001Algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, justice for all. >> Brad, can we do a roll call? I sure can on your behalf there. Angelina Barnes >> here. >> Janelle Bzinski >> here. >> Carpenter >> here. Brad here. John >> here. >> And Brad here. Perfect. Should we have a motion to adopt the agenda? >> All in favor say >> I. >> Thanks for the guidance there. [laughter] >> Yeah, we totally got this. >> All right. So this is our organization and so I guess at this time we'll start taking nominations. So I would like to um just propose a slate of nominations if we can. That's perfect. So for President John will remain president um myself will be
002the vice president secretary will be Mr. And then motion on this. >> It's a motion. We have a second. >> We hear any discussion. >> Any discussions? >> Hearing none. >> Let's have a vote. All those in favor? Hi. >> Thank goodness. [laughter] >> All right, welcome back everybody. Happy New Year. Even though it's probably too late to say that, we'll take it for now. Uh we'll go into item B, which is the appointment of board committees. So this is justformational right now. I will sit down and assign uh more committees to all the members. So if you would like specific committees, please send them to me. A lot of them will probably stay the same. And they are typically based on seniority, which means in terms of people the longest get to pick which
003committees they go to. So we'll try to round them out and I'll balance them the most. But if there's some something that you'd like to do, please let me know. If there's something you would not like to do as well, please let me know and I will try to best and give everyone at least second choice. Any questions there? >> Yes. So, there are four committees that we'll be appointed to. Finance committee, which is typically and historically has been the officers and will likely remain that way. Policy curriculum and our bond committee. All right, we'll move on to the regular meeting minutes. Uh the schedules for January through uh the regular meeting schedules for January through December 2026 and our January 2027 organizational meeting. You have all those in front of you. Do we have
004a motion to accept those? >> Any discussion? >> Okay. Okay. And just for the record, those uh will be February 9th, March 9th, April 13th, May 11th, June 8th, July 13th, August 10th, September 14th, October 12th, November 9th, and December 14th in 2026 with an organizational meeting taking place January 11, 2027. Any further discussion? All those in favor, please say I. >> I. Motion carries. Uh next, it is the recommendation that the Dwit Public Schools Board of Education Establish work sessions on the following Mondays to begin at 6 p.m. April 27th, June 22nd, August 24th, and November 23rd, 2026. We have a motion. >> Support. >> Moved in support. Any discussion? >> All those in favor, please say I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. Uh, next is the designation of power to post meeting notices.
005is a recommendation that the superintendent of schools be the person designated to post meeting notices with the administrative assistant to the superintendent authorized as an alternate and the secretary of the board of education authorized as an alternate. Do we have a motion? >> Move to support it. Any discussion all those? Yeah, I'm sorry. >> Just just one. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Any further discussion? All those in favor please say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. Next, we will move on to the official depositories of school funds. It is recommendation that for January through December 2026, the following be designated official depositories of school funds, PMC Bank, Fifth Third Bank, and Michigan School District Liquid Asset Fund. Do we have a motion? >> So moved. >> Moved and supported. Any discussion? >> All those in favor, please
006say I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. Next is signature card authorization. It is a recommendation that the signatures of the superintendent, assistant superintendent for finance and operations, president and treasurer of the board be authorized on the signature cards of the officially designated banks for the purpose of making deposits, withdrawals, wire transfers, andor internal transfers of school funds held in school district accounts. Do we have a motion? Support. Move to support. Any discussion? All those in favor, please say I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. Uh, next is our investment officer. It is the recommendation that the assistant superintendent for finance and operations be designated as the investment officer in accordance with board policy 6144. Do we have a motion? >> Move in support. Any discussion? >> All those in favor, please say I. >> Any opposed?
007Motion carries. Next is authorization of checks and documents. recommendation that the superintendent, assistant superintendent for finance and operations and appropriate building administrators be authorized to sign checks, contracts, agreements, and purchase orders as subject to W public schools policies. We have a motion. >> So moved. >> All those in favor I'm sorry. Any discussion? >> All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. Next is the appointment of recording secretary. It is a recommendation [clears throat] that the administrative assistant to the superintendent be appointed as reporting secretary for the board of education and also designated as the official recipient of DEA daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa and despa communications to the Dwick public schools board of education to make a motion. So support moved and supported. Any discussion? All those in favor please say I.
