001Ready? >> Good evening everyone. Welcome to the West Harford Public Schools Board of Education. It's t uh meeting. It's Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026, 700 p.m. Give us the roll call. Queen. >> Miss Marman. Miss Yagalof >> present. >> Mr. Gagnan >> here. >> Miss Hers >> here. >> Mr. Weiner >> here. >> Miss Ble >> here. >> Mr. Goldman >> here. >> Kayla Jaw here. Bridget Feny >> here. >> Kayla, can you lead us in the pledge? I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> All right. So we have no revision to the agenda order and we're going to start with our public communications. Comments tonight can be from the public on agenda
002and non-aggenda items. You'll have three minutes per person. Persons commenting on agenda items can be permitted to comment first. Um, and board members don't respond to comments. That's just our policy. But we are listening and taking notes and and thinking about what you're saying. Thanks. First up, we have Greg Collins. Is that Yep. And can you just when you come up say your name and tell us where you're from? >> Yeah, my name is Greg Collins and I'm uh from South Highland Street originally from um Charlotte Boston. Yeah. Um well, thank you for the opportunity to talk. I have three minutes. All right, let me just time myself. Um so I am uh here today just to express my concern over um some of the language that is used on the West Harford public school
003website. I exchanged emails with the superintendent about this in September, I believe, and um we exchanged a couple emails, but I haven't heard back since. Um so, I'm here to follow up and to just voice my concerns. I know I'm not the only parent to do so. Uh and I'm increasingly conscious of this language because my I have three daughters, one a baby, two um are in Wedding Lane schools. One is in second grade and the other's in kindergarten. And so on the West Hartford Public School website, I noticed language maybe stemming from the George Floyd incident um when it mentions anti-racism initiatives, equity initiatives, teaching cultural consciousness, quote, understanding of one's own cultural identity, bias, prejudices and experiences of both privileges and marginalization. Um gender identity or expression um referring to a person's gender
004related identity, appearance or behavior, whether or not that gender related identity, appearance or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with a person's physiology or sign, sex at birth and so on. Um and then uh in addition there's additional language I was um troubled by when it mentions um this is part of the social emotional learning section. Uh quote as part of our WHP WHPS commitment to equity and anti-racism your children will also engage in lessons aligned to the four learning for justice social uh learning for justice social justice standards identity diversity justice and action. Um, and so I'm here before I um arrive at a firm judgment about how these um how that language is translated into classrooms. I'm just encouraging um I'm seeking further clarity as I mentioned to my um to the
005superintendent in my email about whether those lessons are being taught in classrooms um at what age, what grade, and how they're being taught. Um because those that language is loaded um and those phrases and words can mean vastly different things to different people. Um and in in um and oftentimes in my personal judgment they can lead to um cultural lack of consciousness and cultural lack of diver lack of appreciation for diversity and variety of perspectives and and of different backgrounds. Um and perhaps at least concretely on the website there could be further clarity on how that language is again being translated into the classrooms at what age those lessons are being um um taught in the classrooms and whether students or and whether parents have any say in how those lessons being taught. I know
006some of these issues have been discussed previously, but again, as the parent of three daughters, two of whom are growing up in the Wayne school system, otherwise of which we are very um satisfied of the educational curriculum being provided there, but I'm more conscious of these this language now. And so I I just encourage um I just hope that there's further clarity on these uh on how these uh phrases are being taught and translated in classrooms. Thank you. >> Thanks, Greg. All right. Next we have Adrien Trice. Did I say that correctly? Adrien Trice. Okay. Am I Am I pronouncing it correctly? >> Okay. Thank you. I'm sorry. >> Um, it's okay. Go ahead. Yeah. Get your Yeah, take your three minutes. >> All right. So, good evening. My name is Adrien Trice. I'm a
007parent of Leila Sky Williamson. She's 11th grader at Hall High School. So, today I'm here to get some clarity better than. So, with that being said, I want her to be transferred out of hall. She's now in Greater Harford Academy of the Arts in Harford. So she's taking the classes and she's getting the support she needs. Paul counselor called Greater Harford Academy and said take Ila out of that mandatory class and if you don't we will fail her and hall. Ila has been called many names by the administration. I went to the principal. I told them what was going on. They said the teacher would not be fired. No one's getting fired. I tried to talk to the counselor. Our communication wasn't mingling. I said, "Can I speak to your supervisor?" She said, "Why?" I
008said, "Because I need to talk to someone else." She refused to give me the name. She just kept on saying why. So, as a parent, I'm getting push back. So, I can imagine how my daughter felt in the school. Nobody really in her school looks like her. So she had to fight harder. But yet and still every day she push harder. My daughter volunteers. She works hard. She's an honoral student. All her teachers recommend her for AP classes. But yet and still her counselor refused to put her in the appropriate classes so she can go to college. So as of right now, my daughter's in 11th grade and do not have enough credits to go to college. And I think that's a shame when the administration at Hall High School. Thank you, Adrian. All right,
009next up, Leila Williamson. Hi, my name is Leila Sky Williamson. Um, I'm an 11th grader at Hall High School and I'm also a student at Greater Harford Academy of the Arts half-day program where I'm in the musical theater department and I am also an open choice student. Um, but here I'm going to talk about the racism and discrimination and harassment that I've endured in the West Harvard public school system. So last year, my theater teacher told me that I will never measure up to anything. I will never have a career in the arts. And everyone in my class, and this is a predominantly white class, is better than me. Um, this situation happened in December of 2025 and was not addressed until May of 2020. Sorry. This situation happened in December of 2024 and it
010was not addressed until May of 2025 by hall administration in DEI. Um, and this situation led me to apply to GA because my theater teacher after the whole meeting had happened had said, I'm glad that this experience has helped you. In May of 2025, I spoke to my counselor and assigned vice principal to finalize my schedule for this school year, knowing that I will attend Greater Harper Academy of the Arts half day this current school year. And nothing was finalized and I am not on track for graduation. I do not meet all the required required credits. I do not have a financial aid class. And I was basically blocked and lied to by my counselor as she's told me that financial lit was not offered while I was still at West Harford public schools until
01112:15 every day. That was a lie. It was offered. Um I just had to rearrange my schedule a little bit. So she basically lied to me and told me that it was not offered at all. Um, I also have to take a mandatory class called audition prep, which will help me to succeed and become better in musical theater and also pursue it in college. The school has blocked me from taking that and requires a wellness credit of me despite having four plus hours of tap dance and jazz dance a week combined. And they were the the counselor told >> uh Ila, were you did you have more? >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Okay. The counselor blocked me from taking audition prep at my other school and told me I had to take a wellness credit, another
012elective dance class that is similar to my jazz class that I currently take at Greater Harvard Academy of the Arts. Although is it an it is an elective and it is less intense than my current class. Um, as my mother said, basically all my teachers recommended me for AP next year, my senior year. I have made maximum honors these past few quarters. Um, I was honored from the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sority in Harford for my leadership skills and all of my successes. Um, and I went to Mry Mount College in New York City to study musical theater this summer. And yet, and still, I've been blocked by West Harpford public schools, not to just to fail. It feels like I being I'm being set up for failure. No one is helping me or providing me
013for assistance. And I have been here since kindergarten. And every single year, something has happened and no issues has been resolved and always swept under the rug. But today, you know, regardless of how many times the vision of the graduate is put upon me each year and ingrained in my head, the administration at Hall High School fails to follow up and uphold the values that they so wholeheartedly express each and every single year cuz I'm supposed to receive respect and I'm supposed to feel safe and welcomed at my school and I do not. And every day I come in thinking there will be another problem. there is going to be something that is never going to be resolved. Thank you. >> Thank you so much, Ila. >> All right. Next, we have um Rachel. Is
014it Catherine? >> Catherine. Thank you. >> Um hi, my name is Rachel Katherine. I'm a junior at Connard High School and I believe that block scheduling is a bad idea to put in place for the 2026 to 2027 school year. Course selection is happening from February 4th to 18th and no one is sure if we're having a block schedule at the moment. We're still expected to pick our classes without knowing what schedule model we'll be using. This is a tough academic decision to make, not to mention the difficulty of changing classes when schedules are set. and we're being asked to make this decision without the information required to make it. We have also noticed that school officials and teachers are still unsure how a block schedule would work in practice. We only started looking or
015like seriously looking into block scheduling in November of 2025 and having it fully implemented next year feels extremely rushed while so many details are still unclear. There would be a major difference in how students pick their classes depending on whether we are on a traditional or block schedule. in block scheduling. One of the main advantages was that students wouldn't have to drop lunch to fit in all the extra classes like you need for graduation requirements. However, in this proposed schedule, students still lose an elective to fit in gym class. For example, in a block schedule, we would have gym every day of the week on A days, Bday days, and a skinny Wednesday for the first semester and then a study hall block or halfear elective every day second semester. This means gym would take
016place take the place of an elective for at least half the year. This directly undermines the main purpose of shifting to block scheduling in the first place. In addition, you lose an elective if you take an AP science class. This doesn't just affect a small group of students. It affects anyone's trying to take multiple electives. Students in the arts, tech, athletes, and students planning their schedules are on college credits, too. Many students, myself included, have already dropped lunch to take an extra elective. and this change would force us to lose one. For all those reasons, moving to a block schedule in the 2026 to 2027 school year feels rushed and poorly timed. With course selections already underway, students are being asked to make important academic choices without knowing the structure these choices will exist in,
017and that puts us at a disadvantage from the start. Until the details are clearly worked out and students can make informed decisions about their schedules, it would be unwise to move forward with block scheduling next year. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you and I hope you'll take my points into consideration and I know I don't speak for all the students but u many share similar sentiments to mine. >> Thank you so much Rachel. All right. Do we have any other public comments? All right. So moving on to non-staff communication and reports. get to hear from our student leaders. Can I begin? Hold on, let me cough. Sorry, I've been a little under the weather recently. Hello and happy Black History Month from Connard. This week, Connard is celebrating school counselor appreciation week. Our
018counselors help us with educational and personal issues, and we would be completely lost without them. Next time you see a school counselor, be sure to thank them for all they do. Now, calling all juniors, SAT Academy will be running after school on Wednesdays until March 18th, so make sure to stop by. The sessions lead to the schoolwide March 19th SAT test. Students who attend the academy increase their scores by an average of 50 points, which we know means a lot, so make sure that you give yourself the opportunity to stand out. DEN discussions continue to be a success thanks to the student input. Thank you to all students who have participated sharing their feedbacks and ideas and we look forward to hearing more from you and others. Now, as for music and arts, congratulations to
019Connor B. Sharp, who came in third place at the W War Worburn Invitational. Keep up the good work. On February 11th, during community, Connard's Chinese students will be participating in the annual dragon parade. So, make sure to wear red as it is a lucky color. If you're lucky, you might also get a red envelope full of maybe a surprise. Uh on February 13th, Valentine's Day will be the next day, but Connor students will be getting ready to feel the love of the school community at our upcoming pep rally. This February 13th, students will cheer each other on and experience true school spirit. On that same Friday, students will have the opportunity to dance at Conrad's Valentine's Day dance. Tickets are currently on sale in the library, and make sure to buy them before they sell
020out. Thank you to the student council for organizing, and we look forward to a great party. From February 9th to 12th, Jun Connard's junior class board will be selling candy, grams, and the calf. They will be delivered on the 13th. So, if you want to brighten someone's day, make sure to stop by their booth. Last Wednesday, Connor had the opportunity to hear from a student panel on the benefits of block scheduling. It was extremely helpful to hear from students experiencing it, and I want to thank all the the participating students and staff for sharing their experiences. for athletics. Congratulations to seniors Fiona Campbell and Julian Watson. Connard's 2026 CIAC scholar athletes. This award is given by the CT interscolastic athletic conference and is based on academic excellence and athletic participation along with outstanding school community
021involvement and good citizenship. We are so glad to see these students get the recognition that they deserve. For our clubs at Connard, Connor's mock trial has moved on to the next round. Woo! and will be competing again this February 6th, which is this Friday. We will be rooting for them and can't wait to see what they will achieve. On Thursday, January 29th, like a week ago, Connor's students attended the Weha Youth Leadership Academy, learning about AI's impact on teen mental health, Narcan training, CPR, and the dangers of gambling, a very wide variety of topics. Students learned so much and were given each were each given WeHa Youth Leadership Academy sweatshirts to mark their achievement. Thank you for listening to Connor Updates and I can't wait to share more with you. Thank you. All right, Kayla.
022Good evening. I'm happy to be back with another report from Hall. Hall has been busy lately with many new and exciting events focusing on community and student achievement. The Titan Award ceremonies, which are taking place on the 5th and 6th, honor students who exemplify the vision of the graduate, including qualities like leadership, perseverance, and collaboration. We are proud to say 18 students will be honored for their contributions. In addition, Titan talks will be taking place next Wednesday. These talks are available for students to engage in discussions with school administrators around topics improving the school environment. Hall is also hosting student focus groups to strengthen the sense of welcome and belonging within the school. Students are invited to meet in small settings to share their experiences and feelings running multiple groups across all grade levels. Another
023event taking place at Hall is our partnership with Yukon's breaking bias initiative through the Morris and Judy Sarna breaking bias in community and creating community program. As part of this work, students will participate in something called empathy interviews over a two-eek period during community lessons. During these interviews, students will speak with one another to gain a deeper understanding of different perspectives and each other. This effort is the first step in a larger series that will take place throughout the year, all focused on building empathy and connection. February also marks a transition into many cultural celebrations at Hall. We will be recognizing Black History Month through schoolwide programming. And similar to Connor, in celebration of the Lunar New Year, Chinese language students will showcase their performances with a dragon parade through the hallways next Wednesday. On
024the same day, translation club is holding a multicultural night, an event centered around the celebration of cultural diversity around the world through the help of student presentations and different activities. Last Wednesday, administrators and department supervisors welcomed the parents of our rising ninth graders to the kickoff event meant to support the transition into high school. We are excited to begin welcoming students in the class of 2030. On the athletics front, winter sports are in full swing with swimming, wrestling, and boys basketball all competing events and home games are taking place every night. Girls basketball continues its season as well, and overall participation for winter athletics is very strong. Lastly, in the performing arts, Hall is holding its 10-minute plays next Thursday and Friday in the Blackbox Theater. That is all. Thank you so much both of
025you. Such great reports from your schools. You represent really well. I know it's coming up real close to your own graduations. And um please start thinking about some feedback that you want to give us too um about our board, about our schools, so that you can leave a nice list of things that we can continue to work on. And thank you both. Are there any other reports or announcements or anything from any other organizations? All right. Um I'm going to take a point of privilege. I have a a little personal statement that I wanted to share about Black History Month in honor of Black History Month. So, I'll do that now. So, I'm just going to start with number one, happy Black History Month, but we know Black History is is our history. It's world
026history and in American history. Um, and I wanted to share a little bit um, for my own kind of personal story because that's a part of keeping the history alive is us as black people truthtelling and and sharing stories. So, I had the honor and privilege of going to West Africa a couple years ago thanks to my amazing husband and shout out to the loving couple who made it possible for us to legally be married. That was just 1967. Um, and so I went to West Africa where my ancestors are from and it gave me a homecoming that I could have never imagined. I couldn't believe the sense of belonging, confidence, and comfort I felt for the first time in my life. Being with my people, I had the opportunity to go to the Elmina
027slave dungeon castle. And what I experienced changed me forever. As I saw the cells my ancestors were kept in by the hundreds, dying on each other and waiting to walk out the door of no return as they were sold into slavery, never to see their home again. At just Elmina Castle alone, 30,000 of my ancestors were sold per year for 300 years. That's 9 million people. There was another castle called Cape Coast Castle where another 3 million were sold. That's just two out of the 40 slave dungeons and castles that existed. I couldn't even tap into that math because those numbers would truly break my spirit. Out of the roughly 10 million that would survive the Middle Passage, about 400,000 were brought here to America. Slavery lasted 250 years. The Jim Crow era lasted another
028hundred years. Connecticut was one of the first states to have slave ownership in the early 1600s and officially abolished slavery in 1848, becoming the last New England state to do so. The black population makes up between 10 to 13% of Connecticut, yet makes up 43% of incarcerated people in the state. In 2023, a report done by the Sentencing Project showed a black child in Connecticut was 17.2 times more likely to be incarcerated than a white child. We know the school to prison. We know the prison pipeline starts in school. And so those disparities exist in our schools, in the state of Connecticut, and in the town of West Hartford. We are doing our work, but we still got a lot of work ahead of us. Connecticut began integrating its school system following the 1954 Brown
029verse Board of Education. And I'm sharing this information because I want to sober us up a little bit. We say, "Oh, Connecticut's always leading leading leading." But throughout history, we we've come pretty we we've we've been forced to do things. We haven't always led, especially when it comes to this issue. So, following 1954, Brown versus Board of Education. In the 1969, Connecticut passed a law requiring districts to correct racial imbalances, formally starting the state level push for integration. And then in 1996, we had Chef Vers O'Neal. The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that the extreme racial racial isolation of Hartford schools was unconstitutional, leading to the creation of voluntary magnet schools and transfer programs. I'm a chef kid, by the way. Because of that that case and that program, I was able to be the first
030in my family on my mother's side to go to college and graduate high school with college credits. During Black History Month, we often look outward toward national figures and historic moments. Tonight, I want to take a moment to honor black history right here in West Harford because it's living, it's breathing, and it's still being written. In the year 2000, Marca Adele became the first black woman to graduate from the Connecticut Fire Academy, breaking barriers in a profession that had not historically made space for women or black women. Some of y'all know Marca, first black woman in Connecticut. That was just in 2000. Fire Academy. In 2008, Judy Casperson became the first African-American elected to West Hartford Town Council. In 2013, after more than a hundred years of the board of education's existence, Tammy Exum became
031the first black person to serve on the West Harford Board of Education. Since that historic moment, Carol Banks, Dr. Laura Thomas Farquson, and myself have had the honor and the responsibility of carrying that legacy forward. Rosena Haskins was the first person to lead the West Harford Public Schools Office of Equity and Advancement and Terresa Wrangler has been the second. In 2018, Vernon L. Riddic Jr. became the first black chief of police in the town of West Harford. And in 2022, Adrien Billing Smith was named Connecticut's remarkable woman of the year, recognized for leadership, service, and impact, and serves as our town's first equity advancement officer. These milestones matter because they remind us of how long barriers existed before they were broken. Right here in West Harford. These people are still alive. We're all right here.
