions? No. All right. Board goals. All right. So, I'll talk uh Oh, sorry. I'll talk briefly to Yeah. Yep. Yes. Question. I just want to go back to Joanna's question because I wanted to make sure that I was accurate. Okay. Um on resilience, I did reach out to Alicia and it does deal with resiliency, connection, and wellness. Um, and she

126just wanted me to emphasize also that it's about building um um strength and generosity, physical and mental health for students. And it's a Yes. Yes. Okay. Thank you, Charlie. Uh so, uh me proceed with the please. Okay. So, metrics and indicators uh the board had agreed on uh goal area one. Uh there's still discussion on what 2 to 2 to 7 would look like and administration has some suggestions for that but that's going to have to be a next level of work for the board. Uh the technology usage and efficiencies and what we're tracking that was part of the communication uh report. So they had identified some some metrics to uh track the use of technology. So we have those in place alignment to the strategic work. I think you the big ideas are are

127all in there that we've talked about many times. Um and that's I think that's a good thing though in terms of uh the alignment of the work uh the strategic work of the budget uh we you know I think the budget process generally went on track generally was smoother. I'll tell you your staff, our staff um really appreciates and there's a huge difference whenever we can relatively stay on target with calendar. I know I contribute to coming off the calendar too. So, but that being said, it's just a huge difference of the productivity and the amount of work that can get done after the budget process is over is pretty still significant. Um but anyway, suffice to say, I think we we followed the timelines at least to date. Okay. um the HHR bill. I

128mean, we've we've we've done a lot of communications. I'll actually send something out some of the uh newsletters out that were really well done. We've had those updates. We've done recent walkthroughs of the building. I think people have posted those for people to see. Um we're well on track. We're on track with budget. We're on track with timeline. We have a calendar suggestion to actually deal with the move in. Will you um send out the most recent um the little newsletters? Yeah, that went all the elements. Yep. Uh the communications primarily reflects all the work of the communications committee. Yes, we did have certain conversations which included the anti-defamation league. um uh a couple of other ones that have listed uh hate crime ones that we we held um superintendent forums, but the rest of

129it really around the SPAR leadership and also the communications committee kind of the work we've done there and what so so we're kind of on track with that. uh the board handbook. I'm hoping that we will uh be able to get the board handbook on the next agenda item. Um and I know I need to reach out to I need to reach out back to you. We have re reformatted and updated. So we're pretty much ready to go with have another look at it and we can bring it before the board hopefully. And board doc was not supported. So that's why it just says that. Yep. Okay, thank you for that. Any last comments? Great. Thank you for the work. That's a there's that represents a lot of work. Thank you all. Okay. Uh further

130discussion and possible action on proposed changes to 2526 school district calendar. And as I mentioned, I think the board is in various members of the board have expressed they'd be interested in reading what you have in front of us and then uh talking about the thinking and then uh taking a vote at our next meeting in June. Thank you. um I've tried to lay out in a memorandum some of the uh some of the rationale also some of the questions to be answered by people well the questions that they had actually so um I represented another school calendar there on Fridays because that seemed to be the preferial preference um certainly from parents and also from I could say CDSP I think pretty consistent that Fridays would be a better solution if that was the

131case. Uh I'm happy just to answer questions about this uh as we move forward here if you would like to. Um again, we're working on the premise for um the K to3 program uh about 40 hours of professional development, ongoing regular professional development um is advisable. Um but that being said, you know, we've had a discussion. I'm happy I've tried to answer some of the other questions and um you want. I think also before we it might be important to hit a couple of highlights in terms of things we've we've heard of from the public. For example, some folks have asked us to start the school year after Labor Day, but our schools are required, excuse me, our students are required to be in school for 180 days. So, it isn't an option for us

132simply to shift the year back. I think you've also talked about the importance of spreading the learning out over time and not just doing it in a in a single day at the beginning of the year. paying teachers is is really honestly that's not really an option. I mean that's it is an option but it's a very expensive option. It's also catch as can. Um you can't require people to do it. Uh so that that's that's sort of peace meal at best and and very very expensive model. Okay. So what you have done in response as you said we've we've heard from a lot of people that Mondays are very challenging. So we do have in here a look at what it would look like if we move to Friday's late arrivals. But as you

