001Good evening everyone. >> Good evening. >> Of the committee of the whole call to order. Will you please stand for the pledge of allegiance of the flag to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Roll call from secretary Board member Lawrence Ham. >> Board member Betty McLaren, >> present. >> Board member Dr. Chaza Morales, >> absent. >> Board member Joe Neil, >> board member Bill Riley, >> absent. >> Board member Ken Washington, >> present. >> Vice President Beverly Harris, >> present. President Amanda Johnson >> absent. >> Secretary Lorine Lavender Sams. >> Thank you. Now we will have a report from the Delaware County Intermediate Unit given by chair Miss Betty. >> Good evening. As I've
002reported before, Maple campus continues to have work being completed with renovations. DCIU is currently in the process of in a search for a new executive director as Dr. Lia Edleberg is hiring in this um matter. Dr. mean is currently the leazison for the county superintendent and she's bringing forth the information from the superintendent with regards to that search what's their dos and don'ts and wants the next executive director Dr. continues to support the board to be in places where we need to be. With that in mind, board member Morales is currently on the slate for um vice president for Pennsylvania School Board Association. DCIU endorsed her at our last monthly. Thank you. >> Thank you. There any questions would be there ready? No. Uh Dr. Morales is not in today so she will give her
003uh report at our next meeting. Now we will have report by Mr. Ham. Uh good evening to all. Can >> Good evening. >> Can everybody hear me? >> Good, good, good. >> Um to bring everyone's attention to the uh curriculum um that's on the agenda through my conversation with Dr. Parker uh A2. If you look at uh A2 on the agenda, it speaks of um online history curriculum that's part of, you know, what she has on her um what she submitted. um she can uh speak and explain, you know, uh on that issue, but I just would like to speak to the public concerning not so much education, but something that's going on next Friday, the 24th, um which is which will be the um 343rd celebration of the original Penn's Landing here in the
004city of Chester. Now to the community I I say to you um to the public that's here a lot of us in the community are aware of this and as all knows the city and this district are separate a lot individual doesn't know and I've been attending this event for several years I will be there next right prior to my going to work as I've done so over the years on the program you will have the city of chester mayor on the agenda. Um, so I've advised Miss Parker that we need to be represented here. I think just open up school district. Um, so I don't know if it will happen this year, but I just wanted to make that public and just to say to the public out there listening to this 343 years
005pin landed 1682 here, city of Chester. The story behind why Pins Landing is apparently celebrated in Philadelphia. It's another story to be told, a different date. We have to recognize our value here in the city of Chester. So I just implore as I spoken with Dr. Parker that we need to incorporate the valueful history just to record and we need to put this in our curriculum and again all who are hearing me come out at 100 p.m. or go to I think it's 29 on you have Verizon I have Verizon so we're channel 28 this is being streamed live right now go to 29 which is the city Chester's um ch channel. It's it's um it's um advertised there. So again, I'm just curriculum is part I mean education I mean history is part of
006curriculum. So I just speak in that vein and um Dr. Parker can speak however she chooses to speak based on our conversation. I just wanted to share that, you know, so all who can come out, please come out and be a part of this event next Friday at one o'clock at the original land here in Chester. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Now we will have human resource report by Dr. Quest. Thank you, Dr. >> Thank you. Um, Director Bill Raleigh is not here to give a finance report and um, board member will give the IT report from President Amanda. >> Okay. Website design. The redesign of the website is currently underway. They are currently on phase two. The content migration which is scheduled to be completed sometime this week. Um the new website design
007launch is expected around the end of December 2025. We move on to Clipper TV. The community is now able to watch the live stream of football games. I know that should make everybody okay. >> Clipper connection newsletter is sent out bi-weekly every other Wednesday to families, board members, staff, and leadership. You can also see Clipper Connection newsletters on the district's website under news and announcements seen and announcement section. Social media information and highlights are shared on the school district's media platforms. So, please share information so that it can reach additional people. That's it for that. Thank you. Any questions? Uh, facilities report will be given by Washington. >> I would ask that the uh facility director, Mr. Robertson, give a report this evening. Thank you. >> Sure, sir. Hello, everyone. How's everybody doing? >> Great.