032Being the first or the only is a tough gig. It can be isolating and empowering all at the same time. It requires resilience, courage, and often a willingness to carry extremely heavy invisible weight. And it also reveals an important truth that representation alone is not enough. This is why inclusion and belonging matter. This is why selective allyship and antilackness, even when subtle, cannot be ignored. When support is conditional, when voices are only welcomed sometimes, or when equity is treated as optional, disparities grow academically, socially, and emotionally, especially for black students, staff, and families. True belonging requires more than statements. It requires reflection, accountability, and the courage to examine how systems and individuals show up every day. And I'll end with this. The revolution doesn't start on the streets. It doesn't even start at this table.
033It starts in the mirror. Thank you. All right, moving right along. New business. A motion by Latoya Yagalof, Miriam Bleach, Jason Gagman to accept revised policies and bylaws. First reading. recommendation that the board of education accept as a first reading the following revised policies and bylaws which were reviewed by the board policy subcommittee. Those would be community series 1000 policy 1000 non-discrimination personnel series 4000 policy 410 sorry 410 non-discrimination student series 5000 policy 5000 non-discrimination personnel series 4000 policy 4100 family and medical leave bylaws Siri 8000 bylaw 8141 official duties chairperson bylaw 8142 two official duties vice chairperson bylaw 8143 official duties secretary. So >> someone needs to make that motion. >> Oh I was getting there Paul. Sorry. I I move >> I'll second. >> If I may set it up for you. Good
034evening uh everyone. Um and powerful statement. So thank you Latoya. Uh I'm standing in uh this evening for Mr. Dwarte who uh I know works along Jason, Miriam, Latoya, the three of you on the uh policy subcommittee. Uh Julio is uh at a professional learning conference around uh focused on threat assessments and school safety and uh actually I spoke to him just prior to the meeting. Very powerful stuff, but uh he's passed along some notes. Um I don't know how exactly I'm going to I'm going to suggest perhaps voting them uh perhaps in blocks but I leave that to you madam chair but the first three if I can just give an overview of the first three and then let any of the policy subcommittee members certainly provide information and then any questions um center
035in and all around the non-discrimination policies broken up uh the community the personnel and the student series um they cover pages 1 to 24 in your board book and as you can See, um, if you if you look, they're they're actually fairly minor language changes that are passed throughout, but just so that you understand the highlights, during the 2025 legislation, uh, legislative session, uh, the state passed updates adding sexual assault victim and human trafficking victim as protected classes under Connecticut's anti-discrimination laws. And so part of part of this is really just to update that uh, update those categories under our protected classes. We also updated the location and contact information for the United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights given that our Boston office uh has recently closed. And in addition, the appeal
036timeline for complaints involving the superintendent or a member of the board has been aligned with a timeline applicable to other respondents as part of that legislative change. Finally, we made a couple of technical revisions throughout, but that's kind of a summary of of what those changes are on page 1 to 124. I don't know if any of the subcommittee has other comments or if there was any question on those three. >> No, I I think that's right. I I tended to look at both these kind of sections as kind of housekeeping. Um, it was bring it in line with what the legislature recently passed and then I think also updating to the most recent version of the shipment and Goodwin recommended practices. If you like I can go forward give a description of policy 4100
037family and medical leave uh that begins on page Ethan I'm sorry go ahead >> so with the exception of adding the two classes there was this is primarily cosmetic cosmetic >> correct the other changes like we said there's a new contact location for uh where complaints would be sent to OCR and then there is a minor change to timeline uh to align the timeline for complaints >> across all groups Um so um Shipman is the one that like suggested these changes. Is that accurate? >> They would, as I understand it and and how it's always worked is they bring to us here's the legislative session from the last, you know, year. Here's everything that needs to get updated. We tend to do it in tranches to the extent that, you know, it's voluminous some years
038more than others. Um these all kind of went together. So that's why this was all blocked together and they're very similar changes through each of these these policies here. The next one on the bylaws, that was just something that we realized as we were. >> Yeah. No, no, I knew the bylaws one the I mean there there are, you know, very similar changes throughout. There's one area where it um like there seems to be a change that um removes the words gender, gender identity, pregnancy or sexual orientation and just includes sex. >> Where where is the gend? So I wasn't sure if that is to be consistent with um so there is a instance on page 23 but there's a few others too. It it's consistent throughout. So, I'm wondering if that is um something
039that happened in the legislature again on page 10 um or I just don't know that it seems more than just um updating, but it could be. So, I'm just wondering if this language came from Shipman or if if the committee um like where did these changes come from, I guess, is my question. >> Um I can I can defer to folks in the committee, but generally speaking, as Jason said, the the language itself comes from the legislature, Shipman interprets the language, provides model policy for us. Um, I'm not aware if there were any deeper conversations in and around that. And I and I see what you're talking about on page uh 23. >> Got that? >> And page 10. It's it's a few different places. So, I'm guessing my guess is that this is aligning
040with the with legislative changes, but I would just like to know for sure before I >> Yeah. So this is actually we had talked about this at at the committee and asked that those be kept in um because the idea was that these were subsumed within a definition up in in the prior sections, but we felt that by actually taking them out, we'd be causing more concern to groups who are rightly concerned. Um and then that keeping that language in while it probably had no legal effect, it definitely had a a psychological impact that we would like to maintain that language. >> So I'd like to if it's >> Yeah. Why don't we just go through and possible I can call out the pages >> ensure that on page 10 I'm noticing there's some line
041outs and I see specifically where they are the second to last line. So that would be um included >> um on page seven as well. We can we can go through page by page, but page page five crosses out a board policy 4011 um prohibition of se sex discrimination including sex-based harassment. So I don't know if that may be a separate issue. >> So no, that was also part and parcel with that. So the redlinining was supposed to come back in so long as those were still correct and accurate citations to our policies. >> Okay. So yeah, maybe we just need to take a second uh look at this before we vote on it today. So just to be clear, you won't be voting on it today. So this is a first reading. So this
042is exactly what we want to do is identify those. >> Perfect timing. >> So am I understanding if we go >> Okay. >> And I apologize. I wasn't >> That's all right. That's why we're doing this. >> Page five and then page seven. So on page five, just to to clarify what uh what is the requested edit? >> Regarding prohibition of sex discrimination, including sex based harassment. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Instead of that one, instead of citing the specific policies, it just puts it under the applicable board policy. >> Okay. >> And then you said page >> page seven. >> So page five is okay. >> And then page seven, it says here >> page seven. >> Yeah. Yep. Yes. >> Got it. >> Yep. Okay. Perfect. >> Just a question for those on the
043committee. When there's a when >> when one of the citations at the end is deleted, is that just because say the public act has now been incorporated into the statutes? >> Yes. Okay. >> Or that or if it's a statute that's been taken out, it no longer is applicable. >> Well, sure. Yeah. >> But yeah, I was I was saying more about the public acts themselves being Okay. Yeah. And then page 10. >> Page 10. I'm tracking what you're looking for there. >> And then page uh maybe not. Hold on. Uh maybe page 12 is okay. Uh >> does it make sense to go back to shipment and go and do this? >> So this comes from shipment. What I'm going to do is I'm going to take these relevant notes. what you're looking for,
044we will bring it back. Uh because what happens just for everyone at the board and listening public um what what will happen between the first reading and the second reading, any discussion that the board uh may have had relative to any changes or anything or even if there were no changes gets brought up at the next policy subcommittee meeting just hey was there anything relevant that we need to discuss. So the answer at that next meeting for for this policy set will be yes. These are the relevant discussions. These were the uh requests on the board obviously for continuity. Three board members uh here are all part of this. Um and they will present an updated second reading that you would then vote on. >> Right. I understand. Well, my comment is we're making changes
045here based on we think it should be. So you're and that'll go back and get finalized to a second reading. And at that second reading, if the board is comfortable with kind of both what the subcommittee who's present here tonight, you know, brings back for feedback and what Shipman legally guides you, uh they'll they'll come up with a revised draft. And then if and if there's still concerns about it at that second meeting, you would just postpone the vote, table the vote, vote it down, ask for additional, you know, it's very, you know, so from a parliamentary point of view, there's no issues. I just want to make sure we have clarity around what we're looking for um so that we can bring that back and and uh to the subcommittee make sure we're all
046on the same page and page 23 I know is one that's coming up but I don't know if there are others >> okay so with that just for Madam Chair for my for my clarity The um page five was okay. It just made it more general. So So the changes that you're seeking live on >> page seven, >> page >> 10, and page 23. >> Mhm. >> And they're basically parallel changes on each of those three pages. So >> I have that. >> So I'll turn it back to you, Madam Chair, for any other discussion you want to facilitate around these three policies. But I have those notes. >> Okay. For sure. Um Jason and Miam, you have anything you want to add? >> Okay. Awesome. >> All right. So, first reading, we're not voting
047on it. We're just >> So, all we need to do is go on to the next one. >> Great. Okay. >> If I may, uh the next >> the next policy is policy 4100, family and medical leave. And what you'll notice that begins on page 25 in your board book. And it appears to essentially be a major rewrite. Um it's an updated family and medical leave act policy uh basically to asssure fur compliance with the revised statutes um and to clearly reflect the expanded employee protections that the state has now enacted. So you can see there's a lot of lineouts of old language. There's a lot of blue ink on new language. And other than that, I'll I'll turn it back to members of the subcommittee to to provide any other highlights. >> I wouldn't
048call them highlights, but I think that that's spot on. I think next year we'll see another same section of this that is all red and blue. >> So, is this federal or state changes? >> I believe these are uh state changes, but state law has to comply with federal law. So, it's a cascading. >> Okay. um not so much in the substance of the policy, but I I was um curious about the eligibility sentence where it says an employee who has been employed by the board for at least 12 months. And I was thinking back to our discussion around our purview and the superintendent is our direct person that we employ. But I guess I was I was confused by that. like are we talking about all the teachers is what it seems like it's
049referring to in here. So some clarity on that if I'm not sure if you guys discussed that in the subcommittee or how that works. >> I can answer you can answer. >> My answer would be is we're the contracting entity. >> Yeah. So, so while I'm the one employee that you formally hire, evaluate, etc., etc., I then have responsibility, which is obviously delegated, you know, levels down, but to hire all other employees, teachers, custodians, uh, par educators, secretarial staff, etc., etc. Um, and the the family leave act applies, you know, to all employees of the board. And so even though you don't evaluate those individuals um they are all employees of the board of education paid for you know their salaries and such come through the board of education budget. So that is that is
050what it's referring to. >> Okay. Thank you. >> All right. Moving right along. Series 8000. So within the series 8,000 there are there are um we did we have updates currently for uh the positions of chairperson, vice chairperson and secretary with the major changes really being under chairperson based on a discussion that came up at the previous board meeting. Uh basically it clarifies the roles of the chairperson and adds the substantive ad is that they shall that the chairperson shall serve as an exeicial member um without vote on all committees. All right. So that and what that means is that the chairperson can sit in on the subcommittee meetings without um without adding to the quorum or I didn't say that correctly without creating a quorum because it would technically be four members of the
051board. Apologize for my miscommunication. the vice chairperson just tightens the language as does the secretary and I'm aware you know there are other policies under review uh that will come back following uh some rewrites to an upcoming to I think perhaps even the next board meeting pending questions on that I can answer on these or turning it over to the subcommittee through you madam chair um I notice that it also says the chairperson shall serve as a board spokesperson person. Um I'm not sure if there was discussion I'm not sure what subcommittee this is, but whoever is on that subcommittee if there was discussion around the intent of that. Um I I don't remember talking about that piece of it. I know I know we discussed the ex officio piece. >> Yeah. So that really
052just codifies the way that at least from my memory that this has always functioned is that when we speak as a board, we speak through the board chair. >> Yeah. Yeah. And if I may offer um aligned with your policy, when when there's an email that comes to the entirety of the board, the board chair typically is the person who will take responsibility to respond. That has been I want to check if that that might even I for whatever reason I thought that was existing language. That might just be in there already. I'd have to go back and look at our current language. But um it just follows your practice. It's not to say that you guys are, you know, in any way, shape, or form voiceless or your voice is any way shape diminish.
053is just the way that you know typically that it works. If the newspaper is going to call for a quote generally we'll try to have that quote come through the board chair stuff like that. >> Got it. Thank you. So madam chairperson if there are no further discussions you you guys are just receiving this and what we will do um for everyone is we will specifically on the on those first three series we'll look at those edits we'll bring them back to the policy subcommittee who will discuss them with your with your council and then they will come back at likely the next board meeting but depending on what that discussion looks like and the timeline uh for a formal vote from from all of you as a All right, great. So, moving right along
054here. Yeah. Sorry, y'all. >> Okay. Actually, it's a superintendent report. >> Absolutely. Thank you. Um, so again, yes, uh, welcome to February. Very excited to, uh, be able to talk not only about Black History Month. Uh, we have, you know, the, uh, Chinese New Year, we have all of those different pieces. A lot of cultural events going on. We had a great, very successful Welcome to Kindergarten night, uh, just last night. Um, there's any number of events going on. And, uh, I'd be remiss to say, uh, it's going to be a super weekend, both super cold and super football. uh shares and celebrations. I I want to add emphasis to the West Hartford Youth Leadership Academy. I I know our student reps very aptly described it. Uh but I'm so excited by the work that
055Miss Gretchen Levitz is doing through their department of social services. Um we're very very proud to partner with the prevention partnership WHPP. Uh they are they are leading and creating a momentum of this work through youth leadership and youth education and it is um it's inspiring. So, um, very, very, very pleased by that. Uh, I also want to throw shoutouts. I was made aware Connor Jr. Evie Messenger was recently spotlighted for her leadership, her sportsmanship, uh, and her community involvement in on the, uh, For the Win CIA podcast. There's a link in that uh, in your board report for you to be able to look at. I want to throw out huge congrats to King Phillip students Jillian Forest, eighth grader Amy Long, also grade 8, Vera Cosman, grade 8, and AJ Serno, grade seven,
056uh, who are among many King Phillip students who participated in the United States Kids Lit Competition this last week. King Phillips sent a total of five teams. They swept first, second, and third places. And that first place team that I named, that team of four has now qualified through finals to go on to compete in the international competition in New Zealand. And you may recall last year our Sedwick team Yeah. also had uh an amazing opportunity to to travel overseas. So very very exciting, very very proud. Um also I want to I want to bring your attention to a great accomplishment. Don Hamrech. She's an ESOL teacher within our adult education program. She has been named uh one of three Connecticut Association and Adult and Continuing Education Educators of the Year uh for 2026. Don,
057I know Don personally, she's been a longtime ESOL teacher. She's worked in our summer program. She's worked for our adult ed program uh for many years. It is very welld deserved. and she very appropriately deflects, you know, equal credit owed to all of her colleagues, but uh we're very very proud of Don and the work that she's doing. Um otherwise, um it was it was mentioned a little bit by uh and I think Kayla mentioned uh the upcoming work with the uh breaking bias program. I wanted to provide you the announcement that um aside from what's happening coming up this month, uh there is a community event, two community events, two different nights, March the 9th and March the 12th that will be happening here at the town hall auditorium where um all community members
058may come. Um they actually ask high school students and uh if you're seeing it at your high schools through through the different events there to you know to to not come twice because we they're hoping for a large draw. Um, it will be a registration event. There will be flyers going out and I'll be getting you more information, but very very excited by that. Uh, it's it's a it's a project that we've been partnering uh with the University of Connecticut around and um they've been working with our students and our schools all year long and it's just uh I just think it's it's one of the more inspiring things that I've seen in the last few years. Um, beyond that, I do have uh some other updates that I've given you, but a lot of
059it is uh kind of highlights and some of the same um information that I had shared with you last time. Um, we did get the formal letter back uh the the draft letter from NEASK for Connard High School. I think I had talked to you about what we were anticipating for any number of the commendations. Uh so we now have seen that draft letter in print and we expect to get a formal report in the next couple of weeks. uh but but as hall did previously Connard had an outstanding um accreditation meeting they met standard across all the indicators um and they were spotlighted for a significant number of commendations for PLC's for a learner first environment for a professional inclusive culture high expectations for kids a significant decrease in absenteeism and the professionalism of
060all the support staff custodial staff um secretarial support counsel ing everybody uh as well as the strength of the curriculum. So I'm just very very happy to highlight that and uh I will yield my time to any questions through you madam chair. >> Questions comments >> what is the breaking bias program? >> So breaking bias is a is a program associated it's it's grant funded uh through the sarna foundation. It's been overseen by the University of Connecticut for a couple of years. And the intent of it, it's a blend between some Holocaust education, uh, but really to kind of break down bias, anti-semitism, build community by demonstrating the, um, the similarities when when you can look at people not through a one-dimensional lens of one thing that might that you might identify them by, but,
061all the different aspects of their identity. That's that's one part of the program where what what they have done and I think what will be going on display at Hall High School and Connard High School in the in the upcoming week or so is they they did um interviews and took photos of a number of individuals. Some of them might be like your high school principal, some of them might be a teacher, some of them might be just um I know that the one of the one of the custodians of Connor was was so you're trying to get a real cross-section of a community. um they interview them about, you know, who they are, what their interests are, what their hobbies are, and they photograph them, and then they and then they have a QR
062code with a recording. And so that is a first part that's going to be on display to kind of really demonstrate to people, wow, here's someone who, you know, maybe I only know their name, maybe I don't know them all at all, or I associate them with how I know them, but I I recognize them now as a person with with so much more depth. and I see some of the parallels, some of the intersections with my interests and and now maybe, you know, I've broken down some of that bias that that that I have to know them well. Then some of the other pieces that they have, I know the students mentioned empathy interviews that are going to be happening, but some of the some of the real cool whisbang stuff is um relative
063to our Holocaust survivors over the last several years, they've interviewed and videotaped um Holocaust survivors, talking to them about everything, not just about their experience through the Holocaust as a one-dimensional thing, but trying to get to the multiple dimensions, who they are, what their interests are, and through the use of AI Hi. You can now sit and have a conversation with them and feel like you're talking to them in real time and it's been programmed to uh provide, you know, you you can ask nearly anything and you'll get an answer. So, if you want to know what their favorite food is or what book they like to read or something like that, they're going to be able to provide that. Um, and and then there are some other elements in terms of uh education around
064that. So, I don't I don't want to steal too much of the thunder, but it's it's a extremely exciting um opportunity and and and learning opportunity for I think for all of us um and and with the intent of building community. That at the end of the day, that is that is their intent as they get around it. And I just have to throw kudos not only to our to our very hardworking high school staff, our principles, our assistant principles, our curriculum teams that have been involved um as well as our students that are are working on it all year long. But the team at Yukon um Alan Marcus, the whole as a group of interns and students, they're absolutely phenomenal. So very excited for this. >> Sounds wonderful. Thank you. >> Yeah, thank you.