133note there isn't a mixed calendar of early arrival and early dismissal um you said or anything like that. Yeah. And some of the half days uh if we just had the the K to the K to U for schools or sorry the just the elementary schools do early uh release or early dismissals. Um it may not just work out with the timing of the other other school buses. the second visual. So there'll be a bit of a problem there of of being regularly on time. Okay. Robin, um I I just wanted to ask about that specifically, Alan, because in the memo you did mention as an option that if we just did six early dismissals for the elementary schools on Fridays. Um to me that might seem to address some of the concerns just overall

134that we had heard from the parents emails and it was a pretty minimal cost. uh that I I thought maybe we should talk about a little bit more or doing something like that and maybe having some of the full day professional development days that we already have and having them maybe more focused on K through three literacy and maybe less time on some of the other topics that we normally would do just to kind of have a kind of a compromise that um would be easier on families. Rich, do you want to talk about the uh timing of it? Um, so, uh, uh, early dismissals, I mean, they can happen. We obviously do them for conferences. Um, the difficulty we get is obviously all the buses are tiered. So, if like you do an Oxbridge

135early dismissal at 1:30, um, they have to get to the high school by, you know, before 2:30 and the difficulty of getting out of Oxford as an example, doing all their routes, dropping off all the kids and getting there. We I mean typically on a conference day we do end up having some late buses at the high school um and the middle school. Um but is it doable? It's doable, but it logistically it's harder than um a late arrival. If we did do the early dismissal, we'd still have to do at least two of the late arrivals just uh after the April break and the December break. Okay, Greg. Um, I have I unfortunately missed the last meeting on this, but I have a lot of questions. I don't know if I'm going to go

136through all of them or Why don't you go through them and we'll see what's appropriate to actually discuss tonight and some of them might be just takeaways. So most of it stems from the I struggle with the idea of sacrificing student education time for professional learning when we already have lots of professional learning days on the calendar. I think number one is why aren't we using existing professional learning days? And I'm not sure what's currently on the agenda for those days, but I would think that we would start with whatever's on the agenda for K through three for those days and replace it with this new priority that's been mandated by the state. And if the state is mandating other things, we have too many mandates. Can't do them all at the same time. And

137we need to get make sure that our kids are getting the appropriate level of education and time in the classroom. So that's my first point. I think that there are other places in the schedule I'd like to understand as well. Um, you know, there's all the all the various elementary parent conferences like the potentially some half days in there. I mean, I know in these early dismissals, it's only a couple hours that the that the teachers are going to get with each other to review this stuff. I'm sure we could find a couple hours within those parent conferences of gaps. Maybe that's a place we could find. And I'm sure that the parents who all wrote us many emails would be willing to help with that scheduling to make that happen. Um, so can we

138get responses if they're Sure. So the first level of response uh there's a day um there's a whole day in um the opening of school sessions. One of those professional development days is all for K to three. It's all for K to3 reading. We also have another professional development day. But they're so far apart that that like you just need regular ongoing professional learning. You can't go from September to January uh without professional learning around this. I I I respect your concern about u I do respect the actual acknowledge in it the work the expectations that the state has around professional learning because you just don't have the actual amount of days days and time to actually cover what they want us to do but there are mandated trainings that we actually have to do

139you know it's everything from harassment training to everything in between um but there are things that we absolutely have to do also that that opening days. There needs to be time spent with faculty meetings, team meetings, uh just to get the schools up and running and functional. But one of those days is protected. Um the the um conferences days actually are mandated. You're you're mandated to have opportunities for conferences uh for teachers or for uh our parents. There's not a minute to spare in there, Greg. Honestly, I I I'm not quite sure what you would mean by a couple of hours because there are no hours in that in that whole period of time. Um did you have other questions, Greg? Yeah. So then other observations are, you know, there's 10 days in here with