008>> Any opposed? Okay. Motion carries. And finally, a resolution to delegate authority for directing the administration of district monies. Is the recommendation that the board of education approve the resolution to delegate authority of directing the administration of district monies as presented. Do we have a motion? >> Support. Move and supported. Any discussion? >> All those in favor, please say I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. This now concludes the portion of our organizational membership meeting. So, thank you all for that. Uh next we will go to public communications for items found on the agenda. >> Communications. >> Okay. Or we will close this portion of public communications and we will move on next to our presentation. Dit Middle School therapy dog Sky with Becky Mika Dit Middle School principal. Welcome to Becky and Sky.
009Good to see you. So, this is Skye um our four and a halfyear-old golden doodle. Um she has been coming to school for sometimes five days a week um at the middle school. Teachers are able to check her out and so I handed out a pamphlet in front of you. Um all of the teachers got that. The students also got um like an email with a little blurb about Sky. Um we're to the point now too that the students can now transport her through the building too. So she has like a backpack and in her backpack there's like a little stuffy and a ball and there's treats and different things like that. And um so students can come and they just put the backpack on and they take her and she'll go with them to
010the classroom and so there's different time slots like throughout the day. So like the teachers can like check her out and students can come and like take her throughout the building. Um they've done an amazing job like embracing her. It's been so awesome to the ownership responsibility. She wanders around in the classroom. So even though she has like this on, usually a lot of times we'll tuck her um leash and so she just kind of like wanders around in the classroom which is kind of like what you saw when we first got here. She can just kind of wander around in the hallway. Um she's not supposed to eat human food as you see that. But as any other dog, you know, is left out in the building, she like this, she will just go
011do that. Um there's some basic commands on there that the whole staff was trained on. And so we did a staff meeting where, you know, staff just got kind of comfortable with I was really impressed um about how I mean she just caught on to everybody and there's like so many people that are like when can we get more what can we do but um and so she's just been a delight to have super >> fantastic question >> how are the students responding so far >> amazing it's been awesome they love her I mean it's so funny like their heads are up in the hallway and for many reasons not about her know they come and they know ask you to pet her, but it's like every single day or even if they see me
012like where's Sky or like she'll be in the classroom and then every Sky in the room today can check out like make sure that you talk to your teacher. They do they do an amazing job. Um just like really embracing her want to like they ask to take her outside right now. I'm still sorry this is Sky. Um um and so they have gotten really good about you know her commands and the different things andvious obviously motated, but she'll do things [laughter] just like she's really >> with dog. >> Nobody at the very beginning when I sent the letter out and to reach out. Um, she's allergenic, so I think that that kind of helped ease. I mean, nobody reached back out. I was like, you know, please let me know anybody. >> Is she
013specially trained in any way of like emotional support dogs. >> Yeah. So, kind of like a difference with um like a facility dog versus like an emotional support dog is she's trained to be like able to be about a facility. Um and so like she's trained with like those specific like there's just like some direct commands like that she'll do whereas like you can train like support dogs to like let's say go in the refrigerator, open something. She can press buttons. if you tell her to push like you know the handicap buttons um but they have to be on the floor so when we trained her where I was at the school district like before now we didn't have her jump off so like she won't jump up like she'll lay across she might do
014a sky step we'll see if she'll do it in front of everybody but like we have her do like an across rather than like other dogs would you know like maybe hug or do different things like this we do this and then she like can read with students like even in the classroom now I show this to all the teachers and so you can have her just kind of like lay across your lap and you can do different activities um but she um is like more of that facility training so that she can be utilized like from that whereas like an emotional support dog is usually trained with just like one person for like their emotional support throughout their like daily activities and things like that. So same with like a service dog. A service
015dog would be trained with that specific service. Okay. And so her main thing is to be able to go out in a facility and do multiple things like that for everybody. >> So what does her typical day look like? Like how often is she interacting with students? >> Oh my gosh. Five to six hours a day. Sometimes the whole entire day. I mean from the time that her and I enter the building. I mean the kids are out like if she's not already checked out by first thing in the morning if we're out walking the halls and she's in class. I mean, if people don't see that she signed up because it's like a sign out sheet that just goes out with like the morning news and they sign out a lot of times they'll
016sign her out like two or three weeks in advance. Um, but it's all day like all day long. She goes home and she's like completely exhausted. They try to say um that you kind of like gauge her mood too a little bit which is why she's only here sometimes four days but she'll get like extremely tired and so like when you do your training like her and I just got reertified about a month month and a half ago. Um, but they just make sure that you kind of like read the because she'll just get like extra tired. It's not like she'll do anything but she'll just like if you ever see her office she'll just be like she starts snoring like she's so tired and it's just like kind of >> [clears throat] >> Okay.