065Thank you for all those awesome updates. Anything else, y'all? All right. So, next we have staff reports and board discussions. So, we're going to start with restorative practices, changing practice in schools. So, welcome up Miss Terresa Wrangler, Mr. Scott Dunn, Miss Sarah Issacs, and Miss Christy Levery. Um, to start, did I pronounce that right, Christie? >> Laby. >> Oh, Labry. Sorry. Thanks. Thank you. Okay. Also, also y'all, full transparency, I am very different than Shannon. I need y'all to be as concise as possible so that I can follow. I'm that student. So, it can be hard for me if it starts to drag out too much and I might you might lose me and I don't even like I don't want that to happen. But, I know that I have that problem. And so I'm
066just saying please be as concise as you can be to help me follow you and I might interrupt and ask questions. Thanks. >> Good evening everyone. Um I'm super excited to be uh here in front of you again. I know it's just been a couple of weeks. We haven't even had long enough to miss each other. Um, but I am actually more excited because I get to bring together um a phenomenal team. Um, and I am I truly believe particularly because we did have a nice long conversation last time um to be a show not tell person. We I I think I've told a lot about the work that we're doing. I'm excited for you to be able to have an opportunity to kind of to talk to um the team and see like the
067work in action and what's been happening in our buildings. Um and so you know our real our goal is really building meaningful relationships through respect agreements. Um not just respect agreements. Respect agreements is one part of restorative practices but is was foundational. Um and so I won't read to you. Um but you know we are really working to make sure that we embed the practices and that they live through all of of the elements of what we do. Um so I want to hitting to your concise and getting to it. Um, I would love to talk to you about it, but I think it's actually really more important that you hear it from children. So, to start us off, we have a a video that just kind of has students talking about it. Um, I'm
068I'm I'm in here under duress because the person taping refused to let me off the hook. Actually, so is Sarah. Um, but I just want you to have an opportunity to kind of learn from students about respect agreements and what it's meant for us. And for many years, West Harper Public Schools has been intentional about creating welcoming schools, spaces where students, families, and staff feel greed, acknowledged, and valued. We know that being welcomed is not the same as belonging. And belonging is not the same as inclusion. Inclusion means being invited to actively shape the community, not just being present in it. One of the ways that we bring inclusion to life is through respect agreements. A respect agreement is a restorative practice that helps build strong relationships from the start of the year. It's not
069the teacher's wish list, and it's not a list of rules created for students. A respect agreement is created with students. It is a collaborative process where every voice helps define what respect looks like, sounds like, and feels like in a classroom community. In elementary classrooms, students often describe respect as kindness, listening, keeping hands to ourselves, and taking care of shared materials. These ideas are written in student language and posted as a visible reminder and reference throughout the school year, becoming an anchor for everyone. Respect agreements are organized around four key relationships. how students want to be treated by each other, how students want to be treated by their teacher, how teachers want to be treated by students, and how everyone treats the shared space. >> A respect agreement is when you respect other people. So
070like when you're in a disagreement, you're not going to like yell at them and they're your friends, so you're not going to lash out at them. you respect them and you don't want to like make them feel bad or do a put down. >> I think respect agreements help everybody in the classroom. It kind of just gives us guidelines how we can really react and if somebody's not treating you as you want, you can always point out, well, in our respect agreement, we agreed to not doing this or doing this. Respect agreements are like stronger if we work together. Not just in your classroom community, but in your school community. Because the more people, the more stronger. >> Respect agreements help us to get along and do our best. Boundaries help you respect other people.
071>> It's not only to be used inside your classroom. It's kind of a guideline to be used in general in life out of the school, but especially in the school with all students, all teachers, and all school property. Just like how you treat your classroom with care, treat all school property with care as well. Treat someone how you want to be treated. >> At the secondary level, students name respect as being listened to, not being talked down to, not being embarrassed, and being given space to make and repair mistakes. Respect agreements create space for honest conversations. They help bridge differences in culture, age, and experience, and they prevent one group from defining respect for everyone else. Because respect agreements are living documents. They are revisited throughout the year. When something is not going as expected,
072we don't ask which rule was broken. Instead, we ask which part of our agreement needs attention or how can we repair this together? The agreement becomes a communication tool, not a consequence chart. It supports accountability, reflection, and repair. >> If you're taught how to think and not what to think explicitly, you come to these agreements on your own, and you're able to further explore them in your own way and apply them to places further in life. And it's able for a student to be able to further respect a teacher since they're not being told you have to respect me because this, you earn respect, and you earn respect as you grow. I think respect in a classroom means a positive environment for learning. I think when you feel respected and you respect your teachers can
073maximize your learning capabilities and you don't have to worry about like other issues. You can just focus on being the best student you can possibly be. >> Open communication and being comfortable with everyone around you and feeling free to voice your opinions on all different topics. I think students can reach their full potential with a respect agreement because we can all be a part of one community where we're really learning something. It means boundaries like being able to respect that other people don't have the same opinions as you or aren't from the same places as you, don't have the same background. So to be able to understand that and like have like compassion and empathy towards that is very important. I think that when students help define respect, it creates a more welcoming environment and
074everyone just feels more included and more accepted. Because when students feel heard by their teacher, they feel like they want to treat each other with respect. And they feel like it's not as much of a rule as it is just something that they want to do for themselves. Across West Harford Public Schools, respect agreements help us deepen a sense of belonging and create inclusive learning spaces. Spaces where every student and every adult feel safe, valued, heard, and responsible for the community that they are a part of. Respect is something we offer one another to honor each other's humanity. It's not a rule to follow. It is a commitment that we build together as we prepare and inspire all students. Having respect for everyone, no matter what situation I'm in, has been a really helpful trait
075that I have gained from the West Hartford public school system. For many years, West Harford Public Schools has been intentional about difficulties. So, um, again, really thought it was important for you to hear directly from kids and how they were perceiving it and and trying to kind of span the grade level so that way I don't just focus on I know that, um, our elementary kids are, um, amazing and and of course my own background is in elementary, but I also thought it was really important that we talk across the span of of the work that we're doing. Going to turn it over to my friend, Mr. Dunn here. So, we hope that that brief video really showcased to you the power and the influence of the respect agreements in this inaugural year of implementation
076here in all of our schools. And what we're really seeing here is the investment continuum of how do we define respect by including our kiddos by getting their input and then really writing those respect agreements in studentfriendly language and really grounding it in building relationships. really perhaps most of us grew up in classrooms where perhaps there were more posted rules. This is very different from that because this is really inviting everyone to be a part of that creation of what that class should look like and sound like from a respect perspective and where everyone is the author. So this is a collaborative process that really requires the input of the group that it's really intended for. And to speak a little bit about what Teresa said, this is very much foundational work that builds very
077authentically and sincerely on the welcoming schools uh piece that we have been focusing on and also a sense of belonging towards that that inclusion. So you'll notice in the video and also in some of the pictures that are coming up next that we have four quadrants student to student, student to teacher, teacher to student, and everyone to the classroom. So you know really everything we do in life whether it's in school or in the workplace everything that we enjoy and experience really emanates around a shared experience of relationships with each other. So we need to really learn about what respect means for the very people who will be impacted by it. So in this particular situation of using respect agreements everyone has a voice in creating those and it really not only sense uh creates
078a sense of ownership but also accountability. So you'll see here these are just some possible things that could be brainstormed by kids, facilitated by the teacher in terms of what students how students want to be treated by each other. And then we also have how teachers want to be treated by students. Some possible examples there. And then also the teacher the student, how do students want to be treated by their teachers? And then we have everyone in the classroom. How do we all treat the physical space for the classroom? I particularly really enjoy the aspect here of welcoming guests. We have so many people in our schools that we welcome into our school community and to be able to have that be a part of that is very meaningful for not only our students but
079also our our teachers. So here we just have simply some wilt examples but you could go into any of our 16 schools and you would see something very similar. And while the content may differ simply because of the shared experience from the students and the teacher, what you're going to see with fidelity the four quadrants that we just described. So when we look at some of these examples here again, these are wila, you know, you can really see the investment of students and you really really look at the language, you'll see that that was something that students helped to create. So this is a communication tool that um can be used in a variety of ways. Just recently at Wilkit, I'm sure other schools that January post December vacation, you know, the new year and
080New Year's resolution really creates a really genuine opportunity for teachers and students to say, "Hey, let's review what we created in September together." Because as students have grown, so too has the respect agreement grow. So we may need to create some revisions. It's a great way to check in on the expectations that were agreed upon earlier in the year. And another great part of the respect agreement and its power is that um it's visible in the classroom. And it's something that uh can be a springboard for conversation that can be formal or it can be informal. It can be a teacher and a student or a student and a student or it could include the entire class. >> So you know this is our first year. Yes. >> So sorry I have one question before
081you go on. Did that So I see here when a student are not following the agreement, is there a protocol for when a teacher is not following the agreement? >> Absolutely. And that would be we have a lot of students who thankfully have that powerful student voice. Um we've seen that at Wil and I'm certain we've seen that in all of our schools would say, "Hey Mr. Don, can we can we look back and talk about this?" Um and that's what we want. We want the students to be able to really engage in their own the power of the their voice to be able to say let's look at something that we created together not that the teacher had just created. I also I would just also add that I think it's also really important
082as teachers to model of hey listen you know we had came up with and we agreed on X Y and Z and and I just realized that what I just did like if I raise my voice or like whatever right you know I'm going to I'm going to go back and take a look at that and I think it's a it's a really good practice so that kids can actually see that we're modeling it and it is that's why it's a shared agreement so that we're holding each other accountable and ourselves accountable to it. So good good catch. So what are our hopes in this inaugural year of the creation implementation use of the respect agreements is that we want a very visible and also alive document about how everyone wants to be treated and
083then as a reference p as a reference point and a reflection tool throughout the year but also for the possibility to minimize conflict when it does occur. So when conflicts do occur, and they will, we use these collaborative respect agreements within the classroom to support those restorative conversations that we've been spending the last few years engaged in. And now this just gives a list of the other six areas of our equity focused work this year. And all of these here, including respect agreements, are assured experiences and a declaration of what we really feel is important. and hopefully it's not only intentional but impactful in all the work we've been doing um in the West Harbor public schools over the last few years. >> So that's you know just kind of tying up like thinking about
084respect agreements but I'm going to move on because I also think that this work that we do um I'm going to close this because we don't have any more slides just >> Oh go ahead. >> Yes. Um I just have a quick question. who authored the quote earlier that was f you know it's funny it was found in one of the texts >> one of the texts of our professional development >> but um we it's funny because afterwards he was like I can't remember which one we found in I'm like >> it's one of the texts that we had when we were creating I think the module >> yeah I think it I'm going to guess it's Corwin's um Corwin's book that we've been using but I'll find it for you >> thank you >>
085no problem I'm going to close is >> I I have one question, too. Um, >> we're not done, though. >> I am curious about h Oh gosh, now I'm going to forget what was just up there. >> Oh, >> how these buckets of classroom learning the modules themselves? >> No, no, just like not the rules. I'm trying not to call them rules quadrants. >> The respect >> respect agreements. Thank you. respect agreements um apply to the restorative practices like how how do those two things merge together? >> Okay. Um anybody else want to take a No. >> Are they supposed to merge together? They Well, they are like so um so if you think about restorative practices um as as a community builder, right? It it helps define how we go about building community. And
086so um the respect agreements are are b really foundational because if we don't know um the rules of engagement if you will um there's lots of room for conflict. There's lots of room for um misunderstanding which is why you have that shared conversation about you know how how is it that we actually want to treat each other and and what are we expecting from each other. So um you know really restorative practices in its purest form um spends most of its time exploring how how we intentionally learn um the better the best ways to treat each other and care for each other right as a community. So if you think about it in that term, right? Um then respect agreements that it starts there like I I need to understand and know um what respect
087looks like for you and what respect looks like for me. Particularly when you have different roles and particularly when there is there seems to be this um sense of a hierarchy. Like so if you think about you work with children and you're an adult, right? Typically speaking, we have this natural tendency for a hierarchy that says that the adult makes the rules and the kids have to follow, right? That's how we all grew up. um this kind of this breaks that down and it and it really hammers home that understanding that respect and I believe it always has been but you know um formalizing that the respect has to be mutual and it has to be shared it has to be defined together um not just defined by the person who has the perceived power
088in the space. >> Thank you Teresa and I'll just piggyback on that that um restorative practices is 80% proactive and 20% responsive and the and the first part of the proactive piece is um co-created agreements. So it's helpful Jonathan and then Miriam >> I guess my my so I guess my my question goes to the 20% of the time that's responsive and I guess you know a lot of the discussion we had at our last meeting about you know discipline practices and I guess my question is when does when do when do these restorative practices and and respect agreements then transition into the discipline policy because you know I can tell you know I hear an you know anecdotally through the community that there's a lot of students say for example who are receiving say
089lunch detentions for various you know classroom infractions or school rule infractions and of course you know that sounds like something we all grew up with which is obviously not necessarily the respect agreement so I was wondering what how do these how do these fit >> Jonathan thanks for the question and wanted to ask before we keep asking questions were y'all about to start talking about that >> yeah I so I know I saw formal RJ conference on the agenda so I thought I know that's the response to that. So, I don't know if >> I'm I'm going to hold to that because I think that's really important. But I do think that we're going to get to that within um if like that's what that's why instead of having to hear from me, which I
090know that you love hearing from me. Um but um I think it's more important to hear from the practitioners as to how this is working, how it works out in school. So, I think to kind of build the better understanding of kind of getting to that point that you're getting to um along the way. And if not, I'll I'll pick up that question if that works. >> Thank you. Yeah, because I mean all this sounds great. As long as everything as long as everybody's adhering to their respect agreement that everything's going well. >> Listen, I it if I could ensure that everyone adhere to the respect agreements, I would be rich and famous. But meanwhile, um you know, I think it's more important that you have the relationship so when things don't go right, when
091things go left and it it doesn't work out, we have a relationship and we have a trust established so that we can sit down together and we can have conversations and then we and we can do that hard work of of repairing, right? But um but again without those relationships that conversation and those repairs just take so much longer and you know you may not ever actually get to the point of actually resolving and making people feel um you know the way they want to feel, right? Um but so I'm going to pass it along. I'm going to ask um >> real quick. We'll get Miriam's question and then we'll we'll go on y'all. Sorry. She was she was waiting. No, I'm sorry. I know. I know. I knew after Miam I was going to
092keep us moving. Sorry. It >> it's quick. It's really just to piggyback and I don't want to misspe for you Latoya but at the last meeting you also asked about kind of parent buyin and I think maybe kind of speaking to what Jen and John uh are asking and certainly what I'm been curious about and asked at the last meeting and I asked you know who authored the quote and I think the question is can we get some information about the restorative I don't want to speak for anybody but perhaps it would be helpful for us to better understand what's going on in the schools if we could have the evidence evidence-based practice if that could be listed in presentations if that could be accessible again not just for us but for the community for
093parent buyin so we know what you're referencing what's then being employed would be super helpful thank you got it >> use doesn't matter >> okay good evening I'd like to highlight how we are using data to guide decisions and strengthen our restorative school culture at Duffy. Over the past five months, we've conducted structured listening sessions with all stakeholders to better understand lived experiences in our school. In November, a joint session with student representatives, 10 of them, and parents, about 20, um surfaced fourth grade recess sports concerns um where students openly shared um their feelings of exclusionary, punitive, and just a stressful overall environment each day upon taking the field at Duffy. Rather than imposing adult-created solutions or eliminating sports altogether, which would have been easy, um we facilitated a series of student-led problem-solving conferences. Students
094developed shared expectations, norms, acknowledged the harm that had been caused, and agreed upon a path forward. As a result, there have been no fourth grade recess violations or office referrals for the past three months with students demonstrating real accountability and ownership of the plan. Our annual school climate survey also provided important um qualitative and quantitative data to guide improvement. At Duffy, May survey results highlighted inequitable access to classroom volunteer opportunities for our families across grades. In response, we held several follow-up listening sessions, partnered with our PTO and our room leads, and we implemented a more inclusive process, a system this school year. Finally, as you heard, a central focus of this work has been building staff capacity through the implementation of our six professional learning modules. At Duffy, we have completed the first three modules
095and are preparing to begin the fourth, which focuses on building trust with students. In preparation for this learning, we are administering a student survey this week to better understand how students are currently experiencing trust at Duffy. This data will serve as a a meaningful reflection point for staff as we engage in the the learning in the conversation together. So overall, the intentional use of data has led to more proactive community building, more conversation, and more restorative responses to conflict. While the work is ongoing, um early indicators show improvements in stakeholder engagement, fairer systems developed and implemented, and an overall more positive res and restorative school climate. Thank you. So, I'm here to share from the secondary level um looking at our building level data analysis that allows us to shape how students and adults experience
096the school day. And I have two examples that we've been of how we've been using data um to make changes at Hall. So, at first we really wanted to focus this year on building relationships and creating a culture of not just welcoming but belonging in line with the district vision. Um so as a faculty we delved into our um adultto student connection and then looked into our studentto adult connection. Um do students feel they have a trusted adult in the building that they can go to and depend on. So in October we looked at all our students across grades 10 through 12. Um we looked at every roster and staff looked to identify their perceived connections with students. um who were they connected to? And we defined that as a as a group in our