140green days which are all for this. Um we've got two days in March just seems like a lot in addition to the other professional learning days. So the cadence was a big question. that they are going to spend time in August, do they need to spend time what 12 days later? Is that the appropriate time or would October, you know, removing the September day and just have doing it at the beginning of October, then you have another day on the 4th of November, which is a PLC day. You could eliminate the 14th, that green day in November. Then you got another day in January the 16th. Like there's a lot of days in here I feel like you could do with and eliminate a lot of these green boxes. So well well some of the

141some of the green boxes just for just for frame of reference are what the high school have done and are doing right. So that's like we're tapping we're suggesting tapping into it but I just want to be clear that those were things that if you take others away you'd be taking away what the house has been doing for some years. Colin, did you look at a blend of um so can when we talk about kids in the classroom, we do some pull out and some push in. Do are we doing any sort of push in type instruction and is that possible? Could that Well, let's let's be clear what we mean by push in sending uh specialized trainers into the classroom to support some of our teachers. Is is it possible to alleviate any of

142this by so coaches? Um, I'm sure Amy of She would maybe speak a little bit more elegantly about it, but coaches is one thing, but I'll just say like coaching is a huge expense. Now, I'm an advocate for it for coaches, but it's still a huge expense of putting people and doing it one classroom at a time is not the way to in my opinion to go about this particular process. But and and I can add that we do have some of those days embedded but when we have four grade levels um and and as Dr. Adley said when you are in one classroom usually because of subs we would pair up teachers so they're only seeing that once. It is helpful because they're getting the modeling but it's not ongoing looking at student data

143and and planning for instruction. Okay Dave and then Joanna. So, so two asks, not for tonight, but one if we could put a number on huge for a couple of different models around coaching and maybe there's a couple different flavors. The other thing is to Greg's point, you know, we have a lot of days on here. Some stuff's mandated, some stuff's not to evaluate more thoroughly. Can we get a full look at what this stuff is and how many hours and what's being evaluated? Because right now, we're just looking at for the reading for the most part and the addition. Can we get the full paniply of what's going on and what the time is being dedicated on so we can evaluate more fully. You mean the the other types of PD that they're doing?

144That's correct. Thank you. So I one clarification the greens are those you're saying that those are not all new. My understanding was that each for the high school for the high school high school has PLC's. What we're doing is adding PLC's to the middle school and the elementary school. The elementary school target is for the um for the reading instruction. middle school is just being added on because that way you can do the whole district at once and it becomes co costneutral. So I I appreciate that this approach is costneutral. There's or relatively it's a $24,000 food expense. There's that's you know that's certainly nice, but it it is a big change to how we run our district. Um and a big change clearly for parents to absorb. Yeah. So hence Yeah. So my point

145was going to be along this way that you've tried to figure this out by u marrying the PLC's at the high school with PLC's and other grades. And I think what we're hearing from parents is that's just not tenable with, you know, kids that young. There's a lot of dual working parents in this district. Um moving it from Mondays to Fridays was a help, but this really needs to be early dismissals. And again, I think, you know, the burden of this needs to be felt by everyone, not just the parents. So, you know, the idea of taking a couple of the these additional PLC days from elementary away and putting two hours, you know, if it's instead of on November, for instance, November in November, you have the full uh PD day in the 4th

146and then the PLC in the 14th. If you keep that PLC day in the 14th only for the high school and then take those two hours of time and do K through three in the beginning, you know, during the full day, I feel like parents will start to feel like we're all doing this together rather than they're being asked to to carry the um, you know, outside burden of this. Okay. Okay. So, the board is asking whether or not it's possible to do a mix of early dismissal and um um what's the other thing? Early late arrival, please. Um understanding that again what what your assumptions were going in. Um we're asking to help us understand a little bit better what you're trying to balance with PD. Um, and we're asking for if you were

147to do some sort of coaching model, um, what we would be talking about from a cost perspective? That's what the board is. Uh, an instructional coaching model, you're probably looking at about $800,000. Okay. And then what about um like any sort of specialized trainer? Do we know that? I don't coaching would be about 160,000 per school. 160,000. I mean you can't well I don't want to get generally speaking coaching you would need you would need somebody in every building okay I mean generally speaking but I thought that would be a non-starter like I mean we're talking about student phase and we've already reduced staff members right like and don't we have a bunch of teachers that have already learned I mean they just did the whole year with this entire program they did the pilot