008Great. Great. So, if I just use three words real quick, I would say that the district is moving forward. That might have been four, but the district facilities department is moving forward. So, we'll start off with the staffing. So, this Monday coming up, which is October the 20th, uh we will be bringing on board a foreman for facilities department, which will be a great help for me to get some of the things that we want to get accomplished. So, this Monday, I'll be getting a foreman. I'm going to do this dance. [Laughter] All right. So, also also the facilities will also be hiring three custodians. Not this week. We're working on some of the things. So, we're going to get that on out. So, once again, we are moving forward. All right. So, some possible
009RQs. So, request for proposals, all that stuff. So one of the things that we see that we're working on is trying to get electrician electrician for some of the things that our electrician on staff can't do which is some high voltage stuff going up high going down low. So some of the things so these are some of the things that we're looking at that's a electrician HVAC personnel for the prevented maintenance of the district. Um, I don't know what they've done in the past, but one of the things that we really want to do that really, really, really need to get down and deep with is the handling of the HVAC system throughout the district. Um, you know, we have some issues that we're working on. Um, I say just because schools are old, that
010don't mean that these systems have to be old. So, we're working on some of the systems. Hopefully, we can get a HVAC personnel on board as far as under some type of proposal. So, plumbing. The district unfortunately doesn't have a plumber. So, we're working on some things with getting some plumbing plans, getting a plumber on board. Just some things that we've noticed throughout some of the buildings that need attention for plumbing. Landscaping. Uh we know that during snow seasons that we have to be accountable. We have to get these schools open. We have to get people in here. We have to get people in here safe. So, one of the things that we noticed that we may need some help with some of the snow details. So, you know, trying to just make it safer
011for when school opens back up after a significant amount of snow. Not for one inch of snow, but like when it's significant 6, 7, 8, nine, where the district doesn't have enough manpower, we're looking to have someone on board. We can say, "Hey, listen. We're expecting 12 inches of snow. We move in." I'm more than sure Detroit already has that in place, but we're going to get there. So, um, also for the cleaning of the schools, we're we're we're we're trying we're trying we're trying we're trying to clean these schools. Um, staffing not an issue just everywhere. It's issue with us as well. But one of the things we're trying to do either go for part-time employees or for janitorial service that's in its early but also a little further than you know it's supposed
012to. So, we're going we're going to get there with the cleaning schools districtwide camera refresh. So we're currently working on bids. We have a committee committed that cameras throughout the district. So we're meeting we're discussing some of the things that you know we need to get done as far as the camera system is concerned. So we're working on that. The next meeting will be 10:30 to tabulate the bids. We already got the bids in. We got the committee. The committee met today. We're just doing things to try to get this right and get the right provider in here that's going to give us what we need as far as for cameras. Door alarms. Uh we have a walk through this Tuesday. Um some of the schools got the door alarms um over the summer with
013this door. So there'll be a walk through on 21st where we get some procedures done as far as like these facilities got a lot going on y'all. So Main Street over the summer while you're away they got a heating and air conditioning system inside their multi-purpose room. Now, when I first got here, they was like, "Hey, Mr. Robinson, we need this done." I said, "We're gonna work on it." And we got it done. So, now they have heating and they have air and they're multi-purpose >> that deserves. >> Yeah. >> So, okay. So, for um some of the other stuff that got done over the summer as far as main street is concerned, we got new VC tile. We had to move all of the specs out. So all the special out of that building
014all new tiles down and room they got a new air condition just to high roof they submit their final invoices payroll punch list we're just waiting for that to get completed get the warranty for KUSA environmental repairs we're going fast so classrooms and office space got all new VC tile over the next summer what we're going to work on is the common areas over at KUSA the common areas are in need of getting some attention so we're going to get all of that done over the next summer. We're planning out for that so we can have schools open on time. So that's coming. The dance floor at Kusa next week. The dance floor will be coming next week. The dance floor is coming. The dance is coming and it'll be here next week. So we're