097meeting that you know would a student say they're connected to you was really and and we said you know do your best. We know this isn't perfect but we're going to do our best. And so we went through and we identified levels of connection for all our students and found a group um that we identified as in need of a connection focus. And then that was shared back with our faculty so that we could really um make sure that we were being intentional in how we set up our classrooms and how we um you know how did you approach students to strengthen this this connection. Um then we also wanted to test if you know our data was was it working. So then we had our um we formally had a grant through SBDI schoolbased
098diversion initiative and we have two trained leaders and residents and although the grant has ended their training still remains and so we're able to leverage them to start they surveyed all the students that we were concerned about as far as a connection focus and we asked these students like do you feel connected? Do you feel connected to adults? And it was very interesting that we were more aligned. Um we felt that the data was very aligned that students identified that maybe they were more connected to friends and we are talking about high school students. So having more connection with friends is also grade level appropriate but making sure that you still have that connection with an adult whether it's through a counselor or a teacher or coach in any way. Um so we found that
099that their perception of how connected they were was aligned and now our leaders and residents are currently organizing um circles with those students but also with a mix of students across grades and connection levels so that we can just hear from all students but of course also focusing on like what is their their feedback. So we're um in the process of those circles right now. We also um just revisited those rosters to see the new connections or increased connections since October and we found that connection identified by the teacher was up 30 to 40% across all grade levels. Um and that we really saw and then we started looking at our freshmen because October was a hard month to ask do you know all the freshmen but now we know them and we are more
100connected. So, we are going to keep re-evaluating this. We felt that the start of this semester 2 was a great time to look at it as we welcome um semesterized classes. You know, they welcome new rosters, but also as you reset, you know, for that that second semester. Um so, we're really happy about that increased connection and we look forward to hearing what those students are going to say across all of those circles. We think it's a great opportunity to learn more from our students so that we can make more changes. Um, a second way that we've been using um, climate data is from our from our spring data and really over the past few years we've seen we asked the question is do you feel is there a space in the school where you
101don't feel safe and over and over that has been identified as bathrooms. Um, and we've seen that trend. We see it in in the actual data. We see it from parent comments. We see it from student comments. And this year we really took as a we decided we're gonna just do something about it. I called it swinging. I said, "Theresa, I'm gonna swing for the fences." And so we changed the um duty. We created a new duty uh for teachers. And that is a we call it the hall sweeps. So they're in the hall, but they're also at hall. And so what it is is a path that goes by every single bathroom every period. and we have two to three teachers completing this pathway by every single bathroom um every sing each period. So
102between administrators, security and teachers, we just have increased adult presence throughout the school and at a higher frequency. And you know, we went from midyear last year to only 60 62% of students saying they felt comfortable in the bathroom. We're doing our midyear survey this month um within our community to find out more. But I can tell you from my Titan talks where students come and talk to me and from parent feedback, I'm at PTO meetings. I'm I see parents all the time that the increased adult presence and visibility has um really created a sense of safety. And the feedback I'm getting from students is that they appreciate the the presence of these adults. They know that they're there to keep them safe. They know that they're there for a reason. Um and we've also
103seen a decrease in in instances in the bathroom. >> Knock on. >> Can you just elaborate when you say that that they don't feel safe in the bathroom? What does that mean? Can you unpack that? >> So, at the high school level, the comments that I've gotten from is um we've had incidents of graffiti. We've had incidences of vaping. Um just it's a you know it's a space in in a high school where there typically isn't an adult presence. Um and so that's what we typically see as far as the feedback on climate surveys. >> In terms of that feedback, is there any difference in terms of the genders of students reporting? Do uh do do male do male do females feel less safe than males or vice versa? >> We don't we don't have
104that as part of a indicator in the in the survey. Um, I think one thing I would say is I think even as adults, if you walk into a bathroom and there's a group of people in there and they're like gathered together and talking and what have you, it's it's more intimidating to walk into a bathroom where it's not like just you go in and people are are just all individually there to do what they're doing. But when you're hanging out, right, if you're clustering, um, that's just intimidating in general. And that's what I've gotten when I've talked to students like whether male or female, it it's just like if you're not part of that group, you're not going to be comfortable in that space. >> Yeah. >> Just have a couple of questions. Um
105I wrote them down. Um, when a student's a teacher has Oh, so I have one question around just like harms that happen when it's not the student's teacher and it's just the teacher in passing and there is harm between the student and teacher. Um, like what are what is the the is it still that same process? I know y'all talked about the respect agreements and I know those those are in the classroom spaces and so I just kind of wanted to understand what happens when it's not the students teacher. I think when it's any adult in the building, we still work to create opportunities to to you know have students feel heard with whether it's their counselor, their administrator kind of figure out what what has happened, what we speak to the other adult and
106then we always try to provide a situation where they can come together and and work through it. It doesn't matter necessarily what role you have that that you know the restore has to come back. And I think when I think about respect agreements, you have to you need something to restore to and having those allow us a space to restore back. So I don't think the adult role matters. >> Okay, great. Um and I had a couple other questions. One was around um and I'll just stay I'll stay here on high school and then I'll ask elementary school. I'll stay at secondary and I'll go to elementary. um just around I know y'all gave some qualitative data here but here but like data around implementation like something that I'd like to see is what what
107punitive um what traditional punitive responses is restorative justice replacing? Um, and so even just like uh this like this replace what we would normally do like just numbers on that would be helpful and then understanding how that plays into some of the disparity that we've seen historically. So that's just a data point I've been thinking a lot about. Um, and again thinking too about I know there's LR's the leaders and residents and I know West Harford has a few and so I'm just also wondering about the implementation team like our like our folks meeting and gathering that data and thinking about sustainability because that leads me to my next question which it sounds like things are great at Duffy and now I'm like okay sustainability for all the elementary schools what does that look like?
108Are you the implementation team leader now or Um what I would say is part I think part of um what makes this work you know for to truly be equity you know to think about equity which means you know there are some things where where I'm looking for like the equal right like the equal learning the equal opportunity to learn the same things and have the same conversations um and then when you start thinking about like equity where you're getting what you need I think that becomes really important and part of why um you know what I what I insist on that that's why the modules modules are created and everyone is deliver the modules and we and we come together like even at EDC and we we talk about it with the EDC leads
109and the building principles. What I what I insist on is that we're all like every certified staff member and I'm working my way through getting out of the certified and kind of being more staff in general, but whatever. I'll I'll use the systems I have in place for the time. Um is that we're all having the same opportunity to learn about the same things. um what your what your team because now that you've learned this what you do with it and how you and what what that data means for your school um you know really becomes like the work of the the leadership team within the within the building uh in collaboration with their partner person from um from my office to kind of have those conversations and make sure that we're okay so now
110you have this data what's that going to look like do you have do you need any additional supports um and being able to provide those supports if they need them um I think it's really important that that does stay at a building level because um our schools are all different like they have their own heartbeats and that I think that's really important and I think that we we have to honor that um you know the I was laughing because I as as a former principal you know I you know when going through what Duffy's what surfaced for Duffy is that you know you have an abundance of parents who are trying to come in the middle of the workday to come and volunteer and I'm like impressive because you know that's that was not an
111issue that I would have been I would have been able to be to have in the school that I was a princip ible of right so you couldn't bring that problem of practice to my building and it resonate right it need to be something that was centered around my building um and so I I do think that that's important that we're that we allow them to be able to do that but the learning is consistent and we meet monthly to discuss implementation to ensure that everything is being implemented um along the way and I know that you're go ahead you know I was I was thinking about you know the folks who are sitting at your table right now um and obviously wonderful high school principles and wonderful elementary school principles, but there's uh one
112group that's not represented at your table and I was wondering how these principles are uh implemented in our middle schools because I think there's a lot of obviously the middle schools a lot happens in grades six to eight. You know, it's funny that you mentioned middle schools and I and the reason I'll be really transparent with you of the reason why I didn't tackle a middle school um person and as all the leaders here will tell you I've been I've been very clear with them that you know I'm a you know everybody will be tapped for something. So um middle schools are actually to be honest with you a very high focus for me. Um for me um it's the battleground um particularly when you have students who are struggling. Um and so um we
113actually you know we focused a lot of funds additional resources and supports at middle school. So right now we're running a middle school um program, a wraparound program um with opportunities in to again attempt to kind of create some um additional supports that that live there. And so you will see middle school princip you'll the next time you I probably come you will be seeing nothing but middle school principles in me and then I will release my elementary and high school friends. Um but I I I also recognize that um in effort of saving time I can't I can't bring everybody. Paul said no. >> Completely understood. >> Yeah. And I just wanted to respond to one thing that you had asked Latoya um kind of about metrics and replacement and um obviously we've you
114know I have a clear message from the board. we're looking these guys are talking they're even starting to share some impact metrics uh anecdotally or schoolbased and we'll we'll we'll continue to provide you that at the you know more of a mile high district view but I think the you know my hope is that the that the ongoing work that we're doing leads to prevention so you're going to see numbers drop as opposed to replacement you know because you know for us there's we're always going to have some consequences for different behaviors but I think number one I think This work helps to build understanding, greater context. So, not only will it diminish, but it will also provide some of that situational context to when you are dealing with something that um administrators they have
115they have the ability to, you know, have these conversations. There are guidelines. It's it's not always an equation, you know, X, you know, you do X and you get Y. It's they have some leeway to be able to to provide that. And I think that will also evolve as the work continues to mature. >> Yeah, for sure. Thank you. I appreciate that. Um, and yeah, I think I guess what I'm thinking of more specifically is like definitely like the reduction because you're right, that's what we'll see overall is like a reduction in suspension, expulsion. Um, I think one of the things I'm thinking about is like typ like in the past typically like we've given extended detentions for this or typically in the past we've given suspend suspensions in this and we're noticing like we
116we're decreasing those numbers because we're you know so I think those are more so and I know those are more qualitative so even I think just hearing some of those experiences from students and and again they don't have to come because I know there's you know privacy but like even some of those like more general like went through the conference process and this is how they felt after or this is um they did something creative. Some of those cool stories like I you know harm was repaired in this way like they did some cool community service or they broke bread with someone or they you know created a dope social media campaign. Just some of those little nuances. Yeah, Miriam, thank you. Thank you all for being here. Um it's I have a question actually
117uh related to Mrs. um and your mention of the data collection and I'm just wondering um and I think I I had asked uh at the last meeting as well um but now more curious even about how if if this is unique to Duffy the methods of collection or if all schools are collecting quantitative and qualitative data and what is the tracking going to look like to measure impact and then look at student achievement and if that's impacted then by all of this uh work that's being done in the classrooms. Thank you. >> Um well, I know that um in all of our schools last year as our focus, you know, through EDC um and Teresa's we studied street data and we were, you know, tasked with implementing that, right? So that's really where the
118listening sessions began and so in all of our schools, right? we were um bringing stakeholder groups together and conducting those. I think you know I can only speak specifically to Duffy with the success of them and then using that as you know problem arose right and then okay we're going to we need to figure out what's happening here from more people you know partner together in the problem solving in the repair process. Um so we definitely have sort of carried on with it as a strategy, right? Um all of us um administer the annual school climate um in May and we do that with students, we do it with our families and we do it with our staff. So that's true in all of our schools. Um and then within the um professional learning modules
119and the data that we're collecting there to sort of um ground us in the work, guide the work, create the reflection point that um student survey that I described where um we are gaining information about like their current feelings of trust um at school is happening in all of our schools. So that's part of the pre-work in the module um that we dug into and are all preparing to deliver with our staff. But but again for for privacy purposes and for like who needs the information and to do what with it lives in the school where where it belongs where the actions to help guide those schools um will happen, right? So they collect it, they their team works on it. Um they tap um someone in from from our team if they need us
120to be honest. sometimes. Again, to be honest, Christy didn't need me to to she like they she saw the data, pulled together her team, they came up with a plan for it, and they they, you know, ran with it. We talked about it and and I'm like, "Yeah, sounds sounds great." Um, but that's, you know, that really is, you know, how it's designed to work, right? You want people to feel empowered. You have um we are blessed in West Harford. I have worked in six districts. We are blessed to have a extremely strong and talented group of leaders um who who know their charge and if you know and are reminded of their charge uh monthly when we meet and sometimes more often this week we'll meet this month we'll meet twice because we have
121EDC this week um but you know our our focus on on what we're working on and why we're working on it um is constant and and again we're not perfect things happen um we are >> determined to have one piggy You know, just Christy mentioned and I apologize. I thought I was trying to answer I was trying to predict your question and answer it when I was talking to Toya. So, when I was talking about impact metrics with her, that was that's what I'm referencing. And at a district level, as Christie mentioned, there is a common >> uh uh survey tool that we utilize with all students, staff, and parents. And there are metrics that I share with the board um at the end of the year as part of my evaluation process as to
122where we are. So you guys will get to see some of that and those of you that have been on the board have seen some of that in the past. >> Thank you. Gotcha. >> I was just going to say that um Chrissy's mentioning the building trust student survey. So we had administered that survey at Wilk over the last two weeks. Tomorrow during the CSI we're engaging in that professional development. But the data that we received from our kiddos K5 really oriented how we were facilitating not only that session tomorrow but actually sparks a revisit to a previous um restorative practice focus on impromptu conversations. So it's nice how all of these modules really remain interconnected. So one of our scores was a little bit lower than perhaps we thought. So, we thought, let's revisit
123a portion of that November PD as a point to strengthen us moving forward. >> Um, thank you all. I really appreciate this. I love hearing uh the Duffy playground uh example. I think that, you know, it's um just so important for how children then live the rest of their lives. They can figure out a soccer game on their own. It just bodess well for all of us. Um, and um, I also want just to commend the hall sweeps. I think it's fantastic that you took it upon yourself to solve the problem that the kids uh, identified and then also followed up to make sure it was actually helping. So, um, lot lots of, uh, kudos to to you guys and I appreciate you sharing it tonight. Um, two questions. One is on the circles. I'm
124interested to hear kind of like what that is. And the second um is, you know, I think I've been hearing um I don't think it's unique to West Harford, but you know, there's uh name calling that happens, whether it's because of your religion or the color of your skin or some other assumption that happens all through grades. And I'm curious to learn how this uh practice that you're talking about here, like what what does that mean in elementary school if there is something if a if a child calls someone else something that they shouldn't be and in high school like can you share with me um what happens? And then secondly, when we're talking about data, um I'm curious about I've had a number of parents ask me about tracking. Like do we track um
125if a child uh is name calling let's say based on skin color or based on religion or is it or is that noted as kind of a you know disrespectful behavior and the the specifics of it aren't um maybe re not relevant the wrong word but recorded. >> So just answer that simple question. I can answer the second part for you because it's part of the state reporting. >> So, um generally, uh there's this one category that we talked about at that previous board meeting. >> It falls under um it falls under the global threatening behavior, but there's a specific code um if someone is using any language uh that would be like race, ethnicity, sexual identity, you know, any of these protected class type things. And there's a specific code for that. Right now,
126the state is actually looking to break that up into smaller into smaller bite-siz because right now that there's a lot of stuff. It's hate speech and hate crime and all this other you know it's it's one big lumped category. We've we've teased that out. I think I shared at the last meeting um the number relative to I think there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 incidents overall for threatening behavior about a third of them were uh related to slurs across the entirety of the district. Uh but it doesn't break it down to say this slur was based on gender, this slur was based on religion, this slur was based on identity. You know, um the schools kind of have an understanding of that. They know that. Uh but that's not how it's that's not
127how it's necessarily tracked and reported at the state level, but the state's looking to refine some of that. And I think they can answer the bigger question. What do you do? Um I would love because I know they do amazing things with children, developmentally appropriate. So, I'd love to for them to answer >> just real quick. Um, I appreciate it would be very challenging and I don't even know if it would be helpful to divide that out, but I bring it up because I think it's hard to tackle a problem if you don't know what the problem is. So, like let's say we have a you know a I don't know a problem with students um you know calling out skin color let's say and if we don't know that that's a a problem across
128the town then how can we address it I guess is where I'm really getting to. Well, understanding that question, >> I can better answer you then. >> Um, >> as part of those district surveys that we talked about, there are very specific questions for families, for um, students, and for teachers and staff relative to what they've observed, if they've observed or if they've been the victim of being treated differently, unfairly, or had something by virtue of, and then the students can specify those conditions. So we do have that information that the you know each of the schools are responsive to in terms of when they're looking at it and they're defining what what is the problem of practice what is what is kind of popping um as as a red flag at my school. So,
129um, now that I understand what you're really asking, I can >> Thank you. Great. >> I would also ask, um, add that if there's been a disciplinary, um, anything related to it. You know, we we know the numbers and we can go back and look at the incident um, and see exactly what it was and and what's what's tracking. And I'll be really honest with you, what's tracking that's always been tracking this country uh, would I as as the major issue uh, would be I guess what would fall in the category of antilackness, right? um racial slurs particularly around that. >> I mean, do you want to start school and elementary? >> Do you want to start? I feel like you should start elementary. >> It gets a little different when they're a little bigger.