148so don't we have a bunch of people who are trend who will be helping their other teachers. Is that sort of Yes. Yes. I mean that's that's that's what the professional learn time would be would be for for them to help and discuss with the their respective teams. Yes. Katie, I um have a lot of thoughts on this. Um I agree with Dave. Um and I know I've said this before, but I think we do need to have a review of our professional development. There have been a lot of questions and a lot of opakeness. Um, you know, there's questions about whether the high school PLC's are even effective as they are, let alone something that should be replicated across the whole district. Um, there is instructional loss and shortening a day. It's not just

149those two hours. The the whole rest of the day is less effective. We have to acknowledge that and we have to make sure that what we are trading them for is actually worth it. Um, so I would love to see that happen on the calendar. Um, you know, I appreciate the qualifica the quantification, Rich, about some of the numbers. Um, I think partly what this board is also asking for is is options is we want to know what you did look at and and what isn't working. For example, you know, we used to spend $100,000 a year on teachers college to be part of that continuous like learning component. So that's money that we used out of a grant every year, you know, for for 10 years, for 15 years, for however long, you know,

150that was here. So it's not crazy to think that that we might be able to, you know, use money, grant money to look for continuing development with that. Um, additionally, if we're if we're getting in the neighborhood of, you know, $800,000, those kind of numbers that are astronomical, clearly we that's when we start having conversations about does it make sense to hire an expert in this field? And if we had one full-time staff that spent their time between five buildings and then we're is able to help us roll out with fourth and fifth grade, like is that a good use of money? Are we saving money and and saving hassle in the long run? These are the things that the board wants to see. They don't want one option and then have to p poke

151holes in. You know, I think that's what we're really asking for. It's hard to imagine that we can't condense some of the PD that's already on the calendar, those yellow boxes, some of those conference days. Um, it's really hard to imagine that we can't look at ways to be more efficient in that. Um, so I I really hope that we can get a bit more creative and a bit more thorough in what comes back to the board for the next time. So I'm happy at the board the board has to make a decision probably next week or if it doesn't that's okay. But um I can't really opine on it then after that like we've got another meeting to do. Put this forward as a suggestion to for your K to3 teachers who ask specifically

152for it. And to me they're reasonable suggestions. If the board doesn't like them then that's okay. We give it a first shot and um we move on to either talk about the K to3 or sorry the moving part of it and the other dates stay as they have. That would be my suggestion but because it needs to be closed out at the next meeting I think. Yes, I think that's true. Needs to be closed out at the next meeting will be my assumption so that you all can plan accordingly, right? Um and so that people can understand what's happening with the school year. So the goal would be to to get some of the information that's been asked for. Um and I don't think we have to wait till the meeting packet if something's easier

153to get beforehand. Um, but I think it's not just that the board doesn't like it. There's also some community concern. I think it's important for the community to understand that this timeline is really fast and we're we're put on a timeline. And so, while we absolutely support um the uh conclusions that the the literacy group came to in selecting the new curriculum. Um, we are moving on a very fast timeline and we want it is critical that our teachers get trained. Um, so we are we are all of us in a little bit of a bind, but let's let's um you have the right now you have the D the DLC time, the the late arrival time, you have six early dismissals as a proposal in combination. Um I'm not too sure how many more

154I'm going to be able to bring back to be honest with you. I think just some the information we asked for. Thank you so much. Yes, Dennis. to throw a another monkey wrench into the calendar. Um, we have two Jewish holidays. We can argue you have two Christian holidays of Christmas. And I would be curious to see how other districts handle Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist holidays in their calendars and and for us to look at what to have the two Muslim holidays, the two high human holidays and and Buddhist holidays put into our calendar and see what that would look like or at least just have some information about about other districts and how they handle those holidays. Okay. Okay. U Thank you. With that, we move on to further discussion discussion and possible action