015hoping that once it's here, it's fit for like it takes so long because what they do is they fit it and they bring the piece in. It's like a puzzle. So that'll be in and that deserves another dance. So, we gonna get that over. Okay. So, the stairwell at Chester High, I don't know if you guys seen it, but we have an issue over at Chester High School where um we have a stairwell where the lightning is about to fall and whatever, but it's a major concern and we're taking all of these type of issues seriously. So, we went out for some bids and stuff. So, we're just waiting for like the final bid to come and get this stairwell replaced. Right now, I can assure you that it's we have everything blocked off. No
016students, no staffing, nobody's out back there. Nothing major, school's not collapsing, falling down. It's just some issues that when we see them and we think that it might be a concern for the staff and students, we jump on it immediately and do the steps that we supposed to do to make sure no one gets hurt. Um, so the athletic complex during meeting was on seven. There's also a committee that was formed and the work site plans for bidding is being worked on through the engineers office. So for STEM in July while you're away, we had a we had a storm and it knocked out the electrical system over there at STEM. So we're working on getting that back up and running. It was kind of costly. The the the insurance company, they've been wonderful. They
017came in and they're helping us pretty much take care of the damages. Kobe Forms, all new restrooms. All new restrooms. When you walk in, go visit one of the restrooms. you'll see. So that completes my visitor report. >> When you mention cameras, are you talking about cameras outside of the buildings? >> So >> where were the cameras? >> So um I believe on and Dr. Pres could help me with some of that as well. I believe some of the cameras, some of the companies that bid it, they bid it on cameras on the inside and then there may have been a couple that bid it on some on the outside. >> So, are these replacements or new? >> So, there's replacement and new >> replacements or >> so combination replacing some of the old and
018putting in some of the new. So, replacement and some new one. >> It's a whole new system. >> Whole new system. So, we're replacing the old system out and putting a new system. question on the athletic mention the committee for the athletic field. >> Yes. >> Can you expound a little bit on that? To what end? >> This committee >> to make what happen? >> So, I don't know. So, we're we're in early talks of redoing that whole athletic um thing up there. Um, of course, you know, there's always some things that you have to get past. So, we're trying to get it past. So I don't want to immaturity to speak out what's going on when there are other steps that we have to still get past in order for me to say okay
019this is what it's going to be >> right for my people just to talk >> right right yeah >> I just want to say that being a board member and all I just would hope that just think about in the meantime >> Yeah it's one thing have something done new there. >> Right. >> But that in in the meantime process has to be thought out, >> right? >> As far as when it's done >> or right, right? Yeah. So, it's it's it's definitely in its early stages and um once again, the committee has been formed and and we may have met one once or twice, but it's in it early stages and and the conversation is being had about straight whole facility up there. >> My question, >> Mr. You're welcome. >> May I mad
020vice president? >> Sure. >> So I I would like to just publicly thank all of the departments that are um collaborative in making the things happen that Mr. Robertson has talked about at the mic. Today we have a bi-weekly capital meeting where every department in here represented and some that may not be here right now um where we talk through all of these projects and we would absolutely provide to the board more details around what that looks like and the phasing of it prior to uh coming to the mic for the >> Thank you. Now we will have uh for services by Dr. Wilson. He's going to give the report tonight. >> Good evening. >> I certainly will not. That's not my that's not my skill set. Uh but what I will say is some
021great things are happening and I'll just try to be brief in terms of overview. Of course, um we are in the middle of or towards the end of our student, staff, and uh family survey. Uh so it closes tomorrow. We encourage everyone uh to go on and complete it. T3 media and our various social media outlets have posted that for families who uh would like to complete the survey. There are copies available in school buildings as well. Currently we have uh for our student completion so far over 70% of our students in grades 3 to 12 have completed the survey. That's critically important because that represents approximately 1,700 of our grade 3 to 12 students. And like I say, every year uh we cannot make students do anything. So the fact that they take the