130Right. >> Um so this has happened >> um this school year and you know the process is comprehensive um and very very thorough. So, you know, it begins with sort of an immediate um coming together to um understand, what happened, how it happened, um the processing of it, a safety plan for the for the victim. Um and that typically does involve some degree of consequence, right? There's separation and a need for space. Um there might be the loss of a a privilege. Um there certainly is parent partnership and then you know from there in the ca in our case right there's a lot of um learning that needs to happen. Um and so we developed with our school counselor um a series of lessons um so counseling sessions lessons um in which the student participated
131um and then the student needed to demonstrate learning um to both the mom and us um as a school certainly then um a plan for the repair an apology um and so this takes takes place. It really for several weeks it it takes um time, but it's comprehensive and and includes all the all the components that's needed to fully work through something as serious as that. >> Yeah. And so is the um like would a restorative practice like are these respect agreements are we is that supposed to be part of this? >> Yeah. So okay, you know ending you know that formal conferencing piece >> um did occur in my example right where um the students were they did come together um in a facilitated structured conversation in which the student in which an apology
132um was delivered and um the families came together. >> That's really impressive. Thank you for sharing that. >> Just to add on to Christie, she and I actually share the same elementary school counselor. So when she describes that, it's extremely similar um with what we've experienced at Wilk. I just would um I'd want to also add the follow-up piece, not just the immediate um but when harm has occurred and strategic steps have been taken uh both consequence uh restorative practice follow-up supports. We also really want to think about longer than that and long term and really checking in on those students. Um, I think in the busyiness of the day, we focus very honestly and sincerely in the moment with those supports and response, but also we want to make sure that we're following up
133longer term on those young friends. Sarah. Oh, >> and just and you know, we um speaking my middle school friends I and which I've been spending a lot of time with lately, we we've had lots of conversations about what's happening in the world and and how they're feeling and and they're definitely feeling um the frustrations of what they've described, not my words, their words, the adults having no clue how to behave with themselves. Um but they, you know, one of the things that they also surfaced is like, you know, we've been talking a lot about hate, right? hate speech and and and in all the ways that it comes out. Um you know, we've also done a lot of proactive things, right? Um fourth and fifth grade in all schools have had a conversation directly
134about hate speech. Um and so materials were were created and and um delivered um so that you know building administration along whatever their team, right, can go in and actually have those conversations. And if you're an elementary school parent with a student in fourth or fifth grade, you got a letter home that said, "Hey, listen, just wanted to let you know we had this conversation." And more importantly at on top of our conversation we invite you to have that conversation at home as well. Um because I do think that it's very important that we we will do our part but it it is a partnership right and so um you know we understand um the times that we are in in in just the pressure cooker that um has been developed with with everything that's
135been going on. Um, and you know, there really is a a a need, I think, for us to be collectively working on on this messaging. But, you know, I have to say, um, we have protocols in place for how we handle things when they happen within school. Um, we have guidelines and of and of course, um, we we have more importantly for us as a team is we have partnership um, and in working through those things. Um, and again, nothing is perfect. Um there's no place um I can't I have not found a place where no where things never happen. Um but for me it's how how we respond to the things when they do happen and if we are we are we getting better? Are we getting smarter? Are we are we um opening
136more doors so more people feel um comfortable coming in and telling us. I think there's a there's a huge difference between what people will put on the survey and what we get from the survey and what happens when you actually pull people in a room together and you talk about it. um particularly when it comes with stu to students like they they are not bashful about sharing at all. So on on the secondary high on the high school level um we it's actually I think there's a lot of similarities in how we you know we get a report we go through an investigation we work really closely as a team so I have three assistant principles it's the same structure at Connor and I know that both teams work really closely again to make sure
137we know everybody's on the same page of what are the trends what are we looking at what is happening in this instance and making sure that we're fully looking through the lens of like the whole child who was the, you know, the victim, but also what are we going to do for this student that's created this um made this this impact. And so we we actually look through a lot of what is an intention versus what is your impact? Um because we'll get students that say I was joking or something like that and we talk a lot about your impact to our school community and then how are we going to repair back um from that impact. Um, we have made some changes specifically this year and I know I've worked across um, you know,
138across town with Joselyn on what what does it look like when a student does have a consequence. Um, because it's it's an and right now like we would have a consequence but there is an and to it of how we're going to repair back. And we've included creating a space where if a student is um you know has a consequence that they also have access to a school counselor um throughout their day that they're completing a reflection on the impact of their actions um and that they're also then accessing new learning through their through their counselor. So their time of during the consequence is also used uh for that that piece. Um, they also would have access to our leaders and residents. So, if there's a repair where they're going to have a conference and
139and the victim wants to have that repair, um, that they have access to that. Um, but we also employ safety plans, excuse me, or communication plans. Sometimes it's just about how are we going to agree to interact with one another in the future. And you know, we really work to support the victim in the in the long term as well as as the student that um you know, committed the transgression that what is this plan for follow-up look like and what does follow-up look like to you and having a student define that. Um and then as we go through that they also have access to our our clinicians and and you know their team in the future to make sure that um you know really this this happened but we've restored and then how are
140we going to move forward so it doesn't happen again where we instead of replacing it's just not going to happen. It's that work before the next um concern comes up. >> Thanks. Have a couple questions. Oh go ahead. You go first. Sorry. Oh lost my voice again. Um, sorry. I had a question for you. Just what does access to a school counselor look like for either like a perpetrator or a victim? Just because I know every student has access to a student counselor. So, is it specific? Is there a So, um, if a student, let's say, for example, a student is serving um, an inschool suspension um, we've changed that room to a reset room. Um, and a counselor is assigned throughout the day for one period a day in that room. So, there's always
141a counselor in that room. So because sometimes we know that when you know when someone does anything they need a little time or they might not be ready to reflect in that moment or maybe they're ready later and so there is always a counselor in that room in addition to um a supervising teacher. Okay. Thank you. Thanks. All right. I have two more questions. Um they're a little tough. Okay y'all. one is um just around restorative justice being used to address racial disparities around racial slurs. Um and I'll be specific like two things like one um we know that bias is still in our schools and so I I wonder how this practice is used to address that particularly with students who've been on the bad side of the disparities. Um, and then two, with
142the racial slurs, and I know I brought this up before, um, when black students are casually using the n-word, um, that like, yeah, they're the perpetrator, but they're also the victim because it's internal, it's internalized racism. It just is what it is. That's facts. It's internalized racism. Black people didn't create the n-word. And so, it got into their vocabulary. and and it being in our voca and I'll say our because it was also in my vocabulary at one point. It got into our vocabulary because of racism. It's called colonization. And so black students casually using it to feel a sense of belonging with each other. Um they're also the victim. And so I'm just thinking about like how do you deal with that piece of it? Um because I think an exclusionary practice with someone
143who's low-key victimizing themselves is like a drug addict. It's I I you know um and and the other point to that is the implications of white teachers holding black students account like being the one to call them out for saying the nword and bring them to the consequence. There's racism in that. It just it like I know it sounds harsh but like it is a fact. Like black people didn't create the word. It's in our vocabulary because of racism. White teachers and white-bodied humans coming down punitive about it onto black bodies in schools and having an exclusionary response to it is a perpetuation of racism. So I just want to understand how are we dancing with that? Now >> can I jump in on that? >> So and I've and I've heard >> and it's
144not just it's a bigger problem I know in our state too. I mean it's it's a huge issue but it's an impossible issue for us because uh I may be from a mixed family so it's in my vocabulary as a child my mom is you know of this race and my dad is of that race and uh maybe I'm light-skinned maybe I'm darkkinned like there it there is not a fair way the fair way the only way for us as a school district um and I and I respect your opinion on it that it it has some racism built within it, but we're not intending it to be racist. We're intending it to be >> and temporous impact. >> The impact is racism. >> Well, no, the impact goes through our process, which which our
145process is not I'm just going to slap you with a consequence and send you on your way with any lack of understanding. I'm going to sit with you through this period. I'm going to talk about the impact of it. I'm going to talk about why it's not something that we should be doing in a school setting or, you know, in a professional setting or, you know, if it's a workplace environment or something like that. Um, and I'm going to try to, you know, provide for an education and a repair because interestingly, you said it used to be in your vocabulary. So, it's not in your vocabulary. So something, you know, created a change um in that regard without passing judgment on how it got there or why it came out. You know, our our goal,
146I think, is aligned. We we we don't, you know, we I make a statement. I've sent it out in letters. Hate speech has no place in our schools. And it's not what you necessarily intended when you use that word because we do have students who intend it. Well, I I can use that because that person's my friend or I can use that because I, you know, subscribe to this group, but I can use that with someone else and the impact with them and they could be the same color as me, they feel victimized, offended, they're very hurt. So, it's there there are impossible lines for us to draw. Um, and in the same way a white educator providing that consequence, uh, a white educator trying to distinguish it's okay for this person but not that
147person is equally racist. You know what I mean? So, it's it's just impossible. So our our approach, you know, tends to be not so much what's the consequence that we're going to align with that, but what's the conversation that we're going to have so that we can basically just try to get to a shared understanding and appreciation that it's not language that we think is appropriate for our schools. And if it's if it's I'm not going to pass a judgment on anyone if it's u you know something that they're using outside of school with their friends or or what have you. that that's not something I'm trying to judge or say is right or wrong. It's just I want to educate you on why as a student why it's problematic for us in the school
148setting to be using that language. >> Right. And I get that part of it. I think I still think that it's it's not I don't know. I I work with folks all around the state. I work with districts all around the state and I I know that there are different approaches to this. And so I'm going to continue to challenge our district to like challenge your response to it. Um because I have to I'm a black woman and like I stand for social justice and I stand against racism and anti-blackness. Um and I think the other part of it is as a black parent I can say in this district I've been in for 5 years. I've never been approached as a parent about this conversation and it's a tier it's really a tier one
149issue. And so I'm just kind of thinking about like are we gonna keep reacting to it or are we gonna like have the conversation that I think could and should be had um around the use of the word, the casual use of the word. Otherwise, we're going to see those numbers in the disciplinary in the data. We're going to see the numbers in the data and it's not going to give the accurate picture that you're asking for around how do we know those things? Cuz if some of those are casual use of the n-word, I'm going to feel differently about that than like some of the white I'm black or like homophobic or anti-semitic. Like the ones that like I'm saying this to you because I want like those are they are different categories and
150we won't get a clear picture and when they're all matched together. >> Yeah. No, I'll jump in again if I may. So the state is looking at exactly that question in terms of how it's being reported. state's looking exactly at that question. Um, but at the end of the day, the thing I wanted to add because because you're absolutely right, you know, parent communication buyin and understanding is very important, but and I'll be curious if you guys would back me on this, but you know, I've gotten to sit in on a few of the middle school conversations with Teresa on Saturdays and the trends that we find when you really when we look my anecdote is what I believe is happening a lot, it's student to student. It's not it's not just because like I
151get to talk that way at home. That's not necessarily the uh catalyst that's creating the usage. It's studentto student. Uh it's it's student to uh social media something that's popular trending popping uh in a song or something that we saw in a movie you know which is where we all get our you know I'm of an age group and this is what is popular uh and so that has an influence on me whether whether it's just exposure something I've heard or something that I now use that's you know that's that's my personal choice But um I do think, you know, to your point, I think that the communication with parents is good and necessary and going to help, but I think the communication with students in and around our expectations and their feelings on it
152and helping them to unpack their feelings and why and all the rest is even more powerful and responsive to to kind of where the language is more commonly used. And I don't know, I've got students here, maybe they can even speak to some of that. >> Before I just want to add one more thing from from what you just said. Um, >> you know, I think the other piece you mentioned, I guess two things. One is that, you know, saying certain words results in a conversation. And from my understanding, saying certain words can result in an expulsion or some other sort of serious consequence. >> Well, maybe not an expulsion, but some sort of ser it's not a conversation. and you're having some sort of serious consequence like you're suspended or you know what have
153you. Let me finish for one second please. Um so that concerns me because I think when we talk about racial disparities um if black students are more likely, let's say, to use that word and then are receiving a suspension or whatever the uh consequence is. I want to be clear that it's not just a conversation. So I think we got to we got to be careful about how we're describing what happens. And then secondly, you know, I am certainly no expert on restorative practices, but I know Latoya does this work. And so if we say something's impossible, I want to be very careful about that as well because it sounds like other districts are doing it differently. So, um I I want to hear the rest of this, but I uh I'm not sure that
154we're all being very accurate with with with what we're saying here. So, first I want to know if if that language is used. It sounds like there is a very serious consequence beyond a conversation. And then secondly, I'm curious to know how other districts handle this. >> I can't report on other districts. um I can get you that information and try to get back to you. I'll be very clear from my perspective as your superintendent, this language has no place in our schools. All right? That's not a statement of what someone's intent is or the frequency of it. We do try to look at it from the from the lens of um and we've talked to and and and I'll clarify my statement. And if I wasn't clear, I'll apologize. The conversation part that happens,
155I'm trying to suggest is the most important part. The consequence is the consequence. We do have consequences. And we have started to look at, we have adapted our policies to where if something is a targeted use, so I call you a name with the intent with with what seems to be from the investigation that they've described a clear intent to hurt, demean, or diminish you. um as opposed to it would seem clear from the investigation that this was a casual reference. We have tried to parse that out with levels of consequence, but we are not excusing I'm not excusing anyone in all cases. I wanted to I want to send a very clear message that we feel that that's inappropriate. the consequence might be different with the understanding, but um we're not going to divide
156that out along different lines. like just because you have membership in a group doesn't necessarily excuse you, but we can look at what were the situations and we can then try to have the the reason that it's it's not that I'm trying to victimize anyone in a victim group to the to the point that you're making, which I understand and I don't necessarily dispute. It's my point is I'm not I'm not trying to victimize anyone with that. I'm going to take the opportunity to educate that this is just not language that we want to have um in this setting. And so it's not that there wouldn't be a consequence and it's not that all the consequences are the same. What I was trying to express at that point is that the conversation is the most
157important piece. Um we can look at what other districts are doing. I'm not um I I apologize. I do not know if if there's a specific example of something in your in your mind, but but to the point the state is also not only are we kind of looking at the difference between a casual use, a targeted use, and then something that goes above and beyond to a to to a point where there might be like police involvement and now you're starting to change it from a description of hate speech to hate crime. Um the state is looking to uh because they've catchalled it and there was never an expectation that the catchall coding was going to get the same consequence or reaction from the school. It was just that I think the state didn't
158anticipate the frequency with which they're seeing some of these things and the need to kind of tease it out a little bit more specifically. So, so there's a so there's an effort under foot at the state level which will help to provide you guys some of the some of the transparency that you're asking for on what does it really look like. Um, again to my point, I've tried to be as transparent as I can. I've I've given you the number for uh for our midyear and I know that you've asked if is that up or down or left or right from last year and I and I owe you in a response on that. So uh we'll be giving that to you when we report on it next. Can I add a little context because
159I think it's really important. I know you're going to kill me. I promise I will be brief. Um I I think I want I want to put on the t you started it. I want to put on the table something that I think that we are escaping and I as a black person I want to be super clear about this because part of the for me part of the problem that um I have encountered is that there's also the supposition that all black people are okay with this language. We are not. Right. Some people are reclaiming it's come. It's a trauma- based response. And some people are holding firm because we don't think we can wash all the blood off of this word. And we collectively have decided that we live and let live and
160we allow this and we understand the discrepancy and why people are approaching it differently with without judgment. It is not appropriate language for school. I stand on that. It's not appropriate language because quite frankly, just because we share a same color, if you call me that and I jump myself back to my 17-year-old body in school, we would have a serious problem. And so, it's not it's not just, well, we're all black people. We can all say it. And to give some factual content, context, I there's also this supposition that the people who are using it are all are black. That's that that's not the data. And so, you know, it's I think it's really important to not make assumptions about who's using the word and why they're using the word because that's actually not
161what the data actually shows. Um, we're aware of that and we're and we're aware that there that just in general we need to have a clear understanding that we don't use hate speech of any kind, whether it be anti-semitic, whether it be anti-black, whether it be anti-LGBTQ, like any of it, right? um our spaces are spaces that are intended to have everybody belong and we are going to hold and we're going to stand on that because we don't have any other ground to stand. The rest of our world and country is falling apart on this. We cannot like we have to hold. And so that that is our stance and we must make that our stance because we don't have a choice. And I personally with my beautiful light-skinned grandb babies don't want anybody policing
162their bodies in giving a level of what's how black are you? And so like for me it's very important that we're to your point we have a predominantly white staff. I'm not putting them in the position of judging who's dark enough. If I'm Afro Latino, am I allowed to say it because I have African blood and I I now claim that and that makes it okay for me? Like these are these are impossible situations to ask educators to kind of shift through. And if we can stand on the ground that all people deserve dignity and space and that some words just don't allow for that, then I do believe that is the safest ground for us to stand on. And I and I and we must stand on that ground because we we can't trust
163that those conversations are necessarily happening in the home and from the information from students as Paul was aware in our group the kids were very clear. Um yeah, my parents would kill me if they if they knew I was using language with like this. Like this is not necessarily parent condone language for any group, right? Um but when when kids are together, they they talked about where their influences were. And I told them in that meeting, I'm like, "Oh, my heart is breaking." Because as parents, I have to tell you, we're hoping that when I ask you, "Where's your greatest influence coming from?" And I was like, they're going around, they're giving me answers, and I'm writing them down and I'm like mad. And I was like, I got to be honest with you. As
164a parent, we're all hoping that you're going to say yes. But I know that all research says that after 8, we're not it, right? And so that's some that's food for thought for us, right? How how do we still have those conversations because it's important that we give that foundation, but then give room and space for allowing the schools to do what we must do, which is hold a really important moral um line about us all belonging so that there's at least one place left that still believes that. >> Thank you. I get that. And I think I just want to, you know, my final point on this is I'm going continue to challenge us around this and and this is why the conversation with our community is important because black community isn't a monolith.