155on the 2627 district school calendar. Um, Dennis, your question might be more pertinent to 2627, but um, particularly as we're about to vote and if um, folks want to hold for that last bit of information or you want to go ahead and vote on this now. Yes, Dave, I'd say yes, but to wait, but we might throw it out. Yeah, I think we can. We might as well do all the calendars together. Great. Okay. So, we'll move on. Uh, further discussion and possible action on revisions to board of education policies March. Nothing new. Nope. Nothing new. Okay. We have it on if you would like to make a motion. Okay. I would like to read the motion. Yes. Yes. Um, I don't know when the right time. I'm not sure when the exact right time

156to talk about this is, but we have on here the code of ethics that we're asking our staff to um you know that we're adopting for our staff to use. And I feel like um we could have some policies maybe around board behavior uh particularly to social media. So I would like to request that we uh bring that through the policy committee. Second it. Thank you. Great. Hi. Yes. Um just one piece item I'd like to um also um tie that back to the board member handbook as well. Just recognizing the timing and the synergies there. Okay. Okay. Yes, Dave. Parliamentary procedure. Yes. I think we're entertaining a motion motion proposed not to say don't want to table that need to address the first technically I I had picked it up I think I think

157we're on the first motion I had read it yet right I'm reading okay let's just finish policy then sure um all right may I have a motion to approve the proposed revisions to Board policies 5175 bullying prevention and intervention and safe school climate plan 5180 restorative practices response policy 5375 suicide prevention and intervention 1225 visitors 1310 school security and safety and 4010 code of ethics as presented. So moved. Hey Dave moves. Dennis seconds. Is there discussion? There can be discussion. Sure. I just I had a question on this for the there's a bunch of language in here around this like new definition of bullying definition of challenging behavior. Is this like act like specifically the the language of the law? Yes. This is like how the law was written. Yes. Modified recently. Was it last

158year or this year? Yes. Effective July 1st, right? It like reading the language, this is just my view. I'm not an attorney, but it does seem like it I am an attorney. It's terrible. It opens us up to like a lot of problems. I mean, to use like a really simple example, if a kid is constantly sneezing in class, that would constitute bullying because it interferes with the education of other kids. Simple. They have allergies. It's bullying. But it makes absolutely zero sense to me. I realize that the state is putting this out, but it doesn't seem like someone with half a brain who's been in a classroom recently actually wrote the law. And this is a point in the sub committee meeting is that really we have no choice in this language. This is

159being forced on us. It's a legal change from Hartford. It's another you know it's basically another unforced mandate where you know representation was not from the local community as to what we want these definitions to be. It came down from the state. So we don't have any choice. I do have a question about that as well. I I I not maybe not for this, but generally I think that we need to be standing on our own. And if the state came out with a law that said that bullying was mandated, I think we would all say we're not going to put that into our policy just just to use the extreme example. If the state came out and said bullying is okay, we would probably say no, we're not going to put that into our

160policy. And that's an interesting point. I'm going to piggyback on the point made here about bringing things up to the policy subcommittee. Perhaps as a discussion we should calendar for the policy committee to talk about times when we want to maybe have conscientious objection to the state versus local control and maybe have a broader conversation on that point. Sure. So I'll just throw that out as Okay, great. So let's let's finish this motion then. Okay. So there's a there's a first and a second. All those in favor that is unanimous. Okay. And then um it's a little bit off agenda, but we have um some questions about what to go to the policy committee. I I don't know if it well I I literally don't know if it needs to be a motion or if

161it's just something that we can ask. We can do it at the retreat. That's true. We can do it at the retreat. Um we discussed. So, not reading the policy, but my recollection is that it's pretty broad and any community member, any board member, any teacher, any resident, you know, can bring up policy suggestions at any time. So, I guess I would defer you administratively like how would you like to do that? Um, yes, I have one I'd actually like to bring. So, I can just email you that and then we can see what you know or if we want to try and make a motion here and amend the agenda. So, just thoughts. Go ahead, Keith. So I I like the idea of it going through the policy committee and and following our our

162structure in the way. So is is it right that we just need a certain number of board members to agree to to send it to policy? So there's two different things we're talking about. One is the policy policy which basically says you know who can raise a policy change and so that's what Dave is referring to. There's then there's the subcommittee policy which talks about how subcommittees work and technically they do the work that the board sends to them. So for example the policy committee itself is running through the audit. Um so I I think your laptop can you do that I think um that it's really a little bit up to us because you could interpret either policy. I think it's probably easy enough since we're sitting here at the board table just to