017She could do it without treat [laughter] like you know making sure that it's like that she's not doing this all the time. I wasn't sure. is fine with everybody. But like she'll work better for treats, >> but she's just used to kind of hang out with me even when she's in the hall with me. Like she doesn't need her leash or anything. And so you'll just see her and everybody's like, "Oh my gosh." Cool. >> Any other questions? >> Yeah, I'm not asking for names, but just like are there certain kiddos that you find that it's been benefiting each day? >> Absolutely. >> Kids that you know tend to go towards [clears throat] >> I would say that there's upwards to seven eight students like every single day. Always ask about it, always um they
018Christmas presents just you know, today and then Friday take her eyes. She can't see. And I'm like, I know. But they like seek her out. They like, you know, want to rush her. Um, but they just like it just like makes her whole face light up like as soon as they see her. So yeah, >> thank you. >> I mean, everybody though, it's just the mood. Well, thank you, Becky. Thank you, Sky. We're going to kick off 2026 here. So, we appreciate you both being here. >> All right. Next presentation is with Superintendent Kevin. [snorts] >> Okay. >> First of all, you know, I that we did put an article that I encourage our families to take that as well for you. Also, you will see at your desk here, there is augies. So super
019appreciative just your dedication, hard work and making sure that our students have all the support they need and staff. So thank you Welcome. >> Hi. Thank you. Um well, I want to start off by first saying we're coming to the end of our first semester and finals are starting this week on Thursday and Friday. The high school has two half days on both those days. And then going to our extracurriculars, student government attending um regional conference is happening on January 22nd this year. And then our business professionals of America members competed in Battle Creek on December 12th of 2025 at the regional conference. And this trip was very successful with approximately 70 D high school students uh competing and meeting um at the state level this year while multiple DHS staff members facilitated the conference.
020Um on Saturday the advanced DHS choirs duets and soloist travel to Midland High School to compete at districts. All three choirs, chamber, women's select ensemble, and men chamber received a division one perfect 30 out of 30 scores and a performance scores from the judge who will be moving on to states in April. Uh winter sports are in full swing with our annual winter fest for the week of February 2nd through the 7th. Um and high school students in our mentorship program are starting to branch out and now supporting students at her elementary and road elementary. Currently, DHS mentorship engages with 80 middle school students to support academic, social, and emotional needs. Lastly, auditions for next year's musical, the Adams family. >> Any questions? >> Appcate All right, ready to go back to the video. Let's
021do it. >> I would like to take a moment to thank our board of education for their dedicated service to our students, staff, and community. [clears throat] Serving on a school board requires countless hours, thoughtful decision making, and a deep commitment to public education. Our board members lead with integrity, care deeply about our student success, and help guide our district forward every day. On behalf of our entire school community, thank you for your leadership, your partnership, and your unwavering support. [screaming] Must [laughter] be a big ass. [laughter] >> They're extremely lucky to have this board in the corner. So, thank you for all that you do. >> Thank you. >> All right. Next, we will move on to the consent agenda. is a recommendation by Superintendent Kevin Roid that the board of education approve, adopt,
022accept the following items for meeting implementation and appropriate action as presented. The approval of minutes from the regular meeting on December 8th, 2025. Treasurers report bills for payment for the month of December 2025. The treasurer reviewed the checks, AC debits, and the purchase card for the month of December 2025. Professional hiring of Madison McKe Dit Middle School special education teacher and approval of an outofstate overnight trip high school for varsity baseball to Florida March 27th April 1st 2026 and the family career and community leaders of America state leadership conference in Lancing February 24th through 26th 2026. We have a motion support move and support. Any discussion? >> All those in favor please say >> I.gend carries. Oh, welcome. >> How are you? You want to tell us a little bit about yourself and uh what
023brought you here? >> Yeah, so I actually just graduated this past December from Michigan University and graduation. >> Thank you so much for >> fantastic. We're excited for you to get to work and happy to have you here. Welcome. We know you'll enjoy duet here. So, thank you. >> Awesome. It's great to hear. All right, move on to action items. Now we'll start with the DIT middle school handbook update. It is the recommendation by Superintendent Kevin Robotic for the board of education adopt the update to Dit Middle School handbook page 6 policy 5136 cell phones and other electronic devices. Do we have a motion? >> So move. Is there a second? >> Moved and supported. Any further discussion? >> I have a question. >> So, it basically looks like we're switching to requiring that all