165We're two black women and we have different perspectives about this. But this is why the district has to have the conversation with families. And to your point, I have black kids at my house. I'm cool with a lot of black community here. And the kids are learning to say it more casually at school to feel a sense of belonging with the small black population in the school. Again, tier one issue. So, it has to get addressed at the tier one level, not tier three when they've said it and now they're in trouble. Tier one whole community. So, that's where my that's where my push is going to I'm going to keep pushing on that. I'mma keep pushing on that, but it ain't personal. I I just want to say um I Paul, Teresa, your whole
166team, I appreciate just the the cander and and just your ability to come. Often times you sit at this table, you have no idea where we're going to go with any of this and whether or not you've prepared for this part of the presentation or not, but your willingness to be open and engage. I've just I'm always impressed with it and and I thank you for the seriousness, the thoughtfulness, the reflectiveness with which you take all of this. Um Teresa, I thought your summation was really good. Um Paula, you said something in your last remarks I think is is really at the heart of this is I think the intent component of that is is really really key and critical and I think probably the fairest framework and scaffolding to go about doing something like
167this. So just I appreciate you guys. >> All right, >> you're next. All right, we're moving on. We are moving on. We have um next on the agenda, high school schedule exploration. >> Excellent. As the team comes up, um I just want to thank uh Mr. Scott Dunn, principal Wilcott, Miss Christy Lardy, principal at Duffy, obviously Teresa, and staying up there, Miss Sarah Issacs. I appreciate you. She's being joined. Uh you guys know Ann very well. Um, I believe you've I don't know if you've met Eileen Eustace, our director of secondary ed, but uh she is joined by Jocelyn Tamberelloo Noble, our principal at Connard High School, and Miss Patricia Pyers, Patty Pyers, our director of school counseling. Um, so that is the team, a very esteemed team. Um, very very thankful for the work
168that they do and the leadership that they have. And I will turn it over to Ann. >> Good evening everyone. Nice to see you all. Our team has been anxiously looking forward to speaking with you about our high school schedule exploration, the process that we've undertaken. Our current schedule has some very real constraints in it and some uh very real constraints for students, all types of students in our schools. Students who struggle have constraints in this schedule. Students who are looking for opportunities and can't fit them in have restraint have constraints in this schedule. and our students who are taking everything that they possibly can often have to give up other things in order to do so. So with that, we would like to present to you on our work. I'm really excited just to
169make sure I have faces and names. We have Patty Pyrus here. Patty, say hi. >> Hi. >> Patty's our um great director of our department supervisor of student uh school counseling and Sarah's been here for hours. So hello Sarah and of course Jocelyn. So and Eileen. So we are really excited to talk to you tonight about this very important work. Um we structured our presentation today and I would ask if you could write down your questions and possibly hold them to the end only because it's a little bit of a story here and I'd like to be able to tell it like well so that you understand why we're so passionate about the fact that we think a change is necessary. So, we're going to start off with some challenges. Then, we'll talk about how
170other districts have responded to these challenges. We'll talk about our exploration, the process we took. Um, and we'll talk to you about the new schedule we're proposing, and then we'll open it up to discussion. And again, if you have a burning question, feel free, but if not, you know, maybe we can just go through the story and then and then take the questions. Um, so I'd like to start off with this first challenge and and the most obvious is graduation requirements in um with Connecticut Public Act 1742. It raised graduation requirements to 25 credits and that is not a small thing. Our previous graduation credits, local credits that were aligned with the state were 21.75 and we use the schedule we use. Now, we have the exact same schedule where students need to get 25.
171And that has put pressure on our students all different ways. And many of our students do just great. They come up from middle school with math credits or Spanish credits or and other children want to take summer school and they do all kinds of things. But there's also a lot of children who come up with no credits from middle school and they want to take what they need to graduate. and they are one of the groups we're concerned with, but I would say not the only group. Um, and with that, I'm going to turn it over to So, just so just please keep in mind 25 credits in a system that used to only need 21.75. No changes to that. And so, I'm going to turn it over to pay. >> Yep. So, um, I'm
172going to walk you through what our our typical schedule looks like. Um, so we've got 25 credits that we need for graduation, but it's not just cumulative of 25 credits. It also means that we have certain what we call buckets that need to be filled. So there's a certain number of humanities credits, a certain number of STEM credits, wellness credits, so on and so forth. Um, so you'll see with the way that a student is scheduled is they'll have their core courses, which we've got English, math, science, social studies, usually world language, wellness pretty much every year for their four years. In scenario one, you see what a very typical freshman year schedule looks like. So, you've got those core classes in there. Um, you'll see next to what our pretend period 4 is is
173that we've got uh wellness. So, wellness meets a couple of days a week, but it meets throughout the entire year. So, that takes up an entire period. Um, you'll then see we've got in our pretend period 5 um a block for lunch. So, that takes up the whole period uh with no opportunity to earn credit. Um then at the end we've got the opportunity for students to take one elective each year and that's either two half-year electives or one full year elective. Starting in sophomore year there are science classes that have labs. So because of the lab there's extra time that the students meet they'll get an extra half of a credit with it. So that's why you see in grade nine um students can earn six and a half credits. Grades 10 through 12
174they can typically um earn seven credits. We've got the same situation. The only difference is that the lab meets a couple days a week and then wellness meets a couple days a week. So they wrap around each other. So those will take a full um a full period. So um along so just want to point out that you know we've got in each opportunity only if students are taking their core classes which they need for graduation but also for um preparation for um college and post-secary and career. um you've only got that one extra period for elective, which then explains that challenge of um making sure students have their graduation requirements on time. Back in the back in the day, we had 21.75 credits. That gave us a good chunk of time that should a
175student have failed a class, they could still make it up during the school day without having to sacrifice a lot of other things because remember, we can't just not take English because we need those four years of English. So, um if they're failing something, they need to replace it. And we had a bigger buffer in order to make up those uh missed credits. Um you see with our um credit uh graduation credit scenario one, there's a little bit less of a buffer. in um scenario two um even more so that um we're just finding that students are going to have to sacrifice something during the day or they're going to have to go to summer school which for a student who's already struggling and has failed a class now having to go to summer school
176for six weeks is very challenging for them and we're not finding that we're able to engage those students. Um so although we say we have an eight period day, we really only have a seven period day. I'm just going to go back to that schedule so they can see it there. >> Yeah. So, we really only have seven periods for students to meet their graduation requirements unless again now they're sacrificing lunch, which is something we'll talk about um later on. >> Um I just added that. >> Yeah. So, for for many students, failing just one course, just one uh means putting them at risk for on-time graduation. um as if you if you came to high school and you failed nth grade English, for instance, can you go to summer school? Do you take nth
177and tth grade English in 10th grade? You're taking it together. It's taking that elective. You don't have an elective. Maybe your passion is ceramics. Maybe it's art. Maybe it's music. Maybe it's world language, but you're not taking that because you still need to not only meet 25 credits, you have to meet a whole group of very specific credits within that. nine in STEM, nine in humanities, one world language, one art, two PE. So, you have to do all those things. And we didn't go into great detail here because the 25 is the biggest issue. >> There's also issues with the types of credits you're earning, >> right? Which further restricts their ability to make them up. >> And then you have a child going through high school with possibly no electives. And that's not really
178the greatest thing for children who find passion in some of those areas. >> One quick question. Wait until the end for questions. Okay. >> Yeah, she asked us at the beginning. I think you were in the bathroom. >> Sorry. We just want to tell a whole story first. >> I was wondering what failing is. Is failing an F? >> Yes. Okay. So, I'm going to turn it over to the high school principles. >> So, for us, the real concern is really on graduation. Um and for the fact that especially as we speak about both high schools, but looking at Connard, um really it is impacting graduation rates and the fact that we are up to the nth minute right before graduation to make sure that our students really have the courses and the credits that
179they need. And so previously with 21 and a half, um there was wiggle room and at this point um there's really not. And so the options for credits and all of those other options are very limited under the current schedule. And the trend exists at Hall as well as you can see on on the chart. Um, moving to the next slide, when we talk about the proposed schedule, it really expands the capacity and the safety nets. And I think a point that is important too, it's not just that students are are failing. Our teachers work really hard, our students work really hard, our parents work really hard. we we want everyone to pass, want everyone to learn, but there's also just extenduating circumstances that can happen, whether it's a health issue, um something happens in
180your family. I mean, there's just lots of reasons why a student may not be able to take that many classes and then the then they're in a space where we are working and they are working and families are working so hard to creatively get them to that finish line. And so creating this um expanded capacity and these safety nets really allows for if something were to happen, whether you just have a bad semester, um something happened in your family, something happened with your health, that then it it doesn't we can make that up and also provide those other opportunities for those electives. And so this proposed new schedule increases that total credit capacity um and creates that what you'll see as a seven credit buffer and also allows for that that recovery that reduces that
181stress on students. And as we also consider students with other specialized services, it allows more room on the schedule to be able to support and having them engage in courses that typically they might not even have um been able to take in their schedule. So, as you see on this uh slide, the proposed new schedule with up to 32 credits. And not that we want children to take 32 credits, by the way, I want to be clear. We don't necessarily want them to. We just want to have it available for them to take what they want. A lot more buffer in this kind of schedule. And believe me, the old schedule worked well when we had 21.75. There's no criticism of that schedule. We I I give credit to the counselors, to Patty, to the
182high school principles. They work with children all through their four years, especially the to children are struggling right at the end to make sure they are very uh that their schedules come together because it's not just the number 25. It's the kind with inside they might have to take a fizzed in summer school because they can't fit it into their senior schedule and they won't graduate on time. They might have the 25 but they don't have one English or something like that. So they're very creative but there's just a lot of pressure. It's a tight tight buffer and that's why I really wanted to point out the green bar will expand that buffer slow and then we'll go into the health benefits as well. Um so we're going to switch over to the student wellness
183um fact. This is another challenge that we see. >> Yeah. And so that's what we've been talking about is that when students when we do have that challenge of not having um that big buffer for um students to be able to take classes um for those students who are failing classes or students who want to enrich their schedule um they're sacrificing a lot of them almost 28% of our 28% of our students are sacrificing lunch in order to get either make up of a class or um expand their interests. And it's as we saw in that schedule before, there's only one period a day for students to take electives. And electives are hugely important, not only for students who want to challenge themselves academically to get into the most, you know, prestigious colleges that they
184can, but also for those students who want to think about what they might want to do for a career and to be able to explore some of their their potential career pathways. Um, but also those students who just have a passion for something and want to be able to explore that during the school day. And in order to get that in there, so for example, like a student who's who's take um playing an instrument, that student can't take any other lactive for all of their high school career unless they're dropping a core course or they're dropping their lunch. >> And we don't want that to happen. >> They can't drop a core course. No. So that means they drop lunch, >> right? >> Yeah. >> Um and so we don't want students to have to
185drop lunch for several reasons. And as you can see, one of the most important reasons that we start off with is just your your students health. You know, students are still growing in body and in mind. And we want them to be able to have the nutrition they need um to be able to perform at their highest uh capacity. And I'll just add two other things here. Um one is the still I I don't want you to think the children don't eat. The teachers actually do everything they can to allow the students a break. You know, here ha have your have your granola bar or something. and they allow that because they know students are dropping lunch to take their course. But for a student who has free and reduced lunch, for instance, they have
186to go to the cafeteria, get that food first and then go. So that's a little bit of an issue as well. Um there's also, you know, I think of some of our special education students who need a content support class that goes in and they get credit for it, but that takes the place of their electives, too. And so now you have special education students who don't have the chance to take as many elective courses. Um and of course the lunch issue. So >> yep. And oh sorry >> go back. Sorry >> that's on you. Um but then the also issue too just of having a scheduled break in a student's day is hugely important. Not only just to have that brain break if you will but then also to have the ability to interact
187with other students um casually socially is hugely important for their social emotional um well-being. Um what we see a lot of times is that our students don't just go to school and then go home. So we've got students who potentially are dropping lunch. They are taking eight classes throughout the day. then they are going to their um orchestra practice or their um their drama club or their um their three sport athlete um and then not coming home until maybe 5:00 at night, maybe later, having a quick dinner and then having to do all their homework in preparation for the next day. And what we're seeing is a huge uptick in the number of students who are saying, "I I can't do it, but I have to do it." And so the the anxiety is through
188the roof. And we're seeing so many more doctor's notes coming in saying we need accommodations because we can't do it all. >> And in that scenario, they're remembering homework in six classes, six to seven classes, they're remembering homework. And if they're that student, maybe eight. >> Um, >> so even just having that little break in the day for lunch, it is huge for these students. So, continuing with that student wellness piece and and I think a five o'clock end time for some of our students would be early. >> True. >> Um, >> yeah. >> Um, and I think there is something so vibrant about our after school community whether it is like I know there are jazz dancers right now practicing for pops and jazz. you know, there are students um you know, if there's
189a hockey game or a basketball game, there's all these things going on throughout the evening or a board of ed rep. Um you know, it's it's and we want them to have all those experiences. When we talk about what the day could look like when you're a if we and we talk about the adults they see in a day. If you're seeing eight different adults with different expectations and different, you know, classroom cultures and different um you're navigating all those personalities all day. And it might not seem like a lot, but to think about eight different people you're going to see and respond to in a day, that that's a lot just in your emotional load, right? And so we think that fewer transitions would decrease that cognitive load. allowed them to really delve in
190on four classes a day instead of if they took up to eight or maybe four or less with the what you're going to see when we talk about the schedule and having that just reduces that mental fatigue um and really allowing them to focus. And then also when you think about homework, you've had just four classes instead of eight classes. Um if you're someone that chooses to take up to um the the full load that you could And I think the other piece is it it really does become an equity and access issue because we are making a lot of assumptions that if a student is back in, you know, behind on credits that they have a summer opportunity or a summer free to be able to then earn those credits and that's not always
191the case for our students. They are sometimes the secondary providers. There are they are other expectations related to what they can do. Um, we also want to make sure that there is really equity in terms of scheduling for program access. We have a lot of students that are interested in our work work-based learning programs. Those programs occur in the afternoon. Having a larger block would allow them to pursue some of the um the trades that they're interested in, apprenticeships. Um there's some opportunities that would expand certainly under this schedule for all of those students. >> Yep. So in the cognitive load considerations in the instructional design you have you know longer instructional instructional blocks um that really allow for more in-depth instruction to have more inquiry to have more creativity for teachers and students um
192personalized time teachers are seeing half the students they would see in the day they'd only see half their case load um and then also slowing that pace benefits student mental health and you know we have done discussions at Connor and Titan talks at Hall and I've had some students say to me, but we didn't ask for block schedule. And my answer to them is, well, I don't expect you to because you're not educators, but what you're telling me is, I'm anxious. I'm stressed. I'm tired. And and I'm hearing that year to year, and I think Joselyn is I don't want to speak for her, but hearing very similar things. We are seeing an increase in um students presenting with anxiety and mental health concerns. And this is an answer to that. And so I didn't
193expect students to say, "Do you know what we want? Block schedule." But what I I do expect is as the the educators and the professionals in the room that when you tell me all of those things, I need to act and we need to act and to do something about it. And this is an answer that provides that. >> Can I add something? >> Yeah. And students sometimes, you know, when they come in and they're talking to Sarah and I, they're really talking about the impact of mental health and the fact that the high pace environment um not just of our high schools, but just the sometimes the pressure of pieces of being in West Harford um is really the fact that there's this constant pace and this expectation and sometimes we need to set
194the structures for our children because sometimes they don't really understand how to set it for themselves. And so being able to be the experts in this to be able to say here's a structure that would work for our students across the board um because it provides supports and more opportunity and more access is certainly something that I think we should be looking at supporting. >> So we certainly weren't the only district in Connecticut that experienced PA1742. And so Eileen and I did a lot of research on how did other districts respond? So, as you can see, um there's a list of 20 surrounding towns. And if you take a look at the list, um you'll notice that with the exception of Rocky Hill, um they all have some form of a longer instructional block built
195into their their schedule. Okay. Um in addition to that, and this would include the Rocky Hill schedule, is that they do all have an opportunity for students to earn eight credits. So, not only are there eight period, like it's we would call it it's a true eight period day because one of those periods is not used for lunch, if that makes sense, right? So, your lunch is actually built into your class period. So, it doesn't actually take up a whole class period, which is what our current schedule does now. Hopefully that makes sense for everybody. So, just to let you know, we also um we we've been in talks with a number of districts. You can see the ones that are um asterricked. We've actually had more recent conversations going just further in depth um
196in terms of how does how are you know how did they get their schedule to work um if their schedule is actually meeting the needs of their students? How are they implementing support and intervention in uh different and creative ways? Um what type of support did they provide for teachers as they transition to longer block periods? And you know another question we also asked was um you know if you had an opportunity to go back to a more traditional schedule would you? Um I think we can we it is a fair response to say they all said no they would not go back. So they might make certain adjustments um but all of them would maintain some sort of longer instructional block with fewer classes during the day. Okay. So, this sort of also um
197leads us into part of our schedule exploration process. So, I know um I I feel like I know some people are feeling like, oh, this is happening so quickly, but I we've been talking about this probably since Ann and I um entered into our current positions, which was the fall of 2023. So, when we entered into these positions, immediately we were presented with questions about are we are are we ever going to explore a new schedule? And um so just to let you know that um that really prompted us to start thinking about it and if we were going to engage in a process, we felt like it was really important to make sure that we had some guiding principles. You don't want to make a change just for the sake of making a change