022time to complete the survey is really awesome. We do take um their feedback into consideration for decisions. School leaders share out, you know, the results of those surveys. So stay tuned in terms of you know how that will impact our support of implementation of the recovery plan. Uh in addition to that of course we have our restorative practices professional development which is ongoing. And so we had a group of 35 educators staff members who completed a team of champions uh training part one. There are three parts of the training. Uh the goal is that they will help lead implementation in their various school buildings and they are also going to be a part of the student team of uh champions uh for restorative practice as well. So students will be a part of uh peer
023mediation through uh the restorative practices as well. So stay tuned on that. Uh in terms of student mental health, of course we know it's a critically important issue. We're really grateful to our partners from the Lincoln Center as well as the Chester Coalition who are a part of leading uh student groups um at Chester High School, STEM, Toby Farms, uh our various school buildings. Uh specifically uh just getting some feedback from students in terms of what their mental health needs are. uh some great conversations that I've been a part of and had an opportunity to listen to in terms of students uh expressing you know concerns around stress and anxiety and and some things that we can do to support them. So you know we really want to make sure that in addition to our
024formal process uh in terms of surveys we're actually having those listening sessions. So, just know that they are taking place. Um, and it's really encouraging to know that our students have a sense of awareness around their needs and are advocating for themselves in terms of what they would like to see happen. Uh, so hopefully we'll have an opportunity to share more detail in terms of the student output. I think I'm on the November receivers agenda, so I will be sharing out some of that information in more detail. Uh and then I would just say big picture, you know, in terms of pupil services, uh we are very um grateful to our nurses who are, you know, in terms of well-being. Making sure our students have their screenings done annually is critically important, whether it's the
025uh BMI screenings, the vision screening, the dent dental screening as well. And so we uh last year were at a rate higher than right before the pandemic. And I think that's a testament to all the great work of our nurses in terms of making sure that gets done. So we have started the round of screenings for the current school year and we're working with various partners to make sure that we not only are in compliance, but we're making sure families have that information in terms of where their children are relative to, you know, the growth standards and those sort of things. But again, we just want to make sure that we are uh particularly in light of the cro uh closure of cruiser, making sure that we're really supporting families. And so we appreciate all
026the great work that's being done by our nurses. >> Any specific questions? >> Yes. >> You said were completed by what ages? >> So grades 3 to 12. They complete the survey independently. Yes. >> That's why you're getting the responses with conversations. The um restorative practices. Congratulations. Is DCIU a part of that in any way? Is that program finished or >> So that program is finished. they've provided what I'll call foundational training for some of our school uh staff members. We wanted to increase the implementation rate. So we need to make sure that the roots are deeper this time in terms of training. So some staff completed the training was completed virtually uh which was a good foundation. Uh but this iteration of training is in-person training which you know uh is definitely different in
027terms of the level of engagement. Uh but then also as I mentioned there's a student component which wasn't a part of the previous training as well. So our goal is to make make sure that students are part of that restorative approach within school settings and that there's that conversation. So when a student had a negative interaction with a staff member, how do we support, you know, restoring that relationship and students being a part of that? >> Is that middle school and high school or >> So that right now is middle school and high school. Uh our goal is to see how you know the results come in and what adjustments we can possibly make for next year as well. >> Congratulations on that. Yes, this one have just coalition who was you mentioned. >> So
028one was the Lincoln Center is one of the partners in that process. Uh so there are a couple other uh partners as well but those are ones that are in the early stages of implementation for the school year. >> Yes sir. Um, since Croser has closed, who has stepped what what facilities have replaced uh fill in the needs of uh the student body? >> That's a really good good question. I think there are a lot of uh community- based conversations that are taking place. Um, so we are participating with the Delaware County Health Department to, you know, identify some additional resources that are available. We're in the process of scheduling some immunization clinics throughout the districts over the next couple of months. So that will be part of the process as well. And some of