024uh personal electronic devices remain in the students lockers. And that definition includes cell phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and pods. There are classes that expressly require them to have things asking for them. So, if they're required for class, So yeah, this is strictly middle school. Mrs. Monica could probably answer some of those questions, but >> yeah, so is there a reason we're switching to having them in their lockers versus like they used to Yeah. >> Just my question is more so on smartwatches, you know, is there a way to keep those I'm just making something up. If they had them on airplane motors and I know just a lot of kids will use them for track their fitness or to track other things during the day and not being able to have that in their locker during
025the day could be difficult for them. So is there a way to, you know, fix that problem somehow. >> Yeah. Again, it's talked to a lot of students about know they're texting and they're calling or taking pictures in the bathroom. Have we had any like our parents aware of this or have we had any concerns about I know in catastrophic events that the kids do use their cell phones and they do call parents or contact their loved ones or reach out. >> Not about that. So the very beginning But I'm too honestly more about that and it's like you know the same first offense that worry about what is happening in the bathroom or ask get it. >> Yeah, >> I think I think the issue is now Parents, parents are trying to do this
026of we're not going to get them a full-fledged cell phones, but we're going to give them a watch. >> The watches can do pretty much everything a cell phone can do. And so they can call, they can text, they can do, they can take notes, they can transcribe an entire conversation. That's something on their wrist. And I'll be honest with you, like I know kids want to track their fitness and everything, but I'm fully supportive of We we should supply whatever device they're using in the classroom. I don't think they want to miss a couple of steps like I'm willing to do that for the the lack of enforcement that admin like leadership team needs to do and the kids just don't need the distraction. I' I've heard parents that have gotten smart watches for
027their kids actually say the number of distractions is actually more because it's it's attached to them. Like they can't they can't ever get away. notification. So they're they're rethinking that as well. So I I'm supportive of keeping smart watches as written here just because I think any of those distractions are a distraction is a distraction. >> Yeah. Just to clarify, I think one reason we brought this to the board was because it has not been approved by the board, but we've been kind of acting on that since It's been bell, >> but smart watches I don't think have been >> my kid got he got >> sorry [laughter] >> miscommunication I the leadership team at middle school kind of left down this brought to my attention to look at this because I guess some valid
028pilot how well it's received school students teachers administrators and then subsequently parents guess the question Kevin is the intention of this then to look at this other schools. >> Yeah. And there's obviously districts that have done it full districtwide. You know, that's not something that I would encourage at this point, but I think the middle school's been acting on this and been implementing this for a while now. Um I'd like to see where this goes. I do think there's some developmental purposes here. You know, I do think that students at the middle school level, it's much different than it is at the high school level as far as responsibility as far as distraction and things of that nature go. Their schedules are different, all those pieces. Um, but yeah, it's just something that the middle
029school itself, their leadership team said, "Hey, this is something that we think is significantly distracting kids. So, how can we kind of support and help in that way?" Um, of course, you'll get push back, I'm sure, with any rule change or any adoption that you have, but I think the goal is provide a environment and climate culture where students can focus on learning throughout the day. I do think that while watches aren't my favorite, that's probably a good middle line there being able to have something that parents feel more secure. But there are districts that have fully implemented forest hills as well. I can think about top of my head that you know kind of fully implemented it. I'm not sure what level. >> I think there's states that >> Yeah, there's states that are
030fully schools. >> All schools. >> Yeah. So, but I'm not asking for that. I'm saying like we've already implemented this. I'd like to see it kind of finish throughout the year. Let's see where we're at. >> You've implemented watches too. >> No, Mrs. many letters back. >> How many are we taking? >> How often do we have to take it? At the beginning a lot, but And then we have the positive feedback not only just to keep the polic Would you be open to just and I know I just said I'm supportive of smart watches but just then we revisit this kind of at the end of the year >> that's where I would feel comfortable if I'm if I'm being honest because I you know if we're doing something we're doing a pilot we're