163formally send some stuff to the policy committee then we're all on the record. Um, but I think the spirit of it is any board member or other folks should be able to identify a policy they want discussed and you would hope that and to be honest historically a little bit of play joints. We're not to policy things come up from time to time you react to them. So right if there's things people want to bring up I don't see why we couldn't get something on sooner than later to address it. Yeah. like we we've brought up policies during the retreat and thrown it new work and discussed at the board kind of the direction we want to go. So I would suggest we do it at talk about ethics and social media polic at the

164retreat. Okay. Yeah. And then then send the work to the policy. Do it at the retreat. So send some send some guidance to policy from our retreat. That's not my suggestion. I mean, I sounds like you'd like something sooner than the retreat. Well, I just I I don't I think that I I wanted to follow our typical subcommittee pol where like I think that what we said tonight at the table is enough that we need to look at this like we should have a policy and so I think it makes sense to send it to the policy committee and let them do their work to to find out what is typical like what might work for us. I I think that that's So Joanna, why don't you make your motion? Excuse me for interrupting. And

165then okay, we can there was a second somewhere. What's um I'd like to make a motion to move uh to have policy uh research and recommend um send I'd like to send some uh um sorry I'm like thinking about I have to type this too. Oh okay. Yes. Yes you do. Okay. I think I heard you say you are interested in the policy committee looking at um code of conduct and specifically social media. Thank you. Okay. Motion for the policy board to for the sorry the policy subcommittee to develop a social media policy for board members. are the only thing I would say is they should look at the review because sometimes we find you know there might be different ways review a possible yes okay so you've made the motion you're firsting yourself is

166there John are you a second not for that one not for that one okay I am Katie is a second okay all those in favor when's the next policy meeting technically not until September, but um you could you know you guys can call one. Um but I'll defer to you Dave on the timing. Let's see how this request. Okay. All those in favor I'm sorry. Could somebody please you want to reread the motion? Motion to ask the policy committee to rem to review a possible policy on social see this is hard to type and think at the same time. on social on a social media policy for board members. Is that fine? But there's no date or anything in that motion. It's just there's no date on the work. It's just sending the work to

167the committee to discuss. You guys can figure it out. Does it does it does it preclude us from being able to talk about it at the retreat? No, which is before the next policy committee. Mean it does not I'm just trying to figure it does not preclude us from talking about it before that. It's just an acknowledgement that the policy committee uh would take it on. Okay. All those in favor. Okay. All those opposed. All those abstaining. I'm abstaining because I just hopped on. Okay. Did you I don't feel like voting. You abstained. Okay. Can we pick up new business after 10 new business? Oh, it's 10. Let's go. Who voted what? Okay, so um Greg, can you guys just raise your hands again for Joanna? Sarah and Dennis abstained. No, you're not Dennis. Sarah

168and John abstained. Okay. All right. All right. In the future, we need to revise the agenda. This is a little bit off topic. Sorry, I appreciate. It's okay. Um Okay. With that, we actually have um executive session, so don't pack up too fast. Um, next step is follow-up action items. Yes, Katie. Thank you. Um, thank you for this. Um, very very tiny printed. Um, she um, I noticed that there were a couple things mentioned specifically about curriculum on here. And I wanted to also note that in um in the curriculum committee meetings, we had also discussed revisiting both handwriting and typing at the elementary school. Um if that could just be made a note of as well. All right, public comment. Good evening. If anybody in person or online would like to participate in public

169comment, please approach the podium or use the raised hand icon and wait to be recognized. Once recognized, please state your name and address for the record and note that you have up to three minutes to comment. We have no raised hands at this time. Okay, with that I will um take to read this motion. I have a motion to adjurnn to executive session for the purpose of discussion concerning non-affffiliated employee salaries pursuant to Connecticut general statute 126A. So moved. That's Dave, seconded by Dennis. All those in favor? Unanimous. Thank you all. Um Sarah and Robin, I'm going to be ending