029the partners that we're currently working with are looking to expand their support. So one would be chess friend as an example. Uh, there are some government regulatory procedures that have to be done first. Uh but in terms of the initial stages of the process, there's definitely interest from a number of different uh sources. >> Native Wilson, >> will we get a chance to um to hear from some of the students as they work with restorative practices? >> That's a really great question. I'm glad you asked that. So we're in the process as students are going through this process you know authentically to give them opportunity to create like quick uh videos uh for students who are willing to share their experiences. So that's a part of the conversations and planning. So um in terms of
030videos will be created and then we can certainly have some students discuss in person uh in the months to come just their experiences as well. >> We still have student um student court. We actually um will be beginning that. I believe there was a communication that came recently. >> Yes. It's still in place. Um and what I will say that uh so it's been at Chester High School STEM has also had it as well. This year uh part of the training that's taking place through Miss Moody and her team is to provide that support at the middle school level as well. So, she's currently in the process of training some of the staff in the middle school to be able to implement youth court in their various locations as well. >> I believe there's a
031webinar or something coming up. >> Yes, absolutely. >> Any thank you. >> Thank you. >> And now I will be giving the um and committee report. I would like to report that the school board is in process of working on a needs assessment. Dr. Ming, this is an an agendment with the recover. This is an enderman with the recovery plan. I will share additional information at a later time. And that being said, um question about policies. >> Okay. >> Um 11 C1 talks about now I'm sorry. A16 it's um funding provisions for students to attend Keystone Freedom Academy. I think it's un What other special >> she? >> I didn't hear the question. And I'm asking about the Keystone Freedom Academy. >> What is it? >> It is a an approved writing school of six
032students that are currently >> Well, I have some questions about the after school >> after school. You have some new ones coming in. Miss H. >> Good afternoon. >> So they're after school. How you doing? >> Yes. Good afternoon >> from C6. Got a few of them coming in. I see ballot the blessings are enjoying some of the acting but C10. Well, actually just from C6. >> Yes. So we will be implementing after school st after school services districtwide beginning our soft opening this October 27th where we'll be having staff come back for on boarding training um making sure we have all curriculum in place and students are due to be back for after school services beginning the first week of November. So the vendors, these are the vendors that have worked with us um
033previously. We did go through an application process where they all submitted proposals um their budgets. Uh we're very fortunate this year that we are able to actually start our afterchool services. >> You have Philip Campbell. >> Um that is actually not after school. That is our title one for nonpublic Drexel Newman Academy >> from New >> Jal Drexel Newman Academy. So we offer title one the funds file of the student. >> You just share with the board kind of our responsibility in terms of title one. >> So with title one we have approximately 240 students that would have normally been in our buildings and they are attending parochial andor private schools. So the title ones follow them and DX Newman is one of our buildings where uh we had a consortium with the IU and
034DX Newman is they opted out of that consortium. So they actually have a separate um reading math specialist who is Mr. Cample >> and I know the Boys and Girls Club they normally >> so they're one of our offsite after school. Yes. So we transport about uh 40 to 50 students there. >> So the cognitive development behavior development associate. >> So that is a um it's a group he offers both group session um also mentoring and also he does do um the physical activity with the the drill team. I understand cats. So they're learning how to >> So we actually do have a licensed barber who does come on. He um actually this last year was the first year that we offered the service and um we actually had a number of young men that
035actually stayed in the program. So we asked him to come back this year and he'll actually work be working with our our CTE supervisor. Our new CTE supervisor will be providing guidance to him so that there can be a transition from after school into our actual CTE program. >> Okay. Thank you. Any other >> Thank you. Thank you. Before I adjourn the meeting, I would like to thank all the staff that came out this evening to support us in our meeting and thank you for the dance that we received even um Harris. >> Yes. >> I wanted to thank Shakanda White put this together. >> I like to thank her for putting this brochure together. It's very nice. Um, all is the brochure of all the school programs. >> Yes, good job. Appreciate it. >>
036Miss Hill, Miss Very good. >> And after that being said, >> this meeting is returned. >> Thank you. >> Board members. Yes. I didn't pay for this website. [Music]