031trying to monitor what it looks like then I would say let's continue what we're doing this changes what we're doing and I'm reluctant to support that >> looks like the existing definition like not the red line said personal electronic devices include cell phones earbuds smartatches, >> but the difference here is they should be kept in students lockers where that's not the case before. >> So those are in there. Those could be used, but they have to be off >> and not used. >> Could you read again? >> It says cell phones and other personal electronic devices must remain off and out of sight during the school day, class time, passing time, lunch time, and should be kept in students lockers. Personal electronic devices include cell phones, smartwatches, earbuds, earbuds. Use of cell phones, other electronic
032devices. Use of electronic devices of any kind during test is not permitted. I mean, are you saying it would give Becky the power to say >> No, what I'm saying is if you said my kid couldn't have a smartwatch, I'll get him smart glasses. That's not part of your policy. And if you said no to that, I'd give him a smart ring to track the steps. So notebook that sorts of things. >> Right now it seems very specific. >> Shouldn't it say including these things but not limited to those? >> Well, do we have to name them on the coin? Can we just say we're not permitted to do this and leave it at that? >> I think the focus was cell phones, right? I think that was the the intent was like let's can
033we cut down cell phones within the classroom. [clears throat] >> You have the ability to to say a kid that's using their smartwatch inappropriately. You can say you just can't have that in school. >> I mean it doesn't take you away from doing that. It's just the broad policy. So somebody's misusing it in some way. >> Has smartwatches have smartwatches been a pretty significant problem too? more recently. >> Okay. Because we took their cell phones. >> Yeah. >> Have we had, you know, to his point, have we had people trying to skirt it by bringing things that, you know, bringing a tablet or electronic notebook. Like >> I'm just wondering if we took their cell phones away so now they bring smart watches if like you're saying if we take smart watches away is it
034is it just going to be a new thing that they're bringing because it's outside of it. I see what you're saying about not wanting to make it broader and as long as she has jurisdiction to take things away that are outside of the definition. That >> seems I think I would be more to say like just if we can pass something that continues this pilot and we reevaluate >> like not change anything that we've been doing so far. >> Yeah, let's not make it bigger than it is at this point. >> All right. So, I typically I will make that amendment to the motion. That's okay with whoever made the motion that we can continue this pilot program as is for the remainder of the 2025 2026 school year and reevaluate prior to the 26
03527 school year. >> Everybody okay with that? So is that a motion to approve this handbook if that's correct? >> No, that's the amendment. So we will not be approving this new language. It is to continue a pilot program of keeping cell phones right now in lockers that we have been doing since the beginning of this year. >> So that doesn't include the smartatches. >> Correct. >> Earbuds and correct >> unless they're being disrupted with those things and then it's within the teachers authority to take >> So the official polic We're just giving Becky the >> Yes. Is that okay? That's >> okay. All right. So, >> do we have a second for that amended? >> Second. >> Okay. Um, all those in favor, we're voting on the amendment now. All those in favor, please
036say I. >> Any opposed? >> Okay. So we have one opposition to that motion carries. Um so now we will go back and we'll just eliminate the original motion. Okay. We will move on. That'll do it for action items. We will move on to public communication on any subject. Mr. We will close public communication then and move on to superintendent report. [clears throat] >> All right. So, first of all, um, as many know, the board has been methodically and thoughtfully discussing our district's facilities through the bond committee process. I just want to let the families and community members know that we'll be sending out a community survey soon. Um, and we encourage to watch for it and share your feedback. So, that'll be coming up very soon. Um, I want to wish our families a
037happy and successful new year. Um, and as a friendly reminder, there will be no school on Monday, January 19th. Thank you. Any questions for Mr. We'll move on to board member announcements. >> I think the only thing we had in the announcements is um Angelina, were you part of the Memorial Stadium recommendation to the board? >> I Okay. >> All right. Any other announcements for anybody? Anybody? >> All right. We'll entertain a motion to adjurnn. and supported. All those in favor, please say I. I. Any we thank you.