198for a schedule. You want to ensure that we're doing it with purpose, right? And to really make sure that there is a true need to make a change. Um so just to let you know part of that process was um we did have some initial surveys with staff. We also had some student focus groups and we put together this set of guiding principles based on some feedback and you can see many of these things have already been addressed in the earlier part of the presentation. So the opportunity to earn more credits the longer instructional blocks and so forth. Um one of the things I do want to note um the last bullet also talks about increasing number of professional learning community teams. We currently have some teams, teacher teams that are able to meet on
199a weekly basis where they actually analyze student data, performance data on a regular basis as it's aligned to our curriculum. So, and the purpose of doing that is how can they go about and intervene with students before they get to those summitive assessments and ensure that students are learning the essential standards. We feel it's really important for all of our teachers to engage in that practice and by going to a full eight period day that actually would increase the probability for us to have all teachers engage in that practice. So I just want to make an important note about that. While primarily our needs are about students for this schedule, there are some benefits for teachers as well in terms of that work which would then translate to student achievement and performance and ensuring that
200they're learning the essential standards. So just to sort of um and this was broken down a little bit in the report that you received. Um so again back in the fall of 2023 and really throughout the year number of various sta many different stakeholders were coming up and asking us about the possibility of exploring a schedule. So um that's you know then come the fall of 2024 is when we really launched into okay let's really gauge interest. So we did go out and that is when we um we basically started to have some initial meetings. We went in front of the um faculty um at the middle as well as the high school level and um we did some surveys about are you really interested in this? Okay. And we did get an overwhelming response
201of yes, we feel an exploration is worth the process um engaging in a process. So we tried to be really thoughtful about the type of process that we would engage in. um we didn't want to en engage a a huge committee that would take a lot of time and potentially result in nothing. So what we tried to do is basically try to like work in and out, right? Have some people behind the scenes doing the work, continue to go back out to various groups and get feedback. So that's where we started to get into stakeholder input, community um and also community outreach and research where um again we were doing with this with the stakeholder feedback we had student focus groups we had multiple staff listening tours um we did go out to the PTO's
202as well as Septto at that time um and we and then based on the feedback that we were receiving we were starting to do research we started gathering any schedule that anybody body proposed or asked us to take a look at from other districts. Um so then we started to engage in you know in terms of model refinement and over the summer we did additional listening tours. We um recently just rem with the um PTO's we were having um deeper discussions with other districts as we were felt like we were getting more serious about this possibility. Um, we also, um, had a recently we just had a student panel of students that actually are currently living a block schedule from various high schools and I want to credit um, Jocelyn and Sarah and Patty who
203worked on putting that together. Um, that happened last week and um, the students that ca that were on the panel were amazing and um, really were very honest of what it's like to live in a schedule like that. And you know, some will say, "Yeah, it if you're sitting in a 90-minute lecture, that may not be great, but it was really good feedback for the teachers to also hear as well in terms of like what what makes a longer class block engaging." So, um there was a lot of benefit to that. So, I also want to let you know that we're also working on um that we we have been working for the last several months in terms of um kind of like plugging all the holes that might come up as problems. So, I
204know one of the things that's out there is that if I take an AP science, I won't be able to take a full eight credits or engage in two electives. And we have found a solve for that. So, we have a solve for that. So um because we do know we have a large number of students that currently take eight credits because they drop a lunch at this point and we wanted to ensure that we will still be able to continue with allowing stu being able to provide an opportunity for students to engage in eight credits but we're also again as we've been discussing talking about students that don't even have that opportunity in the first place. Okay. and how can we bolster their opportunities in terms of elective interest and also providing that safety
205net that we were talking about. Um, >> and I don't want to interrupt you, but I want to ask a clarifying question because I heard something that didn't sound right to me earlier. Uh, might have just been some misinformation. You were saying there was a concern about taking an AP chemistry and taking two electives, which is the issue, not AP chemistry and taking one elective. that will have absolutely no problem. And now you're saying that you've found a solution. So not only can they take one elective with AP chemistry, but two electives. Yes. >> I just want to clarify that just not three as a junior >> which and my and the point about that is it doesn't mean that they're sacrificing their lunch period. So they can take a credit and still have a
206designated lunch. So to the to the lunch uh point um is there going to be a cap on kids like so so will you will you be telling students as as school counselors or administrators no you cannot skip your lunch >> it will be we'll show you how it's embedded >> okay yeah because because I I was just thinking you know a lot of times when you when you create more space people will just fill it >> they won't be able to >> okay >> and I think I'm sorry one other thing that I just wanted to address about like where we are in the process right now is that we do recognize that students are requesting courses. We have worked with school counselors to, you know, we've provided credit windows that would be appropriate
207for students and we do recognize that we want to be ready to move forward with this and with that we need their requests. However, if we cannot move forward with this for next year, we do have a process and a plan in place to address that. And it really would be needing to deal with um the students that have I would say over requested. So currently we have students you can request up to eight credits if you choose to drop your lunch. Okay. So um again I just want to assure everybody we we have um we've already discussed a process in place like if we have to go if we have to remain with the current model. >> Okay. Me okay. Sorry. So, I just wanted to show you what an eight period day I'm
208sorry, what what the AB skinny uh with a skinny Wednesday would look like. And so, instead of having eight classes a day, let's say a day is a Monday and the students would take four. The C block is a longer block and lunch is embedded inside of C block. Now, this is going to get in the weeds for you, but we were a little bit constrained by the type of schedule we have because we have to provide four lunches for safety purposes. A lot of schools only have two or three lunches. So, their lunch waves are therefore shorter and they have more options. We had fewer options because we have over 1300 students, 400 plus students, 450 students and lunch isn't ideal. So, we have to have four lunch waves and that limited the number
209of schedules that would work for us. But the one that seems to work best is an AB day. The addition of a skinny Wednesday does not have to happen. It's just in the feedback from the teachers, their biggest fear was losing regular contact with students and therefore they this was not a vote or anything of that nature. We just read comments and comments and comments and codified them and counted them and it seemed to be the most popular because they would see their children three times per week. The Bday you would see a different set of classes. And what's nice about this schedule, it embeds lunch inside your class. You can't skip it then. You can't put a class inside of a class, so you cannot skip it. It still allows you to have electives,
210more than one elective if you like. Even if you take lab science, we can um we can work with you on that. And um we have found a solution for what we'd call our super music kids who take at least two um music classes and their honors in both of those and they want to take AP science and um they want to do everything they're doing. Some students want to do even more than they're doing now. We that will not work. It will not work. But um especially in the junior year and the sophomore year where a lot of things are really packed in the senior year often by that time you have met many requirements. You've met your world language requirement. You've met your three science requirements. You've met um your you know your
211math requirements. English is the only one that's four or you met your social studies requirements. So you have a little more play in your senior year. Um but we have found a solution that um will allow students to take what they're taking now. um that allows for more electives, that embeds lunch so you can't skip it, that slows the pace of the day, and we think it is a really um a really appropriate solution to a very constrained schedule in this. And as we said, students will have the opportunity to take many more credits, expanding the buffer. And also we think I actually think we can do some very creative things with intervention um within the day if we are allowed to move forward with this schedule. >> The one other thing I just want
212to note is you know we talked about the fact 32 credits is not for everybody. >> And so the other thing too is we do talk about we have a very heavily involved student population outside of school. And one of the things that a schedule like this, it would also offer an opportunity to have some time during the school day if I need to get extra help, if I just need some quiet time to get started on some homework, if I want to have a study group with some students. So again, I could choose to take a class, but I could also choose to take a study hall. So I just want to provide that point of clarification as well. So just in in summation for this this schedule and what it highlights is you
213know it h enhances the depth of instruction because it gives more time for um for teachers for students in the classroom to allow for real inquiry base to really bring in labs um and really enhance instruction. I think it's a great opportunity for all of our teachers to look at that. Um it reduces that daily transition and that lunch for all. I do have students saying to me, well, I I have to go to the cafeter I have to go to the cafeteria. And they don't, that's not what everyone wants. So, we are working across both schools to provide spaces. It's really just about providing that 30 minutes where you are not like where you can take a breath and whether it's through the cafeteria, we have a lot of outside spaces, tables, games when
214it's nice. I said to kids today, not today. Today is not the weather for it. But, you know, we really have a lot of time in the fall and in the spring for that outdoor time. Um, allowing for uh students to access the library, our academic resource center, um, their teachers if they want to have an appointment with the teacher. Um, and then again, we're piloting a senior lounge this year for students to have some space again, some downtime. So, the the lunch doesn't always have to look like like lunch in the cafeteria. There's a lot of um, and our career center. So, a lot of spaces where uh students can just have that moment to to breathe, spend some time with friends and have that social interaction. Um, we think that all the classes
215meeting on Wednesday really provides a great touch point. Um, so that everyone gets to see their their whole schedule that day. Um, and then, you know, providing that opportunity as we look across the schedule, that flexibility of what we think we can do as far as that tiered um, intervention process and enrichment. So, um, this is going to tie me out in a second, it looks like. Um, I'd like to wrap it up by saying our goal is, um, our real goal is not simply a schedule change. It's to create a stronger system that makes, um, success more likely for every student. We have a really successful, um, program. We're very proud of it. Um, under the 21.75 credits, that pressure uh, just, you know, wasn't there. That's there now. So um we are ready
216for your qu Thank you so much for being patient let on us telling the story because it was an important story to get out but we are more than happy to start discussion this might time out but we can still keep talking. >> Thank you so much for that presentation. Um yeah appreciate it. Any questions? >> So I think I know the answer but I'd rather hear from you. You have 21.75 credits before. You're now at 32. >> 25. Now we're at 25. >> Well, you're at 25, but you're trying to get to 32. >> No. >> Oh, >> we had 21.75 required credits for graduation. Now we have 25. Our schedule, we need to expand our schedule to make more of a buffer so students can earn those 25. >> When you expand the
217schedule, is the amount of time per day going to expand? No. >> Or is the amount of time per class going to reduce? >> The amount there will be fewer classes per day. There'll be four fewer classes per day. There'll be four classes per day. >> No, I got that. >> Okay. So, those are longer blocks. Eight, we think between 86 and 88 minute blocks, but because you're taking four classes on an A and four classes on a B, you can earn eight because lunch is now embedded. Lunch is not its own period. Lunch is now embedded in a block. >> I I'll jump in with some couple things are going to happen if I may. I apologize. With with eight periods, you have all the transitions, the seven transitions you need. So, we're going
218to recoup some of that transition time because there's fewer transitions. So, we're going to we're going to steal back 16 or 17 minutes there. Lunch is going to go from 48 minutes down to 30. So, we're going to squeeze 18. We're going to steal 18 minutes there. Um, but given the every other day, like if I added up, if I'm being transparent, if I added up the total number of minutes across the year, uh, I might lose a couple of minutes across the year for any one given class if if I understand it. But at the but, you know, so the short answer is the length of the school day is going to remain the same for students, for staff, for everybody else. I have some savings of time in a school day, but the
219but overall because I'm because right now we're only set up to teach seven classes a day, seven classes in a week and we'll be technically teaching eight the ability to have eight classes in a week. We will you know there's there's some squeezing of of total amount of instructional time. >> I don't have a problem. I'm just >> No, I'm just trying to explain give you the the straight answer to your question. >> Something's got to give mathematically. >> Yes. >> So that's the give. >> Say again. That's the give >> the individual. Each individual class would meet a few less minutes a week. However, if a student opts to take an additional class, they've now actually increased the number of instructional minutes available to them as a student. >> Okay? >> Because now I
220have an opportunity to pick up an additional class that I didn't have before. >> All right. Now, you answered my question. My second or I guess my concern just listening and part of it was comments that were made earlier is when's the drop dead date or at some point I assume you have to make a decision. >> Yeah, I'll be making this I'll be making a decision on this by the time we present the budget. We wanted to uh get this in front of you as a board so that we could hear any questions and concerns and and equally we wanted to get this in front of the full community with accurate information. And I'll be I'll be very honest. Uh we went to a block schedule during COVID because we needed to for social
221distancing, right? Uh many of you will remember that our high school seniors at the time uh overwhelmingly loved it. Our middle school students at the time, who guess what are our high school seniors now, um hated it because it was very difficult on our middle school. And when you think about the transition from middle school, you're going from an elementary setting with one with, you know, no real changing classes other than art and music to now all changing classes and then they had a block schedule on top. That was that that's a that's a sea change. And so I I very much understand that among our student body, which is why I I compliment this team for bringing in peers from other towns who live in a block who could give them straight talk. They
222they weren't paid or promoted or anything like that. And as I understand it, I didn't get to see all of it, but they gave honest answers to honest questions from students and they told the good and the bad. Um, but I think one of our I can't remember which presenter said it. Uh maybe it was Sarah. uh this team has really looked into this comprehensively and thoroughly and didn't you know I I recognize there's a there's probably if I asked 100 students there's 100 different opinions. Um we're trying to we're not trying to make the decision. We're trying to be responsive to all of the concerns that those hundred perspectives bring and provide our best educated response to those concerns. My comment was more whether they should be or shouldn't be when you're making this
223major a change. You want to market it or sell it to the students. That just my opinion. >> I I want I I understand and I agree. I want the students to like it, but I know that change is a big scary thing and people don't like anything until >> they've done it. >> Understood. So, I just want to thank all of you for an extremely thoughtful presentation and for all the time you've put into researching this and coming up with what seems to be the most comprehensive and probably best solution to really significant mental health stressors for our students. And I I I think you've gone a long way to create a humane schedule that's going to expand expand opportunity for everybody. So I I just want to just congratulate all of you for
224that and just thank you for everything you've done there and express my support for the program and I guess the only question I would have coast to implementation and that's to Rachel's question earlier um will students who are in the process if this is approved and I sincerely hope it is. Um are students who are in the process of designing their schedules now going going to have the opportunity to make changes? >> I'll address that and I'll let Patty address that too. When students make their schedule now, they don't know when those classes are going to land. So, they just write down requests. They don't say, "I want AP Chemistry, period one, and I'd like to have wellness around here, and I'd like to end of the day, I really want ceramics." They don't do
225that now. They just tell us what they want. And they we told them, "Tell us what you want no matter what." And we are building the eight right now, the the 4x4 right now, the AB. And if for some reason we hit such a serious snag that we shouldn't implement it for a variety of reasons, then we would implement it the following year. Um, so it is still, you know, sometimes when you have a when you see such an urgent need, you don't want to wait. Um, and I see an urgent need to be honest. The more I the more I research, the more I talked with Eileen, Eileen and I talked to other districts. We talked to Glastonbury the other day. Would you go back? No way. Never. The day the pace of the
226day is so much more humane. you're not moving every 47 minutes and you're not juggling as much. I personally have taught in both. No schedule is no schedule solves every problem. No schedule is a panacea. I've taught in both. I do prefer um the block, but uh any schedule can work. The big problem is the graduation requirements, the limits on our students. Um that's the biggest problem right now. And it and it's really for everyone. I really appreciate um the principal's responses when they when children said we didn't necessarily ask for this and we said but you've asked for it in every other way. You've told us how stressed you are. So Patty, do you want to >> Yeah. Yeah. I think um when students So when counselors are going in to meet with students,
227what we're talking to them about is is finding the right fit and a good balance. So um we don't anticipate probably get like 30% of students who want to request eight credits because that's what we're seeing already. um everyone else would be requesting basically what they've been requesting in the past. But um what we're saying is give us your best case scenario and then once the master schedule is built, we're going to try and fit everything in. Um to get a perfect eight period day would be fabulous for for students. Um but likely we might run into some conflicts in which case students are going to have to make choices anyway. So, um, what we're hoping for is that, you know, students have the opportunity to put in up to those eight credits and then
228hopefully it all fits in together perfectly. And if not, yes, we will be meeting with students to make choices and to to make some changes if needed. >> And that's that's normal now in the A period day that um, every once in a while there's singletons, you know, we might only run one AP Chinese class that might run up against the one honor solo choir or something and you have to make choices. Everyone does. But this schedule will not force more choices than you know more conflicts. In fact, I think it's going to solve some. >> Hi, thank you so much. Um I just have a quick question. I noticed um in the community outreach uh or or the principles of engagement dialogue with uh WHA. So, I'm wondering um how does this impact teachers
229curriculum prep and what does that look like for their workload? Um that's my first question. And then I guess related is um do the schools who uh the districts who already have block scheduling, have they noticed changes in their student achievement rates? I understand this is specifically about graduation and that's the focus, but I'm just curious if there's any uh related uh impact on that as well. Thank you. So just remind me your first question was the impact on teachers. Yes. >> So yes um we you know the teachers we've talked directly to them many times. I've been with each high school staff Eene and I at least three times I think we've gone on listening tours at least two. We take copious notes. I think last two weeks ago I was there for 11
230hours just having teachers drop in and tell me what their concerns are. Um sure they're nervous about change. A lot of them support some don't. Um they're nervous about the change. They're most nervous about when are we going to make like when's the final decision. I I keep telling them we're going ahead. We're building the the 4x4 now, the AB now. Um and if we hit a major snag, and we we may um we may hit something where we would delay it for a year. So, we would like to come by March into a decision by this March of if we c if we realistically can put it in for next year. We do need to train teachers. the principles have a plan to use um some times on their Wednesdays and the department supervisors
231have a plan. So one of the plans would be that in large group the principles and other leaders share what um what lesson structures can look like. Obviously one plan for 90 minutes probably won't be great. You might need to have two or three plans for 90 minutes or a 30 minute and a 60 minute. How do you break up the time? what kind of activities work? What's the best for engagement? Can I do more labs, more scenarios, more I I love to teach with simulations when I was a teacher. So was a social studies teacher love to do like mock congresses and you know election voting and all scenarios and those are times where kids can come in and really like debate and argue before the bell rings and and they've got to go.
232Um so we have teacher training. We've talked to them. We're going to be we're we uh had have had one meeting with the WHA and we will continue meeting with them to hear their concerns. There may be some bargaining issues that we go through with the WHA if it impacts their um our contract. So, we're prepared to do that. I think we have a scheduled meeting a week from today, I think, with them. So, we will continue and we'll make this decision as quickly and responsibly as we can. And if for some reason um we can't move forward. I just wanted to be clear the year after we will be moving forward. That would give us one more year um the only pain to wait one more year is that you know this is it's
233bit it's it's a lot of pressure on our kids and um so I hope I answered did you have a second part to that? Yes, you did. >> Was if the block the change in block and that model um has impact on student achievement. Yes. >> Yeah. We do not ask that question directly for a lot of reasons but we have looked at their data. So I've looked at uh Avon's Glastonbury everyone's data when it comes to this and one of the hard things about the data is Avon made the change earlier than anyone. They did this in 2016. So they're probably the one that is and they're very consistent. They don't have a great jump or a great decline. But in the meantime, a lot of people went directly after COVID. So now you're
234comparing precoid num student achievement numbers with COVID numbers and they went they were in recovery during the beginning of it and now they're post recovery. So it's kind of hard to tell and I want to be clear this is aside from graduation uh rates this is not being done at all for student achievement. We have really strong student achievement and where we have work to do we know what we have to do and this is not in order to address that. Although I do believe we can add some more interventions and I do believe we can um get more teachers and PLC's which is really really good professional time to look at student work and say what did they not understand in this key standard what do we need to do about it in tier
235one I hope I answered your question yes thank you so much Jason >> I just thank you as always for for a very thorough presentation I echo a lot of what what John was saying and then being very supportive of this you also preempted a lot of what I had because I I think the the main questions and the feedback of of which I actually got a lot on this topic as opposed to other topics so it's out there is you know let's call the um you know the issues created for the highly motivated and then the issues for the block that may need more intervention and I think you guys have already addressed that they're going to be just fine if not better off. I'm just curious are there any other trade-offs you see
236that are there benefits to our current schedule that we don't get with the block schedule or >> Yeah. Well, it seems to I think that when you listen to the teachers and to some extent the students if they miss school. So if you miss school now you miss all your classes and you have to see all those teachers um but you miss one class. So now if you miss school one day you you missed maybe more content. So there people are worried about that continuity. Um and that is a real concern. Um and the other is touch points. Um in some disciplines um some teachers really feel I need to see them every day. I need to see them every day. So, those are the two biggest concerns that came from teachers. Can I see
237them every day? And that's really where we said the skinny Wednesday came out as very much a comment in our feedback. Um, it was by far the one that was commented upon most being some at least I can see them um three times. Um, they also um so those would be the two things to really think about. Absences, they'll affect children differently. they if they if it's one day, they won't miss as much many classes, but they'll miss more content in each class they miss. And then the other the other is the touch points. Um so yeah, no no schedule is is perfect. This will not be perfect, but we do believe it will address really pressing issues. And what I'm most excited about is for every group of students. I know. I don't know
238how our our students here at the table, but I have had two of my children go through our system and they always say, "Gosh, when I got to high school, I thought I'd take more electives. I I I wish I could. I have one who was kind of musicy. She didn't think of music as her elective because she's been singing since like two years old in the backseat of the car." So, she thinks that's just normal. Um, and the other just was like, "Ah, I wanted to take more electives. I I got to take one or two or maybe three but you know they think in high school that's when I choose you know but they don't choose as much in this schedule I believe they will have more choice. >> Um I sorry Jesus
239you always with my voice. >> Um I have a question. I don't know if this is an appropriate time for me to ask is okay perfect. >> I was wondering because Wednesdays will have nine periods as well as lunch. Great. We're uh Miss Youus can answer that. >> And actually um right now we currently have eight period. It will actually be a nine period day because one of those periods would be lunch for students on that day because everything including lunch will be 30 minutes 32 minutes roughly. Okay. On that Wednesday. Does that make sense? >> Yeah. No, that does make sense. >> Okay. >> Will we be cutting the community period? >> Um we haven't worked in our mock schedules. We haven't worked it in yet. We will not be cutting it. We haven't
240worked it in yet. It will probably work in on Wednesday the best as we've seen, but we haven't we have a couple. We have not a couple. >> What's what what's community period? >> Oh. Oh, sorry. I can address they'll explain it. >> So community is uh Wednesday. It's attached to the period 2 class and it's 20 minutes. the period two classes extended by 20 minutes and that's where we have um on like for tomorrow we start with our celebrations around the school and then we use that time where we're doing our breaking bias pieces and we're also um celebrating Black History Month. It's a space where we do community celebrations and honor different um different groups and pieces. So that's something that we're going to look at how we can make sure that we
241can protect that time for students. And it looks like right now as we work through it that Wednesday would be the best time for that. Um and we also think there's a great opportunity to to look at that structure and make sure that we're um optimizing it. >> Will that shorten periods from 30 minutes then like smaller than 30 minutes on Wednesdays? >> We are. Yes. So currently Wednesdays are 32 minutes and we have a couple different models. They will come down a little. One of the goals we did not achieve in this model is the optimize Wednesdays. If we went to a straight AB rotating with no skinny Wednesday, the Wednesday classes would be in a really nice spot. They'd be about 60 to 65 minutes. It'd be really nice, but it seemed to
242be on balance that seeing children at least three times a week was a little bit more popular than than optimizing Wednesday. So Wednesdays will still feel like they do, maybe a little worse um because you're going to be moving a little different. Maybe they'll there'll be that movement, but every other day will feel a lot slower, deeper, and and calmer feeling because you're not moving. You're not juggling as many things each day. >> Okay, thanks. And I had a second or were you about to say >> but I want to make one comment about the Wednesday is that when we do and this is getting a little bit in the weeds but when we do have a week where you miss a day like right we miss a lot of Mondays. We actually would not
243have the skinny Wednesday. We would move the block to Wednesday because that way you don't lose a full block period especially if you think about it you lose a lot of Mondays. Um and they we don't want them to miss out on that instructional time. So, you'll also on some Wednesdays, um I we I think we counted the weeks. Next year, how many was it? >> Next year is actually less, but this year we applied to this and there was at least nine different right weeks where you missed a Thursday because there was a high holy day. You missed a Monday because it was indigenous people day. You we added all those up. There were nine of them. So, in if that was the case next year, each one of those we would take whatever
244day was missed and we'd put it on Wednesday. We'd skip the skinny Wednesday that week. Um, and that would um we think that that makes sense because you'd see each class twice. Wednesday would be a little shorter, but um at least you'd have a really good strong period there. >> You'd get about a 65 minute period that day. >> Okay. Thank you. And then I had one more question. Sorry. Um I was wondering how we ended up choosing AB block scheduling and not I saw some other variations on the board like eight drop two rotating schedules. So I was wondering how we ended up here. So, um, part of, um, what Miss Mccernin had discussed previously was we, one of our constraints is that we need to have a schedule that will accommodate four lunch
245waves. And when you build four lunch waves in the middle of the day, you need two hours. Okay? And so, some of those models just don't work well. So when you'll see one that's like an eight drop two model, meaning it's eight periods, you drop two a day, so you only have six classes in a day. In order to run a schedule like that, you have to build this super block in the middle of the day and run all eight periods through. And then all the other periods end up being about 53 minutes. And we're like, why would you do this big schedule change for an additional five minutes when you're really trying to go for a longer block of instruction? So, um, that was one of it limited what our options were. You know,
246if you get to a point where enrollment is down so much, which I just don't think see that happening here, where you could get to three lunch waves, there are definitely other models that would be viable and and more available, but many of them just don't work. And that was really an important um that that safety component during the lunch waves is really important for us. >> Thank you. question for you. Um, I realize this is still conceptual, but if you were to do the AB block, you said you were going to do it before budget or around the bud time budget. How do you see it impacting the budget? >> Well, thank you. I just want to be clear on your question. How does this new schedule impact the budget is your question. >>
247How do you perceive it doing that? >> So, um, we have worked with our high school schedulers. We have two excellent high school schedulers. Nicole Rule at Hall, Danielle McGee at Connard and we have asked them to look at at the schedule we have now and look at if the current schedule could fit in this and what how would that impact FTE and we do not see a dramatic change in that even though some students will take more classes. You might say well that will definitely drive uh the FTEES up but that there's a lot of reasons why that won't happen. Some things just naturally don't schedule and that's going to continue to happen. Each day you're going to have on a Monday you're going to have a first period and on a Tuesday you're
248going to have a different first period. Juniors and seniors often like to come they take their that period as a late arrival. There's actually two opportunities for that. They do that at the end of the day too. So some students like even my senior last year decided I she could take one elected or she could go home and she decided because she was a swimmer and multiple sport athlete she'd go home a little early. So some of those things will work out but the short answer is in our projections right now we do not see a dramatic difference in FTE. There will there's always slight differences >> and we won't know until we actually run but all of our current projections don't see any dramatic change. Okay. Thank you. Thank you so much for that
249wonderful presentation. Sorry, I'm sniffly. This room is stuffy. Um, but no, it was so great, so comprehensive. I'm a big fan of the block schedule. There's um a lot of love and support for it in my house um to a lot of the points that you all mentioned around reduced anxiety and more time and more um just more community building and and those opportunities. Um, one thing that I'm thinking about, um, and I know this is another topic, but the block schedule is making me think about it is like those skinny Wednesdays and thinking about, um, the reset room and like when people have to do it in school suspension or whatever it's called now. Um, I'm just thinking about those skinny Wednesdays as an opportunity for restorative repair because the blocks are shorter and
250they wouldn't be missing the longer blocks if it was a like a Tuesday or Thursday. So, just something I'm thinking about with that. >> We we had discussed that, but there's a lot of possibilities. I won't get into them because uh they would continue to just keep going down, you know, really important but rabbit holes right now. Um I think there's a lot of really cool possibilities that uh of of what we can do with time in this schedule that um is a little more hidden. But uh as we work with the WHA and we enter kind of formal bargaining with them about any impact on their day, I'd really like to propose some really interesting intervention models with the teachers. Um during during COVID, we had um uh we we were we didn't have
251to do any duties because the children were home. So there were no study halls or anything, but there were time and teachers held office hours and things that you would think of like a professor. And if there's opportunities for something cool like that where teachers could see kids, you know, just in you guys will be going to college soon, your professors will have office hours, drop in times that I' I'd really like to see very interesting things with time, including your suggestion. I >> think we're good, y'all. Thank you. >> Thank you for being so receptive. >> You just stay all night. All right. So, we did that. Routine matters. Approval of the minutes. Um, approval of the minutes from the January 20th, 2026 regular board of education meeting. Recommendation that the board of ed
252approves the minutes from the regular board of education meeting of January 20th, 2026. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Beautiful. All right. We're all Oh, go ahead. >> You got >> All in favor? >> Oh, yeah. All in favor say I. >> I. I. Any oppose? Any abstensions? All right, we got it. Next, we have information and reports. Um, board members, any communications and reports or reports from other boards or organizations? Um, I did have the opportunity to go to the uh suicide prevention training yesterday and it would had some great representation in there from your team, Paul, and um the bridge and West Harford PD and it was just a great training and it was good to hear um just about how our our district too um has just a comprehensive plan around that
253and supports for students. Um, and I know, you know, just on a personal note that the supports that have been provided by our district have been um, really impactful in my home. So, thank you so much. And the training was great. And if there's nothing else, there other information to discuss. Good. All right. Uh, future business announcement and future meeting dates. Next meeting is, uh, next, uh, Wednesday, a couple weeks from now, February 18th, 2026. Regular board of education meeting 7 PM right here. Tuesday, March 3rd, regular board of ed meeting, presentation of the superintendent budget, 7 pm right here. Fun. Uh, Wednesday, March 11th, 2026, budget workshop, the our first one, which will also be at 7 p.m. right here, town hall. Um, and then March 17th, regular board of ed meeting. Um, Wednesday,
254March 25th, uh, 2026, BOE public hearing. That's 7 p.m. And then that will be followed by our second budget workshop. Tuesday, March 31st, uh, regular board of ed meeting, adoption of the superintendent's budget. And that's it. Are there any requests for future agenda items? >> If I may, I'll just make one point. Um, for the listening public, I sent it to you. The town manager reached out and they're planning to do community conversations once again. So, uh, myself and the board chair will be invited alongside the mayor and the town manager to present. Board members are certainly welcome to attend those. Uh, we're expecting that there might be two or three of them in mid-March and the town will confirm those dates with me and then I'll make sure to make them public not only
255to you but out to the community. We'll put it up on our website as well and now those will be outreach right within the community like we did last year. >> That's awesome. Thank you so much. Yeah. important. Um, and then lastly, do we have any comments from any visitors? Okay. >> I have a few comments. It's >> I'm sorry. Like, can you say your name again? Just I think we have to say your name again. >> Oh, sorry. Hi, my name is Leila Sky Williamson. Um, I'm an 11th grader at Hall High School. Um, a lot of my um, questions or it's more of questions are about block schedules. Um, I feel like me and a lot of the student population could also agree that I think block schedules was kind of like a
256word of mouth in 2024 and not really established or really talked about or mentioned until this coming school year. And I am a graduate um, of the class of 2020 elementary school. So going from just a regular normal year and transitioning to middle school and going into block scheduling was really hard for me and I know a lot of my junior class of 27 could agree. So just having that be initiated again our senior year and it's supposed to be the year we graduate and a lot of just chaos and stuff but good chaos hopefully. um just having that reenacted on us again I don't think would be good for our personal health and also for um accommodations for people that attend Greater Harford Academy of the Arts. I'm only able to take five classes
257a day. So that would the block scheduling as an ideal 86 minutes would only give me about two classes per day. Um, so basically I would only take four classes on a um ideal Wednesday schedule. So I'm not sure how you guys would accommodate those um kids that go to Greater Harford Academy of the Arts. I know it's a low population of us, but um I go there because of the lack of support I got here in West Harford public schools and I am so glad I'm there and I love it there as much as I do enjoy these schools. Um, also the data collected from kids also, um, like coming back again, it was just kind of spurred on us and it wasn't really talked about until this year. Um, especially with the student
258panel last week, um, during community, it felt like, um, I talked to a few other students about this. It was a lack of diversity and it was a lack of how the downsides of block schedulings could be. Um, also my question is would we have like five minute breaks due to a very long schedule and I know a lot of people um can't really sit down or be focused for 86 minutes. Will there be an accommodation for like a five minute like class break or mind session? Um, and that is that is all for me. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. All right. Did you Did y'all want to say something? Oh, okay. I just want to make sure. All right. Um, so no requests for future agenda items. We got our last comment. There's no
259executive session. Um, thank you everyone for joining us. Thank you Paul and team um for those comprehensive reports and thank you colleagues for your patience tonight and just everyone. It's some of the conversations are tough but we sat through them. We ended with respect and dignity. Um, and I love that for all of us. And motion to adjourn the meeting. >> Made it. >> Meeting adjourned.